Publicis acquires Beehive Communications

Publicis Groupe announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Beehive Communications, an independent integrated agency headquartered in Mumbai, for an undisclosed sum.

The agency will hence be called Publicis Beehive and operate as a unit within Publicis Worldwide's global network, an official statement said.

Founded in 2003, Beehive Communications has 134 employees across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Services offered by the agency include creative, reputation management, media, digital, brand activation and research. It claims a client roster that includes Malaysia Tourism, General Motors, Korea Tourism, Jubiliant Retail, India Bulls Finance and Bisleri.

Sanjit Shastri, founder and CEO, Beehive Communications, will continue to lead the agency. He will be part of Publicis Worldwide’s management team in India and report to Nakul Chopra, CEO, South Asia, Publicis Worldwide.

“Beehive brings both scale and strategic value to the Publicis offering in India. Coming on the heels of our earlier moves, this is another significant step towards realising our goal of being counted among the top agency networks in India. I look forward to partnering with Sanjit and his team to build a stronger Publicis,” said Chopra.

On the fit, he explained, “The sectoral balance between the two agencies was perfect as they had exposure in certain areas where we had zero exposure (for example, tourism). With this acquisition I see us as a very strong agency three years into the future.”

Jean-Yves Naouri, COO, Publicis Groupe, added, “By adding Beehive to the Publicis network we will be able to capitalise on a great pool of talent and market potential, as well as strengthen the unparalleled services we provide to our clients.”

Publicis Groupe has made a series of acquisitions in India since April 2012. These include Indigo Consulting (April 2012), Resultrix (August 2012), MarketGate (December 2012), iStrat (December 2012), Convonix (March 2013) and Neev (April 2013).

Shastri said, “The wealth of experience and the best practices are perhaps the most compelling reasons for us to become a part of the Publicis Worldwide. Our teams will now have the significantly added strength of one of the world’s leading communications groups [with us] when we meet and interact with clients. We see this translating quickly into excellent winning strategies for our current and prospective clients.”

Publicis Groupe has more than 3,200 permanent employees in India, through agency brands BBH, Digitas, Leo Burnett, MSLGROUP, Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom MediaVest Group, and ZenithOptimedia.