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WPP
to acquire Quasar Media in India
17 November 2007
Mumbai:
Global advertising giant WPP will acquire Indian digital media and e-business
solutions company Quasar Media, to broaden its global portfolio of digital assets,
WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell said. Sorrell
disclosed the transaction, which he said would be formally announced on Monday,
during a presentation at the Morgan Stanley technology, media and telecoms conference. He,
however, did not disclose the value of the transaction.
"It is going to
be a WPP digital acquisition in India. There is no financing required of any significance
in terms of the context of the group," he said on the fringes of the conference. Mumbai-based
Quasar is part of the Smile Interactive Group and focuses on online media, search
and mobile marketing. Quasar
Media has taken consumer interaction a step ahead with the launch of its 'Quasar
Talk' - a blog marketing platform that enables consumers to directly interact
with the brand. It
has already signed General Motors has already for Quasar Talk. "Internet
marketing is growing much beyond the traditional media planning, buying or creative
development," according to Manish Vij, co-founder and chief business officer
of Smile Interactive, the holding company of Quasar Media. Though these remained
essential in digital marketing, the new generation of consumers wanted to interact
with the brands and not get pushed with advertising, he added. Quasar
Media is eyeing a 20 per cent share of the digital advertising market in India.
Some of the well-known clients of Quasar Media include MakeMyTrip.com, Monster,
Microsoft, Airtel, Zapak, General Motors and LG.  Clients
featured on Smile's website include Microsoft and Britain's Aviva while partners
include Yahoo and 24/7 Real Media Inc - the internet ad firm WPP bought in May
for $649 million.
WPP
is the world's second-largest advertising and marketing services firm and operates
in more than 100 countries. Other
reports on Advertising/Branding Other
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