Agency Family Trees 2009

Revenue ($ in millions)	2008	2007	% chg
Worldwide	$491.0	$468.6	4.8
U.S	$460.5	$440.0	4.7
Non-U.S.	$30.5	$28.6	6.6
Employees	2008	2007	% chg
Worldwide	2,121	1,990	6.6
U.S.	1,894	1,813	4.5
Non-U.S.	227	177	28.2
Offices	2008	2007	% chg
Worldwide	34	25	36.0
U.S.	11	13	-15.4
Non-U.S.	23	12	91.7

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Alliance Data Systems provides database, direct-marketing and payment-transaction services. It offers customer loyalty programs, database marketing services, marketing strategy consulting, analytics and creative services, e-mail marketing and private-label retail credit card programs. Epsilon is Alliance Data's marketing-services unit

Alliance Data was formed from the 1996 merger of two entities acquired by private-equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe: J.C. Penney Co.'s transaction services business (BSI Business Services) and Limited Brands' credit-card bank (World Financial Network National Bank). Alliance Data went public in June 2001.

In May 2007, Alliance Data agreed to be bought by private-equity firm Blackstone Group for $7.8 billion, including assumption of debt. In the wake of the credit crunch and upheaval in financial markets, Alliance Data Systems Corp. and Blackstone April 18, 2008, terminated the deal after battling over Blackstone's obligations in the deal.

Alliance Data reported 2008 worldwide revenue of $2.025 billion and ended the year with 7,400 employees.

Alliance Data's ranking among agency companies is based on revenue of Epsilon, its marketing-services unit; employee and office figures shown also are for Epsilon.

Epsilon has three divisions: Purple@Epsilon, its direct-marketing and digital agency; Marketing Technology; and Epsilon Data.

Alliance Data bought Epsilon for $314.5 million in October 2004, and it's expanded Epsilon through acquisitions. Epsilon services include Abacus, a provider of data, data management and analytical services for retailers and catalogs acquired from DoubleClick in February 2007 for $439.3 million.

Epsilon launched Purple@Epsilon in March 2008 as a rebranding of Epsilon's direct-marketing and digital agency services. Purple@Epsilon offers creative design, direct-mail production, e-mail marketing, web development and search-engine optimization. Purple@Epsilon bundles Epsilon's direct-marketing agency services along with services acquired through acquisitions (including Bigfoot Interactive in 2005, digital creative specialist Big Designs in 2006 and DoubleClick Email Solutions in 2006).

Top executive: Ed Heffernan, pres & CEO-Alliance Data; Bryan Kennedy, pres & CEO-Epsilon
Headquarters: Alliance Data Systems (Epsilon)/17655 Waterview Pkwy., Dallas, Texas 75252/Phone: (972) 348-5100/Fax: (972) 348-5100

Revenue ($ in millions)	2008	2007	% chg
Worldwide	$2,307.1	$2,093.8	10.2
U.S	$701.8	$694.3	1.1
Non-U.S.	$1,605.3	$1,399.5	14.7
Employees	2008	2007	% chg
Worldwide	14,747	14,438	2.1
U.S.	3,391	3,637	-6.8
Non-U.S.	11,356	10,801	5.1

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Havas is a publicly traded agency company based in France. Havas consists of two key umbrella groups: Havas Media and Havas Worldwide.

Havas in 2006 created Havas Media as the umbrella for its media-agency holdings. Havas Media includes MPG, a global media network; Arena, which Havas calls a "network for tailor-made communication services"; Havas Digital, a global digital network; and Havas Sports & Entertainment, a global sports and entertainment communication and brand integration network. Havas Media agencies expanded from 10 markets in 1999 to 101 markets in 2009.

Havas in February 2009 formed Havas Worldwide as an umbrella organization for its ad agency holdings. Havas Worldwide includes the Euro RSCG network and Arnold Worldwide.

The Euro RSCG network includes Euro RSGG Worldwide; Euro RSCG Latino, a Hispanic ad agency; Euro RSCG Life, a healthcare agency; and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, the network's public relations holding.

Havas in early 2008 completed the integration of Euro RSCG's 4D U.S. operations into the main Euro RSCG Worldwide agency. (Havas had created Euro RSCG 4D in 2004 to manage Euro RSCG's marketing-services operations.) Outside the U.S., the 4D brand continues to operate autonomously. For the purpose of this report, all Euro RSCG 4D U.S. and non-U.S. revenue is in Euro RSCG Worldwide's figures. McKinney, a regional agency based in Durham, N.C., in June 2008 bought itself back from Havas. The French ad firm bought the shop in April 2001 from internet consultancy MarchFirst; MarchFirst's predecessor, CKS Group, bought McKinney in 1997.

Havas at year-end 2008 employed 14,747 people, up 3% from a year earlier (14,438). The North American workforce accounted for about 23% of the 2008 worldwide headcount. (Employees shown for U.S. in this listing reflect Havas' North American staff.)

Havas in June 2007 formed a new agency, H, by combining existing shops Scher Lafarge, DevarrieuxVillaret, EuroRSCG27 and Communider. H, launched with 225 employees, was to offer a "crossover between different advertising and marketing services," with all communications professions "united to work in complete harmony."

Top executive: Fernando Rodes Vila, CEO; Vincent Bollore, chmn
Headquarters: Havas/2 allee de Longchamp, Suresnes, France F92281/Phone: 33-1-58 47 90 00/Fax: 33-1-58 47 99 99