Steve Dapper, founder and chairman of Hawkeye, was previously
CEO of both WPP's Wunderman and Omnicom's Rapp Collins. He will continue his current
chairman role while Sally Kennedy, CEO of Publicis Dallas, becomes
CEO of Publicis Hawkeye.
"We are excited to be adding Hawkeye to our agency network in
the U.S., strengthening our specialized creative services driven by
data in the American market," said Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis
Worldwide, in a statement. "Publicis Hawkeye will be a great fit
for the needs of our clients, and a very strong asset for Publicis
North America and Publicis Worldwide on a global level."
While Publicis has been buying up large and small digital
agencies for years, the holding company took a quick detour last
month with its most recent acquisition: Qorvis, a D.C.-based public
affairs shop.
Late last year, Publicis bought a majority stake in London-based
Walker Media, which is 75%-owned by M&C Saatchi and was valued
at $75 million. Over the past few years, it has snagged
Amsterdam-based Lbi for $540 million and Hamilton, N.J.-based
Rosetta for $575 million.
Publicis' latest acquisition precedes its merger with Omnicom,
slated for later this year.