Datacenter

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$1,407.6	$1,000.0	40.8
U.S.	$565.8	$400.0	41.4
Non-U.S.	$841.8	$600.0	40.3
Ticker: ACN (NYSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Accenture Interactive is the part of Accenture's business that focuses on digital marketing services including ecommerce. Accenture Interactive is part of Accenture Digital, which focuses on marketing, analytics and mobility.

Revenue shown is for years ended August 2014 (shown as 2014) and August 2013 (shown as 2013).

Business segments and operations:

Accenture:

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. It serves clients in more than 120 countries.

Accenture reported worldwide net revenue of $30.002 billion in fiscal 2014 (year ended August 2014); $28.563 billion in 2013; $27.862 billion in 2012; $25.507 billion in 2011; $21.551 billion in 2010; and $21.577 billion in 2009. The company generated 40% of revenue from the U.S. in fiscal 2014; 39% in 2013; 36% in 2012; and 35% in 2011.

Accenture employed 305,000 people worldwide as of August 2014; 275,000 in August 2013; 257,000 in August 2012; and 236,000 in August 2011.

Accenture Digital:

Accenture Digital offers a portfolio of consulting, technology and outsourcing services across digital marketing, mobility and analytics.

Accenture launched Accenture Digital in December 2013 as the umbrella group for Accenture's digital assets, software and services across digital marketing, mobility and analytics. Accenture Digital is composed of Accenture Interactive; Accenture Mobility; and Accenture Analytics. Accenture Digital had 28,000 worldwide employees as of March 2015.

Accenture Interactive:

Accenture Interactive offers marketing services including consulting, technology and outsourcing.

Deals and strategic moves:

Accenture has grown its marketing-services offerings in part through acquisitions. Acquisitions include Reactive Media (February 2015); Acquity Group (July 2013); and Fjord (May 2013).

Reactive Media:

Accenture in February 2015 acquired Reactive Media, a digital agency based in Melbourne, Australia, with offices in Sydney, London, New York and Auckland. The company's portfolio includes services for design and usability, technology development, digital marketing, digital strategy and e-commerce, delivered to companies in the retail, resources, entertainment, telecommunications and automotive industry as well as public sector organizations. Reactive Media was founded in 1997.

Acquity Group:

Accenture in July 2013 acquired Acquity Group, a Chicago-based digital agency, for $316 million cash ($282.985 million cash, net of cash acquired) and aligned it with Accenture Interactive, Accenture's Chicago-based digital marketing-services agency.

At the time of the acquisition announcement, Accenture Interactive employed 4,000 people while Acquity had more than 600 employees. Accenture at the time employed 266,000 people worldwide.

Acquity Group was founded in March 2001 and incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Acquity in May 2012 completed its initial public offering of American depositary shares.

Prior to the offering, Acquity was 30% owned by management and 70% by 2020 China Holdings, a venture owned by Louis Koo and Adrian Chan. Koo and Chan originally bought their Acquity stake in March 2008 for $49 million. Chan was a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs and UBS. Goldman Sachs served as Acquity's adviser on the sale to Accenture.

Fjord:

Accenture in May 2013 acquired Fjord, a service design company. At the time of acquisition, Fjord employed more than 200 design experts in nine global creative hubs including Berlin, Helsinki, Istanbul, London, Madrid, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Stockholm. Fjord was founded in 2001.

History:

Accenture, initially known as Andersen Consulting, was established in 1989 as a separate legal entity operating independently from Arthur Andersen, a major accounting firm. Andersen Consulting changed its name to Accenture on Jan. 1, 2001. Arthur Andersen ceased its accounting practice in 2002.



Top executive: Brian Whipple, senior managing director, Accenture Interactive; Glen Hartman, managing director, North America and digital
Headquarters: Accenture's Accenture Interactive/1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10105/Phone: (917) 452-4400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/accenture
Twitter: @AccentureSocial

http://www.accenture.com/interactive

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$809.9	$805.2	0.6
U.S.	$706.8	$690.2	2.4
Non-U.S.	$103.1	$115.0	-10.3
Ticker: ACXM (Nasdaq)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Acxiom Corp. is an interactive marketing services and infrastructure management company. Its offerings include consumer data and analytics, information technology, data integration and consulting services.

Acxiom is based in Little Rock, Ark., and has operations in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

The company appears in Ad Age Datacenter's agency rankings based on estimated revenue for Acxiom's marketing and data services segment for fiscal years ended March 2015 (shown as 2014) and March 2014 (shown as 2013).

Acxiom Corp. reported worldwide revenue of $1.098 billion in the year ended March 2014; $1.099 billion in the year ended March 2013; $1.131 billion in the year ended March 2012; $1.114 billion (restated) in the year ended March 2011; $1.064 billion (restated) in the year ended March 2010; and $1.277 billion in the year ended March 2009. Those revenue figures include revenue from services and products unrelated to marketing services. Acxiom in July 2011 named Scott E. Howe as president-CEO. Howe, age 43 at the time of his hiring, was a former corporate VP of Microsoft Corp.'s advertising business groups. Prior to Microsoft, Howe worked at aQuantive, a digital advertising firm that Microsoft bought in 2007. Howe's appointment at Acxiom followed the March 2011 resignation of John Meyer, Acxiom's CEO since February 2008.

Deals and strategic moves:

Acxiom in July 2014 bought LiveRamp, a provider of customer-data services for digital marketing applications, in a transaction valued at $272.7 million.

Acxiom in calendar 2010 acquired Go Digital, a marketing-services business based in Brazil (May 2010), and XYZDirect, a digital-marketing business operating in Australia and New Zealand (April 2010).

Acxiom in September 2009 bought a 51% stake in Direct Marketing Services, a Middle East venture with operations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Purchase price was $3.8 million, not including potential earnouts based on performance. At time of acquisition, the acquired agency had annual revenue of less than $5 million.

Acxiom in May 2007 agreed to be acquired by private-equity firm Silver Lake and investment firm ValueAct Capital in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.0 billion, including assumption of about $756 million of debt. Silver Lake and ValueAct pulled out of the deal in October 2007, paying Acxiom $65 million cash to terminate the merger agreement.

Acxiom in May 2005 bought interactive agency Digital Impact for $107 million. Digital Impact's annual revenue at the time of acquisition was about $45 million, according to Acxiom.

History:

Acxiom was founded in 1969.

Top executive: Scott Howe, president and CEO
Headquarters: Acxiom Corp./P.O. Box 8190, 601 E. Third St., Little Rock, Ark. 72203/Phone: (501) 342-1000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acxiomcorp
Twitter: @acxiom

http://www.acxiom.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$623.9	$636.0	-1.9
U.S.	$344.2	$351.9	-2.2
Non-U.S.	$279.7	$284.1	-1.5
Ticker: TSE:AIM (TSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Aimia is a data-driven marketing and loyalty analytics company based in Montreal.

Aimia appears in Ad Age Datacenter's ranking of agency companies based on Aimia's stated worldwide revenue from proprietary loyalty services plus stated other revenue, converted to U.S. dollars from Canadian dollars by Ad Age.

U.S. revenue shown is Aimia's proprietary loyalty services revenue for Aimia's U.S./Asia Pacific region.

Proprietary loyalty services includes loyalty program design, launch and operation. Other revenue includes Aimia's data analytics work.

Aimia was known as Groupe Aeroplan before adopting Aimia as its global brand name in 2011.

Deals and strategic moves:

Aimia in July 2013 bought Smart Button, a Delaware-based provider of a software-as-a-service loyalty solution, for Canadian $19.8 million (U.S. $19.0 million).

Aimia in September 2012 bought Excellence in Motivation (EIM), a U.S.-based full-service channel and employee performance improvement and business loyalty solutions provider, for Canadian $27.0 million (U.S. $27.7 million). EIM contributed Canadian $14.4 million (also U.S. $14.4 million) to Aimia's 2012 U.S./Asia Pacific revenue. Aimia said 2012 pro forma revenue for EIM would have been Canadian $54.0 million (also U.S. $54.0 million).

Groupe Aeroplan on Dec. 7, 2009, acquired Carlson Marketing, a loyalty and marketing-services agency based in Minneapolis, from privately held Carlson Cos. for U.S. $175.3 million ($188.0 million in Canadian dollars). Carlson Marketing in 2011 began operating under the Aimia brand as Aimia's proprietary loyalty-services business.

Groupe Aeroplan began as Air Canada's Aeroplan Program, a frequent-flyer program launched in July 1984. Aeroplan's operations were integrated with those of Air Canada until the end of 2001. On Jan. 1, 2002, Aeroplan was established as a wholly owned limited partnership of Air Canada with a dedicated management team focused on the development of the Aeroplan Program. In June 2005, Aeroplan completed its initial public offering.

Stock:

Aimia trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker AIM.

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$465.3	$466.2	-0.2
U.S.	$3.4	$3.5	-1.7
Non-U.S.	$461.9	$462.8	-0.2
Ticker: TYO:9747 (TYO)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Asatsu-DK is an ad agency company based in Tokyo.

The DK stands for Dai-Ichi Kikaku, an agency with which Asatsu merged in 2002.

WPP owned 24.6% of Asatsu-DK as of March 2015.

Top executive: Shinichi Ueno, president and group CEO; Kenji Oshiba/Shigeharu Hisamatsu, executive director/senior operating officer; Hiroyuki Nomaru/Hiroshi Nakazato/Noriaki Kamei, operating officers
Headquarters: Asatsu-DK/23-1 Toranomon 1 cho-me, Minatoku, Tokyo, 105-6312/Phone: 81-3-6830-3855

http://www.adk.jp

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$363.9	$304.3	19.6
U.S.	$352.2	$295.0	19.4
Non-U.S.	$11.7	$9.3	25.6

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: IN Marketing Services is a full-service integrated-marketing agency specializing in consumer, shopper, experiential, digital and multicultural marketing.

Revenue figures shown are Ad Age DataCenter estimates.

About IN Marketing Services:

IN Marketing Services is a unit of Advantage Sales and Marketing (ASM), a North American sales and marketing agency.

ASM launched IN Marketing Services in 2000 as a shopper-promotions agency.

IN Marketing Services operates hubs in Irvine, Calif., its headquarters; Norwalk, Conn.; New York; Boston; and Miami; with additional offices around the country.

The agency focuses on driving decision behaviors in marketing by making the link between consumer to shopper and shopper to buyer.

IN Marketing Services in 2014 acquired two agencies: 206 Inc., an experiential agency in Seattle; and Sunflower Group, an experiential, merchandising and data/analytics agency in Lenexa, Kan.

IN Marketing Services acquired three U.S. promotions agencies in 2013: AMP Agency, an integrated digital branding and marketing agency based in Boston; Eventus, a Miami-based experiential marketing, sports, entertainment and shopper-marketing agency focused on multicultural consumers; and MASS Hispanic Marketing, a shopper-marketing agency based in Miami that specializes in multicultural audiences.

IN Marketing Services in 2007 bought Campaigners, an in-store marketing firm focused on consumer electronics. IN Marketing Services acquired two other marketing firms, TryFoods International and Marketration, in 2006.

IN Marketing Services in 2009 united its marketing-services operations, including Marketration, TryFoods International and Campaigners, under the IN Marketing Services brand.

About Advantage Sales and Marketing:

ASM is a North American sales and marketing agency that works with manufacturers and retailers with services including headquarter sales, category management and shopper insights, retail merchandising, and marketing services.

ASM in June 2014 forecast 2014 revenue of about $1.6 billion.

Sonny King launched Advantage Sales and Marketing in 1987 as an independent food brokerage company in Southern California. ASM began to expand nationally in 1997 and now operates coast to coast. It expanded into Canada in 2007. King remained ASM's CEO until 2012, when he was succeeded by CEO Tanya Domier. King continued as chairman.

Allied Capital Corp., a business-development company, in 2004 bought a majority stake in ASM for about $180 million. This followed a smaller investment that Allied had made in an ASM unit in 2001.

Allied in 2006 sold a majority stake in ASM to private-equity firms J.W. Childs Associates and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity.

J.W. Childs and BAML Capital Partners (formerly Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity) in 2010 sold a majority stake in ASM to Apax Partners, another private-equity firm.

Apax in June 2014 agreed to sell its majority stake to private-equity firms Leonard Green & Partners, based in Los Angeles, and CVC Capital Partners, based in London. The deal closed in July 2014. ASM said its senior management team would continue to own "a significant equity interest."



Top executive: Jill Griffin, president; Sean Conciatore, executive creative director; Michael Harris, executive VP-strategy and business development
Headquarters: ASM's IN Marketing Services/18100 Von Karman Ave., Suite 1000, Irvine, Calif. 92612/Phone: (949) 797-2900

http://www.inmarketingservices.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$973.3	$579.0	68.1
U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA
Non-U.S.	$973.3	$579.0	68.1
Ticker: SHE:300058 (SHE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: BlueFocus Communication Group (BlueFocus Communication Group Co. Ltd.) is a marketing-communications agency company based in China.

The firm's services include digital marketing, public relations, advertising and event management.

Revenue figures shown are the company's stated gross operating revenue in yuan converted to U.S. dollars by Ad Age Datacenter.

Deals and strategic moves:

BlueFocus has expanded globally through acquisitions and investments.

BlueFocus on Dec. 31, 2014, acquired a majority stake in the North American operations of Vision7 International, a Canada-based agency firm whose holdings included Cossette, a Canadian ad agency, and Citizen Relations, a U.S.-based PR agency. BlueFocus as of March 2015 owned 95.2% of Vision7. BlueFocus bought Vision7 from Mill Road Capital, a Connecticut-based private-equity firm.

The company in December 2014 made a minority investment in Blab, a Seattle-based online data analytics firm.

BlueFocus in July 2014 bought a majority stake in Fuseproject, a design-and-branding company with offices in San Francisco and New York. This was the first acquisition by BlueFocus in the U.S. Yves Behar founded Fuseproject in 1999 and stayed with the firm after the sale. Fuseproject had 75 employees at the time of the sale. The Financial Times reported the price tag at $46.7 million for a 75% stake in Fuseproject, to be paid out over several years.

BlueFocus in December 2013 agreed to acquire an 82.8% stake in We Are Social, a social-media agency network based in London. BlueFocus completed the deal in March 2014. BlueFocus said it would make an initial payment of 18.7 million pounds ($31.1 million, based on March 2014 exchange rates) with later performance-based payments (paid over a period of three years) potentially bringing the total price to 55 million pounds ($91.5 million). We Are Social employed 400 people worldwide in December 2013.

BlueFocus in August 2013 acquired 100% of Bojie Media, a media agency in China. Bojie Media employed more than 200 people in Beijing and Shanghai when it was acquired. BlueFocus stated revenue includes media billings, including billings of Bojie Media for the period starting with August 2013 acquisition of the China-based media agency. BlueFocus said it does not disclose how much of its revenue comes from media billings.

BlueFocus in April 2013 signed a deal to buy a nearly 20% stake in Huntsworth, a U.K. PR and health-care agency company, as part of a strategic alliance between the two firms. BlueFocus completed the purchase Oct. 7, 2013, paying about 36.5 million pounds ($58.5 million based on exchange rates that day) for a 19.6% stake.

BlueFocus owns a 40% stake in Financial PR Group, a Singapore-based financial PR agency. BlueFocus first invested in Financial PR in 2011.

Management and employees:

BlueFocus employed about 5,000 people worldwide in March 2015; and about 3,000 people in April 2014.

History:

BlueFocus opened in Beijing in 1996 as a PR consultancy.

BlueFocus Communication Group was established in 2008.

BlueFocus staged its initial public offering on Feb. 26, 2010, on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, becoming the first China-based PR company to go public in China.



Top executive: Oscar Zhao, chairman and CEO; Holly Zheng, international president
Headquarters: BlueFocus Communication Group/Building C9-C, Universal Creative Park, No. 9, Jiuxianqiao North Road, Beijing, 100015/Phone: 0086 56478688

http://www.bluefocus.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$250.6	$231.3	8.3
U.S.	$70.6	$65.2	8.3
Non-U.S.	$180.0	$166.1	8.4

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Brunswick Group is an independent global public-relations agency based in London and focused on corporate relations and communications.

Business segments and operations:

A January 2015 press release said:

"Brunswick Group LLP is a corporate relations and communications consultancy. We provide informed advice at a senior level to businesses and other organizations around the world, helping them to address critical communications challenges that may affect their valuation, reputation or ability to achieve their ambitions. We are a private partnership with a growing team of approximately 750 employees, including more than 115 partners around the world. The firm has grown organically over 25 years and now has 22 wholly owned offices in 13 countries. These include Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Dallas, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Singapore, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Vienna and Washington, D.C."

A February 2014 press release said:

"Brunswick Group is a private partnership with a growing team of more than 700 people, including over 100 partners around the world. The firm has grown organically since it was established in 1987 and currently has 22 wholly owned offices in 13 countries. Brunswick is the global leader in financial and corporate communications, and provides senior counsel to clients around the globe on critical issues that affect reputation, valuation and business success. The firm's service offer comprises corporate and financial communications, investor relations, internal communications and perception research. Brunswick operates offices in Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Dallas, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm, Sao Paulo, Vienna and Washington DC."

A January 2013 press release said:

"Brunswick Group LLC is a private partnership with a growing team of approximately 600 employees, including more than 90 partners around the world. The firm has grown organically over 25 years and now has 21 wholly owned offices in 12 countries. These include Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Dallas, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Vienna and Washington D.C. The firm's service offer comprises corporate and financial communications, investor relations, internal communications and opinion research."

History:

Brunswick was founded in London in 1987 by Alan Parker, Louise Charlton and Andrew Fenwick. The agency opened its New York office in 1998.

Top executive: Alan Parker, chairman; Susan Gilchrist, group chief executive
Headquarters: Brunswick Group/16 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3ED/Phone: 44 20 7404 5959

http://www.brunswickgroup.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$845.3	$791.1	6.9
U.S.	$78.4	$79.0	-0.8
Non-U.S.	$766.9	$712.0	7.7
Ticker: KRX:030000 (KRX)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Cheil Worldwide is an agency company based in South Korea.

Revenue shown reflects pro forma revenue, including the January 2015 acquisition of Iris Worldwide (and Iris Worldwide's Pepper Global) for the 12 months ended December 2014 and December 2013.

Cheil was founded in 1973 and began to expand internationally in 1988, opening its first international branch office in Tokyo.

Cheil grew out of South Korea's Samsung network. Samsung remains a key client.

Cheil became listed on the Korean Stock Exchange in 1998.

Cheil in January 2015 completed acquisition of a majority stake in Iris, including marketing and communications agency Pepper Global, which Iris bought in August 2014.

An Iris press release at the time of acquisition said Pepper Global had 115 employees and three offices in Munich, Chicago and Singapore.

Cheil Worldwide in November 2014 announced it was buying a stake in Iris.

Iris until that point was minority owned by Meredith Corp.

Cheil and Iris declined to disclose terms of the deal. Cheil said in its November 2014 statement that it was making "a significant initial investment" that "will potentially rise to 100% of the business over the next five years."

As part of the deal, Meredith Corp. relinquished the minority stake in Iris it acquired in 2011.

Cheil in December 2012 named Daiki Lim president and CEO. Lim had been Samsung's VP-corporate strategy in charge of advertising and communications prior to his appointment at Cheil. Lim succeeded former Cheil president and CEO Nack-hoi Kim who retired.

Cheil in July 2012 bought a 100% stake in Durham, N.C.-based McKinney for an estimated $50 million.

Cheil in December 2009 bought a 47% share of digital agency Barbarian Group and in April 2010 increased its ownership to 75.56%. In first-quarter 2014 Cheil increased its stake in Barbarian Group to 100%.

Cheil in September 2009 bought a majority stake in OpenTide Greater China (now Pengtai Greater China), an agency based in Beijing. Cheil in March 2014 had a 99.3% stake in the agency up from 58.33% a year earlier. Cheil in March 2015 retained a 99.3% stake in the agency, which had rebranded to Pengtai Greater China.

Cheil in December 2008 bought a 49% stake in Beattie McGuinness Bungay, a London-based agency, in a step to build its international presence. Cheil in March 2014 had a 75% stake in Beattie McGuinness Bungay up from 49% a year earlier. Cheil in March 2015 retained a 75% stake in the agency.



Top executive: Daiki Lim, president and CEO; Kenneth Cho, VP; Malcolm Poynton, global chief creative officer
Headquarters: Cheil Worldwide/736-1, Hannam-2 Dong, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul, 140-739/Phone: 82-2-3780-2114
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalcheilworldwide
Twitter: @Cheil_Worldwide

http://www.cheil.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$327.7	$262.9	24.7
U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA
Non-U.S.	$327.7	$262.9	24.7
Ticker: LON:CHW (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Chime Communications is a publicly traded U.K. holding company based in London.

Revenue shown is Chime's worldwide "headline" operating income (converted to dollars by Ad Age Datacenter), which reflects operating income from continuing operations. Worldwide revenue shown includes Chime's U.S. operations (including sports-marketing ventures JMI and SJX Business).

Long-time investor WPP owned an 18.9% stake in Chime as of March 2015.

Business segments and operations:

Chime operates through four divisions:

Sport and Entertainment, including CSM Sport & Entertainment.

Advertising and Marketing Services, including VCCP Partnership and Chime Specialist Group.

Insight and Engagement, including specialist brands such as digital agency Watermelon, recruitment agency CherryPicked, fieldwork agency Facts International and research agencies Opinion Leader and CIE.

Health care, including Open Health, a health-care communications and market-access group.

Deals and strategic moves:

2014 acquisitions:

Blaze Agency, a Rugby player management and marketing agency based in Australia; 100% interest acquired March 5, 2014.

ABC Sports Management, an athlete management business in the U.K.; 100% interest acquired Sept. 24, 2014.

SJX Business, a sports and entertainment marketing business based in Connecticut; 100% interest acquired Oct. 27, 2014. Chime said that if acquisition had been completed at the beginning of 2014, the company estimates SJX would have contributed revenue to Chime of 3,647,000 pounds ($6.0 million).

2013 acquisitions:

JMI (Just Marketing Inc.), a marketing firm based in Zionsville, Ind. (near Indianapolis), and focused on global motor sports; 100% interest acquired Nov. 20, 2013. JMI was founded in 1995 and at the time of its acquisition employed about 130 people in the U.S., U.K. and Hong Kong. It provides integrated marketing services, operating mainly in Formula One, Nascar and IndyCar. If the acquisition had been completed at the beginning of 2013, Chime estimates JMI would have contributed revenue to Chime of 31,391,164 pounds ($49.1 million).

WARL Group, a retail and shopper business in the U.K.; 100% interest acquired May 15, 2013.

People Marketing, a sports marketing and communications agency based in Shanghai; 100% interest acquired May 15, 2013.

Complete Leisure Group, which owns the rights to income streams (commissions, royalties and consulting income) of Sebastian Coe, a retired British track and field star; 99% interest acquired Jan. 30, 2013. (Coe is executive chairman of Chime's CSM Sport & Entertainment unit.)

Bell Pottinger sale:

Chime in June 2012 sold most of public-relations unit Bell Pottinger, representing a large portion of Chime's global PR business, to a management group operating as BPP Communications (Bell Pottinger Private). Chime kept a 25% stake.

At the time of the spinoff, BPP reported annualized revenue of about 33 million pounds ($51.8 million based on July 1, 2012, exchange rates) and more than 200 employees. Chime in March 2013 disclosed that Chime's discontinued operations (the Bell Pottinger businesses) had 2011 revenue of 32.2 million pounds ($51.6 million based on average 2011 exchange rates).

The businesses sold to BPP Communications included the entities Bell Pottinger Public Relations Limited, Pelham Bell Pottinger Limited (60%), Bell Pottinger Public Affairs Limited, Pelham Bell Pottinger Asia Pte Limited, Bell Pottinger Middle East FZ-LLC and Bell Pottinger Bahrain S.P.C and the trade and assets of Bell Pottinger Sans Frontieres, Bell Pottinger USA Inc. and Bell Pottinger Central.

Chime in January 2012 had disclosed that a management group was pursuing the acquisition of parts of Chime's PR business. A Chime announcement on Jan. 31, 2012, said Chairman Tim Bell "has asked the board if he can pursue the possibility of he, [deputy chairman] Piers Pottinger and certain other members of the senior management team acquiring some of the businesses within the Public Relations division."

Stock:

WPP's investment:

Long-time investor WPP owned an 18.9% stake in Chime in March 2015; 17.6% stake in Chime in February 2014; 21.1% stake in April 2013; 17.4% in February 2012; 15.0% in March 2011; 15.6% in March 2010; and 19.3% in March 2009. WPP took its first stake in Chime in 1997.

Chime said in its calendar-2013 earnings announcement in March 2014: "At the time of our acquisition of JMI in November 2013, WPP stated that it was their intention to explore a sale of their stake in Chime. We have not been notified of any share disposals by them." In that earnings announcement, Chime disclosed the resignation of company director Paul Richardson, who is WPP's finance director. Richardson had been on Chime's board since 1997.

History:

Chime launched as an independent company in 1989 through a management buyout from Lowe Howard Spink & Bell. Chime went public in 1994.

Top executive: Christopher Satterthwaite, chief executive; Mark Smith, chief operating officer and finance director
Headquarters: Chime Communications/Southside, Sixth Floor, 105 Victoria St., London, SW1E 6QT/Phone: 44 20 7096 5888

http://www.chimeplc.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$145.4	$152.4	-4.6
U.S.	$145.4	$152.4	-4.6
Non-U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Cramer-Krasselt, founded in 1898, is an integrated agency owned by senior managers. The agency, one of the largest independent agencies in the U.S., has offices in Chicago, Milwaukee, Phoenix and New York.



Top executive: Peter Krivkovich, chairman and CEO; Marshall Ross, vice chairman and chief creative officer; Karen Seaman, president and chief operating officer
Headquarters: Cramer-Krasselt/225 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60601/Phone: (312) 616-9600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cramerkrasselt
Twitter: @cramerkrasselt

http://www.c-k.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$1,470.0	$1,278.3	15.0
U.S.	$757.1	$655.5	15.5
Non-U.S.	$712.9	$622.8	14.5

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Deloitte Digital is Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu's digital-services operation.

Revenue shown for Deloitte Digital reflects Ad Age Datacenter's estimate of revenue for Deloitte Digital's work related to digital marketing, including creative, strategy, analytics and other services.

Business segments and operations:

Deloitte Consulting and its Deloitte Digital operation are part of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a global group of firms providing audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management and tax services.

Deals and strategic moves:

Deloitte has built its digital offerings through acquisitions and internal expansion.

Among the acquisitions:

Deloitte Digital in November 2014 acquired Flow Interactive, a user experience design agency based in Cape Town, South Africa, and founded in 2007.

Deloitte in October 2013 bought Banyan Branch, a Seattle-based digital and social-media agency with about 50 employees.

Deloitte in January 2012 bought Ubermind, a Seattle-based mobile agency with about 200 employees. Ubermind came in No. 6 in Ad Age's 2011 ranking of the Best Places to Work.

Deloitte in 2003 acquired Eclipse Group, an internet development firm in Australia. Deloitte originally bought a 20% stake in Eclipse in 2000.

Management and employees:

Deloitte Digital employed more than 800 people worldwide at its May 2012 launch.

History:

Deloitte's Deloitte Consulting launched Deloitte Digital in May 2012, bringing together a global network of digital-services offerings.

The launch press release said: "Deloitte Digital provides clients with a suite of strategy, creative, user experience, engineering and implementation services across mobile, web, social and digital content solutions."

In the press release announcing the launch, John Kerr, managing director of global consulting at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, said: "The launch of Deloitte Digital combines the strengths of a creative agency, a leading IT consultancy and an industry-centric business strategy provider in one company and allows Deloitte to help clients unleash the business value of these emerging technologies."

Deloitte and WPP in 2000 launched a U.S. digital venture, Roundarch, led by two veterans of Deloitte's Customer Relationship Management and e-Business practices. A Roundarch management group bought back the agency in 2005; Aegis Group purchased Roundarch in 2012; Dentsu Inc. acquired Aegis Group in 2013.



Top executive: Andy Main, principal; Nelson Kunkel, director
Headquarters: Deloitte's Deloitte Digital/30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10112/Phone: (212) 492-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deloittedigital
Twitter: @DeloitteDIGI_US

http://www.deloittedigital.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$6,015.4	$5,781.7	4.0
U.S.	$873.8	$834.4	4.7
Non-U.S.	$5,141.6	$4,947.3	3.9
Ticker: TYO:4324 (TYO)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Dentsu Inc. in 2014 was the world's fifth-largest agency company.

Revenue shown reflects estimated revenue converted to U.S. dollars by Ad Age Datacenter. The 2013 estimated revenue is pro forma, including 12 months of revenue for Aegis Group (acquired in March 2013).

Dentsu Inc. revenue in dollars was depressed by a 7.6% drop in the value of the yen in 2014 vs. 2013; and an 18.2% drop in the value of the yen in 2013 vs. 2012.

Business segments and operations:

Tokyo-based Dentsu Inc. operates two agency networks: Dentsu (Japan), the largest agency group in Japan; and Dentsu Aegis Network, which includes Dentsu Inc. agencies outside of Japan.

Dentsu Inc.'s Tokyo-based Dentsu ad agency is the world's largest advertising agency.

London-based Dentsu Aegis Network manages Dentsu Inc.'s non-Japan operations, including former holdings of Aegis Media (the primary unit of Aegis Group, acquired in March 2013) and Dentsu Network. While Aegis Media and Dentsu Network continued to operate post-acquisition as separate entities, they are governed by Dentsu Aegis Network's management team and go to market as Dentsu Aegis Network.

Dentsu Inc. formed Dentsu Network in April 2012 to oversee Dentsu companies outside Japan, excluding companies solely engaged in sports marketing and content development.

Dentsu Network launched in 2012 with 82 operations in 29 countries. Dentsu Inc. folded Dentsu Network West (Dentsu Inc.'s network in the Americas, Europe and Australia) into Dentsu Network.

Dentsu Inc. had formed Dentsu Network West in October 2010 to manage agency ventures in the Americas (North America and Latin America) and Europe (excluding Russia).

Clients:

Dentsu Inc. as of February 2015 served more than 11,000 clients in 124 countries.

Deals and strategic moves:

Aegis Group acquisition:

Dentsu Inc. in July 2012 signed a deal to acquire Aegis Group, a London-based agency company. Dentsu Inc. completed the acquisition March 26, 2013, for 409 billion yen or 3.164 billion euros. That translated to $4.853 billion (calculated by Ad Age on 3.164 billion pounds at the exchange rate on the closing date).

Upon closing the Aegis Group acquisition, Dentsu Inc. changed the name of "Aegis Group plc" to "Dentsu Aegis Network Ltd."

North America acquisitions include:

Spoke, a digital creative agency in Canada, acquired in December 2014. Spoke became part of Isobar.

Rockett Interactive, a data-focused digital agency based in Cary, N.C., acquired in December 2014 and folded into iProspect.

Covario, a San Diego-based search and content performance-marketing agency with more than 140 employees, acquired in September 2014 and folded into iProspect. (Covario's Rio SEO software unit was not included in the acquisition and remained independent following the transaction.)

MKTG, a promotions and event-marketing agency based in New York, announced May 2014; deal completed Aug. 27, 2014.

NVI, a performance marketing agency based in Canada and purchased in May 2013. The agency, focused on search marketing and digital performance media, was folded into iProspect.

Mitchell Communications Group, a public-relations agency based in Arkansas and acquired in January 2013. At the time of the acquisition, Mitchell had 75 employees and 2012 revenue of $13.68 million.

Bos, a Montreal ad agency acquired in May 2012. Bos had expertise in French-language advertising. The company merged it with Dentsu Canada; the combined agency operated as DentsuBos.

ML Rogers, a New York creative shop acquired in January 2012. ML Rogers' name was retired; its employees joined the Dentsu America agency. (As of 2014, Dentsu America's back office had been folded into sibling agency 360i.)

Firstborn, a New York-based digital agency acquired in February 2011.

Innovation Interactive, a New York-based digital-marketing-services company acquired Jan. 26, 2010. Innovation Interactive had three operating units: 360i, a digital-marketing agency; SearchIgnite, a paid-search management technology venture; and Netmining, an audience optimization platform. In the sale announcement, Innovation Interactive said it had 300 employees and 2008 worldwide revenue of $60.98 million.

Attik, a San Francisco-based creative boutique acquired Oct. 31, 2007. Attik at the time of acquisition had 58 employees in San Francisco and 10 employees in the U.K.

Other recent acquisitions include:

Mindworks (Greece), March 2015.
Soap Creative (Australia), February 2015.
BWM Group (Australia), January 2015.
WATConsult (India), January 2015.
OOH Plus (Brazil), December 2014.
Tempero (U.K.), December 2014 (integrated into ICUC).
Fetch (U.K.), November 2014.
Crimson Room (South Africa), August 2014.
Media Fuse (Nigeria), August 2014.
Milestone Brandcom (India), July 2014.
Fifty Four Media (Kazakhstan), May 2014.
NBS (Brazil), May 2014.
Lesmobilizers (France), March 2014.
Explido (Germany), February 2014.
Verawom (China), February 2014.
Socializer (Poland), January 2014.
Oddfellows Holdings (Australia), January 2014.
Traffic (Russia), October 2013.
Media Vision (Scotland), October 2013.
Trio Digital Integrated (China), September 2013.
Ymedia (Spain), September 2013.
Simple Agency (Italy), July 2013.
Webchutney (India), May 2013.
Social Embassy (Netherlands), May 2013.
Kinecto (Romania), May 2013.
NewWorld (Belgium), May 2013.
Brandscape (Thailand), April 2013.
Beijing Wonder Advertising (China), April 2013.
Taproot (India), August 2012.
Lov Communications (Brazil), January 2012.
AdJug (U.K.), August 2011.
Steak Group (U.K.), June 2011.
Social Thinkers (Germany), January 2011.

Other holdings:

Dentsu owns a minority stake in the Asian ad network Dentsu Y&R, a joint venture originally formed in 1981. WPP, parent of Young & Rubicam Group, owns the rest of DYR.

Publicis Groupe relationship:

Publicis Groupe on Feb. 17, 2012, bought back 18 million Publicis shares owned by Dentsu for 644.4 million euros ($840.3 million) or 35.80 euros ($46.68) a share. The buyback, which had been expected, ended a strategic alliance in place since 2002 (when Publicis bought Dentsu-backed Bcom3 Group, the then-parent of Leo Burnett and Starcom MediaVest).

In a statement, Dentsu said the sale of its big Publicis stake marked the end of three agreements: a shareholders' pact with Publicis; a strategic alliance with Publicis; and a shareholders' agreement with Elisabeth Badinter, a member of the founding family and main shareholder of Publicis.

"As a result of this termination, Dentsu and Ms. Badinter will no longer act in concert," the statement said. Publicis in February 2012 said Badinter held 10.99% of the shares and 19.92% of the voting rights of Publicis, making her the company's largest shareholder.

In announcing the buyback, Publicis said: "The friendly relationship and collaboration between the two groups will continue. Firstly, Dentsu holds 2.12% of the shares of Publicis Groupe S.A. (following the share cancellation). Secondly, the two joint ventures between Dentsu and Publicis Groupe will continue in the same form and with the same shareholdings as previously (Beacon Communications and Dentsu Razorfish owned respectively 66% and 19.35% by Publicis Groupe). Moreover, partnerships related to specific clients that the two groups have in common will continue, in the clients' interests."

Publicis on Feb. 15, 2013, bought back Dentsu Inc.'s remaining approximately 3.9 million Publicis shares for 181.4 million euros ($242.9 million).

In announcing the sale of its remaining Publicis shares, Dentsu Inc. said: "Dentsu and Publicis will continue to proactively consider all opportunities for future collaboration on their individual merits. Moreover, there will be no changes to the management structure or the management policies of the two companies established jointly by Dentsu and Publicis: Beacon Communications (Head Office: Tokyo; established in January 2001) and Dentsu Razorfish (Head Office: Tokyo; established in April 2001)."

Publicis said in its Feb. 15, 2013, announcement of the share buyback: "The two groups will continue to consider all opportunities for collaboration and to maintain cooperative relations, and the two [Japan-based] joint ventures between Dentsu and Publicis Groupe (Beacon Communications and Dentsu Razorfish) are expected to continue without change."

Publicis, the third-largest agency company in 2013, and No. 2 Omnicom Group in July 2013 announced plans to merge into the world's biggest agency firm, Publicis Omnicom Group N.V., a newly formed Dutch holding company. Publicis and Omnicom on May 8, 2014, terminated the deal, citing "difficulties in completing the transaction within a reasonable timeframe."

Management and employees:

Dentsu Inc. had about 40,000 employees worldwide as of February 2015; about 38,000 as of March 2014; and about 37,000 as of March 2013.

Tadashi Ishii in 2011 became Dentsu Inc.'s 12th president-CEO.

Management history:

1901: Hoshiro Mitsunaga established Japan Advertising Ltd. and Telegraphic Service Co., the predecessor of Dentsu Inc.

1940: Shinzo Mitsunaga became the company's second president.

1945: Sekizo Ueda became the third president.

1947: Hideo Yoshida became the fourth president.

1963: Tsuneji Hibino became the fifth president.

1973: Yoshichika Nakahata became the sixth president.

1977: Hideharu Tamaru became the seventh president.

1985: Gohei Kogure became the eighth president.

1993: Gohei Kogure became the first chairman. Yutaka Narita became the ninth president.

2001: Yutaka Narita became the second chairman. Tateo Mataki became the 10th president.

2004: Tateo Mataki became president-CEO.

2007: Tateo Mataki became the third chairman. Tatsuyoshi Takashima became the 11th president.

2011: Tatsuyoshi Takashima became the fourth chairman. Tadashi Ishii became the 12th president-CEO.

Stock:

Dentsu staged its initial public offering Nov. 30, 2001, with a listing on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

History:

1901: Hoshiro Mitsunaga established Japan Advertising Ltd. and Telegraphic Service Co.

1906: Telegraphic Service Co. became Japan Telegraphic Communication Co. Ltd.

1907: Japan Advertising Ltd. merged with Japan Telegraphic Communication Co. Ltd. The same year, it launched its communication and advertising operations.

1936: Japan Telegraphic Communication Co. Ltd. spun off its news-services department to Domei News Agency and relaunched itself as a specialized advertising agency.

1943: The company acquired 16 ventures to augment its advertising agency business.

1948: The company created the Dentsu Advertising Awards.

1949: The company started the Dentsu Advertising Essay Contest for students.

1951: Dentsu launched a radio division coinciding with the start of commercial radio broadcasting in Japan.

1953: Dentsu formed a radio and television division coinciding with the start of commercial TV broadcasting in Japan.

1955: The company changed its name to Dentsu Advertising Ltd.

1974: Ad Age ranked Dentsu as the world’s largest ad agency based on calendar-1973 billings.

1978: The company changed its name to Dentsu Incorporated in April 1978; it shortened the name to Dentsu Inc. in September 1987.

1981: Dentsu and Young & Rubicam formed Dentsu Young & Rubicam, a joint venture in Tokyo.

1984: Dentsu and Young & Rubicam established DYR, an international service network.

1988: Ad Age named Dentsu the 1987 International Agency of the Year.

1989: Fiscal 1989 billings exceeded 1 trillion yen.

1995: Dentsu established five Japanese regional subsidiaries.

1996: Japan-China Advertising Education Exchange Project began. Dentsu Tec Inc. launched.

2000: Dentsu made an equity investment in U.S. agency firm Bcom3 Group. Information Services International-Dentsu Ltd. listed shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

2001: Dentsu staged its initial public offering Nov. 30, 2001, with a listing on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Dentsu celebrated its 100th anniversary.

2002: Publicis Groupe purchased Bcom3Group; Dentsu acquired 15% stake in Publicis as part of strategic alliance.

2003: Dentsu East Japan Inc., Ad Dentsu Tokyo Inc. and Dentsu Tohoku Inc. merged, with Dentsu East Japan as the surviving company. Geneon Entertainment Inc. and Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. were converted to subsidiaries.

2004: Dentsu Group launched UNESCO World Terakoya Movement kururimpa project.

2006: Dentsu Tec was converted to a wholly owned subsidiary and its shares were delisted.

2007: Dentsu Group reached consolidated billings (net sales) of 2 trillion yen.

2009: Dentsu introduced a management system consisting of director, member of the board and executive officer. Cyber Communications Inc. became a wholly owned subsidiary. Dentsu set a new Dentsu Group corporate philosophy: “Good Innovation." 2010: Dentsu established Dentsu Network West to manage holdings in the Americas, Europe and Australia. Dentsu also established Dentsu Digital Holdings.

2012: Dentsu formed Dentsu Network, an umbrella organization of the company's agencies outside Japan. Dentsu Network absorbed Dentsu Network West. Publicis Groupe bought back 18 million Publicis shares owned by Dentsu, ending a strategic alliance in place since 2002; Publicis in 2013 purchased Dentsu’s remaining approximately 3.9 million Publicis shares.

2013: Dentsu acquired Aegis Group and established a new London-based global operating unit, Dentsu Aegis Network Ltd., including former holdings of Aegis and Dentsu Network.



Top executive: Tadashi Ishii, president and CEO
Headquarters: Dentsu Inc./1-8-1, Higashi-shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-7001/Phone: 81-3-6216-5111

http://www.dentsu.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$154.7	$145.1	6.6
U.S.	$148.5	$139.0	6.8
Non-U.S.	$6.2	$6.1	1.2

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Derse is an experiential-marketing agency based in Milwaukee.

Revenue shown here is Derse's U.S. and worldwide gross revenue. Derse reported worldwide gross revenue of $154.7 million in 2014: $145.1 million in 2013; $128.5 million in 2012; $107.8 million in 2011; $96.4 million in 2010 and $89.0 million in 2009.

James F. Derse founded The Derse Co. in 1948. A group of senior Derse officers and managers acquired the company in 1989.



Top executive: Adam S. Beckett, president and CEO
Headquarters: Derse/3800 W. Canal St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53208/Phone: (414) 257-2000
Twitter: @DerseSocial

http://www.derse.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$844.4	$776.7	8.7
U.S.	$510.4	$478.5	6.7
Non-U.S.	$334.0	$298.3	12.0

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: DJE Holdings (formerly Daniel J. Edelman Inc.) is a public-relations agency network group based in Chicago.

The company owns the Edelman public-relations network (including Edelman, Edelman Berland, United Entertainment Group, Matter and other ventures) and Zeno Group, a marketing-communications agency that operates separately from the Edelman PR network.

The company in May 2014 bought Stockholm-based creative agency shop Deportivo. At the time of its acquisition, Deportivo had 20 staffers and just under $3 million in revenue.

Edelman Berland is a strategic research and analytic business. Edelman in 2012 formed Edelman Berland, which absorbed StrategyOne.

United Entertainment Group (UEG), is an entertainment, sports and experiential marketing agency. UEG includes Matter, an integrated marketing firm. Matter includes Edelman's former Ruth unit, an integrated-marketing agency that launched in 2010.



Top executive: Richard Edelman, president and CEO-Edelman; Matthew Harrington, global chief operating officer-Edelman; Chris Paul, global director-paid media
Headquarters: DJE Holdings/200 E. Randolph St., 63rd Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60601/Phone: (312) 240-3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edelman
Twitter: @EdelmanPR

http://www.edelman.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$253.0	$268.0	-5.6
U.S.	$253.0	$268.0	-5.6
Non-U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA
Ticker: EBAY (Nasdaq)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: EBay Enterprise is an eBay business segment that operates three primary lines of business: Commerce Technologies, Omnichannel Operations Solutions and Commerce Marketing Solutions.

U.S. revenue shown in this record reflects full-year worldwide "marketing services and other revenues" for eBay Enterprise.

Deals and strategic moves:

EBay in January 2015 said it was exploring strategic options for eBay Enterprise, including a possible sale or initial public offering of the business. In announcing that possible move, eBay said: "Enterprise is a strong business and a leading partner for large retailers, managing mission critical components of their e-commerce initiatives. However, it has become clear that it has limited synergies with either business and a separation will allow both to focus exclusively on their core markets, as we create two independent world class companies."

EBay Enterprise formerly operated as GSI Commerce. EBay acquired GSI Commerce for about $2.4 billion on June 17, 2011, making GSI Commerce one of eBay's operating segments. In June 2013 eBay rebranded GSI Commerce as eBay Enterprise, and rebranded GSI Marketing Services as eBay Enterprise Marketing Solutions. EBay Enterprise Marketing Solutions as of 2015 was going to market under the shortened name of eBay Enterprise.

EBay Enterprise's marketing-services business includes ventures from the former GSI including GSI Media; True Action Network (digital marketing agency); e-Dialog (e-mail marketing services; acquired February 2008); MBS (database marketing; acquired May 2010); M3 Mobile (mobile marketing; acquired April 2010); FetchBack (retargeting company; acquired June 2010); Silverlign (website design and marketing firm, acquired April 2009); Pepperjam (full-service affiliate marketing network; acquired September 2009); and ClearSaleing (advertising analytics and attribution platform; acquired January 2011).



Top executive: Steve Denton, VP-eBay Enterprise Marketing Solutions; Glenn Fishback, head-global display; John Couch, creative director
Headquarters: eBay's eBay Enterprise/935 First Ave., King of Prussia, Pa. 19406/Phone: (610) 491-7000
Twitter: @eBayEnterprise

http://www.ebayenterprise.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$400.0	NA	NA
U.S.	$211.3	NA	NA
Non-U.S.	$188.8	NA	NA

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Engine Group is an agency company based in London and owned by Lake Capital.

Revenue shown for the agency company for 2014 is pro forma including acquisitions.

Deals and strategic moves:

Lake Capital, a private-equity firm based in Chicago, in September 2014 acquired Engine Group, a U.K.-based agency firm whose holdings included Deep Focus, WCRS and Transform.

Lake Capital immediately combined Engine Group with two other Lake Capital-owned firms, ORC International (market research and business intelligence) and Trailer Park (entertainment and content marketing agency), under the name Engine Group. Each agency operates as a distinct offering under Engine Group.

Upon closing of that deal, Terry Graunke, Lake Capital's chairman and co-founder, became Engine Group's executive chairman and Engine Group co-founder Peter Scott became vice chairman and head of global strategy.

Lake Capital previously bankrolled Hyper Marketing, a marketing-services rollup acquired in 2012 by Alliance Data Systems Corp.'s Epsilon.

Trailer Park, an entertainment marketing agency owned by Lake Capital, in 2010 bought Chicago--bought Goodness Mfg., forming Goodness Mfg./Trailer Park. The agency now operates as Trailer Park; Goodness Mfg. is Trailer Park's advertising division.

Engine Group prior to September 2014 acquisition:

Engine Group reported worldwide revenue of $156.583 million in 2013; $141.495 million in 2012; 82.911 million pounds ($133.019 million) in 2011; 73.909 million pounds ($114.288 million) in 2010; and 59.102 million pounds ($92.550 million) in 2009.

Engine made its debut on the World's 50 Largest Agency Companies ranking in Ad Age's April 2012 Agency Report.

Engine was started by Chairman and Group Chief Executive Peter Scott, who led a 2004 management buyout of London ad agency WCRS that in turn led to the November 2005 creation of Engine.

Scott was a co-founder of Wight Collins Rutherford Scott in 1979 and helped lead a stock offering in 1983 and then a repositioning as Aegis Group, a U.K.-based media-agency and research firm. He stayed on as Aegis chairman-CEO until 1992.

Engine in October 2010 announced an approximately $100 million investment in the business by an affiliate of global private investment firm H.I.G. Capital. Engine said it would use the cash to expand into markets including the U.S., China, Brazil and selected European markets.

Specifically, H.I.G. Europe, the European adviser to Miami-based private-equity firm H.I.G. Capital, agreed to invest up to 62.5 million pounds ($96.6 million) in Engine. Under the agreement, H.I.G. made an initial investment of 32.5 million pounds ($50.3 million) to fund growth plans of Engine; H.I.G. got a 38% stake in the agency firm. Engine had the ability to get the remaining 30 million pounds ($46.3 million) from H.I.G. over the following 12 to 24 months, "subject to certain conditions." (H.I.G. officially announced its investment in December 2010.)

Engine opened its U.S. office in February 2010, when Martin Puris became CEO of Engine USA and John Bernbach became chief operating officer of Engine USA. (Puris was co-founder of Ammirati & Puris, now folded into Interpublic Group's Lowe & Partners. Bernbach was former vice chairman of Omnicom's DDB Needham Worldwide and is the son of DDB co-founder Bill Bernbach.)

Engine USA in October 2010 acquired Deep Focus, a New York-based digital agency.

Engine in December 2010 bought Noise, a New York-based youth-marketing agency.

Engine in November 2014 merged Deep Focus with Noise. The agencies operate as Deep Focus. At the time of the merger, Engine Group said the combined agencies would have a staff of about 300 employees and offices in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Shanghai.

Engine in 2011 purchased two U.K. ventures, Mischief PR and production firm Fantastic Thinking, as well as Identica Shanghai (later renamed Calling Brands).

Engine in 2011 put its U.S. expansion plans on pause amid the eurozone financial crisis. Puris stepped down as Engine USA's CEO in early 2012 but remained an adviser.

With conditions in the eurozone stabilized somewhat, Scott told Ad Age in February 2012 that Engine expected further activity in the U.S. "We had a six-month hiatus, and now we're back on track," Scott said.



Top executive: Terry Graunke, executive chairman-Engine Group; Steve Aldridge, executive creative director; Zoe Church, global client development director
Headquarters: Engine Group/60 Great Portland St., London, W1W7RT/Phone: 44 20 3128 8000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theenginegroup
Twitter: @EngineLondon

http://www.theenginegroup.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$881.0	$874.0	0.8
U.S.	$433.0	$417.0	3.8
Non-U.S.	$448.0	$457.0	-2.0
Ticker: LON:EXPN (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Experian Marketing Services is a global provider of marketing services focused on digital marketing, consumer data and data management.

The company appears in Ad Age's Agency Report and Agency Family Trees based on the stated revenue of Experian Marketing Services in North America (shown in this report as U.S.) and worldwide for the year ended March 2014 (shown as 2014).

New York-based Experian Marketing Services is one of four global business lines, or business segments, operated by Dublin-based Experian, a global information-services company focused on data and analytical tools.

The parent company's three other business lines are credit services (credit databases); decision analytics (consulting, analytical tools and software to convert data into business decisions); and consumer services (credit monitoring).

Experian reported worldwide revenue of $4.840 billion ($2.404 billion from North America, including $2.391 billion from the U.S.) in the fiscal year ended March 2014.

Experian reported worldwide revenue of $4.730 billion ($2.258 billion from North America, including $2.255 billion from the U.S.) in the fiscal year ended March 2013.

Experian reported worldwide revenue of $4.487 billion ($2.092 billion from North America, including $2.089 billion from the U.S.) in the fiscal year ended March 2012.

Experian Marketing Services made its Agency Report debut in the April 2013 report. The company entered the marketing-services business in 1987 when TRW Information Services, a U.S. credit bureau, purchased Dallas-based Executive Services.

TRW in 1996 spun off its Information Services business into a new company, Experian.

U.K. firm Great Universal Stores (GUS) in 1997 acquired Experian and merged it with its U.K. credit bureau, CCN. GUS in 2006 spun off Experian as a standalone public company.

Experian over time has expanded its marketing-services offerings.

Experian in 1998 expanded its direct-marketing services by acquiring U.S. firms MetroMail and Direct Marketing Technologies (DirectTech).

Other marketing-services-related acquisitions included CheetahMail, an email service provider (2004); Quick Address Search, a contact management firm (2004); Simmons Research, a market-research firm (2004); Hitwise, an online consumer-insight business (2007); Techlightenment, a social media and Facebook advertising platform (2011); and Conversen, a developer of interaction management technologies that allow marketers to create integrated, cross-channel conversations over mobile, web, social, email and traditional channels (2012).



Top executive: Matt Seeley, president-North America
Headquarters: Experian's Experian Marketing Services/29 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10006/Phone: (866) 626-6479
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/experianmarketingservices
Twitter: @ExperianMkt

http://www.experianmarketingservices.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$390.0	$350.0	11.4
U.S.	$290.0	$262.5	10.5
Non-U.S.	$100.0	$87.5	14.3

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Freeman provides a range of integrated-marketing services for live events including expositions, conventions, corporate events and exhibits.

Ad Age Datacenter ranks Freeman as an agency company based on its stated worldwide event/experiential-marketing revenue; and as an agency based on its stated event-marketing revenue excluding production, storage and pass-through.

Freeman disclosed worldwide event/experiential-marketing revenue of $390.0 million in 2014; $350.0 million in 2013; and $260.0 million in 2012.

Business segments and operations:

The company disclosed total worldwide revenue of $1.973 billion in 2014; $1.700 billion in 2013; and $1.600 billion in 2012. Freeman offers a range of services including event design and production, communications content development, execution, and measurement; logistics planning and on-site coordination; digital graphics and banners; furnishings, flooring, and decor; event staging; audio, video, lighting, projection and digital services including presentation management; simultaneous interpretation; entertainment; theatrical and heavy equipment rigging; exhibit construction and program management; installation and dismantle services; electrical and utilities; and global freight transportation and material handling services. Freeman offers its marketing services for events under the Freeman and FreemanXP brands.

FreemanXP launched in June 2013 as a boutique experiential-marketing agency. Services at FreemanXP (freemanxp.com) range from strategy and creative to event production and measurement.

Deals and strategic moves:

Freeman in 2014 acquired audiovisual firm AVMG and the audiovisual rental, staging and hotel operations of Tampa, Fla.-based AVI-SPL.

Revenue in 2013 was boosted by the March 2013 acquisition of SO Group, an event-services business in the U.K.

Past acquisitions include ProActive Agency, Champion, Immersa Marketing, Encore Productions, AVT Event Technologies and Alford Media.

History:

Freeman is an employee-owned firm run by third-generation leadership.

Donald S. (Buck) Freeman started the business in 1927 in Des Moines, Iowa, to perform work for fairs and small regional events. The company expanded over the decades and established its headquarters in Dallas in 1974.

Buck Freeman died in 1977, at which point his son, Donald S. Freeman Jr., became chairman-CEO. In 2008, Don Freeman's daughter, Carrie Freeman Parsons, became vice chair and his son-in-law, Joseph V. (Joe) Popolo, became CEO, transferring leadership to the third generation.



Top executive: Joe Popolo, CEO; Dan Hoffend, president
Headquarters: Freeman/1600 Viceroy, Dallas, Texas 75235/Phone: (214) 445-1000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freemanfans
Twitter: @freemanco

http://www.freemanco.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$189.4	$186.2	1.7
U.S.	$75.7	$75.4	0.5
Non-U.S.	$113.6	$110.9	2.5
Ticker: FCN (NYSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: FTI Consulting's Strategic Communications practice is a global public relations agency. Services include financial and corporate communications and investor relations; reputation management and brand communications; public affairs; business consulting; and digital design and marketing.

FTI Consulting is ranked among Agency Companies based on the Strategic Communications segment's stated worldwide revenue. FTI Consulting is ranked among public-relations agency networks based on estimated revenue of the Strategic Communications segment including fees, commissions and markups but excluding pass-through expenses.

Business segments and operations:

FTI said in its 10-K for year ended December 2014: "Our Strategic Communications segment continues to be negatively impacted by fewer M&A [mergers and acquisitions] transactions, capital markets transactions and public stock offerings, and client decisions to reduce, postpone or curtail discretionary spending, resulting in fewer or lower fee retainer engagements and competitors with lower pricing models."

That 10-K also said: "Our Strategic Communications segment competes with the large public relations firms and boutique M&A and crisis management communications firms. Our Strategic Communications segment has been experiencing competitive downward fee pressure on higher margin types of engagements."

FTI said in its 10-K for year ended December 2013: "Our Strategic Communications segment has been negatively impacted by the slow economic recovery, the slow recovery of M&A and a reduction in capital markets transactions and public stock offering activity, and client decisions to reduce, postpone or curtail discretionary spending, resulting in fewer or lower fee retainer engagements." The 10-K also said: "Our Strategic Communications segment has been experiencing competitive downward fee pressure on higher margin types of engagements."

The Strategic Communications segment in March 2013 acquired C2 Group, a government relations and lobbying business in Washington, D.C.

The 10-K for year ended December 2013 noted segment revenue decreased to $186.2 million in 2013 from $187.8 million in 2013. "Acquisition-related revenues from C2 were $4.8 million, or 2.6% growth as compared to the same prior year period," the 10-K said. "Revenues decreased organically by $6.3 million due to reduced capital markets activity in the Asia Pacific region, lower pass-through revenue in the EMEA region, and lower revenue from a large client in North America, partially offset by higher pass-through and project revenue in North America."

FTI said in its 10-K for year ended December 2012: "Revenue from our Strategic Communications segment declined with fewer M&A engagements and pricing pressure on portions of our retained business." More specifically, the 10-K said 2012 revenue in the sector fell "due to fewer M&A-related projects in the Asia Pacific region, lower project income in North America and pricing pressures on retainer fees in the North America and EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Africa] regions, offset by higher project income in EMEA and higher retainer income in Latin America."

FTI in 2012 recorded special charges in its Strategic Communications segment to "realign our workforce to address current business demands and global macro-economic conditions," resulting in termination of 15 employees.

Impairment:

FTI's 10-K for year ended December 2013 said: "In the third quarter of 2013, in addition to reduced levels of M&A activity, our Strategic Communications segment experienced pricing pressure for certain discretionary communications services, including initial public offering support services where there is volume but also increasing competition. These factors compressed segment margins and contributed to a change in the Company's near-term outlook for this segment. This was considered an interim impairment indicator for the Strategic Communications segment at the Strategic Communications reporting unit level. As a result, we performed an interim impairment analysis with respect to the carrying value of goodwill in our Strategic Communications reporting unit in connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2013. Based on this assessment, the Company concluded the implied fair value of the Strategic Communications reporting unit was below its carrying value resulting in an $83.8 million goodwill impairment charge in the third quarter."

FTI also took a segment impairment charge in 2012. FTI's 10-K for year ended December 2012 said: "During the fourth quarter [of 2012], we conducted our annual impairment analysis with respect to the carrying value of our goodwill. Our analysis indicated that the estimated fair value of our Strategic Communications reporting unit was less than its carrying value. As a result, we recorded a $110.4 million non-deductible charge related to the Strategic Communications segment. The Strategic Communications reporting unit fair value was unfavorably impacted by a combination of lower current and projected cash flows."

Management and employees:

FTI Consulting's Strategic Communications practice operates a global network of wholly owned offices. The number of revenue-generating professionals in the Strategic Communications segment stood at 566 at year-end 2014; 590 at year-end 2013; 593 at year-end 2012; 582 at year-end 2011; and 583 at year-end 2010.

History:

FTI Consulting's Strategic Communications practice operated as FD until November 2011, when FD adopted the name of its parent, FTI Consulting. The business formerly was known as Financial Dynamics before taking the FD name in March 2007.

FD was acquired in October 2006 by FTI Consulting, a global business advisory firm with corporate offices in Baltimore and executive offices in West Palm Beach, Fla. FTI bought 97% of FD in October 2006 and the remaining 3% in February 2007 for a total price tag of $307.5 million including transaction costs.

FD was founded in 1986. Publicly traded FTI was founded in 1982.

Top executive: Edward Reilly, global CEO, Strategic Communications
Headquarters: FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications)/88 Pine St., 32nd Fl., New York, N.Y. 10005/Phone: (212) 850-5600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FTIConsultingInc
Twitter: @FTI_SC

http://www.fticonsulting.com/sc

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$170.6	$168.9	1.0
U.S.	$10.0	$9.9	1.0
Non-U.S.	$160.6	$159.0	1.0

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: FullSix Group is a marketing-services group based in France.

FullSix, founded in 1997, began as an agency venture based in Italy; WPP owned a minority stake. Cognetas, a European private-equity firm, and the agency's management team in August 2008 bought FullSix's operations outside Italy for 40 million euros (a bit less than $60 million). The business bought by Cognetas operates as FullSix Group (formerly known as FullSix International).

FullSix Group in 2010 purchased U.K. digital agency Grand Union.

WPP (through an entity called WPP Dotcom Holdings (Fourteen) LLC) has a 26.22% stake in FullSix Italy, according to a March 2015 report on corporate governance at FullSix Italy's website.

FullSix Group in 2011 reentered the Italian market with a fully owned agency, Grand Union Italy, after two years of exclusive partnership with FullSix Italy.

WPP Group Chief Executive Martin Sorrell in October 2008 ended a long-running legal standoff with Marco Benatti, who is another major shareholder in FullSix's Italian operation and the former director of WPP Italy. Sorrell and Benatti agreed to an out-of-court settlement of their multi-lawsuit feud. No details of the settlement were released. A joint statement released in October 2008 said: "WPP and Marco Benatti have agreed to a full and final settlement of the disputes between them, which are the subject of the proceedings currently before the English High Court and related proceedings in Italy. The terms of the settlement are confidential."

Top executive: Marco Tinelli, group president
Headquarters: FullSix Group/157 rue Anatole France, Levallois-Perret, 92309/Phone: 33-1-49-68-7300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fullsix
Twitter: @FullsixGroup

http://www.group.fullsix.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$402.9	$369.7	9.0
U.S.	$24.0	$20.0	20.0
Non-U.S.	$378.9	$349.7	8.3

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Grupo ABC is an agency company in Brazil created by veteran Brazilian ad executive Nizan Guanaes.

Revenue shown reflects Grupo ABC's revenue converted to U.S. dollars. The Brazilian real declined 8.3% against the dollar in 2014 after falling 9.5% against the dollar in 2013.

Kinea Investments, an investment group backed by one of Brazil's largest banks, in April 2013 paid 170 million real (U.S. $84 million) to acquire about a 20% stake in Grupo ABC.

Kinea's announcement said: "The funds (Kinea) will be used to accelerate ABC's expansions through new acquisitions and also to develop the 14 companies that comprise ABC."

The price tag that Kinea paid for its stake implied Grupo ABC had a market value of about $420 million as of April 2013.

In Kinea's announcement, Grupo ABC CEO Guga Valente said: "The association with Kinea will bring governance and more muscle to ABC in its expansion process."

In that April 2013 announcement, Kinea executive Cristiano Lauretti said: "ABC is well managed, has solid results and is growing in an expanding market. The Brazilian consumer market growth and major global events like the World Cup and the Olympics show a positive horizon for the industry and especially for Grupo ABC."

Kinea is controlled by Itau, one of Brazil's and Latin America's largest banks. Kinea operates in the hedge fund, real estate and private-equity sectors.

Kinea's minority stake in Grupo ABC did not include XYZ Live. Grupo ABC spun off XYZ Live in 2011 after incorporating and merging Maior, Reunion and Mondo into XYZ Live.

Grupo ABC expanded into the U.S. in March 2008 with a $30 million investment in ad agency startup Pereira & O'Dell, San Francisco. Grupo ABC owned 51% of the agency as of early 2015.

Grupo ABC extended its U.S. presence by backing Dojo, a San Francisco agency startup that launched in November 2009. Dojo closed in 2014. Grupo had a 31% stake in the agency.

Revenue shown for Grupo ABC here reflects the stated U.S. revenue of Pereira & O'Dell and the stated non-U.S. revenue of Grupo ABC.

The company in 2011 acquired Morya, an ad agency in Brazil that opened in 1956.

Grupo ABC sold its 24/7 unit in 2012.

Grupo ABC closed Brazil-based digital agency Hello in 2009. Clients stayed in the Grupo ABC network.

The company in late 2007 changed its name from Grupo Ypy to ABC Group (or Grupo ABC), which stands for its three pillars of business: advertising; branding services; and content.

Guanaes started his first ad agency, DM9, in the late 1980s. In 1997, he sold a majority stake in DM9 to Omnicom Group's DDB Worldwide and left in 2000 to become CEO of IG, an early internet-service provider in which he was an investor. He two years later returned to DM9 DDB (now known as DDB). Guanaes in 2002 started another Brazilian ad agency, Africa.

Grupo ABC owns a stake in Omnicom's DDB Brazil and in ad agency Africa.



Top executive: Nizan Guanaes, partner and founder; Guga Valente, partner, founder and CEO
Headquarters: Grupo ABC/Av Brigadeiro Luis Antonio, 5013, 6th Floor, Sao Paulo, 01401-002/Phone: 55 11 3054 9903
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dogrupoabc
Twitter: @dogrupoabc

http://www.grupoabc.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$166.0	$160.0	3.8
U.S.	$114.0	$110.0	3.6
Non-U.S.	$52.0	$50.0	4.0

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Gyro International and HSR Business to Business in April 2009 merged to form GyroHSR, an international integrated marketing agency. Management and staff from Thomas Taber & Drazen in December 2009 joined GyroHSR's Denver office.

The company dropped the "HSR" to become simply "Gyro" in 2011.

Gyro in 2014 acquired Ailleurs Exactement, an independent agency based in Paris.

In 2012 Gyro acquired Paris-based agency Circus Paris.



Top executive: Christoph Becker, CEO and chief creative officer; Richard Lefkowitz, global connections planning director; Paul Neal, senior VP-global business development
Headquarters: Gyro/31 W. 27th St., 11th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001/Phone: (212) 915-2490
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gyro
Twitter: @gyro

http://www.gyro.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$1,912.0	$1,841.0	3.9
U.S.	$18.0	NA	NA
Non-U.S.	$1,894.0	$1,841.0	2.9
Ticker: TYO:2433 (TYO)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Hakuhodo DY Holdings is a Japanese-based agency holding company created in October 2003 to integrate business operations of Hakuhodo, Daiko Advertising and Yomiko Advertising.

Hakuhodo, Daiko, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners and Yomiko are wholly owned subsidiaries of the holding company.

Hakuhodo DY Holdings in May 2014 acquired U.S.-based agencies Red Peak Group and SYPartners.

Hakuhodo's results are estimates configured to a calendar year ended Dec. 31, although Hakuhodo's fiscal year ends in March.

Hakuhodo closed MZ Advertising, a Los Angeles ad agency, effective March 31, 2012. Hakuhodo in August 2009 had purchased the remaining stake in that agency, then known as Mendelsohn Zien.

Top executive: Hirokazu Toda, president and CEO
Headquarters: Hakuhodo DY Holdings/Akasaka Biz Tower, 5-3-1 Asasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-6320/Phone: 81-3-6441-9033

http://www.hakuhodody-holdings.co.jp/english

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$499.4	$503.8	-0.9
U.S.	$427.0	$424.4	0.6
Non-U.S.	$72.4	$79.4	-8.8
Ticker: HHS (NYSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Harte Hanks is a provider of customer relationship management and other services.

Harte Hanks appears in Ad Age's Agency Report based on revenue of the company's Customer Interaction segment, which includes Agency & Digital Services; Database Marketing Solutions and Business-to-Business Lead Generation; Direct Mail; and Contact Centers.

Harte Hanks went to market under the name The Agency Inside before dropping that name in favor of its parent company's name in 2014.

Harte Hanks in March 2015 acquired 3Q Digital, a search-marketing agency based in San Mateo, Calif.

Top executive: Robert Philpott, CEO; Brian Dames, CMO; Joe Voica, senior VP-sales
Headquarters: Harte Hanks/9601 McAllister Freeway, Suite 610, San Antonio, Texas 78216/Phone: (210) 829-9000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hartehanks
Twitter: @hartehanks

http://www.hartehanks.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$2,479.1	$2,353.4	5.3
U.S.	$780.2	$727.8	7.2
Non-U.S.	$1,698.9	$1,625.6	4.5
Ticker: EPA:HAV (EPA)

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 Creative Group and Havas Media Group.

Bollore Group, the investment group of French investor Vincent Bollore, as of March 2015 owned 82.5% of Havas.

Business segments and operations:

Havas in January 2013 rebranded its media agencies under the banner Havas Media Group. That group consists of two media-agency networks: Havas Media; Arena Media. As part of the rebranding, the company changed the name of MPG, a media-agency network, and Media Contacts, a digital-agency network, to Havas Media.

Havas in September 2012 rebranded Euro RSCG Worldwide as Havas Worldwide. The company now consists of Havas Media Group, which includes all global media agencies, and Havas Creative Group, which includes the Havas Worldwide network, Arnold Worldwide micronetwork and all other communications agencies. Within the new structure, Havas launched a new umbrella brand, Havas Digital Group, as a commercial entity for digital across both Havas Creative Group and Havas Media Group. Havas Digital Group is purely a brand name (vs. a new network or new operational division).

Background on Havas:

Havas in 2006 created Havas Media Group as the umbrella for its media-agency holdings. Havas Media Group includes MPG, a global media network; Arena Media, which Havas calls a "network for tailor-made communication services"; Havas Digital Group, 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 116 markets by 2010, and to 126 markets by 2014.

Havas in February 2009 formed Havas Worldwide as an umbrella organization for its ad agency holdings. Havas Worldwide included the Euro RSCG network and Arnold Worldwide. The Euro RSCG group acquired a 100% stake in Strat Farm in January 2011.

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. 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. South Korea-based Cheil Worldwide in July 2012 acquired McKinney, which became a part of Cheil Americas, a regional network of agencies.

Management and employees:

Havas in August 2013 named Yannick Bollore chairman of Havas, succeeding his father Vincent Bollore. In January 2014, Yannick Bollore took on the added role as Havas' global CEO. Bollore succeeded David Jones, who left the company in January 2014.



Top executive: Yannick Bollore, chairman and CEO-Havas; Alfonso Rodes, deputy CEO-Havas and CEO-Havas Media Group; Andrew Benett, global CEO-Havas Worldwide and Havas Creative Group
Headquarters: Havas/29-30 quai Dion Bouton, Puteaux, France 92817/Phone: 33-1-58-47-80-00
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/havasgroup
Twitter: @HavasGroup

http://www.havas.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$216.3	$206.0	5.0
U.S.	$187.5	$182.0	3.0
Non-U.S.	$28.9	$24.0	20.2

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: ICrossing is a digital agency with a strong search component.

Hearst Corp. in May 2010 bought iCrossing, following months of industry speculation that the media company would acquire the digital venture. Prior to the sale to Hearst, the agency's investors included Goldman Sachs and Oak Investment Partners.

ICrossing has expanded over time with its own acquisitions. ICrossing in February 2007 acquired Spannerworks, a U.K.-based search agency. In July 2007, it bought Proxicom, a web-development firm. ICrossing in April 2008 acquired German digital marketing agency 3Gnet.

ICrossing in December 2011 bought Red Aril, a data management and audience optimization platform company based in San Francisco and founded in 2009. In September 2011, iCrossing acquired Wallaby Group, a digital marketing agency based in Santiago, Chile.



Top executive: Brian Powley, global president; Nick Brien, CEO; Pat Stern, chief creative officer
Headquarters: Hearst Corp.'s iCrossing/300 W. 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10019/Phone: (202) 649-3900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icrossing
Twitter: @iCrossing

http://www.icrossing.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$187.1	$161.3	16.0
U.S.	$187.1	$161.3	16.0
Non-U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Horizon Media is an independently owned media agency founded in 1989 and based in New York.

Horizon Media made its debut on the World's 50 Largest Agency Companies ranking in Ad Age's April 2012 Agency Report.

Ad Age in January 2012 named founder & CEO Bill Koenigsberg the Agency A-List Executive of the Year.



Top executive: Bill Koenigsberg, president, CEO and founder; Molly Sugarman, VP and managing director-Treehouse; Stephen Hall, CMO
Headquarters: Horizon Media/75 Varick St., 14th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10013/Phone: (212) 220-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/horizonmediainc
Twitter: @HorizonMediaInc

http://www.horizonmedia.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$273.1	$269.8	1.3
U.S.	$111.3	$102.9	8.1
Non-U.S.	$161.8	$166.8	-3.0
Ticker: LON:HNT (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Huntsworth is a global public-relations and health-care communications company.

The London-based firm operates three PR agency networks (Grayling, Citigate, Red Consultancy) and a health-care marketing-communications agency network (Huntsworth Health).

Worldwide and U.S. revenue for 2014 and 2013 are revenue as disclosed by Huntsworth, converted to dollars at Ad Age Datacenter's average yearly exchange rates.

Deals and strategic moves:

BlueFocus strategic alliance:

BlueFocus Communication Group Co., a publicly traded marketing-communications agency company based in China, in April 2013 signed a deal to buy a nearly 20% stake in Huntsworth as part of a strategic alliance between the two firms. BlueFocus completed the purchase Oct. 7, 2013, paying about 36.5 million pounds ($58.5 million based on exchange rates that day) for a 19.6% stake.

BlueFocus was founded in 1996 and staged its initial public offering in February 2010 on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, becoming the first China-based PR company to go public in China.

Other deals:

Huntsworth May 2, 2014, bought U.S. health-care agency Audacity Inc. Huntsworth said Audacity contributed revenue of 180,000 pounds from date of acquisition through June 30, 2014. Audacity had revenue of about 815,000 pounds Jan. 1, 2014, through May 1, 2014, according to Ad Age Datacenter's extrapolation of financial information disclosed by Huntsworth. That means Audacity had revenue of about 995,000 pounds in the first half of 2014. Audacity became part of Huntsworth Health.

Huntsworth March 22, 2011, bought Atomic, a San Francisco-based, tech-focused PR agency. Atomic had 2010 revenue of $11.3 million. Huntsworth said in March 2011: "The initial cash consideration was US$13.3 million (8.3 million pounds). Additional consideration is payable dependent on future performance during the period to December 2015 and will be paid in cash or a combination of cash and shares at Huntsworth's discretion. The maximum total consideration payable is US$50 million (31.3 million pounds)."

Coinciding with the acquisition of Atomic, Huntsworth transferred Red's U.S. operation to Atomic, "which in turn will be combined with Grayling's operations in North America." Huntsworth effective Jan. 1, 2014, merged Grayling and Atomic; the combined venture took the name Grayling.

Management and employees:

Huntsworth named Paul Taaffe as chief executive effective April 7, 2015. He succeeded Peter Chadlington, who retired at age 72.

Taaffe joined Huntsworth from Groupon, a Chicago-based e-commerce company where he had been director of communications. Before joining Groupon in 2012, Taaffe worked for 20 years at WPP's Hill & Knowlton (now Hill&Knowlton Strategies), including eight years as chairman-CEO.

Top executive: Peter Chadlington, chief executive; Sally Withey, group COO & group finance director
Headquarters: Huntsworth/15-17 Huntsworth Mews, London, NW1 6DD/Phone: 44 (0)20 7224 8778

http://www.huntsworth.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$1,590.0	$1,250.0	27.2
U.S.	$708.5	$598.8	18.3
Non-U.S.	$881.5	$651.3	35.4
Ticker: IBM (NYSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: IBM Interactive Experience is IBM Corp.'s global digital-agency network.

IBM formed the venture in early 2008 by uniting and rebranding various existing IBM interactive services under the banner of IBM Interactive. IBM later renamed the network IBM Interactive Experience.

This record shows IBM Interactive's estimated 2014 and 2013 revenue. The 2014 revenue is not pro forma with 2013 revenue; IBM Interactive has grown in part through acquisitions.

IBM Interactive Experience's recent acquisitions include: Silverpop (April 2014); Cloudant (February 2014); Fiberlink Communications (November 2013); The Now Factory (October 2013); Xtify (October 2013); UrbanCode (April 2013); Star Analytics (February 2013); StoredIQ (December 2012); Butterfly (September 2012); Tealeaf Technology (May 2012); Worklight (January 2012); Emptoris (December 2011); and DemandTec (December 2011).

IBM in 2012 integrated its Smarter Commerce consulting practice into the larger IBM Interactive umbrella to expand IBM's digital-marketing services offering.



Top executive: Paul Papas, global leader; Joanna Pena-Bickley, global chief creative officer; John Armstrong, leader-North America/Matthew Candy, leader-Europe
Headquarters: IBM Corp.'s IBM Interactive Experience/1 New Orchard Road, Armonk, N.Y. 10504/Phone: (914) 499-1900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ibm
Twitter: @ibminteractive

http://www.ibm.com/gbs/interactive

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$7,537.1	$7,122.3	5.8
U.S.	$4,184.0	$3,972.6	5.3
Non-U.S.	$3,353.1	$3,149.7	6.5
Ticker: IPG (NYSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Interpublic Group of Cos. in 2014 was the world's fourth-largest agency company.

New York-based Interpublic reported worldwide revenue of $7.5 billion in 2014; $7.1 billion in 2013; $7.0 billion in 2012 and 2011; $6.5 billion in 2010; $6.0 billion in 2009; and $7.0 billion in 2008.

Business segments and operations:

Interpublic's largest client accounted for about 5% of worldwide revenue in 2014 and 2013; and about 4% of worldwide revenue in 2012 and 2011.

The company's five largest revenue clients in 2014 were (in alphabetical order): General Motors Co., Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, Samsung Electronics and Unilever.

The company's five largest revenue clients in 2013 were (in alphabetical order): GM, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, Microsoft Corp. and Unilever.

The company's five largest revenue clients in 2012 were (in alphabetical order): GM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Unilever and Verizon Communications.

Interpublic's 10 largest clients accounted for about 20% of worldwide revenue in 2014; and about 21% of worldwide revenue in 2013 and 2012.

In its 10-K for year ended December 2014, Interpublic said revenue from its top 100 clients "typically constitutes approximately 55% to 60% of our annual consolidated revenues."

Overall, Interpublic as of 2015 served 5,000 clients in 100 countries, according to CFO Frank Mergenthaler in a comment made on a February 2015 earnings call.

Rankings:

Interpublic, the original major agency holding company, ranked as the world's largest agency firm as recently as 2000. It slipped to second place in revenue, behind Omnicom Group, in 2001, and third, behind WPP, in 2003. Publicis Groupe surpassed Interpublic as the third-largest agency firm in 2009.

Publicis and Omnicom in July 2013 announced plans to merge into the world's biggest agency firm, Publicis Omnicom Group. Publicis and Omnicom in May 2014 terminated the deal, citing "difficulties in completing the transaction within a reasonable timeframe."

Deals and strategic moves:

2014 acquisitions:

Interpublic in 2014 completed nine acquisitions, six in the Integrated Agency Networks segment and three in the Constituency Management Group segment. All acquired agencies were integrated into global networks or existing agencies. The most significant acquisitions included a global full-service digital agency (Profero), a U.S. digital agency (Genuine Interactive) and a search-marketing agency in the Netherlands (Traffic4U).

Optaros: e-commerce services firm in Boston, Nov. 26, 2014; IAN (McCann Worldgroup [MRM//McCann]).
Promoqube: Turkey, Oct. 17, 2014; IAN (IPG Mediabrands).
Traffic4U: Netherlands, Aug. 7, 2014; IAN (IPG Mediabrands).
GGH: Germany, July 16, 2014; IAN (Lowe and Partners).
Genuine Interactive: digital, mobile-marketing and social-media agency in Boston, April 30, 2014; CMG (division of Jack Morton Worldwide).
Prime: 130-employee PR agency in Sweden, April 30, 2014; CMG (Weber Shandwick).
Halesway: U.K., March 7, 2014; IAN (FCB Health).
Black Sheep Social Media Group: U.S., Jan. 13, 2014; CMG (Octagon/Rogers & Cowan).
Profero: U.K., U.S., Asia, Jan. 24, 2014; IAN (Lowe and Partners).

Acquisitions in 2013:

Interpublic completed 11 acquisitions in 2013, nine in the Integrated Agency Networks segment and two in the Constituency Management Group segment. Interpublic integrated all the acquisitions into its global agency networks or existing agencies.

Inferno: U.K, Dec. 19, 2013; IAN (FCB).
E/OU: Brazil, November 2013; IAN (McCann Worldgroup).
UXUS: U.S./Netherlands, October 2013; CMG.Corporate Voice: India, April 2013; CMG.Cross Colours: South Africa, April 2013; IAN (Lowe and Partners).
End to End: India, March 2013; IAN (McCann Worldgroup).
Interactive Avenues: India, March 2013; IAN (IPG Mediabrands).
MMS: Italy, March 2013; IAN (McCann Worldgroup).
Preview Propaganda: Brazil, March 2013; IAN (McCann Worldgroup).
Mnet: Australia, January 2013; IAN (McCann Worldgroup).
Sprung: U.S., January 2013; IAN (IPG Mediabrands).

The company in January 2013 made a minority investment in OKRP, a Chicago startup ad agency.

Acquisitions in 2012:

Interpublic completed 12 acquisitions in 2012. Interpublic integrated all the acquisitions into its global agency networks or existing agencies. The most significant acquisitions included a health-care market research and consulting agency and a search marketing agency in the United Kingdom; and, in the U.S., a digital health-care-marketing specialist and a designer of in-store shopping experiences.

Acquisitions in 2011:

Interpublic completed 22 acquisitions in 2011, including purchases of controlling interests in previously unconsolidated subsidiaries. The most significant acquisitions included full-service creative agencies in Australia; a public relations firm in Brazil; digital- and direct-marketing agencies in the United Kingdom; a health-care communications firm in Germany; and a social-media agency in the U.S.

Acquisitions in 2010:

Interpublic completed five acquisitions in 2010.

Investments and minority holdings:

Interpublic's investments and minority holdings as of April 2015 included:

IW Group (U.S. Asian-American agency, 49%). Management and employees:

Interpublic employed 47,400 people worldwide (19,200 in the U.S.) at year-end 2014; 45,400 people worldwide (18,400 in the U.S.) at year-end 2013; 43,300 people worldwide (17,600 in the U.S.) at year-end 2012; 42,000 people (18,000 in U.S.) at year-end 2011; 41,000 (18,000 in U.S.) at year-end 2010; 40,000 (17,000 in U.S.) at year-end 2009; 45,000 (19,000 in U.S.) at year-end 2008; 43,000 (19,000 in U.S.) at year-end 2007; 42,000 (18,000 in U.S.) at year-end 2006; and 43,000 (18,000 in U.S.) at year-end 2005.

Stock:

Publicis Groupe sold its 1.13% stake in Interpublic in December 2013 (specifically, between Dec. 9 and Dec. 23, 2013). The Interpublic stock was a holdover from an investment Publicis made in FCB in 1988 as part of a later-aborted global alliance with FCB; Interpublic bought True North Communications (parent of FCB) in 2001.

Publicis' historic carrying price for Interpublic shares was $3.87 a share. The average listed share price between Dec. 9 and Dec. 23, 2013, was $16.74. Publicis scored a capital gain of 47 million euros ($64.5 million) on the sale.

History:

Interpublic Group of Cos. was incorporated under the name McCann-Erickson Inc. in September 1930 with the merger of ad agencies founded by Harrison K. McCann in 1911 and A.W. Erickson in 1902. The company adopted the Interpublic name in January 1961.

Top executive: Michael I. Roth, chairman & CEO; Frank Mergenthaler, executive VP & CFO
Headquarters: Interpublic Group of Cos./1114 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10036/Phone: (212) 704-1200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/interpublicgroup
Twitter: @InterpublicIPG

http://www.interpublic.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$366.8	$332.0	10.5
U.S.	$301.3	$269.0	12.0
Non-U.S.	$65.5	$63.0	4.0

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: InVentiv Health is a provider of health-care clinical, commercial and consulting services.

InVentiv Health appears in this record based on estimated revenue of its advertising, public-relations, medical-communications and data-analytics services.

Business segments and operations:

InVentiv Health's Communications services are part of the company's Commercial segment. InVentiv Health's Commercial segment also includes a Selling Solution Services business and a Patient Outcomes business.

InVentiv Health had 2013 worldwide revenue of $1.645 billion, according to a regulatory filing. The Commercial segment had 2013 worldwide revenue of $717.9 million.

Deals and strategic moves:

InVentiv Health, formerly a public company, in August 2010 was acquired for about $1.1 billion by inVentiv Group Holdings, a private investor group formed by affiliates of Thomas H. Lee Partners, Liberty Lane Partners and members of inVentiv management.

InVentiv Health's communications operations--formerly known as inVentiv Health Communications--grew out of health-care agency group inChord Communications (bought by inVentiv Health in October 2005) and later acquisitions. InVentiv Health acquired inChord for $196.8 million in cash and stock plus earn-out payments contingent on performance from 2005 through 2007.

InVentiv Health has grown its communications portfolio through acquisitions, both before and after it went private.

Management and employees:

InVentiv Health in November 2014 hired Jeffrey Wilks as president of its advertising businesses, reporting to Mike Griffith, executive VP, inVentiv Health, and president, inVentiv Commercial. This was a newly created post. Wilks joined inVentiv from eBay Enterprise, where he was head of client services in the Marketing Solutions Group. Before eBay, he was senior VP-brand development at Gannett Co.

Robert Chandler retired as president of inVentiv Health Communications in 2014. Chandler sold his PR agency, Chandler Chico Cos., to inVentiv Health in 2007.



Top executive: Michael A. Griffith, president, inVentiv Commercial; Jeffrey Wilks, president-advertising; Lisa Stockman, president-public relations and communications
Headquarters: inVentiv Health/450 W. 15th Street, 7th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10011/Phone: (212) 229-8400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inventiv

http://www.inventivhealth.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$301.7	$310.0	-2.7
U.S.	$25.0	$18.6	34.2
Non-U.S.	$276.7	$291.3	-5.0
Ticker: LON:SAA (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: M&C Saatchi is a publicly held agency based in London.

The agency was founded in 1995 by brothers Maurice and Charles Saatchi following their departure from international agency network Saatchi & Saatchi, an agency founded in 1970. (Saatchi & Saatchi now is owned by Publicis Groupe.)

M&C Saatchi went public in 2004.

M&C Saatchi in November 2014 bought a 33% stake in New York-based SS&K.

M&C Saatchi in November 2013 sold a 75.1% stake in Walker Media, a U.K. media agency, to Publicis Groupe. M&C Saatchi kept a 24.9% stake. Walker Media opened in 1998 and had more than 130 employees at the time of the acquisition. Walker Media is now part of the ZenithOptimedia network; ZenithOptimedia in March 2015 rebranded Walker Media as Blue 449.

Charles Saatchi left M&C Saatchi in October 2006, selling his 7% stake for about $7 million. Charles had largely been a passive investor, dedicating his efforts instead to his modern-art collection.



Top executive: Moray MacLennan, worldwide CEO; Simon Dickets, Tom McFarlane, worldwide creative directors; Antonia Harrison, network director
Headquarters: M&C Saatchi/36 Golden Square, London, W1F 9HE/Phone: 44-20-7543-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MCSAATCHI/ukgroup

http://www.mcsaatchi.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$246.3	$194.1	26.9
U.S.	$135.2	$130.6	3.5
Non-U.S.	$111.1	$63.5	74.9

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Match Marketing Group is a Toronto-based shopper-marketing solutions provider built through a rollup of promotion acquisitions.

Deals and strategic moves:

Match acquired Norwalk, Conn.-based shopper marketing agency Circle One Marketing in November 2013.

Match Marketing Group in October 2013 acquired Convergence Marketing, a retail merchandising agency based in Baltimore.

Match Marketing Group in June 2013 acquired SVM, a Montreal-based shopper marketing agency.

Match in January 2013 acquired Marketing Drive (a Norwalk, Conn.-based promotion agency) and Weld media (Marketing Drive's digital unit, formed in 2011) from River North Group, a Chicago-based private-equity firm.

Match in June 2012 bought Toronto-based OSL Marketing Group, parent of OSL Marketing and Ignite Activation (now Ignite).

Match in May 2012 bought Action Marketing Group (now Match Action), a Boulder, Colo.-based experiential and digital agency.



Top executive: Brett Farren, president and CEO; Mike Duncan, managing partner; Michael Dill, managing partner-content and campaign
Headquarters: Match Marketing Group/5225 Satellite Dr., Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 5P9/Phone: (905) 566-2824

http://www.matchmg.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$237.4	$193.5	22.7
U.S.	$123.2	$95.0	29.7
Non-U.S.	$114.2	$98.5	15.9
Ticker: MTMY (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Matomy Media Group is a digital performance-based marketing company.

Ad Age ranks Israel-based Matomy among agency companies based on stated worldwide and U.S. revenue.

Ad Age ranks Matomy among agencies and digital networks based on stated worldwide pro-forma gross profit. At Matomy, gross profit is revenue minus cost of revenue. Media costs are Matomy's primary cost of revenue.

Publicis Groupe in November 2014 bought a 24.9% stake in Matomy.

Business segments and operations:

Matomy explained its business model in a 2014 prospectus filed for an initial public offering. Under its performance-based business model, Matomy buys digital media but, the prospectus said, "typically charges a customer only if the digital marketing campaign achieves certain measurable results, which the customer pre-defines and validates. Such results include conversions into service or product sales, consumer acquisitions, software and mobile app installations, qualified leads for value-added services and products and verified video views."

The U.S. and Europe are Matomy's biggest markets.

The company is based in Israel but generated revenue in its home country of only about $200,000 in 2014; $338,000 in 2013; $147,000 in 2012; and $541,000 in 2011, according to financial disclosures.

Deals and strategic moves:

Publicis Groupe in November 2014 bought a 24.9% stake in Matomy for 50.6 million pounds ($80.9 million). Publicis Chairman-CEO Maurice Levy, discussing the deal, told analysts in October 2014: "Our objective is to remain for the foreseeable future a minority holder."

Matomy in October 2014 bought 100% of MobFox Mobile Advertising GmbH for $19.7 million. Austria-based MobFox offers a mobile programmatic advertising solution for publishers and advertisers.

Matomy in June 2014 bought an additional 50% interest in Team Internet, a German digital-media venture, for $26.8 million, giving it a 70% stake. Matomy initially bought a 20% stake in July 2012 for $314,000 cash plus stock valued at $2.8 million.

Matomy expanded its U.S. presence with the Jan. 1, 2013, acquisition of MediaWhiz (Interactive Marketing Holding), a performance-marketing agency. Matomy bought MediaWhiz for $10.0 million. The company in January 2014 rebranded MediaWhiz as Matomy USA.

Prior to the sale to Matomy, MediaWhiz had been part of Hyper Marketing, an agency group backed by Lake Capital, a Chicago-based private-equity firm.

Hyper Marketing was a marketing-services company and network formed by the January 2012 rollup of marketing-services ventures SolutionSet and MediaWhiz with D.L. Ryan Cos. Alliance Data Systems Corp.'s Epsilon in November 2012 bought the Hyper Marketing group, excluding MediaWhiz. Epsilon paid $451.8 million (net of $7.1 million of cash and cash equivalents acquired).

Before the Epsilon deal, Lake Capital owned a majority stake in Hyper Marketing. Lake Capital entered the picture in August 2005 when Lake made its initial investment in MediaWhiz. MediaWhiz was founded in 2001.

Matomy in 2013 made two other small acquisitions. In October 2013, it bought 70% of Adotomi (now Matomy Social), a digital performance-based marketing company specializing in mobile and based in Israel, for $4.1 million. In July 2013, Matomy bought the intangible assets of MobAff, a U.S.-based mobile media venture, for $775,000.

Matomy in 2010 received an investment from Viola Private Equity, an affiliate of Israel-based private-equity firm Viola Group.

The company in January 2008 bought Xtend G.M. Global Media and appointed its founder, Ofer Druker, as CEO. The company later renamed Xtend G.M. Global Media as Matomy Media Ltd. Matomy was renamed Matomy Media Group in July 2011.

Management and employees:

Matomy had 411 employees worldwide at year-end 2014; 388 at year-end 2013; 262 at year-end 2012; and 247 at year-end 2011.

Stock:

Matomy completed an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange July 8, 2014, raising 41 million pounds ($70.3 million) and giving the company a valuation of 203 million pounds ($347.9 million).

Matomy in March 2014 had announced its intent to do an initial public offering and list its shares on the London Stock Exchange. It issued a prospectus for the IPO. Matomy pulled its plan for an IPO in April 2014 but then proceeded with the IPO three months later.

History:

Matomy was incorporated in Israel in 2006 and launched as a digital performance-based marketing company in 2007.



Top executive: Ofer Druker, CEO & co-founder
Headquarters: Matomy Media Group/6 Hanechoshet St., Tel Aviv, 69710/Phone: 972-77-3606060
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matomymediagroup
Twitter: @MatomyGroup

http://www.matomy.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$584.4	$511.4	14.3
U.S.	$17.1	$16.3	4.7
Non-U.S.	$567.3	$495.1	14.6

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Media Consulta is an independent agency network for integrated communications. It was founded in Berlin in 1993.

Media Consulta services include advertising and media, public relations, corporate publishing, interactive marketing, sports, youth and music marketing, event management and TV production.

Revenue figures reflect worldwide turnover including revenue of partner agencies as reported by Media Consulta.



Top executive: Harald Zulauf, CEO; Mark Diem, head-media planning; Andreas Schroth, head-advertising
Headquarters: MC Group (Media Consulta)/Wassergasse 3, Berlin, 10179/Phone: 49-30-65-000-225
Twitter: @mediaconsulta

http://www.mcgroup.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$1,223.5	$1,062.5	15.2
U.S.	$993.5	$870.5	14.1
Non-U.S.	$230.0	$192.0	19.8
Ticker: MDCA (Nasdaq)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: MDC Partners is a publicly traded agency company.

MDC's registered address is in Toronto. The company's head office is in New York.

Business segments and operations:

MDC's 10-K for year ended December 2014 said:

"In the competitive, highly fragmented marketing and communications industry, MDC's operating companies compete for business and talent with the operating subsidiaries of large global holding companies such as Omnicom Group Inc., Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., WPP Group plc, Publicis Group SA, Dentsu Inc., and Havas Advertising." (WPP Group is now WPP. Publicis Group refers to Publicis Groupe. Havas Advertising is Havas.)

MDC breaks its business into two segments, Strategic Marketing Services and Performance Marketing Services.

The 10-K for year ended December 2014 said:

"The Strategic Marketing Services segment consists of integrated marketing consulting services firms that offer a full complement of marketing, activation and consulting services including advertising and media, marketing communications including direct marketing, public relations, corporate communications, market research, corporate identity and branding, interactive marketing, and sales promotion. Each of the entities within the Strategic Marketing Services Group share similar economic characteristics, specifically related to the nature of their respective services, the manner in which the services are provided and the similarity of their respective customers. Due to the similarities in these businesses, they exhibit similar long term financial performance and have been aggregated together."

The 10-K said:

"The Performance Marketing Services segment is an 'other' segment and includes our firms that provide specialized consumer insights and analytics to satisfy the growing need for targetable, measurable solutions or cost effective means of driving return on marketing investment. These services interface directly with the consumer of a client's product or service. Such services include the design, development, research and implementation of consumer services, media planning and buying, and direct marketing initiatives. In addition, the firms included in this segment also provide consumer activation services, investor relations services, and general public insights."

Clients:

MDC's 10-K for year ended December 2014 said no client accounted for 5% or more of revenue in 2014.

MDC 10-Ks show MDC generated about 5% of 2013 and 2012 revenue from its largest client, U.S. telecom firm Sprint (part of Japan's SoftBank Corp.); 6% in 2011; 8% in 2010; 16% in 2009; 19% in 2008; and 17% in 2007. CFO David Doft said at an investor conference in October 2012 that MDC has had a relationship with Sprint "for almost 20 years."

MDC said its 10 largest clients (by revenue) accounted for 24% of worldwide revenue in 2014; 28% in 2013; 26% in 2012; 29% in 2011; 37% in 2010; 49% in 2009; and 45% in 2008.

Deals and strategic moves:

MDC in fourth-quarter 2014 decided to sell Accent Marketing Services, a customer-service management business. MDC's 10-K for year ended December 2014 restated MDC's financial statements to report Accent as a discontinued operation. Accent had been part of MDC's Performance Marketing Services segment.

MDC in 2014 took full ownership of Trapeze Media, a firm in which MDC Chairman-CEO Miles Nadal owned a 54% stake. MDC increased its ownership to 100% from 18% by acquiring Nadal's 54% interest and a 28% stake owned by others. MDC then folded Trapeze into Union, a Canadian ad agency owned by MDC.

The company on Jan. 1, 2014, bought 60% of Luntz Global Partners, a U.S. communications consultancy. MDC on Feb. 14, 2014, bought 65% of Kingsdale Partners (Kingsdale Shareholder Services), a Toronto-based shareholder advisory and communications firm. The price tag for the two was $41.3 million at closing plus contingent amounts based on 2014 through 2019 earnings. Both ventures are in MDC's Performance Marketing Services segment.

Also in 2014, MDC bought a 65% stake in Hunter Public Relations, a New York PR agency; acquired a 75% interest in Albion Brand Communications, a London ad agency that became part of KBS+; and made two additional non-material acquisitions.

Total purchase price for the 2014 transactions was $151.2 million, including cash payments of $67.2 million and future estimated contingent purchase payments of about $84.0 million.

MDC made one acquisition in 2013, buying a 70% stake in Local Biz Now (LBN Partners), an Auburn Hills, Mich.-based online local-search marketing firm in November 2013. Local Biz Now, founded in 2006, is in the Performance Marketing Services segment. The price tag was $38.2 million (consisting of $12 million cash; plus contingent deferred acquisition consideration -- based on financial results of the businesses from 2013 to 2017 with final payments due in 2018 -- with an estimated worth at acquisition of $26.2 million).

MDC's 10-K for year ended December 2013 said: "During 2013, the Company discontinued two subsidiaries and an operating division." Social-commerce venture Dotbox was one of the discontinued units; MDC had purchased a majority stake in Dotbox in March 2012.

MDC reported a 2013 net loss from discontinued operations of $11.4 million (including a loss on disposal of $8.3 million). Discontinued operations in 2013 had revenue of $2.3 million.

MDC's 10-K for year ended December 2012 said: "In 2012, the Company discontinued a subsidiary and certain operating divisions." MDC reported a 2012 net loss from discontinued operations of $6.7 million. Discontinued operations in 2012 had revenue of $18.1 million.

Among organizational changes in 2012, MDC merged its Communefx venture into Source Marketing.

MDC previously owned Core Strategy Group, a marketing consultancy formerly known as Zyman Group. Core Strategy Group in 2012 said it was no longer owned by MDC. In December 2011, MDC discontinued Performance Marketing Group, a division of Accent Marketing Services.

MDC reported a 2011 net loss from discontinued operations of $2.1 million. Discontinued operations in 2011 had revenue of $19.1 million.

In December 2010, MDC discontinued a startup division of Redscout called 007, taking a loss of $722,000 on discontinued operations.

Effective September 30, 2010, MDC ceased Zig US's operations and as a result incurred a goodwill impairment charge of $232,000. The 10-K for year-end December 2010 said: "Including the impairment charge Zig US's results of operations, net of income tax benefits, for the year ended 2010, there was a loss of" $1,046,000.

In June 2010, MDC discontinued a startup called Fearless Progression. As a result, MDC wrote off its investment in Fearless of $710,000.

Effective Dec. 31, 2008, MDC deemed three ventures -- Clifford/Bratskeir Public Relations, ItoPartners and Mobium Creative Group (a division of Colle & McVoy) -- to be discontinued operations. Management and employees:

MDC said it had 5,250 employees at year-end 2014 (excluding Accent Marketing); 7,218 employees at year-end 2013 (including Accent Marketing); 7,984 at year-end 2012; and 6,810 at year-end 2011.

History:

MDC was formed in Canada Dec. 19, 1986. Effective that day, MDC combined with Branbury Explorations Ltd., a move that made MDC a public company.

Top executive: Miles S. Nadal, chairman and CEO
Headquarters: MDC Partners/745 Fifth Ave., 19th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10151/Phone: (646) 429-1800
Twitter: @MDCPartners

http://www.mdc-partners.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$448.4	$389.6	15.1
U.S.	$424.5	$367.5	15.5
Non-U.S.	$23.9	$22.1	8.1

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Merkle, founded in 1971, specializes in database marketing services.

Merkle's search marketing operations go to market under the names Merkle RKG and Merkle Impaqt. It's mobile operations go to market under the name Merkle 5th Finger.

Merkle in November 2014 acquired 500 Friends, a San Francisco-based firm loyalty firm.

Merkle in July 2014 acquired RKG, a Charlottesville, Va.-based seach and digital marketing agency. It renamed the operations Merkle RKG.

Merkle in April 2014 acquired New Control, Chicago-based digital and direct marketing agency.

Merkle in September 2012 acquired Brilig, a New York-based cooperative data marketplace for online display advertising.

Merkle in July 2012 acquired 5th Finger, a mobile agency with offices in San Francisco and Sydney, Australia. Merkle rebranded the agency as Merkle 5th Finger.

Merkle in February 2012 acquired Social Amp, a New York-based developer of Facebook tools.

Merkle in March 2011 acquired Impaqt, a Pittsburgh-based search-marketing agency. Merkle rebranded the agency as Merkle Impaqt.

Merkle in January 2007 acquired the response services division of AB&C Group, a provider of direct response processing services, merging it into Merkle/Response.



Top executive: David Williams, chairman and CEO; Craig Dempster, executive VP and digital agency group leader; David Braun, senior VP-performance creative
Headquarters: Merkle/7001 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, Md. 21046/Phone: (443) 542-4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merkleinc
Twitter: @MerkleCRM

http://www.merkleinc.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$166.6	$150.4	10.8
U.S.	$94.2	$82.1	14.7
Non-U.S.	$72.5	$68.2	6.2
Ticker: LON:NFC (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Next Fifteen Communications Group is a London-based, publicly traded holding company that owns and operates public-relations agencies and digital/research consultancies.

Worldwide revenue shown for the agency company is for the 12 months ended July 2014; U.S. revenue shown for the agency company is for U.S. and Canada for the 12 months ended July 2014. Ad Age Datacenter converted revenue to U.S. dollars from British pounds.

Next Fifteen changed to a Jan. 31 fiscal year effective with the period ended Jan. 31, 2015. The company previously operated on fiscal years ended July 31.

Rankings:

Next Fifteen made its debut on the World's 50 Largest Agency Companies ranking in Ad Age's April 2012 Agency Report.

Deals and strategic moves:

Among Next Fifteen's U.S. acquisitions and launches:

2014: Story Worldwide, a content advertising agency with offices in New York and Seattle. Next Fifteen bought the agency in October 2014 for $6.6 million. Next Fifteen at the time said the agency had annualized revenue of about $15 million and clients including Unilever, Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus, Beech-Nut and SEI.

2013: Connections Media, a full-service digital agency based in Washington, D.C., that specializes in politics and public affairs. Next Fifteen bought an 80% stake in April 2013 for $1.85 million cash plus additional deferred compensation to be paid in the following five years. The agency opened in 2004 and employed 15 professionals at the time of the acquisition. Next Fifteen said the agency had 2012 revenue of $2.65 million.

2012: Content & Motion, a U.K. venture acquired by Next Fifteen's Beyond for initial consideration of 425,000 pounds ($674,000).

2010: Beyond, digital consultancy launched through merger of Context Analytics, Project Metal and U.K./U.S. digital agency Type 3.

2010: Blueshirt Group, investor relations agency based in San Francisco (85% stake).

2009: M Booth, consumer PR agency in New York. (Acquisition.)

2006: 463 Communications LLC, public-policy communications business in Washington and San Francisco (initially acquired 40% stake; 76% stake as of 2012).

2005: OutCast Communications, San Francisco and New York. (Acquisition.)

Other moves:

Next Fifteen in calendar 2014 and 2015 merged certain operations of Bite, one of its agencies, into Text 100, another of its agencies. Bite operations in Asia Pacific (January 2015), Germany (December 2014) and Sweden (September 2014) were moved into Text 100. Bite Communications, one of Next Fifteen's PR agencies, in 2012 merged with Bourne, a U.K.-based creative digital marketing agency, forming Bite, a global marketing-services agency.

Stock:

Text 100 Group went public in 1997, The company's holdings at that time consisted of PR firms Text 100 and Bite.

History:

Next Fifteen was founded in August 1981 as PR firm Text 100 and over time has expanded through acquisitions.

Text 100 Group changed its name to OneMonday Group in 2000. OneMonday in 2002 sold rights to its name to PricewaterhouseCoopers for $5 million and took the name Next Fifteen Communications Group.

Top executive: Tim Dyson, global CEO; Richard Eyre, non-executive chairman
Headquarters: Next Fifteen Communications Group/The Triangle, Level 5, 5-17 Hammersmith Grove, London, W6 0LG/Phone: 44 (0) 20 8846 0770
Twitter: @Next_Fifteen

http://www.nextfifteen.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$15,317.8	$14,584.5	5.0
U.S.	$8,152.7	$7,569.7	7.7
Non-U.S.	$7,165.1	$7,014.8	2.1
Ticker: OMC (NYSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Omnicom Group in 2014 was the world's second-largest agency company.

Omnicom reported worldwide revenue of $15.3 billion in 2014; $14.6 billion in 2013 worldwide revenue; $14.2 billion in 2012; $13.9 billion in 2011; $12.5 billion in 2010, $11.7 billion in 2009; and $13.4 billion in 2008.

Business segments and operations:

Clients:

Omnicom's 10 largest clients in accounted for 18.1% of worldwide revenue in 2014; 19.1% in 2013; and 19.0% in 2012.

Omnicom said its largest client worked with more than 200 of its agencies and represented 2.6% of revenue. The company's 10-K filing for year ended December 2014 said: "No other client accounted for more than 2.5% of revenue. In 2014, our top 100 clients, ranked by revenue, were each served, on average, by more than 50 of our agencies and collectively represented approximately 50% of revenue." Specifically, the top 100 accounted for 50.4% of revenue. Omnicom said its largest client in 2013 worked with more than 175 of its agencies and represented 2.7% of revenue. Omnicom's 10-K for year ended December 2013 said: "No other client accounted for more than 2.5% of revenue. In 2013, our top 100 clients, ranked by revenue, were each served, on average, by more than 50 of our agencies and collectively represented approximately 51% of revenue." Specifically, the top 100 accounted for 51.3% of revenue.

Omnicom said its largest client in 2012 worked with more than 150 of its agencies and represented 2.6% of worldwide revenue. Omnicom's 10-K for year ended December 2012 said: "No other client accounted for more than 2.6% of our 2012 revenue. Our top 100 clients, ranked by revenue, were each served, on average, by more than 50 of our agencies in 2012 and collectively represented approximately 52% of our 2012 revenue."

Omnicom said its largest client in 2011 worked with more than 200 Omnicom agencies and represented 2.6% of worldwide revenue. Omnicom's 10-K for year ended December 2011 said: "No other client accounted for more than 2.1% of our 2011 revenue. Our top 100 clients, ranked by revenue, were each served, on average, by more than 50 of our agencies in 2011 and collectively represented approximately 50% of our 2011 revenue."

Rankings:

Omnicom in 2008 dropped to No. 2 in worldwide revenue among agency companies, behind WPP. London-based WPP that year leapfrogged Omnicom with revenue from Taylor Nelson Sofres, a market research company WPP bought in October 2008.

Deals and strategic moves:

Omnicom has completed relatively small acquisitions in recent years.

Omnicom said it in 2014 completed 10 acquisitions and made additional investments in companies in which it had an existing minority ownership interest. The company's 10-K for year ended December 2014 said: "None of our acquisitions or dispositions, individually or in the aggregate, in the three year period ended December 31, 2014 was material to our financial position or results of operations."

While the 10-K mentioned a total of 10 acquisitions, Omnicom's quarterly investor presentations listed 13 acquisitions in 2014:

Cozum (third-quarter 2014), an ad agency in Turkey; became part of Integer Group in TBWA Worldwide network.

DDC Advocacy (fourth-quarter 2014), a Washington-based public affairs agency; became part of FleishmanHillard.

GRA Everingham (fourth-quarter 2014), a government relations agency in Australia; became part of GRACosway division of Clemenger Group in the BBDO Worldwide network.

Haygarth (second-quarter 2014), a brand strategy and retail agency in London; became part of Rapp.

Heimat (second-quarter 2014), an ad agency in Germany; became part of TBWA Germany in TBWA Worldwide network.

HMKM (first-quarter 2014), a design consultancy based in London; became part of Interbrand Group.

Ketchum Estrategia (fourth-quarter 2014), a Brazil PR agency (controlling stake); rebranded as Ketchum Brazil.

Marketforce (fourth-quarter 2014), a marketing agency in Australia; became part of Clemenger Group in the BBDO Worldwide network.

Media Interactive, a digital media planning and buying agency in Chile; became part of Omnicom Media Group.

Mobile5, a mobile-marketing agency in London; became part of Omnicom Media Group.

Mood (first-quarter 2014), a promotion and ad agency in Brazil; became part of TBWA in Brazil in TBWA Worldwide network.

Planning Shop international (third-quarter 2014), a London-based health-care research brand consultancy; became part of Adelphi Group.

22feet Communications (first-quarter 2014), a digital and mobile agency in India; merged with existing Omnicom holdings in India to form 22feet Tribal Worldwide, part of DDB Mudra Group in DDB Worldwide network.

Omnicom said it in 2013 completed eight acquisitions and made additional investments in companies in which it had an existing minority ownership interest. Omnicom's 10-K for year ended December 2013 said: "None of our acquisitions or dispositions in the three year period ended December 31, 2013 was material to our financial position or results of operations."

Key 2013 acquisitions cited by Omnicom included:

Brandzeichen, a brand consultancy and communications agency in Germany.

HDI Youth Marketers, a youth-marketing agency in South Africa.

Icon Singapore, a public-relations consultancy in Singapore. Openco, a full-service, integrated communications agency based in South Africa, founded in 2008 and servicing clients across Africa. (Omnicom raised its stake to 51% from its previous 30% ownership.)

Redhanded Communications Group, an integrated marketing and communications agency in Australia.

Omnicom in 2012 completed 13 acquisitions and made additional investments in companies in which it had an existing minority interest. The 10-K for year ended December 2012 said: "None of our acquisitions in 2012 were material to our results of operations or financial position."

Acquisitions in 2012 included Nim Digital, an agency in China specializing in media planning and buying, search and digital production services; and a number of consumer-insights and analytics companies.

Now-former CFO Randall Weisenburger said significant 2011 acquisitions included international ventures Clemenger Group, Mudra Group and Medina Turgul; and two U.S. ventures, Communispace, a digital market-research-services firm, and Marina Maher Communications, a New York PR agency.

Omnicom effective Feb. 1, 2011, acquired majority ownership in Clemenger Group, an Australian agency company, increasing its equity ownership to 73.7% from 46.7%. Omnicom's BBDO Worldwide had been a minority investor since 1972.

Omnicom in fourth-quarter 2011 bought a majority stake in Mudra Group, a marketing-communications group in India. Omnicom previously owned a 10% stake. Mudra was founded in 1980. Mudra formed an alliance in 1988 with Omnicom's DDB Worldwide, making Mudra part of the DDB network. DDB Mudra opened in 2007.

Omnicom's DDB Worldwide in fourth-quarter 2011 bought a controlling interest in its two Turkish affiliates, Medina Turgul DDB and DDB & Co. Medina Turgul DDB and DDB & Co. had been DDB affiliates since 1995 and 2004, respectively.

Omnicom in 2010 disbanded pioneering digital agency Agency.com, splitting its offices among TBWA Worldwide network agencies.

Divestitures:

Omnicom in 2010 initiated a global review of operations with the aim to reorganize or dispose of what President-CEO John Wren termed "non-core, low-growth, low-margin businesses ... generally in smaller markets." As of April 2011, Omnicom had disposed of units with combined annual revenue of about $120 million.

Weisenburger said the company in 2011 made "some 35 dispositions." Specifically, he said: "We completed a number of small dispositions during the year, mostly in the United States."

Omnicom in March 2011 sold a majority stake in U.S. PR firm Brodeur Partners.

Weisenburger in July 2011 said: "The companies that we've tried to dispose of were not high margin, high growth businesses otherwise we wouldn't have been looking to dispose of them."

Weisenburger also said in July 2011 that the businesses on Omnicom's "potentials list" of possible divestitures had annualized revenue of about $200 million. Wren in July 2011 said the likelihood that Omnicom would complete all those possible divestitures was "unfortunately small," so that the annualized revenue of completed divestitures on that potentials list would be less than $200 million.

Weisenburger in February 2012 said: "I know we have a couple of divestitures or dispositions that we continue to work on, so we know we at least have those to go. We will constantly evaluate businesses. We have a number of agencies that I'd say are on our very active watch list, so we have plans in place for them to change their business, and we'll monitor how that progresses over the course of the year."

Wren in March 2013 said at an investors conference: "There's one company that hangs on that eventually we'll rid ourselves of, but it's not big enough for any of you to care about." Omnicom declined to disclose the name of that company.

Omnicom on June 28, 2013, sold Bernard Hodes Group, a recruitment agency, to Findly, an online-based recruitment company launched in 2010 and owned by private-equity firm Symphony Technology Group. The deal was disclosed in July 2013; the price tag wasn't revealed. Weisenburger in July 2013 told analysts Hodes had annualized revenue of "about $100 million," adding that Hodes had been "costing us $2 million to $5 million a quarter in negative organic growth," implying the agency's revenue was shrinking. Weisenburger said Hodes' business, "while it was not positive [in revenue growth], was starting to -- was stabilizing at a very low number." At the time of the sale, Hodes had about 300 employees. (Omnicom retained part of the Bernard Hodes business: The company in 2013 integrated Bernard Hodes' Hong Kong and London operations into Omnicom's FleishmanHillard.)

Wren in July 2013 told analysts: "Implied in what we said in 2010 of the agencies that we felt were no longer strategic to the business [was that] ... we wanted to, in an orderly fashion, dispose of them. Hodes was probably the largest of the remaining items on that list, and it just took us until now to dispose of it in an orderly fashion."

Omnicom's investments/minority holdings as of 2015 included:

Footsteps (U.S. multicultural agency, 49%).

LatinWorks (U.S. Hispanic agency, 49%).

SpikeDDB (U.S. African-American agency, 49%).

Termination of Publicis Omnicom Group merger:

New York-based Omnicom and Paris-based Publicis Groupe in July 2013 announced plans to merge into the world's biggest agency firm, Publicis Omnicom Group. Omnicom at the time ranked No. 2 among agency companies based on worldwide revenue; Publicis ranked No. 3.

The companies on May 8, 2014, terminated the deal, citing "difficulties in completing the transaction within a reasonable timeframe."

Omnicom and Publicis originally expected to complete the merger in fourth-quarter 2013 or first-quarter 2014, but the deal as of May 2014 still needed regulatory approval in China and agreement on tax issues in France, the U.K. and the Netherlands. The companies also disagreed on how to fill top management posts in what had been billed as a "merger of equals."

Publicis Omnicom Group N.V., a newly formed Dutch holding company, would have had its "official seat" in Amsterdam and "operational headquarters located in Paris, France, and New York," according to Omnicom regulatory filings, though the company's "principal place of business" would be in the U.K., under terms of the merger. The merged company would have "exclusive tax residency in the United Kingdom," according to an Omnicom regulatory filing in April 2014.

Michael O'Brien, Omnicom senior VP-general counsel, said on Omnicom's April 2014 earnings call: "The new company is to be incorporated in the Netherlands. The agreements require that Publicis Omnicom's principal place of business be in the United Kingdom. ... Our agreements with Publicis require that the new company be a tax resident of the United Kingdom."

Management and employees:

Omnicom employed 74,000 people at year-end 2014; 71,800 people at year-end 2013; 71,099 people at year-end 2012 (per now-former CFO Randall Weisenburger); 70,600 people at year-end 2011; 65,500 people at year-end 2010; 63,000 at year-end 2009; 68,000 at year-end 2008; 70,000 at year-end 2007; and 66,000 at year-end 2006.

Randall Weisenburger resigned as Omnicom's executive VP-CFO Sept. 22, 2014 (the "resignation date"). The effective date of his termination from employment (the "termination date") was Dec. 31, 2014. Among other terms of his separation agreement, Weisenburger agreed not to sue Omnicom. According to the agreement, included in a company regulatory filing, the company let Weisenburger keep "the smartphones and tablets provided to you (e.g., iPhone 5s; iPad; and Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet (the 'Devices'); provided, that, a company representative will arrange a mutually agreeable time and place to re-set the Devices to the factory settings and delete all information on the Devices prior to the service on each device being discontinued."

With Weisenburger's departure, Omnicom controller Philip J. Angelastro moved up to executive VP-CFO. Omnicom CEO John Wren told analysts in October 2014: "For several years, Phil had been designated as Randy's successor as CFO."

Top executive: John D. Wren, president and CEO; Bruce Crawford, chairman; Philip J. Angelastro, executive VP and CFO
Headquarters: Omnicom Group/437 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022/Phone: (212) 415-3600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omnicomgroupinc
Twitter: @Omnicom

http://www.omnicomgroup.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$299.3	$274.9	8.9
U.S.	$191.0	$167.0	14.4
Non-U.S.	$108.3	$107.9	0.3

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Project WorldWide is a holding company focused on engagement marketing through a network of agencies, wholly owned and partly owned by Project, that offer experiential marketing, digital services and content.

Project's flagship agency is George P. Johnson, a global event-marketing agency founded in 1914.

George P. Johnson's management group in October 2010 formed Project WorldWide to serve as a holding company for George P. Johnson and other agencies.

Project's formation came after George P. Johnson made several acquisitions, including California digital shop Juxt Interactive (acquired in 2008), the Spinifex Group (based in Australia) and Raumtechnik (in Germany).

Project in August 2014 acquired 100% ownership of Pitch, an integrated ad agency based in Culver City, Calif. Ad Age in January 2014 named Pitch a 2014 Agency to Watch and in July 2014 gave it the silver award for Small Agency of the Year (11-75 employees). Pitch employed 62 people at the time of the Small Agency award.

Project in 2013 bankrolled the launch of three startup agencies: San Francisco-based Argonaut; Boulder, Colo.-based School; and Shoptology, which has offices in New York, Dallas, and Fayetteville, Ark.

Project in 2013 acquired shopper-marketing agency Mercury 11, which became the Fayetteville office of Shoptology, and Rochester, N.Y.-based video and post production firm Post Central, which became part of Partners & Napier and was renamed Content Central.

Project in 2012 acquired Affinitive, a New York City-based word-of-mouth and social-media agency, and Motive, a Denver-based consumer promotion and experiential agency.

Project in early 2011 acquired Partners & Napier, an ad agency in Rochester, N.Y.

Project's agencies also include G7 Entertainment Marketing (formerly George P. Johnson's Entertainment Marketing Group).



Top executive: Robert G. Vallee Jr., chairman and CEO; Brian Martin, senior VP-marketing and communications; Ben Casey, VP-digital engagement marketing
Headquarters: Project WorldWide/3600 Giddings Road, Auburn Hills, Mich. 48326/Phone: (248) 475-2500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectworldwide
Twitter: @ProjectWW

http://www.project.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$9,625.0	$9,232.0	4.3
U.S.	$4,630.1	$4,386.0	5.6
Non-U.S.	$4,994.9	$4,846.0	3.1
Ticker: EPA:PUB (EPA)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Publicis Groupe in 2014 was the world's third-largest agency company.

Worldwide revenue shown is Publicis' stated U.S.-dollar revenue for the world. U.S. revenue shown is Publicis' stated U.S.-dollar revenue for North America.

Publicis reported worldwide revenue of $9.6 billion in 2014; $9.2 billion in 2013; $8.5 billion in 2012; $8.1 billion in 2011; $7.2 billion in 2010; $6.3 billion in 2009; and $6.9 billion in 2008.

Rankings:

Publicis in 2009 passed Interpublic Group of Cos. to take the No. 3 spot based on agency company worldwide revenue, behind WPP and Omnicom.

Deals and strategic moves:

Sapient Corp. acquisition:

Publicis in February 2015 acquired Sapient Corp., a global marketing and technology services company, for $3.7 billion cash.

Sapient's largest holding was SapientNitro, a digital-centric advertising and marketing-services agency network.

In announcing the deal's closing on Feb. 6, 2015, Publicis said: "The acquisition of Sapient gives birth to the Publicis.Sapient platform, encompassing the global leaders in digital -- SapientNitro, Razorfish Global, Rosetta and DigitasLBi, and the deep industry expertise of Sapient Global Markets and Sapient Government Services."

Other major acquisitions:

LBi, an Amsterdam-based digital network, purchased in January 2013 for 416 million euros ($554 million). After buying LBi, Publicis combined it with Digitas in February 2013 to form the DigitasLBi network.

Rosetta Marketing Group, a U.S.-based digital agency, acquired in July 2011 for $577 million cash.

Razorfish, a U.S.-based digital agency, acquired in October 2009 from Microsoft Corp. for $544 million ($547 million including transaction costs). Publicis paid $286.8 million cash plus 6.5 million Publicis shares for a purchase price of 369 million euros ($544 million based on currency rates when the deal closed) or 371 million euros including transaction costs ($547 million). The deal gave Microsoft a 3.3% stake in Publicis; Microsoft later sold its entire stake in Publicis.

Digitas, a U.S. digital agency, purchased in January 2007 for $1.3 billion.

Bcom3 Group, a U.S.-based agency company, acquired in 2002. Bcom3 owned Leo Burnett (ad agency); D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles (ad agency); Manning Selvage & Lee (public relations); Starcom MediaVest Group (media-agency network); Medicus (health-care communications); and a 49% stake in Bartle Bogle Hegarty (U.K. ad agency). Saatchi & Saatchi, a U.K.-based agency company, acquired in 2000.

Publicis in 2001 formed ZenithOptimedia, a media-agency network, by merging its Optimedia unit with Zenith Media, which had been a 50/50 of Saatchi & Saatchi and Cordiant Communications Group. Cordiant at that point ended up with a 25% stake in ZenithOptimedia. WPP in 2003 bought Cordiant and sold the 25% stake in ZenithOptimedia to Publicis.

Other acquisitions:

2015 deals included:

Epic Communications, a strategic communications agency in South Africa employing 50 consultants; rebranded as Epic MSL Group.

Expicient, a Massachusetts-based technology services firm with expertise in inventory and order management systems. Publicis folded Expicient into Rosetta.

Monkees, a digital-marketing and social-network venture in France with 25 employees. 2014 deals included:

Main 2014 acquisitions:

Nurun, a digital agency based in Montreal, acquired in September 2014 for Canadian $125 million (U.S. $115 million) from Quebecor Media. Publicis folded Nurun into the Razorfish Global and Publicis Worldwide networks.

Proximedia, a European digital-communications venture, acquired in July 2014.

Other 2014 acquisitions:

Ambito5, a social-media agency in Italy.

Applied Media Logic (AML), a media agency in South Africa. Publicis aligned it with ZenithOptimedia.

BrandsRock, a South African branding firm with 45 employees; integrated into Saatchi & Saatchi.

Crown Partners, a technology-focused venture in Dayton, Ohio, with more than 150 employees. Publicis aligned Crown with Razorfish.

Hawkeye, a digital marketing-services agency based in Dallas. Publicis on March 6, 2014, bought Hawkeye, which Publicis said employed more than 160 people at the time of the acquisition. (Publicis Hawkeye at the time of the acquisition said Publicis Hawkeye employed 225 staffers, including 160 in the Dallas headquarters and 65 in other U.S. offices.) The company rebranded Hawkeye as Publicis Hawkeye and aligned the agency with Publicis North America, part of the Publicis Worldwide network.

Law & Kenneth, an ad agency in India (51% stake). Liquorice, a digital-marketing agency in South Africa with 115 employees. Publicis aligned the agency with DigitasLBi.

Lighthouse Digital, a digital-media agency in South Africa.

Machine, a communications agency in South Africa with more than 130 employees; integrated into Publicis Worldwide and rebranded as Publicis Machine.

Net@lk, a social-media services provider in China.

OwenKessel, an ad agency in South Africa.

Qorvis Communications, a public-relations agency in Washington, D.C.; rebranded as Qorvis MSL Group.

Relevant24, a Boston-based firm focused on creating original, multimedia branded content. Relevant24 had 23 staffers at the time of its acquisition. Publicis aligned Relevant24 with Starcom MediaVest Group. Run, a New York-based data management and multichannel programmatic buying platform. Publicis aligned Run with Starcom MediaVest Group.

Salterbaxter, a U.K. sustainability strategy and communications consultancy firm with 70 employees. Publicis aligned Salterbaxter with MSL Group.

3 Share, a San Diego-based firm with more than 50 employees that offers services related to Adobe Systems products.

Turner Duckworth, a design and branding agency based in London. The agency, which had 70 employees in London and San Francisco at the time of its acquisition, kept its name and aligned with Leo Burnett.

Zweimaleins, a business-to-business agency in Germany that became Saatchi & Saatchi Pro.

2013 deals included:

Main 2013 acquisitions:

LBi (see above).

Walker Media, a U.K. media agency. Publicis in November 2013 bought a 75.1% stake in Walker Media, a U.K. media agency, from M&C Saatchi, which kept a 24.9% stake. Walker Media opened in 1998 and had more than 130 employees at the time of the acquisition. Walker Media is now part of the ZenithOptimedia network, operating as a distinct agency brand.

Engauge Marketing, a Columbus, Ohio, digital agency, acquired in August 2013. Publicis aligned Engauge with Moxie, part of ZenithOptimedia.

Other 2013 acquisitions:

Beehive Communications, an integrated-communications agency in India specializing in marketing services and advanced communication for clients in southern Asia.

Bosz Digital SA, Costa Rica, and Bosz Digital Colombia SAS, media and digital production ventures in Central America.

Convonix, a digital agency based in India. The agency was founded in 2003 and employed more than 200 people at the time of acquisition. Publicis aligned the agency with Starcom MediaVest Group.

Espalhe, a digital-marketing and public-relations agency in Brazil.

ETO, a customer-relationship-management agency in France specializing in digital marketing and data analytics.

Heartbeat Ideas, a U.S. digital health-care agency.

Interactive Solutions, a digital agency in Poland.

Jana Mobile, a Boston-based mobile technology startup; $15 million investment.

Neev, a technology services provider in India specializing in e-commerce, software as a service and cloud applications across web, social and mobile. Publicis aligned Neev with Razorfish; the deal marked the launch of the Razorfish brand in India. Neev was founded in 2005 and employed 250 people at time of acquisition. In announcing the deal, Publicis said: "Year on year, Neev has increased revenues on average 45 percent since 2007."

Poke, a digital agency in the U.K.

Synergize, a digital-marketing agency in South Africa.

TPM Communications, an agency in Canada specializing in digital, video and events.

Verilogue, a U.S. venture focused on medical data analytics and specializing in physician-patient communications.

Zenith Romania, a communications and media agency in Romania.

Publicis in 2013 also acquired majority ownership in some agencies that had long-standing partnerships with the company's major agencies.

2012 deals included:

Main 2012 acquisitions:

Publicis in July 2012 purchased the remaining 51% stake in Bartle Bogle Hegarty, a London-based agency. Publicis acquired its initial 49% stake when Publicis bought Bcom3 Group in 2002. Leo Burnett Worldwide, part of Bcom3, had acquired that 49% interest in 1997.

Publicis reported the acquisition cost of BBH at 214 million euros ($269 million), including the fair value of its previously held stake and the price paid for the additional 51% stake.

In a separate transaction in July 2012, Publicis acquired 100% of BBH's Brazilian affiliate, Neogama/BBH, purchasing 34% from BBH and 66% from the agency's founder and his partners.

Publicis reported the acquisition cost of Neogama at 111 million euros ($140 million), including the price paid for the agency as well as earn outs payable to the agency's founder and his partners.

Taterka, a Brazilian agency, additional equity stake taken in November 2012.

CNC, a German-based network of agencies in strategic consulting and communications, acquired in July 2012.

BBR Group, a communications group in Israel, acquired in June 2012.

Pixelpark, a digital-communications group in Germany (now part of the Publicis Worldwide network), acquired following a February 2012 tender offer.

Other 2012 acquisitions:

Mediagong, a digital agency in France.

Creative Factory, a Moscow-based marketing, digital and production firm (now part of the Saatchi & Saatchi network).

U-Link Business Solutions Co., a health-care agency in China, as well as King Harvests and Luminous, specialized marketing agencies in China and Singapore.

Flip Media, a network of digital agencies in the Middle East.

Indigo Consulting, a full-service agency based in Mumbai, India; it became part of the Leo Burnett network.

Longtuo, a Beijing-based digital marketing company (rebranded as Razorfish Longtuo China).

Zoom Advertising, a subsidiary of Ramallah-based Massar Group, giving Publicis a 20% stake in a Palestine-based communications venture. (Rebranded as Publicis Zoom, part of the Publicis Worldwide network.)

Resultrix, an India-based digital services agency.

Arachnid, a digital agency in Malaysia.

AR New York, a luxury-market agency in New York; it became part of the Publicis Worldwide network.

iStrat, an integrated digital services agency in India, and Market Gate, a marketing and strategy consultancy in India.

Outside Line, a U.K.-based social-media and experiential-marketing agency.

Monterosa, a mobile-marketing agency in Sweden; it became part of the BBH network.

Rokkan, a New York-based digital agency.

2011 deals included:

Big Fuel, a New York-based social-media agency.

Talent Group, a major independent agency firm in Brazil. Publicis in April 2011 raised its interest to 60%. Publicis bought its initial 49% stake in Talent in 2010.

DPZ, an ad agency based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Publicis in July 2011 bought 70% of DPZ. At the time of the acquisition, Publicis said it could increase its ownership to 100% over the following two or three years. DPZ kept its name and operated within Publicis Groupe on a stand-alone basis. Founded in 1968, DPZ had about 230 employees at time of acquisition. Publicis said the agency had seen double-digit organic growth over the past three years prior to acquisition, with 2011 revenue expected to reach 40 million euros.

GP7, a Sao Paulo-based ad agency, acquired in April 2011. The agency had 40 employees at the time of acquisition. The agency was founded in 2004. Publicis renamed the agency Publicis Red Lion, aligning it with the Publicis Worldwide network.

Tailor Made, a Brazilian independent advertising agency; Publicis acquired a minority stake in April 2011 with the option to increase its holding to 100% by 2013. Publicis integrated the agency into Leo Burnett Brazil, which was renamed Leo Burnett Tailor Made. (Publicis in August 2010 bought another Brazilian agency, digital shop AG2.)

Genedigi Group, a public-relations and marketing-communications agency in China, acquired in June 2011. Publicis aligned Genedigi with MSL Group. Founded in 1997, Genedigi Group as of June 2011 employed 400 communications professionals across PR, event marketing, digital marketing and an in-house market research center.

Investments and minority stakes include:

Burrell Communications Group (U.S. African-American agency, 49.0%).

Dentsu Razorfish (Japanese digital agency, 19.35%).

Jana Mobile (mobile technology startup, 23.62%).

Matomy Media Group, a performance-based digital-marketing firm based in Israel, 24.9% stake acquired in October 2014 and November 2014. Publicis in April 2011 sold its 56% stake in U.K. PR firm Freud Communications back to Chairman Matthew Freud.

Interpublic investment:

Publicis sold its 1.13% stake in Interpublic Group of Cos. between Dec. 9 and Dec. 23, 2013. Publicis' historic carrying price for Interpublic shares was $3.87 a share. The average listed share price between Dec. 9 and Dec. 23, 2013, was $16.74. Publicis scored a capital gain of 47 million euros ($64.52 million) on the sale. The Interpublic stock was a holdover from an investment Publicis made in Foote, Cone & Belding Communications in 1988 as part of a later-aborted global alliance with FCB; Interpublic bought True North Communications (parent of FCB) in 2001.

Termination of Publicis Omnicom Group merger:

Paris-based Publicis and New York-based Omnicom Group in July 2013 announced plans to merge into the world's biggest agency firm, Publicis Omnicom Group. Publicis at the time ranked No. 3 among agency companies based on worldwide revenue; Omnicom ranked No. 2.

Publicis' registration document for year ended December 2013 said: “This merger of equals, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014, will create the world leader in communications, advertising, marketing and digital services."

The companies on May 8, 2014, terminated the deal, citing "difficulties in completing the transaction within a reasonable timeframe."

Publicis and Omnicom originally expected to complete the merger in fourth-quarter 2013 or first-quarter 2014, but the deal as of May 2014 still needed regulatory approval in China and agreement on tax issues in France, the U.K. and the Netherlands. The companies also disagreed on how to fill top management posts in what had been billed as a "merger of equals."

Publicis Omnicom Group N.V., a newly formed Dutch holding company, would have had its "official seat" in Amsterdam and "operational headquarters located in Paris, France, and New York," according to Omnicom regulatory filings, though the company's “principal place of business" would be in the U.K., under terms of the merger. The merged company would have "exclusive tax residency in the United Kingdom," according to an Omnicom regulatory filing in April 2014.

Michael O'Brien, Omnicom senior VP-general counsel, said on Omnicom's April 2014 earnings call: "The new company is to be incorporated in the Netherlands. The agreements require that Publicis Omnicom's principal place of business be in the United Kingdom. ... Our agreements with Publicis require that the new company be a tax resident of the United Kingdom."

Management and employees:

Publicis at year end employed 63,621 people worldwide (22,030 in North America) in 2014; 62,533 people worldwide (20,834 in North America) in 2013; 57,500 people worldwide (18,711 in U.S. and 19,548 in North America) in 2012; 53,807 people worldwide (17,965 in the U.S. and 18,797 in North America) in 2011; 48,531 (17,306 in North America) in 2010; and 45,402 (14,215 in North America) in 2009.

The company at year end employed 44,727 people worldwide in 2008 and 43,808 in 2007.

Stock:

Publicis listed on the Paris stock exchange in June 1970.

The company added a listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2000. Publicis ended its New York Stock Exchange listing in 2007.

Biggest shareholder:

Publicis Groupe's biggest shareholder is Elizabeth Badinter, daughter of the company's founder, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet.

Badinter and her family owned a 7.58% equity stake and had 13.88% of voting rights as of March 2015. The family had held an equity stake of 8.67% and voting rights of 15.87% before a March 2015 stock buyback by Publicis.

Badinter's equity stake has fallen in recent years. Publicis in February 2012 said Badinter held 10.99% of the shares and 19.92% of the voting rights of Publicis.

Dentsu relationship:

Publicis on Feb. 17, 2012, bought back 18 million Publicis shares owned by Dentsu Inc. for 644.4 million euros ($840.3 million) or 35.80 euros ($46.68 million) a share. The buyback, which had been expected, ended a strategic alliance in place since 2002 (when Publicis bought Dentsu-backed Bcom3 Group, the then-parent of Leo Burnett and Starcom MediaVest).

In a statement at that time, Dentsu Inc. said the sale of its big Publicis stake marked the end of three agreements: a shareholders' pact with Publicis; a strategic alliance with Publicis; and a shareholders' agreement with Elisabeth Badinter. “As a result of this termination, Dentsu and Ms. Badinter will no longer act in concert," the statement said.

In announcing that buyback, Publicis said: “The friendly relationship and collaboration between the two groups will continue. Firstly, Dentsu holds 2.12% of the shares of Publicis Groupe S.A. (following the share cancellation). Secondly, the two joint ventures between Dentsu and Publicis Groupe will continue in the same form and with the same shareholdings as previously (Beacon Communications and Dentsu Razorfish owned respectively 66% and 19.35% by Publicis Groupe). Moreover, partnerships related to specific clients that the two groups have in common will continue, in the clients' interests."

Publicis on Feb. 15, 2013, bought back Dentsu Inc.'s remaining approximately 3.9 million Publicis shares for 181.4 million euros ($242.9 million).

Publicis said in its announcement of that share buyback: “The two groups will continue to consider all opportunities for collaboration and to maintain cooperative relations, and the two [Japan-based] joint ventures between Dentsu and Publicis Groupe (Beacon Communications and Dentsu Razorfish) are expected to continue without change."

In its February 2013 announcement of the Publicis share sale, Dentsu Inc. said: “Dentsu and Publicis will continue to proactively consider all opportunities for future collaboration on their individual merits. Moreover, there will be no changes to the management structure or the management policies of the two companies established jointly by Dentsu and Publicis: Beacon Communications (Head Office: Tokyo; established in January 2001) and Dentsu Razorfish (Head Office: Tokyo; established in April 2001)."

History:

Publicis Groupe was founded in 1926 by Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet. Bleustein-Blanchet died April 11, 1996. He was chairman of the supervisory board at the time of his death.

The company's name comes from the combination of “Publ" (for “Publicité," which is “advertising" in French) and “six" (for 1926).

Top executive: Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO; Jean-Michel Etienne, executive VP and CFO
Headquarters: Publicis Groupe/133 Ave. des Champs-Elysees, Paris, 75008/Phone: 331-4443-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/publicisgroupe
Twitter: @PublicisGroupe

http://publicisgroupe.com/#/en

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$747.0	$531.0	40.7
U.S.	$471.0	$285.0	65.3
Non-U.S.	$276.0	$246.0	12.2

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: PwC's Digital Services is the global digital-services practice of global professional-services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

PwC's Digital Services, part of the company's PwC Advisory Practice, offers digital services focused on strategy, innovation, user experience, technology, analytics and activation/optimization.

PwC's Digital Services, officially formed on Nov. 4, 2013, brings together PwC's global digital offerings and digital acquisitions made since 2009.

PwC's Digital Services acquisitions include:

2014: Booz Digital, a strategy, design and technology practice. Acquired in April 2014 when PwC bought Booz & Co. (renamed Strategy& in April 2014), a management consultancy launched in 2008 as a spinoff of consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.

2014: Stamford Interactive, an Australia-based digital firm focused on user experience and founded in 2003. Acquired in February 2014.

2013: BGT Partners, a Miami area digital agency focused on marketing and technology solutions and founded in 1996. Acquired in November 2013.

2013: Intunity Digital Solutions, an Australia-based web and mobile solutions provider founded in 2006. Acquired in July 2013. Rebranded in 2013 as Accelerate.

2012: Ant's Eye View, a U.S. social-media strategy development and consulting firm founded in 2009. Acquired in September 2012.

2012: Logan Tod & Co., a London-based online performance optimization and analytics consultancy founded in 2002. Acquired in March 2012.

2011: PRTM Management Consulting, a U.S. management consulting firm founded in 1976. Acquired in August 2011.

2010: Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, a Chicago-based strategy, technology and management consultancy founded in 1994. Acquired in November 2010.

2009: BearingPoint's North American Commercial Services practice. Acquired in June 2009 after BearingPoint filed for bankruptcy reorganization. BearingPoint began as a spinoff of accounting firm KPMG.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers:

PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2010 formally shortened its brand name to PwC, but "PricewaterhouseCoopers" remains the full name of the global organization for legal purposes and is the name PwC firms use to sign company audits.

PwC reported worldwide revenue of $33.9 billion and North American revenue (including the Caribbean) of $12.7 billion in the year ended June 2014. PwC had 195,433 worldwide employees as of June 2014.

PwC's Advisory Practice (including PwC's Digital Services) had stated revenue of $10.0 billion in the year ended June 2014.

PwC reported worldwide revenue of $32.1 billion and North American revenue (including the Caribbean) of $12.0 billion in the year ended June 2013. PwC had 184,235 worldwide employees as of June 2013.

PwC's Advisory Practice (including PwC's Digital Services) had stated revenue of $9.2 billion in the year ended June 2013.

History:

Accounting firms Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand merged in 1998, creating PricewaterhouseCoopers.

PwC traces its roots to an accounting practice started by Samuel Lowell Price in London in 1849. Price merged with London's Waterhouse in 1865. William Cooper opened his firm in London in 1854; the firm merged with U.S.-based Lybrand in 1957, forming Coopers & Lybrand.

PwC in 2002 changed the name of its consulting arm, PwC Consulting, to Monday in preparation for a spinoff of that unit. (PwC in 2002 paid $5 million to U.K. firm OneMonday Group for rights to its name; the PR firm changed its name to Next Fifteen Communications Group.) Later in 2002, PwC sold PwC Consulting to IBM Corp. for $3.5 billion; the "Monday" moniker was scrapped.



Top executive: Tom Puthiyamadam, partner and digital services leader; Juan Carlos Morales, chief creative officer; John Swadener, partner
Headquarters: PwC's Digital Services/600 Silks Run, Suite 2210, Hallandale Beach, Fla. 33009/Phone: (305) 438-1800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pwcfanpage
Twitter: @PwCAdvisory

http://www.pwc.com/digital

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$186.0	$184.0	1.1
U.S.	$186.0	$184.0	1.1
Non-U.S.		NA	NA

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Richards Group is an independent advertising and marketing services group based in Dallas.

Richards Group has an affiliation with Richards/Carlberg, an integrated ad agency in Houston.



Top executive: Stan Richards, principal & creative dir; Mary Price, brand media principal; Diane Fannon, brand management principal
Headquarters: Richards Group/2801 N. Central Expressway, Suite 100, Dallas, Texas 75204/Phone: (214) 891-5700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richardsgroup
Twitter: @RichardsGroup

http://www.richards.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$377.9	$298.8	26.5
U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA
Non-U.S.	$377.9	$298.8	26.5

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Serviceplan Agenturgruppe, based in Munich, is one of Germany's largest independent agency firms.

Serviceplan operations include Mediaplus, a media planning and buying unit; Plan.net, an online-media subsidiary; and Facit, a market-research unit.

The firm's formal name is Serviceplan Agenturgruppe fur innovative Kommunikation GmbH & Co. KG.

Chairman Florian Haller is the son of Peter Haller, who co-founded Serviceplan in 1970 with Rolf Stempel.



Top executive: Florian Haller, chairman
Headquarters: Serviceplan Agenturgruppe/Brienner Str. 45 a-d, Munich, 80333/Phone: 49-89-20-50-20
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serviceplan
Twitter: @serviceplan

http://www.serviceplan.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$141.6	$83.3	70.0
U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA
Non-U.S.	$141.6	$83.3	70.0
Ticker: LON:SIV (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: St. Ives is a marketing-services and book-printing company based in London.

St. Ives appears in this record based on stated revenue of its Strategic Marketing segment. The Strategic Marketing segment is made up of businesses acquired since 2010.

Revenue shown for 2014 is stated revenue for the Strategic Marketing segment for fiscal year ended August 2014.

Revenue shown for 2013 is for fiscal year ended August 2013, calculated by Ad Age Datacenter using revenue figures disclosed by St. Ives.

Ad Age converted revenue to dollars based on average exchange rates for each fiscal year.

Business segments and operations:

St. Ives operates through three business segments:

Strategic Marketing: data (Occam, data-management services; Response One, integrated-marketing services); digital (Amaze, digital consultancy; Branded3, search and digital agency; Realise, digital-marketing agency; Solstice Mobile, mobile product design and engineering services); consulting (Hive Group, health-care communications; Incite, consumer and market research; Pragma, consultancy).

Marketing Activation: Marketing Print (Service Graphics, an exhibition and events business offering large-format printing services and related display and exhibition offerings; SP Group, a point-of-sale promotions specialist; SIMS, or St. Ives Management Services, a print-management business); Field Marketing (in-store marketing services through Tactical Solutions).

Books: book printing (Clays, the U.K.'s largest book printer), largely for Penguin Random House.

St. Ives reported total revenue, from all segments, of 330.7 million pounds ($543.2 million) in year ended August 2014; and 322.7 million pounds ($505.2 million) in year ended August 2013.

For the six months ended Jan. 30, 2015, St. Ives said: "The Strategic Marketing, Marketing Activation and Books business segments operate primarily in the U.K., deriving more than 92% of their revenue and results from operations and customers located in the U.K."

The company in year ended August 2014 generated more than 90% of its revenue from the U.K.

Deals and strategic moves:

St. Ives in March 2015 bought Solstice Consulting, a Chicago-based digital consultancy specializing in mobile product design and engineering services. St. Ives paid 24.7 million pounds ($36.5 million) plus further payments up to 25.3 million pounds ($37.4 million) contingent on performance for years ending December 2015, December 2016 and December 2017. The business opened in 2001 and goes to market under the Solstice Mobile brand. It employed about 200 people in Chicago, New York and Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the time of acquisition. St. Ives said Solstice had calendar-2014 revenue of 16.5 million pounds ($27.2 million).

St. Ives in May 2014 bought Hive (Health Hive Group), a London-based health-care communications consultancy, for $27.1 million pounds ($45.6 million) plus further payments contingent on performance. Hives opened in 2008 and had about 70 staffers at the time of acquisition. St. Ives said Hive had revenue of 9.1 million pounds ($14.2 million) in 2013 and 5.9 million ($9.4 million) in 2012.

St. Ives in March 2014 bought Realise (Realise Holdings), a U.K. digital-marketing agency, for 21.7 million pounds ($36.3 million) plus further payments up to 18.3 million pounds ($30.6 million) contingent on performance for years ending September 2014 and September 2015. Realise opened in 1995 and had about 96 staffers in Edinburgh, Scotland, and London at the time of acquisition. St. Ives said Realise had revenue of 9.7 million pounds ($15.4 million) in year ended September 2012.

St. Ives in September 2013 divested St. Ives Direct Bradford, a direct-response business, for 3.8 million pounds ($6.1 million).

The company in 2013 acquired Amaze, a U.K. digital consultancy, and Branded3, a U.K. search and digital agency.

St. Ives in 2012 bought Incite, a consumer and market research business.

The company in 2011 acquired Pragma, a consultancy; Tactical Solutions, a U.K. field-marketing business; and Response One, a U.K. integrated marketing-services venture.

St. Ives in 2010 bought Occam, a data-management firm, marking St. Ives' first move into marketing services.

Stock:

St. Ives listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1985.

History:

St. Ives was founded in 1964 by Robert Gavron when he bought the company and renamed it after one of its printing plants in St. Ives, a seaside community in England.

The company expanded beyond its print roots in 2010 with its first marketing-services acquisition, Occam, a data-management business.

Top executive: Matt Armitage, CEO
Headquarters: St. Ives (Strategic Marketing)/One Tudor St., London, EC4Y 0AH/Phone: 44 20 7928 8844
Twitter: @StIvesGroup

http://www.st-ives.co.uk

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$408.6	$393.3	3.9
U.S.	$0.0	NA	NA
Non-U.S.	$408.6	$393.3	3.9
Ticker: ASX:SGN (ASX)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: STW Group is a publicly traded Australian holding company that holds interests in more than 70 advertising and marketing-communications entities.

Revenue shown is STW's stated revenue from continuing operations (converted by Ad Age Datacenter to U.S. dollars).

STW reported revenue from continuing operations in Australian dollars of $452.613 million in 2014; $406.188 million 2013 (restated from $395.025 million); $348.561 million in 2012; $312.969 million in 2011; and $309.985 million in 2010.

WPP (through WPP subsidiary Cavendish Square Holdings BV) had a 22.2% stake in STW as of March 2015, according to WPP; vs. 19.6% in April 2014, 18.6% in April 2013, 20.7% in March 2012, 20.6% in February 2011 and February 2010, according to STW's annual reports.

WPP also owns 33.3% of Singleton Ogilvy & Mather as of March 2015, the Australian arm of WPP's Ogilvy & Mather; STW (formerly Singleton Group) owns the rest of Singleton Ogilvy & Mather.

STW's services include advertising, digital communication, production, branded content, retail and promotional marketing, sports sponsorship and management, brand and corporate design, business strategy, market research and insight, public relations, corporate communication, employee communication, multicultural communication, training and facilitation.

STW on April 1, 2012, acquired 100% of Buchanan Group Holdings. Buchanan Group is an Australian-based provider of branded advertising solutions, including infomercials. Buchanan Group's brands included Brand Power, Zoot Review, MediFacts, InfoTalk, Adverlife and Hometester Club. Buchanan Group creates programs for marketers using TV, sampling, point of sale, print, outdoor, radio and digital media. Buchanan Group operates globally with offices in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America.

Top executive: Michael Connaghan, CEO & executive director; Lukas Aviani, CFO
Headquarters: STW Group/Level 6, 72 Christie St., St. Leonards, NSW 2065/Phone: 61-2-9373-6488

http://www.stwgroup.com.au

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$171.7	$159.6	7.6
U.S.	$127.1	$116.9	8.7
Non-U.S.	$44.6	$42.6	4.7
Ticker: VVI (NYSE)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Global Experience Specialists provides exhibition, event marketing and retail marketing services.

Global Experience Specialists forms the "Marketing & Events Group" of Viad Corp. Viad also operates a "Travel & Recreation Group" that provides tourism and hospitality-management services.

Ad Age Datacenter ranks Global Experience Specialists among agency companies based on actual worldwide gross revenue for the "exhibits and environments" business of Viad's Marketing & Events Group; U.S. and non-U.S. portions are Ad Age Datacenter estimates.

Ad Age ranks Global Experience Specialists among agencies (experiential/event-marketing agencies; promotion agencies) based on Ad Age's estimate of U.S. experiential-marketing revenue excluding estimated production, storage and pass-through. Ad Age does not publish an estimate of the firm's non-U.S. agency-related revenue.

Business segments and operations:

Viad's Marketing & Events Group (operating as Global Experience Specialists) reported worldwide gross revenue from exhibits and environments of $171.7 million in 2014; $159.6 million in 2013; $175.6 million in 2012; $170.5 million in 2011; $166.0 million in 2010; $147.5 million in 2009; $229.7 million in 2008; and $199.5 million in 2007.

Viad reported total worldwide gross revenue for the Marketing & Events Group (Global Experience Specialists) of $944.5 million in 2014; $844.9 million in 2013; $902.0 million in 2012; $840.6 million in 2011; $756.5 million in 2010; $730.5 million in 2009; and $1.034 billion in 2008. Most of that revenue came from "exhibition and event services" (formerly "convention and event services"), revenue that is separate from "exhibits and environments" revenue.

Deals and strategic moves:

Recent acquisitions by Global Experience Specialists include N200 (event registration and data intelligence services provider for the live events industry in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands; November 2014); onPeak (event accommodations services in North America to the live events industry; October 2014); Travel Planners (event accommodations services in North America to the live events industry; October 2014); Blitz Communication (audiovisual staging and creative services for the live events industry in the United Kingdom and continental Europe; September 2014); and Resource Creative (creative graphic services to the exhibition, events and retail markets in the United Kingdom and continental Europe; February 2013).

Management and employees:

Viad in December 2014 named Steven W. Moster president-CEO of Viad, effective immediately. Moster also continued in his previous role as president of Viad's Global Experience Specialists.

At the same time, Viad named Richard H. Dozer chairman. Dozer previously was lead independent director.

Dozer and Moster succeeded Paul B. Dykstra, who resigned as chairman, president and CEO. Dykstra had been CEO for eight years.

History:

Global Experience Specialists dates to 1939 and a company called Manncraft.

Greyhound Corp. in 1969 bought Manncraft, which evolved into Greyhound Exposition Services. The business grew into GES Expositions Services (one of the largest exhibition production and services firms) and an Experiential Marketing Services group (including Exhibitgroup/Giltspur and a 2008 acquisition, Becker Group).

Greyhound Corp. changed its name to Greyhound Dial Corp., Dial Corp. and then Viad Corp.

In July 2009, Viad announced a strategic reorganization to align operations into two groups: the Marketing & Events Group and the Travel & Recreation Group (which provides tourism and hospitality-management services).

On Feb. 2, 2010, the Marketing & Events Group introduced Global Experience Specialists as its brand for all Marketing & Events Group services, replacing the GES Exposition Services, Exhibitgroup/Giltspur and Becker Group brands.

Viad in December 2012 began to "explore and evaluate opportunities to enhance shareholder value, including a potential separation of its Travel & Recreation and Marketing & Events business groups."



Top executive: Steve Moster, president and CEO, Viad, and president, GES
Headquarters: Viad Corp.'s Global Experience Specialists/7000 Lindell Road, Las Vegas, Nev. 89118/Phone: (702) 515-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GESGlobal
Twitter: @GESGlobal

http://www.ges.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$304.3	$283.8	7.2
U.S.	$182.9	$177.8	2.9
Non-U.S.	$121.3	$106.0	14.5

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: Wieden & Kennedy is an independent ad agency with headquarters in Portland, Ore., and offices in Amsterdam; Delhi, India; London; New York; Sao Paulo; Shanghai; and Tokyo.

The agency opened in 1982.



Top executive: Dan Wieden, chairman; Dave Luhr, president; Lawrence Teherani-Ami, North America media director
Headquarters: Wieden & Kennedy/224 NW 13th Ave., Portland, Ore. 97209/Phone: (503) 937-7321
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiedenkennedy
Twitter: @WiedenKennedy

http://www.wk.com

Revenue ($ in millions)	2014	2013	% chg
Worldwide	$18,956.0	$17,251.5	9.9
U.S.	$6,025.9	$5,476.5	10.0
Non-U.S.	$12,930.1	$11,775.0	9.8
Ticker: LON:WPP (LON)

Asterisk (*) indicates figures are Ad Age estimates.

Fast facts: WPP ranked as the world's largest agency company in 2014.

WPP disclosed worldwide revenue in U.S. dollars of $19.0 billion in 2014; $17.3 billion in 2013; and $16.5 billion in 2012.

U.S. revenue shown in this record is the company's stated total U.S. revenue in pounds as converted to dollars by Ad Age DataCenter.

Business segments and operations:

Billion-dollar brands:

In its March 2015 earnings presentation for calendar 2014, WPP listed nine brands that generated worldwide revenue of $1 billion or more: MEC; MediaCom; MillwardBrown; Mindshare; Ogilvy; J. Walter Thompson Worldwide; TNS; Wunderman; and Y&R.

MEC is WPP's latest billion-dollar brand. WPP's annual report for year ended December 2013 said each of the other eight brands generated $1 billion or more in revenue in 2013.

Clients:

In its financial disclosures for year ended December 2014, WPP said it worked for 355 of the Fortune Global 500 companies; all 30 of the Dow Jones 30; and 71 of the Nasdaq 100. The company said it worked for 826 national or multinational clients in three or more disciplines. It served 534 clients (account for more than 53% of worldwide revenue) in four disciplines. WPP said it worked for 426 clients in six or more countries.

In its annual report for year ended December 2013, WPP said it worked for 351 of the Fortune Global 500; all 30 of the Dow Jones 30; 69 of the Nasdaq 100; and 31 of the Fortune e-50. "Almost 770 clients" -- the year-end 2014 preliminary financials presentation said 768 -- "are now served in three distinct disciplines," the annual report said. "Some 490 clients" -- the year-end 2014 preliminary financials presentation said 489 -- "are served in four disciplines, and these clients account for 57.5% of Group revenues. Group companies also work with nearly 400 clients across six or more countries."

WPP's 20-F for year ended December 2013 said: "The company's 10 largest clients accounted for 17.8% of the company's revenues in ... 2013. No client of the company represented more than 5% of the company's aggregate revenues in 2013." The 20-F didn't list the 10 largest clients.

WPP's 20-F for year ended December 2012 said: "The company's 10 largest clients accounted for 17.4% of the company's revenues in ... 2012. No client of the company represented more than 5% of the company's aggregate revenues in 2012." The 20-F didn't list the 10 largest clients. Martin Sorrell, WPP's group chief executive, said in November 2012 that Procter & Gamble Co. was WPP's "second-largest client as of June 30 year end" (P&G's fiscal year ends June 30).

WPP's 20-F for year ended December 2011 said: "The company's 10 largest clients in 2011, measured by revenues and in alphabetical order, were, British American Tobacco p.l.c., Colgate Palmolive, Dell Inc., Ford Motor Company, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft Corporation, Nestle S.A., The Procter & Gamble Company, Unilever PLC and Volkswagen. Together, these clients accounted for approximately 17% of the Company's revenues in 2011. No client of the Company represented more than 5% of the Company's aggregate revenues in 2011."

Headquarters:

WPP is incorporated in the British Crown dependency of Jersey and lists London as its principal executive office. The company in 2008 shifted its principal executive office to Dublin for tax purposes (though London remained a key office); WPP moved its headquarters back to London effective Jan. 2, 2013, after the U.K. government changed its tax laws.

Rankings:

WPP surpassed Omnicom Group as the largest agency company in 2008. WPP leapfrogged Omnicom with help from the revenue contribution of Taylor Nelson Sofres, a U.K.-based market-research firm that WPP bought in October 2008. Taylor Nelson Sofres became part of WPP's Kantar market-research business.

Deals and strategic moves:

WPP paid 494.7 million pounds ($815.3 million) for acquisitions and investments in 2014; 221.0 million pounds ($345.8 million) in 2013; 586.6 million pounds ($929.8 million) in 2012; 532.4 million pounds ($854.2 million) in 2011; and 215.2 million pounds ($332.8 million) in 2010.

2014 acquisitions:

In its financial disclosures for year ended December 2014, WPP said it "completed 65 transactions in the year; 36 acquisitions and investments were in new markets, 53 in quantitative and digital and one in health care in the United States. Of these, 25 were in both new markets and quantitative and digital." WPP explained in that disclosure: "Specifically, in 2014, acquisitions and increased equity stakes have been completed in advertising and media investment management in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Turkey, the Middle East, South Africa, Peru, Australia, China, India and Vietnam; in data investment management in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; in public relations and public affairs in China; in direct, digital and interactive in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Vietnam; in healthcare in the United States."

WPP made the following point, worded identically in its year-end 2014 and year-end 2013 disclosure of preliminary financial results:

"There appears to be some growing evidence that excessive, competitive acquisition pricing together with lower standards for compliance, driven by a desire to play catch-up are resulting in slower, and even negative growth rates for competitors with several acquired companies in Brazil, India and China."

2013 acquisitions:

WPP said it completed "62 small and medium-sized acquisitions" in 2013. WPP explained in its year-end 2013 financial disclosure:

"Specifically, in 2013, acquisitions and increased equity stakes have been completed in advertising and media investment management in Canada, Kenya, Colombia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand; in data investment management [WPP's Kantar business] in the United States, Brazil and Myanmar; in public relations and public affairs in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Hong Kong; in direct, digital and interactive in the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, India, Singapore and Australia."

The year-end 2013 disclosure continued: "Further acquisitions and investments were made in the first two months of 2014 in advertising and media investment management in Russia; in direct, digital and interactive in the United States, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Africa, China and Vietnam."

2012 acquisitions:

WPP said it completed 65 acquisitions in 2012. Among the deals, WPP in July 2012 bought AKQA, a digital network, for an enterprise value of $540 million.

WPP investments:

WPP's investments/minority holdings as of March 2015 included:

AppNexus (U.S., buying and selling platform for digital advertising, minority stake [about 15%]).

Asatsu-DK (Japanese agency group, 24.6%).

Barrows Design and Manufacturing (South Africa, 35.0%).

Bates CHI & Partners (joint venture with The & Partnership, 50.0%).

BPG Group (Middle East agency group, 40.0%).

Brierley & Partners (U.S. direct agency, 20.0%).

Chime Communications (U.K. agency group, 18.9%).

Cognifide (U.K. digital consultancy, majority stake, split evenly between WPP Digital and Wunderman).

ComScore (U.S. digital research firm, initial 4.45% stake, growing in second-quarter 2015 to 15.0%-20.0%).

CTR Market Research Co. (market-research firm in China, 46.0%).

CVSC Sofres Media Co. (media research in China, 40.0%).

Dentsu, Young & Rubicam (Asian joint venture with Dentsu Inc., 49.0%).

Fabric Worldwide (U.S. marketing data management firm, 49.9%).

GIIR (South Korean agency group, 30.0%).

Globant (software firm in Argentina, 19.9%).

Grass Roots Group (consultancy in U.K., 44.8%).

Haworth Marketing & Media (media agency in U.S., 49.0%).

HighCo (French agency firm, 34.1%).

Johannes Leonardo (U.S. agency, 49.0%).

Jupiter Drawing Room (South African agency, 49.0%).

Mutual Mobile (U.S. mobile product development agency, 25.0%).

Rentrak (U.S. film and TV measurement company, 16.7%).

Scangroup (agency group in Kenya, 51.1%).

Singleton, Ogilvy & Mather (Australia, 33.0%).

STW Group (Australian agency group, 22.2%).

Syzygy (Germany, 30.0%).

The & Partners Group (The & Partnership) (U.K. agency firm, 49.9%).

UniWorld Group (U.S. multicultural agency, 49.0%).

Key acquisitions include:

1987: WPP acquired J. Walter Thompson Group for $566 million. The deal included ad agency JWT; PR firm Hill & Knowlton (now Hill&Knowlton Strategies); and market-research network MRB Group.

1988: WPP listed its shares on Nasdaq.

1989: WPP acquired The Ogilvy Group for $864 million. The deal included ad agency Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide; marketing-services unit Ogilvy Direct; and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

2000: WPP bought Young & Rubicam for $4.7 billion. The deal included Burson-Marsteller (public relations), Cohn & Wolfe (PR), Landor (branding), Sudler & Hennessey (health care), Wunderman (marketing services) and Y&R (advertising).

2001: WPP purchased Tempus Group. WPP merged Tempus Group's media agency, CIA, with The Media Edge (acquired in the 2000 Young & Rubicam deal) to form Mediaedge:cia (now MEC).

2003: WPP acquired Cordiant Communications Group. The deal included Bates, Fitch, HealthWorld and 141 Worldwide.

2003: WPP created GroupM to oversee its media agencies. 2005: WPP bought Grey Global Group (now Grey Group) for $1.75 billion in cash and stock.

2007: WPP bought 24/7 Real Media for $649 million. The unit later shortened its name to 24/7 Media. In January 2014, WPP merged 24/7 Media into Xaxis, GroupM's programmatic media and technology platform. The combined venture goes to mark as Xaxis.

2008: WPP acquired U.K.-based research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres, which became part of Kantar Group, WPP's research operation. WPP paid 1.025 billion pounds (about $1.600 billion based on exchange rates that day) for TNS stock. In addition, WPP inherited TNS's debt on the acquisition date (577.8 million pounds; or $902 million based on exchange rates when the deal closed). WPP in 2009 said: "The cost of the acquisition of TNS was 1.6 billion pounds," or $2.5 billion, including money paid for TNS stock plus debt inherited from TNS.

2012: WPP purchased AKQA Holdings, a U.S.-based digital network, in a deal with an enterprise value of $540 million.

Management and employees:

WPP reported year-end worldwide employment of 123,621 in 2014; 119,116 in 2013; 115,711 in 2012; 113,615 in 2011; 104,052 in 2010; 99,565 in 2009; and 112,663 in 2008.

WPP in December 2014 named Roberto Quarta to its board as a non-executive director and chairman-designate. Quarta officially joined the board Jan. 1, 2015. Quarta was up for election at the company's June 1015 annual meeting. Subject to that election, he was appointed chairman to succeed Philip Lader, who joined the board as chairman in 2001.

Quarta, an Italian-American, has served as chairman of Smith & Nephew, a global medical technology company, and chairman of IMI, an engineering business. He is a partner at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a buyout firm. He earlier was chairman and chief executive at BBA Group and chairman of Rexel. The Times of London said his tough management style has led to two nicknames: “Give no Quarta” and “Bob the knife.”

History:

WPP Chief Executive Martin Sorrell in 1985 took a stake in Wire and Plastic Products, a British maker of baskets and household wares, following his search for a public company through which to build a worldwide marketing-services company. The company adopted the name WPP Group, later shortened to WPP.

Top executive: Martin Sorrell, chief executive; Roberto Quarta, chairman designate; Paul Richardson, finance director
Headquarters: WPP/27 Farm St., London, W1J 5RJ/Phone: 44-20-7408-2204
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wpp
Twitter: @WPP

http://www.wpp.com