Mumbai: Global communications giant Publicis Groupe has acquired Indigo Consulting, one of the leading digital marketing and web development agencies in India, for an undisclosed amount on Tuesday.
While Indigo will operate as a unit within the Leo Burnett Group in India and will retain its name, its founder, Vikas Tandon, will remain as MD and would report to Arvind Sharma, chairman of Leo Burnett for the Indian Subcontinent, said Publicis in an official statement.
"All the 150-plus people (size of Indigo) are happy and rich, is all I can say," said Sharma.
The agency founded by the IIM-A alumnus Tandon in 2000 has an impressive client roster that includes brands such as Thomas Cook, HDFC Bank, Tata AIG General Insurance, Asian Paints and DSP Blackrock Mutual Funds. The maverick entrepreneur also runs Cashcow, India's first blog on Financial Services marketing.
In fact, even before the formal deal was sealed, Indigo had started helping the Publicis agency in making joint pitches and workshops, according to sources.
An elated Tandon shares, "This deal would surely help us leapfrog our growth. Digital world is very amorphous and we have built our business from early on with a very consulting approach."
Jarek Ziebinski, President of Leo Burnett Asia Pacific said in the press release, "Our growth strategy for Leo Burnett in India and Asia Pacific is based on two core pillars: digital and shopper-marketing" We want to make sure Leo Burnett has the right infrastructure in place to meet the needs of tomorrow. I also see Indigo Consulting developing beyond India, to become an important player within our network in Asia Pacific and globally."
This acquisition could well be an important step for Leo Burnett India's roadmap towards becoming a fully integrated communications company including the digital capability.
According to Sharma, "After this acquisition, every fourth employee of The Leo Burnett Group in India will be from the digital background."
Indigo provides website design and development, search engine optimisation, usability research and testing, and online marketing, on mobiles and in social media.
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