Publicis Comm merges experiential & brand activation arms

Publicis Comm merges experiential & brand activation arms

Publicis

MUMBAI: Publicis Communications has announced the merger of its in-house technology-enabled experiential arm, Solutions, with its brand activation and experiential shopper agency, Arc Worldwide, effective immediately. The development fits perfectly with Arc Worldwide’s strategic expansion plans to scale up its geographical footprint in India.

Publicis Communications India and Leo Burnett South Asia CEO Saurabh Varma says, "By merging the two entities, Arc can leverage their combined expertise in ways that are unprecedented for the industry. The merger of Solutions with Arc will create even more momentum for Arc’s trajectory in India. Arc has deep capabilities across the entire experience landscape. With Solutions, we will create meaningful value exchange straddling the entire shopping experience for greater impact on our clients’ businesses. The merger fits perfectly with our ‘Power of One’ strategy.”

The newly merged entity will be called Arc Worldwide and will be headed by Vandana Verma, executive vice president and India head at Arc. Solutions’ entire team and its roster of clients will now come under the Arc umbrella.

Verma adds, “Arc is focused on creating meaningful connected experiences. In India, Arc is a key platform within Publicis Communications. Solutions will add immense value to Arc through its expertise across technology-enabled solutions, paperless retail audits, merchandising and real time consumer feedback, among others. The merger will now help us lead experiential planning, data-driven shopper insights, and mobile-tracking and analytics-led initiatives designed to help our clients reach empowered consumers.”

Solutions COO Virender Sharma mentions, “The merger with Arc means unparalleled access to all clients in the Publicis Communications portfolio. I look forward to seamlessly integrating ideas and solutions that will grow our clients’ businesses. We are happy to see the coming together of Arc Worldwide and Solutions at our new Big Apple office in Gurugram.”

Arc Worldwide is globally one of the top three agencies in the experiential and shopper marketing gamut. It is present in 40 countries serving over 400 brands. The agency says its ‘Irresistible Commerce’ philosophy moves people to like, share, participate, and ultimately make a purchase. Arc’s key clients in India include Amazon, P&G, Huawei, Heineken, Bajaj and Häagen-Dasz. Solutions is an innovative and ideas-led digital offering serving some of India’s leading companies including HP, ITC, Fitbit, CP Plus, Usha and Sandisk, among several others.