Publicis Groupe to boost B2B capabilities with Octopus acquisition
Publicis Groupe has acquired Octopus Group, an integrated agency working with B2B and technology brands, with the aim of boosting its B2B capabilities and offerings.
According to Publicis Groupe UK CEO, Annette King, the company has been looking to acquire the right B2B partner to supercharge its skillset in the area for some time. “Octopus has a proven track record of solving client challenges in ways that transform categories. Bringing them in to Publicis Groupe UK as part of our Power of One model, presents a great opportunity for client and agency growth,” he added.
Octopus will be joining Publicis’ creative practice alongside Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett and Digitas, as part of the new deal.
Publicis Groupe seeks to bolster its strategic, creative and commercial offer to clients and brands as traditional B2C clients begin to turn to alternative ways of protecting revenue and reaching new audiences as a result of the effects of the pandemic. The new acquisition also comes at a point of transition for the wider B2B market, as the pivot to online sales has left brands scrabbling for more creative approaches and partners to reach these digital audiences while beefing up their e-commerce tools and technology.
Jon Lonsdale, CEO, Octopus Group said: “Key B2B industries are being transformed and disrupted by technology at warp speed and this signposts an exciting time for B2B brands and their marketing teams. They are relying on agency partners to combine deep commercial insight and creativity to help drive performance.”
Octopus has evolved over recent years from a technology PR specialist to a digital and creative agency within the B2B sector, with clients including Siemens, Adobe, Logitech, Smartsheet and ACI Worldwide.
Magnus Djaba, chief executive of the creative practice at Publicis Groupe UK added: “Due to the pandemic the line between B2B and B2C is blurring, and B2C brands are increasingly adopting a B2B2C approach. Brands are also facing a time of huge technological transformation and disruption, and one of the things that attracted us to Octopus Group, is their technology background. We need to understand all the challenges our clients face, from marketing to distribution to commerce to product innovation, to deliver the right creativity at every point in their sales funnel.”
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