MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has acquired independent French digital agency, Mediagong.

Mediagong will be aligned with Leo Burnett France, one of the top 10 full-service agencies in the country, which has experienced high growth over the past two years.

Mediagong will retain its current name and will continue to operate under the leadership of its founding partners Guillaume De La Brosse, David Oks and Olivier Zetlers. They will take the title of Deputy Managers of Mediagong, an entity within Groupe Leo Burnett France, and will report to Jean-Paul Brunier, president of GroupeLeo Burnett France.

Brunier said, "Mediagong is a smart young company with a track-record that‘s already very solid and a management team that is very impressive indeed. They‘re energetic, rigorous, structured and driven to achieve high levels of return on investment for their clients. Every project they undertake is carried out with the same passion for perfection. Digital has become key to our clients, and the French market has the potential for strong growth. This strategic acquisition means Leo Burnett will be among the very few full-service agencies with such a strong grounding in digital expertise."

Mediagong founders, Guillaume de la Brosse, David Oks and Olivier Zetlers, added, "When we began almost 10 years ago, our motivation was fundamentally to offer our clients strategies that would be more wide-ranging, more effective and more international. From that viewpoint, our discussions with the Leo Burnett team showed us clearly that there would be huge advantages to pooling our expertise, whether TV, shopper marketing or digital. Uniting our skills, in the sectors of food, beauty, banking and luxury, in particular, will further strengthen the pertinence of our recommendations to clients. Moreover, this bond with one of the world‘s most creative networks will open up stimulating perspectives for our internal talent pool, within an ecosystem that is focused on the observation and understanding of human behavior."

Mediagong was founded in 2002 and employs some 50 communications professionals on the conception and development of innovative digital tools and interactive campaigns. The company has demonstrated strong growth, reporting more than 25 per cent in 2011.

Its many core sectors include digital and community strategising, social media, the development of brand content, advergaming and mobile.

Mediagong‘s client list is particularly strong in the food, beauty and luxury industries, as well as financial services and retail.

ZenithOptimedia forecasts a 1.5 per cent increase in total French adspend in 2012, from €9.7 billion in 2011 to €9.8 billion. Within that overall market, expenditure on Internet advertising is forecast to rise to 20 per cent of the total in 2012 and 23 per cent in 2014, up from 19 per cent in 2011.