Performics Subsumes Sister Agency Offices

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Under a new global growth plan, ZenithOptimedia will expand Performics to at least 30 global territories in the next two years. The search-centric agency also hired Andras Vigh to the role of Performics' managing director worldwide, overseeing operations.

The first phase of the expansion will see the offices and performance marketing staff of fellow Publicis agency ZedMedia rebranded as Performics across 14 markets, with its staff outside of that remit re-housed under the wider ZenithOptimedia brand. Performics' global headquarters will continue to be based in Chicago, with international hubs located in London, Paris, and Singapore. The brand's acquisition of ZedMedia's operations will give it an immediate footprint in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Russia, and Spain.

Vigh said the expansion will help capture the growing spend in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe and Asia. "Some markets, such as China, India and Russia, are particularly appealing. Digital channels are capturing a larger portion of spend there, but also the overall media market is growing," he said, suggesting the opportunity for growth in those regions is greater as a result.

In addition to attracting new business Vigh said its global clients, which currently include HP, Toyota, and Nestle, will be better served. He expects Perfomics to be present in 30 to 40 markets in the next two years, and it's current 650 staff to have grown by 50 to 100 percent. In many markets the brand will be a new one, so its entrance will be supported by local marketing activity, including search campaigns, Vigh said.

In addition to the search, SEO, and social media channels in which Performics now has services, Vigh sees opportunity in other types of bidded media, through emerging platforms such as DSPs which are still relatively immature outside of the U.S. and Western Europe. "There is an opportunity to engage in wider media bidding activities. Outside of search, more and more media sales are including some level of bidded purchase," Vigh said, suggesting that other mediums such as TV could one day be traded in that manner.

In terms of entering new markets, however, the company plans to focus primarily on the paid search opportunity, before looking to introduce SEO services alongside. From there it will grow its staff accordingly, Vigh said, but likely most rapidly in the emerging markets of India, China, and Russia.