Publicis acquires Law & Kenneth; merges with Saatchi to create L&K Saatchi & Saatchi

Publicis Groupe announced on 30 January 2014 that it has acquired majority stake in independent Law & Kenneth. The agency will be integrated into Saatchi & Saatchi India, and Saatchi & Saatchi India will be re-branded as L&K Saatchi & Saatchi (Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi).

 

Law & Kenneth was founded in 2004 by (chairman and MD) Praveen Kenneth and Andy Law, besides investor and co-founder Anita Roddick of The Body Shop. It has 285 professionals across offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. Clients include Renault, Dabur, Tata AIG Insurance, Godrej, ITC, Reliance, Idea and Hero MotoCorp.

 

Kenneth will manage the new entity in his current role. He will join the Saatchi & Saatchi Asia-Pacific board and will 'work directly into'  Chris Foster, chairman and CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi Asia Pacific. Kenneth was CEO of Publicis India from 1999 to 2003.

 

Besides Kenneth, the Law & Kenneth management team will assume management operations of Saatchi & Saatchi India (L&K Saatchi & Saatchi) - Anil S Nair (CEO and managing partner), Sandhya Srinivasan (CSO and managing partner) and Anil K Nair (CEO digital and managing partner) will continue their respective roles in the new entity. Law & Kenneth CFO Vijay Agarwal will report to Johann Xavier, regional CFO, Saatchi & Saatchi Asia-Pacific.

 

Maurice Lévy, chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe, said, "We are excited to be adding the breadth and depth of talent and resources of Law & Kenneth to the Saatchi & Saatchi network in India, a growing and important market for Publicis Groupe as a whole. Praveen has built an impressive network throughout the country, one that will provide a heightened added value and a mutually beneficial relationship for both existing and future clients. We are glad to be welcoming him back into the Publicis Groupe family." 

 

Foster added, “Law & Kenneth brings an ideas-driven entrepreneurial spirit and a comprehensive range of services to Saatchi & Saatchi, including advertising, design and importantly a strongly integrated digital presence with its digital business Digital Law & Kenneth. The Saatchi & Saatchi global network is dedicated to strengthening its focus in Asia-Pacific, home to 60 per cent of the world’s population and several vibrant economies. India is a lynchpin in this equation. We believe that with our combined knowledge, skills and creativity, nothing is impossible in this country and this market.” 

 

Kenneth said, “Law & Kenneth was born out of passion and has always focused on adding value to client brands and to the lives of people we touch every day. This has helped us become the largest independent agency in India in just over 10 years. Our story is an example of the Saatchi & Saatchi spirit of ‘Nothing Is Impossible’. The combination of Law & Kenneth’s stability, size, proven success and experience in India’s dynamic market place, together with Saatchi & Saatchi’s iconic status and mystique, results in a creative powerhouse that is L&K Saatchi & Saatchi. Success for us will be to use the philosophy of ‘Lovemarks’ to win the hearts of Indian consumers and grow our clients’ brands and reputations.” 

 

The development follows the acquisition of Beehive by Publicis in October 2013 and Neev earlier in the year.

 

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