The talks reported by AdAge last week are over and now, Publicis Groupe continues its acquisition spree with the news that it’s immediately taken a 51 percent stake in New York-based infomercial makers Big Fuel, which of course is GM and now T-Mobile’s social media AOR.
With the move, Big Fuel will now be housed within Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi unit to serve as a social media hub/resource for fellow VivaKi shops Digitas, Razorfish, Starcom MediaVest Group and Zenith Optimedia. Big Fuel CEO Jon Bond, who will remain on board along with cohorts Avi Savar (founder/CCO) and COO/managing partner Mike McGraw, says of the deal, “”Now that social is revolutionizing global marketing, this partnership gives the agency and its clients scale, impact, and a network around the world.”
According to agency figures, Big Fuel has grown from 30 to 170 employees in 18 months. Its new parent, Publicis Groupe, will have the opportunity to increase its stake in BF to 100 percent in 2014.