ASIA-PACIFIC – INDIA, AUGUST 30, 2012 – Dentsu Inc. has entered into an agreement with Mumbai-based Indian advertising agency Taproot India Communication Private Limited for the acquisition of a 51% stake by Dentsu in Taproot.
Partnering with Dentsu will enable Taproot India to offer a more comprehensive bouquet of services to their clients and across larger market geographies. Taproot India, now a part of the Dentsu Network, will continue to operate independently under the management control of its current leadership.
“Taproot has, very quickly, become one of the most respected communication agencies in India,” Rohit Ohri, executive chairman of Dentsu India Group, said. “We are delighted that they have chosen to partner with Dentsu. This alliance will give a significant fillip to our growth plans for India. Our collective vision is not to be the biggest but to be the best in the industry.”
On how this acquisition impacts Taproot, Ohri added, “Taproot‟s everyday operations and management will remain unchanged. We will ensure that Taproot’s independent spirit and fiercely creative culture stays intact. It will just have a lot more firepower added through integrated communication execution capability and an all-India network.”
Founded in 2009, Taproot India today has an impressive roster of blue-chip clients and an unparalleled reputation for cutting-edge creative capability. The brainchild of co-founders Agnello Dias and Santosh Padhi, Taproot India has, within a short span of three years, emerged as one of the Cannes Lions top 20 independent agencies in the world.
Commenting on the agreement, Dias said, “While we are doing alright on the creative front, we felt that we needed to add a bit more logistical and service capabilities across markets. With Dentsu as our partner we feel we can scale up several areas of our operations very quickly without losing what has been working for us so far.”
Padhi added, “Most importantly, we are assured that this alliance will be mutually beneficial to Taproot India and also to each one of its employees going forward, without changing our creative offering or the nature of the relationships we share with all our clients.”
The acquisition will see Taproot India bringing 33 full-time employees and a roster of clients to Dentsu, including PepsiCo, Airtel, The Times of India, Polycab, Marico, Karbonn Mobiles, Myntra.com, Mumbai Mirror, Nirma, DSP BlackRock Mutual Fund, UTV Bindass, and UTV Stars among others.
