The Havas Advertising unit has not disclosed terms for the two deals that see it acquire majority 60% stakes in Dialog and Marketing House, with the option to raise its holdings to 100%.
Euro RSCG says the deal makes it the biggest marketing services firm in Poland and the fifth-largest advertising company in the Polish market, which it first entered in 1992.
Last year Dialog had billings of €14.2m (£8.6m) and Marketing House had billings of €5.5m (£3.3m). The former focuses on direct marketing and event promotions and includes Nestle and Peugeot among its clients, while Marketing House offers business-to-business and customer services to clients such as Procter & Gamble and Volvo.
The Polish market grew between 20%-30% in the second half of the Nineties, according to Zenith Media. It expects the growth rate to slow to about 5% in 2001, partly because the market has matured but also because of the forthcoming restrictions on outdoor advertising for beer and tobacco.
Euro RSCG expects the Polish market to figure in its top 10 this year in terms of revenue. The Polish ad industry currently accounts for only 1.09% of the Polish economy, indicating potential growth.
Pierre Lecosse, CEO and chairman of Euro RSCG European operations, said, "Poland is a country with 40m people and it's extremely westernised. All categories are growing -- cars, consumer goods and banking."