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Marketing and communications giant Incepta Group is to boost the

role of its online division backed by investment in the region of £1.5 million, writes Mark Sweney.

Its approximately 155-strong new-media division, called Incepta Online,

includes agencies such as internet PR consultancy firm Citigate

MARCHcom, web agency JKD and online ad technology firm Tangozebra. The

division employs around 120 UK staff.

The main thrust of the initiative involves the formation within Incepta

Online of a core team of expert consultants to provide new-media advice

and skills.

"We are bringing together key consultants within Incepta Online to show

what we can do within a digital world for clients across all our

agencies," said Phil Eames, managing director of Incepta Online. "We are

being more aggressive in pushing Incepta Online forward to be more

prevalent among our clients now we have a good critical mass of

agencies, skills and geographical coverage."

Members of the team will include James Booth, the founder of Tangozebra,

and Alex Fry, co-founder and director of JKD.

Both will continue to hold their positions and responsibilities within

their respective companies and perform wider consultancy functions as a

dual role.

"Incepta Online is growing in its own right to offer traditional clients

a comprehensive online offering and we can support that," said

Booth.

"It won't affect my role at Tangozebra at all. If the opportunity arises

that my level of expertise is warranted on a project that Tangozebra

hasn't taken then I will lend my skills to that project."

Incepta Online is also aiming to have teams of staff within each of the

50-plus offline PR, marketing and advertising firms owned by Incepta

Group.

They will identify new-media opportunities with clients and create

better communication channels with the new-media division.

"We are putting people in some agencies while others have their own

dedicated new-media staff in place. However we do it, the staff will

become part of whichever company they are in but will be employed by

Incepta Online," added Eames. "We will have to employ a number of new

people but it will be an ongoing process."

Incepta Group has 64 offices worldwide with over 2,500 clients including

Diageo, Waitrose, John Lewis, Unilever and Abbey National.