Some of the most senior executives of the Publicis network were in the dark about the deal being concluded late on Wednesday evening to snap up some of the world's most famous advertising brands, including Leo Burnett, D'Arcy and the UK's Bartle Bogle Hegarty.
Many believed that Levy already had his work cut out in assimilating the Saatchi & Saatchi network, acquired almost two years ago, to consider further expansion of his empire. But Levy never ceases to surprise.
With Japan's Dentsu taking a 15% stake in the merged company, the result is not only the creation of the world's fourth-largest communications "supergroup" but a well-balanced one with strong representation in the key global markets of North America, Europe and the Far East. What's more, it creates a pivotal alliance between Publicis and Dentsu, allowing each access to the other's network.
The deal is also further acknowledgement that only the biggest agency groups can manage major conflict problems effectively, satisfy the changing demands of multinational clients while growing at a rate shareholders demand. B|Com3's acceptance of the Publicis bid is recognition that it could not, by itself, compete effectively with leviathans like the Interpublic Group of Companies and Omnicom.
The latest consolidation is bound to increase pressures on the Bates Network's financially troubled Cordiant parent and Grey Worldwide, run by its septuagenarian chairman Ed Meyer, to link with a more powerful partner or face increasing isolation on the global communications stage.
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