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The joint venture, called LiveWorld-WPP, will work with WPP agencies including JWT, Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, and Wunderman, and media agencies MindShare, MediaCom and Mediaedge:cia, to offer services to its clients across 106 countries.

Mark Read, strategy director at WPP and chief executive of WPP.com, said: "Online communities and social networking are starting to offer significant opportunities to forward-thinking marketers. LiveWorld is a pioneer in its category and a proven leader with years of experience in building online communities."

Design, reporting and the hosting of blogs, forums and live events are among the services LiveWorld currently offer.

The two companies have already collaborated on Ogilvy Interactive's Dove "±±¾©Èü³µpk10 For Real Beauty".

Peter Friedman, chairman and chief executive of LiveWorld, said: "Major brands worldwide are embracing online community as the basic marketing construct of the new generation."

In conjunction with the deal, LiveWorld has issued $1m worth of its shares to WPP.

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