e.wire is WPP’s monthly public bulletin of news and initiatives across the Group’s worldwide network. The following are edited highlights; view the full version here.

HEADLINERS

Stop Press

WPP Q1 Trading Statement: growth in all regions and business sectors

Revenue growth of 7.6%, with like-for-like growth of 4.0%, 3.4% growth from acquisitions and 0.2% from currency.
Growth in all regions and business sectors, characterised by particularly strong growth geographically in Asia Pacific and Latin America and functionally in advertising and media investment management and direct, digital and interactive.
Like-for-like gross margin growth up 4.0%.
Average net debt increased by £416m (-19%) to £2.644 billion reflecting an improvement on the 2011 comparative year end position. Net new business of $1.855 billion in the first quarter, compared to $1.346 billion in the first quarter last year.

Kantar takes stake in auto customer analysis company, Enprecis

Kantar has taken a minority stake in Enprecis Inc, a US company which uses a proprietary online platform to collect and analyse data about consumer experience for the automotive industry. Founded in 2006 and based in Seattle, Washington, the company employs 30 people and has offices in Paris and Shanghai. The company´s customer feedback analysis tool connects automobile manufacturers and car owners with unprecedented speed and detail. Enprecis will be aligned with the automotive practice in TNS.

Infosys and WPP unveil cloud-based platform to simplify digital marketing

Infosys, the global consulting, outsourcing & technology leader, and WPP have unveiled Infosys BrandEdge™ in partnership with Fabric, a WPP company. This first-of-its-kind comprehensive cloud-based offering simplifies digital marketing by bringing together integrated marketing and technology expertise on a single unified platform. It transforms the full spectrum of digital marketing activities including creation and management of digital properties, data management, coordination with multiple partners, and campaign execution.

Penn Schoen Berland acquires First Movies International

Strategic communications consultancy Penn Schoen Berland has acquired First Movies International which has operations in London and Los Angeles. Founded in 2000, First Movies is a research-based strategic consultancy that serves film companies on a global basis. Clients include many of the major film studios, independent distributors, production companies and industry affiliates. The business employs research consultants in the US and UK and key partners include Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

WPP Digital makes strategic investment in mySupermarket

WPP Digital has taken a minority stake in Dolphin Software Ltd., doing business as mySupermarket, a company which operates a shopping site that allows consumers to compare prices of entire shopping baskets and buy from the major UK online grocery and health &beauty retailers. It has over two million monthly unique users in the UK and is growing approximately 100% year on year. Founded in 2006 and with principal operations in the US, the company employs 70 people and has offices in London, New York, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.

New Offers

Kantar takes stake in UAE retail consultancy, GME

Kantar is taking a minority stake in Dubai-based GME, which offers retail insight and consultancy services to clients across all business sectors, including Arla, BP, Heineken, J&J and Samsung. GME has been Kantar Retail´s franchise partner since 2007 and now becomes a full member of the Kantar Retail network.

Cohn & Wolfe opens in India

Cohn & Wolfe has opened wholly-owned offices in Mumbai and Delhi to meet growing client needs for a presence in India.

New Business

Hill+Knowlton Strategies named global PR agency for 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

PRISM appointed by Lotus F1 team sponsors, Trina Solar.

People

Mitch Markson appointed President of Ogilvy Public Relations´ Global Consumer Practice.

Madhvi Pahwa named Global Talent Director at Maxus.

Awards

Ogilvy India tops agency rankings at Goafest 2012.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada ranked one of the Best Workplaces in Canada for sixth consecutive year.

New Business Enquiries

Are you looking for an advertising or marketing services partner? WPP can help point you in the right direction - find out how.

Insights

Mobile is raising the bar for brand communications, reports TNS

Based on 48,000 conversations with people in 58 countries, TNS´s Mobile Life is an annual investigation into the behaviours, motivations and priorities of the world´s mobile phone users.

As the most multi-dimensional channel available to marketers, mobile is enabling interaction with consumers on a personal level, offering new forms of engagement and rewards, while providing retailers and brands with valuable data and digital advertising opportunities. With global mobile penetration at 92% across the markets studied, and great swathes of the world accessing the internet for the first time via mobile, now is the time for marketers to put mobile at the heart of their strategy.

Explore the key findings at www.tnsglobal.com/mobilelife.

GroupM study says global internet ad spend hit $85 billion in 2011

A new report from GroupM says that internet advertising now accounts for more than 17% of all global measured ad expenditures. North America led the pack, with Asia Pacific second and Western Europe in third place. The study predicts that global digital ad spending will reach $98.2 billion in 2012.

Burson-Marsteller lists 200 most influential political voices on Twitter across G-20

Burson-Marsteller has released the G20 influencers, a list of the top 10 most influential political voices on Twitter in each of the countries represented in the ‘Group of Twenty´ or G-20 nations, with the exception of China, where Twitter is unavailable.

WPP Reading Room

Find the latest and best published thinking from Group professionals in WPP´s popular Reading Room: groundbreaking articles, research, books, videos, blogs and more.

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