GroupM completes acquisition of Vocanic

WPP has confirmed a majority acquisition of social media agency Vocanic, which will sit as a brand under the GroupM family of agencies.News about an acquisition had been swirling since October this year, when Marketing first reported the news.Speaking to Marketing, Vocanic CEO Ian McKee (pictured fourth from right) confirmed he will continue to lead the agency along with his current management team. Details are yet to be finalised as to who McKee will be reporting to at GroupM.McKee said that the agency will be working with the four GroupM agencies’ clients, supporting their social media needs. However, he added Vocanic will still continue to service its own set of clients and will still be pitching for business separately.Vocanic’s client list includes StarHub, Axis, SMRT, EDB, SAP, Astro, Unilever, Dell, Symantec, Mead Johnson, Danone, WingTai Retail, MHD, and Standard Chartered Bank.McKee  also added that as part of GroupM, the agency will be able to integrate social media and traditional media planning to “deliver large scale social media programs that integrate with a brand’s overall strategy and deliver significant results.”It will also help expand Vocanic’s footprint across the region.Established in 2005 and based in Singapore, Volcanic holds offices in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Vocanic is a full service social media marketing firm with 70 employees.“Social media is a rapidly developing digital is the fastest growing sector of our business across Asia Pacific,” said Mark Patterson, GroupM Asia Pacific CEO and chairman of GroupM China.“This investment significantly accelerates the capabilities of our agencies to meet and anticipate client needs.”