Publicis Media merges Blue 449 under Spark Foundry brand

Publicis Media has merged Blue 449 and Spark Foundry, with the new entity operating under the Spark Foundry brand in majority of markets, deepening its presence in Singapore, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, MENA, Mexico, Poland, Russia and Spain, as well as other markets around the world.This will be accelerated through realigning Blue 449 talent and clients to the Spark Foundry brand. Due to the unique nature of the France, US and UK markets, both Spark Foundry and the Blue 449 brands will be retained and co-operate closely in these markets, with Blue 449 predominantly servicing domestic clients and Spark Foundry focusing on global clients.With the merger Spark Foundry’s global brand president Chris Boothe will lead the expanded global network. Meanwhile, Publicis Media's spokesperson confirmed to Marketing that Vivian Zhu (pictured), CEO of Blue 449 in China, will take on the additional role of leading Spark Foundry in the country.For markets where Blue 449 will continue to operate as a domestic agency of strength, Simon Davis, David Ehlers and Pascal Crifo will all remain as CEOs for UK, US and France respectively. In the meantime, Phil Georgiadis, Global Chairman of Blue 449 and Publicis Media UK, has decided to leave the company, having co-founded Blue 449 (formerly Walker Media) in the UK in 1998.Spark Foundry’s global evolution through this strategic alliance, builds on notable momentum over the past year, including substantial new business wins such as Marriott and Lenovo, Mondelez, Macy’s, Audible and Southwest Airlines in the US, Savola in UAE, and Kumho Tires in Australia.Boothe said: "I am thrilled to welcome the Blue449 talent and clients to the Spark Foundry family. I’m confident these clients will benefit from continuing to work with the talent who know them and their business well, now backed by Spark Foundry’s unique HEAT proposition strongly resonating and delivering for clients around the world.”“As a brand-led organization, we are committed to our strong agency brands as transformation partners for clients. Guided by this commitment, we are further scaling Spark Foundry as a global network," Steve King, CEO, Publicis Media added.In 2017, Publicis Media rebranded Mediavest | Spark to Spark Foundry, highlighting its ongoing commitment to evolution. The agency said previously that the new name reflects the company’s vision of combining an innovative business approach with the “full resources, capabilities and marketplace clout” of Publicis Media.(Read also: Spark Foundry promotes Chris Boothe to global brand president)