Omnicom gets into mobile marketing with purchase of Ipsh; Acquisition signals emergence of medium as part of marketing mix.(Omnicom Group Inc.)

Advertising Age, October, 2005 by Cuneo, Alice Z.

Byline: ALICE Z. CUNEO

In the first deal of its kind, the world's largest advertising holding company is leaping into mobile marketing with the purchase of a San Francisco startup.

Omnicom Group's Diversified Agency Services has acquired Ipsh, a 26-person mobile-marketing shop that has crafted text messaging and other campaigns for more than two dozen marketers including Johnson & Johnson, Masterfoods, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures. Terms were not disclosed, but one merger-and-acquisition expert, pointing to cooling prices in the post dot-com bust when interactive agencies fetched 12 to 15 times earnings, estimated the cost at below $5 million.

The move, however, may be more notable for its symbolism than its price. "The acquisition...

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