Publicis Groupe UK supercharges B2B offering with Octopus Group acquisition

Today, Publicis Groupe UK announces the acquisition of B2B marketing specialist agency Octopus Group. Octopus Group will join Publicis Groupe UK’s existing B2B specialists to bring strategic, creative and commercial acumen and experience to clients and B2B brands.

From commerce and communications to supply chains and distribution, the B2B market is experiencing a massive transformation as a result of the pandemic. Clients traditionally operating in a B2C space are increasingly looking at alternative ways of protecting revenue and reaching new audiences.

This trend combined with a massive spike in demand for online sales, means brands are looking for more creative and innovative approaches and partners to connect the dots across their entire sales funnel, reach new audiences, build stronger ecommerce functionality and access the tools and technology to grow and protect their brands online.

Annette King, CEO of Publicis Groupe UK: “We’ve been looking to acquire the right B2B partner to supercharge our skillset in this area for some time. Octopus has a proven track record of solving client challenges in ways that transform categories. Bringing them in to Publicis Groupe UK as part of our Power of One model, presents a great opportunity for client and agency growth.”

Magnus Djaba, CEO of the creative practice, Publicis Groupe UK: “The disruption caused by the pandemic means some B2C brands are increasingly adopting a B2B2C approach. Brands are also facing a time of huge technological transformation and disruption, and one of the things that attracted us to Octopus Group, is their technology background. We need to understand all the challenges our clients face, from marketing to distribution to commerce to product innovation, to deliver the right creativity at every point in their sales funnel.”

Jon Lonsdale, CEO of Octopus Group: “Key B2B industries are being transformed and disrupted by technology at warp speed and this signposts an exciting time for B2B brands and their marketing teams.  They are relying on agency partners to combine deep commercial insight and creativity to help drive performance.  We are looking forward to being part of a network that understands the importance of creativity in the B2B space, and will allow us to offer our clients even greater access to expertise and scale, to build brands and drive sales internationally.”

Founded in 2001, Octopus Group has won a number of industry awards, including the B2B Marketing Awards Grand Prix, and today its 60-strong team works with clients including Siemens, Adobe, Logitech, Smartsheet and ACI Worldwide. Over the past 12 months, despite the pandemic, the agency has grown revenue from 2019 and seen a 30% uplift in average project size.

The Farringdon-based agency will move to Publicis Groupe UK’s Chancery Lane offices, and will sit alongside agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett and Digitas.