Brainchild Communications Adds Spark Foundry Media Brand to its Portfolio

Brainchild Communications Pakistan, the largest full-service advertising agency in Pakistan according to RECMA rankings, has now secured the Spark Foundry media brand under its portfolio.

Brainchild Communications Pakistan now represents four media brands under the umbrella of Publicis Groupe: Starcom, Mediavest, Publicis Media, and Spark Foundry – by order of client portfolio size. The news comes less than six months after Brainchild Communications Pakistan underwent a drastic restructuring.

Rated BBB+ by The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Limited (PACRA), Brainchild Communications Pakistan is embarking on the next phase of its journey of becoming a full-service advertising agency.

Distinct media brands and respective general managers open room for a more extensive client base without compromising conflict of interest in competing categories.

The Spark Foundry media brand was previously associated with Blitz Advertising, the most prominent sports marketing agency in Pakistan, which launched the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2015 with the Pakistan Cricket Board and Geo Television.

In adding Spark Foundry to its portfolio of Publicis Groupe media brands, Brainchild Communications Pakistan has increased its team headcount and client base without making any cuts.

The media team of Spark Foundry is moving from the Clifton Diamond office in Karachi to The Forum in Karachi.

By the start of FY2024, the Karachi-based non-media team of Blitz Advertising will move from the Clifton Diamond to an office behind the Ocean Mall in Karachi.

Sources confirmed ProPakistani that the senior leadership of Brainchild Communications Pakistan had secured additional office spaces in The Forum building to accommodate growing teams of the Publicis Groupe affiliated agency.

As per the database of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association, the media clients of Spark Foundry include K-Electric, Xiaomi, and Reckitt. The acquisition comes mere weeks after the Mediavest team at Brainchild Communications Pakistan won Reckitt’s digital media account. At the same time, the Starcom team at Brainchild Communications Pakistan won Pepsico Pakistan’s entire media account in November.

This also coincides with Blitz Advertising retaining the conventional media accounts of Reckitt and Jazz, with contract durations and extensions fueling agency valuation. The acquisition means that the conversation has shifted from GroupM Pakistan viewing venture catalyst Z2C Limited as its main competitor to now viewing Brainchild Communications Pakistan as its main competitor.

As a venture accelerator, Z2C Limited houses a vast portfolio of companies that usher transparency in the media supply chain. These include creator economy ecosystem Walee, broadcast media sentiment tracker Lytics, OTT platform bAlive, and one-click checkout solution bSecure.

The valuation of the acquisition has yet to be disclosed. However, it is public knowledge through the FY 2021 media agency ranking report from RECMA that the Spark Foundry media brand earned $24 million in FY 2020 and $26 million in FY 2021. The same studies from RECMA found that Brainchild Communications Pakistan earned $104 million in FY20 and $127 million in FY21.

As part of this restructuring, sources shared that Shaukat Mahmud, the chief operating officer of Blitz Advertising, will be named the chief investment officer of Z2C Limited. The non-media business units and teams of Blitz Advertising will operate independently, led by Umair Saeed, chief operating officer of Blitz Advertising.

Adcom Media, independent of Z2C Limited portfolio companies, is the only other agency in Pakistan that represents a media brand for the Publicis Groupe, using the Zenith Optimedia media brand.

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