Inpress Advertising partners with leading Japanese advertising agency Hakuhodo to form a new joint venture

The new venture, in which Hakuhodo holds a 25 per cent stake, marks the Japanese agency's foray into the booming Middle East market. The region's advertising sector has been growing at the rate of 25 per cent in some countries in the region, including the UAE. The total ad spend in the GCC countries was around US$ 2.8 billion in 2003.

Announcing the partnership at a press conference in Dubai, Tomokazu Jimbo, Corporate Executive Officer and member of the Board, Hakuhodo, said: "This alliance with Inpress Advertising represents Hakuhodo's strategy to enter the Middle East markets. All trends indicate that advertising is poised to take a big leap in this region and Hakuhodo believes this is the right time to join hands with Inpress Advertising in the Middle East to bring to clients our philosophy that believes that advertising agencies with the greatest insight into people make the greatest contribution to their clients."

"We feel delighted to enter into a partnership with a market leader with a long history in advertising and an impressive track record," said Mustapha Kandil, Founder and CEO, Inpress Advertising. "We believe that our whole-hearted commitment to our clients to create advertising that 'works' had something to do with their decision to select Inpress Advertising from so many other players in regional advertising. We are confident that this partnership will create a new powerful force in advertising in the region, offering clients solutions tailored to meet their communication needs."

"The establishment of the new joint venture comes after an extensive hunt for the right partner", added Jimbo. "The marketing philosophy of Inpress Advertising has synergies with our approach to client service and account management. The work they have done for blue chip companies, including the consumer electronics giant, Panasonic has been very impressive and contributed immensely to the success of these brands in the region. We are positive the market knowledge and client relationships of Inpress Advertising will help us win new clients in this important market."

"As a dynamic full-service agency, Inpress Advertising has been pursuing excellence by building long-lasting relationships with clients and mastering an intrinsic understanding of the consumer psyche in the region," added Kandil. "This has enabled us to win blue chip accounts including Panasonic and Nestle Consumer Services Division for the Middle East."

Hakuhodo is one of the oldest advertising agencies in Japan, with it origins dating back to 1895. The agency's billings for the fiscal year ended March 2004 were US$ 6.7 billion. Hakuhodo has 4,200 employees worldwide. With a customer base of over 2,000 leading companies, Hakuhodo's impressive roster of clients includes major Japanese companies and other multinational clients. Hakuhodo's activities encompass consumer research, brand analysis, Brand Cycle Management and Research and Development aimed at better understanding evolving consumer lifestyles and preferences.

Inpress Advertising was founded in 1998 with a vision to take up market leadership and offer international communication services to discerning clients. This vision has driven the company to dynamic growth in just six years. A professionally run full-fledged advertising agency, Inpress Advertising has plans to set up offices in other countries in the region, as part of its expansion plans.

"Apart from its core business of advertising, Hakuhodo has excelled in related fields that add value to advertising. In 1981, we established the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, an independent think-tank that studies consumer behavior and lifestyles based on our unique marketing philosophy of viewing the customer as a living consumer or 'Sei-katsu-sha'. We also conduct research in 31 cities involving 2,000 brands. Hakuhodo has developed Brand Cycle Management, an integrated planning and operations system for aligning various touchpoints into a holistic experience that reaches deep into people's lives," said Jimbo. "With the setting up of this new joint venture, we will be able to offer these value added services to our clients in the Middle East."