Havas announces the arrival of its leading mobile brand Mobext in the Philippines | MMA Global

Havas announces the arrival of its leading mobile brand Mobext in the Philippines

January 18, 2012
Asia Pacific, 17th January, 2012 – Havas Media (http://www.havasmedia.com) announces the acquisition of a majority stake in Snapworx Mobile, Inc, the mobile marketing arm of Snapworx, Inc. (http://www.snapworxdigital.com), one of the Philippines’ biggest digital marketing agencies. Following the acquisition Snapworx’s mobile business will be rebranded as Mobext which already operates as the global mobile marketing brand within the Havas Digital stable. This acquisition further strengthens Havas Media's footprint in the area, adding to its existing two agencies; MPG and Media Contacts. Snapworx , founded in 2002, is a leading independent digital agency in the Philippines. The agency’s areas of expertise include mobile, social and search marketing. Snapworx counts among its roster of clients Procter & Gamble, San Miguel Food Group, the SM Group of Companies, PLDT, Tupperware Brands, Wyeth in addition to other blue chip brands. Snapworx will continue to operate its search and social business independently. The newly branded Mobext in the Philippines will be led by Arthur Policarpio, the current CEO of Snapworx, who will report in to Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Media APAC. With a decade of mobile marketing experience, Arthur is a pioneer in the mobile marketing industry, and is a recognized industry leader in the Philippines. He was the former President (2009) of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP), the country's premiere association for internet and mobile marketing. He will be joined in the Mobext Management Team by Jeremy Obial, Snapworx co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. Alfonso Rodes Vila, CEO of Havas Media, said: “We are constantly focused on enhancing our service offerings to address the needs of our clients and the acquisition of Snapworx is part of this strategy. The Philippines is one of Asia’s biggest mobile markets where the demand for mobile marketing solutions is growing exponentially. Snapworx has some incredibly strong platforms for mobile marketing and considerable expertise in digital. This acquisition also perfectly complements our other agencies in the Philippines”. Anthony Rhind, CEO of Havas Digital, said: “Snapworx has some extremely sophisticated platforms for mobile marketing and a very impressive list of clients. It is a wonderful addition to Havas Digital's agencies and we see a great cultural fit with them. I am excited by the prospect of the new agency Mobext, and look forward to working with the teams to continue and support the great work that it is so well known for.” Arthur Policarpio, CEO of Mobext said: “We are pleased to be a part of the Havas Media family. The group has both strong local operations and a solid global footprint. We are looking forward to further enhancing the group's strength and expertise through our extensive experience in the Philippines market.” Mobext is currently present in 11 markets globally. In Asia, the agency brand was launched in India in May last year, with plans for roll out in three more markets this year. The agency offers comprehensive services including messaging services like sms and download, mobile internet services like WAP consulting and development, mobile display, mobile search and proximity based services including LBS and mapping. It will also offer integration through reporting and analytics by Havas Digital’s campaign management platform, Artemis. About Havas Media Havas Media is the global media network of Havas. Havas Media represents one of the world’s fastest growing media networks and its agencies have grown from 10 markets in 1999 to 119 markets in 2011. Havas Media services its clients through a portfolio of specialist global networks and agencies. The group is organised to maximise local market dynamics whilst leveraging the extensive global insight and strategic support within Havas Media. The range of companies within Havas Media include: MPG (Havas Media’s global media network), Arena Media (Havas Media’s network for tailor-made communication services), Havas Digital (Havas Media’s global interactive network) and Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas Media’s global sports and entertainment communication network). Further information can be found at www.havasmedia.com or follow us on twitter @HavasMedia About Mobext Mobext is the mobile marketing network of Havas Digital, the umbrella holding company that manages all Havas Media's interactive assets. Mobext was launched in 2007 as the first agency and strategic consulting company to offer specialised services within the international mobile marketing arena. The network's main mobile marketing services include; mobile sites & apps, SMS/QR/2D bar code/image recognition, multi platform apps, m-commerce, social & LBS, music & video games, search, standard & rich media, augmented reality, amongst others. Mobext currently operates in the US, Spain, France, UK, Portugal, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, India and Colombia. Mobext works with a large list of blue chip clients globally such as Barclays, Bimbo, Coty, Citroen, Grupo Prisa, Kmart, Nike, Pikolin, Planeta d'Agostini, Spanair, Telcel, Toyota, and Warner to name a few. Mobext has been awarded best mobile agency of 2011 in the US by Mobi Awards. Please see www.mobext.com for more information.