Publicis Groupe has announced the launch of Publicis Ecuador, a new agency to be aligned with the Publicis Worldwide global advertising network. Publicis Ecuador will open offices in both the capital Quito and in the city of Guayaquil, the country's business centre.
Cesar Bettencourt has been named agency Managing Director, and he will report to Alejandro Cardoso, CEO of Publicis Latin America. Bettencourt was most recently EVP of Publicis Venezuela, where he was responsible for the agency's Nestlé business. David Bamballi is named Executive Creative Director, while Macarena Llambí, Mauro Chacón and Leandro Lavizzari complete the creative team. All are award-wining creatives.
Publicis Ecuador will immediately handle business for Nestlé, Sanofi-Aventis and Movistar, and local management plans to recruit more than 50 employees by the end of the year.
According to the most recent ZenithOptimedia advertising expenditure estimates (April 2011), the ad market in Ecuador grew by 10.4% in 2010. This initiative will allow Publicis Worldwide to strengthen its operations in the country and in Latin American market as a whole, a region where advertising expenditure grew by 13.9% in 2010, to reach approximately US$31.3 billion.
In 2010, Publicis Groupe posted revenue of 284 m€ in Latin America. The region had an increase of 13.7% in organic growth and 30.4% on a reported basis. As of May 2011, Publicis Groupe headcount in Latin America represented approximately 4,000 permanent employees.
Jean-Yves Naouri, Executive Chairman of Publicis Worldwide, said, "The launch of Publicis Ecuador gives Publicis Worldwide a new foothold in the promising Latin American market. Publicis is well-positioned to provide a compelling offer in this geography and this initiative will give us the strength and the scope to become true leaders in the region."
Alejandro Cardoso, CEO of Publicis Latin America, added "Our network's expansion into Ecuador is an excellent move for our network and one that will bring many opportunities for both our clients and our teams."
