BlueFocus Communication Group
{{Short description|Chinese marketing company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = BlueFocus Communication Group
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| type = Public company
| traded_as = {{Unbulleted list|{{SZSE|300058}}}}
| industry = Advertising
| foundation = {{Start date and age|July 1, 1996}}
| location =
| location_city = Beijing
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| location_country = China
| homepage = {{URL|/www.bluefocusgroup.com/}}
}}
BlueFocus Communication Group({{lang-zh|蓝色光标}}) is an ad agency engaged in marketing.{{Cite web| last=Doland | first=Angela |url=https://adage.com/article/agency-news/china-s-bluefocus/292840|title=What You Need to Know About China's Rapidly Growing BlueFocus|date=2014-04-27|website= Ad Age |language=en|access-date=2020-04-26}}
BlueFocus was founded by Oscar Zhao on July 1, 1996.{{cite web |last1=Cookson |first1=Robert |title=China's Blue Focus plans $300m overseas acquisitions |url=https://www.ft.com/content/3c8a5502-cec4-11e3-ac8d-00144feabdc0 |url-access=subscription |website=Financial Times |access-date=20 August 2020 |date=29 April 2014}} It was launched on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2010.{{cite web |last1=Barrett |first1=Steve |title=A new agency star rises in the East {{!}} How BlueFocus aims to become the Chinese version of WPP |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1289971/new-agency-star-rises-east |website=PRWeek |access-date=20 August 2020 |date=11 April 2014}}
BlueFocus acquired a minority stake in Huntsworth, a London-based PR group, for £36.5 million in April 2013,{{cite web |last1=Mance |first1=Henry |title=Huntsworth surges on Chinese partnership |url=https://www.ft.com/content/35cffa46-adaa-11e2-82b8-00144feabdc0 |url-access=subscription |website=Financial Times |access-date=20 August 2020 |date=25 April 2013}} and in December 2013, acquired a majority holding in social media marketing agency We Are Social for $30m.{{Cite web |title=China's Blue Focus buys UK social media agency |url=https://www.ft.com/content/18bdb716-67e7-11e3-a905-00144feabdc0 |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=www.ft.com |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=We Are Social acquired by BlueFocus in $30m deal |url=https://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/12/18/we-are-social-acquired-bluefocus-30m-deal |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=The Drum}}{{Cite web |last=Owens |first=John |date=December 18, 2013 |work=PRWeek UK |title=We Are Social acquired by China-based BlueFocus |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1273802/social-acquired-china-based-bluefocus |access-date=2025-03-11 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=McCabe |first1=Maisie |title=Chinese marketing company buys We Are Social |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/chinese-marketing-company-buys-social/1225165 |access-date=18 August 2020 |work=Campaign |publisher=Haymarket Media Group |date=18 December 2013}}
Since 2014, BlueFocus has engaged in international expansion. It acquired a majority holding in Fuseproject, a U.S. design agency, for $46.7 million in July 2014,{{cite web |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Tim |last2=Cookson |first2=Robert |title=BlueFocus to enter US market with stake in Fuseproject |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4a6396d8-125e-11e4-93a5-00144feabdc0 |url-access=subscription |website=Financial Times |access-date=20 August 2020 |date=23 July 2014}} which 9 years later was bought back by Yves Béhar, the founder and CEO.{{Cite news |date=2023-11-06 |title=Yves Béhar is taking back control of Fuseproject, and doubling down on EVs |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90977261/yves-behar-is-taking-back-control-of-fuseproject-and-doubling-down-on-evs |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231217030803/http://www.fastcompany.com/90977261/yves-behar-is-taking-back-control-of-fuseproject-and-doubling-down-on-evs |archive-date=2023-12-17 |access-date=2025-04-02 |work=Fast Company |language=en-US}} It also acquired a majority holding in the North American assets of Canadian advertising company Vision7 International, including Cossette, an ad agency, and Citizen Relation, a PR company, in December 2014 for $210 million.{{cite web |last1=Krashinsky |first1=Susan |title=Advertising firm Vision7 paves inroad to Asia with sale of Cossette, Citizen |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/ad-agency-cossette-sold-to-chinese-firm/article22083312/ |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=20 August 2020 |date=15 December 2014}}
By 2014, it was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of $3.8 billion, and was ranked as the 17th largest ad agency in the world. As of 2015, its clients included PepsiCo, Lenovo, Volkswagen, and BMW.{{Cite news|title=CEO of China's BlueFocus not your average Mad Man|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/careers-leadership/ceo-of-bluefocus-communication-group-is-breaking-the-pr-mould/article24116318/|access-date=2020-08-18 |last=Vanderklippe |first=Nathan |date=24 April 2015 |website=The Globe and Mail}}
In 2017, it attempted to merge its international efforts with US-based Fluent, but eventually discontinued the effort over political concerns.{{Cite web|url=https://www.adbrands.net/cn/bluefocus-cn.htm|title=BlueFocus advertising & marketing assignments at Adbrands.net|website=www.adbrands.net|access-date=2020-04-26}} In 2019, it advanced into an arrangement whereby its international subsidiaries were partially divested into a separate company Blue Impact, which was to be purchased by a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Legacy Acquisition led by ex-Procter & Gamble executives Edwin Rigaud and Darryl McCall to publicly list in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1594794/ex-p-g-execs-run-agencies-spun-off-blue-focus|title=Ex-P&G execs to run agencies spun off from Blue Focus|last=Moore|first=Thomas|date=23 August 2019|website=PRWeek|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826214735/https://www.prweek.com/article/1594794/ex-p-g-execs-run-agencies-spun-off-blue-focus |archive-date=2019-08-26 |access-date=20 August 2020}} This arrangement was terminated in July 2020 "in response to the increasing impact on the global advertising sector, and global markets broadly, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively affected the market valuations."{{Cite news |title=Legacy Acquisition Corp. Terminates its Amended and Restated Share Exchange Agreement with Blue Valor Limited and Seeks a New Target |url=https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/legacy-acquisition-corp.-terminates-its-amended-and-restated-share-exchange-agreement}}
In 2021, BlueFocus sold a majority stake of its international division to the Québec-based global investment group Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and global private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2021 |first=Mike |last=Connell |title=CDPQ and CVC acquire majority stake in BlueFocus International |website=Media in Canada |url=https://mediaincanada.com/2021/05/04/cpdq-and-cvc-acquire-majority-stake-in-bluefocus-international/ |access-date=2025-03-11}}{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2021 |first=Justin |last=Crann |title=The next steps for BlueFocus' international agencies |website=Strategy |url=https://strategyonline.ca/2021/05/05/the-next-steps-for-bluefocus-international/ |access-date=2025-03-11}}{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2021 |first=Aleda |last=Stam |title=CVC Capital, CDPQ agree to joint majority stake in BlueFocus International agencies |url=https://www.prweek.com/article/1714789/cvc-capital-cdpq-agree-joint-majority-stake-bluefocus-international-agencies |access-date=2025-03-11 |work=PRweek |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-05-05 |title=CVC and CDPQ Take Majority Stake in BlueFocus |url=https://www.themiddlemarket.com/latest-news/cvc-and-cdpq-take-majority-stake-in-bluefocus |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=www.themiddlemarket.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |author=Staff Writers |date=2021-05-05 |title=CVC And CDPQ To Acquire We Are Social, fuseproject And Vision7 International |url=https://www.bandt.com.au/cvc-and-cdpq-to-acquire-we-are-social-fuseproject-and-vision7-international/ |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=B&T |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Zoe |date=2021-05-05 |title=CVC & CDPQ set to acquire global agencies We Are Social, Fuseproject & Vision 7 International |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/cvc-cdpq-set-to-acquire-global-agencies-we-are-social-bluefocus-vision-7-international-681261 |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=Mumbrella |language=en-US}} Later that year the companies in its international division were grouped under the holding company brand name Plus Company.{{Cite web |date=November 5, 2021 |author=Josh Kolm |title=Vision7's agencies are now part of Plus Company |url=https://strategyonline.ca/2021/11/05/vision7s-agencies-come-together-to-form-plus-company/ |access-date=2025-04-02}}
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