Omnicom Group: landmarks

This chronology is indicative only. There's a broader communications/media timeline.

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1891 George Batten opens Batten Co agency in New York

1919 Bruce Barton and Roy Durstine found Barton, Durstine in New York

1920 Barton, Durstine merges with Alex Osborn agency

1923 George Ketchum founds Ketchum Communications in Pittsburgh

1928 Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn formed through merger of Batten Co with Barton, Durstine Osborn

1949 Ned Doyle, Mac Dane and Bill Bernbach found Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB)

1970 Bernard Hodes Group founded

1970 TBWA (Tragos American Management, Bonnange French Marketing, Wiesendanger Swiss Creation, Ajroldi Italian Client Services) founded in Paris

1977 Abbott Mead Vickers (AMV) founded

1986 Doyle Dane Bernbach merge with Needham, Harper & Steers to form DDB Needham

1986 merger of DDB Needham and BBDO

1986 Omnicom established

1991 WPP sells its 22% stake in AMV to Omnicom for £7.5m

1993 Omnicom invests in ailing UK group Aegis

1993 TBWA acquired by Omnicom

1994 Matthew Freud sells Freud Communications to Abbott Mead Vickers

1996 Omnicom sells 13% holding in Aegis for £45.4m

1996 buys Ketchum Communications

1996 Omnicom's BBDO Worldwide raises stake in AMV from 28.4% to 29.6%

1996 Ketchum and Hong Kong-based Newscan establish Ketchum Newscan

1997 takes stake in Organic multimedia

1998 Omnicom buys Abbott Mead Vickers for £346m

1998 buys Gold Greenless Trott for £143m

1998 takes 20% of I&S, Japan's eighth-largest ad agency

1999 buys Sheppard Associates

2001 buys Grizzard Communications for US$91m

2001 Matthew Freud leads £10m buyout of Freud Communications

2001 Omnicom buys The Washington Group

2001 buys Stromberg Consulting

2001 takes stake in Estrategia Assessoria de Comunicacao in Brazil

2001 buys Corporate Technology Communications

2002 creates Element 79 Partners agency in Chicago

2002 buys TPG (inc The Peter Group, AI Advertising and Topak Marketing)

2002 buys Aaron Walton Entertainment