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The London-based advertising agency Lowe Group has bought into the Hong Kong market by purchasing a minority stake in local company Live Communications.

  Geoff Howard-Spink, director of the Lowe Group, the world's 14th largest agency with operations in 30 countries, declined to reveal financial details but called it a 'substantial minority' investment.

    'It's not 10 per cent, it's between 25 and 49 per cent. We are a minority [partner] but both sides are happy,' Mr Howard-Spink said.

  'We were looking for a partner where creativity was the primary filter and someone who had had some measure of success on their own.'   The Lowe Group is one of three international agencies - along with McCann-Erickson and Lintas - owned by Interpublic, the world's largest advertising group.

  It recently expanded into India and South Africa and had 1995 billings of US$2.94 billion.

  Live, a 4As member, had billings of US$25 million last year. The company's billings have grown 30 per cent a year since it launched in 1990.

  Among its 20 clients are Swire Properties, Fairwood Fastfood, Thai Airways and the Government.

  Mateo Chien, managing director of Live, said the company could not have expanded further without the deal.

      'Our clients were expanding in the region and, in order to keep those clients and service them in other parts of the region, we had to expand and having an international partner supports our plan,' he said.

   The new company, which has a philosophy of creative excellence, will be called Lowe and Partners/Live.

   Mr Chien said discussions had begun with potential joint-venture partners to open an office in Beijing by the end of the year.

   Mr Howard-Spink said Lowe would offer the services of Live to its existing clients and, if required, work with Live's clients.



Lowe Group buys into HK ad market