Olswang has advised the shareholders of Inferno, the independent London based advertising agency, on the sale of the company to Draftfcb Worldwide, the global advertising agency network owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies. Inferno Draftfcb, as the merged group will initially be called, will deliver cutting-edge capability in both on and offline advertising, CRM, retail, web design and build, content creation, application development, mobile and social media.

Inferno, founded in 2000, with the idea that "The World Needs More Interesting", is lauded as a premier creative agency and particular expert on technology brands, with a multi-disciplinary team of 120 people, based in Covent Garden.  The agency boasts an impressive client list including BSkyB, Skype, and Nokia amongst others and has a coveted place on the UK government's roster of only 10 Tier 1 agencies.

Draftfcb, which focuses on advertising, CRM & ECRM, retail, and digital, is a global company with 8,000 employees in 151 offices in 90 countries. Headquartered in Chicago and New York, the origins of Draftfcb date back to 1873, making it the world's third oldest advertising agency. Historically, its campaigns for Palmolive soap, Pepsodent toothpaste and Lucky Strike cigarettes revolutionised the advertising industry by appealing to the psychology of the consumer.

Tim Doust, Vice Chairman and Founding Partner, at Inferno, commented: "Olswang were instrumental in the success of this exciting and transformational move for Inferno.  Mark and the team demonstrated not only their key expertise in transacting with a global media agency but also that they were prepared to throw themselves at this to meet all business critical issues including the important timetable.  We simply could not have achieved this great result for the business without them."

Mark Bertram, a Partner in Olswang's Corporate group, added: "The advertising industry has seen dramatic change in recent years, not least through the enhanced capture and exploitation of data and the profound shifts in online consumer behaviour. With this merger Inferno and Draftfcb have ensured that the combined entity is fully equipped to meet the challenges of this new and increasingly global market.  It was particularly pleasing to have a lead role in such a significant phase for our client and the founders having worked with them since the company's launch."

The Olswang team was led by Corporate Partner Mark Bertram and Senior Associate Edward Heaton (Corporate) supported by Associate Marie Ingham (Corporate), Trainee Matthew Perry (Corporate), Associate Jacob Gilkes (Tax), Senior Associate Edward Arnold (Employment) and Senior Associate Stephen Smith (Tax), Julien Monsenego in Olswang Paris advised on French tax matters.