The World: Morris says Isobar is confounding its doubters.(Nigel Morris)(Interview)

Aegis' digital umbrella brand is finding its feet faster than many expected. Its worldwide president talks to Alasdair Reid.

When Aegis rolled out Isobar as the new worldwide umbrella brand for its digital agencies, there were, it has to be said, some sceptics, not least at Campaign. It didn't help, in some people's eyes, that Isobar's launch was followed in the UK by a rebranding of Carat Interactive - the group's strongest and most enduring digital brand - as Diffiniti.

There were those who thought they could detect smoke, mirrors and just a touch of hype. Diffiniti, one waggish commentator said, clearly encapsulated the agency's positioning: 'Definitive, interactive and a little bit iffy.'

But, one year on (it was born on 5 July 2004), perceptions have moved on. Isobar's strategic philosophy is a lot clearer, it is a strong growth performer for its parent company - and the speed at which it has worked to plug gaps and enhance its network has surprised many observers. It has, for instance, made 13 acquisitions in the past year and some, such as its purchase of the leading Swedish digital creative hotshop, Farfar, have been inspired.

The goal set in July 2004 was for Isobar to offer a digital full-service capability (including online creative, online media, site build, search optimisation and transactional expertise) in the world's top 40 markets, as ranked by digital media consumption, by July 2006.

As of mid-July of this year, the network was operating in 29 markets and could boast a full-service portfolio in only 14 of those. However Nigel Morris, the worldwide president of Isobar, says the project is on track to meet its target. At the current rate of growth, he could well end up being proved right, what with acquisitions and start-ups coming along at a rate of more than one a month. Last week, for instance, the project entered market number 30, Japan, with the launch of Diffiniti Digital in Tokyo. Its boss is Keith Pinney, who has been parachuted in from One Digital in Australia to start the company from scratch.

'The strategy is straightforward,' Morris explains.'If there is a market where we need to augment our expertise, we will look for a company to buy. If we can't find it, we will look to do an organic start-up or transfer people in.'