WPP Acquiring Diagnostic Research International

Ad giant WPP Group plc is acquiring ad research company
Diagnostic Research International Inc.
and will fold the company into its Millward Brown International research
group.

Financial terms were not disclosed. DRI clients include Toyota and Bank of
America, among others.

Millward Brown expects the acquisition to be cleared by U.S. antitrust
authorities in October, an executive told Bloomberg News.

WPP, which also owns J. Walter Thompson and the Hill and Knowlton public
relations firm, is targeting acquisitions specializing in market research,
health care, direct marketing and Internet communications.

The company
reportedly sees these and other non-advertising businesses growing at a
faster rate than traditional advertising services.