Publicis Groupe has struck an alliance with Mobile Discovery for technology that connects offline advertising with mobile.

The French-owned agency conglomerate's VivaKi Ventures unit will use Mobile Discovery's Connected Media Platform to create integrated offline, online and mobile campaigns that can be tracked digitally.

"The alliance is about making our platform available to all of the member agencies within the Publicis family," said David Miller, CEO of Mobile Discovery, Reston, VA.

"Even more important than that, it's about providing their clients with the ability to enhance the value of their offline media spend by connecting it with their online content," he said.

The Connected Media Platform is a Web-based system that lets advertisers and agencies create, execute and report on integrated campaigns.

For example, when advertisers want to add an action component to their print or outdoor campaign, they can use the Mobile Discovery platform to bolster the creative with a short code, a scan-worthy 2D bar code or another digital return path that consumers can act on via their mobile phone.

The technology also covers moble search and image recognition.

"It's a horizontal ad management platform," Mr. Miller said.

Advertisers working with VivaKi network agencies such as Digitas, Denuo, PhoneValley, ZenithOptimedia and Starcom MediaVest Group will have access to the Connected Media Platform.

Publicis launched VivaKi in June to improve advertisers' marketing efforts in interactive marketing.

"With this new technology, consumers can now act on impulse from offline media to interact or to transact, whether that's watching a video, listening to an audio file, getting a coupon or making a purchase," Mr. Miller said.

"One of the powerful examples is in-store displays -- the ability to provide consumers with detailed information in store," he said.