Emerging markets like China and India will drive growth for the $464-billion global advertising market in 2012, according to Publicis Groupe, the third-largest communications group in the world. India (the 16th biggest ad market in the world), along with China, Russia and Brazil , over next three years, will account for 33% of the global ad expenditure growth, said a report by Publicis' media agency ZenithOptimedia, released on Monday.

Buoyed by this growth the French advertising conglomerate , owner of agencies like Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi, is on course to triple its business in India over the next three years, said Jean-Yves Naouri, COO & Executive Chairman of Publicis Worldwide. "In the next five years, India is expected to be among the top ten ad markets in the world," Naouri, told TOI. Naouri is tipped to take over from Maurice Levy who has been at the helm of the Paris-based group for over two decades now.

"For us growth will come organically, and also through acquisitions if we do not have the scale and capability in some areas. But so far we are progressing very well as far as closing the gap with WPP goes," Naouri added. Publicis Groupe took over Gomye, a Chinese full-service digital agency, last week and has made several acquisitions in the local market there but has not replicated the model in India . China is already a top five market for the group.