Publicis Groupe has agreed to acquire the US data collaboration company LiveRamp in an all-cash deal worth about A$3.1 billion.
The French advertising group said the takeover is designed to strengthen its data and AI capabilities, continuing a strategy it has pursued for several years to target consumers more precisely.
As reported by Reuters, LiveRamp provides businesses with a platform to match and connect datasets, including customer and media data, securely without directly sharing personal information.
Publicis doubles down on data
Publicis will pay about A$53.80 per share for LiveRamp – representing a 29.8% premium to the company’s closing price on May 15, the last trading day before the announcement.
The deal has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards and is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to LiveRamp shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Publicis said the acquisition is expected to be incremental to earnings from the first year of consolidation.
Arthur Sadoun on the deal
Publicis main boss, CEO Arthur Sadoun, said the move reflects the group’s willingness to invest ahead of market shifts.
Arthur Sadoun
“It is the latest demonstration of our commitment to investing ahead of market shifts, despite what is an industry being challenged by the rise of AI and a difficult global context,” Sadoun said in a video presentation.
A strategy years in the making
The LiveRamp deal builds on Publicis’ 2019 acquisition of Epsilon, which it bought for about A$6.1 billion to increase its access to consumer data.
The group’s data-led strategy has helped widen the gap with traditional rivals, with Publicis overtaking rivals WPP and Omnicom to become the world’s most valuable advertising group by market capitalisation.
LiveRamp works across more than 25,000 publisher domains and more than 500 technology and data partners in 14 markets. The company employs around 1,300 people.
Alongside the acquisition, Publicis raised its 2027 and 2028 constant-currency growth targets. The group now expects net revenue growth of 7% to 8%, up from previous guidance of 6% to 7%.
It also lifted its headline earnings-per-share growth target to 8% to 10%, up from 7% to 9%.
Top image: Publicis Groupe