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Acxicom brand name to become part of IPG’s massive portfolio

Advertising giant, Interpublic Group has announced that it will be acquiring the marketing solutions arm of data, analytics and identity management service Acxiom Corp for US$2.3billion.
With the acquisition, the Acxiom brand name will become part of the portfolio of IPG, which includes big advertising names like McCann Worldgroup and Foote, Cone & Belding.

The deal allows Interpublic to gain access to and leverage Acxiom’s reams of customer data, which will help it to remain independent and establish its dominance in a sector where clients want advertisers to provide data-driven solutions.

Over 2,000 of Acxiom’s staff will also move across to the 50,000 strong international marketing group.

“Combining AMS with a range of IPG assets will help us shape the future of our industry,” said Michael Roth, IPG’s chairman and chief executiveMichael Roth, IPG’s chairman and chief executive

“Acxiom’s leadership on data ethics is second to none, its business is solid and growing and it has long played a foundational role in the marketing ecosystem,” added Michael.

The transaction, however, won’t include Acxiom’s smaller but rapidly-expanding LiveRamp business, which focuses on allowing companies to gain easier access to data for the purpose of digital marketing.

The company will be renamed LiveRamp and trade under the ticker symbol RAMP. The transaction has been approved by both companies’ boards and is set to close before the end of the year.

“In an increasingly competitive media landscape, the acquisition of Acxiom enables us to become a more deeply trusted partner in managing client data. We can protect our clients’ data assets, providing a critical service even as walled gardens continue to rise and some of the major players hold back in sharing their data.

“With Acxiom as part of the IPG portfolio, we build on our proprietary data assets and augment a key strategic offering,” said IPG in a statement when asked why IPG acquire Acxiom when they already have a long-term contractual relationship with Acxiom.

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