Publicis Groupe to acquire Lotame

New Delhi: Publicis Groupe has entered into an agreement to acquire Lotame, the independent identity solution company, in an update on its AI strategy presented by Arthur Sadoun.

Lotame is home to data marketplaces spanning 109 countries. Its identity solution delivers addressable audiences built on 100+ data sources and activated through over 1.6 billion IDs for over 4,000 brands and publishers to leverage at scale and with precision. 

Publicis claimed that Lotame's combined data and identity assets and its 2.3 billion global profiles will enable clients to reach 91% of adult internet users with personalised messaging at scale with even greater accuracy. 

In a statement, the ad network said that the combined footprint of Epsilon and Lotame will expand Groupe’s unique profiles to almost 4 billion, extending global coverage to more than 90% of consumers worldwide. 

“This scale combined with unmatched breadth and depth of data allows marketers to find and activate against the right audiences with even greater accuracy, to engage their consumers in more relevant and meaningful ways,” the Publicis Groupe said. 

Publicis further said that Lotame will drive the APAC and EMEA expansion of Epsilon, continuing to work with publishers, data partners, and brands across the regions. 

“Lotame’s identity solution brings critical interoperability and data connectivity to digital marketers everywhere,” it added. 

Led by Founder and CEO Andy Monfried, Lotame will be positioned as part of Epsilon, accessible to all Publicis clients and teams to enhance their ability to deliver personalized marketing services at scale. 

Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said that in the age of AI, the name of the game is connect or die. 

He added, “By connecting Lotame to Epsilon, we’re reinforcing our industry-leading identity graph,  giving clients the unique competitive advantage of seeing and engaging with 91% of all adults who use the internet, safely and transparently.

By connecting that best-in-class identity to our clients’ data thanks to AI, and leveraging it across their marketing spectrum, from their PESO media ecosystem to content production, all in their owned environments, we are truly delivering measurable outcomes for their business. 

It’s how we are making CoreAI a reality, and how we’ve built a category of one for Publicis that means today we are the world’s largest advertising group, leading the industry on every KPI.  

As we continue to invest in the products, services and talent that drive differentiation and growth for our clients, I couldn’t be happier to welcome Andy and the outstanding teams at Lotame on board.”

Andy Monfried, Lotame CEO said, "We have a rich history of innovation, building out our global data marketplace and scaling our identity solution to become among the most trusted and adopted in the industry. We are beyond thrilled to join Publicis Groupe, which shares our commitment to industry interoperability, connectivity, and privacy. Together with Epsilon, we look forward to delivering the next chapter of connected identity for Publicis.” 

This acquisition remains subject to customary conditions to closing and is expected to close early in the second quarter of 2025.