It hasn’t all been one-way traffic but Publicis, in particular its media arm, has been steadily denuding its competitors of their biggest accounts for a number of years now.
Now it’s reportedly won Microsoft’s global media business, worth north of $1bn, following its win of Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. Both accounts move from Dentsu. It’s not known if the prized XBox business will follow. Whichever way, it’s a blow to the Japanese holding company whose media business, based on Carat, has been the strongest element in its international line-up.
Publicis’ extraordinary success appears based on its in-house data operation based on $4bn acquisition Epsilon. This seems to offer clients a degree of certainty about the efficacy of their media spend which eludes rivals. So far Publicis, a French company, appears to have evaded the attention of President Trump who hasn’t, so far, insisted that US ad business goes to US companies.
