Publicis Groupe to acquire identity and data solutions firm Lotame

Publicis Groupe is set to acquire global identity and data solutions company Lotame in an update on its AI strategy presented by Publicis Groupe's CEO Arthur Sadoun. The acquisition aims to expand the capabilities of its targeted marketing unit Epsilon. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025. 

Specialised in data, identity and technology, Lotame is home to one of the largest end-to-end data marketplaces in the world, spanning 109 countries. Its proprietary identity solution delivers consistent and relevant addressable audiences built on over 100 data sources and activated through more than 1.6 billion IDs, for over 4,000 of global brands and publishers to leverage at scale and with precision, according to the release.

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 personalised marketing services at scale.

The combined data and identity assets of Lotame and Publicis Groupe’s 2.3 billion global profiles will enable clients to reach 91% of adult internet users with personalised messaging at scale with even greater accuracy. Concretely, Epsilon and Lotame, will put the leadership of identity-driven marketing in the hands of all our clients through expanded global identity, talent and expertise and regional product focus.

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The combined footprint of Epsilon and Lotame will expand Groupe’s unique profiles to almost four 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.

Furthermore, Lotame’s 19 years of earned data expertise and trusted innovation, coupled with its team of experts across data and identity, will power global and local-market product development, supported by dedicated engineering, partnerships, and operations specialists.

Upon the acquisition, Lotame will drive 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 globally.

With the acquisition, Publicis aims to improve the use of artificial intelligence on its CoreAI platform, which requires quality information in order to be effective. 

'Connect or die', the name of the AI game

In a video to cement Publicis' strategy on identity-based big data, Sadoun said, “In the age of AI, the name of the game is: connect or die. 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."

Sadoun added that influencers and digital commerce have completely rewritten the marketing rules. "With proliferation and fragmentation of channels from channels, networks, platforms, social and creators, it has become harder for marketers to see if their marketing across all of those channels and through the consumer journey is really driving business."

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

Sadoun also explained that CoreAI, housed on its Marcel platform, can connect capabilities to capabilities based on its data foundation and the AI applications it has built over the last year. With this, the advertising group will be able to connect the core capabilities across media, commerce, influencers, customer experience, creative, production, technology, and consultancy, to transform its clients’ marketing and business model.

"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 Monfried and the outstanding teams at Lotame on board," he said.

Meanwhile, Monfried, CEO of Lotame 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, who 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," he added.

Photo courtesy of Publicis' CoreAI video

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