Publicis Groupe, the world’s leading advertising group for growth, is buying Mars United Commerce, formerly Mars Agency, said to be the largest independent commerce marketing company.
The deal brings more than 1,000 employees in 14 hubs worldwide. Commercial details haven’t been released but one report valued the acquisition at $600 million.
Mars, founded in 1973, helps marketers make their products consumers’ top choice in online and offline shopper ecosystems.
Publicis has been building expertise in key growth areas via acquisitions, including product data and analytics platform Profitero in 2022, Australian retail media player CitrusAd in 2021, technology and platforms company Epsilon in 2019 and influencer marketing company Influential earlier this year.
“With the acquisition of Influential this summer, and now Mars, Publicis is uniquely positioned to help our clients understand both existing consumers and future prospects, and connect that knowledge at an individual level to the new media channels that work hardest for their business: Connected TV, Commerce and Creators,” said CEO Arthur Sadoun.
“All of this, in clients’ own ecosystems, giving them control over their customer relationships and transparency in their investments and outcomes.”
The France-based company sees the combination of Mars and Publicis Groupe creating the world’s leading connected commerce solution, allowing clients to plan and activate through the full marketing funnel and increase sales at the point of purchase.
Rob Rivenburgh, Global CEO of Mars United, said joining Publicis Groupe will help Mars realise its vision of being the preeminent global commerce company faster and more completely.
“We’re excited to have the support of Publicis to bring new opportunities to our existing clients and also to share our connected commerce solution with new clients around the globe,” he said.
Publicis said the deal meant it could create and implement end-to-end commerce solutions that optimise:
Strategy and Insights: Fusing the power of Epsilon’s first-person identity data with Mars United’s proprietary data on shoppers and shopping behavior will give clients 360-degree insight into purchase journeys and new opportunities to motivate shopper behavior change.
Media and Activation: Combining the scale of Publicis Media with Mars United’s comprehensive understanding of retail organisations – including media, marketing, merchandising and operations – will help clients win the last mile of purchase in physical and digital locations with more efficient and effective campaigns.
Performance and Measurement: Merging insights into ecommerce sales and operations from Publicis’ digital shelf platform Profitero, with Mars United’s data set on commerce media performance will give clients a complete view of their commerce marketing performance – online and offline – and an unmatched ability to drive brand growth.
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