Deals

Publicis Surges as $4.4 Billion Epsilon Deal Deepens Data Push

French ad group’s purchase from Alliance Data is its biggest
Traditional marketing firms are fighting new rivals online

Pedestrians walk past the Publicis Groupe SA headquarters in Paris, France, on Sunday, July 28, 2013. Publicis Groupe SA and Omnicom Group Inc. agreed to merge in an all-stock transaction to create the world's largest advertising company with $23 billion in revenue, toppling market leader WPP Plc.
Photographer: Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg

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By Angelina Rascouet

April 14, 2019 at 6:00 AM EDT

Updated on

April 15, 2019 at 4:29 AM EDT

This article is for subscribers only.

Publicis Groupe SA made its boldest move yet into digital marketing with the French advertising group’s $4.4 billion purchase of Alliance Data Systems Corp.’s Epsilon unit. The shares rose the most intraday in six months.

The owner of agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett Worldwide is betting Epsilon’s trove of consumer data from loyalty programs and email campaigns will help it shift away from traditional TV commercials and billboards, where sales are falling as consumer giants spend more online.

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