Interpublic Makes An Acquisition; Publicis Outlines Objectives

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign-up here.

Agency Shops Commerce

Interpublic’s MRM//McCann snatched up Optaros on Thursday for an undisclosed sum, The Wall Street Journal reports. Optaros helps clients like Macy’s, Nestle and Rue La La build and manage ecommerce offerings. “We see a pretty dynamic marketplace in terms of what’s going on in the ecommerce business,” said MRM/McCann CEO Michael McLaren, adding that’s particularly true in mobile. “Many clients are getting into the business for the first time.”

Publicis Checks In

Publicis Groupe outlined 2018 objectives that focus on integrating new tech into business practices. “We are experiencing radical changes in consumer behavior and truly overturned business models under the impulse of digital,” said chief Maurice Lévy. “The speed of innovation and the leakage of digital in every economic sector are driving us to reposition Publicis Groupe in order to be able to bring our clients a radically new model, of delivering all of the services they need.” For Publicis’ warplan, read the press release.

Facebook CMP Jolt

Facebook CPMs are up 700% year over year, according to Kenshoo. “Not only has the Facebook ecosystem shifted but so have marketers’ approaches and programmes to reflect the changing environment,” said the firm’s marketing research analyst, Laura Ruszkowski. “By driving efficiencies and optimisations in their paid social programmes, marketers have become more sophisticated and their strategies more vigorous, thus increasing overall competition within Facebook advertising and, in turn, upping the worth of Facebook users.” Advertisers: get ready to spend! The Drum has more.

Diagnosing Yahoo

Yahoo is in a position to surpass Twitter’s mobile ad share by 2015, according to eMarketer. But the long-term outlook for Yahoo is a bit darker, writes analyst Martin Utreras. “Yahoo’s growth in mobile is a very positive development for them as they try to play catch-up, but these revenues are growing from a small base, and Yahoo’s overall ad business is still struggling,” Utreras says. “They’ve trailed their competitors while taking a long time to monetize mobile, and these revenues are still muted in relation to the size of their mobile audience.” BrightRoll to the rescue? Read on.

Geo Trends

Mindshare and Google surfaced a trend-tracking tool with geomarketing implications. “If you’re Kleenex, it’s the ability to understand there’s a flu outbreak expected somewhere locally,” Mindshare Chief Digital Officer Norm Johnston told Ad Age. “If it’s related to a variability in babies about to be born, it enables us to shift media spend related to Huggies. If there are nuances in particular features people are looking for in luxury cars, we can adapt the creative messaging with that particular audience.” No money changed hands between Mindshare and Google.

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