Acxiom sells Marketing Solutions division to Interpublic, readies LiveRamp

As personal data for ad targeting becomes increasingly burdened with consent and other conditions, time will tell if Interpublic has made a good deal.

Barry Levine on July 5, 2018 at 7:26 pm

Data provider Acxiom announced Monday it is selling off its Marketing Solutions (AMS) division to the Interpublic Group (IPG), a global marketing agency holding company, for $2.3 billion.

The move follows rumors that IPG was considering putting itself up for sale. It also follows a strategic review by Acxiom about the possibility of selling AMS and its LiveRamp division, an identity resolution service that specializes in matching offline and online data to create person-based profiles for targeting through its IdentityLink service.

In May, a report in AdExchanger indicated that Acxiom intended to sell AMS before selling LiveRamp and wasn’t considering bids for the entire company, because of the opportunity for a larger total price tag by splitting the company.

[Read the full article on MarTech Today.]

About The Author

Barry Levine

Barry Levine covers marketing technology for Third Door Media. Previously, he covered this space as a Senior Writer for VentureBeat, and he has written about these and other tech subjects for such publications as CMSWire and NewsFactor. He founded and led the web site/unit at PBS station Thirteen/WNET; worked as an online Senior Producer/writer for Viacom; created a successful interactive game, PLAY IT BY EAR: The First CD Game; founded and led an independent film showcase, CENTER SCREEN, based at Harvard and M.I.T.; and served over five years as a consultant to the M.I.T. Media Lab. You can find him at LinkedIn, and on Twitter at xBarryLevine.