Publicis Groupe SA and Microsoft Corporation jointly announced yesterday that they have signed an agreement under which Publicis Groupe will acquire Razorfish, a leading digital marketing agency, in a transaction valued at approximately $530 million, expected to be provided in a combination of cash and Publicis Groupe treasury shares.
Razorfish is one of the largest interactive marketing and technology companies in the world, acquired by Mircosoft in 2007. Razorfish provides strategic counsel, digital advertising and content creation, media buying, analytics, technology and user experience.
With this acquisition, Razorfish renowned extraordinary digital customer experiences, will bring with it a robust suite of tools that will definitely enhance the current portfolio of capabilities that Publicis Groupe is building in order to keep their clients connected to people in an increasingly digital world.
“The acquisition of Razorfish is another step forward in realizing our strategic vision of building a world leader in digital communications, a critically important space for our clients,” said Maurice Levy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Groupe. “More than anything, this acquisition should demonstrate that Publicis Groupe now presents a wider pool of resources, talent, and expertise that will help our clients market their products or services in a way that takes maximum advantage of the new digital world. Our capabilities will be further enhanced by the great talent throughout Razorfish, and we are happy to welcome this new addition to our family.”
I believe Razorfish has been a benchmark in the digital industry and will remain.