• The Times of London, Monday, January 30, 2006 2:28 PM

Maurice Levy, the colorful chief executive of Publicis, says his adoration of Aegis, the British-based buyer of advertising space, remains undiminished. Although Publicis abandoned its attempt last fall to acquire Aegis, Levy remains undeterred. "We Frenchmen have a relationship to love which is very special," he joked to a reporter of The Times of London.  "The flame is never off.  We have burning fire under the ice."  Mindful that Publics has three main rivals on the world agency stage--WPP, Ominicom, and Interpublic--the company's CEO told The Times that he will not enter into a contest with his competitors that will only serve to drive up Aegis' price.  Aegis is not a "cheap date," said Levy, but if he sizes up its appeal to be worth the price, he would still want to own the company. Levy spent last week at Davos, where he took time to speak to The Times.

Read the whole story at The Times of London »