• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, March 6, 2025

Publicis Groupe announced Thursday it has entered into an agreement to acquire Lotame, which focuses on identity and technology, as the holding company expands its global identity and data-management capabilities.

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the company said it has invested more than $1.5 billion in acquisitions during the past six months as it builds and expands on its Core AI platform, which launched early last year.

“In the age of AI, the name of the game is connect or die," stated Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe.

He said that by connecting Lotame to Epsilon, the company reinforces its industry-leading identity graph, giving clients the unique competitive advantage of seeing and engaging with 91% of all adults who use the internet, safely and transparently.

In a presentation earlier this week, Publicis said it is focusing on training large language models (LLMs) with the ideal data.

Data is how Publicis will continue to evolve its identity and AI strategy by shifting from a centralized onboarding model to an identity-as-a-service approach. The company has launched 50 pilots of CoreAI, a platform it debuted last year as part of a $300 million project.

Publicis Groupe said it dropped reliance on cookies 10 years ago, and its identity graph addresses real people, not devices. It has the highest number of identity points per person. In the U.S. alone, the holding company sees 7,000 individual attributes and 75% of what people buy. It sees 1 trillion interactions daily, updated every five minutes thanks to AI.

Lotame operates in 109 countries and adds more than 1.6 billion global IDs to Publicis’ Epsilon’s platform, taking the total size of its audience graph -- close to 4 billion unique profiles.

Lotame’s global data assets will feed into Epsilon’s “identity spine,” strengthening Publicis’ vertical connected identity solutions.

The combined data and identity assets of Lotame and Publicis Groupe’s 2.3 billion global profiles will enable clients to reach 91% of adult internet users with personalized messaging with greater accuracy, the company said.

Led by founder and CEO Andy Monfried, Publicis Groupe will position Lotame as part of Epsilon, accessible to all Publicis clients and teams to enhance their ability to deliver personalized marketing services. 

Monfried founded Lotame in 2006 in the wake of a near death experience after a visit to Israel in September 1997 when a bomb ripped apart the restaurant where he and his wife were dining. A wooden column saved their lives, catching the nails and screws spiraling from the device.

With Monfried's guidance, Lotame’s 19 years of earned data expertise and innovation -- along with its team of experts across data and identity -- will power global and local-market product development, supported by dedicated engineering, partnerships, and operations specialists. 

Lotame will drive APAC and EMEA expansion of Epsilon, continuing to work with publishers, data partners, and brands across the regions. 

The company said it will position services as part of Epsilon and will remain accessible to all clients and teams.