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Marketing
Publicis to acquire LiveRamp to boost data capability
Publicis Groupe SA has agreed to buy United States data collaboration company LiveRamp Holdings Inc for an enterprise value of about US$2.2 billion (A$3.08 billion). The global advertising, public relations and technology communications company will pay $38.50 in cash per share, representing a 29.8% premium to LiveRamp’s closing share price on 15 May. Publicis said the acquisition expanded its investment in technology, data and artificial intelligence (AI)-services to unlock new opportunities for the agentic era and would make it a leader in data co-creation. The French-based company also raised its forecasts for the 2027-28 financial year, with net revenue to rise 7-8%, compared to 6-7% previously, and headline earnings per share to increase 8-10%, versus 7-9%, as the deal increased its expandable market. "LiveRamp joining Publicis Groupe is the latest demonstration of our commitment to investing in new talent and innovation, ahead of market shifts,” Publicis Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arthur Sadoun said in a media release. LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe said this deal represented the best path forward for shareholders by delivering significant and certain cash value at a compelling premium. “We are thr
Marketing
Costs of white labelling in PR: Why attribution matters
In the world of public relations, white labelling, the practice of producing work under another agency or brand’s name, is often positioned as a pragmatic solution. It promises scale, discretion, and seamless client servicing. For boutique firms and independent strategists, it can be a tempting revenue stream. But beneath the surface, white labelling carries risks that can quietly erode credibility, creative integrity, and long-term strategic value, for both the PR practitioner and the client. As someone who has built campaigns that elevate brands, leaders, and legacies, I believe it’s time to challenge the normalisation of white labelling in PR. Not because it’s inherently unethical, but because it’s increasingly misaligned with the values that define great communication: authenticity, accountability, and strategic clarity.The Erosion of Creative OwnershipAt its core, PR is about storytelling, not just telling a story, but owning it. When you white label your work, you relinquish the right to be publicly associated with the ideas, strategies, and outcomes you’ve created. That might seem like a fair trade-off in exchange for an invoice, but over time, it can dilute your professional identity. Creative ownership isn’
Marketing
Tendering: The numbers game that reshapes credibility
In the luxury public relations (PR) and marketing space, we pride ourselves on crafting stories that stir emotion, spark conversation, and lift brands beyond the transactional. But when it comes to tendering for new business, the process often feels like the antithesis of everything we stand for. It’s not about resonance, it’s about ratios. Tendering in the PR industry has become a numbers game. Not just in terms of budget, but in volume, visibility, and velocity. Agencies are increasingly judged not by the depth of their storytelling, but by how many boxes they tick, how many credentials they can stack, and how many tenders they can churn through in a quarter.The Metrics That Matter (Too Much)Volume over vision: Agencies are encouraged to submit for every opportunity, regardless of strategic fit. The logic? If you throw enough darts, one will hit the bullseye. But this scattergun approach dilutes brand integrity and burns out creative teams. Compliance over creativity: Tender documents often prioritise rigid criteria, insurance thresholds, team bios, risk matrices, leaving little room for the emotional nuance that defines great PR. Price over partnership: Competitive pricing is king. Even in luxury sectors, where v
Marketing
The Founders: Hands-on Kathopoulis takes brands on
From starting in the fitness tech industry, to moving into the digital marketing space where she helps other businesses scale up, Maria Kathopoulis has seen it all through her entrepreneurial journey. She initially started her own business at age 24 in 2017 after realising the regular nine-to-five lifestyle wasn’t for her. “I started each of my businesses because I wanted the freedom of entrepreneurship,” Kathopoulis tells Azzet. “I've always liked to lead, so having that capacity of leading and having the right people around me and not being afraid to initiate took me at a very young age. “Each of my businesses really starts from the desire to turn potential ideas that I saw could be valuable and portions of the market that could be addressed earlier on.” Throughout her journey, Kathopoulis has learnt that being an entrepreneur is about learning and adapting to the landscape around her, especially as she works in the ever-changing tech industry. “I've been in the technology industry, which looks very different back in 2017, where I started my first digital business that took off, to today with AI and with AI agents and with a workforce that looks very different post-COVID,” she says. “I think for me the lesso
Marketing
Australia's top trusted brands for 2025
The Trusted Brand Awards have announced the most trusted brands in Australia for 2025, with Dettol, Bunnings, Toyota and Singapore Airlines taking out spots in the top 20. This year marks the 26th year of the awards and is measured without commercial influence to see which brands resonate best with Australians. The top trusted brand for 2025 is cleaning brand Dettol, which has evolved since its humble beginnings in 1935 to become a trusted brand in germ protection around the home. Behind Dettol in second and third place are paint brand Dulux and car manufacturer Toyota respectively. As for some of the categories, the top-trusted car rental brand is Budget Direct, the top health insurance was Medibank, the top home and life insurance brand was AAMI, and the top airline was Singapore Airlines.

Marketing
The Founders: A Rebellion requires excellent branding
The Founders is an Azzet finance series showcasing the inspiring journeys of visionary entrepreneurs who turned ideas into thriving businesses. Dive into captivating stories and insightful interviews with founders and CEOs. They share their challenges, triumphs, and industry insights in this ongoing series. With Brand Rebellion’s third birthday coming up on 15 February this year, Bryden Campbell and her team will have plenty to celebrate. Campbell always wanted to own a business and founded Brand Rebellion in 2022 after having her second child. She spent five years at the Canberra Innovation Network as marketing director. One of her biggest inspirations for starting the business was seeing a gap in the market. This was where technology companies in particular needed help when communicating their achievements and products. “That really put a big driver into wanting to try and, you know, see if we can create an organisation that not only helps them with their brand and marketing support but then also helps them build a workforce,” Campbell tells Azzet. Since then, the business has experienced success, with Campbell winning the 2024 Canberra Business Woman of the Year award. With almost 95,000 consultancy firms acro
Marketing
The Founders: Meet the bright light behind Flicker Socials
The Founders is an Azzet finance series showcasing the inspiring journeys of visionary entrepreneurs who turned ideas into thriving businesses. Dive into captivating stories and insightful interviews with founders and CEOs. They share their challenges, triumphs, and industry insights in this ongoing series. Nina Youé wants to shake up marketing in the modern world through the power of social media. She's not here to play small. Founder and director of Flicker Socials, Youé is already taking those steps at just 25 years' old. Flicker Socials is a marketing business, offering social media management and content creation. It was established in 2022. As the world shifts more and more towards social media as a marketing tool, Nina and her team want to help businesses make that happen. Supplied by Nina Youé Speaking to Azzet from her newly opened office location in Perth, she says, “I've always loved socials, and I think just the more I got into it, the more I was seeing how many other people were doing it wrong and how much they were missing out on. “I just think there's such a gap between people who are amazing at running their business but then they’ just completely flopping on socials because it's not their forte.”
Marketing
Omnicom, Interpublic seal mega advertising merger
Omnicom and The Interpublic Group of Companies Inc. have confirmed they will merge to create the world’s largest advertising agency, with a market capitalisation of almost US$30 billion ($46.9 billion). Interpublic shareholders will receive 0.344 Omnicom shares for each Interpublic share they own, splitting ownership of the combined group between Omnicom (60.6%) and Interpublic (39.4%) shareholders. Omnicom and Interpublic said the transaction was expected to generate annual cost synergies of $750 million. Based on 2023 figures, the combined group would have annual revenue of $25.6 billion (57% of which was from the United States), adjusted earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) of $3.9 billion and free cash flow of $3.3 billion. The new Omnicom would have more than 100 practitioners providing services across media, precision marketing, CRM (customer relationship management), data, digital commerce, advertising, healthcare, public relations and branding. Omnicom Chairman & CEO John Wren said the acquisition created significant value for shareholders by combining world-class, highly complementary data and technology platforms enabling new offerings to better serve our clients and drive growth. “Thr
Marketing
Talks well underway to create world’s biggest ad agency
Omnicom Group Inc and the Interpublic Group of Companies are in advanced discussions about a potential merger, according to media reports. Combining the two New York-listed companies would create the world’s largest advertising company with revenues of more than US$20 billion (A$31.2 billion) in 2023, according to a Reuters story. Neither company has publicly commented on the story in the Wall Street Journal, which broke the news on Sunday (Monday AEDT) that an announcement could be made this week. The companies had a mixed day on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday (Saturday AEDT) with Omnicom closing higher (0.3%) and Interpublic (0.8%) lower. Omincorp (NYSE: OMCO) ended up 28 cents at US$103.42 and Interpublic (NYSE: IPG) finished down 22 cents at $29.26, capitalising them at $20.18 billion and $10.90 billion respectively. Combined revenues would rank the merged group bigger than the industry’s largest players WPP Plc (LON: WPP), which had $15.1 billion net revenue in 2023, and Publicis Groupe SA (PUBP.PA) with $13 billion. The group would have brands such as McCann Worldgroup, BBDO Worldwide and DDB Worldwide in advertising, and FleishmanHillard, Porter Novelli and Weber Shandwick in public relations. Om