M&A Deal Summary

Publicis Groupe Acquires Razorfish

On August 9, 2009, Publicis Groupe acquired marketing company Razorfish from Microsoft for 530M USD

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is Publicis Groupe’s 1st transaction in the Marketing sector.
  • This is Publicis Groupe’s 4th largest (disclosed) transaction.
  • This is Publicis Groupe’s 2nd transaction in the United States.
  • This is Publicis Groupe’s 1st transaction in Texas.

M&A Deal Summary
Date 2009-08-09
Target Razorfish
Sector Marketing
Buyer(s) Publicis Groupe
Sellers(s) Microsoft
Deal Type Divestiture
Deal Value 530M USD

Target

Razorfish

Austin, Texas, United States
Razorfish is an interactive marketing and technology company. Razorfish counsels its clients on how to leverage digital channels such as the Web, mobile devices, in-store technologies and other emerging media to engage people, build brand loyalty and provide excellent customer service. The company is increasingly advising marketers on Social Influence Marketing, its approach for employing social media and social influencers to achieve the marketing and business needs of an organization. Razorfish has offices in markets across the United States, and in Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom.

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Buyer(S) 1

Buyer

Publicis Groupe

Paris, France
Category Company
Founded 1926
Sector Marketing
Employees101,642
Revenue 14.8B EUR (2023)
DESCRIPTION

Publicis Groupe is a global advertising and communications firm. Publicis operates in approximately 200 cities located in 104 countries, on five continents. Its primary markets are the U.S., Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. Publicis Groupe was founded in 1926 and is based in Paris, France.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 2 of 33
Sector (Marketing) 1 of 16
Type (Divestiture) 1 of 5
State (Texas) 1 of 2
Country (United States) 2 of 16
Year (2009) 1 of 1
Size (of disclosed) 4 of 7
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2008-09-03 PBJS

Seattle, Washington, United States

PBJS, Inc. delivers multi-channelled communication solutions aimed at cultivating and sustaining relationships between brands and their audiences.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2011-07-25 LEVEL Studios

San Luis Obispo, California, United States

LEVEL Studios, Inc. is a digital marketing and technology services agency.

Buy -

Seller(S) 1

SELLER

Microsoft

Redmond, Washington, United States
Category Company
Founded 1975
Sector Software
Employees221,000
Revenue 211.9B USD (2023)
DESCRIPTION
Entrance to Microsoft's corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
Entrance to Microsoft's corporate headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft is a global technology company that offers a broad spectrum of software products, services, and devices designed to help individuals and organizations across various sectors. Its extensive portfolio includes the Windows operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite for productivity, and the Azure cloud computing platform, providing solutions for computing, analytics, storage, and networking. Microsoft also delves into enterprise applications with Dynamics 365, connects professionals via LinkedIn, and engages gamers through its Xbox brand and related services. Additionally, it offers internet services such as Bing for web search, Outlook.com for email, and Skype for communication. Microsoft was formed in 1975 and is based in Redmond, Washington.

DEAL STATS #
Overall 5 of 13
Sector (Marketing) 1 of 2
Type (Divestiture) 4 of 11
State (Texas) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 4 of 11
Year (2009) 2 of 2
Size (of disclosed) 1 of 1
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2009-06-26 Greenfield Online

Wilton, Connecticut, United States

Greenfield Online, Inc. is a global interactive media and services company that collects consumer attitudes about products and services, enabling consumers to reach informed purchasing decisions about the products and services they want to buy; and helping companies better understand their customer in order to formulate effective product marketing strategies.

Sell -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2009-09-22 Interactive Supercomputing

Waltham, Massachusetts, United States

Interactive Supercomputing, a company specialized in bringing the power of parallel computing to desktops, but was declined an official comment to the news following a request for confirmation.

Buy -
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