paidContent - Having Lost Out On Razorfish, Dentsu's Eager To Acquire
This story was written by David Kaplan.
Now that it has sunk in that Dentsu’s $700 million offer to buy Razorfish from Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) was soundly trumped by Publicis Groupe’s $530 million bid, the Japanese ad agency is getting right back on the horse and is letting the world know it’s ready for an acquisition. But Dentsu isn’t specifically looking for another digital shop a la Razorfish, the agency tells the WSJ. At least officially, the company’s acquisition strategy is pretty wide open, as Dentsu says it is looking across the wider marketing spectrum. It’s also not limiting its view to the U.S., but is also interested in opportunities in Europe and Asia.
Since Dentsu is the largest shareholder in Publicis with a 15 percent stake that it can pull out from after 2012, the company didn’t lose much in not gaining control of Razorfish. But with its dominance relegated to Japan, the firm does need to look outside of Asia, though that’s where the only ad growth is these days. With hope for the ad downturn possibly turning a corner by Q4, expect Dentsu to make some notable purchase by the end of the year—mostly likely in the digital arena, despite its claims of indifference.
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By David Kaplan