IPG Mediabrands inks global data partnership with Acxiom

IPG Mediabrands has entered into a data partnership with marketing services company Acxiom, in what it says to be its biggest data alliance to date. The partnership spans 14 markets: China, Australia, India, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, UK and the US.

In a statement, IPG Mediabrands said the collaboration with Acxiom was part of its client-centric data approach to help bridge offline and online experience, giving clients a more contextual view of consumers to enhance people-based targeting. Arun Kumar, hired in March as the company's first global chief data and marketing technology officer, will oversee the data alliance. Meanwhile, a data and technology team that includes UM’s Business Analytics Engine and media agency Initiative’s Accelerator has been set up to work on agency-driven analytics solutions.

On the global scale data alliance, Kumar said the partnership with Acxiom allows the network’s portfolio of agencies to improve client advisory services and people-oriented marketing solutions.

Philippe Krakowsky, chairman and chief strategy officer with IPG Mediabrands, said the partnership allows Initiative, UM, Reprise and other Mediabrands agencies to be on the leading edge in data and analytics.  

Leigh Terry, IPG Mediabrands APAC CEO, said: “From an APAC perspective, this further supercharges our already market-leading data and analytics offering for our existing clients and prospective ones.”

Rick Erwin, president of Acxiom Audience Solutions, said data provides context for interactions with consumers in both offline and online experiences. "Today’s best marketers and agencies continuously evaluate technologies and alliances that can provide a true omnichannel view of the consumer, while also connecting data assets to programmatic buying platforms,” he said.