Publicis Groupe and Omnicom disclose $35bn merger

Where is this going to end and what does this mean for the advertising industry? WPP will not take this lying down of course, and they’ll try to swallow up a few more agencies to get into the lead. I used to think that it actually made a difference which group you are part of but it probably doesn’t.

Stuart Smith's Blog

As merger rumours go, they didn’t come much better. Omnipub. Or more probably Publicom. But let’s come back to that later.

The idea that the world’s number two marketing services group, Omnicom, is about to combine with the number three, Publicis Groupe, and topple WPP from its premier spot (by market capitalisation) eventually proved too much for Bloomberg News. Yesterday, after the New York Stock Exchange had closed, it went ahead and published on the basis of a single source, probably but not certainly a disaffected investment banker.

Hats off to Bloomberg: it got it right. The new entity is to be called Publicis Omnicom Groupe. Fuller details will be announced in Paris tomorrow. But Omnicom chief executive John Wren and Publicis CEO are expected to be joint CEOs of the combined companies. At least, for the time being…

Commentators have rightly fastened upon the many impediments to Wren and…

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An even playing field for on-line and Bricks and mortar retailer

An even playing field for on-line and Bricks and mortar retailer

Online retailing has been the blind spot for the tax man for some years. It seems however he is just about to wake up and it’s getting some out there rather nervous. Every one seems to have a point. Bricks and mortar retailers say they are losing out – that’s true. On-line retailers think that by not taking up a physical space puts them in a privileged situation – that true. 

Let’s not get into politics about whether the chaps in Westminister are actually worthy of spending taxpayer’s money but someone has to define what is going to be the even playing field. My main fear is that it will be the consumer that suffers as on-line retailers have to claw back their extra taxes from us. The scene has already been cleverly set for the likes of Amazon marked as the bad guys for avoiding tax, and shamefully the powers that be will not be afraid of using this to drum up popular support.

Why mobile doesn’t actually drive purchase

Why mobile doesn’t actually drive purchase

This article actually requires a good deal of attention. Even painting an optimistic picture on the usage of mobile on the shopping journey in-store it’s clear that there are big gaps in mobile usage for different categories. Naturally the higher value items on your shopping list deserve scrutiny and investigation, but what about the low value, commodity products? Is a shopper going to compare the price for a bag of chips and decide to shop elsewhere? Are they really going to want to spend extra time on the mobile instore when they need to go somewhere? Do you really have both your hands free to search on the internet? If my shopping journey is not going to be made easier, shorter, more convenient or provides significant financial advantage as a result of mobile usage then why should I bother.

Making the shopping experience more fun

Making the shopping experience more fun

There are some good insights in this article to overcome the ‘get me out of here’ feeling I have when I’m in a retail environment. I’ve found of recent years that I just don’t have a lot of patience when I’m in-store. I thought it was me just getting older but on reading this article I realise that I have been bombarded by excessive stimuli and physically restricted in a store environment. I certainly hope that other retailers follow some of the guidance set out in this article. After all I think that I will want to return to a store more than once if it has a pleasant environment. If retailers had a chance to go for long term loyalty rather than close the deal on the first visit, I think they would actually sell more