Microsoft is reportedly pitching a deal to five of the world’s major ad companies in a bid to find a buyer for its digital ad agency Razorfish. WPP Group is thought to have started due diligence on a possible deal, with Omnicom, Publicis, Interpublic and Dentsu also said to be potential buyers.
It is thought any deal could include agreements for the buyer to use Microsoft’s digital advertising services, or to buy ad space across its digital properties such as Bing and the Xbox. Microsoft is keen to secure a stronger foothold in the ad market in order to better compete with rivals Google.
Microsoft acquired Razorfish two years ago as part of its USD6bn acquisition of aQuantive. The agency is thought to be worth between USD400m and USD600m, with clients including Dell, Disney and Mattel.
StrategyEye's related categories: Advertising Agencies - Full Service
StrategyEye's related companies: Avenue A/Razorfish, Publicis, Omnicom Group Inc., Interpublic Group, Dentsu, Microsoft, WPP
