Acxiom vs LiveRamp

PebblePost Names Adam Soroca CEO, Expands to CTV

PebblePost, a marketing technology company specializing in purchase-powered multichannel marketing, announced the appointment of Adam Soroca as Chief Executive Officer. Soroca, a veteran ad-tech innovator who previously served as Chief Product Officer at Magnite, will lead PebblePost's expansion from its programmatic direct mail roots into connected TV (CTV) and a broader offering powered by verified first-party purchase behavior. The company also brought on Melanie Samson as Chief Marketing Officer. PebblePost leverages billions of intent signals and over $100 billion in annual transaction data to help brands identify future buyers and measure incremental impact. Clients include Carter's, Michael Kors, and Virgin Voyages. Soroca's appointment underscores PebblePost's focus on data-driven, performance-oriented advertising across channels.

• PebblePost appointed Adam Soroca as CEO, effective September 15, 2026.
• Adam Soroca previously served as Chief Product Officer at Magnite.
• PebblePost also hired Melanie Samson as Chief Marketing Officer; she previously was VP of Growth Marketing at Acxiom.

Acxiom and HAWK Partner for Omnichannel Audience Intelligence

Acxiom, a data and identity company, has announced a partnership with HAWK, an audience intelligence provider. The collaboration aims to deliver trusted audience intelligence for omnichannel advertising. By combining Acxiom's data and identity capabilities with HAWK's audience insights, the two companies intend to enable marketers to better understand and reach their target audiences across various channels and devices. The partnership is designed to help advertisers improve campaign effectiveness and personalization while navigating the evolving privacy landscape. The companies emphasize the importance of trusted, first-party data and responsible data usage in today's cookie-less environment.

• Acxiom and HAWK announced a partnership for omnichannel advertising.
• The partnership aims to deliver trusted audience intelligence for omnichannel campaigns.
• Acxiom brings data and identity capabilities to the collaboration.

Neutrality has two tests, but vendors keep answering the easy one

Erin Lutenski, Head of Marketing at Decentriq, discusses the industry's conflation of two distinct neutrality questions following data platform acquisitions. The first question concerns data exposure, which technical measures like encryption and trusted execution environments can address. The second, harder question concerns incentives: who decides product roadmaps, measurement standards, and partner integrations, and whether a parent company's commercial interests will compromise the platform's neutrality. Using LiveRamp's acquisition by Publicis and the earlier case of Acxiom's acquisition by IPG, Lutenski argues that vendors often provide technical reassurances that do not resolve the underlying incentive concerns. She contends that governance policies are reversible and architecture alone cannot ensure neutrality. The article concludes by urging stakeholders to identify which question a neutrality statement actually answers.

• LiveRamp filed neutrality commitments with the SEC ahead of its acquisition by Publicis.
• Publicis is acquiring LiveRamp.
• LiveRamp was formed in 2018 after Acxiom split and IPG acquired Acxiom Marketing Solutions.

Neutrality has two tests, but vendors keep answering the easy one

Erin Lutenski, Head of Marketing at Decentriq, discusses the industry's conflation of two distinct neutrality questions following data platform acquisitions. The first question concerns data exposure, which technical measures like encryption and trusted execution environments can address. The second, harder question concerns incentives: who decides product roadmaps, measurement standards, and partner integrations, and whether a parent company's commercial interests will compromise the platform's neutrality. Using LiveRamp's acquisition by Publicis and the earlier case of Acxiom's acquisition by IPG, Lutenski argues that vendors often provide technical reassurances that do not resolve the underlying incentive concerns. She contends that governance policies are reversible and architecture alone cannot ensure neutrality. The article concludes by urging stakeholders to identify which question a neutrality statement actually answers.

• LiveRamp filed neutrality commitments with the SEC ahead of its acquisition by Publicis.
• Publicis is acquiring LiveRamp.
• LiveRamp was formed in 2018 after Acxiom split and IPG acquired Acxiom Marketing Solutions.

LiveRamp Shareholders Approve $2.2B Publicis Deal

LiveRamp shareholders overwhelmingly approved Publicis Groupe’s proposed $2.2 billion acquisition in a vote on Aug. 17, with 92% of represented shares in favor and under 1% against. The transaction, if closed, will make LiveRamp a wholly owned subsidiary of Publicis, raising concerns about LiveRamp’s neutrality and prompting at least one major rival (Omnicom) to begin transitioning away from the platform. Separately, shareholders voted down a proposed $82.6 million “golden parachute” payout for LiveRamp executives, though the article notes that rejection of that provision may not prevent large executive payouts under other terms.

• LiveRamp shareholders approved Publicis Groupe’s $2.2 billion acquisition with 92% of represented shares voting in favor.
• Less than 1% of represented shares voted against the transaction.
• If the deal closes, LiveRamp will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Publicis Groupe.

10 Things Every Marketer Needs to Know About AI in 2026

New blog post from LiveRamp covering AI insights for marketers in 2026.