Intent data trends: The digital signals behind Publicis’s acquisition of LiveRamp
On May 17, Publicis Groupe announced its acquisition of LiveRamp, expanding its capabilities across identity, data collaboration, and AI-driven marketing.
But acquisitions of this scale rarely happen suddenly. Using Bombora’s Company Surge® Intent data, we analyzed acquisition-related research activity across both Publicis Groupe and LiveRamp in the months leading up to the announcement.
What we found was sustained interest across mergers and acquisitions topics well before the deal became public.
Publicis showed recurring interest in acquisition-related topics
Bombora’s Intent data identified recurring spikes in acquisition-related research activity from employees at Publicis beginning in mid-2025 and continuing into 2026.
Top spiking topics
The Intent topics we measured reflect topics relating to mergers and acquisitions:
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Acquisition Strategy
- Brand Acquisition
- Mergers & Acquisitions Due Diligence
Research activity intensified notably between September 2025 and January 2026, with additional spikes appearing again in March and April 2026.
Rather than a single isolated spike, the data showed sustained research activity over multiple months, suggesting continued evaluation and strategic interest surrounding acquisition-related initiatives.
Similar patterns appeared across LiveRamp’s research activity
When analyzing LiveRamp’s research activity, Bombora’s Intent data revealed similar acquisition-related trends throughout the second half of 2025 and into early 2026.
Research activity from LiveRamp employees increased significantly beginning in August 2025, with recurring spikes continuing through the end of the year.
The research continued to intensify in 2026, with recurring spikes appearing in the weeks leading up to the acquisition announcement.
What the overlap between both organizations means
When comparing acquisition-related research activity across both organizations, overlapping patterns begin to emerge.
Both Publicis and LiveRamp demonstrated recurring interest in acquisition-related topics throughout late 2025 and into 2026, with spikes intensifying in the months leading up to Publicis’s May 17 acquisition announcement.
The synchronized research activity across both organizations suggests the companies were actively engaged in the evaluation and strategic planning of the acquisition well before the deal became public.
While acquisitions are announced in a single moment, the research behind them often unfolds over months.
Intent data makes it possible to identify those broader patterns of business activity as they’re taking shape behind the scenes.
*A research spike shows that companies were actively researching topics, meaning they had a Company Surge® score of 60 or higher.