Media monolith Publicis Groupe have announced plans to spend up to four billion dollars on future acquisitions over the next five years, despite a raft of new purchases since 2007.

The world's third-largest ad company revealed a budget of $5-700m every year in a move to secure (and dictate) future developing markets. Buy-outs of LBi ($450 million) and Rokkan ($575 million) in 2012, Rosetta ($575 million) in 2011, Razorfish ($530 million) in 2009, and Digitas ($1.3 billion) in 2007 have shown Publicis' aggressive intent at dominating the market.

Speaking at Publicis' investor day yesterday, CEO Maurice Levy was candid regarding future acquisitions.


"It will be a collection of acquisitions and it's a hard job to find the right ones. That's the reason it's a five-year plan and not a two-year plan," he said.



Publicis have made no secret of their desire to work and expand into BRIC regions as new money and spending power emerges.

"Most advertisers are suffering from the Europe situation, which will lead to further unemployment and difficulties in Europe" he said.

"We have changed the business and agency model. We are not only about media and storytelling, it's also marketing and sales, and we've moved into the space of technology and innovation. We expect high growth and improved margins because we've changed the model.

"There won't be one magical thing that changes growth or margins; we are doing a lot of things in different areas to give us the right solution."

Regarding the latest announcement of Twitter striking a deal with Publicis' subsidiary StarcomMediaVest, Levy said: "I'm extremely pleased and amazed that again on this deal we have been first. It is something that is quite surprising to see that we are the very first one again. We were first with Google, first with Facebook and now Twitter."

Levy and Publicis are evidently striving to break new ground in media buying over towards the end of the decade, when Levy, 71 is expected to step down as CEO after leading since 1987.

"I'm disappointed that you didn't ask me if I was staying around until 2080, not 2018!" he quipped.