Today’s digest covers the latest acquisitions in the ad tech industry, new data exposing the severity of publishers’ struggle against AI search engines, and the countdown for this year’s All In Census. 

Interpublic Group Sells R/GA to Truelink Capital; Viant Technology Acquires Lockr 

Interpublic Group has announced the sale of innovation consultancy, digital design and advertising agency R/GA to privacy equity firm Truelink Capital. Interpublic CEO Philippe Krakowsky said the move will allow the company to sharpen its focus on its core strategic offerings. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. 

Elsewhere, digital advertising company Viant Technology has acquired Lockr, a first-party data company which helps content owners collect, manage, enrich and activate data. The financial terms of this deal have not been disclosed either. 

Publishers Losing the Battle Against AI Search Engines? 

Since AI-powered search engines entered the scene, publishers have been concerned about how their traffic would be affected. Studies have found that publishers are right to worry, although new data from a report by content licensing platform TollBit, shared with Forbes, paints an increasingly alarming picture for the publishing industry. The report details that AI search engines send 96% less referral traffic to news sites and blogs than traditional Google search. Yet, AI developers’ scraping of websites is rising sharply, more than doubling in recent months.  

One Week Until 2025 All In Census 

Today marks one week until the 2025 All In Census, an industry-wide survey designed to improve workplace representation and talent retention in the UK advertising sector, led by the Advertising Association, the IPA, ISBA and Kantar. The week countdown began last night with a campaign displayed on the Piccadilly Lights to help build awareness of the census which will take place on Wednesday 12th March. The data gathered from survey respondents will inform the industry’s All In Action Plan, which includes eight actions to help create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. 

Currently,140 companies support the initiative and have implemented the plan within their workplaces. The first All In Census took place during the March 2021 lockdown and was supported by over 16,000 people working in UK advertising and marketing services, across brands, agencies, media owners and tech companies; 2023’s census received almost 19,000 responses.