• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 10, 2014

Publicis Groupe and Adobe Systems announced a partnership Wednesday to build and support an end-to-end marketing management platform from Publicis Groupe that automates and connects all marketing functions. 

The Publicis Groupe Always-On Platform will run on the Adobe Marketing Cloud. The duo will use a similar strategy originating with companies in the automotive industry, such as Ford Motor Co., where engineers responsible for each brand share reference designs when drafting car parts to save time, effort and money across the corporation.

For the first time, all agencies across Publicis Groupe will have access to the system to create content, access marketing intelligence, identify and build audience segments, deliver campaigns, and track and measure marketing performance through a unified technology and data structure.

The platform will have four components: a multitouch attribution model, data management platform to drive targeting across media channels, campaign management and marketing automation, and content and experience management features.

Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, believes the companies will solve "a core marketing dilemma" for clients, and called the agency the first holding company to "offer clients an integrated set of digital marketing solutions across all key marketing and creative agencies."

The holding company will anchor the platform in VivaKi as an open framework, so each agency can deploy and brand it uniquely for use. BBH, DigitasLBi, Leo Burnett, MSLGROUP, Publicis Worldwide, Razorfish, Rosetta, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom MediaVest Group, VivaKi and ZenithOptimedia will have access to the system.

The collaboration should drive growth across the two companies, and accelerate Publicis Groupe's goal to make combined digital and emerging market revenue 75% of its multibillion dollar business by 2018, per the companies.

The partnership creates a new operating model for Publicis Groupe by bringing together multiple agency services, technologies and workflows. Adobe and Publicis Groupe are investing in joint sales, marketing and development, including a dedicated team of strategists, engineers and business development specialists.