MAM
Publicis Groupe acquires Relaxnews for €15 million
MUMBAI: The Maurice Levy led Publicis Groupe has acquired the French press agency Relaxnews for a sum of €15 million (€9.58 euros a share).
Earlier this year in February, the agency had entered into exclusive negotiations with shareholders of Relaxnews to buy the company.
Publicise Groupe, which had created a special vehicle – Financi?re Relaxnews – for the purpose of the takeover of Relaxnews – bought 94 per cent of the share capital and voting rights of Relaxnews.
Approximately 30 per cent of the Relaxnews was purchased at a price of 9.58 euro per share from the co-founders Jérôme and Pierre Doncieux. Around 30 per cent of the share capital of Financi?re Relaxnews will be held by the co-founders and the remaining 70 per cent will be owned by Publicis Groupe.
The acquisition of a block of shares representing approximately 34 per cent of the company’s share capital at a price of 9.58 euro per share from other minority shareholders (including investment funds managed by Sigma Gestion and La Française Asset Management).
According to the General Regulations of the French Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), in the coming days, Financi?re Relaxnews will file a project for a simplified takeover bid on the remaining shares of Relaxnews at a price of 9.58 euro per share. Given that the Relaxnews’ board of directors has made a commitment to tender treasury shares held by Relaxnews to the takeover bid, Financi?re Relaxnews will own more than 95 per cent at the end of the takeover bid.
Consequently, Financi?re Relaxnews will implement a squeeze-out procedure after the closing date of the takeover bid. The terms and conditions of this simplified takeover bid and of the squeeze-out, including financial conditions and timetable, will be disclosed in a separate press release, and will be subject to the approval of the Autorité des marchés financiers.
Publicis chairman Maurice Lévy said, “With the integration of Relaxnews, Publicis Groupe’s clients could not only have access to an extended offer of leisure content but also to consistent measurement tools. I am pleased that Jérôme and Pierre Doncieux with all their team will join us. I am strongly confident in the new growth opportunities the group will be able to assign to its clients.”
ZenithOptimedia France CEO Sébastien Danet added, “I am proud that ZenithOptimedia will be integrating such editorially and technologically valuable assets. With Jérôme and Pierre, we are going to be the Relaxnews incubator to all Publicis Groupe’s marks and clients in France and abroad.”
Jérôme and Pierre Doncieux said, “We are very happy! Happy for the opportunities ahead for our teams. Happy for our clients’ added value. Happy to see the confidence shown by our shareholders and our board members who helped us to finalize the combination project and we thank them for this. Happy to move forward with Habert Dassault Finances and our strategic partner AFP. Happy for all we will learn and create in Publicis Groupe.”
MAM
Kelvinator launches ‘Summer Paused’ AC activation in Mumbai
Three day Carter Road stunt targets Gen Z with interactive cooling experience
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s heatwave met its match and briefly, even time seemed to freeze. Kelvinator has rolled out an on-ground activation titled ‘Summer Paused’ at Carter Road Promenade, turning a busy seaside stretch into a surreal, snow-dusted spectacle to spotlight its heavy-duty air conditioners. At the heart of the installation is a live performer suspended mid-motion, staged as a “frozen” figure amid artificial snow and icy backdrops. The visual contrast chilled theatrics against Mumbai’s peak summer does the heavy lifting, translating a product promise into something passers-by can literally see and feel.
The objective is clear: cut through seasonal advertising clutter and make cooling tangible. Rather than leaning on traditional messaging, the brand is betting on experiential storytelling to drive recall and social media traction.
The three-day activation is designed to be more than a static display. Interactive formats such as ‘Break the Freeze’, ‘Brain Freeze’, and ‘The Staredown’ invite visitors to engage directly, nudging them from spectators to participants. An Instagram-led mechanic further amplifies the effort, encouraging user-generated content and extending the campaign’s reach beyond its physical footprint.
The choice of location and format signals a sharp focus on younger, digital-first audiences Gen Z and millennials who frequent high-footfall urban hotspots and are more likely to share immersive experiences online.
Behind the theatrics sits a broader product push. Kelvinator’s latest AC range is positioned around smart technology, energy efficiency, and durability, tailored to increasingly unpredictable and intense Indian summers. But instead of listing features, the campaign opts to dramatise the outcome: cooling so effective, it can “pause” summer itself.
In a category where every brand promises relief, Kelvinator is trying to make that promise visible, one frozen moment at a time.
