AD Agencies
Taboola and Microsoft mark 10-year ad romance, dial up the partnership
MUMBAI: Let’s face it, relationships rarely last longer than your last smartphone battery—but Taboola and Microsoft are proving to be the power couple of digital advertising, celebrating their 10 anniversary. That’s practically a century in internet years! And just when we thought this match made in ad-heaven couldn’t get any hotter, Taboola is dialling up the romance, now serving ads across even more Microsoft apps, including your trusty email companion, Outlook, and your favourite work buddy, Office 365.
Taboola, known for turning ads into engaging conversations rather than annoying pop-ups, has long run ads on Microsoft’s digital giants like MSN, Edge browsers, and Windows experiences. MSN is already one of the world’s most visited news hubs, while Edge is that AI-powered browser we’ve all accidentally clicked on at least once—admit it, it happens.
Now, Taboola extends its clever AI-powered tech to the Microsoft 365 productivity suite, giving advertisers an unprecedented opportunity to connect with nearly 600 million daily active users. Yes, that’s almost twice the population of the United States—daily! Taboola helps digital properties monetise better, and advertisers reach audiences who are actually awake and paying attention, a rare combo these days.
“Reaching a decade serving ads with an industry leader such as Microsoft is an incredible milestone,” said Taboola CEO Adam Singolda. “Our collaboration has been established for the long-term, and on Taboola’s ability to help Microsoft provide richer experiences on its immensely popular digital properties. As we expand to offer advertising on additional Microsoft properties, we’re giving advertisers even more access to trusted, premium destinations that reach people across all different parts of their day as they’re actively engaged.”
Ten years down the line, Taboola and Microsoft are still making sweet digital music together. How’s that for relationship goals in a world filled with Tinder swipes and 30-second Tiktok romances?
AD Agencies
Omnicom Q4: Posts big revenue gains amid restructuring
Company trims underperforming units and launches $5B share buyback to reward investors.
MUMBAI: Omnicom has decided that in the world of global advertising, it is better to be a big fish in an even bigger pond. The marketing powerhouse, which recently swallowed its rival IPG, has kicked off 2026 by showing the market that it is not just buying growth – it is engineering it. In a series of bold strategic manoeuvres, the group has doubled its projected cost-savings target to a whopping $1.5 billion over the next three years.
The fourth-quarter results for 2025, released on 18 February 2026, paint a picture of a company in the midst of a massive structural makeover. Reported revenue for the quarter shot up 27.9 per cent to $5,528.8 million, a figure heavily bolstered by the first full month of IPG’s operations under the Omnicom umbrella. For the full year, revenue reached $17,271.9 million, marking a 10.1 per cent increase as the company integrated heavyweights like Acxiom Real iD and Flywheel Commerce Cloud into its next generation Omni platform.
However, bigger does not always mean tidier. The group reported a Gaap net loss of $941.1 million for the final quarter, or $4.02 per diluted share. This was primarily due to a massive $1.1 billion bill for severance and real estate repositioning, alongside a $543.4 million loss on the sale of non-strategic businesses. When these one-off integration headaches are stripped away, the underlying performance looks far more robust, with adjusted net income reaching $607.7 million and earnings per share of $2.59, comfortably ahead of the prior year’s $2.41.
The group is also trimming the fat elsewhere. Management has identified underperforming and non-strategic units representing approximately $2.5 billion in revenue for exit or sale. Meanwhile, smaller majority-owned markets bringing in $700 million are being moved to minority positions. This portfolio pruning is designed to focus the New Omnicom on higher-growth areas like media, creative content, and data-driven consulting.
Investors, it seems, are being kept sweet with a significant return of capital. The board has approved a fresh $5 billion share repurchase program, initiating an immediate $2.5 billion accelerated buyback. This comes on top of $549.6 million paid out in common dividends during the year.
Performance across the sectors was a mixed bag but generally positive in the heavy-hitting divisions. Media and advertising revenue surged 34.4 per cent in the fourth quarter to $3,322.6 million, while public relations grew 12.4 per cent to $500.8 million. On the flip side, branding and retail commerce saw a 7.0 per cent dip. Regionally, the US remains the engine room, with revenue jumping 51.9 per cent to $2,869.1 million in the quarter, while the UK saw a respectable 18.8 per cent rise to $533.2 million.
With a total debt of $9.1 billion following the IPG acquisition, the group is leaning on its cash-generative nature to keep its investment-grade credit rating intact. Free cash flow for the year stood at $2,226.1 million, up from $1,964.7 million in 2024. As the company moves into 2026, the focus is firmly on the Connected Capability model, essentially ensuring that its global army of talent is pulling in the same direction, and more importantly, within a much leaner budget.
