IPG nears sale of R/GA to a management-led group backed by private equity

Interpublic Group of Cos. is in late-stage discussions to sell R/GA to a management-led buyout group backed by Los Angeles-based private equity firm Truelink Capital, Ad Age has learned. The deal is expected to close in a few weeks, according to several people close to the situation. IPG and R/GA declined to comment. Truelink wasn’t immediately available for comment. Multiple people close to the situation declined to share who is part of the management-led group poised to acquire R/GA. Also: Why private equity firms are investing in creative agencies IPG has been shopping the digital agency around for some time, as first reported in June 2024. Ad Age Small Agency Awards Showcase your agency’s creativity, business success and commitment to a thriving workplace. Enter today R/GA was founded in 1977 by Bob Greenberg and his brother Richard. It was one of the earliest digital agencies to break out in the advertising industry. Over the years the agency has made its mark for work with clients such as Nike, Reddit and Verizon. Some of R/GA’s current clients include Google, Nike, Diageo, Eli Llly, Samsung and TurboTax, for which it created a Super Bowl spot this year. The plan to sell R/GA comes as IPG prepares to be acquired by Omnicom Group and is planning its own $250 million restructuring. Independent network Serviceplan is the runner-up in the potential deal to acquire R/GA, according to multiple people close to the situation. Serviceplan has been looking to grow its positioning in the U.S. It acquired a stake in Pereira O’Dell in 2019 and in 2023 took a stake in New York agency L&C. The company shortly after formed Serviceplan Americas, which houses those agencies. Serviceplan declined to comment. Truelink currently has some marketing-related assets in its portfolio, such as a shopper marketing tech company called Flipp, marketing tech company Ansira and an exhibition and experiential marketing company called GES. IPG’s digital agencies, including R/GA, have been struggling financially, as confirmed by the holding company’s CEO Philippe Krakowsky in recent earnings discussions. R/GA and Huge, which IPG recently sold to a different private equity firm, AEA Investors, have each undergone significant restructuring to adapt to the changing digital market. IPG also sold Deutsch New York and Hill Holliday in 2024. It’s unclear how much the deal is worth. In October, Ad Age reported that IPG classified R/GA and Huge as “held-for-sale” and recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment expense of $232.1 million related to their potential sale, which essentially meant that the agencies were likely to be sold for less than the amounts at which IPG originally valued them. R/GA has been in IPG’s portfolio for more than two decades. True North Communications, the holding company for FCB, bought R/GA in 1995, a year after True North and R/GA formed a strategic joint venture in digital and interactive technologies. IPG acquired True North in 2001. Bob Greenberg, an early innovator in digital design, production, computer-imaging technologies and special effects, stepped down as R/GA’s CEO in 2019.

IPG nears sale of R/GA to a management-led group backed by private equity

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