Who controlsyour customerdata?
Agency holding groups now own the identity graphs, clean rooms and data businesses that brands depend on. We map where your first-party data sits, who can reach it, and what your contracts let you do if you need to move.
It is a contract question, not a technology one.
Publicis closed its $2.2 billion purchase of LiveRamp on November 2, 2026. Omnicom owns Acxiom. WPP owns InfoSum. Each says its data business stays open and neutral, and some of those promises come with regulatory conditions.
None of that tells you what your own contracts say. Who owns the matched data, who can see it, what happens to it if you change agencies, and how long an exit takes are questions your team can answer in a few weeks, not a few quarters. Read the detail in our LiveRamp checklist.
Data flows
Where first-party data goes: CRM, CDP, clean rooms, identity partners, agencies and platforms.
Access
Who can see raw or matched data, under which agreement, and who approved it.
Dependencies
Identity, clean room and measurement services that would break if one vendor changed hands or terms.
Contract terms
Data ownership, portability, conflicts disclosure, audit rights and use for model training.
Agency overlap
Where your agency and your data vendor now share an owner, and what that means for advice and pricing.
Exit plan
What it takes to move, how long it takes and what it costs, written down before you need it.
Straight answers.
Should we stop using LiveRamp now that Publicis owns it?
Not automatically. Map your dependencies and contract terms first. The right answer depends on your agency relationships, your markets and how much of your targeting still relies on identity resolution.
Do you sell data or identity services?
No. We are paid by clients only and have nothing to resell, which is why the review is independent.
How long does it take?
Usually three to four weeks, depending on how many data vendors and agencies are in scope.
Know where your data sits.
Fifteen minutes. Tell us your data partners and agencies and we will tell you what we would check first.