Acquisitions (Notes)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Business Combination Disclosure [Text Block]

Acquisitions

We continue to evaluate strategic opportunities to expand our industry expertise, strengthen our position in high-growth and key strategic geographical markets and industry sectors, advance our technological capabilities and improve our operational efficiency through both acquisitions and increased ownership interests in current investments. Our acquisitions typically provide for an initial payment at the time of closing and additional contingent purchase price payments based on the future performance of the acquired entity. We have entered into agreements that may require us to purchase additional equity interests in certain consolidated and unconsolidated subsidiaries. The amounts at which we record these transactions in our financial statements are based on estimates of the future financial performance of the acquired entity, the timing of the exercise of these rights, foreign currency exchange rates and other factors.

During the first quarter of 2016, we completed three acquisitions, including an integrated healthcare marketing communications agency based in the U.S., a content creation and digital agency with offices in New York and London, and a leading mobile consultancy and app development agency based in the U.K. Of our three acquisitions, one was included in the Integrated Agency Networks (“IAN”) operating segment, and two were included in the Constituency Management Group ("CMG") operating segment. During the first quarter of 2016, we recorded approximately $66.7 of goodwill and intangible assets related to our acquisitions, primarily in CMG.

The results of operations of our acquired companies were included in our consolidated results from the closing date of each acquisition. Details of cash paid for current and prior years' acquisitions are listed below.

	Three months ended March 31,
	2016			2015
Cost of investment: current-year acquisitions	$	29.8		$	0.0
Cost of investment: prior-year acquisitions	0.5			2.4
Less: net cash acquired	(3.3		)	0.0
Total cost of investment	27.0			2.4
Operating expense 1	0.0			0.4
Total cash paid for acquisitions 2	$	27.0		$	2.8

1 Represents cash payments made that were either in excess of the initial value of contingent payments or contingent upon the future employment of the former owners of the acquired companies and are recorded in the operating section of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

2 $27.0 for the three months ended March 31, 2016 is classified under the investing section of the unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, as acquisitions, net of cash acquired. This amount relates to initial payments for new transactions. $2.4 of cash paid for three months ended March 31, 2015 is classified under the financing section of the unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as acquisition-related payments. This amount relates to deferred payments and increases in our ownership interest for prior acquisitions.

Many of our acquisitions also include provisions under which the noncontrolling equity owners may require us to purchase additional interests in a subsidiary at their discretion. Redeemable noncontrolling interests are adjusted quarterly to their estimated redemption value, but not less than their initial fair value. Any adjustments to the redemption value impact retained earnings, except for foreign currency translation adjustments. The following table presents changes in our redeemable noncontrolling interests.

	Three months ended March 31,
	2016			2015
Balance at beginning of period	$	251.9		$	257.4
Change in related noncontrolling interests balance	(2.9		)	(2.1		)
Changes in redemption value of redeemable noncontrolling interests:
Redemptions and other	(9.0		)	(15.7		)
Redemption value adjustments	6.3			3.2
Balance at end of period	$	246.3		$	242.8