Fimalac builds £500m digital ad firm with Jellyfish deal November 5, 2019 Fimalac, the group owned by French billionaire Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, has bought a majority stake in London-based digital marketing agency Jellyfish as it seeks to compete in an increasingly online advertising landscape. Fimalac data-driven marketing specialist Tradelab will be merged with Jellyfish, the companies said, to create a combined entity with a market capitalisation [...]
Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital boosts revenue and profit November 4, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s digital agency S4 Capital increased both revenue and profit in the third quarter, it said today. In a trading update for the three months to 30 September it said revenue was up almost 54 per cent to £56.6m and gross profit up 50 per cent to £42.1m. Year-to-date revenue grew over 46 [...]
Sorrell’s S4 Capital beefs up analytics division with double acquisition October 28, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital today said it has beefed up its data analytics capabilities, unveiling the acquisition of two data companies. The digital marketing firm said it has bought London data firm Conversion Works and South Korean consultancy Datalicious Korea for an undisclosed sum. Read more: Sorrell’s S4 Capital buys Silicon Valley agency Firewood [...]
AI marketing sector attracts $2.5bn of investment in 2018 October 17, 2019 Artificial intelligence (AI) marketing companies bagged $2.5bn of investment last year as marketers turned to the new technology to help analyse huge troves of data. Last year’s investment surge has continued into 2019, with $1bn invested in the second quarter alone, according to figures compiled by tech investment firm GP Bullhound. Read more: Meet the [...]
Sorrell’s S4 Capital buys Silicon Valley agency Firewood for $150m as digital drive deepens October 8, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital has bought digital marketing agency Firewood for $150m (£122.5m) as the ad veteran gears up for a further wave of acquisitions amid an aggressive growth strategy. Firewood, which is Silicon Valley’s largest independent agency, will merge with S4’s digital content division Mediamonks. Read more: S4 Capital sees earnings slip amid [...]
Pub companies: Is now the time to invest in a cheap pint? September 23, 2019 Investors in Greene King are raising a glass in celebration after Hong Kong’s richest man, Victor Li, agreed to buy the UK’s largest publicly-listed pub and brewery company for £4.6 billion (including net debt). A unit of Li’s investment vehicle, CK Asset Holdings, has bid 850 pence per share – more than a 50 per [...]
Sorrell’s S4 Capital sees earnings slip amid rapid expansion September 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital has posted a decline in earnings for the first half as the advertising company splashed the cash on acquisitions and staff expansion. Read more: Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital buys influencer agency IMA The figures S4 Capital’s revenue rose 42 per cent to £88m in the six months to the end [...]
Sorrell called up to Dutch court case over Mediamonks row August 21, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell has been called to appear in court as a witness as part of a legal dispute between former shareholders of a company which Sorrell acquired to rebuild his career. A former senior executive and investor in Mediamonks is considering taking out a lawsuit against the Dutch content company’s previous managers, arguing he [...]
Shares in M&C Saatchi plunge after it announces £6.4m charge following accounting errors August 12, 2019 Shares in M&C Saatchi fell more than 20 per cent this morning after it announced a £6.4m charge after discovering accounting errors. The advertising agency network said that following an internal accounting review it had set aside £4.9m related to specific issues identified within its accounts and £1.5m “as a conservative measure to provide for [...]
Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital buys influencer agency IMA August 12, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising company S4 Capital has bought IMA, Europe’s largest influencer marketing company, for €10m (£9.3m) and will merge it with its existing content arm, Mediamonks. Amsterdam-based IMA, which was founded in 2010, selects influencers to create tailored online marketing campaigns for brands including Microsoft, Heineken, and Samsonite. Sorrell founded S4 Capital last [...]