Mark Kleinman’s big predictions for the Square Mile in 2019 January 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP exit, Unilever’s HQ U-turn, Melrose’s swoop for GKN: 2018 was a year full of surprises in the City. And while forecasting might be a fool’s errand, here are 10 predictions for the year ahead. •Theresa May will decisively lose next week’s “meaningful vote” on Brexit: that’s not a punt that will [...]
Brexit, ad fraud and #MeToo – what does the future year hold for the marketing industry? January 7, 2019 We are out of the cold December of 2018, and have now entered the, well, even colder January of 2019. Last year was a momentous one for the marketing industry – there was the fall and rise again of adland stalwart Martin Sorrell; the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) finally came into force; [...]
Do not succumb to the ‘Fat Cat Friday’ outrage January 3, 2019 As if Greggs’ vegan sausage rolls hadn’t prompted enough misplaced shock and outrage for the start of a new year, you can expect more of the same this morning when campaigners declare it to be “Fat Cat Friday”. The High Pay Centre, which opposes current levels of executive remuneration, calculates that by this afternoon a [...]
WPP to slash 3,500 jobs as it launches new streamlining strategy December 11, 2018 Advertising group WPP is cutting 3,500 jobs as it restructures the business and shifts its focus to technology in a bid to stave off competition from tech giants. WPP today said it will spend £300m over the next three years as it simplifies the business, aiming to make annual savings of £275m by 2021. The [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell fights hard to remain king of adland December 6, 2018 Sir Martin Sorrell channelled his inner Frank Sinatra recently and proclaimed that the success of his new venture S4 Capital would be “the best form of revenge” against WPP. “I want to build the best,” the businessman said of his new advertising outfit, which he previously called a “peanut” in comparison to the global scale [...]
Trade body says hardcore of ‘repeat offenders’ are failing to listen to investor views December 4, 2018 The trade body for UK investment managers has written to 32 companies on the Ftse-all share to register concern after they faced significant shareholder dissent for the last two years. The Investment Association (IA) said it was concerned that these companies had appeared on the public register, which tracks significant shareholder dissent, for the same [...]
Sorrell strikes again with deal for US digital advertisers December 4, 2018 Sir Martin Sorrell will make his second acquisition since leaving advertising giant WPP as he takes over Mighty Hive, a day after his new outfit announced it was in advanced talks with the company. S4 Capital, which was set up by Sorrell after he left the world's biggest advertising firm earlier this year, said it will [...]
Sorrell’s S4 Capital says talks to buy ad firm Mightyhive are now ‘advanced’ December 3, 2018 Sir Martin Sorrell’s new company S4 Capital has confirmed it is now in advanced talks to buy Mightyhive, a programmatic advertising group based in San Francisco. S4 plans to integrate the firm as part of its drive to form a new business combining media and technology. It already confirmed talks were taking place last month, [...]
M&G buys Financial Times headquarters from Pearson for £115m November 14, 2018 Publishing giant Pearson today agreed to sell the Financial Times's headquarters to investment firm M&G for £115m. The building at One Southwark Bridge, on the bank of the Thames, has been home to the Financial Times since 1987. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2018. Now the newspaper will move back to its [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital confirms deal talks as it chases US-based Mightyhive November 9, 2018 S4 Capital has confirmed deal talks are underway following rumours that it is making a play for a US advertising firm. Sir Martin Sorrell’s new venture told investors this morning that “it is in discussions with the owners of several digital marketing services businesses about a possible acquisition”. Media reports suggest that S4 is close [...]