Brave Bison signs fifth M&A deal with £12m MTM buy

Media, marketing and technology company Brave Bison is continuing its acquisition strategy by snapping up its fifth firm this year alone, swooping for business strategy and insights consultancy MTM in a deal worth £12m.

MTM was founded in 2006 by former Digitas executive Richard Ellis and Spectrum Strategy Consultants chief John Watts; the latter stepped down in 2020.

The business specialises in providing strategic advice to businesses at the forefront of media, technology, sport and entertainment — helping them make data-driven decisions.

It is claimed the company’s insights from audiences, marketers and developer communities have helped some of the biggest brands to scale new business models, evolve products, shape positioning and reframe their relevancy in line with rapidly evolving consumer behaviours, cultural trends and commercial realities.

MTM’s clients include Google, Samsung, Figma, Sony Pictures, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Spotify, Sky Sports, the BBC, Virgin Media O2 and Ofcom.

The consultancy will now form a new insights division for Brave Bison, operating independently from the marketing services and skills divisions, retaining its existing brand and leadership team but benefitting from integration into the company’s technology-enabled operating model, including access to its AI and development hubs.

The move also opens up new opportunities to collaborate with Engage, Brave Bison’s sports marketing and fan engagement consultancy, bringing together complementary services across audience insight, commercial and content strategy to help ambitious rights holders unlock new revenue streams through scaled, global fanbases.

The deal marks the latest move in Brave Bison’s strategy to build a different marketing and technology platform for brands and businesses looking to turn market complexity into a competitive advantage.

Brave Bison counts global media company News Corp as one of its largest shareholders, as well as marketing “guru” Professor Mark Ritson, who leads MiniMBA, Brave Bison’s marketing skills and training division.

Executive chairman Oli Green said: “MTM’s reputation for delivering strategic clarity to some of the world’s most influential organisations is second to none.

“By combining their deep expertise in consultancy and insight with Brave Bison’s agile operating model and proprietary AI tooling, we are creating a platform that is uniquely positioned to help tomorrow’s super brands capitalise on complexity.”

MTM chief executive Caroline Wren added: “In a market defined by fragmentation and disruption, insight is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

“Joining Brave Bison opens up an exciting new chapter for MTM. Our role has always been to provide our clients with clarity in a complex world—and now we have the platform and technology to take that even further. Our clients are facing more disruption and opportunity than ever; together, we’ll be better equipped to help them navigate what’s next.”

Richard Ellis concluded: “Twenty years ago, our first project was helping a client make the transition into digital. Today we’re still doing that, but ‘digital’ has completely changed.

“Brave Bison’s modern marketing skills and cutting-edge technology—plus access to brilliant marketing minds like Mark Ritson — make them the ideal partner to amplify our insight and strategy work in this new world.”

Pictured (l-r): Richard Ellis, James Bryson, Caroline Wren, Ross Taylor, Theo Green and Oli Green