Data and content firms top Sorrell’s new shopping list

sorrell nSir Martin Sorrell’s new venture S4 Capital has reaffirmed its intention to concentrate its acquisitions on content, data analytics, media planning and digital media buying businesses in its first prospectus to the stock market since the former WPP chief took the reins.
The document reveals that the group will look to provide clients “with digital marketing services, which are agile, efficient, and of premium creative quality, in other words faster, better and cheaper”.
According to the official line, the group’s ambition is “to create a new era, new media solution, embracing data, content and technology, in an always-on environment for multi-national, regional and local clients and for millennial-driven digital brands”.
Data-driven marketing has consistently played a major role at WPP, representing more than 25% of the agency group’s annual income and it seems that Sorrell’s new venture will also aim to tap into this market.
It will compete with management consultancies like Accenture, Deloitte and IBM saying that they are “moving more directly to compete with combined operators such as MediaMonks”, stating that clients are turning away from ad agencies to “increasingly engage directly with digital media companies such as MediaMonks”.
S4 Capital is set to begin trading on the London stock market after a shareholder vote on September 27.

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