Oliver Group heads to France to tap rise of inhousing

Inhousing specialist Oliver Group is jumping into bed with sister data science agency 55 to tap into the French market and launch Oliver’s first HQ in Paris under 55 partner Jean Neltner, who will take on the role of CEO in addition to his job at the data agency.

Oliver and 55 are both part of brand-tech group You & Mr Jones, which was valued at $1.3bn in December 2019 for a $260m fundraising round and delivered organic growth of more than 27% for the first half of 2020.

Oliver France aims to continue this strong growth within the group. The new office opens in response to an increasing demand for in-house solutions across Europe, where Oliver clients already include several multinationals.

Neltner (pictured) will aim to repeat the success recently seen in the US and North America, where Oliver claims to have grown 380% in the past year alone.

According to the Association of National Advertisers, 90% of brands have boosted their internal operations and 78% now have some form of inhouse operation. The World Federation of Advertisers very recently found that 57% of multinationals have already inhoused parts of their marketing operations across the world, with internal capabilities and projects increasing during the pandemic.

Oliver claims many of its clients have reported up to 30% savings in their marketing budgets.

You & Mr Jones founder David Jones said: “We have seen tremendous growth in our businesses this year as brands have dramatically accelerated their digital transformation. Oliver’s unique model is at the heart of our disruptive and tech-driven approach to content creation.

“Jean is the perfect person to lead Oliver France with his strong data and tech expertise, and in-depth knowledge of the needs of brands and businesses. In addition, his continuing leadership role within 55, the group’s data pillar, will allow us to drive further synergies between our content and data businesses.”

Founded by Simon Martin in 2004, Oliver joined You & Mr Jones in 2019. Today, it has grown to 2,500 employees working across 200 international groups and nearly 400 brands in 36 countries. Clients include Unilever, Axa, Microsoft and The Guardian.

Oliver chief executive of global markets and operations Sharon Whale added: “There’s high-growth potential for our services in France as marketing professionals look for greater efficiencies and alternative models.

“We have around ten global clients that we already support in France from the UK, therefore the prospect of opening an office in Paris arose quite naturally. In Jean’s incredibly capable hands, Oliver will no doubt become an essential partner to many more marketing teams across Europe.”

Neltner concluded: “At a time when marketers are reviewing their strategies and operations, Oliver offers a unique model and expertise. I look forward to joining this adventure that will also allow us to work in partnership with 55, ensuring that our clients have the best systems, solutions, creative work as well as leading data capabilities.”