Leonis Principal, Inc. (d/b/a “Leonis Partners”) and The Jordan Edmiston Group, Inc. (d/b/a “JEGI CLARITY,” and together with Leonis Partners, the “Parties”) have entered into a proposed combination agreement (the “Transaction”). The Transaction is subject to approval by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”). The Parties will continue to be two distinct entities and businesses until the Parties obtain FINRA's and the FCA's approval of, and close, the Transaction. Click here for more information.
Contact
Insights

Global marketing Industry M&A Report

Date:

This month we published our Annual Marketing Industry M&A Report, providing a global overview of transaction activity and trends in the industry in 2018.  

We have summarized a subset of our insights and data on deal volume, type as well as geography below. 

Specialist Capabilities:

64% of transactions were targeting specific capabilities

  • In 2018 the demand for specialist capabilities increased and represented nearly two-thirds of the total acquisitions  
  • Full Service Digital means less and less in a world of more specialisms…  
  • ‘Specialist Digital’ remains the most sought-after specialist capability with 206 transactions announced in the year  
  • ‘Marketing Tech’ continued to be in strong demand in 2018 representing 16% of all deals, compared to 10% in 2016, as a result of further industry expansion and consolidation 

Where are targets located?

In 85% of all transactions the acquirer was either European or American, with 75% being domestic transactions.  

North American companies acquiring in Europe represented the largest proportion of cross-border transactions, 46, followed by European companies acquiring into North America, 33 (of which 20 had UK-based acquirers). 

Transactions by acquirer type

  • The proportion of non-traditional Marketing Services acquirers continued to grow in 2018, representing 53% of the total transactions compared to 41% in 2016  
  • The Global Networks continued to represent a smaller proportion of total deals in 2018 (6% compared to 9% in 2016)
  • In 2018 we saw IT Services, Software and Consultancy acquirers further enhancing their digital capabilities in the design and advertising arena, representing 22% of the total deals announced in the year 

To access the full report click here

Our Transactions

Read more about our transaction experience