The deal that really caught my eye this week was Apple’s buyout of the ‘social analytics’ firm Topsy Labs on Tuesday. Apple paid $200m for the company – which collects data from Twitter that potentially provides insights into social media users’ viewing habits – and it raised a lot of eyebrows. Now, $200m may be […]
Ok, let’s deal with some of this week’s big news first. It seems that the rumours that have been circulating for days were true: yesterday (21 November) Publicis Groupe confirmed it was “in discussions” with M&C Saatchi with a view to taking over Walker Media. What direction the discussions are going to take, we don’t […]
One of the great (and most striking) things about being in this business – marketing communications – is just how diverse it has become. Had Green Square been in existence 20 years ago, we’d have almost entirely been advising ad agencies, with the odd direct and experiential shop thrown in. Looking over the Green Square […]
There’s a common popular misconception that the creative and marketing industries are all exclusively based in, and obsessed with, London. While it’s undeniable that the capital is the centre of the UK marcomms industry, not everything happens there. Over the years at Green Square we’ve worked with all manner of businesses based outside of London […]
“Chapeaux off to Maurice”. On Monday morning (29 July), a bullish-sounding Sir Martin Sorrell appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme to comment on the stunning Omnicom-Publicis merger, which had been unveiled to an astonished world less than 24 hours earlier. The coming together of the world’s second and third-largest marcomms holding companies created a $35bn […]
WPP have been at it again. Yep, Sir Martin Sorrell’s company has been on the acquisitions trail once more. One of the interesting things about this particular group is its ability to think long term, and to move into emerging markets, often before anyone else does. We’re very used to WPP snapping up shops in […]
Of all the established industries disrupted by the disruptive technology that is the internet, none has been more badly battered than the music business. There’s a certain irony in this – the music biz embraced digital technology enthusiastically (as both a format in the form of CDs, and as technology, such as the use of […]
This week I thought it appropriate to travel north of the border (somewhere, surprisingly enough, we haven’t yet ventured), home to this esteemed publication – and Scotland’s biggest agency, Leith. Based in Edinburgh, the Leith Agency has long been Scotland’s highest-profile marcoms shop. There has always been a thriving media and marketing scene in Scotland […]
WPP is to marcoms holding groups what Tesco is to retail. None of the advertising giants is as closely scrutinised as Sir Martin Sorrell’s global behemoth. Like Tesco, it is often seen as a bellwether for the rest of the industry. Whenever Tesco prospers, or stutters, or embarks on a new venture, the rest of […]
Since the beginning of the year my partners Tony and Andrew, as well as myself, have been commenting on a busy M&A market. However, more recently the activity seems to have jumped up yet another level, with no less than 13 major deals appearing on the Green Square “Deal Monitor” in just six weeks. It […]