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  • Kevin Mayer Out As TikTok Global Chief; Sorrell's S4 Makes Its Fourteenth Acquisition

    Stop The Clock Your daily update on the TikTik saga: Kevin Mayer is out as global CEO after a mere four months on the job as the company grapples with political turmoil and government scrutiny. The ex-Disney exec cited a number of issues that contributed to his swift departure, including that a main draw of […]

  • GroupM NA CEO Castree Leaves; TikTok Is Testing A Self-Serve Ad Platform

    Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Castree Out GroupM North America CEO Tim Castree has stepped down from his role after less than a year on the job, Business Insider reports. Castree was promoted to CEO in late 2018, after leading the merger of media agencies MEC and Maxus, with […]

  • Martin Sorrell Vs. Glen Hartman: What Exactly Is A Holding Company, Anyway?

    Martin Sorrell went on the attack in a fireside chat with Accenture Interactive senior managing director Glen Hartman. The S4 executive chairman fixated on Accenture’s operating and incentive structure and how much autonomy creative agencies maintained within its network. “Accenture talks about one P&L,” he said during the session at AdExchanger’s Programmatic IO New York. […]

  • Twitter Apologizes For Data Misuse; Group Nine Scoops Up PopSugar

    Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Twitter Oops Twitter used emails and phone numbers provided by users for two-factor authentication – when you provide a backup security contact to catch any improper account logins – for advertising purposes. Specifically, emails and phone numbers were used for Tailored Audiences campaigns, Twitter’s […]

  • Sir Martin Goes Rogue, Bashes Competitors On S4 Earnings Call

    S4 Capital had a solid second quarter earnings report on Wednesday, with revenue up 41.6% to $108.5 million in the first half of 2019. But that didn’t stop CEO Martin Sorrell from spending a significant portion of the earnings call throwing shade at his competitors, especially his former empire WPP. When asked whether S4 needs […]

  • CBS And Viacom Are Close To Sealing The Deal; Marin Sorrell's S4 Buys An Influencer Agency

    Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Come Together The CBS-Viacom merger is full speed ahead. Variety reports that there’s been significant headway in the negotiation process since last Friday, and the final details are being worked out. But there are still some serious wrinkles, the biggest being an agreement on […]

  • How MediaMonks’ Production-At-Scale Model Integrates With Programmatic

    MediaMonks has always focused on high-quality, low-cost creative production at scale. But when the agency’s parent company S4 acquired MightyHive in December 2018, MediaMonks’ value prop expanded to include performance advertising. Together, MediaMonks and MightyHive will put creative, production and performance marketing on one team, rather than siloing them in specialty groups as agencies often […]

  • Martin Sorrell At CES: Clients Will Demand Speed And Flexibility In 2019

    While industry executives were ogling Alexa-enabled gadgets and 8K roll-up TVs at CES on Tuesday, Martin Sorrell took the stage to talk about the future of the industry and his new holding company, S4. The former WPP CEO, joined on stage by S4’s newly minted board members, MightyHive CEO Pete Kim and MediaMonks CEO Wesley […]

  • The Big Story Podcast

    The Big Story: Sir Martin Sorrell’s Botanical Curiosity

    What’s a coco de mer? A double coconut, which is what Martin Sorrell is cultivating with S4. The holding company he once described as a peanut grew into a coconut – also his description – when it acquired MediaMonks in June. With its second acquisition with MightyHive on Tuesday, the coconut has doubled up. From […]

  • S4 Confirms It Wants MightyHive As Its Second Agency Acquisition

    Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital said Monday it is in advanced talks to acquire programmatic marketing agency MightyHive, five months after it paid $350 million for digital production agency MediaMonks. MightyHive is valued at up to $200 million and brings in $25 million in annual revenue, according to Financial Times. Sorrell launched S4 in April after […]

  • WPP vs. S4: Sorrell’s Approach To Building An Empire, Then And Now

    Martin Sorrell took a page out of his own playbook when he launched his new holding company, S4 Capital, in April. S4 released a 191-page prospectus Tuesday detailing its financials, share structure and go-to-market strategy. If all goes as planned, the company will begin trading on the London Stock Exchange on Sept. 28. But Sorrell’s […]

  • Sorrell’s S4 Capital Snaps Up MediaMonks, Its First Agency Acquisition

    Martin Sorrell’s new holding company, S4 Capital, just snatched Dutch digital production agency MediaMonks from the clutches of his former team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but The Wall Street Journal reports S4 agreed to pay about $350 million for the agency. Clarity Partners in London and JEGI in New York advised on […]

  • Can Martin Sorrell’s New Venture, S4, Succeed In A Changed Marketing Landscape?

    As many expected, former WPP Group CEO Martin Sorrell isn’t quitting without a fight after being boxed out of his company in April. Sky News reported late Tuesday that the longtime CEO and industry legend had acquired Derriston Capital, a so-called “cash shell” listed on the London Stock Exchange, with plans to turn it into […]