As David Bowie (nearly) said: Let me introduce you to the (martech) gang*

How one marketing group is using acquisition to expand its reach

Hello Rainmakers,

Does every sector have a growing “tech” element to it that threatens to disrupt the world?

Fintech, medtech, sportech, and now martech. That’s marketing technology, the use of analytics and data in pursuit of smarter and more effective marketing.

Today’s Rainmakers post is all about how one growing Nottingham-based agency business is a real live case study for this growing trend.

(* Obscure cultural reference alert - check this out for clarity).

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Harder, better, faster, stronger

Delve into the smoke and mirrors world of marketing and you could be forgiven for coming out of the other side confused, at very best.

Paid media, earned media and owned media - this is an industry that has built up what often seems like an impenetrable wall of jargon around it aimed at business owners who think they simply must have some kind of marketing and/or PR expertise on hand.

So, it's sometimes easy to forget that at the top of these marketing firms sit some truly dynamic people. And, like any other industry, they want to grow their businesses. How do they do that quickly, and with the minimum of fuss? By dipping their toes into the world of M&A, of course.

According to business advisory firm Moore Kingston Smith, M&A activity in the UK marketing sector saw a slight rebound in 2024 after a slowdown in late 2023, with a growing interest in technology-led agencies, particularly those focused on martech (marketing technology). While the overall market is still recovering from the economic uncertainties of the previous year; private equity involvement remains present but at a slightly lower level than historical trends.

We're going to use a Nottingham-based business as a case study for this growing trend.