LONDON, UK: S4Capital plc, a digital advertising and marketing services company, announced that its global content practice, built around MediaMonks, has agreed to merge with the fully integrated digital agency Circus Marketing.

In Latin America, the move follows last year’s merger of MightyHive, S4Capital’s programmatic practice, with Brazil-based consulting firm ProgMedia to further enhance its programmatic capabilities.

With Circus on board, S4Capital will further strengthen its content expertise and position in the LatAm region through the addition of projected revenues of $38 million and gross profit of $20 million in 2019 (up 21% and 25% respectively on 2018) and 350 professionals, working collaboratively as one team across eight locations in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Los Angeles in the United States and into Spain for the first time.

Formed in 2005 and headquartered in Mexico City, Circus is a purely digital agency that creates content strategies and high impact campaigns for the world’s top new economy brands. It counts Netflix, Spotify, Google, Facebook, Uber and others among the clients on its A-list roster.

Furthermore, Circus Marketing is ranked #26 in Adweek‘s fastest growing agencies 2019 list, along with MediaMonks and Firewood, and has been awarded Agency of the Year 2019 and 2020 by IAB Mixx Mexico.

Consideration will be just over half in cash and the remainder in S4Capital Ordinary Shares, with customary lock-ups. The cash portion of the consideration will be funded largely by the overaise in connection with the equity issue financing MediaMonks’ merger with Firewood in October 2019. Valuation multiples are consistent with the Company’s usual metrics of approximately 1-2X revenue and 5-10X EBITDA, including contingent consideration.

Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman S4Capital: “Bruno Lambertini, Ignacio Liaudat and Luis Alonso and their colleagues at Circus share our vision of focusing on purely digital content, unencumbered by analogue baggage. Circus also embraces our data-driven holy trinity model and embodies faster, better, cheaper or speed, quality and value. They are buying into our unitary model, combining seamlessly with our content and programmatic practices.”

Bruno Lambertini, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Circus Marketing: “Our culture is defined by diversity and the varied expertise of our team, and I am confident this merger will enrich our community even more, enabling us to bring our unique point-of-view on creativity to the world. We believe in ’emotions driven by data’ and by bringing our talents, expertise and networks into the S4Capital family, we’re building a solid framework for the new era of advertising.”

Wesley ter Haar, Founder MediaMonks: “Beginning the new year with a curtain raiser, Circus joining MediaMonks and the S4Capital team is something I’m immensely proud of. We’re excited to welcome three amazing entrepreneurs, Bruno, Ignacio and Luis, into the S4Capital fold. We’re also looking forward to expanding our focus and footprint in Latin America and beyond, with 350 of the best creatives and content developers for modern brands in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world, with a client list to prove it. “

S4Capital also confirmed that trading for the first 11 months and expectations for December continue in line with market expectations, with like-for-like revenue and gross profit growth well in excess of 40% and EBITDA margins improving significantly in the second half as flagged at the half-year. Full year results for 2019 will be announced on 18 March 2020 and a capital markets day will be held in Amsterdam on 21 April 2020.

The Company also confirms the completion of the BizTech merger with MediaMonks on 18 December 2019, and anticipates the WhiteBalance merger with MediaMonks will be completed shortly.