REG - S4 Capital PLC - Combination with XX Artists

S4 CapitalAnnouncement

01/07/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 9260Q  S4 Capital PLC  01 July 2022

S4 Capital plc

("S(4)Capital" or "the Company")

 

 Combination with Social Media Marketing agency XX Artists, expanding its
capabilities and client base in the core US market.

 

 

01 July, 2022 -- S(4)Capital plc (SFOR.L), the tech-led, new age/new era
digital advertising and marketing services company, announces it has entered a
conditional combination between XX Artists (https://www.xxartists.com/) and
Media.Monks (https://media.monks.com/) , which significantly expands the
capabilities of its Content practice. The combination augments its Social
Media Marketing capabilities (Media.Monks was recently recognised by Campaign
as their Global Social Media Agency of the Year) and expands its client base.

 

XX Artists was founded in 2018 by Kyle Kuhns
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-kuhns-2472bb70/) and is an award-winning
Social Media Marketing agency with a competitive talent edge. Headquartered in
Los Angeles with a majority-female, majority-diverse team of 125 globally, XX
Artists helps clients such as Google, YouTube, Logitech, and Ancestry.com
formulate and execute their social and influencer content strategies. XX
Artists also touts an industry-leading talent social practice, working with
over 40 top musicians, actors, artists and public figures on their digital
platforms.

 

In 2021, XX Artists generated Gross Profit in excess of $12m with growth of
over 100%. XX Artists is experiencing continued strong growth heading into
2022, with a number of client wins and remit expansions that have resulted in
YTD booked revenues well in excess of 2021's performance. As with the recent
TheoremOne deal, the S(4)Capital stock component of the consideration is
priced at £4.25.

 

Sir Martin Sorrell, S(4)Capital Executive Chairman said, "We are delighted to
welcome Kyle and his colleagues to the family. Their exciting growth, diverse
talent base and prestigious clients will help fuel the development of our
best-in-class social media capabilities in the United States and
internationally."

 

Kyle Kuhns, XX Artists CEO and Founder, said "Through our teams' incredible
efforts, we have been fortunate to experience fantastic traction at XX Artists
the last many years. In our forthcoming partnership with S(4)Capital and
Media.Monks, we are eager to provide exciting growth, development and
innovation opportunities for our people and clients alike. "

 

Bruno Lambertini, Co-Founder, Media.Monks, said "As we continue on our path to
not only disrupt the industry but win the next decade, we understand we need
to build our own ultimate all-star team. Which is precisely what Kyle and the
leadership of the XX Artists team are! The way they've been able to break into
the social, influencer and creator space, the relationships they've built
along the way, their approach to DE&I and their commitment to people and
clients are all qualities we seek for and embrace."

 

 

 

 

Enquiries

 

 S(4)Capital plc                              Tel: +44 (0)20 3793 0003
 Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman

 Powerscourt (PR adviser to S(4)Capital plc)  Tel: +44 (0)778 670 2526
 Robin O'Kelly
 Jane Glover

 

About XX Artists

 

XX Artists is a digital marketing agency founded by Kyle Kuhns. Headquartered
in Los Angeles, California with teams worldwide. XX Artists works with brands
and talent to bring their message and products to life through social media
and creator-led marketing.

 

Working with brands including Google, YouTube, Logitech, and Ancestry.com, XX
Artists crafts best-in-class social content strategies, backed by insights and
culture, to build brand value and community online. XX Artists prides
themselves on their creator-first positioning and their commitment to
producing accessible, inclusive content intended for a global audience.

 

XX Artists stands as a mighty team of 125 employees. Committed to inclusion
and cultural representation, XX Artists believes in a collaborative and
diverse process as a means of enriching clients and audiences alike. As such,
XX Artists is majority-female and majority-diverse, with over a third of the
team identifying as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2021, XX Artists was
named one of Fast Company's 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators
(https://www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/2021) and one of
Ad Age's Best Places to Work
(https://adage.com/article/best-places-work/best-places-work-2021-xx-artists/2304101)
, along with earning nominations for the Shorty Awards
(https://shortyawards.com/13th/youtubes-this-or-that-2) , Digiday Awards
(https://digiday.com/media/the-2021-digiday-awards-shortlist/) , and a Streamy
nomination for Agency of the Year
(https://twitter.com/streamys/status/1450856082276900867) .

 

About S(4)Capital

S(4)Capital plc (SFOR.L) is the tech-led, new age/new era digital advertising
and marketing services company, established by Sir Martin Sorrell in May 2018.

Its strategy is to build a purely digital advertising and marketing services
business for global, multinational, regional, local clients and
millennial-driven influencer brands. This will be achieved by integrating
leading businesses in three practice areas: content, data&digital media
and technology services, along with an emphasis on "faster, better, cheaper"
executions in an always-on consumer-led environment, with a unitary structure.

Digital is by far the fastest-growing segment of the advertising market.
S4Capital estimates that in 2021 digital accounted for approximately 60% or
$420-450 billion of total global advertising spend of $700-750 billion
(excluding over $500 billion of trade promotion marketing, the primary target
of the Amazon advertising platform) and projects that by 2022 total global
advertising spend will expand to $770-850 billion and digital's share will
grow to approximately 65% and by 2024 to approximately 70%, accelerated by the
impact of covid-19.

In 2018, S(4)Capital combined with MediaMonks, the leading AdAge A-listed
creative digital content production company led by Victor Knaap and Wesley ter
Haar, and then with MightyHive, the market-leading digital media solutions
provider for future thinking marketers and agencies, led by Peter Kim and
Christopher S. Martin.

Since then, MediaMonks and MightyHive have combined with more than 25
companies across content, data&digital media and technology services. For
a full list, please see the S(4)Capital (https://www.s4capital.com/) website
(https://www.s4capital.com/) . In August 2021, S(4)Capital launched its
unitary brand by merging MediaMonks and MightyHive into Media.Monks,
represented by a dynamic logo mark that features MightyHive's iconic hexagon.
As the operational brand, Media.Monks underpins S(4)Capital's agility, digital
knowledge and efficiency and is the next step in delivering on its
foundational promise to unify content, data&digital media and technology
services.

Victor Knaap, Wesley ter Haar, Pete Kim, Christopher Martin, Mary Basterfield
and Scott Spirit all joined the S(4)Capital Board as Directors. The
S(4)Capital Board also includes Rupert Faure Walker, Paul Roy, Daniel Pinto,
Sue Prevezer, Elizabeth Buchanan, Naoko Okumoto, Margaret Ma Connolly, Peter
Rademaker and Miles Young.

The Company now has over 9,000 people in 32 countries across the Americas,
Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific and a current market
capitalisation of approximately £1.3 billion (c.$1.58 billion) and would rank
in the FTSE 200. It achieved Unicorn status in a little over one year, unique
in the advertising and marketing services industry. Sir Martin was CEO of WPP
for 33 years, building it from a £1 million "shell" company in 1985 into the
world's largest advertising and marketing services company with a market
capitalisation of over £16 billion on the day he left. Today its market
capitalisation is £9.0 billion, dropping into third place behind both Omnicom
and Publicis for the first time ever. Prior to that Sir Martin was Group
Financial Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Company Plc for nine years.

 

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