Digital marketing consultancy Lens10 joins S4 Capital's MightyHive

Australian digital marketing and IT consultancy Lens10 has been acquired by MightyHive – a media consultancy that operates as a subsidiary of Martin Sorrel’s S4 Capital.

MightyHive is a branding and marketing firm that helps clients across the globe with a range of marketing, advertising, design and technology services, as well as data analytics.

In 2018, MightyHive became part of S4 Capital, the media investment group established in the same year by Sir Martin Sorell – formerly the founder of the world’s largest advertising and public relations group WPP. Two years and several acquisitions down the line, S4 Capital now is a digital advertising and marketing services company active in 30 countries across five continents, with a global team of 2,500 professionals.

MightyHive has now acquired Lens10, which has offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Lens10’s vast suite of services – including digital strategy consulting, marketing consulting, tech architecture, analytics strategy and data visualisation – are all aimed at helping clients leverage actionable data to effectively implement online and app strategies.

Lens10 is an Adobe Analytics Partner, a Google Marketing Platform Partner and a Google Cloud Partner, with a significant client pool that has been amassed largely through referrals, according to the firm. The company was founded in 2010 by the trio of Michelle McGrath, Robin Jowett and Dean Gingell.

Commenting on the acquisition, McGrath said, “Marketers’ need for expert advice and services around analytics has never been higher. By teaming up with Mighty Hive, Lens 10’s existing bench of advanced analytics experts is now positioned to offer global capabilities, along with media consulting and media buying solutions, to clients.”

The newly strengthened practice will operate in an increasingly competitive analytics landscape. Major consultancies such as Accenture, Deloitte and Capgemini have all been bolstering their marketing analytics capabilities in Australia through strategic acquisitions in recent months and years. As the value of analytics comes to light, businesses in Australia are increasingly turning to the advisory sector to support with their data capabilities.

Sorrell – who’s former brainchild WPP launched an analytics team in Australia last year – indicated that the Covid-19 crisis has “clearly accelerated digital transformation trends affecting consumers, media owners and enterprises.” The demand for analytics support is only likely to increase in this scenario, and Sorrell is confident in the new team. “We are delighted to welcome Michelle, Dean, Robin and their colleagues to S4 Capital,” he said.

Pete Kim, the Founder and CEO of MightyHive, pointed to other trends that will drive up the demand for marketing analytics globally in months to come, also expressing his appreciation for the new addition.

“Marketing analytics expertise is a key part of marketers’ foundational toolkit and critical to execute more agile and personalised campaigns. Recent Google and Apple decisions around third party cookies have also enhanced the importance of first party data. The team at Lens 10 and their stellar reputations across Australia naturally complement Mighty Hive’s global consulting services as we continue to expand and prosper worldwide,” he said.