Marketing Services: Global M&A and Public Company Performance Q3 2021

We are pleased to share with you the Q3 2021 Marketing Services Sector Review, where we analyse global M&A activity and public market performance in the marketing services sector.

The M&A market for Marketing Services remains buoyant and dynamic with Q1-Q3 2021 deal volume up by 30% on the comparative period at 569 and 441 total deals respectively. We have tracked 200 deals in Q3 2021 which is the highest quarterly level of activity since Q1 2020.

Private equity remains a driving force in the M&A environment through both direct investments and activity through portfolio companies. We see no signs of a slowdown from this cohort and note that six of the top 10 buyers in Q1-Q3 2021 were private equity.

Global indices and valuation multiples across the marcoms and consulting spaces continued to show positive performance in Q3 2021 reflecting organic growth in the sectors and ever-increasing global confidence as we emerge from challenging times.