Apiary portfolio company MediaSense expands global footprint with acquisition of R3
Independent global media advisor MediaSense, has acquired R3, the creative and media advisory specialist, significantly expanding its global footprint.
This is MediaSense’s second growth deal in six months, following its acquisition of PwC’s Marketing & Media advisory team, announced in May 2024, and expands its service to clients into marketing operations, including content and creative.
The deal further delivers on MediaSense’s growth strategy, developed and implemented since Apiary Capital acquired a sizable stake in MediaSense in 2021.
MediaSense will now advise clients across an expanded suite of marketing operations-related services, supporting them to improve performance in an increasingly connected ecosystem where optimal marketing effectiveness necessitates more integrated management and governance of creative, content, media, data and technology.
While the PwC acquisition added scale and financial compliance services to MediaSense, the R3 acquisition adds marketing operations advisory capabilities and expansion into North America and Asia. MediaSense’s employee numbers will increase by 30% to over 230, with R3’s co-founders, Greg Paull and Shufen Goh joining the executive leadership team.
Graham Brown, CEO at MediaSense, stated: “Our growth ambitions are informed by listening to our clients’ current and future needs, and increasingly they require joined-up advice across disciplines and territories. With the acquisition of R3, we are expanding beyond media operations into marketing operations, adding content and creative capabilities and significantly growing our presence in North America and Asia.”
“This acquisition represents an exciting milestone for the MediaSense team”, said Dan Adler, Partner at Apiary Capital. “By acquiring R3, MediaSense is not just creating a larger media advisory business, but one which is positioned to provide invaluable insights across media, creative and tech domains, based on a foundation of cross-discipline intelligence.”