Next Fifteen Buys Technical Associates Group

Marcoms group Next Fifteen has acquired Technical Associates Group (TAG), a strategy, insight, content and PR business focused on the industrial engineering sector. The maximum total expected consideration is £3.6m.

TAG has been delivering localised, pan-European and global integrated marketing campaigns across a range of B2B markets for more than 30 years. The firm conducts B2B sector research and persona research, to better understand customers and prospects. It also provides social media monitoring to listen to audiences and track campaigns, and sources influencers relevant to clients' brands. In addition, the company has developed several techniques that combine data from multiple sources.

Following the acquisition, TAG will trade as a member of the Publitek group, a technical content marketing specialist which Next Fifteen acquired in 2016, and TAG MDs Sylvia Laws and Ian Clay will join the Publitek Board. The initial consideration for the acquisition is £2.2m, which will be settled with £1.9m of cash and the issue of 67,750 new ordinary shares in Next Fifteen. Further deferred consideration of £0.6m is payable in April 2020, as is contingent consideration dependent on the combined EBIT performance of TAG and Publitek.

Commenting on the rationale behind the acquisition, Publitek's founder and Chairman Bob Jones said: 'By bringing TAG into the Publitek group, we now offer clients of both businesses greater geographic reach and broaden our expertise for clients in the industrial engineering sector. What's more, the team brings valuable digital skills and experience, particularly in marketing automation'.

Web sites: www.next15.com and www.tag-marcom.com .