"We did not wait for the arrival of ChatGPT, last December, to start talking about artificial intelligence (AI)!", insists David Jones, founder and CEO of Brantech Group, specialist in technology applied to the exclusively digital communication of brands. This Briton, involved until 2010 in David Cameron's campaign before becoming boss of Havas (before Yannick Bolloré), has just made his ninth acquisition by buying from Fimalac, Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière's group, the company Jellyfish. The latter is one of the world leaders in digital marketing with customers such as Uber, eBay, Disney or Spotify. French businessman Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière retains a minority stake in the capital.
"With the integration of the highly profitable company Jellyfish, Brantech has a turnover of more than $ 1billion, and more than 7,000 employees across forty countries," says David Jones. Since its creation in 2015, Brantech Group has raised 500 million euros. The group, unlisted, claims to post organic growth of "more than 30%" over the last four years.
Last July, it bought the AI-driven global e-commerce SaaS platform, Acorn Intelligence, for more than $50 million. "For our acquisitions, we always target mature companies. And we usually double or triple the size of the companies that have bought it in two to three years, "says David Jones.
Production studios and influencers
In parallel with these acquisitions, it has also taken minority stakes over the past seven years in the capital of the social network Pinterest or Niantic, the developer of the game Pokemon Go. To meet the main challenges of brands, Brandtech offers solutions ranging from influencer marketing to the integration of digital marketing teams at customers' premises, including data expertise, e-commerce, metaverse and AI.
For example, it has a platform connecting brands with nearly 10,000 influencers and content creators. The group also specializes in supporting advertisers who wish to internalize certain aspects of their digital marketing, such as the creation of production and content studios.
"Since our beginnings, we had considered that AI offered the possibility of marketing cheaper and faster," slips the manager. "People today have no idea how AI represents the greatest creative revolution we've ever seen," concludes David Jones, a member of the AI Foundation.