Member Info for Verney

It is for YOU as an investor to judge whether such guidance is likely to be achieved and NOT to think they are there to hold your hand.

Are you serious.......I'm a retail investor. I don't have access to all the data of a professional analyst or the time. I rely on and give my trust in the BoD to manage the business and get it right especially when it is led by someone who built from nothing a global world class business that has been in the top 6 for, God , must be more than a decade.

He wanted to replicate the model he used at WPP, rapid growth by acquisition. But I think the auditors found some holes in the accounts as result of the acquisitions. Perhaps it was migration of accounts data across various platforms Oracle, SAP, Sage onto single S4 system who knows.

In terms of forecast, if Fed find it impossible to forecast then why didn't SMS decline to forecast he doesn't have to forecast. He made forecasts and got them wrong and it looks like he doesn't know what he is doing.

Late accounts was a short term issue but the SP still dropped from £8 to £1.30 (when I bought in) it then moved up to £2.50 this time last Feb and has dropped almost daily since. The market didn't acknowledge the late results were a blip or the SP would have quickly recovered but they took the decision the business is not being managed well.

The forecasts were SMS own forecasts and he missed his own forecasts at least twice. He should understand the business he is in. He chose a digital only business and should know his business inside out. He has access to huge resources internally and externally and with an 18 year presence in marketing he has friends and old colleagues he can discuss the market and its forces.

I agree with you. He has no control over the economy and demamd in the market. Companies will obviously cut back on marketing if their is no money around, that's a given and gets reflected in the numbers and SP, we accept that. But had the accounts been released on time and the forecasts though disappointingly grim but accurate we would not have dropped from £8 to 0.33p.

Well done....!

I thought to myself what a stupid question to ask after pressing send. There is probably no way of measuring.

Oh Burger. Still a long way to go then

Has anyone kept track of how much budget for the buy backs has actually been used so far?

Apparently Bim Afolami I s going to sort the UK market ot

'City Minister BIM AFOLAMI says: 'Let's make the stock market great again!'

Plan to fire up economic engine is selling part of government stake in NatWestStock market can be focus for ordinary Britons as place to invest their cash But Afolami warns deep-rooted changes are required to boost City'

So you mean the big 6 again. They are not rivals. They are 'full service agencies' not digital only.

Which rival do you think would be interested?

I think SMS would only welcome a WPP takeover if he is walking through the entrance of the WPP offices while Mark Read is walking out. And I wouldn't be too shocked at that happening. Mark Read bought AI company Satalia in 2021 as the AI engine in his strategy. Not sure what progress he has made, but this not has upped the WPP share price and the recent capital market day where he announced an AI investment of £250m per year clearly fell flat with the SP declining on that day and thereafter. Coupled with this he is openly vocal about him having to sort out the 18 years of mess SMS created at WPP, basically blaming.SMS for his own poor performance. Very unprofessional. If the WPP board and SMS could let water flow under the bridge maybe we could see a WPP takeover.

BrokeNSmoke

Hear hear. !

Their's about 4 years difference between SMS and Richard Branson but nobody points at Branson to step down due to age

1msn

Looks like Media Monks India is doing exceptionally well looking at your attachment and other news articles. Must be a cash cow for the S4 group. And is in a huge growing market of young tech savvie customers in a digitally led market

IMO, I could only see the benefit being accelerating the Digital element of one of the big 6 which S4 has a number of years head start. This could slot in immediately. However, saying that these companies have the money and time now that digital marketing has become pedestrian to catch up

'As such, this company is now primed for a takeover, as the acquiring company would be buy chunks of the media landscape across multiple countries.'

Only a benfit if you don't have a presence surely. All the Big 6 already operate globally

I thought it was taking up the dilution from the acquisitions that had now matured, could be wrong

Next Q.... why did it take 2 hours for buys to show

(Typical)

We are 2 hours into the trading day and the SP is moving in both directions but no buys are showing. Does anyone know why

Auson, sure

On Amazon Prime Video (as of yesterday in the UK) the monthly subscription includes advertising for the first time ever with the option to buy out of this for an additional £2.99/m. With S4's close relationship with Amazon and AWS will this be an opportunity for customers such as, say Phillips, for example to advertise on there through Media Monks integration and understanding of Amazon, AWS and its API. Basically could this be a new revenue opportunity to for Media Monks to work with clients to target BTL and TTL marketing campaigns based on consumer viewings and interests, or, will businesses just dump existing TV adverts on there as they do now across independent commercial channels.

Hi Auson

I haven't seen the piece you attached on Philip's but I will read it in full.

Thanks