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Next 15 Group
How has Next 15 Group reshaped growth consulting?
Next 15 Group closed FY2025 with 618 million GBP revenue, evolving from a PR network into a data-driven growth consultancy that blends creative marketing and tech consulting across 20+ specialist agencies.
Operating with over 3,500 specialists, Next 15 pairs management-consulting margins with agency retainers, focusing on AI integration, first-party data, and business transformation to serve blue-chip clients in the UK and US.
How does Next 15 Group Company work? It leverages a decentralized agency model, cross-selling services and scaling consulting-led engagements while retaining recurring revenue through long-term client retainers; see Next 15 Group Porter's Five Forces Analysis.
What Are the Key Operations Driving Next 15 Group’s Success?
Next 15 Group structure centers on a four-pillar operating framework—Customer Insight, Customer Engagement, Customer Delivery, and Business Transformation—delivering integrated marketing, data and venture-building services to global clients with a decentralized 'boutique at scale' model.
Customer Insight
Anchored by research brands such as Savanta, this pillar uses proprietary data, AI-driven analytics and real-time market intelligence to inform strategy and improve ROI forecasting.
Customer Engagement
Heritage PR and digital content agencies such as Archetype and M Booth manage reputation and narrative for high-growth firms, driving earned and owned media outcomes across markets.
Customer Delivery
Focused on technical execution—e-commerce platforms, UX, performance marketing and martech integration—this pillar converts strategy into measurable customer acquisition and commerce revenue.
Business Transformation
Led by Mach49, the group helps enterprises build and launch internal ventures and capability programs that accelerate digital innovation and new growth streams.
The Next 15 business model preserves entrepreneurial agency P&Ls and leadership while leveraging centralized finance, HR and technology to scale operations and reduce duplication across regions.
Operational advantages and metrics
Decentralized delivery plus a shared internal data ecosystem enable faster campaign launches, cross-agency collaboration and improved client ROI visibility.
- Decentralized 'boutique at scale' model maintains agency-level agility and specialized expertise
- Centralized services reduce overhead and support global expansion into 30+ markets as of 2025
- Internal data sharing drives shorter campaign lead times and more accurate ROI forecasting
- Group revenue mix emphasizes digital and data-led services, contributing to year-on-year growth in high-margin offerings
For context on corporate mission and culture, see Mission, Vision & Core Values of Next 15 Group
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How Does Next 15 Group Make Money?
Next 15's revenue mix combines fee-based services, project consulting and performance-led contracts, with growing emphasis on recurring retainers and platform solutions to stabilize earnings and increase visibility.
Geographic Revenue Split
In 2025, 53% of revenues came from North America and 37% from the UK, highlighting concentration in tech-heavy, high-spend markets.
Recurring Retainer Model
Retainer contracts now represent about 62% of total billings, providing predictable cash flow and cushioning against advertising cyclicality.
Business Transformation Margins
The Business Transformation segment operates a high-value consulting model with margins frequently above 25%, outperforming traditional creative services.
Insight PaaS Revenue
Insight moved toward a platform-as-a-service model: subscription fees for proprietary dashboards and real-time consumer tracking now form a growing, recurring income stream.
Cross-selling and Bundling
Initial insight engagements are frequently bundled with long-term delivery contracts, increasing lifetime client value and conversion to retainer agreements.
Operating Margin Resilience
These diversified monetization strategies helped sustain an adjusted operating margin of 19.8% in 2025 despite sector-wide pricing pressures.
Revenue Mechanics and Strategic Levers
Next 15 Group structure and How Next 15 operates center on multi-channel revenue generation: retainer work, project fees, performance-based contracts and SaaS-like subscriptions that increase predictability and margin.
- Retainers: 62% of billings, driving recurring revenue and forecasting visibility
- Geographic focus: North America 53%, UK 37% per 2025 disclosures
- High-margin consulting: Transformation services margin > 25%
- PaaS/subscriptions: Insight segment subscriptions for dashboards and tracking
Read a detailed analysis in our Marketing Strategy of Next 15 Group article for more on Next 15 services and agencies and the Next 15 business model.
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Which Strategic Decisions Have Shaped Next 15 Group’s Business Model?
Key milestones include the 2024–2025 full integration of the Engine Group and the 2025 AI Enablement Roadmap, which together reshaped Next 15 Group structure, expanded public sector capabilities, and drove operational gains across agencies.
Milestone: Engine Group Integration
The 2024–2025 full integration of Engine Group broadened public sector and digital transformation services across the portfolio, strengthening how Next 15 operates at scale.
Milestone: AI Enablement Roadmap 2025
The 2025 roadmap deployed generative AI across all 20 agencies to automate content and data cleaning, yielding a 18 percent improvement in operational efficiency.
Strategic Moves: Acquisition Focus
Post-2022, the group shifted from large bids to disciplined acquisitions of high-margin boutiques in data science and e-commerce, aligning with the Next 15 business model centered on specialized capabilities.
Strategic Moves: Unified Tech Stack
Agencies operate on a unified technology stack, enabling seamless client handoffs and reducing frictions in the Next 15 organizational structure and service delivery.
The competitive edge stems from a data-first philosophy and positioning at the intersection of marketing and consulting, which increases client switching costs and supports full-funnel offerings from insight to transaction.
Operational and Market Impacts
Concrete examples of the operating framework and outcomes:
- All 20 agencies adopted generative AI tools under the 2025 roadmap, automating routine tasks and improving efficiency by 18 percent.
- Clients often flow from Savanta insight engagements into Archetype strategy projects with minimal integration cost, illustrating the Next 15 Group's approach to client services.
- Revenue mix shifted toward higher-margin consultancy and data services after targeted boutique acquisitions; public filings indicate growing contribution from transformation services in 2025.
- The unified stack model reduces legacy infrastructure drag common to traditional holding companies, strengthening how Next 15 operates and collaborates across subsidiaries.
Further context on the group's revenue model and agency mix is available in this analysis: Revenue Streams & Business Model of Next 15 Group
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How Is Next 15 Group Positioning Itself for Continued Success?
Next 15 occupies a strategic mid-market position between legacy holding groups and boutiques, leading in technology and B2B marketing while facing competition from consultancies. Key risks include AI-driven commoditization of basic digital services and potential reduced marketing spend if higher rates depress VC and tech investment.
Industry Position
Next 15 Group structure sits between giants like WPP and specialist boutiques, focused on tech-enabled B2B marketing and enterprise innovation. The group leverages a portfolio of agencies and proprietary data to win high-margin, complex briefs.
Competitive Landscape
Competition now includes Accenture Song and Deloitte Digital, which pressure margins on transformation work; boutique specialists remain a threat in niche services. Next 15 emphasizes differentiated offerings to protect pricing power.
Balance Sheet Strength
As of early 2026 Next 15 maintains a net debt-to-EBITDA ratio below 0.5x, supporting M&A firepower and sustained investment in data and tech. That leverage position enables bolt-on acquisitions to scale Business Transformation capabilities.
Strategic Roadmap
Leadership is pivoting to 'Total Growth Consulting,' aiming to expand Business Transformation into APAC and the Middle East while targeting high-margin, tech-enabled services. The medium-term revenue goal is £800m.
Risk factors and growth levers are linked to macro and tech trends, and execution will determine whether Next 15 sustains market leadership in its niches.
Risks, Metrics, and Strategic Actions
Key measurable risks and mitigation priorities for investors and partners.
- AI commoditization: automate low-value services to preserve margins and shift revenue mix toward advisory and proprietary data products.
- Macro sensitivity: monitor marketing spend exposure to venture capital and enterprise IT budgets; maintain conservative cash reserves.
- M&A pipeline: use 0.5x net debt-to-EBITDA capacity to pursue targeted acquisitions in APAC and Middle East.
- Performance targets: medium-term revenue target of £800m, driven by Business Transformation and enterprise innovation services.
Growth Strategy of Next 15 Group
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