AMS Media Group

What AMS Media Group does

AMS Media Group Ltd is a privately held, independent UK media planning and buying agency founded in 1975 (originally as All Media Services) by Barry Post, John Evans, and Ian Forbes. Headquartered in London (Kings Cross) with a regional office in Leeds opened in 2019, the company serves enterprise B2B clients across a broad range of verticals including energy, transport, tourism, healthcare, food and beverage, retail, financial services, and home appliances. The firm operates as a mid-sized agency with 101-250 employees and generates revenue through media buying commissions and professional services fees on cross-channel campaigns spanning digital, TV, cinema, OOH, radio, print, social, and search.

The company's core technology footprint consists of six proprietary platforms: Kognetix (a programmatic platform combining machine learning with human intelligence for campaign optimisation), UX (a behavioural intelligence and real-time personalisation experience platform), Studio (an in-house creative production hub for digital, OOH, print, and TV ads), Impact (a measurement and effectiveness solution), Architech (an AI-driven real-time reporting and visualisation platform), and NextGen (an in-house kids market specialist team). These are complemented by five core service offerings: Media Strategy, Media Planning & Buying, Digital Media, Insight Analytics & Reporting, and Effectiveness Measurement. The technology stack is differentiated primarily through integration across the campaign lifecycle rather than through standalone AI research.

AMS maintains independent ownership following a 2004 management buyout from co-founder John Evans, and in 2025 became a founding partner of The Alliance of Media Independents. The agency is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified, holds multiple The Drum industry awards, and reports a range of workplace accreditations including IPA People First Promise, MHFA England Champion status, and CPD certification. Customer acquisition is driven by a direct B2B sales motion, with 30+ named enterprise clients and long-tenured relationships across multiple sectors.

Name

AMS Media Group

Legal name

AMS Media Group Ltd

Website

https://amsgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AMS Media Group is an independent UK media planning and buying agency, founded 1975, serving enterprise B2B clients across sectors with proprietary programmatic, analytics, and creative platforms plus full cross-channel media services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Planning and Buying Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Media Planning & Buying (MPAAABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Media Planning, Buying & Optimization (BPAFAAAC)

Keywords

• Media planning services
• Media buying agency
• Programmatic advertising
• Media strategy consulting
• Creative production services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Media Planning and Buying Services: Full-service media agency providing end-to-end media planning and buying across all channels: digital, TV, cinema, OOH, radio, print, social and search. Revenue generated through media buying commissions and service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AMS Media Group is a fully accredited independent media planning and buying agency providing end-to-end media services across digital, TV, cinema, OOH, radio, print, social and search channels. The company combines proprietary technology platforms (Kognetix, Studio, Impact, Architech, UX) with media strategy, planning, buying, creative production, and analytics services to deliver measurable campaign outcomes for clients. Revenue is generated through media buying commissions and professional service fees.

Product overview

AMS Media Group operates as an independent media planning and buying agency founded in 1975, offering a suite of proprietary products and services. Their product portfolio consists of six proprietary tools: Kognetix (programmatic platform using machine learning for campaign optimization), Studio (in-house creative hub for ad production), Impact (measurement and effectiveness solution), Architech (AI-powered real-time reporting and visualization platform), UX (behavioural intelligence and personalisation experience platform), and NextGen (kids market specialist team). These are complemented by five core service offerings: Media Strategy, Media Planning & Buying, Digital Media, Insight Analytics & Reporting, and Effectiveness Measurement. The company plans and buys media across all channels including digital, TV, cinema, OOH, radio, print, social and search.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kognetix: Proprietary programmatic platform built where machine learning meets human intelligence. Designed to optimise, adapt and perform driving measurable business outcomes.
• Studio
• Impact
• Architech
• UX
• NextGen

Products and services

• Kognetix A proprietary programmatic platform that combines machine learning with human intelligence to optimise, adapt and perform campaigns, driving measurable business outcomes for clients. It is used as part of AMS's media planning and buying services for B2B clients.
• Studio An in-house creative hub producing animated digital banners, social assets, OOH, print and TV ads, combining craft with agility to deliver standout creative seamlessly for AMS Media Group's B2B clients.
• Impact A measurement and effectiveness solution that delivers up-to-date results and meaningful insights, providing a holistic view of campaign performance to inform future media planning and drive continuous improvement for clients.
• Architech A bespoke reporting platform that turns complexity into clarity by visualising all campaign data in real time, backed by AI-driven insights that reveal what's really working in media campaigns.
• UX An experience platform that combines advanced behavioural intelligence with real-time personalisation, enabling the delivery of tailored interactions that guide, convert and retain users at every step of the customer journey for client campaigns.
• NextGen An in-house kids market specialist service helping clients navigate the shift from broadcast TV to digital media with clarity and confidence, driving commercial growth in sales, shelf presence, and expanding distribution across platforms.
• Media Strategy Strategic media planning services that dig deep into brand, audience and goals to shape smart strategies that cut through noise and set the stage for growth. Delivered to B2B clients across multiple sectors.
• Media Planning and Buying End-to-end media planning and buying across every channel including TV, TikTok, print and programmatic, securing the right media at the right price for maximum impact. Delivered to B2B clients in the UK.
• Digital Media Performance-driven, data-powered digital channel campaigns that reach, convert and scale using targeted approaches for B2B clients across multiple sectors.
• Insight Analytics and Reporting Deep market and audience analysis providing knowledge and understanding to fuel media planning, with data as a key component for client campaigns.
• Effectiveness Measurement Campaign reporting, analysis and probing to provide clarity, confidence and continuous improvement through proven results measurement for B2B clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• +40% prompted brand awareness for Utilita Energy TV campaign
• +14 more outcomes

Named customers41 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Alliance of Media IndependentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025AMS Media Group became a founding partner of The Alliance of Media Independents in their 50th year (2025), strengthening their independent positioning in the UK media agency landscape.
• Media EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982AMS was appointed as the first UK partner of Media Europe in 1982, a pioneering network of independent media agencies across Europe, establishing early international reach.
• Everyman CinemasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Monty Bojangles campaign where complimentary truffles were served with hot drink purchases, combining product sampling with cinema advertising.
• British AirwaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for St. Kitts tourism campaign leveraging British Airways flights out of Gatwick.
• M+C SaatchiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for National Grid's 'The Great Grid Upgrade' campaign, where AMS worked with M+C Saatchi on creative strategy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Goodstuff Communications: UK-based independent media planning and buying agency of similar size, competing for the same mid-market B2B client roster with an independent, channel-agnostic proposition.
• The&Partnership: Independent UK-headquartered agency network offering media planning and buying alongside creative, comparable in size and target market to AMS.
• Bountiful Cow: Boutique UK independent media agency targeting growth-stage brands with full-service media planning and buying — closely aligned to AMS's customer segment and proposition.
• the7stars: Largest UK independent media agency, also founded as an independent with cross-channel planning and buying capabilities — closest direct peer in scale and go-to-market model.
• Medialab Group: UK independent media agency with similar cross-channel planning/buying offering and mid-market B2B client focus, often competing against AMS for the same RFPs.

Broad incumbents

• Havas Media UK: Havas-owned UK media agency offering comparable planning/buying services as part of a broader creative-media holding company structure.
• Zenith UK (Publicis): Publicis-owned media agency competing for the same UK brand advertisers with a wider service portfolio and global network capabilities.
• Mindshare UK (WPP): WPP-owned global media agency operating in the UK, competing for enterprise media accounts with the full backing of GroupM's scale, data, and programmatic infrastructure.
• PHD UK (Omnicom): Omnicom's strategic media agency competing in the UK for enterprise clients with a data-led planning approach comparable to AMS's analytical positioning.
• OMD UK (Omnicom): UK arm of Omnicom's global media network — a broad incumbent offering overlapping media planning/buying capabilities with significantly greater scale and international reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ams-media-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/ams_media_group
• Xx.com/amsmediagroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/AMSMediaGroup

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AMS Media Group