Watts (pictured) joins the marketing analytics firm after six years with the Publicis-owned media planning and buying agency, where he was chief econometric analyst specialising in understanding the impact of advertising on clients’ businesses. Brands he worked with include GlaxoSmithKline, Heineken, Samsung and Honda.

At Metametrics, he will lead the firm’s econometric modelling practice and help to build a big data-based approach to analysing the value of marketing to a business that combines market, media and customer analytics.

Tom Lloyd, director at Metametrics, said: “As our growth continues, we are finding that our clients are looking for insight that crosses the traditional boundaries of above- and below-the-line marketing and provides a genuine read on the impact of different investment channels.”