London-based Ideal Insight was set up in 2012 and has grown rapidly, nearly doubling in size over the past 12 months. The acquisition by MMR means Ideal Insight will now be part of MMR’s global office network, and it can build its team of in-house designers, videographers, photographers and animators. 

Ideal Insight will continue to focus on growing clients across many sectors, including education, healthcare and retail, but will supplement this with the development of a storytelling toolkit in the research arena.

Ben Fathers took over as managing director of Ideal Insight this month. He was previously global head of insight and strategy at 4finance and has also worked at TNS and Tesco.

Fathers said: "This is a really exciting time for both research and creative services as the two disciplines start to engage more frequently. MMR will be at the forefront of this change, combining our scientific research with creative journalism to bring consumer feedback and market findings to life in an effective and exciting new way."

Mat Lintern (pictured), Global MMR CEO, added: "The fact that we can now leverage a talented team of commercially-orientated creatives in our traditional research areas is a massive plus as we strive to ensure our research findings have maximum impact."

Ideal Insight was advised by M&A Advisory. The details of the deal have not been disclosed.