Accenture buys the marketing firm Acquity Group
Accenture has taken over Acquity Group, the second-biggest digital marketing-firm in the United States. The international advisory firm pays $316 million in cash for Acquity Group. Over 600 employees transferred from Acquity Group to the advisory firm and are integrated in Accenture Interactive. The acquisition realizes a substantial enforcement in Accenture’s services portfolio of digital marketing.
This acquisition still awaits its approval from shareholders, some transaction terms still have to be met. These steps are, however, perceived as formalities.
Acquity Group was founded in 2001 by three persons: Chris Dalton*, Paul Weinewuth and Matt Schmeltz. The firm delivers services in digital marketing, e-commerce and technical marketing to hundreds of firms globally. This organization has grown massively in twelve years and in 2012 it realized a $141 million value turnover. Since last year Acquity is stock market listed, after an IPO on the New York stock exchange. Acquity Group has nine offices in the United States, and international establishments in Shanghai, Beijing, Toronto, Ontario and Ottawa.
“Chief marketing officer and brand leaders are looking for a new type of service providers. A provider that is able to combine creative processes with analytics and technology”, says Bryan Whipple, Global Managing Director at Accenture Interactive. “The acquisition of Acquity Group will enhance our capacities in key areas like digital marketing and e-commerce. With this, it will be complementary to our force behind strategy, analytics, technology and marketing”.
Chris Dalton, CEO at Acquity Group, adds: “Acquity Group is excitingly looking forward to bond with Accenture, one of the largest and most successful advisory, technology and outsourcing organizations in the world. Our combined expertise makes sure we are able to deliver big transformative e-business solutions to our customers. But it also sets us up to be able to attract optimal talent in the industry”.
*Dalton won the ‘Entrepreneur of the year’-award for his role at Acquity Group in 2009.
