Accenture acquires Irish creative agency Rothco
Rothco, a full-service creative agency based in Ireland, has entered an agreement to be acquired by Accenture. The Irish wing of the global professional services firm will take ownership of Rothco pending the approval of competition regulators – as Accenture seeks to further grow its infamous Interactive division.
Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire Rothco, a full-service creative agency. Located in Dublin, Rothco will boost Accenture Ireland’s creative capabilities and those of Accenture Interactive as an experience agency in Europe. Thanks to acquisitions including Brand, Karmarama and Australia’s The Monkeys, among a great many other creative agencies, Accenture Interactive is now thought by many to rank as one of the world’s biggest digital agencies, leading to the creative wing delivering high-profile end-to-end solutions for global brands including Pearson publishing, although their actual size and influence is still a matter hotly contested by advertising industry heavyweights such as WPP.
This latest deal will see Accenture Interactive obtain Rothco, a prestigious, internationally award-winning creative agency. Beyond the traditional avenues of success, as many agencies often win plaudits within the advertising industry for their work, Rothco has notably found success at the Cannes Lions awards of the Cannes Film Festival, in both 2015 and 2016. The agency strategically plans, designs and produces powerful communications campaigns across Europe for numerous iconic brands, including Tesco, Heineken and Lyons. Founded in 1995, Rothco now consists of more than 150 strategic, creative, technology, design, project management and production professionals. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval by the relevant authorities and other customary closing conditions, and financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The additional capabilities that Rothco will add to Accenture Interactive in Ireland will complement and expand the firm’s presence across the UK and the Republic, as the group bids to strengthen its creative capabilities. Beyond domestic business, however, Accenture Interactive plans to scale Rothco’s creative and brand marketing capabilities internationally, as it will likely be able to retain free trade relations with both the EU and the UK, from its location in the Irish capital, post-Brexit.
Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director of Accenture in Ireland, said, “Dublin is not only an innovation and technology hub, it is a creative and cultural capital. Experience is the new battleground and we are creating new ways for our clients to engage with their customers.”
Anatoly Roytman, Accenture Interactive’s Europe, Africa and Latin America Lead, commented, “Clients are looking to create human-centered brand experiences by connecting every interaction they have with their customers. Bringing Rothco into Accenture Interactive will extend our ability to accomplish this and create the greatest experiences on the planet.”
Rothco CEO, Patrick Hickey, added, “Accenture Interactive is a hugely exciting brand to be a part of. It’s shown tremendous leadership in moving towards a new agency model, and we’re very excited to be part of that change.”
