IBM acquires digital marketing agency Resource/Ammirati

29 February 2016 Consultancy.uk

To boost its digital marketing and design capabilities, IBM has acquired Resource/Ammirati, a leading US-based digital marketing and creative agency. The deal provides IBM with a 300 strong team, including seasoned veterans, as competition heats up to provide growing global clients demand for a holistic consulting, technology and design offering.

The demand for a mix of strategy, technology and marketing expertise has been on the increase in recent years, with consulting firms more and more adapting their offerings to include design and marketing expertise among technology and digital strategy offerings. Accenture acquired Fjord in 2013 and Chaotic Moon last year, KPMG recently bolstered its digital design capabilities through the pickup of Cynergy Systems, while Deloitte Digital has earned the firm $1.5 billion in revenue last year.

Another example of the phenomenon of joint consulting/marketing offering is IBM Interactive Experience (IBM iX). The unit’s service portfolio blends technology consulting, including big data, analytics and strategy, and marketing and design expertise with strategic propositions to provide clients with a more holistic set of capabilities to meet today’s customer experience demands. IBM iX operates 25 global IBM Studios at which clients and a range of experts are able to collaborate on new products and services, and is with an employee base of 10,000 employees according to Ad Agency the globe’s largest global digital agency.

IBM acquires digital agency Resource Ammirati

With competition heating, in a bid to remain ahead of the pack, IBM has purchased Resource/Ammirati, a digitally led creative agency founded in 1981. The agency’s first client was Apple, with subsequent years seeing the agency work for some of the other biggest names in business, including Microsoft, Nestlé and Victoria’s Secret. Following its more than three decades of success on the forefront of rapid developments within the creative industry as new technologies and channels opened up to brands, the agency now employs more than 300 employ from offices in Columbus, Chicago and New York*.

IBM’s acquisition of Resource/Ammirati will further extend iX’s capabilities within the digital, creative and design space. The addition will allow the firm to provide digital reinvention to drive transformative brand experiences for its international client base. For Resource/Ammirati becoming part of IBM iX will provide a considerably expanded client scope as well as access to consulting and technology expertise to meet the growing demand for analytic and big data capabilities in the realm of marketing. As part of the deal Resource/Ammirati’s more than 300 employees will join iX, and will continue to operate across the North America market. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

“The customer experience has become a new priority in modern business strategy,” says Paul Papas, Global Leader of IBM Interactive Experience. “With Resource/Ammirati, we extend our strategy and dedication to helping clients set the standard for engaging brand experiences.”

* In 2014, Resource acquired Ammirati, establishing Resource/Ammirati.