McKinsey buys digital marketing operations firm Agiliti
McKinsey & Company has acquired Agiliti, a boutique digital-focused management consulting firm based in the US. Agiliti will be merged into the global strategy consultancy, forming a new service offering focused on digital marketing operations. Financial terms and conditions of the deal have not been disclosed.
Agiliti was founded in 2011 by Jason Heller, a veteran in the U.S. digital marketing landscape. He started his career in digital marketing in 1997, when he co-founded ‘Mass Transit Interactive'. The digital agency built a strong reputation, and in 2005 was poached by Horizon Media, the largest independent media agency in the country. Following the deal, Heller became the Managing Director of Horizon Interactive, although he resigned two years later to start a new business in the travel media sector. After he sold his latest enterprise early 2011, he launched Agiliti.
The service portfolio of Agiliti centres around digital marketing operations, and includes among others:
The joining of forces between Agiliti and McKinsey does not come as a big surprise. Over the past years, the firms have on several occasions worked together, on topics such as business development, project delivery and thought leaderships. Based on the successful cooperation and the increasing demand for digital expertise, McKinsey has now decided to purchase the boutique advisory firm. “Agiliti has been collaborating with McKinsey for several years,” explains Heller. “We've had a chance to get to know each other, ensure that our philosophies, approach to problem solving, and most importantly, our vision for our clients' success are aligned. We've created something unique, and joining McKinsey gives us the global scale to serve clients in new and innovative ways.”
Within McKinsey, Agiliti will form a new service offering focused on digital marketing operations – which will operate as part of McKinsey’s Marketing & Sales Practice – and in addition expertise will be bundled with McKinsey’s existing digital propositions (offered through ‘McKinsey Digital’).
Digital landscape
Global strategy consulting firms have over the past months been rapidly bolstering their digital practices, through large recruitment efforts, but also through acquisitions. For example, recently McKinsey’s largest rival, The Boston Consulting Group, acquired Strategic & Creative (S&C), a digital design firm based in Sydney, Australia. And early 2014, prior to Booz’s integration into PwC, BCG significantly expanded its Digital practice (BCG Digital Ventures) with a large team of former Booz Digital consultants, including several senior leaders.