Accenture has acquired Wire Stone, a US-based creative marketing agency that brings together technology and creativity to create better customer experiences and digital marketing solutions. At the same time it has also bought Concrete Solutions, a Brazilian company that specialises in applying Lean and Agile software-development methodologies to develop cloud-based mobile solutions and web applications.
This acquisition will strengthen the ability of Accenture Interactive to deliver data-driven creative and design end-to-end digital customer experiences that help brands stand out and stay relevant. However the terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“Great experiences begin with great stories. Wire Stone’s proven ability to tell engaging stories by blending creativity and technology, together with Accenture’s scale and business transformation expertise, is a unique and powerful combination,” said Glen Hartman, who leads Accenture Interactive in North America.
“It takes diverse talent and culture to deliver on Accenture Interactive’s mission of helping our clients build the best experiences on the planet and with the acquisition of Wire Stone we are bringing together a top team of technologists, strategists, consultants and designers to do just that,” added Brian Whipple, head of Accenture Interactive. “We are thrilled to welcome these creative marketers to our family to drive innovation with our clients.”
This acquisition expands Accenture’s capabilities in leading-edge technologies and rapid development approaches, including Agile and DevOps, enhancing its ability to help clients leverage emerging technologies to meet their digital-transformation needs, improve their business performance and create new opportunities for growth.
The acquisition of Concrete Solutions enables Accenture to be better prepared to create long-term relationships with organisations in Brazil. Bringing together the complementary skills and experience of both companies better enables Accenture to apply its innovation-led approach to deliver greater business value for clients.
“Since its inception, Concrete Solutions has been delivering innovative digital experience solutions and services to large corporations,” said Ansano Baccelli, a managing director at Accenture and Accenture Technology lead for Brazil. “It’s experience developing mobile applications using Agile and DevOps methodologies expands our expertise in leading-edge technologies and our ability to meet the growing demands of companies looking for the ideal partner in their digital transformation.”
Wire Stone to deliver connected customer experiences
Wire Stone has nearly 200 employees in the US, which will add significant scale to Accenture Interactive’s talent in North America. Since its founding in 2000, the agency has delivered work for some of the world’s most recognised brands, including, Microsoft, HP Enterprise and HP Inc., PayPal and eBay.
“Wire Stone and Accenture Interactive share a culture and passion for delivering creative and impactful customer experiences,” said Dan Lynch, CEO of Wire Stone. “By bringing our creative and digital marketing talent and expertise together with Accenture Interactive, we are now able to deliver end-to-end solutions for clients utilising their deep industry expertise and intimate relationships. We believe this winning combination is a pivotal moment for our clients and our teams, as we continue to push the boundaries of creating remarkable customer experiences.”
Wire Stone is the fourteenth acquisition Accenture Interactive has made in the last five years to expand the reach, scope, and depth of its end-to-end customer experience services globally. In July, Accenture Interactive acquired Clearhead (US), a digital optimisation company, and in May acquired e-commerce solution provider Media Hive (US) to strengthen its capabilities around Salesforce Commerce Cloud implementation. Other recent acquisitions have included creative agencies The Monkeys/Maud (Australia) and Karmarama (UK), communications agency Kunstmaan (Belgium), and digital agency SinnerSchrader (Germany).
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