Accenture Interactive absorbs US digital media firm Adaptly
Management and tech consulting firm Accenture has purchased digital media services firm Adaptly. The New York-based company helps leading brands manage data-driven ad campaigns across digital advertising channels and platforms.
Over the past number of years consulting firms have expanded out into the digital marketing arena, snapping up numerous creative and marketing agencies. In the process, consulting firms have become among the largest players in the digital marketing industry. According to Ad Age, Accenture Interactive stands atop the heap as the largest digital agency by revenue, with rivals PwC Digital Services and Deloitte Digital also figuring into the top 10.
Earlier this year Accenture delved further into the advertising world with the launch of its Programmatic Services offering – which buys, plans, and manages ads on behalf of clients. Centrally, the practice uses automation-driven technology and real-time data analysis to make better use of ad dollars. Instead of being a roll of the dice, Accenture’s highly technical process incorporates client-specific personalization and instant adaptation to maximize outreach and value effectiveness.
According to Remy Merckx, Digital VP at Radisson – a client of Accenture Interactive – the agency delivers a stellar degree of value transparency: “There’s not a single marketing dollar that I’m going to give Accenture that they will not tell me in advance what it will deliver using a predictive model.”
As such, the tech-heads of Accenture have penetrated into the ad buying marketplace to offer more advanced solutions to clients as part of Accenture Interactive Operations – their marketing managed services arm. Along with the media planning and management of Programmatic Services, the division also offers content creation, data-driven ad campaign planning and execution, and ecommerce services.
Accenture has bolstered its Programmatic Services offering with the acquisition of Adaptly, a digital ad company that offers self-serve tools for running advertisements across various social networks. According to Accenture, the acquisition will aid the firm’s “ability to activate, optimize, and measure media cross-platform and help advertisers drive superior business outcomes.”
Founded in 2010, Adaptly has nearly 150 employees and offices in NYC, Chicago, LA, and London. The firm partners with leading platforms like Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Instagram, and its client roster includes top brands like Mazda, Prudential, and Sprint.
“Brands now have the opportunity to deliver more value through ads that are relevant to consumer identities and social contexts,” commented Scott Tieman, global head of Programmatic Services, Accenture Interactive. “Consistent with our mission to create, build, and run the best customer experiences on the planet, Adaptly will complement our full suite of experience services and enhance our ability to deliver better, faster, and more effective advertising campaigns.”
Nikki Mendonça, president of Accenture Interactive Operations, added: “This acquisition will help us to further reinvent today’s operating approach by re-engineering the campaign process with data, applied intelligence, and digital technologies – resulting in improved ROI and greater transparency for our clients’ digital media omni-channel campaigns.”
