Well, it happened again.
A little over a year after picking up Karmarama, Accenture Interactive announced its acquisition of Irish creative agency Rothco yesterday.
“Clients are looking to create human-centered brand experiences by connecting every interaction they have with their customers,” Anatoly Roytman, Accenture Interactive’s Europe, Africa and Latin America lead said in a statement. “Bringing Rothco into Accenture Interactive will extend our ability to accomplish this and create the greatest experiences on the planet.”
Accenture’s acquisition of the Dublin-based full service agency further expands its creative capabilities in Europe and complements its existing offerings in the U.K. and Ireland. According to a press release, Accenture plans to scale Rothco internationally. The acquisition adds a team of around 150 creative, strategy, tech, design, production and product management professionals to Accenture.
“We’re delighted about welcoming such a talented group of creative professionals into the Accenture family. Rothco is a great fit for our business in Ireland. Dublin is not only an innovation and technology hub, it is a creative and cultural capital,” Alastair Blair, country managing director of Accenture in Ireland said in a statement. “Experience is the new battleground and we are creating new ways for our clients to engage with their customers. Once the acquisition is completed, more than 150 professionals from Rothco will join Accenture to help our clients innovate and lead in their markets.”
“When this came about it felt like a very natural conversation to go along with and really for the last year we’ve been in the process of getting to know each other philosophically and practically,” Rothco CEO Patrick Hickey told LBB.
“We’re in the creative business and we wanted to do something with partners that was going to give the people here a bigger stage to perform on. That’s why we ended up doing this with Accenture interactive,” he added. “Their technology capabilities are world-renowned and we do great creative ideas and when you combine the two it has the potential to be magic.”
Hickey founded Rothco along with Paul Hughes and Patrick Ronaldson and 1995. Its client roster includes Heineken, Tesco, Lyons, Gas Network Ireland and Defence Forces Ireland.