Seattle-based agency Wongdoody is ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple.
The agency, which also has an office in Los Angeles, expanded with a new office in New York with a focus on digital transformation.
“We’ve added four new clients that are New York-based, so it made sense to put people, and start doing work, in close proximity to those clients,” Wongdoody CEO Ben Wiener told AgencySpy. “Some old-fashioned things, like being able to show up in person for a last-minute meeting or physically feel the response to work is still important. New York is where our clients are. But it’s also a really deep talent pool, and the caliber of people we have been able to recruit has been incredibly gratifying.”
This move follows Wongdoody’s acquisition by information technology company Infosys last April, a deal which closes during the first quarter of this year.
Wiener said that discussions about Wongdoody’s expansion possibilities were part of that process. “Those discussions included new services and new geographies, and New York was definitely a part of that discussion,” he explained.
In addition to agency employees relocating for the expansion, Wongdoody plans to add 20 new employees in the office by the end of the year. According to a press release, the agency has already won assignments in the city, including for one of the top five banks in the U.S. and a leading global cosmetics brand.
Wiener said that Wongdoody’s “pedigree as a creative and consumer insights agency” combined with Infosys’ resources “in areas of integrated consulting, UX, UI, technology and data” will help the agency stand out in the crowded agency marketplace of New York. “Infosys has introduced a proprietary data and predictive analytics platform that’s as good as anything in the world,” he added.
Wongdoody sees plenty of potential for growth in the region.
“Five years from now, we’d all be surprised if New York isn’t our largest office,” Wiener said.
“It’s a balance between taking advantage of the all the opportunities we see while being smart about our growth for the long term,” he added. “We want to make sure we keep the client roster balanced with some major work for major clients, some crazy creative opportunities, and some meaningful pro bono work to support the causes that are meaningful to us.”