Accenture Acquires Aussie Agencies The Monkeys and Maud

Accenture has acquired creative agency The Monkeys and design business Maud. The Monkeys is Australia’s most awarded independent creative advertising agency, renowned for its brand strategy and creative talent. The move strengthens the customer experience capabilities of Accenture Interactive and demonstrates Accenture’s continuing investment in bringing new thinking, talent and innovation to clients across Australia and New Zealand. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Based in Sydney, The Monkeys creates provocative ideas that thrive at the intersection of advertising, entertainment, technology and design. Its team of 130 employees is behind breakthrough brand campaigns such as Telstra’s: Thrive On; Meat and Livestock Australia’s You Never Lamb Alone and, most recently, QANTAS’s Dreamliner launch. 

The Monkeys was recently named 2017 APAC Creative Agency of the Year by Mumbrella, Australia’s leading marketing publication, and was a past Agency of the Year recipient from AdNews, B&T, Campaign Asia, Campaign Brief, and others.

The acquisition bolsters the full suite of digital customer transformation services Accenture Interactive provides to chief marketing officers and chief digital officers, from creative to technology, spanning experience design, marketing, content and commerce.

 

“Customer experience is the new battleground and this acquisition will enable Accenture Interactive to integrate creative excellence with digital customer experience delivery,” said Brian Whipple, head of Accenture Interactive. “Together, we’re bringing our unique model to the market: part creative agency, part business consultancy, and part technology powerhouse – all focused on creating the best customer experiences on the planet.”  

“For over a decade, The Monkeys has created provocative ideas that have redefined the industry and delivered innovative customer experiences,” said Michael Buckley, head of Accenture Interactive Australia and New Zealand. “This acquisition further differentiates Accenture Interactive as a new breed of agency providing CMOs with innovative thinking and a new set of connected capabilities to win in today’s experience-led economy.” 

The Monkeys’ Mark Green (Chief Executive Officer), Justin Drape (Chief Creative Officer), Scott Nowell (Chief Creative Officer) and David Park (Maud Chief Creative Officer) will continue in their current roles and take on additional Accenture Interactive leadership positions to drive brand strategy and creativity in Australia and New Zealand. 

“The combination of Accenture Interactive, The Monkeys and Maud is a great opportunity for our clients and teams as it will dramatically enhance our ability to connect brand strategy and creative all the way through to customer experience delivery,” said Mark Green, CEO, The Monkeys. “We look forward to offering clients an unrivalled and holistic customer experience offering.”  This is the twelfth acquisition Accenture Interactive has made since 2013 to expand the reach, scope, and depth of its end-to-end customer experience services globally. Most recently, Accenture Interactive acquired Belgium-based integrated communications agency, Kunstmaan. Other recent acquisitions have included Karmarama, SinnerSchrader, IMJ, AD.Dialeto, Pacific Link, Chaotic Moon and Melbourne-based Reactive.