May 07, 2017

Accenture Acquires Creative and Design Agencies The Monkeys and Maud to Expand its Customer Experience Capabilities in Australia and New Zealand



The Monkeys is a Recent Winner of Australian and APAC Creative Agency of the Year Honors

SYDNEY; May 7, 2017 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired the 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 and Maud 2017 Show Reel

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.

The Monkeys and Maud staff joining Accenture Interactive

“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.

About Accenture Interactive
Accenture Interactive, part of Accenture Digital, helps the world’s leading brands transform their customer experiences across the entire customer journey. Through our connected offerings in design, marketing, content and commerce, we create new ways to win in today’s experience-led economy. Accenture Interactive was ranked the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report. To learn more follow us @accenturesocial and visit www.accentureinteractive.com.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 401,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for the company; the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; the company’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the changing technological environment could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if the company is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilisation rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which the company competes are highly competitive, and the company might not be able to compete effectively; the company could have liability or the company’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the company’s profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; changes in the company’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; the company’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; the company’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; the company might not be successful at identifying, acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; the company’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; as a result of the company’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to the company’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; the company’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilise the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorised use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; the company’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; if the company is unable to manage the organisational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that the company makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of the company’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; the company’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; the company may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

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Contact:

Georgia Hewett
Accenture
+ 61 417 699 567
georgia.hewett@accenture.com