August 09, 2017

Accenture Acquires Marketing Agency Wire Stone to Deliver Connected Customer Experiences

Acquisition expands Accenture Interactive’s creative marketing capabilities and talent in North America

NEW YORK; Aug. 9, 2017 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired Wire Stone, a US-based creative marketing agency that brings together technology and creativity to create better customer experiences and digital marketing solutions. The acquisition will strengthen the ability of Accenture Interactive to deliver data-driven creative and design end-to-end digital customer experiences that help brands stand out and stay relevant. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Wire Stone brings together a blend of creative talent, design-led strategy, deep marketing expertise and technology roots to solve clients’ creative and business challenges. The agency is known for creating integrated campaigns and immersive experiences that leverage the latest technologies to tell compelling brand stories. Its services span brand positioning, customer research and data-driven insights, marketing strategy, execution and promotions, creative design and technology enablement for digital experiences.

With the acquisition of Wire Stone, Accenture Interactive scales its capabilities and talent in marketing and creativity, and strengthens its ability to provide leading edge design, strategy and personalized marketing experiences for clients. It also adds expertise in data-driven customer insight to its digital marketing capabilities and complements its core capabilities in design, marketing, content and commerce.

US-based marketing agency brings together creative and technology to create better customer experiences

“Great experiences begin with great stories. Wire Stone’s proven ability to tell engaging stories by blending creativity and technology, together with Accenture’s scale and business transformation expertise, is a unique and powerful combination,” said Glen Hartman, who leads Accenture Interactive in North America.

“It takes diverse talent and culture to deliver on Accenture Interactive’s mission of helping our clients build the best experiences on the planet and with the acquisition of Wire Stone we are bringing together a top team of technologists, strategists, consultants and designers to do just that,” added Brian Whipple, head of Accenture Interactive. “We are thrilled to welcome these creative marketers to our family to drive innovation with our clients.”

Wire Stone has nearly 200 employees in the US, which will add significant scale to Accenture Interactive’s talent in North America. Since its founding in 2000, the agency has delivered work for some of the world’s most recognized brands, including, Microsoft, HP Enterprise and HP Inc., PayPal and eBay.

Watch Wire Stone’s client work reel 2017

“Wire Stone and Accenture Interactive share a culture and passion for delivering creative and impactful customer experiences,” said Dan Lynch, CEO of Wire Stone. “By bringing our creative and digital marketing talent and expertise together with Accenture Interactive, we are now able to deliver end-to-end solutions for clients utilizing their deep industry expertise and intimate relationships. We believe this winning combination is a pivotal moment for our clients and our teams, as we continue to push the boundaries of creating remarkable customer experiences.”

@AccentureSong is scaling its talent in #marketing & #creativity with the acquisition of @wirestone

Wire Stone is the fifteenth acquisition Accenture Interactive has made in the last five years to expand the reach, scope, and depth of its end-to-end customer experience services globally. In July, Accenture Interactive acquired Clearhead (US), a digital optimization company, and in May acquired e-commerce solution provider Media Hive (US) to strengthen its capabilities around Salesforce Commerce Cloud implementation. Other recent acquisitions have included creative agencies The Monkeys/Maud (Australia) and Karmarama (UK), communications agency Kunstmaan (Belgium), and digital agency SinnerSchrader (Germany).

About Accenture Interactive
Accenture Interactive 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 is ranked the world’s largest digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report. To learn more, follow us @AccentureSong 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 and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the 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 411,000 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 utilization 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 utilize the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized 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 organizational 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:

Kelly Coffed
Accenture
+ 1 404 219 3100
kelly.coffed@accenture.com