Accenture buys The Monkeys

Accenture today announced it has acquired Australian independent creative agency The Monkeys, and its design business Maud.

Sydney-based The Monkeys has a team of 130, which will join Accenture Interactive and boost its creative offering alongside its digital and marketing services.

The Monkeys has built a strong reputation over the years, winning Campaign’s Australian Creative Agency of the Year for 2016. The agency is responsible for campaigns including Telstra’s ‘Thrive on’, Meat and Livestock Australia’s ‘You never lamb alone’, and Qantas’ Dreamliner launch.

“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.

“It's the start of a new model," he told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "Similar to the Karmarama acquisition in London, if our focus is to be the number one customer experience business in the world, we need The Monkeys to achieve it. We’re now part creative, part consultant and part technology, and we can take that to clients as a new solution." 

The Monkeys’ senior executives—CEO Mark Green, chief creative officers Justin Drape and Scott Nowell and Maud CCO David Park—will continue in their roles and take on leadership roles within Accenture Interactive in Australia and New Zealand.

Green said: “We've done very well for 11 years now, and we wanted to take the business to the next step. We felt we needed a global partner to do that. Accenture Interactive are providing the things we don't get to do, and the combination will deliver a deeper business solution for clients."

He added that Accenture's global network was a key consideration, as The Monkeys have been eyeing up opportunities to expand into new cities and potentially new countries. 

"The business is all about the people, and we have made sure that what has made us good stays," Green said. "We felt we were ready to play on a bigger stage."

The acquisition is Accenture Interactive’s 12th globally since 2013.