Betting On Brand-Building: Accenture To Acquire German Design Agency

Accenture is boosting its presence in Germany with plans to acquire a design agency with a history of working with high-profile clients such as Google and Netflix.

Anatoly Roytman, senior managing director, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America, and global commerce offering lead at Accenture Interactive, told CRN that with Kolle Rebbe, Accenture can offer customers the most creative and technically savvy people and deliver brand-building campaigns that combine award-winning creativity with a dedicated focus on digital customer interaction.

“Kolle Rebbe is a fantastic creative agency,” Roytman said. “The basic idea is to bring together technology, business acumen and creativity to do something different. That’s not just advertising, it’s not just marketing, it’s not just sales, it’s not just services, it’s all of those things coming together. That’s going to be the name of the game and this is what we’re betting on.”

Founded in 1994, Kolle Rebbe has carried out some of the most-recognized campaigns in recent years in Germany, such as Google’s “Life is a Search,” Lufthansa’s #sayyestotheworld, Audi’s “Next Level Luxury,” as well as the launch of Netflix programs “Narcos” and “Better Call Saul.”

The Hamburg-based agency will become part of Accenture Interactive and strengthen its ability to create and deliver integrated brand experiences for customers in Germany and across other geographies. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval but is expected to be completed in about a month. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed

“Let’s imagine a brand that wants to double in size. That involves many different things they have to bring together, many different capabilities,” Roytman said. “We at Accenture Interactive, we want to be that partner that can help that brand to grow. That means to be global. That means to be creative. That means connecting with consumers, servicing them as well. Coming up with new ideas. Coming up with new products. And packaging it in a way that is very different than what typical agencies do.”

Kolle Rebbe is Accenture’s third recent acquisition in Germany. In January 2018, Accenture Interactive acquired Mackevision, a leading producer of computer-generated imagery and immersive content. In June 2018, Accenture acquired strategic design consultancy designaffairs to join its Industry X.0 team.

“We need to be able to bring together the CIO and the CMO, which is not what is being done at the moment,” Roytman said. “We will become the glue that links together different parts of the organization. This is not a pipe dream. We already have a couple of big clients that embrace this idea. This is just the beginning of the journey because we believe we are creating a new market. We need to fight the inertia because the modern businesses, they have been designed centuries ago around function. And now they’re trying to recondition to be more customer-centric and to be more customer-centric is not just creating a database.”

In 2017, Accenture Interactive acquired a majority stake in digital agency SinnerSchrader. Kolle Rebbe is part of a series of moves that Accenture Interactive has made globally to strengthen its creative capabilities, including the addition of agencies such as Karmarama in the U.K, Rothco in Ireland and The Monkeys in Australia.

“The advertising market in Germany is undergoing significant change,” Fabian Frese, chief creative officer, Kolle Rebbe, said in a statement. “Clients are increasingly looking for agencies with global reach and a full-service portfolio from ideation to execution. However, one thing remains unchanged: Creative ideas still matter. We believe that, as part of Accenture Interactive, we will have a stronger impact by blending creativity with strategy and technology to create truly differentiating brand experiences.”