Accenture Interactive acquires Spanish agency Shackleton as M&A spree continues
Accenture Interactive has snapped up Spanish brand communications agency Shackleton, marking its second buy in as many weeks after its acquisition of North American creative powerhouse Droga5.
Shackleton's video explaining the acquisition - in which a man transforms into an angel
The consultancy offshoot has bought the Madrid-based agency for an undisclosed fee, expanding its ability to design, build and run integrated brand experiences for clients in Spain, Europe, Latin America and beyond.
Europe has been a big focus for Accenture Interactive. To date, it's struck deals to purchase a number of creative shops in the region, including: Kolle Rebbe (Germany), Hjaltelin Stahl (Denmark) and Storm Digital (Netherlands). In the UK, its main acquisition has been Karmarama.
The buying spree forms part of the group's ambition to build a global experience agency from scratch.
Shackleton was founded in 2004 and has to date secured 35 Cannes Lions. It has a team of 176 staff who will remain in place to bolster Accenture Interactive, serving a client roster that includes Pret a Manger, retailer Joy and Itsu.
Anatoly Roytman, head of Accenture Interactive for Europe, Africa, Latin America (EALA), who recently told The Drum the business is 100% looking to hire a chief creative officer this year, said: "The addition of Shackleton proves our commitment to fostering creative talent and expanding our capabilities globally so that we can help our clients build highly creative and effective brand experiences."
Shackleton chief executive Pablo Alzugaray, added: “We’re proud to join Accenture Interactive and help to further enhance its Experience Agency model. This opportunity will provide our team and clients with global reach and the ability to better scale our customer experiences, which is essential to breaking through in today’s increasingly competitive environment.”
Shackleton created a video of a creative transforming into an angel to mark the acquisition.
Last week, The Drum analysed whether the fiercely independent creative culture of Droga 5 could successfully integrate into the global consultancy giant, after the shock news it had sold to Accenture.
The fact that Accenture Interactive, a subsidiary still defined by its corporate consultancy roots, was to buy a young shop so full of culture and autonomy was significant enough for the New York Times to deem it worthy of a 1,000-word write-up.
Some indie agency cheerleaders lamented founder David Droga’s decision to sell as a cash-hungry enterprise; while others used the news as a recruitment opportunity.