New York-listed Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has agreed to acquire Bangkok-based Rabbit's Tale, a creative and digital experience agency.
The move is seen as significantly strengthening the regional creative, brand and data capabilities of Accenture Song – the world's largest tech-powered creative group, according to the announcement.
It would "help our clients build and optimize digital experiences across the entire customer lifecycle for growth in Thailand.from business desk", the announcement said.
Rabbit's Tale is rccognized as one of Thailand's most prominent advertising agencies, including being named among the top three agencies of 2022 at the Adman Awards by the Advertising Association of Thailand.
It brings credibility in crafting impactful brand strategies, driving digital content, and executing data-driven experiences, the announcement said.
"The agency has grown some of the world's most influential brands across consumer goods and services, automotive, communications and media, financial services, and digital and technology sectors, including Honda Motorcycle, CP Group, Ajinomoto, Doi Kham, GQ Apparel, Electrolux, Neo Corporate and Siam Commercial Bank."
Rabbit's Tale will boost Accenture Song's creative, brand and data capabilities in Thailand and the region
The move will take advantage of the growing importance of digital ad spending for brand differentiation and customer connection. Thailand is one of the top three focus markets in the Asia Pacific region, and its digital ad spend increased by 9.12% from 2021 to reach a thriving US$3.6 billion in 2022.
"Consumer and employee expectations have drastically changed, leading businesses to seek partners with the scale and skills for delivering unique yet powerful engagement and connections. They are also looking for creative solutions and transformative programs to advance growth," said Thomas Mouritzen, Southeast Asia lead for Accenture Song.
"Rabbit's Tale will add more firepower to Accenture Song's regional market excellence and business strategy, leveraging data, innovation, and creativity. This reaffirms our unwavering investment and commitment in Southeast Asia, enhancing our offerings, capabilities and talent base to help clients achieve tangible outcomes in their brand, marketing and experience transformation journeys."
Patama Chantaruck, country managing director, Thailand at Accenture, said: "This acquisition will help Accenture empower local businesses and nurture homegrown talent to create meaningful and highly personalized digital experiences that cater to the unique needs and preferences of the local market. Technology, when integrated with creativity, can significantly enhance how businesses interact with their customers and people, driving differentiation and fostering greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. Rabbit's Tale's talent and expertise will strengthen our positioning to help grow Thailand's private sector with unparalleled solutions to some of its most complex challenges. Our combined talent and expertise will propel Thailand as a thriving hub of technological advancement and digital innovation in the region."
Founded in 2010, Rabbit's Tale offers digital customer experience solutions, from retail experiences to customer relationship management and loyalty programs, hyper-personalized marketing to experience designs and digital platform development. Rabbit's Tale's team of approximately 120 employees across advertising, data & interactive and customer experience solutions business groups will join Accenture Song in Thailand and build upon Accenture's world-class strategy, design, performance, technology and large-scale operations capabilities to help clients navigate and create transformational change.
Sunard Thanasanaksorn, CEO of Rabbit's Tale, said: "To combine unconventional creativity and breakthrough technology to solve our clients' problems have always been our aspiration. We are thrilled that our next chapter of growth will be with Accenture Song, where its industry-leading position and creativity-led approach backed by data and technology has helped businesses across industries set new benchmarks."
Flaviano Faleiro, Accenture Song's president for Growth Markets, said: "The intent to acquire Rabbit's Tale advances our strategy to help our clients create new roadmaps to growth through tech-powered creativity. 97% of C-suite executives feel that their accelerated digital transformation efforts merely allow them to keep pace and not achieve new growth and customer relevance.
"Rabbit's Tale's creative and digital customer experience capabilities will enhance how we build and scale creative and digital customer experience solutions for clients in Growth Markets. It will further Accenture Song's market excellence to help clients adopt a life-centric approach that delivers to their customer's ever-changing needs and priorities, and ignite long-term growth with breakthrough yet relevant brands, products, and services."
Rabbit's Tale is the third acquisition that Accenture Song has made in Southeast Asia after Romp and Entropia to bolster its ability to help clients grow, innovate and sustain relevance. Other global acquisitions include ConcentricLife, Fiftyfive5 and The Stable.
The announcement was accompanied by the note: Zero Publishing Ltd and Rabbit's Tale Public Relations are not part of the acquisition and will continue as independent businesses. Rabbit's Tale Public Relations will be rebranded to Moonshot Digital Ltd. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.