PwC and Accenture have announced the acquisitions of Optimisa Research and Brand Learning respectively, with both deals being struck within the space of a week.
PwC has acquired Optimisa Research to create its own PwC Research division, while Accenture has purchased marketing and sales consultancy Brand Learning.
Accenture’s deal aims to help clients make more of their own marketing and sales functions, while PwC hopes its new research division will expand its global insight services.
Acquisitions in the B2B sector have been experiencing a considerable surge, with marketing agencies Velocity Partners and MarketMakers purchased last month by Next15 and Centaur respectively. Next15 also recently snapped up B2B research provider Circle Research for £5.21 million.
Laura Gurski, global customer and channels practice leader for products at Accenture, commented: “More than 90% of CMOs say marketing will undergo fundamental change in the next five years, driven by analytics, digital and mobile technologies. With increasing digital innovation and personalised customer engagement, the marketing and sales functions are now seen as the key driver of top-line growth.
PwC partner and PwC Research leader, Honor Mallon, said: “Incorporating the extensive skillset of the Optimisa team with our existing business is key to differentiating our service and accelerating growth.
“We are already providing research and insight to PwC clients globally and this acquisition will expand our capacity to deliver integrated quantitative and qualitative insights to both business and consumer-facing clients. Optimisa has distinct strengths in the financial services sector – a key industry sector where we are already particularly active.”