I'm back! And I survived (and - dare I say - enjoyed) my first trip to Cannes. A big thank you to my fellow Ad Agers for filling in on Agency Briefs while I gallivanted around Europe.
Before we get into this week's Agency Brief, here's a quick reminder: Ad Age's Small Agency Conference and Awards in Nashville is next week, July 18 -19. Hope to see you all there. Now onto this week's happenings.
Accenture must be bananas about The Monkeys
According to The Australian Financial Review, Accenture bought creative shop The Monkeys for $63 million this spring. According to the AFR, considering The Monkeys' $21.6 million in revenue, Accenture is paying a higher multiple than what Deloitte, EY, KPMH, and PwC paid for acquisitions in 2016. We're guessing that Accenture expects the Australian agency to swing into action and make big creative moves.
MullenLowe Group gets salty
MullenLowe Group has decided to spice up its communications and PR capabilities with the purchase of Salt. The shop, which has offices in London and Singapore, works with the likes of Unilever, Ferrero and ManpowerGroup. Salt will be rebranded as MullenLowe Salt and will add a few dashes of European and Asian expertise to the group's existing PR capabilities in the U.S.
RPA art director dishes on pickles and ice cream
After hearing about odd cravings from pregnant friends (such as for Oreos and toothpaste), RPA Senior Art Director Juarez Rodrigues and Freelance Copywriter Vicky Jacob-Ebbinghaus teamed up to write a book called "Pickles and Ice Cream: A Bizarre Pregnancy Cravings Cookbook." The visually appealing book highlights 70 peculiar meals, such as tomato soup and M&Ms. as well as short stories from the women who hankered for them.