David Droga (below) has been annointed as the new CEO (and creative chairman, of course) of Accenture Interactive, the consultancy-owned marcoms group that acquired D5 in 2019. He succeeds Brian Whipple who’s retiring.
The move is, presumably, a sign that the acquisition of D5 has been a success and, maybe, that the $10.6bn primarily digital network is doubling down on creativity. Accenture Interactive owns other agencies including Karmarama in the UK, Rothco in Ireland and The Monkeys in Droga’s homeland of Australia.
Accenture says: “At a time when our clients are led by purpose, brand and the transformation of experience, David’s global perspective and unmatched creative track record allows us to help clients unlock business and human outcomes in unprecedented ways.”
Droga says: “Accenture Interactive has rapidly become the leading digital powerhouse at the intersection of data, creativity and technology. As the world seeks to build back better, interactive will continue to play a critical role in creating 360° value for our clients. I look forward to putting further emphasis on our creative excellence, coupling it with our world-class ingenuity and proven expertise in interactive and experiences.”
It may always have been the plan for Droga to succeed Whipple. In any event it would have been hard to promote anyone else from AI ahead of Droga as head of the whole agency.
Arguably Droga’s first task is to improve A1’s new business record with truly global ad accounts. With one or two exceptions such as Kimberley Clark, it has failed to wrest any global biggies from the conventional ad holding companies although it has secured a number of roster places.
As I pointed out on AdScam, if Dave is replacing Mr. Whipple, he will no doubt be asking us not to squeeze the Accenture.