GUT, the Independent Creative Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions 2023, has been acquired by Globant a tech company included in the latest Fortune 100 fast growing companys ranking.
The AI tech company takes a mayority stake in the capital equity of the agency in a win win move that will shape a partnership that will boost Globant’s technology and creative offering, taking it to a new level, and support GUT’s expansion to new markets and industries while “leading the inception of technology into advertising”, Globant’s press release says.
“Technology and creativity have never been more closely linked than they are today,” said Martin Migoya, Co-founder and CEO of Globant. “We always say that Globant is where innovation, design, and engineering meet scale, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring the world’s most creative marketing and communications company into the mix. With this acquisition, we will be able to offer a unique blend of top-notch technology and bold ideas to brands from the very beginning of the creative ideation process.”
Besides being a leading company in technological innovation and business transformation currently operating in 30 countries with 27,500 employees, which has been developing AI solutions for 15 years, Globant has been a client of GUT for the last 3 years, so both companies, says the agency’s statement, “know each other well. We also share Latin origins and we are proud to see our companies conquering the world.”
Established just 5 years ago (in 2018) by Anselmo Ramos and Gaston Bigio, GUT currently has 500 employees distributed across 7 offices that operate in 6 countries.
The agency’s client portfolio includes more than 60 companies with AB InBev, Mercado Libre, Google, Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, and Tim Hortons among them.
Founded in 2003 by Martin Migoya, Guibert Englebienne, Martin Umaran and Nestor Nocetti, the technology company is expanding its activities, quickly both geographically and in thefieldof new productas and services.
“Globant has been a trusted client for many years. We’ve done so many wonderful and successful things together as an agency and client, and now together, we know they will help us realize the dreams we’ve had since we were founded in 2018,” said Gaston Bigio, Co-Founder and Creative Chairman of GUT. “Ultimately, we’re excited to be part of the team that will propel us into the next phase of growth and success at GUT, and set us up for even more growth and success in the long term for our People and clients around the world.”
No changes in the management team and in the independence of GUT
GUT will remain operating as fully independent as it does today, and GUT’s leadership team will remain in place with a continued focus on building culture and driving growth. Both companies will work together identifying cross-selling opportunities and leveraging their unique skills to provide even more innovative solutions to their customers.
“Anselmo and Gastón will continue to lead GUT with the support of Andrea Diquez, our Global CEO, GUT Partners and the leadership team in our 7 offices,” says the statement published by GUT on Linkedin.
“We are thrilled to enter into this next chapter of our expansive growth powered by such an entrepreneurial and innovative partner as Globant, who will help us rapidly achieve the scale we’ve always dreamed about,” said Anselmo Ramos, Co-Founder and Creative Chairman of GUT. “Our mission when we founded GUT was to be the most diverse, creative, and influential agency Network ever, so we know that this reinvention with Globant will only accelerate that goal to hopefully becoming our reality soon.”
Further more than a mere purcase
“This is not the typical acquisition of an advertising company.
It is a deeply strategic and complementary partnership. It’s technology powered by advertising and advertising powered by technology.
With Globant, we will have access to a new digital toolbox, which will allow us to create and produce even more bold and ambitious ideas,” following GUT’s statement on the purchase published on Linkedin.
“GUT and Globant share a solid culture, endless passion for supporting their clients, and a strong commitment to bravery, creativity, and innovation”, said Martin Umaran, Co-Founder and Chief Corporate Development Officer of Globant. “In past years, Globant doubled-down on its inherent creative side of technology by adding marketing and advertising agencies such as Habitant, in Spain, Vertic, in Denmark, Ad_Bid, in Colombia, and KTBO, in Mexico. We have already merged these teams with Globant’s own Digital Marketing and Digital Sales Studios to create a new end-to-end Studio Network with an agency approach enhanced with AI and diverse and talented professionals. GUT will play a critical role in being part of this Network”, he added.
In the bare technological aspect of its activity, Globant presented in February this year a cutting-edge artificial intelligence assistant for building digital products from written notes. It is called GeneXus Next.
Leaving aside the products and platforms offered by Genexus (a subsidiary of Globant), AI is a central piece of their product and platform offering. To give some examples, Augoor applies AI technology to make the programming process faster, more creative and effective. Globant’s AI tool, MagnifAI, accelerates testing processes so that companies can launch products faster.
In the midst of a quick diversification process, Globant launched Sportian in early November this year, the new identity of LaLiga Tech, a provider of digital transformation solutions for the global sports and entertainment sector.
Furthermore, the technology company leads by their own example, in fact they use AI internally in almost each of the operational processes, from hiring to the assignment of projects.
