WPP’s digital agency AKQA has acquired a majority stake in the holding company of digital agency Potato, which specialises in designing and building complex, secure and scalable web applications.
Potato delivers impressive technical solutions for leading brands particularly in the field of Django and Python.
The work signed by Potato is at the very heart of many influential marketing campaigns.
This acquisition continues WPP’s strategy of investing in fast growth sectors such as digital and content.
The roster of clients of Potato includes Google and Canon. The agency employs around 100 people and is headquartered in London, with an office in Bristol and a presence in San Francisco.
Potato’s teams will continue to operate independently, collaborating with AKQA on shared initiatives and projects.
Jason Cartwright, Potato’s CEO said: “We have tremendous admiration for AKQA’s creativity, vision and values. We are incredibly excited about the opportunities this partnership will create for our clients. The intersection of data, engineering and creative excellence is a perfect description of where our industry is heading.”
Ajaz Ahmed, AKQA’s CEO said: “The imaginative application of technology has always been the driving force in our ability to pioneer what’s next. As clients embrace the latest frameworks and programming languages we are delighted to welcome Potato to the family so we can contribute to the future together.”
Potato posted revenues for the year ended 31 March 2015 at £6.9 million, with gross assets of £4.1 million, as at the same date.
WPP digital revenues were over $7Bn in 2015 sourcing the 37% of Group’s $19Bn total revenues. WPP has set a target of obtaining a 40 to 45% derived from digital in the next five years.
Image over the headline.- Jason Cartwright (CEO, Potato) -left- and Ajaz Ahmed (CEO, AKQA). © AKQA
