WPP Digital acquires majority stake in SA born digital marketer Acceleration

Acceleration, a South African born digital marketing technology company, has announced that it has entered into an agreement to be part of the WPP Digital, the digital arm of WPP, the international marketing communications company.

Acceleration was founded in 1999 by Stephan Pretorius and has grown into a global business with offices in London, New York, Dubai, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires and Cape Town.

Acceleration will operate as an independent and standalone business within WPP Digital and will architect, implement and orchestrate digital brand experiences.

“With the continued transformation of marketing by technology, there’s a growing demand for digital marketing technologists to help publishers and, increasingly, marketers manage and integrate the various specialist software tools available in areas such as analytics, ad serving, digital asset management and optimisation. We expect Acceleration to bring these skills to bear on WPP’s clients as they already do with many of the leading marketing organisations” said Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital.

Acceleration CEO Jacques van Niekerk believes that the strategic management of digital technologies is integral to the future of marketing as a discipline and any company’s competitive advantage.

“WPP Digital’s investment in Acceleration serves as a confirmation of this new reality. We look forward to building an innovative partnership,” said van Niekerk.