- Five days after announcing it's acquiring Columbus-based online ad agency Resource/Ammirati, IBM (NYSE:IBM -1.4%) says it's acquiring Aperto, a Berlin-based online ad agency whose client list includes Airbus, Volkswagen, and Siemens. Terms are once more undisclosed.
- Like Resource/Ammirati, Aperto has 300+ employees and will join IBM's Interactive Experience (iX) digital agency unit (has over 10K employees). IBM, which has made a series of software and services-related acquisition to help benefit from rising online ad spend and a shift in IT spending towards CMOs: "Demand for [ad] experience design is expected to accelerate as clients in all industries seek to deliver more consumer-like experiences to their customers and employees, and integrate the power of cognitive computing and analytics platforms."
- The moves follow a Q4 in which Big Blue's Global Tech Services and Global Business Services revenue respectively fell 7.1% and 9.9% Y/Y to $8.1B and $4.3B. Both forex and the impact of cloud services adoption on on-premise IT services spend weighed.
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14 months ago: IBM expands alliance with ad giant WPP
- Recent IBM acquisitions