Infosys (NYSE: INFY), known for its global consulting, technology and next-generation services, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire WONGDOODY, a US-based, full-service creative and consumer insights agency. The move strengthens Infosys’ creative, branding and customer experience capabilities, and demonstrates its continued commitment to bringing innovative thinking, talent and creativity to clients around the world.
WONGDOODY, an award-winning creative agency with studios in Seattle and Los Angeles, brings to Infosys globally recognized creative talent and deep marketing and brand engagement expertise. The agency is known for its fully-integrated campaigns, omni-channel programs, expertise in connecting digital experiences to physical in-store experiences, and capabilities to create multi-platform content that marries data and analytics with creative expertise to drive compelling, sharable content. With services that include strategy, research and insights, brand and marketing positioning, creative design, advertising and production, WONGDOODY elevates global brands across industries from telecommunications and consumer electronics, to healthcare and consumer packaged goods.
“We are focused on partnering with global brands and CMOs to help them on their digital transformation journeys, by developing a digital experience services ecosystem with services ranging from strategy, design and user experience, to creative and digital marketing across the customer experience value chain. WONGDOODY’S expertise in driving innovative creative solutions is already yielding significant results in our initial collaborations with clients, and this acquisition will further enhance Infosys’ capabilities in this space,” said Ravi Kumar S, president and deputy COO, Infosys.
WONGDOODY founder and chairman, Tracy Wong, added, “Joining forces with Infosys gives us the power to implement our creativity in ways that weren’t possible before. Brand experiences, powered and backed by Infosys’ digital and technological might, can change the trajectory of our clients’ businesses and revolutionize how customers experience their brands. It’s a great honor for us to complete a true end-to-end Infosys engagement offering.”
“WONGDOODY is a stellar addition to the Infosys Digital family. Their creative excellence and reputation of driving engaging digital customer experiences that operate at the intersection of advertising, retail, technology, and design precedes them. I’m personally excited to work closely with the WONGDOODY team to strengthen our customer experience capabilities and bring new thinking, talent and innovation to our global clients,” said Scott Sorokin, global head of Infosys Digital.
Ben Wiener, WONGDOODY CEO, said, “As our clients grapple with the implications of digital disruption for their brands and customers, joining Infosys gives us instant scale and expertise to leverage data and user experience insights to build brand platforms for the future. This is a unique marriage of digital strategy, creative and technology talents to build the agency model that modern CMOs are demanding.”
The acquisition represents Infosys’ further commitment to the expansion of a worldwide, connected network of Digital Studios. With Infosys Digital Studios spanning the globe – from Bengaluru and Pune to New York, London, and Melbourne – the addition of WONGDOODY strengthens Infosys’ ability to fulfill the needs of global clients for comprehensive digital transformation solutions required to meet customer demand for next-generation, enhanced customer experiences.
Focused on accelerating its digital experience strategy, Infosys had earlier announced the acquisition of Brilliant Basics, a London-based digital design and customer experience innovator that is creating significant value to clients across Europe and Middle East.
The acquisition of WONGDOODY is expected to close during the first quarter of fiscal 2019, subject to customary closing conditions.
GP Bullhound acted as the exclusive financial advisor to WONGDOODY on this transaction.
SCHROM x Yacht Club and Be Electric Studios Launch Electric XR for Virtual Production
SCHROM x Yacht Club, a full-service live-action, tabletop, and postproduction company, has teamed with Be Electric Studios, a soundstage, equipment rental, and virtual production company, to launch Electric XR, a virtual production collective.
Industry veteran Thomas Rossano will lead the new venture, which provides advanced virtual production solutions across multiple facilities. He brings over 25 years of experience in live-action, tabletop, postproduction and talent curation to enhance Electric XR’s offerings as a resource for brands and agencies, as well as other production companies in need of virtual production solutions. Additionally Rossano continues to serve as EP at XR New York (XR-NY), a role he’s held since December 2022. SCHROM x Yacht Club originally established XR-NY to help provide XR services for third-party rentals. While XR-NY will continue to function independently for SCHROM X Yacht Club, it now operates under the Electric XR umbrella.
Rossano’s expertise spans producing live-action commercials, branded content, interactive and experiential content. In addition to leading Electric XR, he holds responsibilities at SCHROM x Yacht Club which include driving business development, collaborating with sales reps and expanding the company’s creative talent network. Rossano’s career includes serving as an exec producer at Hungry Man for about 11 years, right from that company’s inception. He then went on to become a partner at Station Film where he also had a lengthy tenure. Later he was a partner at PRISM. Then after the pandemic hit, he became a freelance EP for nearly two years, looking into opportunities in virtual production, which led him to XR NY and now Electric XR. Over the years, he has produced high-profile... Read More