Capgemini To Buy Digital Marketing Firm June 21

Paris-based consulting and IT solution provider Capgemini Group showed no signs of slowing its breathless acquisition pace, announcing plans to buy June 21, a consulting firm specializing in digital marketing.

The company said on Monday that the “bolt on” acquisition enables Capgemini to further meet growing demand for its end-to-end digital services including helping organizations to reinvent how they engage with and deliver value to their customers.

“In June 21, we found an exceptional team able to deliver on the customer-led transformation challenges faced by our large clients. Jean-Pierre Villaret, Jean-Marc Benoit and their talented colleagues will bring to Capgemini Invent a unique understanding of digital marketing and communication channels along with a depth of relationship at the CMO and CEO level,” said Cyril Garcia, CEO Capgemini Invent .

The terms of the deal, which is due to close in the coming weeks, were not disclosed.

This is the latest of several recent acquisitions for Capgemini, which is No. 6 on the 2018 CRN Solution Provider 500.

Capgemini acquired Adaptive Lab, a London-based digital design studio that helps businesses adjust to new technology as well as shifts in customer behavior, in June.

Also in June, it announced plans to buy Leidos Cyber -- the security division of the Fortune 500 defense contractor Leidos Holdings. In February, Capgemini said it planned to buy LiquidHub, a provider of digital transformation services, in a move to expand both its own digital transformation capabilities and its reach into the U.S. market.

In September 2017, Capgemini announced plans to acquire Chicago-based Lyons Consulting Group to meet the digital customer experience needs of its global customers. That followed Capgemini's March 2017 acquisition of European Salesforce Commerce Cloud dynamo Itelios, as well as its January 2016 purchase of European Salesforce specialist Oinio.

All of this follows Capgemini’s blockbuster 2015 deal when it acquired U.S. company iGate for $4 billion as it turned its gaze to North America.

Bridgewater, N.J.-based iGate focused on integrated technology and operations-based solutions and added key capabilities to the Capgemini portfolio around application, infrastructure services, BPO and engineering services.

According to a statement, Capgemini’s latest target, June 21, was founded in 2007, by Jean Pierre Villaret, who was previously the co-founder and president of the DevarrieuxVillaret agency, and the CEO of Young & Rubicam, and Jean Marc Benoit, who was previously the general manager of DevarrieuxVillaret after a career that began at Ipsos.

June 21 has acted as a senior adviser, on marketing and communications in the digital era, to the top management of large firms across France and the UK working for companies such as Kingfisher, SNCF, Orange, Carrefour, Veolia and AG2R La Mondiale.

“The arrival of artificial intelligence in our daily lives is a breakthrough that triggers new challenges for our clients, all leaders in their markets,” Villaret said in a statement. “We were convinced that we could not remain effective both as a force for strategic propositions and as a creator of content without the support and power of a reference partner. As leader in technology, data and customer experience Capgemini will allow us to develop new expertise while preserving our know-how and the originality of our approach. This is a very positive move for both our clients and employees.”