WPP buys into gamification and big data with Globant stake

Headquartered in Buenos Aires, Globant employs 2,700 engineers, marketing specialists and designers in 21 offices across 14 cities in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, the United States and the United Kingdom. The company specialises in helping brands implement and measure mobile, gamification, social networks, cloud computing, big data and e-commerce capabilities via digtal marketing.

WPP will invest approximately $70m in acquiring the Globant stake. The deal will see Globant technology made available to all WPP companies including insight network Kantar. Clients already using Globant’s software include American Express, JP Morgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, Electronic Arts, Google, Coca-Cola, National Geographic and Zynga.

“Increasingly, clients want better coordination between their IT departments and their marketing departments, between their chief information officers (CIOs) and their chief marketing officers (CMOs),” said WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell (pictured).

“There are many consulting companies or digital agencies that are expert in one function or the other. Few, if any, do both and even fewer can integrate deep technical and creative capabilities on a global scale as Globant does. Partnering with Globant will allow our companies to increasingly provide our clients with insights and skills that will make their digital marketing efforts even more effective and simpler to manage at both the front and back ends.”