IBM announced partnerships with interactive digital agencies Rosetta and [email protected], Ogilvy & Mather’s (O&M) global eCommerce practice, for those organizations to sell IBM’s Smarter Commerce software to their clients.
O&M has already brought several IBM solutions into client engagements over the past several years most specifically its Unica interactive software company that is being used globally by such clients as Kimberly-Clark and others, the company said.
The partnership follows IBM’s three year and $3 billion investment in its Smarter Commerce initiative that includes a series of acquisitions expanding its software capabilities in customer analytics and focus on helping CMO’s and CIO’s collaborate in new ways to engage today’s increasingly selective and digitally empowered consumer. In addition to the analytics and cloud technology that IBM offers, the partnership will incorporate the CRM, insight-driven and shopper centric capabilities that [email protected] provides.
Indeed, O&M has already built a multi-million dollar global e-commerce practice. The agency plans to build revenues from [email protected] to exceed $100 million in three to four years and will continue to invest in building its offering.
[email protected] brings together the analytics and CRM capabilities of OgilvyOne with the retail and shopper marketing of OgilvyAction, to build enhanced consumer retail and cross industry ecosystems. Its work for clients over the past several years incorporates the new realities of the interconnected digital and store shopping experiences, the company said. O&M’s growing eCommerce practice works on behalf of such clients as Louis Vuitton, British Airways, Kimberly-Clark, Nike, Nestle, Ciaro and others. It has offices in New York, London, Paris, Melbourne, Sao Paulo, Taiwan, Singapore, China and Korea with plans to expand.
“We’ve already built an extensive network of offices and capabilities that add value to our clients’ businesses and has proven to be in keeping with our model to add new offerings that leverage changes in our industry such as consulting, performance marketing, sustainability and more,” said Miles Young, worldwide chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, in a statement. “IBM’s technology solutions in this space are unequaled and will add to the solutions [email protected] delivers. At the same time, we will also provide IBM with an expanded base of potential clients.”
[email protected] has already developed and implemented multichannel digital customer experience offerings including online retail and mobile applications for Louis Vuitton, growing CRM user experience platforms for Nestle, and the redesign of one of the leading cable television operators platform and portal to add e-commerce, small business development and channel line-ups.
In a statement, Carl Hartman, who assumed leadership of [email protected] in January said, “E-commerce engagements are complex and require multiple types of vertical expertise, to meet that client need. The IBM/O&M partnership will include joint training and education sessions, new collaborative service options and a one-stop solution for clients to power and simplify their e-commerce engagement. We are optimistic this partnership will help clients on both sides and will benefit from the shared understanding between O&M and IBM based on our 17-year working relationship and the success of that partnership in driving results for IBM.”
Meanwhile, IBM and Rosetta have been working together for 12 years. Rosetta, which operates as an independent brand in the Publicis Groupe of global agencies, achieved full Smarter Commerce certification by IBM last year.
“Rosetta’s rich understanding of the consumer coupled with our deep technological prowess allows us to unleash the power contained within the IBM suite of products right along the customer lifecycle and, critically, at each of the ‘moments that matter,'” said Mark Taylor, Rosetta’s chief marketing operations officer. “We are immensely proud to be the first agency in the world to be fully Smarter Commerce certified by IBM.”
Rosetta has more than 100 WebSphere Commerce implementations with its clients and more than 300 practitioners capable of delivering WebSphere Commerce expertise, the company said.