Why Indonesia is a priority market for Accenture Song

Accenture Song sent the Southeast Asian ad market buzzing when it announced its plans to take another piece of the creative pie with the acquisition of brand and experience agency Romp in Indonesia.

While Accenture Song (formerly Accenture Interactive) declined to share the cost of acquisition, the company said the acquisition of Romp will strengthen Accenture Song’s ability to deliver creative and tech-driven brand experiences for clients across Southeast Asia.

Under the Accenture Song umbrella, Romp’s senior leadership will join Accenture and will play a key role in driving the business. In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Thomas Mouritzen, Accenture Song’s SEA lead said that as the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Accenture Song has long recognised Indonesia’s potential to be a hub for technological innovation. Indonesia’s digital advertising market is also fast-growing and e-commerce market is estimated to reach US$53.8 billion in 2025, and it is gaining momentum and becoming a growth engine for local and global companies. “Accenture Song sees a need to capitalise on this appetite in Indonesia and across Southeast Asia by expanding our capabilities and capacity to meet clients’ demand for accelerated growth,” said Mouritzen (pictured left).

He added that led by influential leadership, Romp stood out as an independent agency with an impressive track record of helping clients accelerate business growth and sustain relevancy for years to come despite being a young company. “We conducted a comprehensive market analysis and found that Romp’s capabilities strongly aligned with and complemented the services offered through Accenture Song that helps client growth through relevance. We also looked for a strong cultural fit,” said Mouritzen.

While the company is currently 150 strong, Mouritzen added that Accenture Song is always on the lookout to strengthen its capabilities.

“Accenture follows a clear acquisition strategy that supports our growth model, which is focused primarily on organic growth. We acquire companies to scale talent, broaden our skills and capabilities, or provide expertise in a strategic area or industry—as a key engine to drive innovation and growth,” he added.

Cultural fit

Meanwhile, Romp, which started up in 2019, has made a name for itself for its creative talent and innovative services across branding, creative and performance marketing in Indonesia. The agency is founded by the long-time former CEO of MullenLowe Indonesia Joseph Tan (pictured right) who made waves in the Indonesian advertising scene leaving the firm after 12 years. Along with his departure, the then MullenLowe chief creative officer Roy Wisnu and chief operating officer Daniel Siswandi also left the agency.

Tan shared that since its inception, Romp has always believed in a vision of helping clients build strong and long-lasting relationships with their customers. This also means constantly elevating the business through new thinking methods and approaches, and being open to opportunities to do so. “Given the rapid shifts in consumer behavior and urgency for businesses to find future growth, we looked to find a company that shared the same ambition and help ensure their clients were best positioned for the future. The right partner was found in Accenture Song,” he said.

When asked about preservation of its independent culture, Tan said that given the similarity in culture between Romp and Accenture Song, he doesn’t anticipate much friction. “Romp and Accenture Song share common cultures and are passionate about driving innovative solutions to value-add clients’ business and create an inclusive culture. We share important similarities in what we value as a team – the ability to embrace change to drive relevant and future-facing solutions for their clients and communities,” he said, adding:

These elements that have made each business succeed in their unique ways will be preserved, and we will continue to build on this foundation for successful integration.