Cognizant to Acquire New York-Based Creative Agency Mustache

 Cognizant(Nasdaq: CTSH) announced it is acquiring Mustache, a privately-held creative content agency based in Brooklyn, NY, known for its innovative approach to planning, producing and distributing compelling video content and programming. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019 subject to satisfaction of certain closing conditions. Financial details were not disclosed.

Founded in 2010, Mustache specializes in creating award-winning original and branded content for digital, broadcast and social mediums, all increasingly important for marketers. An April 2018 study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) shows that nearly 60 percent of marketers’ digital ad budgets today are allocated to video alone, and spending continues to rise. 

Mustache’s capabilities extend across the content creation continuum, from developing concepts through to production, post-production, and distribution services. Mustache’s TV business unit is widely recognized for its expertise in long format video development, including the “Most Expensivest” reality series created for Viceland. The agency is also recognized for its integrated campaigns across a range of industries, including tech, tourism, beauty and television marketing. Mustache’s clients include leading edge brands such as: A&E Networks, Brand USA, Google, Grammarly, L'Oréal, Netflix, and Viceland.

Upon the close of the acquisition, Mustache’s team of content experts -- including creative directors, strategists, art directors, writers, producers, animators, graphic designers, video editors, and post production specialists -- will become part of Cognizant Interactive, ranked in April 2018 by Ad Age as #1 digital agency network in the United States and #3 digital agency in the world.

“CMOs are looking for a single-source, at-scale provider to help them with the capabilities they need to win in the experience economy,” said Donna Tuths, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cognizant Interactive. “Creating engaging content remains a singular challenge due to the demands of ‘always on’ social media channels – especially when it comes to video. With the addition of Mustache, Cognizant Interactive is even better positioned to fill this need.”

Tuths added, “We look forward to welcoming the Mustache team to Cognizant Interactive. These highly-skilled content specialists and the rich expertise they bring will set us apart in our ability to provide a complete range of digital content services, particularly long format video, which we know is increasingly driving consumer engagement and purchase decisions.”

“Mustache was born of the conviction that brands need to connect and engage with their customers more authentically, and the best way to do that is through honest, compelling, and provocative content,” said John Limotte, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Creative Director, Mustache. “By joining forces with Cognizant, we can leverage their deep resources and geographic reach to scale our capabilities more quickly and effectively to provide clients with more comprehensive solutions — marrying our content and creative with their cutting-edge technology and analytics to create a powerful, forward-looking, full-service model. We are particularly drawn to the global agency network developed under Cognizant Interactive, and the leading position they’ve taken on applied innovation and on solving clients’ challenges with what they call a ‘human-centered’ approach. We look forward to combining our strengths with Cognizant to deliver great results for clients.”