VCCP Group is beefing up its plan to put behavioural insight and data at the heart of its business model with the acquisition of Cowry Consulting, claimed to be one of the world’s leading behavioural science consultancies.
The acquisition forms part of VCCP’s accelerated growth strategy designed to strengthen the group’s business transformation positioning.
Cowry launched in 2015 by co-founders Jez Groom, Will Saunders, Ziba Goddard and Raphy March, with a specific focus on making FTSE and Fortune 500 companies as human as possible.
As one of the the biggest businesses focused behavioural science in the UK, it combines behavioural design and data techniques to bring conceptual designs to life.
VCCP hopes the acquisition will enable creative solutions that are based on how people actually think, helping to deliver more targeted and effective behaviour change programmes and campaigns and driving genuine business growth for clients.
Over the past seven years, the consultancy has enjoyed rapid success, growing to a team of 38 people which include behavioural scientists, psychologists, designers, researchers and data scientists.
The practice services global clients across the financial services, retail, utilities and construction sectors applying cognitive psychology, behavioural economics, and neuroscience to their clients’ businesses.
Cowry will continue their long-standing relationships with their existing clients, as well as supporting VCCP on the agency’s current and new opportunities.
VCCP London chief executive Andrew Peake said: “Behavioural science is at the beginning of its journey as a discipline but it’s already proven invaluable in helping businesses transform consumer and colleague behaviour.
“Its value is in helping clients to tackle some of the biggest perennial challenges to achieve commercial outcomes and we couldn’t be more delighted about Cowry bringing their unique capabilities into the VCCP family.”
Cowry founder Jez Groom added: “We’re excited at the prospect of bringing behavioural science to life through one of the most creative groups in the world. Behavioural science is now playing a key role in the growth of brands and businesses and VCCP Group will accelerate our influence and impact within organisations.”
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