KPMG Australia has acquired customer experience consultancy UDKU (U Don’t Know Us) in a bid to bolster the expertise within its Customer, Brand, and Marketing Advisory business. UDKU was founded in 2013 by managing partner Mark Timmins, creative strategist Colin Jowell, and creative Kon Marines, with an aim to help clients to embrace the unknown by mixing behavioral economics and neuroscience with creative.

The acquisition will see UDKU’s three owners and its Sydney-based team of 11 staff join KPMG’s Customer, Brand, and Marketing Advisory business. The acquisition is the second since KPMG created the CBMA division following its purchase of Acuity Research and Insights in June 2017. It marks the latest in a string of moves by KPMG to bolster its marketing advisory division which includes a number of high profile hires. Paul Howes, the partner in charge of CBMA, KPMG, said, “UDKU is a bit of a birthday present for our venture. It is just over a year since CBMA was formed, off the back of our acquisition of Acuity Research and Insights. And it’s been a massive success. CBMA is producing some stellar results for clients, and enjoying strong double-digit growth.”

Gary Wingrove, CEO of KPMG Australia, said, “Over the next five years, almost 90 percent of companies expect to be competing on the basis of customer experience alone. The world according to the customer will define organizations’ design, processes, and technology changes. UDKU beautifully complements CBMA’s expertise by deepening our customer experience and digital design capabilities, as well as adding a new dimension of physical design skills.”

The move comes as management consultancies continue to ramp up their marketing services with more consolidation expected in the coming months.