David Droga reveals why he's giving up his cherished independence and selling Droga5 to Accenture Interactive (ACN)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 30: Founder & Creative Chairman of Droga5 David Droga speaks onstage at the Creativity & Technology: Lorraine Twohill & David Droga In Conversation panel presented by Google during Advertising Week 2015 AWXII at the Times Center Stage on September 30, 2015 in New York City.

David Droga sold his agency, Droga5, to Accenture Interactive, despite having said in the past that he enjoys running an independent agency and had no intention to sell.
But in an interview with Business Insider, he said he was excited about what Droga5 and Accenture Interactive could do together.
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If you've followed David Droga, his decision to sell his influential creative ad agency to Accenture Interactive likely came as a big surprise.

Droga5 was one of the largest and most succesful independent agencies, and Droga himself has said he'd turned down multiple acquisition offers. In fact, in an interview just two years ago, Droga extolled the virtues of Droga5's independence, saying he had no interest in selling or being a part of a larger corporation again.

So what changed his mind? In an interview with Business Insider, Dorga said he thought selling was the best way to increase his firm's influence and broaden the scope of its work.

"I want to build this incredibly influential agency," Droga said. "I'm selfishly doing this because I think Accenture Interactive is going to help us, and they're the brightest partners we can have out there."

The deal with Accenture Interactive, announced on Wednesday, will fill a hole in Accenture Interactive, which has become a big advertising concern but didn't have a big, US-focused creative department.

Accenture Interactive also thinks Droga5's team will do more than just that. The company is trying to help clients rethink and revamp the way consumers discover and interact with their products and services, and its CEO Brian Whipple believes Droga5 will help Accenture Interactive create such experiences for clients.

Droga has grand ambitions

Droga said his firm enjoyed being independent. But with Accenture Interactive, he and his team will be able to work with a wider group of clients and do more for them than they would have if they remained independent, he said.

"Our ambitions are grander. Our ambitions are bigger," he said. "This is about what we can do together, period."

Droga also rejected the notion that he's selling out, reiterating that he's had plenty of other opportunites to sell the firm.

"If I wanted to sell out and sort of throw a Molotov cocktail over my shoulder and get on a yacht, I would have done that years ago," he said. "Anyone who knows me and knows us knows that's not what we're about."

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