BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verndale, the marketing technology agency that is pioneering the way people and brands connect, today announced that it has acquired Dustland, one of the fastest growing digital agencies in Los Angeles. With the acquisition, Verndale expands on its already robust capabilities and service offerings, deepening its ability to design, implement and manage virtually any branded customer experience on any channel, device or technology platform. Verndale also increases its headcount by 20 percent, making it one of the largest independent marketing technology agencies in the U.S., with almost 200 full-time employees in six offices across the country and two internationally.
“We are committed to tirelessly evolving and expanding Verndale's capabilities so that our clients can stay ahead of the wants and needs of their own customers,” said Chris Pisapia, co-founder and managing partner of Verndale. “Being the first call for brands who want to more meaningfully engage with their customers is a testament to Verndale’s ability to deliver user-centric experiences that cross channel, device and geography. At the same time, the technology backbone must be in place to tightly manage these experiences. With the addition of Dustland's exceptionally talented team, we provide our clients with all this and more. Brands who want to evolve and transform faster than their competitors need to look no further than Verndale.”
Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Boston, Verndale has a successful track record designing, building and evolving customer experiences for global brands like Stanley Black and Decker, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment and Carnival Cruise Lines. Dustland has implemented digital experiences for marketing trailblazers like HBO, Volkswagen, Visa and Taco Bell. From Dustland, Verndale gains leading creative and mobile application development talent, and expands its geographical footprint to both the western region of the United States and Quito, Ecuador. The combined company will have strong capabilities in marketing strategy, creative design services and back-end development and implementation, strongly positioning it to compete with other top digital marketing agencies. Growing rapidly, Verndale expects to double revenue in 2015 as compared to 2014.
According to Gartner, by 2020 the customer is expected to manage 85 percent of its relationship with an enterprise, bypassing human interaction. This makes the quality and reliability of the customer experience paramount to the success of a business. A long-time Sitecore platinum partner and one of the first EPiServer partners in the United States, Verndale offers unparalleled strategy, experience design, technology and post-launch managed services. Further, it understands the operational, organizational and technological demands an enterprise faces when it extends and manages sophisticated customer experiences. Verndale can work across both centralized and siloed business units to create a cohesive backend strategy that both technology and marketing departments can champion.
“The marketing technology agency space is extremely crowded as marketers race to take advantage of the newest digital and mobile innovations that will help them engage and retain their coveted audiences, but few agencies set up brands to do this well. Verndale stood out to me because it blends strategic, creative and technological expertise in a way that is unmatched,” said Minh Le, CEO of Dustland. “I’m thrilled to combine our all-star team with theirs and have full confidence that our teams will together change the way people and brands connect for the better.”
Dustland and its employees are now part of Verndale and will continue to operate from its Los Angeles office. Le will join Verndale’s leadership team as a managing partner running the west coast operations. He is an industry veteran who before founding Dustland, worked at Razorfish and has experience leading large scale projects for clients such as Singapore Airlines, Ingram Micro, Intermec, Sony, DaVita and Viking River Cruises.
About Verndale
Verndale is the marketing technology agency that brands call when they want to connect with their customers in a more meaningful way. It designs, builds and evolves digital experiences that mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies use to bring their products and services to life for their always-on customers. Offering unparalleled strategy, experience design, technology and post-launch managed services, Verndale works across departments and platforms to create and sustain cohesive experiences that both marketing and technology leaders love. One of the largest independent agencies in the industry, Verndale is headquartered in Boston with five additional offices across the U.S. It counts some of the most recognizable brands in the world as customers including Stanley Black and Decker, The Ohio State University and Carnival Cruise Lines. For more information, visit www.verndale.com
About Dustland
Dustland is a Los Angeles based digital agency with a rare combination of creative and technology talents that enable the company to deliver compelling brand experiences that build equity and maximize the effectiveness of the digital channel. As a certified Sitecore Partner, Dustland focuses on the successful planning and implementation of customer experience solutions. Our clients include Great Clips, Honda, VW, Cisco, UCLA, USC and The Ohio State University.
