As part of this deal, strategy experts, behavioural economists, anthropologists, sociologists, and ethnographers from ReD Associates will work with digital strategists, designers, technologists, and data scientists from Cognizant.
American technology firm Cognizant has signed an exclusive strategic partnership and acquired interest of 49% in ReD Associates, a leading strategic consulting firm specialised in bringing social science to help enterprises understand customer behavior.
As part of this deal, strategy experts, behavioural economists, anthropologists, sociologists, and ethnographers from ReD Associates will work with digital strategists, designers, technologists, and data scientists from Cognizant Digital Works to help businesses connect more closely to real-world consumer behaviours and experiences.
Based in Copenhagen and New York, ReD Associates has worked with leading global companies, including Ford, Adidas, Intel, Samsung, Novo Nordisk, Pernod Ricard and many others, to help them form a clear strategy based on a rich understanding of consumer behavior using social sciences research methods and thinking.
“The philosophy behind our approach to research and meaningful insights is the science around understanding how things are experienced,” said Christian Madsbjerg, co-founder, ReD Associates in a statement. “By joining forces with Cognizant, we are able to expand our business and believe that we can create an entirely new model for how digital strategy is conceived and – most importantly – executed.”
“While it may sound counterintuitive, ‘being digital’ also means being more human,” said Gajen Kandiah, Executive Vice President, Cognizant Digital Works. “A richer understanding of human behavior can unlock new opportunities for our customers. Based on a deep understanding of what people really want and need, we can use technology to provide more meaningful and engaging experiences. Our partnership with ReD Associates is a natural extension of our current joint work with select clients.”
He further said, “Together, ReD Associates and Cognizant Digital Works provide a unique value proposition to customers who are considering digital solutions. ReD Associates provides clients with insight and strategy based on the social sciences, and Cognizant provides technical development and implementation at scale.”
ReD Associates will retain its management team, clients, and projects, and operate independently. However, Cognizant did not disclose the terms of the investment.