Acceleration
Acceleration is a Cape Town-based marketing and data consultancy that helped brands modernize connections between data, technology, and media strategy, serving global advertisers until its January 2025 acquisition by WPP's Choreograph.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Acceleration does
Acceleration is a Cape Town, South Africa-based marketing and data consultancy founded in 1999 that helps brands modernize by building connections between data, technology, and media strategy with an emphasis on privacy-first execution. The company operated with 101-250 employees and was led by Grant Keller (Global CEO) and Christiaan Uys (CFO & COO) until it ceased independent operations in January 2025. On January 22, 2025, Acceleration was acquired by and integrated into Choreograph, WPP's global data and technology company, ending its standalone status and folding its capabilities into a broader enterprise data organization.
Through the Choreograph integration, the combined entity now operates an AI-powered data model that brings together trillions of data signals from billions of people and campaigns, supported by 5 billion real-time consumer profiles and integrations with 240-350+ data partners worldwide. Its primary product is Open Media Studio, an end-to-end media technology platform covering audience discovery, media planning, campaign activation, and performance measurement, complemented by professional services delivered by over 3,000 data strategists, analytics experts, and technologists. The business model blends professional services (custom client data and technology solutions) with subscription/recurring platform revenue via Open Media Studio, distributed through direct enterprise sales to leading global advertisers, the WPP agency network, and Google Marketing Platform/Cloud partner channels.
The customer base consists of the world's leading marketers and advertisers (B2B enterprise), with disclosed case-study outcomes of +54% revenue for a laptop manufacturer, +50% CTR for a home brand, and +6x sign-up intent uplift for a breast cancer awareness campaign, and an average 25-30% ROI improvement on client marketing spend. Pre-acquisition Acceleration was a private, for-profit company; post-acquisition it operates as a non-independent unit within WPP, with no separately disclosed financials.
Acceleration firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Acceleration
- Website
- https://acceleration.biz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Acceleration is a Cape Town-based marketing and data consultancy that helped brands modernize connections between data, technology, and media strategy, serving global advertisers until its January 2025 acquisition by WPP's Choreograph.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Acceleration industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marketing & Data Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Media Planning, Buying & Optimization (BPAFAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio) (BPAFABAB), Measurement, Attribution & Brand Safety (Fraud/Compliance) (MPACAGAF)
Keywords
Where Acceleration is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Acceleration business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Data Services: Custom client data and technology solutions delivered by over 3,000 data strategists, analytics experts, and technologists. Partnering with clients and WPP agency teams to create tailored solutions that drive impact and growth.
- Media Technology Platform: Open Media Studio platform enabling media discovery, planning, activation, and measurement
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Acceleration product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Acceleration helps brands modernize by building seamless connections between data, technology, and media strategy in a privacy-first world. The company provides marketing and data-driven media services to brands and was acquired by Choreograph, WPP's data and technology company, in January 2025.
Product overview
Choreograph (which now includes Acceleration) is WPP's global data and technology company offering a unified portfolio comprising Open Media Studio (an end-to-end media technology platform for audience discovery, media planning, campaign activation, and performance measurement) alongside data services leveraging an AI-powered data model with trillions of data signals and 3,000+ data strategists, analytics experts, and technologists providing custom client solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brand Modernization Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 13 million targeted media impressions delivered every minute
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Acceleration
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Acceleration technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Acceleration partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- InfoSumcoreWPP acquired InfoSum, the world's leading data collaboration platform. InfoSum will join GroupM, WPP's media investment group, to power the creation of a new generation of AI-enhanced marketing solutions delivered through the industry's most powerful and secure data infrastructure.
- AccelerationcoreAcceleration moved into Choreograph, becoming part of WPP's data and technology company, strengthening Choreograph's capabilities and team of over 3,000 data professionals.
- Google Marketing PlatformcoreChoreograph is a Google Marketing Platform Certified Company and Sales Partner, as well as a Google Premier Cloud Partner. Offers in-depth specialization in Google technologies and consults with clients to maximize their technology investment and media performance. Team holds 1,500+ GMP certifications.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Acceleration competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- OMD Worldwide: Omnicom's global media agency network. Provides overlapping media planning, buying, and analytics services and competes with Acceleration/Choreograph on enterprise accounts with data-led campaign strategies.
- Wavemaker: GroupM/WPP media agency combining data, technology, and content for client growth. Operates an adjacent proposition to Acceleration in audience understanding, programmatic activation, and marketing performance measurement.
- GroupM: WPP's media investment group and sibling organization to Choreograph. Operates agencies (Mindshare, Wavemaker, Essence, m/SIX) that buy and plan media at massive scale, overlapping with Acceleration's media planning and buying services but with a broader portfolio remit.
- Mindshare: GroupM/WPP global media agency network with comparable media planning/buying services across digital and traditional channels. Competes with Acceleration/Choreograph for the same enterprise advertiser RFPs and overlaps heavily in data-driven campaign activation.
Emerging players
- Digitas: Publicis-connected connected marketing agency offering data, technology, and media services with strong digital activation capabilities. Comparable in client mix and data-driven approach, though serving a broader creative-and-media mandate.
- Analytic Partners: Independent commercial analytics and marketing measurement firm that competes for the same marketing ROI mandate as Acceleration/Choreograph's measurement practice, with a particular emphasis on cross-channel attribution and ROI optimization.
Direct peers
- Essence Global: GroupM/WPP agency focused on data-driven digital media planning and buying for global brands. Direct overlap with Acceleration in programmatic activation, audience analytics, and campaign measurement on Google Marketing Platform.
- Hearts & Science: Omnicom data-driven marketing agency built around audience analytics and integrated media planning/buying. Closest non-WPP comparable to Acceleration in terms of combining advanced data capability with media execution for enterprise clients.
- Choreograph: WPP's global data and technology company that acquired Acceleration in January 2025. Choreograph operates the AI-powered data model, Open Media Studio platform, and 3,000+ data professionals that now absorb Acceleration's capabilities, making it the direct parent and most comparable operating entity.
- Merkle: Dentsu's data-driven performance marketing and customer experience unit. Operates a comparable proposition combining identity, analytics, and media activation with strong enterprise technology platforms.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Acceleration social profiles
Digital presenceAcceleration compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Acceleration financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Acceleration leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Acceleration funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Acceleration M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Acceleration
What does Acceleration do?
Acceleration helps brands modernize by building seamless connections between data, technology, and media strategy in a privacy-first world. The company provides marketing and data-driven media services to brands and was acquired by Choreograph, WPP's data and technology company, in January 2025.
Is Acceleration a public or private company?
Acceleration is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Acceleration founded?
Acceleration was founded in 1999. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Acceleration based?
Acceleration is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Acceleration make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Data Services are the primary driver. The others are media Technology Platform.
Who are Acceleration's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are OMD Worldwide, Wavemaker, GroupM and Mindshare. Emerging players are Digitas and Analytic Partners. Direct peers are Essence Global, Hearts & Science, Choreograph and Merkle.
Does Acceleration have an API?
No public API is recorded for Acceleration.
What industry is Acceleration in?
Acceleration's product category is Marketing & Data Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAC, Media Planning, Buying & Optimization, with a secondary code of BPAFABAB, Digital & Programmatic Media Buying (Display, Video, CTV, Audio). Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.