Lippincott acquires AI-powered brand studio Athletics
What's the deal? LippincottDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a global brand, experience, and marketing consultancy, has agreed to acquire AthleticsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a New York-based brand and innovation studio. Terms were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close November 2, 2026, when Athletics' roughly 25-person team joins Lippincott.
What does Athletics do? The studio specialises in identity, digital experiences, and creative technology, with clients including Salesforce, IBM, GoogleDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Amazon. It also owns proprietary AI software, Sesame, used to build custom brand activation tools.
Why now? Lippincott, part of Oliver WymanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and operating since 1943, says the deal will help it move clients from strategy to activation faster. Adding Athletics' digital, motion, and creative technology capabilities expands its offering as brands grapple with AI.
What's the endgame? The combined organisation aims to pair Lippincott's strategic depth and global scale with Athletics' prototyping-led, experimental studio approach.
"Brands today must do much more than stand for something," said Michael D'Esopo, chief executive officer of Lippincott. "Together, we can help our clients not only define what's next for their brands, but build, activate and scale it."
Athletics will retain its Brooklyn offices. "Lippincott is a natural home for the next chapter of Athletics," said Jameson Proctor, the studio's chief executive officer.
The signal: The deal reflects a consultancy push to fold creative technology and proprietary AI tools into brand work, closing the gap between strategy and execution as clients demand coherence across increasingly complex digital experiences.
Read more: prnewswire.com
Image credit: eekim
