What’s an Ant’s Eye View and Why Did PwC Acquire One?

On August 14, PwC announced its intent to acquire social media strategy firm Ant’s Eye View (AEV). There are all sorts of reasons to dismiss this acquisition – this is neither the first nor the last acquisition we’ll see by big companies attempting to acquire their way into the social business space – but we’re actually guardedly optimistic about this one.

From its inception 3-1/2 years ago, Ant’s Eye View has been more than an opportunistic company. With its focus on real-life practitioners and with a sweeping vision for the impact of social business, AEV is differentiated from the thousands of agencies chasing “the next hula hoop.”  Time will tell whether AEV can preserve its distinctive culture under the PwC umbrella but the parties are entering this relationship with their eyes wide open. If you’re a PwC client looking for a social strategy, we’d get on AEV’s list sooner rather than later.