NEW REIGN AT KING JAMES
The acquisition of a local advertising and marketing group by global advisory firm Accenture may be the start of a big new trend in this field, because it is becoming clear that the vital role of creativity does not always have a seat at the business tabl
The acquisition of the King James advertising and marketing group by global advisory firm Accenture is set to change the way brand communication is viewed in SA. It could, in time, yield more linkups between big business consultancies and advertising and marketing agencies.
The deal is still awaiting Competition Commission approval. It will put increased pressure on traditional agencies to change their thinking to meet accelerating digital demands as well as offering more tangible and measurable business ideas.
Accenture believes the move will strengthen the focus of its inhouse unit, Accenture Interactive, by putting “creativity at the centre of experience-led transformation to drive relevance and growth for its clients”.
James Barty, co-founding partner and CEO of King James, tells the FM the role of marketing and advertising has been reduced to one of execution in recent years. He says customer experience is the new focus area in business strategy.
Barty believes traditional ad agencies have no choice but to move into this arena. He says the vital role of creativity in business does not always have a seat at the business table and the tie-up with Accenture allows King James to insert that missing dynamic into the conversation.
Alistair King, co-founding partner and chief creative officer, says there has long been an identity crisis in advertising and marketing. Teaming up with Accenture is a natural part of the King James evolution and allows it to be part of, and to influence, a greater part of a client’s supply chain.
King says he’s also delighted the agency has been given the green light to infuse some of its famous creative magic into the broader Accenture operation.
King James counts among its clients Pick n Pay, Allan Gray and Sanlam. Apart from its award-winning above-the-line agency, it has a content-marketing agency, a digital agency and a public relations company, among others.
This landmark deal gives a clear idea of where advertising is heading and what brands need to look out for when hiring an agency.
Haydn Townsend, Accenture Interactive’s MD for SA, says: “We are an experience agency and not an ad agency. This is a pivotal shift because communication continues to be a powerful lever in growing and nurturing brands, it is no longer sufficient on its own. We now extend all the way from new product and service to design, to building digital products and experiences to ultimately communicating them and then optimising them.
“What we will be doing is connecting the creative DNA of King James to the agile always-on experience world in new and interesting ways. Then there is also the impact King James will have on the broader Accenture engine. We will unlock creativity in new areas like robotics or business models.”
Townsend agrees with the King James founders, saying: “We simply cannot be isolated to the marketing or advertising part of the business any longer. When you view the full experience that we create for a consumer as a powerful brand lever, then we need to understand last-mile delivery or distribution strategies.”
And here’s his challenge to adland: “To do this, agencies will need to break their insular inertia and partner, acquire, merge or collapse.
“We have chosen to buy and combine in new and unseen synergistic ways, and I suspect that is where the future is headed.”