Global communications services firm $19 billion in revenues WPP has began integrating its Kenyan subsidiary, Scangroup Limited and has rebranded it to WPP Scangroup Limited.
WPP acquired a minority stake in Scangroup Limited in 2003 and in 2013 acquired a minority stake to give it 50.1 percent. The executive leadership is not going to change and Bharat Thakrar remains its CEO.
In a statement, WPP Scangroup CEO Bharat Thakrar, said, “The synergy from the coming together of these two great firms will significantly transform the future of marketing communications across this fascinating continent. This is aptly captured by the famous African proverb that says: ‘If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,’” Mr Thakrar added.
In case you don’t know Scangroup Limited runs campaigns for the majority of huge corporate firms in the market such as Coca Cola, Safaricom, Airtel, Unilever, EABL, KCB Group among others. Scangroup was founded in 1982 as SCANAD and has a geographical footprint across sub-Saharan Africa.
Over the years, it has grown its service capabilities to include Media Planning and Buying, Public Relations, Market Research, Experiential and Digital and in 2005 formed Scangroup to house all these diverse companies and listed a year later.
WPP Scangroup will help it consolidates its hold on the regions marketing and communication market. The firm also runs Ogilvy & Mather, SCANAD, JWT and BluePrint, GroupM, MediaCom Africa, Mindshare and MEC, Ogilvy PR and H+K Strategies, Millward Brown, OgilvyOne, Squad Digital and SCANAD Digital.
Just recently, Y&R Advertising and VML acquired an undisclosed stake in Kenya’s communications agency, Creative Edge Ltd and rebranded it Creative Y&R, a sign that’s showing growing interest in Kenya’s advertising and creative market to international players.
