by Herman Manson (@marklives) Allan Gray has ended its relationship with agency Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town. The account moved to Ogilvy Cape Town in 2014 after King James resigned the business (it had won Sanlam).
At the time of the Allan Gray appointment, Henk Pieterse, head of marketing at Allan Gray, commented that Ogilvy Cape Town faced very tough competition for the account but said it had been chosen because “we believe they are a great culture fit for us and that they will deliver outstanding value to our business.”
It was well-known that Allan Gray wasn’t happy leaving the King James Group, which would have posed a challenge to any new agency stepping into the role, admits Luca Gallarelli, managing director at Ogilvy Cape Town. This was echoed by Pieterse.
Notice period
Gallarelli says the agency is working through its notice period. It was informed by Allan Gray of its intention to switch agencies at the start of May 2017 and the notice period finishes at the end of July. No retrenchments are expected as a result of the account loss, he confirms.
“I can confirm that we have ended our agency relationship with Ogilvy Cape Town, and have awarded the account to another agency,” says Pieterse, who adds that the group would formally announce the new agency “as soon as the process is finalised”.
Herman Manson (@marklives) is the founder and editor of MarkLives.com.
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