by Herman Manson (@marklives) Domino Digital has been bought by M&C Saatchi PLC. The full-service Cape Town-based agency is being rebranded as Dalmatian Advertising. It continues M&C Saatchi PLC’s investment in the South African market; it already owns stakes in M&C Saatchi Abel, M&C Saatchi CONNECT, M&C Saatchi Africa and the recently acquired digital shop, Creative Spark.
As in the case of Creative Spark, Dalmatian will be used to house conflict work from M&C Saatchi Abel. It will retain its managerial and creative independence, and the group intends growing the business into a medium-sized agency that could effectively compete with players such as FoxP2 and Owen Kessell Leo Burnett, according to Mike Abel, head the M&C SAATCHI Group of Companies, Africa region.
Senior partners at the agency are Clinton Bridgeford, Bruce Norris, Leon Potgieter, Gabrielle Weinstein and new partner, Jodi Sher. The agency currently employs 15 people in Cape Town but intends to expand into Johannesburg soon, where it already serves MiWay Insurance.
“We were ready for the next step, looking to become part of something bigger to assist in unlocking Dalmatian’s growth potential. The M&C Saatchi Group’s celebration of an entrepreneur-led approach — their quality leadership and strong ambition — is in perfect alignment with our philosophy. We are immensely excited to be part of the M&C Saatchi worldwide network,” says managing partner Weinstein.
Herman Manson (@marklives) is the founder and editor of MarkLives.com. He was the inaugural Vodacom Social Media Journalist of the Year in 2011 and has, over his 20-year-plus career, contributed to numerous journals and websites in South Africa and abroad, including AdVantage magazine, Men’s Health, Computer World and African Communications.
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