by MarkLives (@marklives) With the conclusion of Barclays Africa Group’s media agency review, Dentsu Aegis Network will be taking over media-planning and -buying duties across 10 sub-Saharan African markets through Carat.Possibilities for Absa and the Barclays Africa network, effective 1 March 2018. The news comes as the group has announced its intention to change its name back to Absa Group and trade as Absa across its operations (currently branded Barclays) in Africa.
The incumbent agency was Maxus (WPP recently merged MEC and Maxus to form WAVEMAKER). Dentsu Aegis Network pitched against PHD and Mindshare.
Sell-down opportunity
“The sell-down gave us the opportunity to roll out a brand that reflects our identity in Africa and to unite our operations in 10 countries behind one name,” says Maria Ramos, Barclays Africa Group CEO. “We will be Absa, not as you know it, but relaunched, re-presented and with an identity fit for the new and forward-looking business we are creating.”
Barclays Africa Group has majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania (Barclays Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce), Uganda and Zambia.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of this process as it helps us achieve our aspirations on the continent,” says Bobby Malabie, group executive, marketing and corporate relations, in connection with the media review. “We were looking for a partner that was data-driven and insights led with strong digital and strategic skill sets.”
Reduce complexity
The group had embarked on this review with the purpose of finding agency partners to reduce complexity across their regional business through a combination of smart centralisation, digital leadership and commercial efficiencies.
“Carat.Possibilities displayed their strength of collaboration in their cross-capability, with support from the Dentsu Aegis Network brands, and the vital input from the regional SSA team to ensure that a winning vision was carried throughout,” says Celia Collins, managing director for Carat Johannesburg. “The digital and data leadership was one of our key strengths, playing a central role in convincing [the group] that we are the right partner. The pitch involved a huge amount of people, resource and dedication from Dentsu Aegis Network colleagues across the sub-Saharan region, and it is only through this consolidated and unified effort through our operating model that we have secured this monumental success.”
— Sign up now for the MarkLives email newsletter every Monday and Thursday, now including headlines from the Ramify.biz company newsroom service!