CREATIVE AGENCIES

Professional services firm Accenture to acquire big SA agency group

By our News Team | 2021

Purchaser says well-established King James Group is “more than an agency” and a “well-oiled and combined communication practice”.

Accenture Interactive, a South African subsidiary of Accenture – the multinational professional services company that specialises in IT services and consulting – last week agreed to acquire the SA-based King James Group.

The latter is a highly awarded creative agency with expertise in brand strategy, creativity, PR and digital marketing services. The deal is subject to local approval by the Competition Commission.

The key reason to acquire a predominantly digital marketing agency, according to Haydn Townsend, Accenture Interactive’s Managing Director for South Africa, is that: “King James are much more than an agency. It is a well-oiled and combined communication practice. This is what we were looking for to be able to build out an end-end solution for clients when combined with our existing offering.”

How did this come about?

Townsend says: “We had been building out a strategy for growth and one of the key pillars of this strategy is to augment our small communication practice within Accenture Interactive Africa.

“There are two ways to do this – we either build or buy. We thoroughly explored those options. While we have a big head start in service design and technology, in communication we deemed the gap too huge to close organically.”

Alistair King, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, adds: “I think the industry just assumed we were committed to remaining independent, so Hayden Townsend’s initial approach was fairly cautious and speculative. I suspect he was surprised when we said ‘Sure, let’s chat.’ The truth is we have long admired Accenture Interactive’s business model and have always felt that we would fit right in. The right time; the right suitor.”

The next logical step was Accenture

Says King: “If I look back at our 24-year journey, we’ve been evolving constantly and consistently as brand communication has shifted. We started out as a traditional agency and then slowly added design, PR, digital, social and retail capabilities along the way. The next logical step for us is what Accenture can bring.

“While we will continue to deliver our existing business individually, it’s really when we combine the King James offer with Accenture Interactive, then with strategy and consulting, technology and operations, that the magic will happen. It will transform us both and make us more compelling than we ever could be on our own,” concludes Townsend.

Source: Accenture/King James

Pre-conference masterclass discusses taking African brands to the world

Participants challenged to identify, articulate and commercialise the cultural assets that make their brand ready for a global audience.

Three people stand side by side in front of a sports direct backdrop the woman in the middle holds a blue and orange 'sports direct' sign

Africa’s first Sports Direct retail store opens its doors in Nairobi

Second outlet planned for Nairobi before year end, with Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco said to be future target markets.

Person wearing a beige sweater holds a phone with a translucent search bar reading 'search' and microphonecamera icons in the foreground

Search is fragmenting – credibility and trust create the new visibility

Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?

Person shopping at a deli counter holding an orange shopping basket in a cheese section of a supermarket

The move toward future-ready food packaging where materials meet AI

Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.

Conference stage with a woman in a patterned dress speaking to an audience large screens display '' logos and banners for a marketers conference with 'institute of marketing in malawi' branding on stage panels and backdrop

Malawi’s marketers urged to put trust at the heart of the profession

Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.

Lingerie brand creates street-stopping advertising in Manhattan

Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.

We know AI influencers aren’t real – so why do we trust them?

Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.

Hotel receptionist assisting a guest at the check in counter with a gray suitcase nearby behind the desk

Why trust has become a critical asset for hotel industry marketers

Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.

Three people in formal attire pose for a photo at an awards event a woman in a pink dress holds a trophy while two men in suits stand beside her against a gold confetti backdrop

FNB bank’s eBucks programme dominates the 2026 SA loyalty awards

South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.

Portrait of a man with short black hair and a beard wearing a black button down shirt against a light gray background

Zambia’s strongest creative ideas are emerging from local truths

Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.

Yellow humanoid robot at a bakery counter inspecting a display of donuts on display in front of glass cases

Consumers have doubts about products when they’re designed by AI

Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.