King James the Second wins Allan Gray account

Allan Gray lets go of Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town

19 May 2017

After the investment management company left the King James Group when it won the Sanlam account, the Group has since found a way to ring-fence or “conflict manage both accounts”, with King James Cape Town handling the Sanlam business and the Johannesburg office taking on Allan Gray. Creative founding partners Rob Mc Lennan and Graeme Jenner (pictured below) will be responsible for the account.

"We are incredibly excited to be taking on this iconic brand and we are really looking forward to the challenge of taking this brand into the future. We can’t wait to get going,” comments Mc Lennan.

“As a like-minded South African-based business, Sanlam has committed to supporting the growth and further transformation of King James as an independent local agency group through this approach. We are delighted to be welcoming Allan Gray into King James II and are equally delighted to have Sanlam’s full support on this. This is the kind of truly empowered partnerships we pride ourselves on,” says James Barty, Group CEO, who will remain focused on the Sanlam account in Cape Town, alongside CCO Alistair King.

Henk Pieterse, head of marketing at Allan Gray, comments: “We are thrilled to partner with an agency that shares the culture and creative ethos of the original King James and is led by people with a sterling reputation and a track record of producing great advertising.”