New look for FCB SA

Draftfcb opened its doors in 1926 as Lindsay Smithers and has been trading for many years as FCB South Africa, but will end its 82nd year with a new name and new Johannesburg offices in Pin Mill Park in Sandton.

According to Group CEO, Neil van der Weele, the name change from FCB to Draftfcb brings the group's corporate identity in line with that of its parent company, which owns 50.1% of the group. Late last year the Interpublic Group, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, merged its global relationship marketing agency, Draft, and its global ad agency, FCB, to create a global integrated through-the-line advertising agency – Draftfcb.

Van der Weele says, “While we have been offering our clients fully integrated communications solutions for many years now, the merger will give us access to world-class, sophisticated data and CRM capabilities, as well as leading-edge technologies in these areas. We will be able to apply these to the advantage of our client's brands.

“Allied to this, is that clients are increasingly looking to us to deliver across a continually expanding range of media channels. By bringing together FCB and Draft, two strong and highly complementary organisations, Interpublic boosted the merged organisation's ability to address evolving client demand, and become more highly responsive to the new realities that are transforming the consumer and media landscape.”

Draftfcb South Africa concluded a broad based black economic empowerment deal in 2005, when Bourasque Advertising Investments acquired a 26% stake in the agency. A subsequent transaction, concluded in January 2007, resulted in the creation of an employee trust, which holds a 23.9% share in the company. Through this trust, over 40 black staff, as well as 40 white staff, own shares in the company.

Draftfcb South Africa focuses on producing outstanding creative communication that “Builds South Africa's Favourite Brands”. This has made it the continent's leading marketing communications company providing integrated solutions across all channels of communication, through a single point of entry.

Van der Weele says the benchmark of the agency's success has always been its clients' business performance: “And we are proud to say that the majority of our clients lead their markets.”

Existing clients include Beiersdorf, Distell, First National Bank, Game, Kraft, Momentum, Rainbow, SABC, Santam, SC Johnson, Tiger Brands, Trellidor, Toyota SA and Vodacom.