Fraser Lamb joins McCann WorldGroup Africa

Fraser Lamb

Lamb's association with McCann began after he was commissioned to conduct a detailed examination of the opportunities and challenges in Africa. He completed his report in July. His appointment will turn his suggestions into action.

In addition to having an appreciation of the dynamics in Africa, McCann regional president Luca Linder believes that a sound advertising background, coupled with significant achievements, will enable Lamb to take on the sheer scale of McCann's upscaled venture into Africa, described as one of the world's undiscovered and untapped markets.

"Formalising McCann's efforts in Africa"

Says Linder, "Fraser's notable achievements were the reason we created this position. He has been tasked with formalising McCann's efforts in Africa. We have 24 affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa and three in North Africa. Fraser built the number-one direct marketing agency in Africa under the Wunderman name and went on to be group CEO of Y&R Brands. One of his chief responsibilities under the Y&R banner over the past seven years was building and assisting in developing the Y&R Brands' Sub Saharan Network."

McCann will begin by setting up an "African Intelligence Unit" that will deliver research and information to clients regarding consumer trends and media. The company also plans to both buy stakes in affiliated agencies and invest in joint venture startups in order to establish a presence in untapped African markets. The overall focus will be on mobile marketing.

Central to McCann's strategy is the establishment of production facility hubs in two or three centres.

As Lamb explains, good marketing in Africa is both technologically challenging and extremely expensive. These regional production hubs will be characterised by high volume and state-of-the-art technology which will allow McCann to achieve the appropriate economies of scale.

In the longer term, Linder believes that established international and South African brands will not be the only focus of African marketers. African product development and the establishment of African brands is already an economic imperative and should gather momentum. McCann will be poised to add its marketing expertise.

Lamb's background

Under the Wunderman banner, Lamb built the country's foremost direct marketing agency from scratch between 1999 and 2007. One result was 50 local and international awards between 2003 and 2007. In 2007, he was also responsible for the acquisition of AquaOnline, which went on to become one of the largest digital agencies in Africa.

Lamb became Y&R Brands Group CEO in 2008 and drove the turnaround of the company's reputation in South Africa. Between 2009 and 2010, the agency won 36 global and local awards at all major award shows. Lambs' Africa experience was also honed over the past six years in working with Chris Harrison across 16 markets.

"We look forward to supporting Lamb as he unites our interests in Africa and helps create a tangible force that delivers marketing solutions that transform brands and grow clients businesses. Like us, he believes the future of McCann lies in collaboration and in performance delivery," Linder says.