The biennial Agency Scope survey researches trends within marketer–agency relationships. Among, other research, it compared Grey to all other agencies with which South African marketers work. Scopen conducted 257 face-to-face interviews with professionals from 207 blue-chip companies, mainly CMOs.
One of the most notable results was Grey’s chief creative officer, Fran Luckin, being rated the sixth Most Admired Agency Professional in South Africa, and the only woman in the top 10. “We are so proud of Fran. This is acknowledgement of her hard work as a key figure in our rapid growth trajectory off the back of a creative revival under Fran’s stewardship,” says Paul Jackson, CEO Grey Advertising Africa.
According to the Scopen Agency Scope study, Grey clients predominantly agreed that Grey ranked:
- First overall for understanding the consumer and the market
- First overall for being a proactive agency team
- First overall for being a good creative production partner (TV, print and/or digital)
- First overall for offers good client service
- First overall for having senior managers involved in the accounts
- First overall for being considerate with client money
- As having an AVE client relationship of 7.6 years compared to the industry AVE of 4.5 years
Grey also consistently featured in the top 10 of all agencies in South Africa, placing:
- First for New Business Activity
- Second for fulfilling a Lead Agency Role
- Sixth for Overall Agency Performance
- Sixth for Most Satisfied Clients
- Eighth for Spontaneous Awareness
- Eighth for Agency of the Year
- Top 10 as an Ideal Agency
Cesar Vacchiano, president and CEO of Scopen, noted: “It is very unusual to see agencies change their positioning in the marketplace so much. The study shows that South African marketers are certainly seeing a new Grey, with reinforced talent and capabilities. Grey leads in the 2020 key client criteria when selecting agencies and is positioned amongst creative companies with the highest client satisfaction levels in the country.”
Louise Johnston, MD of Grey South Africa, commented that “Grey is on a mission to create the most admired agency network on the African continent, with creativity at the core, and our clients’ feedback is a testament to this. I’m proud to be associated with Grey and look forward to growing the company. These results illustrate our passion to take our ‘famously effective’ promise to our clients.”
Grey’s progress in 2019
Grey ended the decade with a watershed year, evident from the Scopen survey, but also clear by its doubling the business in annualised revenues. After an ongoing and aggressive new business drive, the agency landed a number of blue-chip accounts including BP, Coronation Bank, Distell, Mazda, Phillip Morris and additional brands from GSK.
Grey’s creativity has grown in leaps and bounds too, thanks to Fran Luckin’s leadership along with her team. A few highlights from 2019 include:
- Gillette’s “Gogo Nozizwe” film being punted by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his Women’s Day Speech. It was also acknowledged at Pendorings (winning Gold and several craft awards), at Cannes and at Loeries and earned first place in the film category at the Creative Circle Ad of the Year Awards.
- Grey Creative Director, Steph van Niekerk’s record-breaking year with her prolific wins at Cannes, Loeries and Creative Circle Ad of the Year.
- Savanna “Decolonise Autocorrect” work selected as AdAge Editor’s Pick.
- Gillette work being chosen as AdWeek’s Pick of the Day.
Grey is an agency on the move, with some of the best and brightest talent. “Our ambition is to be the most progressive, pioneering, creative agency network in Africa, and the Agency Scope results are an indication that we’re on the right track,” added Jackson.
About Grey
Grey is the advertising network of Grey Group, which ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (NYSE: WPP). Under the banner of ‘Grey famously effective since 1917’, the agency serves a blue-chip roster of many of the world's best-known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg's, Pfizer, Canon, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Nestlé, Lindt, Applebee's, and TJ Maxx. In recent years, Grey has been named Adweek's Global Agency of the Year twice, Advertising Age's Agency of the Year and Campaign magazine's Global Network of the Year in recognition of its creative and business performance (www.grey.com).
