SCOPEN 2017: Another gem in the King James crown

AGENCY SCOPE 2017 – the second annual report by Spanish-based independent research company SCOPEN and the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) – has just placed another gem in the crown of one of South Africa’s favourite and most successful agencies, King James.

Together, Alistair King and James Barty were dubbed the most admired industry professionals by the court of marketing and agency professionals. Ranking second overall in creativity, King James also took top spot as the nation’s number one independent agency.

The criteria for AGENCY SCOPE 2017 were strict, with 217 hour-long, in-person interviews with Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) from 193 leading South African companies undertaken. Thereafter, 499 client/agency relationships and 152 agency professionals’ responses during the interviews undertaken between June and September 2017 were analysed to produce the results.

“Marketing professionals involved in the face-to-face interviews we conducted are those who engage on an ongoing basis in the decision-making process for selecting and approving their agencies’ work, so this feedback is vital,” says CEO of the IAS, Johanna McDowell. “To achieve ‘most creative agency in Cape Town’ demands real knowledge and commitment, and King James has shown itself to have both.”

Also taking top spot for good momentum, productivity and original creative ideas, King James is noted as being the second most attractive agency on marketers’ list to pitch, not least for ranking highly in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, making it one of the most balanced agencies in the country.

SCOPEN’s President and CEO César Vacchiano says he is proud to announce that King James was named Agency of the Year 2017 by agency professionals and the most desired agency to work for among those professionals. “As in 2016, King James is again one of the most balanced agencies in South Africa, ranking in the top five overall in market perception, client satisfaction and competitors’ opinion.

“The agency holds this outstanding position because it performs strongly in 10 key service attributes, from strategy, creativity, account service, integrated services offering to good value for money. Only three agencies show this strength of position in South Africa. King James is perceived by agency professionals as Agency of the Year 2017 and is the Number One agency most attractive to work for, key to attracting top talent.”

As a global consultancy, SCOPEN works across 12 markets and 500 agencies, interviewing some 3 000 CMOs around the world every year. His experience in South Africa has been an “impressive” one, particularly with regard to client service and the investment made by agencies in both talent and tools to improve this service.

“Hats off to the agency leaders and teams at King James,” says McDowell. “Theirs is an achievement of the highest order.”