Scangroup adopts new name following merger with WPP
WPP-Scangroup chief executive Bharat Thakrar. Two hundred students from Strathmore University will be taken on as interns at WPP-Scangroup from this month. FILE
What you need to know:
- WPP Scangroup, which is a subsidiary of WPP, is the largest marketing and communication group that operates a multi-agency model across multiple disciplines in sub-Saharan Africa.
- It has over the years grown its services and products to include media planning and buying, public relations, market research, experiential and digital. This is besides developing affiliations with international agency groups such as J Walter Thompson, Ogilvy and Grey.
Marketing services group Scangroup Limited has rebranded to WPP Scangroup Limited following a merger with WPP plc.
The firm said adoption of the new name signifies a shared vision aimed at boosting the fortunes of both companies.
“The synergy from the coming together of these two great firms will significantly transform the future of marketing communications across this continent. This is aptly captured by the famous African proverb that says if you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” Scangroup chief executive Bharat Thakrar said in a statement yesterday.
He said the two companies are now fully together sharing values and core principles for developing marketing communications across sub-Saharan Africa and a laid out framework on how this can be achieved.
MULTI-AGENCY MODEL
WPP Scangroup, which is a subsidiary of WPP, is the largest marketing and communication group that operates a multi-agency model across multiple disciplines in sub-Saharan Africa.
It is also the only marketing services that is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.
Scangroup was founded in 1982 when it started as a small independent advertising agency that was then known as SCANAD.
It has over the years grown its services and products to include media planning and buying, public relations, market research, experiential and digital. This is besides developing affiliations with international agency groups such as J Walter Thompson, Ogilvy and Grey.
In 2005, Scangroup was created as a structured corporate entity to house all these diverse companies. It was listed on the NSE in 2006.
The firm and WPP entered into partnership in 2006, months after its listing on the NSE. This deal included WPP taking up a minority stake in Scangroup as part of its efforts to expand its footprint in Africa.
In 2013, WPP acquired additional shares in Scangroup Limited in Kenya, increasing its interest to 50.1 per cent.
