Noah's Ark Consummates Dentsu Aegis Affiliation Partnership
Finally the deal is done and Noah’s Ark is now officially a part of the global Dentsu Aegis network.
After a negotiation that lasted well over one year, the executives of both agencies finally signed the agreement that makes the Nigerian agency an affiliate member of the Dentsu Aegis global family.
This accomplishment is a big step forward for the Nigerian agency which has in recent times been rated as arguably the most enterprising creative shop in the country and a force to be reckoned with in Africa.
Speaking at the signing ceremony today, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Noah’s Ark, Lanre Adisa told journalists that his agency started out, about eight years ago, as a local agency with global aspirations and the deal with Dentsu Aegis Network takes Noah’s Ark close to that global vision.
“Those who know me know that I have always relished our independence. But they also know that I have always been a great advocate of collaboration. I believe that to go far we have to seek out like-minded people from other parts of the world to raise our game,” Lanre Adisa said.
Though now an affiliation, the relationship is bound to become even deeper in the nearest future as both parties have agreed to a clause that makes Dentsu Aegis eligible for equity holdings in Noah’s Ark in another 12 to 18 months. Just about the same kind of partnership it now has with Emeka Okeke’s Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network, which is now one of the fast growing media agencies in Nigeria.
Representing Dentsu Aegis at the ceremony was Dawn Rowlands, who is the CEO of Dentsu Aegis in Sub-Saharan Africa, she said that the relationship with Noah’s Ark was part of her agency’s plan to grow its business in Nigeria, despite the many challenges the economy was facing.
“When we were looking for an agency to partner with in Nigeria, every one we asked recommended Noah’s Ark,” Rowlands said.
She noted that the Nigerian market was very strategic to Dentsu Aegis growth plan for Africa because of its growth capability and the high level of education and abundance of talent in the country.
Rowlands added the giving the amazing return on its investment in Media Fuse, the Nigerian market is going to be even more strategic for the global agency in the coming years. This makes Nigeria a more exciting investment prospect than the other African markets, Rowlands added.
Now, stakeholders can only wait to see what becomes of Noah’s Ark going forward. The agency has so far demonstrated a lot of creative clout in the past years and has earned rave reviews as a result. And observers have said that it is likely to do even more with support coming from a global powerhouse like DAN.
Last years, Noah’s Ark emerged the ‘de facto’ agency of the year at LAIF, after it won the elusive Grand prix, the first Grand Prix given by the award in five years.
This year, the agency has followed on that track by winning a number of international awards. It won one silver and two bronze medals at Loeries Award in Durban, South Africa, and then followed up with five medals at the recently concluded Africa Cristal Festival in Marrakech Morocco.
Now, perhaps, Noah’s Ark is better position and equipped to fulfill its ultimate dream, which is to win the Cannes Lion award, after all, like Adisa has said, it is no longer a small agency.
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