Publicis Snaps SA’s Creative Counsel Group

Publicis Groupe has scaled up its African footprint with the acquisition of The Creative Counsel (TCC). Founded in 2001 by Ran Neu-Ner and Gil Oved as an activations company focusing on promotions, TCC has grown into South Africa’s largest advertising agency group by turnover and headcount.

Employing just over 1500 fulltime staff and thousands of temporary staff, TCC runs sales and marketing campaigns for the largest multinationals and large local marketing spenders.

Publicis Africa Group CEO Kevin Tromp says as the world’s second largest continent, Africa presents important market opportunities. “Publicis is increasing its equity footprint by acquiring companies that understand the complexity of marketing to the continent’s numerous unique cultures and cluster communities – all with divergent buying trends and behaviours.”

“African consumers are no longer passive receivers of brand communication and have become active participants who require brands to engage them meaningfully. We want our clients to leverage our combined insights within Publicis Africa Group, and use our local market understanding to enable their brands to be taken to market in a relevant and engaging fashion,” he says.

According to Neu-Ner and Oved, TCC group co-CEOs, activations have become a consumer science as the focus shifts way from brands and focuses on the consumer. “While activations are sometimes mistakenly viewed as extensions or by-products of social media and digital advertising, their effectiveness on the ground, in terms of converting consumers into brand ambassadors and converting ideas into sales, is powerful.”

“Becoming part of Publicis Worldwide enables us to scale our offering and unique blend of conceptual and executional abilities on a global scale,” they say. “Publicis Worldwide are the masters of merging digital, creative, strategy and new age thinking and therefore, for us, they are the bigger brother we always wish we had.”