Ogilvy & Mather, Africa’s premier advertising agency, has purchased a majority share in South African mobile marketing company Strike Media, indicating an intention to plunge into the continent’s mobile marketing space.
Strike Media deals with customised mobile campaigns and is currently providing mobile consulting to some of the country’s vibrant brands and organisations.
“The timing of this acquisition is even more pertinent given the fact that we are announcing the partnership while actively participating in the 2013 Mobile World Congress,” stated Miles Young, worldwide chairman and chief executive officer at Ogilvy & Mather.
“Unlimited connectivity is the next state of progression and regions like Africa and Asia are core drivers in this evolution. Consumers are naturally adopting the phone as their primary means for communication. Welcoming Strike Media to the Ogilvy & Mather family is further proof of our commitment to growth in the evolving mobile marketing space.”
Ogilvy & Mather has made strategic acquisition of innovative digital companies such as Effective UI and The Royal Order in the United States and has 8,000 digital specialists globally.
“Mobile needs to be integrated into the full marketing mix at many points along the customer journey and Ogilvy & Mather South Africa has a class leading approach to integrated marketing and understands the potential for mobile to truly transform marketing. Mobile has the power to revolutionize clients’ business and brands as it is playing a significant role in enhancing customer experience,” Strike Media’s chief executive officer Russel Stromin said
With the rapid growth of mobile subscriptions in Africa, the fastest in the world, more brands and marketers are looking for ways to tap into this platform. It is estimated that the continent has close to 1 billion mobile subscriptions.
