WPP has announced the acquisition of New Commercial Arts (NCA), a fast-growing independent creative and customer experience agency founded in 2020 by industry leaders James Murphy and David Golding. The acquisition is set to significantly strengthen Ogilvy’s presence in the UK, with NCA joining Ogilvy’s global creative network. NCA will maintain its brand identity but will now have access to Ogilvy’s expansive resources, creating new opportunities for growth and innovation.
NCA, which has rapidly become one of the UK’s most prominent agencies, has worked with top brands like Sainsbury’s, MoneySuperMarket, Vodafone, and Alzheimer’s Society. Its success has been attributed to the leadership of Murphy and Golding, who previously founded Adam&Eve in 2008 and sold it to OmnicomDDB in 2012 for £50 million. Now, their agency is set to be part of Ogilvy UK, a leading force in the creative industry.
James Murphy, co-founder and CEO of NCA, will take on the role of CEO of Ogilvy Group UK, replacing Fiona Gordon, who has been promoted to Global CEO of Ogilvy Advertising. Murphy expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition, stating: “Ogilvy is rightly recognised as the world’s pre-eminent creative network, and to be joining with the remit to unlock our collective potential in the UK market is irresistible. For our team and our clients, this will be a game-changer.”
The acquisition not only expands NCA’s capabilities but also provides access to WPP’s data and AI tools through WPP Open, as well as to Ogilvy’s comprehensive offerings in influencer marketing, PR, CRM, and commerce. This move allows NCA to scale its services and broaden its impact across a wider range of marketing disciplines.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, praised NCA’s growth and its ability to elevate British brands: “NCA is one of the UK’s most exciting new agencies with a great team, an impressive roster of clients, and a track record of elevating beloved British brands. Its capabilities and client base make NCA highly complementary to Ogilvy; bringing together these two very successful agencies will drive growth both for our clients and our own UK business.”
Under Murphy’s leadership, Ogilvy UK aims to further strengthen its position in the market, building on its recent success as the #1 agency in the UK on WARC’s 2024 Creative 100 list and its numerous accolades from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Meanwhile, Fiona Gordon will bring her expertise to Ogilvy’s global operations as she steps into her new role.
As WPP continues to invest in expanding its capabilities and enhancing its client offerings, the acquisition of NCA is a strategic move designed to consolidate the group’s creative power and further elevate its position in the UK advertising landscape.
Reference: https://www.wpp.com/en/news/2024/09/wpp-acquires-new-commercial-arts
