ICOM+IN, the leading international network of independent agencies, has formed a sub-Saharan Africa Region to help step up its activities.
Mr Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of the Volcano Agency in Bryanston, South Africa, has been appointed Regional Director and Spearhead Africa, Dar es Salaam, has been named the first ICOM+IN agency representative in Tanzania, becoming the eighth Agency member in the region.
Mr Gary Burandt, ICOM+IN Managing Director said Africa is an increasingly important part of the world saying" We are optimistic about future growth prospects".
"Peter has a sound objective to unify and assist the current sub-Saharan members of the network as well as to recruit members in countries not yet represented. As a first step, Mr. Jackson is setting up three regional hubs strategically positioned in the Western, Eastern and Southern areas of the continent", he said.
He said the initiative by Mr Jackson has a potential to tap into the existing ICOM+IN Africa network and provide the opportunity to drive further growth across the continent.
Mr Jackson pledged to provide its international clients with the largest African communications footprint available.
He said previously much of the activities were been undertaken by the multinational ad agency groups, assuring that "This is about to change".
He said this was an opportunity for the continent because an increasing number of international and local companies are realising the growing importance of the Africa market.
Spearhead, the first new member appointed since the combination of the ICOM and IN networks was announced in July, joins current ICOM+IN agencies in Ghana Angola, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia as the foundation of the Africa region.
Spearhead is an integrated agency serving both local and international accounts, including APC, Coca-Cola Tanzania, Deloitte, Engen and Samsung.
Madam Monalisa Bangera, Director Spearhead said she was looking forward to the opportunity to tap into the experience of ICOM+IN’s members on different brands and marketing solutions to be able to service clients of other network members locally as well as to provide her agency's clients the access to proven advertising and marketing expertise across the world.
ICOM+IN is the world's largest independent network of advertising and marketing communications agencies and offers the broadest geographic coverage. Annual billings total3.5 billion dollars with gross income exceeding 500 million dollars.