Kingjames

In the beginning there was Alistair King and James Barty. That was in 1998. They decided to start an agency from scratch and call it King James; they figured the name might be blessed. Each time they won a new piece of business, they hired another staff member or two, and so it went. They never rested. As they grew they realized that to be truly accountable and truly effective, they needed to be multi-disciplined, not like in the text books, but in a genuinely integrated way. One after the next they partnered with people they admired in skills that King James and their clients needed. Today King James is an advertising and communication group made up of six companies (King James, King James RSVP, Mnemonic, Atmosphere, Hammer and Proof) that work in tandem, live in the same building and misbehave at the same parties. The result is a group that leaps fearlessly between mediums, hunts consumers in packs, and attracts clients that want holistic solutions, not just ads. You name it, King James Group can do it. Today King James remains an independent group by choice, with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. With annual revenue around R42 million and close to 100 staff, the industry publications call them medium size. They prefer to call themselves the 14th largest agency group with a fierce creative ethic, big ambitions and the best bar in town.