WPP Buys New Commercial Arts

WPP has announced the acquisition of New Commercial Arts (NCA), a prominent independent creative and customer experience agency. NCA will be integrated into Ogilvy’s global creative network, enhancing Ogilvy’s presence and growth in the UK market.

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Founded in 2020 by industry veterans James Murphy and David Golding, NCA rapidly became one of the UK’s fastest-growing agencies, working with high-profile clients like Sainsbury’s, MoneySuperMarket, Vodafone, Nando’s, Paramount+, Alzheimer’s Society, and Cityfibre. Murphy and Golding previously established Adam&Eve in 2008, building it into a major UK agency with international success. NCA currently employs around 90 people, with offices in London’s Fitzrovia and Glasgow’s Merchant City, in partnership with the Glasgow School of Art.

James Murphy will lead both Ogilvy UK and NCA as CEO of Ogilvy Group UK, marking his return to Ogilvy where he began his career. Fiona Gordon, who has rejuvenated Ogilvy UK as CEO since 2021, will step into the role of Global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy. In this position, she will report to Ogilvy Global CEO Devika Bulchandani and collaborate with Global Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor and Ogilvy’s Worldwide Creative Council.

WPP CEO Mark Read highlighted that NCA’s impressive client list and capabilities complement Ogilvy’s, promising significant growth opportunities for clients and WPP’s UK business.

James Murphy expressed enthusiasm about merging with Ogilvy, emphasizing the enhanced capabilities and resources available through WPP Open and Ogilvy’s diverse services.

Devika Bulchandani, Ogilvy Global CEO, praised Murphy and Golding as industry innovators, and Fiona Gordon’s promotion reflects her critical role in Ogilvy’s recent success.

Fiona Gordon, as Global CEO of Advertising, looks forward to leveraging Ogilvy’s creative network to drive client success and contribute significantly to the UK market.

Ogilvy UK, recognized as the top agency in WARC’s 2024 Creative 100 list, boasts a wide range of capabilities including Advertising, Customer Experience, PR & Influence, Health, and Consulting. Ogilvy Consulting was named one of the UK’s Leading Consultants by the Financial Times for seven consecutive years and recently earned accolades for its Behavioural Science practice and PR Influence team. Ogilvy’s recent clients include Unilever, Mondelēz, Sainsbury’s, and F1, with Molson Coors joining its roster.

Ogilvy was named Network of the Year at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and has been recognized by WARC as the World’s #1 Creative Agency Network (2020-2024) and Most Effective Creative Network (2023, 2024).

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