WPP has acquired New Commercial Arts, a creative and customer experience agency. NCA will now be part of Ogilvy’s global network to boost its presence in the UK market.
Established in 2020 by industry leaders James Murphy and David Golding, NCA quickly rose as a top UK agency by 2023, serving a range of clients from local to global, such as Sainsbury’s, MoneySuperMarket, Vodafone, Nando’s, Paramount+, Alzheimer’s Society, and Cityfibre.
Murphy and Golding co-founded Adam&Eve in 2008, establishing it as a UK leader and expanding globally. NCA, with around 90 employees, operates in London’s Fitzrovia and Glasgow’s Merchant City in collaboration 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 the agency where he started as a graduate trainee.
Fiona Gordon, Ogilvy UK CEO since 2021, is now Ogilvy’s Global CEO of Advertising, reporting to Devika Bulchandani. She will collaborate with Global Chief Creative Officer Liz Taylor and Ogilvy’s Worldwide Creative Council.
Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “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.”
James Murphy, co-founder and CEO of NCA and incoming CEO of Ogilvy Group UK, said: “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 in what we can bring to their careers and their brands. Plugging into Ogilvy and WPP’s network will give us access to data and AI tools at scale through WPP Open and to a broad set of Ogilvy capabilities that were simply out of our reach as an independent – from influencer marketing, PR, CRM, commerce and service design to business transformation and brand innovation through Ogilvy Consulting.”
Devika Bulchandani, Global CEO of Ogilvy, said: “James, David and their partners are pioneers in our industry. When they created New Commercial Arts, they deliberately chose the word commercial because growing our clients’ brands and businesses is core to what our industry does – an ethos mirrored in David Ogilvy’s famous words: ‘We Sell, Or Else’. Fiona’s stellar leadership has been instrumental in propelling Ogilvy UK forward, playing a critical role in the growth and momentum of our global network. I’m thrilled that her impact will now be felt on a global stage.”
Fiona Gordon, newly appointed Global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy, added: “I’m invigorated every day by the boundless potential of creativity to not only propel businesses forward but to leave an indelible mark on culture. To have the opportunity to collaborate more closely with Dev, Liz, and Ogilvy’s Worldwide Creative Council to harness the creative brilliance of our network on behalf of our clients is a tremendous opportunity. In my new role I’m excited that the UK will make a vital contribution as a key market.”
Ogilvy UK tops WARC’s 2024 Creative 100 list in the UK, excelling in various sectors like Advertising, Customer Experience, PR & Influence, Health, and Consulting. Ogilvy Consulting shines on the Financial Times’ UK’s Leading Consultants list for the 7th year with a renowned Behavioural Science practice and hosting Nudgestock. Additionally, Ogilvy PR’s Influence team wins Best Large Influencer Marketing Agency at the Global Influencer Marketing Awards. Clients include Unilever, Mondelēz, Sainsbury’s, F1, and the recent addition of Molson Coors.
Ogilvy was honored as the Network of the Year at the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival and ranked #1 by WARC as the Most Effective Creative Network in consecutive years (2023, 2024).
