Picture: THE TIMES
Picture: THE TIMES

After a 48 year relationship with Young & Rubicam (Y&R) SA, grocer Pick n Pay is changing its advertising agency.

The move comes amid the retailer’s turnaround strategy gains steam under CEO Richard Brasher.

King James, which was awarded the account, announced its win on social media network Twitter on Thursday.

"We have been with Y&R for 40-something years so the team just felt its was time to have a look around to see if anybody else had different and fresh ideas and the teams decided to make a change. These things happen," David North, Pick n Pay’s Group executive of strategy and corporate affairs told Business Day.

Y&R is a global marketing and communications company specialising in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.

The group is behind some of the retailer’s iconic ads as well as Pick n Pay’s initiative of dropping the apostrophe before the "n" in its name in 2007 and its brand line: "Inspired by you".

According to advertising annual, AdFocus, the retailer is the country’s fourth-largest advertiser, spending around R688m last yearin 2014.

"We are always careful, like any other business when making a change like this, to make sure that we are not criticising the outgoing agency.

"When I first joined Pick n Pay, Y&R showed me the ads that they made over the years, they did some really good stuff, and there’s a lot of affection for Y&R but I just think the team just felt it was time to look at new ideas, whether through social media or other new media forms and I think they are excited by the King James lot," Mr North said.

M&C Saatchi Abel and FCB Cape Town were among the agencies that pitched for the account. Y&R SA is said to have repitched for the account. King James, is a 17-year old, independent South African agency whose clients include Santam, Johnnie Walker and Burger King.