The move is designed to further strengthen the group's position in the market as the go-to for integrated services and campaigns across the entire customer journey by adding content publishing to its suite of services.

This announcement follows the recent deal with retail and shopper marketing agency 34°. Cedar South Africa will continue to operate as an independent agency brand within the King James group structure.

"We've always remained focused on being the agency of today, with half an eye on where communication is headed and the kind of work we'd like to be doing tomorrow," says King James CEO, James Barty. 

"It's a very intentional mindset that works to guide us in acquiring the skills that we need to be the very best company we can be in the now, while incrementally changing to stay ahead of new ways of creating and curating narratives," Barty adds.

Barty says that today's marketing landscape is a lot more fluid and the way that audiences consume content has changed. The lines between paid, earned, owned and shared have "blurred and brands are communicating to a world that doesn’t think in media silos". He says that that different channels and opportunities demand different skills.

"We're creating an in-house fleet of distinct — but connected — specialists who are best-in-business experts across disciplines to deliver both brand-building communications and customer experience," Barty adds.

"Strengthening our content marketing capabilities in the highly specialised area of content publishing made absolute business sense as our next phase of growth. It's a natural extension to what we do as a group," he says.

"We're excited about the platforms on which the team at Cedar SA can create content. And when combined with our existing skillsets and expertise, we believe we have a proposition that keeps us at the cutting edge," adds Barty.

Cedar South Africa MD Helena Gavera agrees that there is synergy between the strengths at King James and the expertise her team brings to the table. "We have depth and breadth of experience working with blue-chip local and international brands. [We have worked] across a wide range of industries, all with vastly different content needs."

Gavera says that the partnership creates massive potential and opportunity for growth. According to Gavera, the partnership is based on a shared belief in the power of creativity to build great brands and deliver business success for clients.

Additionally, it is also built on a collaborative structure designed to allow ideas to be explored through the group into whichever mediums best maximise its power and effect.

"Our job will forever be to create investment-worthy ideas to bring our clients' brands closer to their customers," says Barty. "The best place for those ideas to live will always change. The ideas won’t." 

"Unless the work packs a creative punch and you manage to jar consumers by doing something truly spectacular or unexpected, it’s just strategically sound wallpaper across more channels. The world needs smarter content, not more content. Consumers no longer have to sit out your dull and boring message. They can, and do, skip you," concludes Barty.

For more information, visit www.kingjames.co.za. You can also follow the King James Group on Facebook or on Twitter.