M&c Saatchi Group South Africa

What M&c Saatchi Group South Africa does

The Up&Up Group is a privately-held South African creative solutions holding company founded in 2010, operating as the parent entity for nine specialist agencies: M+C Saatchi Abel, Connect, Razor, Levergy, Black & White, 2Stories, Dalmatian, Eighty20, and the Africa Affiliate Network. With more than 500 team members across the group, it delivers integrated marketing and communication services spanning consulting, advertising, media, public relations, passion marketing, relationship design, content marketing, and data and analytics. Its primary client base is large enterprise brands, organisations, and causes on the African continent and beyond — including MTN, Standard Bank, Heineken, PepsiCo, Astron Energy, Woolworths, the FAO, and social-impact initiatives such as The Street Store and Gun Free South Africa. Notable client outcomes cited include MTN being named Africa's most valuable brand, Standard Bank being named Africa's most valuable banking brand, and the Street Store clothing over 1 million homeless people.

The group operates a sales-led B2B professional services model, engaging enterprise clients directly through agency teams to deliver quote-based, project-driven creative and communications work. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Geographic reach is anchored in South Africa and extended across 19 African markets via the Africa Affiliate Network partnership. The group uses website content, LinkedIn, email newsletters, and industry events as marketing channels, and distributes services through direct enterprise sales.

The business is a holding-company architecture of subsidiary agency brands rather than a technology platform: no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, patents, APIs, SDKs, or app products are disclosed in the source data, and Eighty20 represents the group's data and analytics capability. The company has no disclosed parent, no funding rounds on record, no M&A history disclosed, no regulatory actions, no management team profiles, and no compliance certifications in the available data.

Name

M&c Saatchi Group South Africa

Legal name

The Up&Up Group

Website

https://mcsaatchigroup.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Up&Up Group is a privately-held South African creative solutions holding company, founded in 2010, operating nine specialist advertising and communications agencies with 500+ team members serving enterprise brands across the African continent.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Marketing Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)

Keywords

• Integrated marketing communications
• Advertising services
• Public relations
• Content marketing
• Data analytics services

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Communication Services: The group generates revenue through providing integrated marketing and communication services including consulting, advertising, media, public relations, passion marketing, relationship design, content marketing, and data and analytics services to enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Up&Up Group is a holding company for nine specialist creative agencies that collectively deliver integrated marketing and communication services to enterprise clients. Service categories include Consulting, Advertising, Media, Public Relations, Passion Marketing, Relationship Design, Content Marketing, Data and Analytics, and Integrated Communications. Client engagements span brand elevation, multi-market campaigns, social impact initiatives, and integrated creative solutions delivered across African markets.

Product overview

The Up&Up Group is a creative solutions group operating as a platform-plus-modules architecture, bringing together nine distinct agency brands under one umbrella. The core holding company coordinates diverse marketing and communication capabilities from over 500 team members. The portfolio includes M+C Saatchi Abel (full-service advertising), Connect (integrated communications), Razor, Levergy, Black & White, 2Stories, Dalmatian, Eighty20 | Partnership (data and analytics), and Africa Affiliate Network. Service offerings span Consulting, Advertising, Media, Public Relations, Passion Marketing, Relationship Design, Content Marketing, Data and Analytics, and Integrated Communications. The Group serves major African and international brands including MTN, Standard Bank, Heineken, PepsiCo, and Woolworths.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Integrated Marketing and Communication Services (Group offering) Group-level offering combining Consulting, Advertising, Media, Public Relations, Passion Marketing, Relationship Design, Content Marketing, Data and Analytics, and Integrated Communications delivered to enterprise clients across African markets via a single accountable relationship.
• M+C Saatchi Abel - Full-service Advertising and Communications Full-service advertising and communications agency brand within the Up&Up Group portfolio.
• Connect - Integrated Communications Agency brand within the Up&Up Group offering integrated communications services.
• Razor - Advertising Advertising-focused agency brand within the Up&Up Group portfolio.
• Levergy - Media Media-focused agency brand within the Up&Up Group portfolio.
• Black & White - Advertising Advertising agency brand within the Up&Up Group portfolio.
• 2Stories - Marketing Marketing-focused agency brand within the Up&Up Group portfolio.
• Dalmatian - Marketing Marketing-focused agency brand within the Up&Up Group portfolio.
• Eighty20 | Partnership - Data and Analytics Agency/partnership brand within the Up&Up Group portfolio, specialising in data and analytics.

Quantifiable outcome

• MTN became Africa's most valuable brand through creative campaigns
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Africa Affiliate NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrica Affiliate Network is listed as a partnership within The Up&Up Group, providing continental reach and local market expertise across Africa. This partnership enables the group to serve clients across multiple African markets with local expertise and connections.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ogilvy Africa: Ogilvy operates a continent-spanning African network offering integrated advertising, PR, and consulting services to major enterprise clients. It competes directly with The Up&Up Group for the same multinational African marketing rosters and overlaps on telecom, banking, and FMCG accounts.
• Joe Public United: Joe Public is a leading South African independent creative agency group with multiple specialist subsidiaries. It competes with The Up&Up Group's structure for enterprise creative mandates in South Africa and offers comparable integrated communications capabilities.
• Net#work BBDO: Net#work BBDO is one of South Africa's largest full-service creative agency networks with a global BBDO/Omnicom affiliation. It is a direct competitor for tier-one South African enterprise clients and overlaps on integrated creative, media, and brand strategy work.
• DDB South Africa: DDB South Africa operates as part of the global DDB/Omnicom network, providing integrated creative and advertising services. It is a direct peer serving overlapping enterprise client categories in the South African market.
• TBWA\ South Africa: TBWA South Africa is part of the global TBWA/Omnicom network and offers full-service advertising and brand strategy. It is a direct peer competing for the same South African and African enterprise mandates.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu Africa: Dentsu Africa is the regional presence of Dentsu International, offering integrated advertising, media, and customer experience services. It is a broad incumbent peer competing for large enterprise rosters with global holding-company resources.
• Publicis Groupe Africa: Publicis Africa operates as the regional arm of Publicis Groupe, one of the world's largest advertising holding companies. It competes with The Up&Up Group across advertising, media, PR, and data, with deeper global resources but less concentrated focus on African independent enterprise work.
• WPP (African operations): WPP operates multiple African agency brands (VMLY&R, GroupM, Ogilvy, etc.) and competes for the same enterprise marketing mandates as The Up&Up Group. It is a broad incumbent with deeper global scale and media buying infrastructure.
• Havas Africa: Havas operates an African footprint through its global network offering integrated creative, media, and communications services. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same multinational African mandates with the backing of a global holding company.

Others

• M&C Saatchi PLC: M&C Saatchi PLC is the global parent brand network of which M+C Saatchi Abel is part. It is an ecosystem/affiliation peer rather than a direct competitor, sharing methodologies and talent exchange opportunities with The Up&Up Group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theupandupgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about M&c Saatchi Group South Africa