Global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi celebrates 40 years since its formation in 1970 in London by brothers Maurice and Charles Saatchi.
Eight years later Saatchi & Saatchi had become the biggest agency in the UK, and in 1988, the largest in the world.
A decision by shareholders' in 1995 saw the two brothers exit to start a new agency M&C Saatchi, which today is ranked the 7th largest advertising firm in the UK, has 25 offices in 18 countries, and employs 1,000 people globally. Clients include GlaxoSmithKline, Sara Lee, Hyundai, Porsche, and Coca-Cola.
Saatchi & Saatchi is today part of the Publicis Groupe, has 140 offices in 80 countries with 6,500 staff worldwide, and represents several of the world's leading companies including Procter & Gamble, Toyota, General Mills, Novartis, T-Mobile, Visa, and Cadbury. It consistently ranks amongst the top three networks globally for its creative output, and its core Lovemarks positioning earned Ad Age's accolade as one of the top Ideas of the Decade 2000-2009.
CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, Kevin Roberts, says that the ambition of Maurice and Charles Saatchi changed business, culture, and politics. "They were among the first people to articulate globalization. They influenced politics by assisting in the elections of economic reformer Margaret Thatcher as leader of Great Britain. They made creative communications that were exciting, famous, and highly commercial. And they created a "Nothing Is Impossible" spirit which, despite their departure, remains at the heart of our company's continued growth."
Saatchi & Saatchi's 40th birthday has been celebrated locally in London with a party attended by 1,500 people at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, bringing together founders, past and present clients, alumni, the leadership of both Saatchi & Saatchi and M&C Saatchi agencies, and political and cultural leaders.
Moray McLennan, CEO Worldwide of M&C Saatchi, said that the event was a unique coming together of two companies that share the same founders. "Maurice and Charles Saatchi put creativity at the center of business. They are radical provocateurs who have influenced the ways businesses communicate. They have been trailblazers in art and politics."
Kevin Roberts paid tribute to outstanding creative directors Jeremy Sinclair (now Chairman M&C Saatchi), the late Paul Arden (London), Bob Isherwood (Worldwide), Kim Thorp (New Zealand), Dave Droga (London), Tony Granger (New York), Fabio Fernandez (Brazil), Pablo del Campo (Argentina), and today's members of the network's Worldwide Creative Board led by Robert Senior (London).
"I congratulate Maurice and Charles Saatchi on founding and leading the company for 25 years, I acknowledge clients for their belief, and I recognize the thousands of Saatchi & Saatchi alumni throughout the world for their work," said Roberts, a client of the agency for 20 years before becoming CEO Worldwide in 1997.
Looking forward, Saatchi & Saatchi was fully geared in its approach to digital, interactive and social media communications, said Kevin Roberts. "We live in a participation economy that runs online, onscreen, instore. In this business matrix, the role of Saatchi & Saatchi hasn't changed: it's about extraordinary ideas that create loyalty beyond reason. Search engines don't do this. Creative people do."
A selection of creative work from the past 40 years can be viewed at www.saatchi.com/story
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