There has been a flurry of activity that is conspicuously absent in other sectors in the advertising space lately. Mainly, this is in the form of companies merging, a black-owned group buying a stake in a growing white-owned agency, and an established company bringing on board the cream of black talent.
True to form, highly regarded design experience company, The Immersion Group, has concluded a strategic partnership deal with well-known entrepreneur, Andile Khumalo. Under terms of the deal, Khumalo will become chairman and his investment firm, KhumaloCo, a shareholder in the company.
The Immersion Group’s specialty is in precision-designed experience-led systems and processes for digital interactions. The group’s field of expertise is in the following areas: Customer Experience (CX); Service Design User Experience (UX); Design User Interface (UI); and Content Strategy and Design. The organisation currently works with leading South African blue chips including Old Mutual, Absa and Standard Bank.
KhumaloCo is a specialist investment firm that primarily invests in emerging companies operating in technology, media, and financial services. It has investments in the communications group Brave, investor marketing agency Ince, and small business development support company, I AM AN ENTREPRENEUR.
Immersion Group’s CEO, Viresh Hargovan, says in the Andile Khumalo Immersion has an ideal partner. “Immersion is a rapidly growing business and for some time we have been looking for a business partner who could drive us to our next growth level. We have found that person in Andile Khumalo and his investment company KhumaloCo. We are confident that through his extensive network we will find new opportunities as well as utilising his strategic and management skills to complement our stable of highly talented operatives.”
On his part, Khumalo explains that he could not give a second thought to the idea of partnering with Immersion Group, it was a no-brainer, “This really wasn’t a difficult decision. The Immersion Group has a stand-out track record in a highly sought-after technical space, particularly given changing customer demands in the online and mobile space.”
What Khumalo finds particularly attractive about Immersion is that Hargovan and his team are setting new benchmarks in the discipline of ‘seamless and positive customer experience’ , which is an area that has now become critical to brand success and growth.
Through the partnership, the Immersion Group hopes to reach out to executives in the broader business community and seek to partner on opportunities in markets beyond the networks already created. Hargovan says the world is now in the middle of large-scale digital transformation where there is constant disruption, as new competitors have entered the market putting traditional operations under pressure to change, and Immersion looks forward to playing a pivotal role. “From websites to internet banking to mobile apps and quick codes we create experiences which transform the way organisations interact with their customers. Executives leading companies have no choice but to focus on the real and changing needs of their customers in this new pandemic-influenced paradigm and the Immersion Group is singularly poised to be a guiding light in this respect, both in South Africa, across the continent and in other global markets.”
Both Hargovan and Khumalo believe this is the opportune time for companies navigating this time of flux and uncertainty to double down on their efforts in customer management and experience creation and work together. And to achieve this objective, working with an experienced partner who will design and map the journey and walk the road with them is critical, they conclude.
