They say the key to good business is good communication. Finding effective ways of getting a message out there can be tricky, and this work is best handled by expert PR firms such as Absolute Communications Group. With a boutique approach able to cover a diverse field, the
leadership of CEO Victor King must be commended. Justly awarded the title of CEO of the Year, 2020 in The United Arab Emirates, we take a closer look at Mr King and the company he created.
Launched in a living room, ACG has come a long way since 2011. Under the sage guidance of Mr King, it has become established as one of the leading lights of the industry, spread across three offices in Dubai, Mumbai and Delhi. Each is committed to encouraging ever higher standards and quality within the PR sector. Taking on a diverse clientele with a similarly diverse set of needs, the firm has been able to sharpen its skill and create work that is able to truly speak for itself.
But in 2018, it almost slipped away. Towards the end of the year, ACG was facing monumental challenges, with Mr King almost having to close the business down. Its survival is a credit not only to his sterling efforts, but to the hard work of the team that he had built up. The recovery has made the firm stronger, with the team seeing an accelerated growth and what looked like an achievable objective of over 50% growth in 2020 as of the start of the year.
The question, then, is what the reason behind this Cinderella transformation is. Put simply, at the heart of ACG is the need for the business to raise the standards of the industry, becoming a benchmark for other agencies to look up to. Mr King has led the firm to take on multiple specialised communication services in the areas of Public Relations, Corporate Communications, Digital Communications, Live Communications and Visual Communications. Growth is allied to the growth of clients, partners, colleagues and suppliers, meaning all progress is sustainable. Between raising standards and growing alongside other organisations, ACG has found a path that has led to success.
The team works for a number of different clients, spanning a range of industries from consumer tech, business tech and education all the way through to jewellery, finance, and hospitality. Mr King has never introduced a sales model to the business, or indeed a salesperson. Instead, every pitch is based on ideas, solutions and advice. Word of mouth has spread the word of ACG, with every contract drawn up based on a unique history and a compassionate, mutually beneficial relationship.
In many ways, the approach of the company is intrinsically unique, only made more so by the work of the ACG team, clients and partners. The careful cultivation of a conducive, but challenging environment has been critical to success. As a boutique agency, the team really has the opportunity to dig deeper with clients, centring them at the very heart of the process. This is just one of the qualities that has made an enormous difference to the way in which the business is run,and has drawn clients in who are impressed with the work that the firm has been able to undertake.
This success comes contrary to the entire MarCom industry in the region, which has seen the budgets for such programmes decrease day by day. With the team focused on delivering quality results, keeping operating costs low, diversifying into different verticals, and introducing new services to clients, the company has thrived, sustaining the plans for growth. A carefully crafted model for this is set to secure a 50-60% growth this year and an average 25% growth year on year after that. Mr King’s plans for the future two more offices in the region before 2022, with adding 2-3 more by 2025 in different parts of the world. India and West Africa are the two key markets the team are looking to expand into.
It goes without saying that ACG has gone through hardships, but thanks to superb leadership and a strong team it has come through without a hitch. Now the company has found its footing again, it can move on to further successes.
Absolute Communications Group Contact: Victor King
