“The challenges have diversified, and we feel that the best way to respond, both in terms of relationships and content, is by opening an office in Luanda,” Duarte Vilaça de Sousa, partner at the agency, explains to M&P. The goal is to “enhance the quality of our service, both for Angolan companies and for the Portuguese companies that have sought us out due to our experience in this market,” he adds. “We’ve been working for Angola since 2008 and have deepened our relationship with Angolan companies.”

The office was opened without local partners, with the Portuguese agency entering the market independently. “The team starts with a general manager, Francisco Torres, who is leaving the Lisbon office, where he’s been for about six years. The Lisbon team will now increase its presence in Angola, but our goal is to build a local team, with members from various fields who have a deep understanding of the Angolan market,” Vilaça de Sousa explains. As for the areas in which they will offer services, he clarifies that although “the core of our work in the Angolan market has been in branding,” they believe “there are great opportunities in the areas of content and brand activation. We want to be as innovative in these areas in Angola as we have been and continue to be in Portugal,” he emphasises.

The investment involved in launching this operation was half a million euros, with expected revenue of around one and a half million euros by the end of the first year of activity in Angola. Currently, this market “represents 25 percent” of the agency’s business volume, but with this move, Duarte Vilaça de Sousa expects this share to “grow to 40 per cent within the first year.”