MCA founder resurfaces with a disability advisory agency
Kevin Thomson, the adman who sold his internal communications consultancy MCA to WPP Group for &£15m in 2000, has returned to the industry to launch an agency that will advise brands on disability legislation.
The agency, 2080partners, is a 50/50 joint venture with the British Dyslexic Association. It will focus mainly on online communications, although it will also cover other forms of advertising and marketing.
It will work with brands to ensure their marketing communications comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Disability Rights Commission Guidelines.
It will also offer consultancy services, training and internal communications, a full range of advertising services and accreditation for other agencies.
The DDA requires organisations to make “reasonable adjustments” to their advertising and communications, so they are accessible to all.
Research from the BDA suggests that a fifth of the population may have learning, language and literacy problems.
Thomson says he had no intention of returning to the industry after selling MCA, but after he was diagnosed with dyslexia, he realised many consumers are “left in the cold” by marketing and advertising due to problems with communications.
