Financial Mail AdFocus 2022

Reimagine the big idea. An idea that’s impact driven. Creative. A meeting of fresh minds committed to excellence, fuelled by partnerships that inspire. We tap into data. Insight. Culture. A full-service integrated agency. A challenger spirit. Data-informed creativity. Insights driven by big ideas. Wisdom driven revolution. We make bold moves within safe boundaries, taking creative leaps with soft landings. Influential change-makers. Digital mavericks. Intelligence informed disruption. Knowledgeable rebels that disrupt the rules wisely. We execute impactive creative ideas.

Cutting edge creativity underpinned by strategic intelligence.

RAPTCREATIVE.COM

Our limitless well of creativity

ROBERT E FRANKEN, in his book titled Human Motivation, defines creativity as “the tendency to generate or recognise ideas, alternatives,orpossibilities thatmaybe useful in solvingproblems, communicating with othersand entertaining ourselves and others”. It’ s a definition that rings true, and one thatSouth Africa’s agency landscapehas embodiedover thepast 12 months.

Inthe pastyear,the worldhas been rocked by onecrisis after the next,triggering aseries ofextraordinary challengesglobally for peopleandbusinesses. Thewarin Ukraine, soaring energy prices, a downturned economy anda global shipping and logistics disaster offer new and unforeseenchallenges to doing business. When seen together with the challenges of crumbling infrastructure and the rising cost of living, one starts to realise just how difficult it is to survive as a business in South Africa right now.

Sowhy isitthat evenwhen faced with suchheadwinds, the agencies that havewon AdFocus Awards this year didn’t just survive, butrecordedone oftheirmost successful yearsin history?How do they manage to grow their businesses way beyond the constraints thrownat them?The answerbecameapparent tothemain juryas we worked through each entry and thegoldenthread startedtoshine through.

When crisishits, creativity thrives. Creativityrefuses tobe restricted; it reimaginesa way forward. Creativity isn’t based on scarcity,but onabundance.When creativity meetsa closeddoor, it opens another. When creativity is told “ no ”, it replies “why not?” Creativity brings relief andlife in the mostdire situations.Itunapologetically marches forward, illuminating the way for others to follow. It charts the path to bouncing back.

The agencies who took top hon-

ours this year didn’t just harness the powerof creativityfor theirclients. They alsoapplied itto theirown businessesand tostrategiesfor their culturesand people. Theyfully embracedthe transformational power of creativity,and leveragedit ina periodofheightened challenge and difficulty.

The jurythis yearwas madeup anincredible groupof leaders, from CEOsand MDs of through-the-line agencies, both small and large,to digital directors of large consultancies, leaders of media and PR agencies, marketing directors and industry consultants.

My desire was to have a jury that representeddiversity ofthoughtin all its forms, so that each entry could be tested from every possible angle. A huge thank you to everyone who sat on the main jury and the student jury thisyear. Thedebates were robust, engaging, tough and enlightening, and they ultimately resulted in the best agency in each category taking home the honours.

When in discussion this year, the jury’s focus was to look beyond the surface of the entries into the real detail and substance that underpins

Creativity isn

t based on scarcity, but on abundance

them. And to recognisethat for an agencyto benamedAgency ofthe Year,all facetsofthe entryneeded to be firing on all cylinders.

It wasn’t enough justto be a growing business. Isthe product and output produced by the agency ofstandout quality?Does itcreate sustainable andflourishing relationships with its clients? Does the agency recogniseits responsibility in drivingdiversity, inclusion, transformation, trainingand developmentwithin itsbusiness?And does it do this ina way that is authentic behaviour, notbox ticking? Does the agency contribute to the country and theindustry as a whole?

Allof thesecombinedare aformidable ask for a business. And those that scored highest, in the eyes of thejury, demonstrated excellence across allcriteria better thananyone else.To theagencies which have bounced back in spectacular fashion, congratulations. These awardsare hardfought for, and richly deserved.

Thereare fewindustries inour country that canpost growth and success stories overthe past three years at the levelthat our leading agenciesacross allcategoriescan, all the while stillproducing a creative product whichis admired globally and celebrated locally. It’ sa wonderful success story of how an industry canbounce back,and should be celebrated by us all.

Aswe lookahead,let’s notuse thepeaks ofour creativepotential only when we’refaced with the question of survival. Let’s tap into its limitless well to domore. For our country, forour industry,for our clientsand forallthe peoplewho havechosen tomake ita placefor their careers and their growth. Perhaps thereinlies thereason we exist in the first place.

Faheem Chaudhry is partner & MD of M&C Saatchi Abel and the chair of the 2022 Financial Mail AdFocus Awards.

’

Faheem Chaudhry, partner & MD of M&C Saatchi Abel and chair of this year’s AdFocus Awards

FINANCIAL MAIL EDITOR: Rob Rose

ADFOCUS PROJECT DIRECTOR: Jadi Tillim

foreword

Our limitless well of creativity cover story Reality check: the industry has had a wake-up call to seek innovation

research

Positivity prevails but 40% of survey respondents say finding talent is a challenge

awards/winners

The agencies that won awards this year recorded one of their most successful years in history

jury comments Jurors share their thoughts on the industry s bounceback and where it s heading now

commentary & insight Connection, purpose, kindness: the qualities that underpin a bounce back?

awards rankings

All the advertising industry’s awards tables for 2021/22

creative challenge

OnlyKind scoops the award for its print ad on Shell’ s seismic blasting

corporate profiles

Key information on South Africa’s top agencies

SPECIAL PROJECTS MEDIA EDITOR: Les Tilley

ADFOCUS PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR: Lynette Dicey

SUB-EDITOR: Danni Marais

LAYOUT: Colleen Wilson

GRAPHICS: Colleen Wilson

HEAD OF ADVERTISING SALES: Eben Gewers

SALES MANAGER: Kay Naidoo

SALES: Cortney Hoyland, Debbie Montanari

PHOTOGRAPHER: Freddy Mavunda, Ruvan Boshoff

COVER DESIGN: Carike de Jager & Sithabile Ngubo

CONTRIBUTORS: Khensani Nobanda, Thabang Skwambane, Karl Gostner, Lebo Madiba, Pepe Marais, Koo Govender, Jarred Cinman, Leigh-Anne Salonika

ADFOCUS AWARDS CO-ORDINATOR: Danette Capper

ADFOCUS JURY:

Faheem Chaudhry, partner & MD of M&C Saatchi Abel and 2022 AdFocus Awards chair; Warren Moss, founder and CEO of Demographica; Merissa Himraj, CEO of Wavemaker; Gillian Rightford, founder of Adtherapy; Luca Gallarelli, group CEO at TBWASouth Africa; Firdous Osman, MD of Saatchi & Saatchi; Lebo Madiba, founder of Powerhouse PR; Zanele Zwane, MD of DUKE; Sharon Keith, marketing director of Heineken; Nimay Parekh, chief digital officer of King James, part of Accenture Song; Wandile Collis, founder and head of

strategy at BlackSwan; Ana Carrapichano, founder and owner of Mediology.

STUDENT JURY:

Faheem Chaudhry, partner & MD of M&C Saatchi Abel and 2022 AdFocus Awards chair; Raphael Kuppasamy, integrated art director at Joe Public; Thato Mokoena, creative director of BlackSwan; Tian van den Heever, executive creative director of FCB Joburg

DELOITTE AUDITOR: Marno Lindeque, Deloitte Africa

reality ch eck

Agencies have come through a difficult year and 2023 will present similar challenges, demanding courage and original thinking

by Lynette Dicey

rather specialist pitches in the areas of web,social media,digital media, shopper marketing andbrand positioning.”

The past year has brought two experiences toTBWA\South Africa CEO LucaGallarelli. Onthe one hand it’s been easier than expected because each of the agencies in the TBWA collectivehas performed well above expectations. On the other hand it has been every bit as tough as foreseen, as negative marketforces, theflightof talent,the macroeconomic climateand the stateofthe localeconomy,among other things,all affectedthe “felt experience” of how hard it has been to achieve the results it has.

Group CEO at M&C Saatchi Abel, Jacques Burger, says 2022 has been tougher thansome hadthought it wouldbe anddidnot bringthe “good news” of reliefmany were hoping for.

SOCIOECONOMIC AND political challenges in the past year have been compounded by persistent load-shedding, flooding in some parts of the country, rising inflation, higher interestrates andslow economic growth. There was an expectation that 2022 would be an easiertime aftertwo difficultpandemic years, but it has been every bit aschallenging foradvertising agencies and theirclients, testing their resilience yet again.

“This has been a tough year for theindustry andI don’t think agency leaders ormarketers are disclosing how bad it has been,” says Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of Independent Agency Search & Selection Company.

Thegreen shootsarevisible, however, she says, basing this on the numberof newappointments being announced and the general increase in marketing activity.

“Certainly the number of pitches are increasing. Interestingly, they are not necessarilyall-encompassing integrated advertising pitches but

“Therewas anaiveoptimism that, as we emerged from 2020 and 2021 into apost-Covid era, 2022 wouldbe apleasantreset andalmost ‘pre-pandemic easy’ in comparison with what we had endured. But2022 boughtwithit adifferent realityfor societyand business global unrestand war,economic pressure and our own energy crisis, with unprecedented levels of loadshedding.

Luca Gallarelli, CEO of TBWA\South Africa

“Thishas putsignificantstrain and uncertainty on planning and unlocking business growth across a wide number of sectors.”

Burger foreseesthat 2022has kicked off what will be a prolonged period of tough challenges that will last for at least the next two years.

“The impactof whatwe have endured and theresulting business and societal landscape has changed dramatically at a macro level. Companies have struggled toget out of the starting blocks post-Covid, and the pressure onconsumers is greaterthanever asinterestrates and fuel prices continue to rise.”

Evolving areas of focus

The industry changes wrought by Covid have not all been negative. As Dan Berkowitz,executive creative director atHaveYouHeard points out, advertising is an industry that is alwaysinastate offluxandevolution to ensure it remains on top of what’shappeningin theworldand connects with people.

Besides theobvious difficulties presented bythe economicdownturn,inmany waystheindustry hashad awake-up callto seek outinnovation both in terms of the work we produce for clients and in the way we operate,” says Berkowitz.

“It’sdriven thepotential of workingin amore global sense with the proven effectiveness of hybrid working, and ensures a greater focus on talent and smarter resourcing,”

HaveYouHeard hasreiterated an emphasis on work-life balance, ensuring it’snot placingundue pressure on staffto perform outside workinghours ashas becomethe industry norm. Theagency introduced a flexible hybrid model, banned workcommunications via WhatsApp, providedweekly training andmentorship, andis approaching performance appraisals positively andconstructively based on a neuroscience approach.

Burger says the past few years have brought the evolution of two key areas of focus: client-commercialexpectationsand thebattlefor the best creative minds.

“Creativityas askillset isno longerthe solepreserveof theadvertising industry. Businesses from Appleto TikTokhave beenembracingcreativity aspart ofhow theygrow,add valueandengage with stakeholdersand consumers, which has widened the competitive environment forattracting great creative talent,” he says.

The ability to work from anywhere, he adds, hasresulted in a

workforceless constrainedby geography,meaning theyare now in the market for a job anywhere in the world.

Added to this is pressure from clients interms ofperformance and delivering results, often with a short-term focus given the currenteconomic pressures.Burger saysit hasbecome tougherfor marketing departments to defend spendfor longer-termbrand buildingwhen they’re facing the pressureof immediatebusiness needs.

“Unfortunately,trying tobuild brands over the longer term continues to bede-prioritised in favourof short-termconversion gains andthe tangiblemetrics of digitalconversion work,which continues to trump the ‘softer’ metrics of brand building.”

RAPTCreative CEOGarreth van Vuurensays that,on the upside, risk aversion in almost all kindsof marketingandadvertising has decreased, with a greaterfocus onperformance marketing.Of concern,however,

is that some people have taken their eye off the creative ball while others seemtoo focusedonshort-term results ratherthan onbuilding brands for the future.

The past few years have tested the resilience of agencies and the strength of their client relationships likenever before,says WayneNaidoo, CEO of DUKE Group. “Any fat inthe systemhas beenruthlessly [cut]and thevalue equationhas been redefined. Somany of the [nice-to-haves] of advertising, like entertainment and travel, that were forced intohibernation byCovid, have not been resurrected.”

out innovation

Agencies, hesays, havebeen forced tobecome goodbusinesses rather than justcreative hot shops and have had to focus far more on thecommercial realitiesoftheir clients, while producing effective creative work.

Pete Case, CEO and creative chair of the Ogilvy South Africa Group, says the past fewyears have made the industry rethink some basic elements of how it runs itsbusinesses. “The new normal, in many ways, brings welcome change to an industry that washoldingon tosometraditions that I’m glad have left us.”

For instance, while distance was previously abarrier, Ogilvyhas seen large growth in the number of briefsfromits widerglobalnetwork. “Wehave high-qualityskills here inSouth Africa,a similartime

The industry has had a good wake-up call to seek

Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of Independent Agency Search & Selection Company

zone to Europe and competitively pricedskills.All ofthis,combined withawillingness tousetechnology platforms such as Zoom and Teams, has birthed positive growth and opportunities for us,” he says.

There has also been a change in creating more work-life balance for staff, Case says. “I don’t think anyone has the perfect solution yet, but we ’reall workingonfine-tuning what the next generation of a hybrid working environment that creates the best conditions for life and work will be.”

Industry bounces back

Despite a challenging and complex landscape, many agencies havereported healthy growth in 2022.

TBWA\South Africa, says Gallarelli, has bouncedback, and then some. “This yearis provingto be our best ever on every single commercial metric. Clients have beenretained andnew onesonboarded, we’ve grown our headcount and provided employment opportunities viaa 15-strongdata internship programme initiated at the startof the year. Weexpect to absorb all our data team interns by the end of the year.”

This programme, he explains, was initiatedoff ahunch thatthe absence of talent in is not due to a lack of aptitude, but rather to a lack of mentorship, guidanceor application on behalfof agencies and feeder institutions.

“Acting on this hunch and seeing the results withinweeks has buoyed us, encouragingus to keep

acting on ourcollective intuition, something too often disregarded in a world that increasingly values intellect over instinct.”

M&CSaatchiAbel alsohada good recovery, largely because it never downed tools to wait out the pandemic but instead kept the momentum going. It is now reaping the rewards of talent and client growth andhas investedin additionalspecialist digital and data tools. It is also more intentionalwith groupintegration to leverage such specialist skills to workmore actively together, says Burger.

“Ouryearhas seenafundamental shift back towards growth,” says Case. “It’sa momentum that we aim to continue into 2023 and beyond. Alongside growth in global briefs, we’ve made various bold bets to ignitechange. We’ve hired and invested ahead of the curve and we ’llcontinue todo so,to stayone step ahead.

“We plan tolaunch several new productsandservices inthenext few weeks, and onboard some exciting new local client wins.”

It’s not onlythe larger agency groups that havemanaged to bounce back. Smaller independent businesses havetoo. DUKEGroup, forexample, grewits revenueby more than50% year-on-year,created four new businesses and more than doubled itsstaff complement in the past year.

RAPT Creative rebounded strongly as well, experiencing 100% year-on-year growth and growing its headcount from 12 to 48 fulltime employees.The biggestchallenge it faces is being an independent agency working with huge multinationals, says Van Vuuren.

“The big global agency banner is something that appeals to a lot of brands, and showing them how and why independent agencies work is challenging. But oncethey grasp that the turnaround times are faster, there’s lessred tape,a morepersonal touch and a quality product at a fair price, they’re keen to come on board,” he says.

Navigatingreduced budgetsand more demanding clients

In a sluggish economy, the industry has been forced to adapt to declining budgets.It hasalso hadto adaptthedegree ofspecialisthelp that marketersneed inthe areaof digital, says McDowell.

She’s not convinced that we’ll be seeing large, expansive advertising campaigns any time soon if ever. She also questionswhether media owners have really kept up with the changing times.

MusaKalenga, CEOatBrave Group,says clients’ demands have increased, with a sense of intensity when it comes to service delivery andsuperior performance.Atthe same time, the “veil of digital” has beenpulledback inmanycases, and theearly expertshave lost relevance as clients have caught up from a baseline understanding perspective.

“Clients want more projectbased workas theylook formore value than they felt they received in the past.They expectagencies to collaborate and integrate more than they have in the past,” he says.

There’s also increasing pressure onthe industryto transformand diversify their skills base, says Kalenga. “A greater sense of ‘wokeness ’ manifestedin acommission of inquiry by the South African Human Rights Commission into allegations ofracial discriminationin theadvertisingindustry.

“Historically disadvantaged people working in the advertising industry are starting to mobilise and

If you don’t have a big budget, you need a big creative idea

Jacques Burger, group CEO at M&C Saatchi Abel

alignthrough initiativessuch asthe Black Agency Network Association,” he says.

Reduced budgets require investing in smarter planning, says Burger. “If you focus on the correct audience, using theright mixof touchpoints, and continuously assess and adjust your positioningto ensureit isas sharp as can be, you will build a solid foundation off which to springboard.

“At the same time, the focus needs to be pulled back to creativity if you don’t have big budgets, you need a big creative idea.”

Joey Khuvutlu, group MD at FCB andHellocomputer, pointsoutthat the scope increase as a result of more channels andplatforms hasoutstripped budget growth. The problem, he says, is that more is not better if it results in poorer quality work that only contributes toclutter and waste.

“Successfully navigating this shift requires atrue partnershipbetween client andagency, includingan understanding that we are all working within limitations and that, while we havemandates todelivereffective creative solutions, we still have to remain profitable and viable,” says Khuvutlu.

He arguesthat theonly wayto solvethisis byprioritising,focusing on the right channels for a given objective, and limitingthe scopeand focusrather thandiluting effectiveness through fragmentation of efforts and budgets.

What it takes to thrive in this environment

The most important aspect agencies provide to marketers istheir understandingof theconsumer and how consumer habits have changed forever during the two years of Covid, says McDowell.

Thriving in thecurrent environment requires passion, commitment, smarts and sheer bloody-minded determination to stick to one ’s convictions,says Gallarelli. “Fear and uncertainty canlead tocompromising collective valuesand beliefs,which mayease stress in the short term but will be catastrophic inthe longtermfor agenciesasfar asclients and staff are concerned.”

Thriving requiresplanning forabundance rather thanfor paucity. “Then attractgreat people, empower them and treat them well. Manage yourcosts judiciouslyand focusrelentlessly onwhat countsfor clients,” says Naidoo.

He says DUKE has fundamentally overhauledits valueequation and,in theprocess, also manyof itsbusiness processes,adding that “more, for less, right now” has become the agency’s mantra.

According to Case, thriving now requires ensuring there is clarityfor everyone in the business regarding where they can create impact ona personal levelso thatthe overall business is effective on a wider level.

Addedto this,he says,bold andcalculated risks arerequired. “It’s not easyto convince shareholdersto investatatime wheneveryone iscutting back,but that’sexactly what we ’ve done, and it’s paying back already in the growth and quality of work that we’ ve produced this year,” he says.

Looking ahead

Naidoo expects that a big shakeout is looming for the advertising industry, predicting that some well-knownbrands willcease toexist.

“Consumershave resettheir valueequations

Independent Agency Search and Selection Company Agency Selection / Pitch Management Marketing Ecosystem Management

Helping marketers select agency partners who will impact ROI and growth

IAS. The Experts in Client:Agency Relationships

Phone: 010 594 0281 / 082 329 0079 johanna@agencyselection.co.za www.agencyselection.co.za

Garreth van Vuuren, RAPT Creative CEO

Dan Berkowitz, executive creative director at HaveYouHeard

andexpectations. Manybigbrands will find themselves under threat as consumers stay with second tier brands they havebeen forced to experiment with. Own label brands willgrow, brandmarginswill shrink and price consciousness will stay.”

Encouragingly, he expects client budgets to grow, especially as challengerbrandsjockey foraposition in the sun.

“Ifthey don’t increase their budgets, they’ll becomeextinct,as brand leaders andhouse brands squeeze them into irrelevance. There isno questionthat theopportunity for smart, aggressive brandstogrow marketshareand volume has never been greater.”

Naidoo also expectsthat agencies willbecome morejudicious whenitcomes topitchingcreatively for newaccounts, and that the balance of power that is now skewed infavour ofclients will begin to shift back to good agencies asclient conflictssignificantlyreduce the available agency pool.

Gallarelli predicts another tough yearinterms ofconsumerspending in 2023 as the downward trend in the globaland local economy continues. “Weare notseeinganything to suggest that there will be a turnaround offortunes. Buttherein lies thegreatest opportunityfor marketers and agencies,” he says.

However, though heis immensely optimistic about the future of brandsand anagency’s rolein building them, Gallarelliforesees a slight resetin thenatural orderof brand building.

“We’ve seentoo manyyears of erosion inbrand valueas agencies andclientsfocused onthecomplexity brought aboutby the fragmentationof mediaandaudiences.

I’m notsaying therewill beany major shift in media spend or consumer habits or that the shift to digital will slow down, but I’m suggesting we will see a better integrated application of ‘traditional’ brand-building approaches fused to new world distribution models. The agencies andclients whohave capacity to deal with this intersection will benefit most.”

McDowell hopes to see some new start-up agencies in 2023 with new ways ofworking and bold approaches. She believes clients willcontinue tolook forconsumer knowledge and strategic planning strengths in their agencies.

“Creativity is a natural expectation, but the quality of thinking and the quality of the agency team will bekeycomponents ofanysuccessful client-agency relationship.”

Burger believes the economic climatewill continueto putpressureonconsumers, whowillbe more discerningabout wheretheir

budget goes. How brands stand out from the rest inthe “last mile” for conversions will be increasingly contestedandthe needforcommunication that shows up in a compelling way will be key.

“What thiswill hopefullylead to will be a focus on not just showing up atthe pointof conversion,but building more powerful brands with some smarter, longer-term metricstoengage thefightfurther upstream in the conversion funnel,” says Burger.

VanVuuren expectsmoreconversations about performance and data as clientsface budget challenges, as well as discussions about the role of technology in the creative process, especiallywhen it comes to howtechnology can add richness to dataand how insights can be quantified.

He agrees that 2023 won’t be an easyyear, asconsumerscontinue to feelthe pinch. “The defining factorof2023is goingtobethe

challenge to get the balance right between short-termperformance and long-term brand equity.”

Khuvutlu foresees the continued growth of TikTok and influencer marketing and says that to compete, brands will needto produce more content as entertainment.This will require partnering with content creators andinfluencers inmore meaningful ways to deliver alwayson authentic content that engages a more demanding consumer.

Tough times tend to bring people together with a common purpose and then anythingis possible, says Berkowitz.

“The needfor governmentsand corporates to lead the way and play a meaningful role in addressing the issues people are facing will remain at the heart of the work we do.

“However, brands need to be willing toinvest inpeople andthe planet and to prove that they’ re lookinglongterm ratherthanfor quick winsfor PRheadlines ifthey are to earn people’s trust. Purposebased marketing is going to have to step up;the opportunityisn’t to draw attention to the issues through ad campaigns anymore but rather to market with innovative products, servicesand ideasthatactually drive real change.”

Berkowitz believes consumers willbe loyaladvocates forthe brands theybelieve arecommitted to change,to makinglife betterin everyday ways.

“Peopleneed tofeelhopeful; they need to laugh, smile and enjoy this newfound connectedness.

“As advertisers and ideas people, we ’re fortunate to be able to bring that tothe world.We shouldnever lose sight of the power of bringing a little joy topeople’s lives, because happy people make stuff happen.”

Joey Khuvutlu, group MD at FCB and Hellocomputer

Musa Kalenga, CEO at Brave Group

Wayne Naidoo, CEO of DUKE GroupPete Case, CEO and creative chair of Ogilvy South Africa

positivity prevails

But 40%

of the respondents to an AdFocus survey said finding talent is a challenge

THEREIS NOQUESTION that 2022has beenthe yearof thebounce-back, with more than half the respondentsin thisyear’s AdFocus survey saying thatbusiness this year wasbetter thanin 2019.Marketers, inparticular, weremore likely to say that they believed that business had improved.

However, while most advertising agencies have adapted quickly and believe theirbusinesses are nowmore resilient,somecontinue to struggle.

This year’s survey respondents consisted of people working in advertising (44%), marketing (23%) and PR (12%), with the balance in research, media, consulting, education and financial services.

Makingupground lostduringthe pandemic

The majority of respondents (84%) said they had made up ground they lost business-wisein Covid.Agenciestook thepandemic periodto identify gaps in their products, services or general organisation, allowing them to come back stronger

MADE UP GROUND

post-Covid, one advertising agency respondent said,adding thatafter the pandemicthere isa “let’sdo it” attitude and that past sluggishness has disappeared. “Agencies have become more creativethan ever in termsof findingsolutions and helping their clients, colleagues and workplaces,” said the respondent.

Another said agencies have been forced toinnovate theirthinking, theirapproachand eventheway they treat staff and clients at a faster rate than wouldhave been necessary had it not been for Covid.

A marketing respondent said advertising agencies need to up their game to be more on the pulse with customer insights to help shape business solutions.

“Weneed agencypartnersas problem solvers andsplit teams to be highly strategic thought partners.

COMPARING 2022 TO 2019 (PRE-PANDEMIC)

How would you describe your business

Advertising (n=62) Marketing (n=30) PR (n=17)* Other (n=30)

Much better Somewhat better Much/somewhat better Same

Somewhat worse Much worse Somewhat/much worse

Atthe sametime,theyneed tobe well versed in the digital marketing landscape,asmedia isnowdigital andthe contentbeingproduced must be digital first.”

Theidea, saidtherespondent, wouldbe fortheother teamsto focuson executionwithconstant optimisation.

24% 26% 50% 11% 15% 5% 20%

24% 45% 59% 15% 15%

35% 18% 53% 24% 12% 12%

20% 17% 37% 13% 17% 13% 30%

But while most respondents said they had made up ground lost during the pandemic, an indication of just how tough a year it has been is revealedin that16% ofbusinesses say they are still struggling.

The importanceof strongclient relationships

Advertising (n=62) Marketing (n=30) PR (n=17)* Other (n=30)

Another respondentsaid all businesses need to remain focused onthe needsofclients, makeinvestments in technology to be more efficientand ensurethey addvalue in everyinteraction. Adagencies need tostop draggingpast successes to the forefront and focus on the new world that faces society.

The pandemicwas surprisingly good forthe communicationsindustry,and publicrelationscompanies,in particular,werebusier than ever, illustrating just how critical communication is.

Agencies said they were helped to makeup groundlost duringthe pandemic by strong existing clientagency relationships(12%). Others mentioned goodservice delivery (8%), flexibility andagility (7%), resilience(6%) andcustomerswho were bouncing back and wanting to spend once again (4%).

An advertising agency said it had not lost any ground during the pandemic but its clients needed advice onhow torespondto thenew normal. “Offeringa pointof view quickly onhow torespond was

valuable to clients,as was being reasonable about fees, because clients had cut budgets.”

What the research revealed is that some clients actually benefited fromthe pandemic, as competitors had shuttheir doors,leaving themto becomeleadersin their field or industry. These clients haveoften increased their advertisingbudgets, which benefited agencies.

Another agency said it had made up all the groundlost during the pandemicand thatclientswho bounced backwere keento spend marketing budgets again.

Agenciestended topivotduring this period, movingfrom physical marketingelements todigitalofferings. Many reported that they serviced their clients’ very specific needs eventhough itwas ata reduced budget tostart with, helping clients torebuild theirbusinesses, which in turn helpedthe agency to grow again.

Others saidextreme tenacity waswhathelped themthemost.

“We’veworked harderanddug deeperwith morediligencethan ever before as anagency. So, what helpedus mostwasour ownhard workrather thanany loyaltyor client-related intervention.”

But agencies with existing strong relationships withtheir clients seemed to have less fallout than those that didn’t..

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT 12 MONTHS

Decreasing marketing budgets

TV analogue switch off & the potential decrease in TV audiences

Marketing increasing digital investment

(No answer = 24%)

Source: Arena Holdings

Agency margin pressure To a great extentTo some extentNot really Not at allNot sure/Not applicable

Larger agencies also generally tended tobe moreresilient. One comment was that a few agencies probably those in the top 10 have been able to become more flexible, growandadapt. Justhowresilient they are overtime, however, remains to be seen.

“According to our observations many other agencieshave slacked off completely in terms of their work ethic. It is evident in their lack of compliance,overdue debtand lower revenues.”

Another comment was that agencieswith largecorporatesas clients can ride out the effects of the pandemic aslong asthey tickthe transformation box. However, medium-sized agencies with mid-size budgets are strugglingto extract meaningful spend.

Onead agencycommentedthat clients have become less approachable sincethe pandemicand have built more walls. Another said that if something isn’t working, “change the game”, because “now is not the time to stick to old rules”

Marketers who retained their agenciesduring andafter thepandemicand didn’t make shortsighted structural changes credit this decisionwith helpingthem to bounce back morequickly. Those who were agile inall areas of their business, who were able to fail fast, learn quickly, adjustand move along have tended to recover faster than those who didn’t.

Public relations businesses reportthat theyare havingto find new ways of working with clients andstaff, whileat the sametime understandingand

unpacking new consumer insights to keep abreast of new trends.

Even clientswho werenot spending money on public relations during the pandemic are starting to spend again.What haschanged is thatthere islessredtape andconflict, and that things are getting done more efficiently.

Some businesses have attributed their company culture and the fact thatthey hadretained alltheir staffand keptthem motivatedand supported during a tough period as the reason they were able to make up groundthat waslost duringthe pandemic.

Otherssaid growingtheircapabilities and offering, being ahead of trends and business resilience helped them recover quickly.

One respondent saidthat going back tothe officeput thecompany in a betterposition than competitors who did not.

2019 vs 2022

Many companies surveyed said business is either much better than in 2019 (25%) or is somewhat better than 2019 (27%). Only 11% said business is the same. Of concern is that 20% said business is either somewhatworse than2019 ormuch worse than 2019.

Breaking this down by industry, 50% of advertising agencies, 69% of marketers and 53%of public relations businesses said business was either somewhat better or much betterin 2022compared with 2019.

At theother endof thescale, 20% of advertising agencies, 15% of marketers and 12% of public re-

lations companies said business was somewhat ormuch worsein2022 compared with2019, indicating thatthey are struggling toget their businesses backon track.

Economic and political uncertainty

The economicand political uncertaintyin the past year had the most material impacton all businesses, with59% of respondents citing unrest,a weakening randand therising costof living as issues.

Nearly half the respondents said load-shedding had a big impact on their business, while 37% said a loss of talentthrough emigrationhad had a material effect.

Looking forward tothe next 12 months, 58% said decreasing marketing budgets were likely to affect their business and 54% said agency marginpressures werelikelyto have an effect.

Just under one-fifth of respondents said they would be affected by the TV analogue switch off and the potential decrease in TV audience.

Transformation and talent

Only 29%of respondentssaid they were totally on target with regard to transformation, while 26% said they were on target to some extent, revealing thatfor manybusinesses there is still much work to be done in this area.

The growingnumber ofgood black talentleaving SAis amajor issuefor theindustry, saidone advertising agency respondent.

A total of 35% said they were managing to attract top talent. More than half ofthe respondents had recruitedjunior staffin thepast year, with 38% saying the calibre of junior staff was on target, 27% saying the calibre was good and 6% saying it was exceptional.

However, a concerning 40% said finding talent was a challenge. “The advertising profession no longer has professionals init. Somewhere along theline it’sall gonehorribly wrong,” said one respondent.

“The industry isnot attracting the righttalent. Andthe righttalent is notbeing grown by thelikes of the AAAor Vega or anywhere else. Instead, the industry has become onefor transientpeople and is being headed by accountants.”

Working model after Covid

Most businesses haveadopted a hybrid working modelpost the pandemic, though 20% say they are completelyback tothe officeand 14% are working from anywhere. Interactions with clients are mostly remote(52%). Only20% saidthat most of their client interactions are face to face.

Those working remotely say it’ s a model that is allowing them to function more competitively, with location becoming less relevant. It’ s also allowed offshore opportunities to grow. Andbecause location is moreflexible, it’s affecting these agencies’ recruiting policies.

Renewed positivity

What was apparent from this year’ s AdFocus survey is that the industry overall isfeeling arenewed sense of positivity,with 73%of adagencies, 84% of marketers and 100% of public relations practitioners having positive feelings.

That’s not tosay that challenges don’t remain. Marketers,in particular, were vocalabout the need for ad agencies to up their game, arguing that agencies need to become more commercially astute. “Agenciesneed toputastop tothe master-slave relationship environment. Instead, they need to focus on selling value and tangible return on investment and should put smart people in the room.”

Another marketercommented that agencies needto be “upping their game to beon the pulse with customer insightsto helpshape business solutions. We need agency partners to be problem solvers.”

Andwhen itcomes topitches, marketers advised agencies to decline pitches ofmore than three agencies and to refuse to participate in pitches for longer than 90 days.

PR the big winner

The big winner coming out of the

pandemic was the public relations industry. Even during the pandemic, public relations companieswere busierthan ever, and that has not abatedin thepost-pandemic period.

“

During the pandemic,many PRbusinesses wokeup tousingpublic relations to highlight their ownbusinesses,” was one comment.

“

The past two-and-ahalf yearshave beenan opportunity for public relations agencies to play a stronger strategic and implementational role than ever before.

“

In my experience, jumping in at businesses’ worst possible time and making adifference has resulted in a portfolio of work that is so extensive that it would have taken

at leastfive yearsto achievethis before the pandemic,” says a respondent.

Another commented that the hybrid model has allowed for increased flexibility.

“My clientsprefer jumpingon a call for20 minutesto schedulinga face-to-face meeting, which can take days.The publicrelations agencies that are hungry for new business and that are doing the hard graft towin newaccounts no matter how small will grow the quickest.”

There’s a consensus within the public relationsindustry thatthere isamore mindfulbusinessenvironment which is working better for both agencies and clients. A more flexible attitude about connecting digitally is also making it easier for agenciesthat are not based inmajor CBDsto pickup business.

ON TARGET?

Overall Agency of the Year

TBWA\South Africa

All the pieces of the puzzle came together for this year

s winner

THERE WERESIGNS OF what was tocome when, in 2021,TBWA\South Africa wasshortlisted in fivedifferent categoriesin theAdFocus Awards. This year, the company has been triumphant in all five proof that a great deal can change in a year.

Thisis TBWA\SouthAfrica’ s time to shine. It’s the well-deserved 2022 AdFocusOverall Agencyof the Year,winning the Groupof the Year Award and the African Impact Award, while TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris winstheLarge AgencyoftheYear Award.

The group has also walked away with thePartnership ofthe Year Awardfor itshugelysuccessful partnership with MTN. Grid Worldwidewinsthe MediumAgencyof the Year category.

After a tough2020, during

which the group pitched to retain its second-largestclient, MTN,the businessdidwhat itcalls “ renovating”,allowingit toemergeoutof the chaos of the pandemic stronger and better positioned to build and realiseits fullpotential byworking in synchronicity and with purpose.

In thepast two years,the group has experienced hugely impressive expansion,with significantnew business gains driving real revenue growth. In addition to becoming more profitable, it has also increased its headcount, adding 56 new full-time staff members.

As pleased asthe business is withits hard-foughttop-linerevenue growth, it is the increased efficiency with which it is managing clients leadingto lesswastage and even highermargin growth that it is most proud of.

Group of the Year

Whileeach individualcompanyin the group can holdits own in its category, the judges were particularly impressed with the cohesion of the TBWA group across multiple

companies and disciplines. This cohesion ismost evidenton theMTN account. The judges were also impressed withhow thegroup is building for the future, and with its internal mantra aboutdoing the brave thing.

TBWA\South Africa isa collective of specialist companies encompassing the full advertising and marketing chain, and among its impressive clientlist arethe likesof MTN, KFCand Nissan all accounts it manages across the African continent.

The groupenjoys someof the longest-standing and healthiest client relationships in the industry. For the past two years,two of its client relationshipswere finalistsinthe AdFocusPartnership oftheYear category.

Creatively,the grouphasalso excelled: TBWA\South Africa was named the leading group of the year at the Creative Circle for the past four years,while Scopenranked TBWA\SouthAfrica thebestgroup to workfor inSouth Africaand namedYellowwood thebeststra-

TBWA\South Africa group CFO Siphokazi Chivizhe and group CEO Luca Gallarelli

tegic consultancy in the country.

Businesses in thegroup include full-service marketing communication agency TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris; corporatereputation andPRcompanyMagna Carta;through-thelineagency GridWorldwide;business, marketing and brand strategy consultancy Yellowwood Future Architects; audio and visual content productionbusiness StingContent; and data, media and social business Omnicom PrecisionMarketing Group.

The make-up of the group has been very deliberate,and was focused on retaining specialist agency brands managedby someof the best professionals in the industry.

The aimof thecollectiveisalways toactinthe service of finding the best solution to a client’s problem, using talent deployed across the group. It’s an operating model that is workingwell, eliminatingduplication and inefficiency.

Talent,including seniorleadership, is recognisedas the group’ s most important asset. Its leadership teamis: groupCEO LucaGallarelli; TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris CCO Peter Khoury and CEO Karabo Denalane; TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris DurbanMD Wimpie leRoux; GridWorldwide founder and CCONathan Reddy and CEO Adam Byars; Yellowwood group chief strategy officer and MD Refilwe Maluleke; and Magna Carta MD Moliehi Molekoa.

The team is given freedom and is required to be accountable, which has allowedit to attract,retain and promote someof the besttalent in the industry.

Theteam membersareactive participants in industry bodies such asthe AssociationforCommunication & Advertising, the Advertising StandardsAuthority, theCreative Circle, Loeries, the Public Relations & Communications Association Advisory Board, the BHM board, Interactive Advertising Bureau’ s “Connected Womxn”, AdFocus Awards and GenNext.

As successful as the group has become, it hasn’t always been easy. A critical component was establishing acommon visionfor the business aplatform ofshared value and identity while retaining individual tribes and intents.

This has requireda common worldview, operatingsystemand language as well as common values, or, as group CEO Gallarelli puts it, “connective tissue” — like a fleet

of pirate ships, each a bit different in function and make-up but all pointing in the same direction, going into battle side by side.

Anumber ofproprietaryprocesses and systemsensure that all these businesses areable to work together efficiently, while training programmes cover every experience level up to that of the CEO.

Large Agency of the Year

The calibre of entries in this year’ s large agency categorywas outstanding.

Jury chair Faheem Chaudhry says it’sthebest he’s seen in his three yearsof beingan AdFocus juror. All this year’s finalists succeeded in demonstrating their growth, how theybedded down large clients and how they maintained a high level of business and creative performance.

“Importantly, the creative work being produced by the top contenders continuesto setthe standard in the industry,” Chaudhry says, adding that the finalists are all excellent representations of the local industry.

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris wonthe

categoryafter anoutstandingyear ofgrowth,putting outanexcellent creative product, say the judges.

It was rankedthe most creative agencyfor thefourthconsecutive year by the Creative Circle, and came inthird overallat the2021 Loeries. Itwas rankedthe 22nd most creative agency globally, with the 32nd mostawarded campaign, in 2021 by WARC Creative 100 rankings. Scopen named it the best integrated agency in SA.

The judges were impressed with the agency’s stableclientrelationships anda peoplestrategy thatis paying dividends.

The agency has done well in terms of transformation and has been deliberate about training, while a high-profile leadership represents the industry across a number of industry bodies.

The judges say: “It felt like a year when allthe piecesof thepuzzle came together for [it].”

The agency netted new business and grew existing clients organically, ultimately achieving doubledigitgrowthin theperiodunder review.

It increased its black sharehold-

The judges were particularly impressed with the cohesion of the TBWA group across multiple companies and disciplines

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris CCO Peter Khoury and CEO Karabo Denalane

TBWA\South Africa winning a Grand Prix at the 2017 Loeries Awards

ingtoreach the51%blackownership mark,has a 30%black femaleshareholding, andworked hardto establishinclusivetalent pipelines,proactively pursuingtalent to ensure adiverse set of perspectives that will lead to culturally relevant, creative and disruptive ideas.

Nissan was the agency’ s highest-awarded brand in 2021; an integrated campaign for KFC across Africato launchKFC’s partnership with basketball association NBA was recognised for integration by the Creative Circle.

A 5G campaign with the Springboks for MTN wasa hit locally, while thefirst locallyproduced television commercial for Johnnie Walker wasthe best-performing televisioncommercial forthe brand ina decade,scoring inthe 95th percentile.

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris wasup against stiff competition from Grey, Joe Publicand VMLY&R, which were all finalists in the large agency category.

The judgescomment that Grey feels like a very intentional agencythat ison anupward trajectory.

It has catapulted from being a medium-sized agency to a large one with phenomenal growth in the pastyear andcontinues to have strong relationships with major clients.

Thework itis producingis being recognised locally and

internationally, sending all the right signals.

Joe Public,say the judges, continues to hold itselfto ahigh standard. Thisis an agency that’s particularly goodat building strong client relationships and performs well when it comes to industry award shows.

Its diverseleadership isa greatexample to the industry of the benchmark all agencies should be reaching.

The judgeswere impressedby how quickly VMLY&R bedded down one of the biggest accounts in SA, Vodacom, and then how soon it started winningawards forthe work it is doing for the firm.

This, say the judges, is a significant achievement, given the environment ofthe pastyear. The judges also admirethe agency’ s approach to people,culture and inclusion.

African impact

TBWA\South Africa takes home the African ImpactAward forits longterm commitment to the continent.

Inpartnership withMTN,the agency has had a huge effect on the continent in multiple markets.

Thereposition andrelaunchof MTNacross thecontinent asit evolved itspositioning froma telecommunicationscompany toa technology business was a huge taskinvolving multicountryteams acting in tandem.

Working ina hybrid,cross-border way, team members from every country got equal time to share their ideas, which resulted in robust discussions and exponential learnings. While South African teams learnt more about local market insights, local African teams saw how to nurture and craft their ideas.

The end result of this process was aquality ofideas thatfar surpassed whatteams operatingin their own countriescould ever develop, delivering trulyrich continentally representative work.

Acomprehensive toolkitwas developed to facilitate effective implementation.This allowedeach agency to apply the global strategy to its local objectives, providing key campaign assets that can be chosen and combined to best address specificlocalneeds andensureacon-

sistent execution.

Each country wastasked with developing different sections of the toolkit, whichcreated closerhub and local client proximity, allowing for a stronger sense of network to be feltacross theMTN region.This approach allowed local teams to structure their communicationin a way thatcreates highlylocalised solutions, but inline with MTN’ s global strategy.

This was an intentional ambition of thenew positioningso thateach initiative could buildon itself, driving a tacticalagenda and compoundingabrand effectthatdrives global equity.

The jurors were particularly impressed with theagency’s use of local market insights to generate work across many geographies.

Theeffect wastangible: theinitial campaign feedback showed that MTN achieved a 165% increase in uniqueclients anda 43-foldincrease in demand for its products and services.The campaignhas continued todrive equityscores across thecontinent, withan even bigger commercial effect.

MTN’s midyear results reveal that data revenue has grown by just under 36% and that fintech revenue rose 14%.

Countries that participated in this hybrid, pan-African operating system have increased their ability to attractboth localand international clients. TBWA’s Nigerian office has doubledits revenue with global business Pernod Ricard.

The effect of the MTN campaign has beenextensive: localteams have grown in confidence and capability. In TBWA’s CDI agency, MTN regional projects have become so sought after that the agency has had to establish a clear and transparent rosterof involvement,whilein Uganda, a leading FMCG client is in negotiations with “the MTN agency” on a project.

TBWA’s work for MTN has contributed to the technology company being named the most valuable and strongest South African brand by Kantar and alsoAfrica’s most admired brand by Brand Africa.

Grey was a finalist in the African Impact category.

Thejudges commentedthatthe trusted partnership that exists between theagency andits client Savannah isevident forall tosee. The jurors say it would have been a strong contender forthe Partnership of the Year Award if it had been entered in that category.

Medium Agency of the Year Grid Worldwide

A strong, well-defined and purposeful brand that knows its place in the world

WHILEA NUMBEROF agencies showed good performance in this category,Grid Worldwidewas asignificantcut abovetherest, withhealthybusinessgrowth, adeliberate culture and a high standard of work.

Theagencyhas madetheright movesin termsof diversityand transformation, and in the past few years has pivoted to a through-thelineagency, winningthe FNBaccount, where it is the lead throughthe-line agency.

Brand building in the 21st centuryisall aboutcollectiveconsistency across platforms and mediums.While thishas alwaysbeen howGridhas worked,inthepast year it has solidified its thinking and structures tosupport itsethos with remarkable results.

Unlike many agencies, Grid does

not separatedisciplines, arguing that true integration goes beyond working together. Instead, it says, it absorbs ideas,influences, culture and touchpoints, which all build the brandby transformingas theybecome part of it.

The best brands, says the agency, arebuilt fromtheinside out.Its processis thereforeto identifythe true meaning of thebrand, its purpose and its relevance, and to build it from there. The result is a strong, well-defined andpurposeful brand that knows its placein the world andin thehearts andminds ofthe people it touches.

The agencyis vehemently against labelssuch asabove-theline,digital, socialmedia andeven the “big idea”, whichit argues has become tiredand dated. “People don’t see these, andthat’s not how they seeor experiencea brand,”

says CEO Adam Byars. “They see a brand holistically,fluidly. Understandingthe architectureofthat fluidity is what we do.”

In the period under review, Grid launched two new business units: a product and services design unit named Audaciousand abranded entertainment andexperience offering called 608.Both units work seamlessly with theagency’s original offering,erasing theline between disciplines and crafting a fluid, seamless brand experience so thatwhenit reachesthecustomer, the impression it makes is consistent, effortless and distinct.

To further future-fit the business from a growth and value perspective, it has extended and bolstered its offering.Ithas includednewservices andefficiencies andhas an enhanced view of the customer journey and user experience. It has expanded its digital and social offering andprovided morefocused platform thinking toalign brands with a single brand purpose.

Gridworkswith fourofSouth Africa’s 10 mostvaluable brands: MTN, FNB,Absa andMultiChoice. FNB,where Gridplaysthe roleof lead agency, is its largest client and alsoitslongest-standing one,at13 years.Other bigclientsinclude Marble Group, SouthAfrican Tourism, PernodRicard, Sanlam,Sasol and Santam.

In the review period, the agency addednewbusiness toitsroster andgrew itsrevenue26%. Ithas focused strongly onthe organic

growth of its top six clients but has also acquiredboth localand international new business. Locally, it picked up Factor[e], a business incubator;a projectwith theGoodman Gallery; Mazwefinancial services; andRMB. Newinternational clientsinclude JapanTobaccoInternational, BitnobTechnologies (Nigeria) and Nissan (Japan).

Gridhas introducedabespoke data-and-insights 12-month internship programme to attract and nurture youngblack talent,with the added benefitof providingthe agency with richer, data-driven insights.At presentthere arefive participants,whowill befullyabsorbed into the agency by February 2023. This is intended to become an ongoing programme.

InFebruary 2022,Gridopened an office in Cape Town.

The agency’s cultureis astrong one. It plays just as hard as it works. In thewake of the pandemicit has relaxeditsoffice hourssothatstaff canavoid peaktravel times.To make thiswork hasrequired reinforcing a culture of accountability. Italsopays spotbonusestothose who go above and beyond.

To take advantage of the growing number of talentedpeople now choosingto freelance,theagency makes useof a large poolof freelancers in positions that range from junior to senior.

According to the judges, this is all in all very impressive, and Grid is an agency that represents the industry well.

Grid’s healthy business growth, deliberate culture and high standard of work makes it this year’s Medium Agency of the Year

Small Agency of the Year

RAPT Creative

A personal touch and strong relationships with clients sets agency apart

THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT isparticularly difficult forsmall agencies, as the lossof just one client can be their death knell. All of this year’sfinalists inthe small agencycategory wereimpressive, showing deliberate effortsto grow a sustainablebusiness andbeing intentionalabout internalaspects such as their culture, inclusion and training. Atthe sametime, these agencieshave prioritisedgrowing their clients’ businesses andproduced excellent work.

The winner of the Small Agency ofthe Year definedas anagency with nomore than49 permanent staffmembers is full-serviceintegrated agency RAPT Creative.

Havingsignificantly grownthe size ofits businessin thepast year despitethe challengingconditions, RAPT Creative is a worthy winner,

said the jurors, adding that its portfolio ofsignificant clientsis remarkable for an agency of its size.

Like most agencies,RAPT Creativewas caughtintheeye ofthe storm when the pandemic struck in 2020. Previously unstoppable businesses becameshipwrecks inthe wake ofthe disease.RAPT’s only refuge was an unused, windowless recording studio, occupied by three people, which resembled a humble little boat more thana winning ad agency. Amid the chaos, its founders tried tofind solutionsto keep their little company afloat.

It recruited talented people from allwalksof life:strategistswho knew how tonegotiate rough seas; creatives capableof producing work with relevant and marketable solutions that capturethe imagination; digitalstaff whopitch fresh, new ideas; and PRstaff to ensure

thatthe agency’s reputation and client base remain intact.

RAPT Creative hassince gained an impressive amount of new business,including Sol,Miller,Fox, Strongbow and Windhoek, and has donead hocworkfor Tafeland Soweto Gold.Ballantines became its first major digital account. When whiskey businessJameson’s main agency struggledto cracka Covid campaign, RAPTCreative pitched proactively and cracked the campaign in two days,much to the delight of the client.

South Africa soon became the most talked-about geography in the Jameson marketglobally. RAPT’ s success withJameson’s Covid campaign gives it an opportunity to pitch onother Pernodbusinesses: Mumm, Martell and Beefeater.

The agency was soon on the mapfroman agility,concept,execution anddigital capabilityperspective. More brands started to talk toit. One of themwas CocaCola, with which RAPT launched an activation campaign,supported by PR, documenting the landing of the Fifa World Cup trophy. By then, the agencyhad grownto ateam of43 staff members.

Thebusiness alsostartedbeing recognised creatively,winning Creative Circle Awards for Jameson and Sol, Loeries for Ballantines and Beefeater, aswell asNew Generation awards.A personaltouch and strongrelationships withclients is what sets the agency apart.

In the past year, it has grown by more than 200%.

RAPTsays ithasaimed toclose what is called the rift between client andagency.It believesthatwith open andtransparent communic-

ation it can keep its finger on the pulse and produceiconic,innovative work.

It’s anapproach thatresonates with clients. Afterperusing RAPT’ s strategy for an integrated campaign for Miller Design Lab, the global brand director sent an e-mail to the agency saying the strategy was “by far themost superior” onehe had ever seen.

Withhindsight, saysRAPT, hiringahead duringCovidwas pivotal. “Companies thatstopped investingin advertisingandin people during Covid had no chance of surviving in the long term.”

Thejudges commendedRAPT for itsdeliberate culture andfor its training,diversity andtransformation initiatives. More than half of its employees are womenand black. The agency recognisesthat people are itsmost valuableresource and prides itselfon beinginclusive. All in all, the judges agreed that Rapt is an agency with a deliberate strategy that’s bearing fruit.

This year’s otherfinalists in the smallagency categoryareDUKE and Think Creative.

Thejudges commendedDUKE for its goodnew business growth and an impressive roster of clients. It punches aboveits weight and carries itself like a medium to large agency.Thisis clearlyacompany that’s here to stay and the jurors are excited to see where it goes.

The judges were also impressed with Think Creative, which is doing excellent work onbig clients such as Vodacom. Theysaid that they look forwardto seeing moreof the company,as itrepresents thediversityand entrepreneurialspirit the industry needs more of.

Garreth van Vuuren, MD and founder of RAPT Creative, which was voted Best Small Agency of the Year

Partnership of the Year

TBWA\South Africa & MTN

Exceptional creative work

in Africa

THE MTN-TBWA relationship has itsroots as far backas 1993,theyear before theofficial launch of what was to become Africa’ s largest telecommunicationsprovider. Since then, client and agency have worked togetherduring two separate periods, amountingto a 13-year relationship.

Thelatestiteration ofthispartnership began in 2016, when TBWA was boughton board inthe aftermath of thedevastating $3.9bn fineleviedagainst MTNbytheNigerian government.This wasa period ofconsolidation andre-establishingMTNas thenumberone telecommunications company on the continent, where the brand operates across19 marketsin Africa and the Middle East.

The level of diversity and complexityin presentingacohesive brand experience ina way that

takes into account local nuance is highly complex.TBWA’s effortsarrestedashare priceindeclineand set the foundation for its next phase of growth.

Thenexttest ofthepartnership cameduring Covid,ironicallya period whenthe contracthad expiredanda mandatorypitchprocesswastaking place.Itwasalso duringthistime thatMTNwasforging whatbecame knownas Ambition 2025 as the business transitionedfrom atelecommunications companyto atechnology company.

TBWA’s pitch which ran from December 2019 to November 2020 waspunctuated byaglobalpandemic, budgets cuts and heightened uncertainty.Ultimately, however,it was a success and the business was onceagain awardedtoOmnicom, which appointed TBWA\South Africa to drive the partnership. The agency was given the ambitious task of relaunching MTN’s strategy simultaneously across all19 markets in the first quarter of 2022.

Thecampaign torelaunch Africa’s largest brandwas initiated immediatelyafter theaccountwas awarded in November 2020.

Inspired bythe insightthat “doing” is the bridge between “ can ” and

“done”, TBWA replaced MTN’s old tagline “Everywhere yougo” with “What are we doing today?” to align withitsintention toprovidedigital solutions tosupport Africa’ s progress throughdriving digitaland financial inclusion.

On February 27 2022, MTN successfully rebranded forthe second time in its history with a simplified logoandan updatedbrandcolour. Navigating the various markets and operating entities in tandem with global economic headwinds having a different impact on each market required partnership,teamwork, support and good communication between the broader teams.

While TBWAhas alwaystapped into the diverse thinking and specialisation of itsseparate operating companies, as a collective, collaborating meaningfully across those companies has been a weakness.

The MTNcampaign forcedthe groupto worktogethermore closely and more meaningfully. But being ableto cutthrough thenuances ofsuch adiverse anddynamicmarket takesa specialunderstanding and collaboration from a diverse team of agencies.

TBWA\South Africa which includes itsspecialist entitiesMagna Carta, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, Grid

has played a large part in the success of MTN as the number one brand

TBWA\South Africa relaunched MTN’s strategy simultaneously across all 19 markets in Africa and the Middle East in 2022

Gallo Images/ AFP/Pius Utomi ekpei

Worldwide and Yellowwood realised thatit needed toreframe its narrativetocome togetherasa collective.

The end resultproved that TBWA\South Africa nailed both the thinkingand theexecution,delivering strong work from corporate identity through to communications and in-store executions, all aimed at pushing the brand forward.

The ultimate prize, says the agency, was not simply landing the coveted MTN account, but successfullybringing togetheradisparate group,allowing theTBWAcollective to realise its value is in the sum of its parts.

Thepartnership hasendured beyondthe relaunch.MTN’s latest campaignhas playedoff itscommercial sponsorship ofthe Springboks, featuring anail-biting rugby match which buffers on screen at a crucial moment, demonstrating the difference in qualitybetween 5G and fibre. The commercial, which is the first major piece of work that is notpartof therelaunchcampaign, is thenew brand andidentity in action.

Over the past two years, TBWA hasreconfigured how it workswith MTN, establishing a global brains trust which is responsible for the governanceof the brand acrossthe fullgeography. This is implemented by operational hubsin fourkey markets,which areresponsible forthe managementof therelationship across all 19 markets and 28 agency partners.

Theagency concedesthatimplementinga cohesive,mutually beneficial operating model has been critical in implementing a campaign as ambitious asthe MTN brand relaunch.

Technologyhas beenfundamental tothe success ofthe partnership, allowingfor themanagement of workflow, context creation, and the generationof insights from multiple data sources.

Thepartnership hasachieved impressiveresults. MTN’s share price, whichwas at arecord low afterthefine wasleviedinNigeria, rose to become one of the JSE’s best performers. In 2022,MTN was acknowledgedas SA’s most valuable brand in Kantar’s BrandZ ranking, growing an astonishing 85%. Brand Finance has acknowledged MTN as Africa’s most valuable brand for five consecutiveyears, whileBrand Africa called the company the Most

Admired Brand in 2022.

MTN’s campaigns have won numerous Ads ofthe Month, Loeries, and Ads of the Year and have been recognised at TheOne Show and D&AD. MTN was awarded the Best Advocacy Campaignat theWARC Purpose Awards, and TBWA\South Africa took home the Agency of the Year accolade.

MTN marketing director Bernice Samuels was named the Marketing Person of the Year at the Marketing Achievement Awards, in addition to winning AdFocus Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2021.

Asked to comment in support of TBWA SouthAfrica’s 2022entry, Samuels said: “This year’s AdFocus theme could not be more relevant.

The ability to bounce back has been ahallmarkof ourpartnershipover theyears, anability thathas demonstrated true resilience, character and commitment.

“Ours hasbeen atumultuous relationship, as many relationships are. And, like many relationships, this pushesus tobe moreand do more. Ourinteractions aretruer, our wordshonest, andthe work betterfor it.Together wehave pushed throughhighs andlows, moments of incredible joy, and othersofdeep frustration.Theresult: better workand morehuman relationships.

“For me, partnership is not only smooth sailing. Partnership is learning and growing, founded on a commitmentto eachwith theunderstandingthat weare boththe betterfor it.I amproud thatour partnership withTBWA isa tribute to both.”

Johanna McDowell, the managing partner ofScopen Africa and CEO of theIndependent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS), the sponsor ofthis year’s AdFocus Partnershipof theYearAward, agrees that the TBWA-MTN partnership is a worthy winner.

“This is a remarkable relationship,” saysMcDowell. “Having renewed therelationship througha tough re-pitch process almost three years ago, the agency and the client havegone onto produceexceptionalcreative workwhichhas played a large part in the success of MTN as the number one brand in Africa according to the most recent accolades.

“The rebranding exercise earlier this yearwas ahuge logisticsexercise to roll out into all the markets as well as positioning MTN as much more than justa mobile network. This relationship also extends across19markets inAfricawhere both MTN and TBWA in those local markets haveperformed athigh levels.”

McDowell says the partnership is alsotestament tothe agilityof TBWA as a group, given that they have beenable tosuccessfully run theiroperational systemtowork seamlessly withthe MTNsystem, the latter of which is a complex, yet highly organised, set of moving parts.

This year’sAdFocus judges said: “Despite thescale and complexityof thisaccount acrossboth disciplinesand geographies, this partnership still manages to produce excel-

lent workand achievednew heights this year with both a seamless repositioning acrossthe continent aswell as beingnamed as Africa’s Most ValuableBrand. The agency isclearly criticallyimportant to the client’s ecosystem.”

Once again,the TBWACoastal and Spar partnership was a finalist in this category. McDowell says this is probably one of the longest clientagency relationships in South Africa and yet has managed to remain fresh and interesting.

“This relationship has no formal agency-client appraisal system and yet they have developed unique systems to manage the demands of this highly successful retailer as it also innovates its way into the new way that consumers buy food,” says McDowell.

“Refreshingcreative workthat workshardto drivesalesandposition the brandas warm and friendly is not an easy combination to achieve.”

The lackof a formalcontract in placespeaks tothe inherenttrust thatexists betweenclientand agency, said theAdFocus judges. Spar talks about TBWA Coastal as a business partner, rather than a supplier, tothe business evidence of the close relationship.

Joe Public’s partnershipwith Nedbank also made the finalist list. This is anexceptional partnership with aligned ambitions between client and agency,producing outstandingwork, commendedthe judges.

“This isa productiveand effective relationship for both parties,” agreed McDowell. “Of particular interest isthat theirclient-agency contract focuses and agrees on the quality ofwork thatis goingto be produced,the wayin whichthey are goingto work together,as well asthe normalfinancial andlegal arrangements.

“This saysa lot aboutthe commitment bothparties arewilling to makeandwilling toreviewona regular basis. Themarketing leadership at Nedbank, with the support of Joe Public, has been able to raise the level of importance of marketingwithin thebankingenvironment which isquitean achievement.”

This award is sponsored by

Together we have pushed through highs and lows, moments of incredible joy and deep frustration

Network Media Agency of the Year

PHD Media South Africa

Agency looks for like -minded energy and exper tise rather than hiring talent

THIS CATEGORY GOES TO PHD MediaSouth Africa, part ofthe international PHD mediaand marketingcommunications group,based on its expansion and a deliberate attempt to grow people. The judges commented that the overall calibre of this entry was excellent.

The agency freely admits that the year hasput its imaginationto the test, as it has had to bolt down some audacious practices toensure its star continuesrising. Duringthe pandemicitwas forced,likemost businesses,totighten itsbelt,butit did this by protecting its staff rather

than by sweating whatit calls “the pretentious stuff ”

It scaled down its office space andploughedthe fundssavedby this backinto thebusiness. Gone wasany cornerofficegrandeur; even managershot-desked with their peers.

Thismeant theagencydidn’t need to retrench staffor cut salaries. It has resulted in an even tighter and more supportive culture.

Cultureis anintegral partof what thisagency is all about,and it isnot somethingitis preparedto compromiseon. Topreserve it,the agency even underwent a cultural

reset and developed a trademark and behaviour blueprint.

With staff wellbeingand happiness front of mind, it partnered withConstructive Candourtointroduce a programme that explores individual wellbeing, company culture,team effectivenessandconflict resolution to rebuild and energise teams.

Given that culture is at the centre of this business,it’s perhaps no surprise that theagency looks for like-minded energy,expertise and reputation rather than hiring talent. It thennurtures anddevelops its staff sometimes toits own detriment, as local PHD staff members are becomingincreasingly sought afterbythe globalPHDbusiness. South African PHD staffers can now befound atPHDoffices inLondon, Dublin and Toronto.

In the past year, Anne van Rensburg joined as MDof Cape Town while Bradley Hall was promoted to MD for Joburg and Durban, joining CEO AnneDearnaley andmanaging partner Ilan Lazarus.

The agencyhas developedthe “Diversity andInclusion Framework” in conjunction with Unilever, focusingonthe supportoflocal black-owned mediapartners. The idea behind this isto diversify the agency’sbuying sothatit’s notjust focused on big,global players but rathersupports SAbusinessesin the continuedgrowth ofthe local industry.

A brave newinitiative is PHD Zero,a proactiveinitiative todecarbonise the mediaand advertising industry, with theaim of getting the supplyand delivery of media campaignsto netzero car-

bon emissions by 2030.

PHDhas partneredwithkey tech companies to work with media partners toimprove theenergy supply chainand usagein media delivery, andto introduceplans for a carbontax of media thatcan be donated toenvironment-focused NPOs and NGOs.

Inthepast year,theagencyhas grown38% andhason-boarded MTN, oneof SouthAfrica’s biggest advertisers.This accountgain meant theagency had togrow its team and integrate new resources into the business.

PHD South Africa topped the COMvergence New Business Ranking for 2021.

Theagencyis gearingupforthe futurefrom atechnologicalperspective, and has launched South Africa’sfirst programmaticdigital out-of-homecampaign withPepsiCo, enablingit to hostlive campaigns withthat companyand Warner Brothers Films.

PHDhas reinvigorateditsproprietary tool, Omni, including a gamified operating systemfor the agencyto workwith colleaguesall overtheworld inaliveenvironment.

Theagency hasalso launcheda book, Shift A Marketing Rethink, which explores how marketers can prepare to reimagine marketing for tomorrow today, including how to diversifyrevenue streams,how marketing ischanging, whatthe implications arefor talentand whichnewfunctions arelikelyto emergewithinthe nextfiveto10 years. Thebook alsodelves into how remodellinga company’s offering can future proof a business.

Anne Dearnaley and managing partner Ilan Lazarus

Adaptability Award

Happy Friday

THIS YEAR’SWINNER OF the AdaptabilityAward is Happy Friday,the country’s firstpeople-centric agency.Previously knownas CWDi,an establishedbelow-theline marketing and events firm, the agencyfounditself atacrossroads whenlockdown restrictionsshut the eventsindustry downin 2020 and thebusiness lostthe lion’ s share ofits income, resultingin a string of retrenchments.

Withlow companymoraleand mental health struggles, the firm clearly needed to change and adapt. Co-existing with a plan to find new incomestreams wasa missionto makeapositive changefortheremaining staff.

In September 2021, it rebranded itself as Happy Friday, a full-service, through-the-line agency.Not only did the companydiversify its services to attract anew client base and increase revenue streams, it also adapted the way it billed clients to break into the through-the-line space by taking businesson risk. It partnered withthrough-the-line clients, providing themwith a reduced rate while proving its worth before taking a bonus or shortfall for the work delivered.

This “skin-in-the-game” approachbuilt uptheclient-agency relationship, allowing Happy Friday tobecome anextensionof itsclients’ businesses.

Themission wasbiggerthan

merely financial survival, however. Happy Friday’s newbrand identity wasrooted inwantingto takea stand aboutan industryin distress and, more importantly, help to shift the lack of work-life balance and the prevalence ofemotional and physical burnout.

In a nutshell, the agency was determined thatdeadlines would never be prioritisedover its people’s mentalhealth. Cognisant ofthedevastating effectsofthe pandemic on mentalhealth, the agency wanted to rebuild its people, believing that happy people make happy work.

To establishwhat wouldmake its people happy, itasked them. It held “MD for aDay” sessions that allowed each team member to take on therole of MD andsuggest an agencyperk orbenefit theybelieved would make a difference both to people’sday-to-day duties and their lives in general.

These suggestions resultedin a list of 15 benefitsthat then became the foundation of the people-centric agency. They included 25 leave days a year; 4½-day weeks; a counselloron call;support forside hustles; executivementorship; and no businesscommunications (including e-mails,WhatsApps and phone calls) after 6pm.

Happy Fridayalso implemented aco-CEO structure,based onthe premise thatin anever-changing landscapeit isimportant toallow leadership to play to their strengths by focusing ontheir individual areas of expertise.

Theagency believesthat ifyou takecare ofyourpeople, theywill take care of business both the

agency’s and clients’. Between July 2021andJune 2022,HappyFriday on-boardedLenovo, iPay,Kohler, Liberty,IGMarkets, MyGreenTip and SA Commercial as new clients, and was appointed as Liquid Cloud Africa’s full-service agency.

HappyFriday checksinwith clients to establish how happy they are withthe agency, andscored an average of 85 out of 100 (on a scale of1to deliriouslyhappy),with30% of clients believing the quality of the agency’s service and work had improved since it rebranded. Happy Friday also obtained a net promoter score of 70.

A recent internal company survey revealed that happiness among the agency’s peoplehas improved significantly. At the beginning of the year, the happiness level was 54 out of 100; it rose to a remarkable 74 out of 100 in the intervening months.

Aworthywinner ofthisyear’ s Adaptability Award, thejudges said thatHappyFriday isanincredible example of adaptabilitynot just in policy but inthe overall structure andbusinessmodel. Thiswasa clear caseof needing toadapt to bounce back,and the agencydid it very successfully. The jury were impressed byhow deliberatethis effortwas,beyond justaCovid response but into the rhythm of the business.

The other finalist in this category was Grey SouthAfrica, which delivered anexcellent entrythat demonstratedan intentionaland focused response to Covid, not just for thepeople and clientsof the agency,butalso forthecultureof thebusiness, toproduce agreater creative product, said the judges.

‘

If you take care of your people, they will take care of business’

Co-CEOs Janine Kruger and Craig Naicker

Specialised Agency of the Year

Levergy

Placing passion at the centre of sponsorship

PR as consumers sought hope and distraction.

The agencythrived, recording increases inrevenue, profitability and awards.

In the pastyear, Levergy has delivered 14 through-the-line campaigns which, combined, have generated more than R126m in earned media.

Campaigns includedthe launch and delivery ofNedbank’s YouthX initiative,which providedthebank with thebest-performing acquisition resultsfor theyouth segment in its history.

people to its staff complement in the past year and made a significant investment in internal training and externalcourses. italso grewits internshipprogramme duringthis period.

It believes its diverse workforce of people whohail from different backgrounds is partof the reason for its success. The agency is a level 1 BBBEE contributorand is 26% black female owned.

LASTYEAR, LEVERGY won the AdFocus Adaptability Award. This yearit takes top honours in the SpecialisedAgency ofthe Yearcategory.

Itwasexactly adecadeagothat Levergy openedits doorswith an ambition to put an end to the outdatedperspective thatsponsorship’s place inthe marketing mix served those whosought media returns by virtueof having their logo plastered on a jersey or all over a stadium.

The business’s founders realised that the creative use of sponsorship wasdeliveringfor brandsinmore established markets, and they were determined to be at the forefront of

shifting sponsorship in SA from exposure-based outputs to brand relevance-based outcomes.

Thepast 12months, saysthe agency, have presentedthe most significant demonstration of how it has elevated the science and flair of passion-led marketing inits work for clients andfor theindustry at large as it moves sponsorship into a specialist, creativescience that placespassion atthe centreof everything it does.

Pandemic restrictionsravaged most sponsorship and event businesses. Levergy switched to remote interaction andconsumption, and, harnessingthe powerofpassion, delivered an impressive array of workthrough digital,contentand

Nedbank, alongsidethe Cape Winemakers Guild, also delivered a worldfirst forthe wineindustry, scientifically provingthat pairing music and wine enhanced the tasting notes of the wine.

New Balance achieved a record sell-through ofits spring/summer lifestyle collection for 2021 through therelaunch oftheMall ofAfrica flagship storein collaborationwith graffiti artist Falko One.

For Heineken, Levergy delivered an all-invitational,five-a-side football match witha difference. Challengingthe stereotypethatfootball belongs only tomen, the event featured some of the sport’s biggest legends, both local and international, female and male, and generated over R12min earned media and more than 105,000 social engagements.

The agency added 10 new

Inthepast year,theagencyhas beefedupits dataandinsightsoffering, invested insuperior productionand remotebroadcasting capabilityandset upshopinthe Metaverse.

The agency’s strategy has paid off innumerous awards anda 79% average client satisfaction score on RADAR and Y Care in the stables of its four largest clients.

In the period under review, Levergy added an impressive number of new business, increased revenue by 39% and profit by 55% and was votedthe third-bestperforming M&CSaatchi Sport& Entertainment office globally.

Creativeaccolades havefollowed, witha total of22 awards suchasthose fromClio,Loeries, Marketing Achievement, Bookmarks, Assegai,Prism, SportIndustry and New Generation.

Levergy demonstrated impressivegrowthwith onlyasmallteam, indicating just what this business is capable of, commented the judges.

Levergy director Kieren Jacobsen, executive creative director Dareen Farghaly and founder and MD Struan Campbell

Public Relations Agency of the Year Razor

The agencyhas beenrelentless about work thatdelivers rather thanjustkeeps staffbusy,and drives anagenda focusedon deep strategic partnershipswith clients. Its north star is to nurture the reputations of good businesses.

At the same time,it has focused oncreating aconduciveenvironmentforitspeople tothriveinby making investments in training and culture.

FOR THE SECOND consecutiveyear, Razorwinsthe Public Relations Agency of the Year Award. It’s a welldeservedaccolade foranagency that, atonly three years old,is the most awarded agency in Africa.

Earlier thisyear, Razorwas named asthe World’sBest New Agencyby internationalindustry magazineProvoke, beatinglongestablished agencies in global hubs such as New York and London. The magazine also named Razor one of thefive fastest-growingagencies globallyand theoverallbest-performing agency across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

The accolades didn’tstop there: Razor was named the African Agencyofthe YearattheEMEA Sabre Awards and received grand prix awards forbest overall campaign in Africa as well as for best

overall reputationmanagement work in EMEA overthe past 12 months.

What the agency has achieved in just three shortyears is nothing short of remarkable, gaining clients locally and beingrecognised globally, said the judges.

From the outset, Razor’s premise has been brutally simple: challengingthelocal andglobalpublic relationsindustry tobe betterfor the brands and businesses they are serving. All employees are asked to be clear aboutwhat their personal quality standard is and what would makethem wanttoput theirname on a piece of work before sending it to a client.

This approach,says theagency, has resulted inbetter creative, betterthinking andbetter deliveryof work that hasa measurable effect on business.

In addition to Razor coaching its people on how to engage in critical conversations, theentire agency went to the bushfor a three-day getaway foremployees toconnect as people rather than around work. Keyleadershave beensentfor leadership trainingwith major business schools andthe company has invested inlife and business coaches.

Theagency saysit hasentered itsthirdyear withevengreater expectations of itself. No longer the newkid ontheblock, Razoris scaling up its people and skills as it matures,without losingitsculture, and is taking on bigger briefs.

“It’s easy to burnhot and fast,” says MD Dustin Chick.

“It’s much harder to burn longer and sustain themagic. This has meantthatwe havedoubleddown onourobsession todeliverwork thatmatters, isstrategicallystrong andis creativelyeffectiveso thatit never fades.”

Inthe pastyearthe agencyretained98% ofitsclients. Ithas helped Anglo American launch the world’s largesthydrogen-powered

minehaultruck, intheprocess startinga powerfulconversation about carbon neutrality; it helped launch Eat Well Live Well on behalf ofTigerBrands; ithelpedVirgin Activelaunch afree-to-download e-book for parents and caregivers abouthow tohelp theirchildren withexercise, fitness,health,wellbeing and overalldevelopment; it helped the US-based Milken Family Foundationand theMotsepe Foundation launch a $2m global agritech prizefor Africa;and it played a direct part in helping Audi achieve record growthnumbers in terms of brand scores and sales.

At the same time, the agency has on-boardedahost ofnewclients and openeda Cape Townoffice. It has also initiated a work-swap environment. This hasinitially been between the Cape Town and Joburg offices,butwill ultimatelybeexpanded toits sisteragency, M&C Saatchi Talk, in London.

Ahybrid workenvironment, which includes threedays a week in the office,allows for work-life balance. The agency has also employed two full-time interns.

Other finalists inthis category were Eclipse and Magna Carta.

Thejudges commendedEclipse for an impressive client mix and roster aswell as forthe agency’ s responseinterms ofdiversityand transformation.

Judgeswere impressedwith Magna Carta’s bigcomeback and the agency’s introduction of a smart new business modelto meet the needs of the Covid pandemic.

Delivering work that matters, is strategically strong and creatively effective so that it never fades

Razor MD Dustin Chick

Transformation of the Year Nahana

’

numbers exerci se but a business philosophy that influences ever y aspect of operations

THE ADVERTISING industry isfrequently criticised fornot transforming fast enough and for treating the BEE scorecard as a box-ticking exercise.

Thereare, however,exceptions. Nahana Group,said the judges,is a worthy winner with a level of transformation thatis aboutso much more than surface factors and includesequity, trainingand development.This isbroad-based and very intentional transformation in the truest sense of the term.

Transformation at Nahana is not a numbers exercisebut a business philosophy;something thatinfluences everyaspect ofits operations. The group has a fundamentalbeliefthat diversityiscriticalif the businessis to providethe best possible service to its clients.

Thegroup achieveditsfirst

short-term goal of 51% black ownershipin2018.It isnow55%black owned and 40%black female owned the resultof a deliberate attempttocreate astructurethat covers different types of owners.

Nahana has long-term investors, includinga globalshareholderin the form of the Interpublic Group, which invested in the business more than 25 yearsago. A broadbased scheme owns10% of the company in partnership with the Maharishi Institute, which was established in 2018.

All the fundsfrom dividends go to paying for tertiary education for disadvantaged women.

To date, thescheme has fully fundeda four-yeardegree for115 women, of whom10 have already graduated. All students receive a monthlystipend toassistthem whilethey study.Staffown 38%of

the business through shares, which are soldto them at ahugely discounted rate. Those involved in this scheme havegenerated asubstantial return on the shares they own.

The group has been deliberate in its hiring practices to ensure that its people arerepresentative ofsociety. As a result, both management and staff are completely diverse; 58%of theexecutive committeeis black. Ofits staff in total,72% are black and 65% are women.

The business puts significant focuson stafftraining,maintaining that the developmentof personnel is fundamental to the group’s transformation journey. Itemploys a full-time learning and development manager andoffers avariety of training options to staff to help them develop.This includesanallyship programme ofwhite staffgetting together to understand their role in transformation and thelived experiences of black staff members.

Nahana’s flagshipgraduate programme has been running for more than25years, andmanyindustry leadersare alumni.The groupemploys between 20 and 30 graduates each year. The curriculum includes master classes,mentorship and even help with obtaining a passport anda driver’slicence.In 2021,the programmewas expandedtoinclude four disabled learners.

The NahanaLeadership Incubator is a year-long programme that allowsfuture leadersto growtheir leadership skillthrough leadership training coursesand master classes. Each member is allocated a mentor fromthe groupexecutive committee.

Nahana’s transformation philo-

sophyextends beyonditsown business. In2021, itidentified 12 businesses thathad beendevastatedbythe unrest,anditworked witheachof themtoidentifywhat theyneededmost toreturntooperations.Nahana investedmore than R1m in this initiative.

The company partnered with the Media Connection to identify the requirementsof fourcommunity radio stations and provided funding forequipment thathad beendestroyed. This funding helped the radiostationsto returntobroadcasting.

The Nahana Foundation is an NGO thatis funded entirelyby the group’scompanies. Itprovidesassistance in the form of financial and marketing service support to a variety of organisations.

The jury commended Nahana as an organisation that is actively transforming ona daily basisto be able to deliver the best results to its clientsandat thesametimegrow broader society. Nahanais a good exampleofa groupthatleadsby behaviour and example rather than relying on pointson broad-based BEE scorecards alone.

The runner-up inthis category wasmarketing consultancyYellowwood,abusiness thatjustsix yearsagowas runbywhitemales. A deliberate strategy to recruit black and female talent with varied skill sets from unconventional parts of South African society means that today thebusiness is ledby black females.

Thejury congratulatedYellowwood for making commendable effortsto transformover timefrom one generation to the next.

It

s not a

Joey Khuvutlu, MD of FCB Joburg and Hellocomputer Joburg (left), and Thabang Skwambane, CEO of Nahana Communications Group

Shapeshifters of the Year

Mukondi Kgomo & Nkgabiseng Motau

People do their best and most authentic work when there is room for many voices

THINK CREATIVEAFRICA

co-founders Mukondi Kgomo andNkgabiseng Motau are this year’s AdFocus Shapeshifters ofthe Year. According to the jurors, Think Creative’sfounders areshiftingthe game through leadingby example. Theybelievethis isanagencythat representsthefuture ofwhatthe industry needs to be about: homegrown, entrepreneurial, diverse talent competing headto head with established players.

Kgomo and Motau, CEO and CCO respectively, metwhile they were studying at Vega. They teamed upasa copywritingandartdirection team and got their first job at Ogilvy Joburg.

They established Think, an independent through-the-lineadvertising agency,in 2016.Think specialisesin combiningAfrican

creativityand data-ledinsightsto generate ideas that solve business problems and affect society.

The business, says Kgomo, is underpinned byfour values:love, respect, growth and understanding. Applied interchangeably, these values create a culture that makes leadershipless ofaniron fistand rather a space for growth.

“We firmly believe that people do their best and most authentic work when there is room for many voices andthe psychologicalsafetyrequired for those voices to be heard,” she says.

Kgomo andMotau areparticularlyproudof thenumberand depth of female leaders in the business and theway the business grooms women from intern level to junior level.

While many agencies are rushingback totheoffice, Thinkhas

continuedwith ahybridworking model.

Pointing out thatthe industry needs to open upeven more in terms of diversity and inclusion, Motau says advertising is in the process of making a major shift as it adapts to localcreatives working for agencies outof the country.

“Thisglobal accesstocreatives meansthat weneedtobe readyto relook talent retention,” she says.

Socialimpact isthecore ofthe agency’s why and how, says Kgomo. This hasresulted in the agency collaborating with nonprofit organisations thatinclude thelikes of the Jack Ma Foundation, the creators of Africa’sBusiness Heroes, aswellas organisationsthatcontributeto thesafetyof womenand children such as the National Freedom Network, for which it created acampaign tocurbthe spreadof human trafficking.

The agencyapproaches each new brief with an inquisitive mindset,looking fornew insightsand neverassuming thatitknows everything. So passionateis the teamabout insightsand datathat each month it publishes an insights document called “Something to Think About”,which catalogues trends andhot-off-the-streets cultural shifts that can enrich its work and create a work environment that is open and vibrant.

Kgomo andMotau havebeen intentional aboutclient relationships, with a specific focus on changing theway brandsaffect society. “We’re open to learning and always

keep open communication with clients, which has made even projectbased clients return,” says Motau.

It’s an approach that is clearly resonating with its clients, which includeMultiChoice, Vodacom,the Gautrain, Amka, Inspired Education Group andMetropolitan Life,for which it is the lead agency.

Likemany businesses,Think Creativelost someimportantclients in both frequent project and retainer work during the pandemic. Kgomo andMotau respondedby doubling down on the firm’s people investment, retainingall staffand even paying bonuses and increases, and upskilling its people.

“We’ve lived theprinciple held by women leaders across millennia that the wellness of the individual is asimportantas thewellnessofthe group,” says Motau.

It’s an approach that has paid off during a challenging period for the agency. The businesshas recently launched whatit callsa “femmetech” product,a wearableelectronic breast pumpdesigned specifically for working new mothers.

This dynamic duo was responsible forcreating one ofthe only campaigns for Coca-Colato come out ofAfrica andto beadopted in morethan95 countriesaroundthe world. Both of them have served as judges forthe Loeries,Pendorings, Creative Circleand CannesYoung Lions. Motauis a memberof the CreativeCircle SouthAfricaexecutive committee and AB InBev Braintrust, and isthis year’s Pendoring jury president.

Mukondi Kgomo, co-founder and CEO of Think Creative (left), and Nkgabiseng Motau, co-founder and CCO

Industry Leader of the Year Award Fran Luckin

Creative rock star, passionate mentor and voice for the industry

FOR THE INDUSTRY Leader of the Year Award, the jury were looking for someone who not only performs their role to an exceptionally high standard, butwho alsomakes a significantcontribution totheadvertisingindustry. Thatpersonis Fran Luckin, the executive creative director at Grey South Africa.

Luckin has been instrumental in leading Grey backinto the big league asit leapfrogs intothe large agency category.

The judgessaid Luckin isa creative icon and avoice for the industry,both locallyandinternationally. “Her contribution to the industry is significantand goes far beyondheragency role,whileher

passionfor youngpeople andnurturing thenext generationof talent iscritical atatimewhen theadvertisingindustryis feelingthetalent squeeze.”

Luckin joined GreySouth Africa in2016as CCO.Underherwatch, the agencywas votedthe number one creativeagency byindustry peers, toppingthe 2022Scopen CompetitorOpinion list,while Luckin was rankedthe fifth top creative in the Scopen industry survey of 2021/2022 and was the only woman to feature in the top 10.

She was the 2021 Loeries chair and isdeputy chair ofthe Creative Circle. In 2022, for the second consecutive year, she was selected as a Cannes Lions judge, this time in the film category.

“Not onlyis it anhonour sitting on thesehighly respectedindustry

bodies,” she says, “but participating in awards judging panels is an opportunity tolearn fromother creative experts.I don’tthink ofbeing on a judging panel as giving back to the industry becauseit’s too enjoyable to be a purely noble deed!

“It’s a great experience getting to talk aboutideas allday longwith other creatives because you learn so much.As acreative leader,it’ s always a good idea to have a point of view and a perspective that extends beyond your own agency.”

Luckin didn’t startoutintending togo intothe advertisingindustry. Having studied English and drama at university butthen realising that her future was not on stage, when the AAA School of Advertising came to recruit graduates during her honours year,she wasintrigued enough to sign up for a copywriting

Fran Luckin, executive creative director at Grey South Africa, is this year’s AdFocus Industry Leader of the Year

diploma.

Her first job was with the Jupiter Drawing Room, where she worked under theiconic GrahamWarsop. She recallsthat inthose firsttwo yearssherarely gothomebefore 11pm because it was such fun being at work.

She subsequentlywent onto work forother iconicadvertising creatives including JohnHunt and Tony Granger at TBWA and Gerry Human atOgilvy, allof whom helped hone her skills.

It was while working at Ogilvy in 2010 that she wona Gold Lion at Cannes for a TV commercial for the TopsyFoundation South Africa’ s second film Gold ever one of her career highlights.

Winning a GoldLion at Cannes in2017fora radiocampaign,justa year after she had joined Grey, was another highlight.

“It’s pretty unheard of to win a Gold Lionless thana yearafter you ’ve joined an agency team that’ s working to transform the agency’ s creative output,” she says.

Winning the Distelltier one brands in 2019 as part of Grey/WPP Liquid also counts as a major career highlight.

After navigating the turmoil of the Covid pandemic, Grey South Africa has bounced back biggerand better thanever before.Ithas grown existingclients’ business andadded anumber of new clientsto its roster. This year,it was one ofonly two South African agenciesto win a Cannes GoldLion for Distell’ s Savanna cider brand.

The pandemic has irrevocably changed the waymany agencies, including Grey South Africa, work. “We’ve foundthat mostpeople enjoy workingremotely andcreative people say theyare getting more done,” says Luckin.

“We now come in two days a week, though some people come in more often. I personally don’t think ourindustry willsee afull-time return to working from the office any time soon.

“Focus timeis vitalto whatwe do and I think as leaders we have to get over presenteeism and needing to seepeople at their desks.In this industry it’s easy to see who is working andpulling theirweight and whois not.Our workas an agency isstronger thanit’ s ever been.”

Thishybrid wayof workinghas made it possibleto employ people

who don’t live in the same city. Luckin says she has creative staff who live in Cape Town and Durban, while abusiness directorlives in Portugal. “I’m embracing this ability to employpeople fromother cities and countries.”

She describes her leadership style as leading from the front. “I would never asksomebody to do something that I’m notpreparedto do myself. I like to be involved and I see my role as growing and nurturingpeople andensuringthey thrive.Itupsets mewhenpeople arestressed andstretched,though I’vehadtolearn thatIcan’t always make this problem go away completely. I do try though!”

Renowned for keeping calm under pressure, Luckin says her measured approach is very intentional. “It’s important to see things in perspective. I like to keep things a little free-flowing andbring calm and order to how we work.”

She admits she’sbecome more sensitive to the feelings of others the older she’s become. That wasn’t always the case.

“When I was younger,” she says, “I wasn’t alwayssensitive toother people’s feelings and could be quite impulsivebut, overtime,those rough edges have smoothed out and I now tend to keep my sarcasm in check. I work hard at choosing myemotional response.This isa tumultuous industry.As aleader, if you panic, so will others. I’ve learnt that an impulsive response does not serve mewell andthat thereare better ways to get results.”

The industryhas changedsignificantlysincethose earlydaysat the Jupiter Drawing Room, she says. Duetothe proliferationofmedia channels, there are many more creative opportunities toexecute an idea than there were then.

Another change isthat most agenciestodayare ownedbyinternational holding companies whichbrings withititsown setof pressures, as does the rise of procurement departments. “There’ s much more emphasison money, margins and keepingcosts down, which is challenging when your biggest costs are talent,” she says.

Another majorchange isless hierarchical leadership and far morecollaboration. “More so than ever before, agencies are working with other agencies they would traditionally deem to be competitors. At Cannes,it’ s sometimeshardto figureoutexactly which agenciesare responsible

for the work because of the long list ofagencynames thatareattributable to the work.”

Theambit ofcreativity hasalso increased,shesays, pointingtothe success of theCheckers Sixty60 appasa goodexampleofcreative thinking that’s been applied to user experience, ratherthan apurely rational approach.

What hasn’t changed is the need for strong client partnerships. “Clientrelationships areeverythingin this business. Gerry Human used to say you need just one person on the client side to turn a brand around. If the client doesn’t buy into the work no matter how good it is you ’ re back to the drawing board.”

Her advice to aspirant young copywriters isto comeinto the industry with an open mind and be open to learning new things and havingdiverse experiences.Given how fastchange ishappening, she says, they could end up anywhere.

Despitethe myriadchallenges facing South Africa, Luckin believes the industrylocally continuesto offer goodopportunities forthose with acreative bent. “Weare good problem-solvers and very resilient. Though itcan createstaffing challenges, I’m encouragedthat local creatives are sosought-after globally. That has the upside of creating opportunities forup-and-coming young talent.”

Luckin hasdecided totake her ownadviceabout theneedtokeep on learning. In 2015, she completed herMBA andfollowed thatwith bass lessons.

Known for mentoring and guiding youngpeople inthe industry, she’sproudthat twoofGreySouth Africa’s bursaried creatives won the Young Creatives Gold Loerie in 2021.Luckinsays she’d like to be rememberedone dayforhelping steer young creativesin the right directionandfor givingthemconfidence in themselves.

Grey SouthAfrica CEOPaul Jackson says that while no-one can argue that Luckin isn’t a creative rock star, her most admirable qualities are humility and kindness.

“Because ofthis, Fran isone of the most sought-after creative leaders to work with. She is patient and only sees the best in people ... it’ s no wondershe hasnurtured someof SA’s most talentedcreatives. I am privileged tohave her asmy creativepartnerand I’d like to congratulateher forthe deservedrecognition at this year’s AdFocus Awards.”

I would never ask someone to do something that I’m not prepared to do myself

Lifetime Achievement Award

James Barty & Alistair King

JAMESBARTY AND Alistair King, co-founders of the King James Group,are thewelldeservedjoint recipientsof this year’s AdFocusLifetime Achievement Award.

Fromhumble beginnings25 years ago, KingJames has become one of themost highly respected agencygroupsin SA,winningboth the AdFocus Medium Agency of the Year Award and the Large Agency of the Year Award at various times, as well as being a frequent recipient of the Most Admired Agency accolade. It’salsobeen highlyawardedcreativelyandis renownedforproducing emotive big brand films.

The leadership of Barty and King as CEOand CCOrespectively has longbeenadmired bytheindustry, with their peers respecting them for

their highlevels ofintegrity. Each has made a significant contribution to the industry, frequently providing lectures at advertising schools and universitiesand judgingindustry awards.

Bartywasa recipientoftheAdFocus Agency Leader of the Year awardin2011. Hispeers,inan annual poll conducted by Marklives.com, have nominated him for the most admired agency boss award forfive of thepast seven years: 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In 2018 and 2019 he was chair of industry body the Association for Communication& Advertising,on which he has served for well over a decade.Hehas alsosatonthe LoeriesAwardboard forthepast three years.

King attributes much of the successofthe agencytoBarty’s role: “Creativity simply doesn’t thrive in a creativeagency ifthemanaging partner doesn’t allow it to. James

has done more than just allow it. He’s encouragedand nurturedit, and used those broad stocky shoulders of his to pave a path for it with our clients.It’s seldom convenient toput ideasahead ofclient and account stability, but that’ s exactly what he has done time and time again.”

King’srole hasbeen noless significant. Hewas responsiblefor growing King James’s formidable creativereputation.In 1995hewas awarded the Tommy Young Award by the InternationalMarketing Association.Theaward wasgivento themost promisingindividualunderthe ageof 30in theSouth African advertising industry.

It wassoon afterthis thatboth King and Bartywere appointed to the board of what was then Ogilvy & Mather. In 2008 King was named theAdFocusSA AgencyLeaderof the Year.He hasbeen thefrequent recipient of the Most Admired Cre-

Our values are totally aligned. We don’t tap dance around issues, and are honest with each other

King James co-founders Alistair King and James Barty

ative Leader in SA award.

After having been at the forefront ofthe localcreative industryfor well overtwo decades,King was inductedinto theCreativeCircle Hallof Famein2018and then,in 2019,intothe LoeriesHallofFame. The latter recognition,he admits, was the ultimate accolade.

It all started at a cocktail party in 1997, when King,then a creative directorat Ogilvy,announcedhis intention of starting his own agency and invited Barty, then a client service director at Ogilvy, to join him.

“Ihaddecided thatIwantedto start myown agency fairlyearly in my careerso I hadbeen paying attention towhat qualitiesmake a great agency,” recalls King.

“Thegreat agenciesof theday wereallbeing runbystrongpartnerships the likesof Willie Sonnenberg and TerryMurphy, for example,and JohnHunt andReg Lascaris. There were also examples

of some awful relationships. I knew whatIneededin apartnerandI’d worked with James at Ogilvy so I approachedhimto joinme.We made a deal that we’d always earn thesame,that we’d never argue about whether we are creatively or client-service led, and that we’d give each other space to do what we each do best.”

Fastforward afew months,and whileKing andBarty hadbig dreams tostart theirown agency, theyneededa client.Bartyapproached Gilbeys, a past employer, for its account. Based on the reputation of both partners, Gilbeys gave it to the fledgling agency.

From small beginnings, King Jamesbuiltahead ofthecurve, incrementally addinga designdivision, a publicrelations section anda webcompany thatmorphed intodigital, socialand contentcreation, inthe processattracting a suite of sought-after blue chip clients. Theseincluded Pickn Pay, Sanlam, TymeBank, Allan Gray, Santam,PepsiCo andDistell.The agency’s growth, says Barty, was considered and measured.

Overtheyears theagencydeveloped a very specific and defined culturethatdifferentiated itinthe industry. To thisday, King James people call themselvesthe “purple bloods”. It’s a culture that has managed to retain a number of its senior people for many years 24, in one case.

Conceding that it’s hard to be anagencycommitted tothecreative product, Kingsays it takes backbone for amanaging partner tosupport thatphilosophy and that’s somethingBarty hasdone unwaveringly.

“Though we’ve madesomestupid decisionsin thename ofcreativity, Jameshas alwayshad my back. Our values are totally aligned. We don’t tapdance aroundissues, andarehonest witheachother. That honesty with each other has permeated through to transparency with clients,” says King.

Their leadership styles dovetail perfectly, saysBarty. “Alistair is more flammable. He’s usually the badcop. I’m less confrontational, more collaborative and typically the consensusseeker, thoughI’ m particularabout somethings. Wecall ourselves benevolent dictators.”

What has madethe partnership so successful is that neither partner has everasked theirstaff todo something they’re notpreparedto do themselves.

“We’vealways beenshoulderto-the-wheel people, andbeing in the trenches along with our staff has allowed respect tobe built,” says Barty.

They have also shared a certain restlessness. In Barty’s case that has manifested in a constant interrogation of the agency’s business model. “This isan industrythat canbe overlyself-congratulatory. I’ve always believedwe need tobe more and do better.”

In King’s case, the restlessness manifesteditself inconstantly pushing the creative boundaries.

The pair have not always been as aligned asthey aretoday. “We’ ve had ourdifferences in thepast, but we ’ve learnt to be more discreet about our battles,” admits Barty. “However, a healthy dose of mutual respect has allowed the partnership to thrive.”

In 2021, King James announced thatithad solditselftoAccenture, making the agency part of the global Accenture Song network. The decision to sell was not an easy one andrequireda greatdealofsoul searching, admits King.

“We’ve beenindependent for25 years that’s a hard habit to break. But the reality is that James and I are inthe latterpartofour careers.At some point you have to think about what will happento the business when wewant to leave,and what will bebest for ourpeople. There’ s alsotheissue that,asafoundermanaged business,how doour people grow if we’re still there?”

Then there’sthe fact thatafter a quarter ofa century ofdoing the hard graftof what Kingcalls “paddlingyourown boat”, it was perhaps time tothink about handing over the oars, particularly as the size of the King James Group is not insignificant.

At the time of the acquisition, the group consistedof sevenspecialist divisions with a fully integrated communications andtechnology offering,including brandstrategy, digital services,through-the-line communications, public relations, contentpublishing, digitalmedia andanalytics,live eventsandactivations, andretail andshopper marketing,all ofwhich nowfall under the bannerof Accenture Song.

Piloting a businessthis size, irrespective of how successful it is, is challenging and, at times, emotionally draining, admitsKing. “I’ ve beenstaring atdeadlines for35 years now. You get to a point in your

Jan Verboom

career when you start to wonder about what kind of work you want to be doing with what’s left of your working life.”

The new frontier of advertising The duo havefended off numerous offers from those who wanted to invest inthe agencyor buyit outright over the years. They both say it never made senseto sell King James to another agency. “We weren ’t lookingto beacquired andwe didn’t feelthat weneeded anybody to take us to the next level. We had discussions when we were approached, but nobody met our demands,” says King.

Ironically,they hadlonghad their eye on Accenture.

“Advertising agencies need to make themselves more relevant, and the new frontier is in the world oftechnology andbusinesssolutions,” says King. “Accenture’ s acquisitionof Droga5and othergreat agencies gaveus astrong cluethat theyrepresented anew frontierof marketing and communications.”

The first approach from Accenture came via a WhatsApp message toKing fromAccenture Song’s MD for SA, Haydn Townsend. It took over a year of negotiations for the sale to be concluded.

Barty and Kingare convinced that theAccenture dealwas the right one for King James. “Being part of Accenture is a new challenge for us but I think it’s going to be loads of fun,” saysKing. “Though I’ ve never really aspired to global connections, it’sactually quitesatisfyingwhen it’s withsome veryinteresting people.Todate, wehavehelped Droga5 win a pitch and we’re doing work forIndia, Dubaiand now Europe. That’s been unexpectedly rewarding.”

Pointingout thatpeopleadmire different things about Accenture and King James, King says marrying the twobusinesses isa winning formula. He’sbeen particularlyimpressedwiththe weightanddepth

of Accenture. “The scale at which it does thingsis damnimpressive,” says King.

Anewworld oftechnologyand business solutions has been added to the King James offering since the acquisition, allowing theagency to build further capability and offer an entirely newkind ofproduct that evenclients arenot yettotally geared for.

“In SA we tend to scale ideas for the local environment. Now that we are part of Accenture we have been tasked with exporting our creativity to the world,” says King.

Hebelieves oneof thebiggest challenges facing thelocal ad industryisthe creativebraindrain. “Global agencies like our work ethic and they’re plundering our talent. Being part of Accenture means we are able to give our people a reason tostay inSAwhilehaving theopportunity to workon global accounts.”

Despite murmurings about the

death ofthe agencymodel, Barty believes there will continue to be a role for creative businesses. “Creativityandinnovation aretwinsisters. It’s the way you organise and scale yourself in the delivery of that creativity thatis thebig differentiator. Agenciestend totry tohold onto thewhole ecosystem,including ideation and production. That’s likelyto change,particularly as artificial intelligence and other technologies startto playa rolein shaping the way communications are created.”

Partnering with Accenture, Barty says,is allowingfor creative discussions at an elevated level and is aboutstaying aheadof thecurve and innovating for the future.

King admits todisliking the peoplemanagement aspectofhis role, sayinghe’s notparticularly good atit. “ButI lovethe work. When you’re doing incredible work, everybody is happier.”

In2019,looking toaddressthe

shortage of copywriters, King spearheadedadrive toprovide20 pure copywriting bursaries. A year later he launched an initiative called “You Have A Way With Words” ,a channel-neutral copy test intended for themodern era.He intendsto get more peoplein the industry involved inthe initiative. “Agencies willalways requiregreatwriters whohave masteredlanguageand can use it in powerful and emotive ways, ” says King.

Despite being justifiably proud of the body of work the agency has produced inthe past25 yearsand the recognition it has received, King hasalways beendeterminedthat the agency shouldnot create work for the sake of awards.

“A lot of award programmes are about the industry fluffing its own feathers, which is not a great look to haveif youare anagency thatis wanting to be taken seriously in the C-suite. Awards can be something of a cheap thrill.If you obsess too much about them it tends to corrupt the agency.”

Adds Barty: “We’ve always been firm that our priority is being accountable toour clientsand [toact in the interest of] their business success. That’s not going to change.”

As Barty andKing look forward to whatwill undoubtedlybe an exciting new future, this year’s AdFocus judges considerthat as this chapter oftheir careerjourney comes to a close, it’s a fitting time to bestow the Lifetime Achievement award on them.

The judges say: “The journey of James and Alistair has been a story of inseparable partners and friends: to reward one without the other just didn’t feel right. Together they created one of SA’s most iconic agencies, one that has been the recipient of countless awards for outstanding work. Theircontribution tothe industry has been huge. The cherry on tophas been the saleof King James to Accenture.”

Alistair King and James Barty 20 years ago ... and in front of the same front door to the agency today

The Loeries Awards ceremony on August 24 2019

Al Nicoll/2019 Loerie Awards

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Student of the Year Award

Angelina Faria

CAPE TOWNDOES IT again. Thisyear, once more, all three Student of the Yearfinalists come from theMother City, andfor the second consecutive year, they’re all women. 2022’swinner isAngelina Faria, a21-year-old designstudent who’scompleting herthird yearin communicationdesign atCape Town Creative Academy.

“I have always had a passion for translatingwhat Icannot saywith words into something visual,” she says, adding thatchoosing to study communicationdesign stemsfrom wanting to createnot only aestheticallypleasing workbutwork that matters, that makes a difference and carries meaning.

“Studying this course means I’ m learning howto reducecomplex informationto avisual essence,to accuratelyshowcase abrandand

a client’s authentic core values that go beyond their surface-level definition,” she says.

What shehas mostenjoyed about the course is the creative freedom each brief has allowed for. “Rather than being supplied with [assignmentsbased on]existing brands and restricting us to their visual language, we have been able tocomeup withourownfictitious clients,which hasallowed usto explore and expand our own creative abilities and style,” Faria says.

Shehas beenliving inCape Townforthe pastthreeyears,but grewupin thecoastaltownof Plettenberg Bay, whichis where much of her design and illustration inspiration comes from.Her passion forart, she says,stems from traditionaland realisticdrawings and acrylic paintings.

Her move to Cape Town ignited a significant shift in her creative style. “At present,I’m workingpredominantly in digital media, so my style is now characterised by quirkiness and naivety,” she says.

Most ofher inspirationand motivation,she says,comes fromthe

seemingly insignificant snippets in her own life from a conversation with a friend, a glimpse of a random passer-by or a still moment spent in nature. “The excitement comes whenI reflecton thesemoments and visually translatethem into designs or illustrations.”

After graduating,she planson interning at an intimate design studioforthefirst sixmonthsof2023 to learn moreabout the creative industrybefore travellingforthe remainder of the year.

In the long term, she sees herself either working for a bespoke design studiothat allowsfor alot ofcreativefreedom orstarting herown studio.

Inher sparetime sheenjoys surfing and spending time in nature, away from screens.

Robyn Burger, another finalist, is, likeFaria, afinal-year studentat the Cape Town Creative Academy and willbe graduatingwith adegreein communicationdesignand illustration at the end of the year.

She has always wanted to study graphic design, she says, and is passionate about strategic thinking,

Driven by a desire to create work that’s not only aesthetically pleasing, but makes a difference

Angelina Faria, 2022’s Student of the Year

communicating through visual means and makingthings, and about the potential of the discipline to make a difference in people’ s lives and a brand’s trajectory.

The biggest highlight of her course of study, she says, has been learninghow totranslateclients’ ideasintoa powerfulvisuallanguage that uplifts their brand and business. She’s also thoroughly enjoyedthe hands-on,practicalside of things, whichcalled for experimentation with paper, intricate packaging techniques and physical mock-ups.

She hasbeen doingfreelance work since the middle of her first year and has been steadily growing her client base ever since. Her work hasalready beenrecognised;she was a Loeries finalist in both 2021 and 2022.

Describing herself asa patient personwho valuesfamily,balance and community, she says she has a drive toproduce qualitywork that meets the highestexpectations of her clients.

“I’m motivated by finding unique strategies and captivating solutions.

But what really inspires and excites meis beingpart ofa globalcommunity and seeingthe difference andtrue impactgood designcan have.”

Burgerdescribes hercreative style asclean, holistic,intentional and minimalist. “I believe each element ina design shouldserve a purpose and be justifiable.”

After graduating, she would like to work at a Cape Town studio that offersstrategic brandingsolutions acrossa rangeof industries.She’ s also applied forM&C Saatchi’ s Graduate InternshipProgramme for 2023.

In the long term she sees herself workingat asmaller-scaledesign studiothat haslong-lastingpartnerships with brands.

“Besides graphic design, I’ m particularlyinterested inarchitecture, interior design ordecorating, photography and anything that involves making thingswith myhands. I’ m lucky that I get to do what I love for a living.”

US writer Tom Robbins famously said: “You shouldnever hesitate to trade your cow for a handful of magic beans.” And Clayton Sutherland,programme co-ordinatorat the Cape TownCreative Academy, says: “Each yearI’m lucky enough to have magic beans in a class. They are distinctive, imbued with specific traits neverafraid tofailortry something new.

“[Fariaand Burger]are twoof those. Theyprint outand make

mock-ups again and again. More printouts, type resetsand caffeine. It’s fuelled by a passion for their work. You can’t hide that it’s in the details, the craft. Well worth trading a cow for!”

The third of this year’s finalists is Lisa Black, who is studying visual communications at Red and Yellow, majoring in illustration.

“I chose this course because I felt itoffered mea widerange ofoptions for the future and I was unsure which career path I wanted to follow. I didn’t really know what choicesI hadasacreative inthe working world, and after researching allmy nearbyuniversities and theirofferings,I decidedthatthis coursehad themostenjoyable modules.”

The connections she’s made alongthe wayhave beenamazing, she says. “Working with and learning fromsuch talentedand likeminded people hasbeen an experience I will always treasure. In additiontothat, I’ve enjoyed the waymy coursestretches mymind to thinkin newways. Fromtheory to practical work, I’ve had to expand entirely the way I think and create, whichhas beenso rewarding,notto mentionthesatisfaction of looking back at what you created from scratch andfeeling like a proud mom!”

Blackgrew upin coastaltowns and loves nature. She says she wouldprobably havepursueda career in something such as marine biology if shehadn’t gone the creative route.

“I thinkI wasalways destinedto bea creative.I would think upall kinds of imaginary worldsand creations asa kidand draw them on scrap paper taped together, on thebacks of serviettesor onjustabout anything thatwas handed tome. Ievenhad animaginary friendcalled Emma fora coupleofyears. AsI got older,that creativity was funnelledinto graphic design, and when I started my degree,I rediscovered the wonder of illustration.”

Describing herself as introverted bynature, she says sheloves connecting with peopleand beingin spaces that expand her understanding of the world.

“I feel a sense of purpose infinding waystoconnect people withnot onlyother peoplebut alsowithmes-

sages that I find important,” says Black.

When she’s had her fair share of people, Blackrelies on hercat to balance things out and maybe on a bit of gardening. She says that every flat surface(and even somenot so flat ones)in her apartmenthas a plant onit and possiblya forgotten teacup.

Black definesher creativestyle as soft and intimate.

“I pride myself on my attention to detail and I enjoy creating work that is not onlyvisually intricate but conceptually so too. Understanding all the details of what I am creating is very important to me and I normally spendas muchtime researching as crafting.”

Black is not entirely sure what she’sgoingto doaftershe’s graduated. “I imagine myself evolving [to] many differentspaces andplaces, and will likely do many things in my lifetime.

“Fornow,Iwant tofindaspace in acreative studioor agency. Maybe one day I will create my own work. I lovemaking books and stories,and wouldlove topublish some picture books in the future.”

Whatmotivatesher tokeepon with what she’s doingismaking other people feel seen.

“Ithinkcreatives holdalotof power to communicate with people in ways that really resonate and hit home, and seeing those moments where your work touches someone else is reallypowerful. I’m excited bywork thatchallenges thestatus quo,pushes people’s perspectives into new spaces and,most of all, is authentically humanin araw and unfiltered way,” says Black.

Lisa Black

Robyn Burger

th e inside scoop

.

We posed two questions:

‘

CHAUDHRY Partner& MDand 2022 AdFocus Awards chair M&C Saatchi Abel JHB

WARREN MOSS Founder and CEO Demographica

‘

The challenges of the past few years have forced agencies to reshape theiroperating models fora digitalfuture. What’ s remarkableis justhowquickly they were able to adapt to this without droppingtheir ability to deliver for their clients.

“The past few years have shonealight ontheimportance of humanity and empathy in our industry. We are a people-led business,and the challenges of thepast few yearsshowed justhowimportant it is to cultivate a work environment thatis warm, supportive and [considerate] of one another.

“While theindustry has many challenges,what keeps me optimisticis creativity. When crisishits, creativity finds a way. You can’t capture creativity, you can tlimit it, control it or tell it it s time to give up. It rises, innovates, cuts through and lights up the path of all who are on it. As long as we stick to creativity first, we will always keepmoving forward.

The Covidperiod forced agency leadershipto find greater levelsof empathyfor the people who work in their businesses. Agencies are people businesses that require happyand healthypersonsto produce thebest outcomes for their clients.

“Before thepandemic, there wasa generallack of empathy for the crazy workloads that agency staffers experienced, and when that’ s coupled with downward pressure on commercial margins, people get overworked andundervalued. This change in empathy levels from agency leadersshould translate intohappier, healthy agency staffers.

“I amextremely optimistic about the directionthe industry is heading because I am seeing agencies produce work for theirclients ona level more commonlyseen from management consultancies such as McKinsey, Accenture, Deloitte. Inprevious years therehas beenthisnarrative of an existential threat to creative agenciesfrom global management consultancies, butwhat wehave seenplay outisthat agenciesaregettingbetter intheface ofthis challenge.

The past few years have driven us to be more creative and develop innovative solutions. It’s made usfast-track technology usage andchange our way of working to be more adaptive andagile. It’s also made us muchmore [considerate] and inclusive in communications andin howwe treat our people.

“Iam optimisticaboutthe future, though I think we are in for a challengingtime in the shortterm becauseofeconomic factors. We are at a place of convergenceof media channels,consumer behaviour anddata-driven insights,which willbirth anew way ofcommunicating and certainly pushcreative thinkingout ofthe [sphere]of comfort we’ve operated in.”

The challenges of the past fewyears haveforcedbusinessesto innovateinways theyprobably wouldn’t have otherwise.There havebeen changesin businessmodels and in offeringsand how they work. Morethan that,I would liketothink therehasbeena growth of empathy an understandingof mentalhealth issues and an increase in doing the most tohelp employees navigate difficult times.

“Wemust alwaysrememberthatthis isayoungindustry and can be relentless. I reallyhope agenciesmaintain anempathetic stanceand don’t simply goback to the sweat-shop mentality. Creativity can’t flourishif people are exhausted and depressed.

“I’m nervous thatthe positive gains won’t last and that the drive to produce more for clients,faster andcheaper, willcontinue pushingquality down. Covid taught us all that it’s okay to take a breather, to allowpeople flexibilityin workingarrangements andto behonest aboutemotionsin the workplace.

Global studiespoint toa markeddecrease intheattractivenessof advertisingas a career. If management in agencies doesn t look after its increasingly vulnerabletalent pool, this will only worsen.

We asked this year’s AdFocus Awards jurors to share their thoughts on the industry’s bounce -back

In what way has the challenges of the past few years changed the industry for the better? ’ and

Are you optimistic about the direction the industry is heading in? And, if so, why? ’

FAHEEM

MERISSA HIMRAJ CEO Wavemaker

GILLIAN RIGHTFORD Founder Adtherapy

LUCA GALLARELLI GROUP CEO TBWA South Africa

I honestly don t believe the pastfew yearshavechanged theindustry forthe betterin many ways. The only real area isan acknowledgmentthat flexible working arrangements can work. Byflexible working arrangements I don t mean full work fromhome orremote working, but simply the applicationof greaterflexibility in how we manage our people and how theymanage the complexity of their lives.

The pastfew yearshave beentremendously toughon the industry and its people and I don’t see any evidence in the thinkingor workitselfthat suggestsotherwise. InSouth Africa,inparticular, Ithinkwe havestagnated andnotprogressed atthe pacewe should. We hear a huge amount abouthow muchtalentwehave asanindustry (which I agree with) and that wepunch aboveourweight globally (which Idon’t fully agree with).

“It’s my opinion that if we believeour recentshowings on international stages is evidence ofus overindexingrelativetoour size.thenweare tragically unambitious.We have been too distracted by thevirus, byremote work,by thedowntrend inourlocal economy, by the power issues that continue to plague us, and have prized survivalover fully displayingour resilienceand optimism asa people.[These two traits] have always been a

hallmarkthat hasdefinedour workas anindustry andI desperately want to see them back.

“Despite allthis, Iam actually veryoptimistic about whereI seethe industrygoing. I see areturn to organisations fully embracing the value of brands and brand thinking. Thepast fewyears have seen us distracted with short-term tactical thinking. which has had many agencies and clients distracted.

I don tforesee anybig shift awayfrom themajor pressures of delivering meaningful, impactful work that delivers immediate results,but I do foresee aslight reset in renewed emphasison creating long-termbrand value based on thefull consumer/customer experience, and the trick for agencies and clients willbe understanding the intersectionbetween these.

It’s been achallenging few years forour industry. However, withadversity comes opportunity,and over thistimewe haveseenthe industry transform for the better, pivotingtowards leading with empathy andtaking a people-first approach.I believe this is a fundamental step inbringing aboutmoremeaningful connectionswith our people,which showsinthe work we do together.

We havealso seenhuge positives when it comes to agencies showing resilience over a very trying time. Out of adversity,itwould befairto say that wehave seen the birth ofinnovative business models anda newfoundappreciation forcreativity and craft. Interestingly,there has been a spike in meaningful client relationships,which is obviously key to success in our world.

“However, therehas been a paradigm shift in how clients now want to engage with agencies. We’ veseen anoticeable rise of more projectbased clientsversus retainer clients, and this has resulted in the industry having to adopt a more agile and flexible approach to servicing their requirements,which inturnhas requiredusto askformore

agility from our people too.

“

I am very optimistic about where the industry is heading and I’m excited about the road ahead. With our people having more opportunitiesto explore and enjoy a more flexible and balanced life,our people-first approachis resultinginour employees feeling much happierabout theirnewworking structures.

“Empathetic leadership has opened up awhole new and better world forstaff and leaders alike,with everyone now feeling saferto experiment and push the boundaries to innovate and succeed.

“We are also seeing a new generation of young people in the industry witha renewed love for the advertising world, which I think hasa lot to do with the newways in which we are choosingto do business. Theirappetite fornew technologies, coupledwith clients’ need for innovation, is usheringin thenextfrontier for the African advertising industry, which is a new journey that we are very excited to be part of.

LEBO MADIBA Founder PR Powerhouse

The pandemichumanised marketing andadvertising, purpose movedoff thepages of strategiesinto campaigns andintohow brandsrelateto their consumers. This has created anenvironment thatdemands brands communicate in very local and precise terms, targeting specific consumers based ontheir circumstances andwhatis mostrelevantto them.

“More than ever, the role of theindustryis totapinto human behaviourthroughout the entire valuechain of the industry: client,agency and consumer. The fluidity created by thisenvironment places brands and agencies in a state of ongoingtransformation in processes, peopleand approaches. Adaptability is key.

I m optimisticthat theindustryis headingin theright direction. Therehave been some difficult lessons to learn about businesssustainability, but if the AdFocus entries are anything to go by, the industry is fuelled by as much resilience andcreativity and that s exactlywhat weshouldhold on to.

I believethat atthe forefront ofeverything wedo as an industry should be the idea of providing value, in whatever way itcan beinterpreted in the spaces we operate in.”

FIRDOUS OSMAN MD Saatchi & Saatchi

ZANELE ZWANE MD DUKE

With rising cost pressures and supply chain issues, marketers and advertisers have had to gearup fora fewchallenging years. We ve beenforcedto beinnovative andtoreappraise our operating models to be more agile and integrated. We have to change with the times, otherwise we will become obsolete. More and moreclients are looking for partners who understand theirbusiness struggles. Theywant partners tohelp themfindcost-effective ways toreach consumers inthis everchanging landscape.

“The pandemicuprooted every aspect of our lives and, from an economic standpoint, the effecton companies’ marketing strategies and sales was oftendevastating. While 2020/2021 wasa yearfilled with unprecedentedchallenges,I amoptimisticabout thedirection theindustryis headingin. Thehorizonlooks quite bright.

“As severe asthe downturnwas overthe pastyear, the opportunity for an equally dramatic uptickin business activity is within reach.

“The accelerated vaccination scheduleencouraged the liftingof restrictionson businesses anda resumption ofconsumer activity.Evenas the coronavirussurged, millions of newsmall businesses werestarted lastyear,a strong indicatorof underlying optimism for the economy.

The creative industry has been hithard intermsof theimmediate andcatastrophic impact of the pandemic on revenues. Theindustry was further pummelledby the lockdown constraintshampering thein-person element socrucial tobuildinggreat relationships andenabling great creative.

Young people just starting out in the industry lost out on twoyears oflearningthrough direct, in-personproximity to the gurus and doyennes of the business, insteadhaving to rely on thetunnel vision and echo chambersof their devices and screens.

It s aremarkable testament tothe creativeand resilient character of the people leading thesebusinesses that theynot onlysurvived,but wereable toreinventthemselves inorder topick themselves upagain andrebuild into an uncertain future. There has beensome inevitable consolidation inthe industry and survival has followed Darwinian principles those able to adapt fastest have come out stronger but it’s quite clear that very few have es-

caped without injury.

“I am optimisticabout the direction the industryis heading in. I see more humility, more humanity and less hubris. What tookpriority duringthepandemic was decent human values and putting people first. Andthecrisis taughtusto distinguish between what was needed mostand what was merely nice to have.

“What I’mstarting to see coming through now is a glimmerof thecuriosity, the courage and the chutzpah that will take us out of the safe and thehardworking intosome trulysurprising anddelightful creative work. I look forward to seeing moreSA agencieson thestageat Cannesandatall the other globalaward shows. We had a reputation not so long ago for creatively punching above our weight I d like to seethose headydays return, witha bit ofswagger to go with it!

Agencies thatdeliberately prioritisedthe wellbeingof theirpeople bydeveloping sustainable support structures andrefining theiroperating modelsto supporthybrid workinghave thrived.It’ s foreverchanged ourindustry for the better!

“Digitaladoption ispeaking. Our market has reached a point of maturity that levels the playing field for agencies large and small. It raises the standards of ourindustry and signalsthe nextwave ofcreativity through innovation.”

The past fewyears, in my view, have beentough, and agencies havehad tolearn to work smarterand withkindness. Theindustry hashad to be inventiveand resourceful, often having tofind different and better ways of working for our staff and clients.

“I’m optimisticabout the future; withcreativity and technology closertogether, advertising and marketing companies can be in the vanguard ofpositive behavioural change influencing new ways of brandadoption and brand love and creating greater value for clients and society at large.

NIMAY PAREKH Chief digital officer King James

SHARON KEITH Marketing director Heineken

WANDILE COLLIS Founder andhead of strategy BlackSwan

ANA CARRAPICHANO Founder and owner Mediology

Afterstruggling throughthe pandemic,the industryhas grown inhuman valuesand compassion. Thisis verypositive as we are only as good as our people.Our peopleincludeclients, creativeagencies, partners and media owners,not justouremployees. Collaboration is whatgot us throughthe toughtimes. Companiesare moreunderstanding and flexible with their employees, which creates happier spaces and more productive teams.

Disruption creates spaces for entrepreneurs, which is alwayspositive. However,we are not throughthe tough timesjustyet. Theimpacton the economyis feltby consumers,resulting inmarketing budget cuts. We need to constantly innovate and find opportunitiesfor growth.We need to understandour consumers as there is no room for complacency.

student award jurors

FAHEEM CHAUDHRY PARTNER & MD M&C Saatchi Abeland 2022 AdFocus Awards chair

It was excellent to see the level of craft anddetail comingthroughin thestudent entries. Theportfolios that stood outdemonstrated thatthe powerof theidea stillrulessupreme. Thestudents who were able to crack that, and then applya uniquecraft inservice of that idea, really stood out.

RAPHAEL KUPPASAMY Integrated art director Joe Public

THATO MOKOENA Creative director BlackSwan

Overall, it was evident that the industry has come through a tough period. There is no doubt that Covid played a big role in the standard of work.

Despite this, there were studentswho managedto comeout head and shoulders above the rest even duringthese challenging times,showing character.However,a lack of racial diversityin the entrants was a sore point with me.

“Onthe positiveside,it wasgreat seeing thatthe majorityof student entrants are female. This is a reflection of where the industry is. The ladies are killing it!”

HEEVER Executive creative director FCB Joburg

TIAN

It was a privilege spending quality time withthe nextgeneration’s thoughts, andtheconversations inthejudging room wereincredibly positiveand imbuedwith arealsense ofexcitement for the emerging talent. The design and illustration portfolios really stood out, with art directionand copywriting books rarely managing to be held to the same high standard.

VAN DEN

purpose ac tive

It’s no longer good enough for

marketing

to say the brand and business it represents is purpose driven

THERE S AN IDIOM that says: “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” While it’s a sentiment that’s beenoverusedwithin the business context in recent years, the seismic shifts in the global business landscape warrant revisiting it and,more tothepoint, revisingit slightly.For today’s marketer, the adage would probably be more apt if it went: “If youdon’t stand for something,and actonit, yourcustomers won’t believe anything.”

While somemay quite correctly argue that my rewording of the idiom issomewhat trite, my intention is to remind marketers of theimperative todeliberatelyand consistently aligntheir effortsto a clear, authenticand unequivocal purpose.

Butit goesbeyondthat. It’s no longergood enoughformarketing tosay thebrandand businessit representsis purposedriven if we’re honest, this doesseem to be thenarrative ofeveryorganisation, rightly so.

They also need to demonstrate a commitment topurpose-led action. Andwhere suchactionis notevident in thebusiness, the responsibility of the marketing department is notto bendthe truth,or createan impression of purposefulness;its to leadthe wayinentrenching apurpose-active culture.

It’s a significant paradigm shift from what most perceived the role of themarketingdepartment tobein days gone by. But in those days, the expectations placedon businesses by their customerswere vastly different,and fareasierto meet,than they are today.

So,how doesa marketingdepartment becomethe purpose-active drivingforce itneeds tobe? For the Nedbankmarketing division, stepping into that rolebegan with a

fundamental change in the way we see ourselves, and our function, within the organisation. Ratherthan supportingthe effortsof thebank indeliveringon itspurpose,we shifted our perception to being a keydriver of purposebased action.

In many ways,marketing at Nedbank has evolved into a catalyst of purpose, rather than a reporter on it. The result has been a step change in the way our markets perceive our Nedbankbrand:from abankthat manages money,to moneyexperts who do good.

And we’ve learnt valuable lessons in theprocess. Forone, it’s imperative an organisation’s marketing department has a seat at the executive decision-making table. Nedbank has always been progressive in this regard, and I have the privilege of not just sitting on the executive committee, but having the respect of all the members of that committee.

Our success as a marketing team has also been theresult of a clear understanding of theimportance of fully engaging allthe communities that form part of the Nedbank universe.Thathas meantensuringthat our first port of call for any initiative is Nedbankstaff, becauseweknow that there is no stronger marketing message than employee advocacy.

Then, we’ve taken pains to ensure thateverythingwesay anddoasa marketing division, and indeed as a bank, resonates authentically with thecommunities weserve. Theeffectiveuse ofdatahasbeen key.In an increasinglydigital world,we have been careful to ensure the Nedbankbrand propositionremainsrelevant, personal and purpose-led.

Wehave seen,firsthand, thata deep understanding ofexactly who yourcustomers are,what theproblemsare youneedto helpthem solve,andhow theirattitudesand behaviours asconsumers areconstantlyshifting, istheonly wayto stay relevantin thefast-changing operating environment of today.

Finally, the abilityof Nedbank marketing to helpdrive the group’s transitionto abrand,and bank,that deliverson itspurpose ratherthan just speaking about it, has only been possiblebecause ourpartnersand agencieshave beenon thesame page as we are.

The result is aclose-knit team of like-minded professionals,with a strongly entrepreneurial mindset, that’s finely tuned towards identifying opportunities to enhance the Nedbank brand. Such an integrated and aligned team,operating from a place of trust, transparency and honesty, is arguably oneof the most important ingredientsfor sustainable success in marketing today.

The era of intrusive, meaningless and irrelevant marketing and advertisingis wellandtruly over.Consumers today demand, and deserve, hyper-personalised, authentic, realtime and most of all, purpose-led marketing supportedby meaningful action.

It’s areality thatplaces immense demandson allofus asmarketers. But it also presents immeasurable opportunities to stand out from the pack. And that’s onlypossible if we arestandingon, andactingfrom, a clear sense of purpose.

Khensani Nobanda is group executive of Nedbank marketing and corporate affairs and was the 2021 AdFocus Industry Leader of the Year

Consumers today demand personalised, authentic, real-time and purpose-led marketing supported by meaningful action

Gallo

Images/Lefty Shivambu

regainin g integrity

Our industry has become a battlefield

– the site of a war for our credibility and relevance

CLIENTS AREBOMBARDING us with questions. Are we modernising our business models to meet their needs? Are we employing people with therequisite talent, skillsand experienceto deliveron theirneeds?And arewesufficiently upskilled in the use of global tools and technology to achieve their business objectives?

Intensifyingthe fightingisthe sadfact that,whilewe shouldbe sharingthe burdenofproof ofour collective credibility and relevance, we continuallyundermine each other when feeding in the shrinking shark tank of client accounts.

Why? Becauseour industry lacks integrity, whichis an indictment ofself asmuch asit ison my peers and the industry as a whole.

Whenagroup ofpeoplewho claim tohave commongoals such as “grow our industry” , “transform our industry by being more diverse and inclusive” , “buildgreater talent pools” and “make the greatest work of our lives” tear each other down, it corrodes the foundations on which our goals must be achieved.

And,asmuch asthisbehaviour damagesour industrynow, itis ensuring ourindustry hasa bleak future.

Wearea “people and talent” industry in that we supply services whose value is largely linked to the relativetalent ofthe peoplewe employ.

Occasionally, wehave attempted to “productise” that service but, inreality, wehaveonly servedto commoditise ourselvesat different roles and levels.

This means that “talent” is now a commodity based eitheron tenure (experience),level (jobtitle)and

cost to company. Actual talent the kind that givesyou goosebumps when youencounter it has been extracted from the process.

We’re not solely to blame. Clients are under tremendouspressure as their marginsare squeezed with ever-rising input costs. But thinking they can transferthat pressure to agency partners lacks vision and empathy.

We are all under rising cost pressures.Like ourclients’ consumers, our staff (hell’s bells some of our staff will be their consumers) face inflationary pressures.

Theknee-jerk reactionisto leave usfor betteroffers and not necessarilyin ourindustry -which ultimately leaves both agencies and clients lookingto fillthe gapswith less time,less moneyand lessexperience on thebrand or campaign.

Do we learn from all this? No. Our industry possesses some of the best talent in the world at all levels, butwecontinuously taketalentin our commoditised mindsets and place them in the wrong positions, vertically andhorizontally and then abuse them.

So,what doesthe pathforward look like?

We need to acquire the ability to discern between what is conceptual and the craft of execution or rollout. Thelatter isa skillanda talentthat we seem to continually undervalue but itis the secret sauceof our industry.

No matter how great the concept,

ifthe executionisnot flawless,the concept will bomb. Indeed, many a flaky concepthas beenrescued by great execution.

Wemust alsolearnhow toproducework atthespeed ofour international peers. Andwe must acknowledge that there is only “talent”, that no talentis more talented than any other talent.

Ourjob ascommunicators isto seedideasatthe righttimesandin theright mediaso consumersare motivatedto purchaseourclient’ s products orservices. Everyaspect of that process iscritical and the talent that brings itall together is valuable.

Sustainability startswith each one of us. To misquote a man some of usmay notapplaud onany platform: “Let’s makeintegrity great again.”

Focus on being the best you can be as an individual, as a leader, as an organisation, and as an industry. Once youhave thatcore, making decisions iseasier. Onceyou have that core, like-minded people will find you.

Focus, too,on findingbetter ways ofworking. Lookto other industries forinspiration, lookat other markets as muchas they are looking at ours.

Focus your attention on verticals adjacent to, orcomplementary to, our own that can support your business and you may find a new way to keep your business fertile for years to come.

Thabang Skwambane is the CEO of Nahana Communications Group

No matter how great the concept, if the execution is not flawless, the concept will bomb

be the boun ce

When the world tries to flatten you, it ’s that deep, sincere connection with others that gives you the ability to spring back

BOUNCE BACK. That’ s why you’re here,but whatdoes theterm mean?The CollinsEnglish Dictionary says to bounce is “to rebound from an impact” or “to hit a solid surfaceand springback” “

Spring back” sparks more associations thatembody buoyancy, elasticity and flexibility. They’re the epitome of bounciness.

Spring is birth, renewal, growth, possibility afterwinter’s gloom. Bounce and springare vigorous words. They’re exuberant. Dynamic. Full of life. They’re playful too.

Springs are even more complex. If it’s a slinky you’re thinking of, it took design for itto slither and delight. Ever been bone-rattled in a shockless car? Lostthe spring in your step?

This is all to say that bounciness doesn’t just spring from the ether. It needs intention. Bounce needs to be created and nurtured.

Isn’t thatwhy you’re here? You’ve beenpromised thatreading thesewords willadd abouncy, springy,zippyzest toyourlife. More than that, we’ve kinda promisedwe mightbe ableto helpyou magic some bounce back into your business. I’d better get to it.

It’ll help to knowthis. Your colleagues arelonely. They’re probably struggling to connect with their workcolleagues. There’s a good chancetheyfeel liketheirwork relationships areshallow and transactional. As you process those words,you mightbe reachingfor that hoary old adage, “I am here to work,not tomake friends”. Good luck with that.

Recent research bythe Gallup organisation showsthat people

who have a bestfriend at work are twice aslikely tobe extremelysatisfied with their job than those who don’t.And satisfactionequalsengagement equals performance. People who don’t have a work BFF are also 33% more likely to look for a new job. Given the time and costof replacingtalent, that’s a scary number.

Strong workfriendships create better engagement withcustomers and internalpartners, moreinnovation andsharing ofideas, greater efficiency,and evensafer workplaces. And yes, more fun.

All fairly obviouswhen you pause to think about it. But when have you everthought about intentionally fostering friendships at work? Or just a friendly culture?

The lack of friendship in our work environments stems from our decisions. We cancreate growth and connection, or we can create an environment hostile to life. It’ sa choice,whether wemake itexplicitly or not.

Constance Hadley and Mark Mortensen,writing fortheMIT Sloan Management Review, say our workplaces “tend to foster shallow, narrow, and ephemeral relationshipsratherthan truehumanconnections”, with the result that loneliness is “degrading the psychological wellbeing ofemployees andthe social fabric of the workplace”

And this wasall happening before thepandemic. Butyou know that. You’d felt it. Let’s fix it.

Gallup’s work tells us the trends

have intensified duringthe pandemic. It makessense. This has been a period of profound tragedy and uncertainty.Friendships add bounce. Whenthe worldtries to flatten you, it’s thatdeep,sincere connection withothers thatgives you the ability to spring back.

So, whatever world we’re going tonext, fosteringintentionalconnections at work can hold the possibilityto birthanew world.A workplacefriendship canbe arevolutionary act. It could build a new world. Make connection your intention. Createopportunities to listen to people. Learn their stories. Share yours.

Maketime tolisten toyourself. We forget that all real change starts with ourselves. “Self-helpy”, but true.If you’renotcaring foryourself, yo won’t get it right for others.

So, befriendyourself. Remember a time that someone was grateful to you. What did you do for them? Who else might appreciate a similar kindness? Think about your colleagues. What does each of them add to your life? Tell them.

Experiment. Giveyourself an hour,or aday,to intentionallybe friendly to everyone. Invite a colleague out for coffee. Give someone a call to check in on them. Compliment someone onwork that they’vedone.See howyoufeel.I promise you’ll feel better. They’ll feel better. Work becomes more fun. Life gets better. You can tell the CFO that. I promise.

Karl Gostner is an executive and business coach

We can create growth and connection, or we can create an environment hostile to life

tickin g boxes

Transformation

THE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN finding ways to “return to normal” after the Covid lockdowns. A big part of this has involved companies calling on employees to return to the office, or the process of finding balance in a hybrid world.

Someof thishasbeen metwith resistanceor hesitance.Aftertwo tumultuous years, people are looking to take controlof the environments in which they work.

Glassdoor officecultures are taking a foothold in companies. There wasthe GreatResignation, whenmillions ofworkersworldwide quit their jobsbecause of job dissatisfaction, inflation, wage stagnation and the risingcost of living. More recently came quiet quitting employees doingonly whatwas necessary.

These pushbacksagainst “The Man” developedbecause people werereassessing theirvaluesand the kind of companies they wanted tobe employedby interms ofthe culture and type of work they do.

a thriving work cul ture

Transformation which includesdiversity, inclusivityandthe nurturing of talent is one of those aspects that can aid companies in creating a thrivingwork culture. However, too often we see it being used merely as a compliance tool to win business.

The 2022 FMAdFocus Awards, through itstheme “bounce back” , looked at how advertising and marketing agenciesare ableto respond to external challenges and come out stronger.

One of the areas considered was

that of transformation.

Most agencies thatwere nominated took this tobe about black economic empowerment (BEE) and the upliftment ofwomen in the workplace. And BEEand women empowerment policies are, indeed, extremelyimportant aspectsofthe transformation engine.

Ticking these boxes goes a long way towards ensuring that wehavemore diverseandinclusive workplaces.

Lebo Madiba is MD of PR Powerhouse

is not just about compliance; it helps create

After two tumultuous years, people are looking to take control of their working environment

give from the h eart

With generosity and clarity of purpose, our creativity can bear bountiful fruit

LIKE MOSTPEOPLE AND businesses, I spent most of myearlylife inpursuitof serving onlymyself: I threw myself at mycraft with the intentionof becomingfilthyrich. But despite 16-hour days I was still dirt poor,financially, emotionally and spiritually.

Until the day I found my greater purpose and instead of focusing on receiving, I shiftedmy focus to giving. Because the true spirit of giving should always bein the absenceofthe expectationofreceiving anything in return.

Just like that,by authentically shifting my intention, I moved from one city to anew city overnight. From scarcity to generosity. And for thefirsttimein mylife,Ibeganto experience abundance.

The way we runour lives and ourbusinesses isunnatural.Because where naturegives unconditionally, humansoperate under one condition: to receive. Where nature understandsthat autumnis followed by winter as sure as winter is followed by spring, humansexpect fromlife andtheir businesses an endless summer. Relentlessly strivingand drivingfor unnatural growth.

So how do we bounce back from two years ofthe harshest business winter in living history? Find greater purpose for your life.

You have one word at your core. A name for yourgreater being. It existswithin youassure asyour human name given toyou by your parents shortly after birth. Dig deep and find it. Then define it. Then let it becomethe strategyfor yourlife. Practise delivering on your purpose every day. Makemistakes. Then make upfor it. Be OKwith losing

your way.Hey, atleast youwill know your path to return to.

In the early 1970s, US economist Milton Friedman developed the doctrinethat thepurpose ofbusinessisto maximiserevenuesand increase profits for shareholders. Sound familiar?

Some yearslater, hewould be awarded a Nobel memorial prize in economicsfor histhinking.Which reminds meof theadage onthinking: “Two percentof peoplethink. 3% ofpeople thinkthey think.And 95% of people will rather die than think”

So, ifyou thinkthat yourbusiness existsfor thepurpose ofmaking money, consider that you may be basing your thinking on the narrowmindednessof peoplesuchas Friedman. Because thebottom line of business iscalled exactly that because it is meant to be at the bottom of your priority list. If there’ s one universaltruth I’ve discovered, it’s that profitresponds as naturally to a greater purpose as a tree buds in response tothe firstday ofspring. Find your “why”. Then live it. Then see your businessgrow beyond your wildest dreams.

If you are in the business of creativity no matteryour why, the only wayto bringyour purposeto life is through the power of creative

excellence. Growthof ourpeople, our clients and our country can only be delivered throughthe greatness of our creativeproduct. For every randpaid toouragency byour clients, it ’s our instinct to give them whatwill create10times thevalue in return: creative excellence.

Wethrive tocreateexceptional campaigns thatwill exponentially increase the value of every sheet of paper or pixel we purchase. And in doingso, wegivetheir brandsthe best chanceof gettingthrough to the most overtraded media space, namely the space between our consumers ’ ears. Let’sface it:why would we be filling our clients’ media spaces withanything less thancreative excellence,if 80%of thetotal costofadvertising isthe basic cost of media?

So, here’s tostepping intothis newchapter ofbusinessin acomplex,volatile, uncertainandambiguous worldpost-Covid. Here’ s to steppinginto ourtrue nature. Becoming kindredcreative spirits that give withoutexpecting anything in return. And who knows, we may just become a local industry that is a shiningexample to the

If there’s one universal truth I’ve learnt on my journey it’s that profit responds as naturally to a greater purpose as a tree buds in response to the first day of spring

people f irst

We

’

re constantly finding better and different ways to

captivate and convert

WHEN PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement of a 21-day nationwide lockdown to curbthe rapid spread of Covid,we hadno ideathe three weekswouldturn intomonthsof uncertainty from a personal, people and business perspective.

As a leaderof an organisation with more than 300 employees and multiple global and local clients and brands, bouncing back was the only optionto ensurethat,as anorganisation, wetook careof our employees, were agileenough to pivot at a moment’snotice for our clients, and were willing and able to navigatethenew normalwithno playbook to guide us while things were changing at a rapid speed.

Looking back, those in the marketing and advertising industry like people in many other industries experiencedburnout, physical and mentalexhaustion, isolation and loneliness, as well as emotional trauma through the loss of loved ones and Covid fatigue. Working hoursbecame blurredwithlittle structureto ourdaysas MSTeams meetings started fromthe early morningand lasteduntillate inthe evenings.

At dentsu, our people are our greatest asset andthroughout the pandemicweneeded toactfast, witha strongfocuson mentaland physical health.

Through hostingcheck-in calls with our teams, sessions with specialists from awellbeing perspective, motivationaltalks, quizevents and virtual gym classes for our staff, among otherinitiatives, weknew what our teams needed throughout

those uncertain days.

What we didn’t realisewashow much Covidwould influenceour ways of working to keep up with the times and globaltrends, and how we would need to adapt locally to new ways of working.

Atpresent, dentsuSouthAfrica operateson ahybrid workingmodel witha mandatorythree daysin the office and two days of work from home,as wefound thatmany of our employeeswanted the faceto-faceinteractionas wellasthe flexibility to work from home on the days that suited them.

I believe this was the only way to ensure we were keeping our teams engaged, placing an emphasis on staff morale and experience and ensuring we were giving our people the “best of both”, while not compromising onhigh-performance teams and client deliverables.

From a business perspective, the advertising industry isever changing and,since thepandemic, we havehadto constantlyfindbetter and different ways to communicate, captivate and convert. Assisting our clients with innovationremains a top priority,as weare privyto insights, shifts, consumer habits and behaviours,which hasgiven usthe

opportunity andfoundation to identify the optimal approach.

Marketing hasalways been about understandingand focusing on people. As an agency, it is imperative to remain deeply rooted in understanding SouthAfricans and whatmatters tothemto keepus relevant. Thisincludes knowing and understanding theentire consumer journey and ecosystem.

Thisenables usto offertactical, creative and technological solutions to unlock new opportunities for our client partners as well as being agile andpivoting quicklyto meetthe needs of our ever-changing consumer and local market trends.

Dataand insightsremainthe heart of creativity and, as a business in today’s climate, we have to work muchharder toensure clientsreceive a returnon their investment. Whetherthis involvesfindingnew ways to workwith media owners or finding bettersolutions for our clients, wemust continueto push brand boundaries,deliver legendary customer service and encouragebrands tobemore purposeful in theprotection of the environment.

Koo Govender is CEO of dentsu South Africa

communicate,

We must continue to push brand boundaries, deliver legendary customer service and encourage brands to be purposeful about the environment

the ethics dilemma

SOME OF OUR CLIENTS are in thebusiness ofsocalled “sin products”. Yes, those of equally dubiously named “sin tax” infamy. I regard myselfas aprettyethical guyand VMLY&R is committed to purposeful marketingand makingthe world a better place. So, how do I sleep at night?

I am a vegan, but I help to sell chicken;I wanttheplanet tosurvive,but haveworked onpetrochemicals.And sothelist goeson. Am I actually just a hypocrite?

People lovevirtue signalling. People are also, generally, lazy. Put that together, and what you get is a lot of noise and little action. Witness the obsession with the demise of thehumble plasticstraw. Ifound myself drinking througha pasta tube a while ago as my local Italian restaurant laboured to save the planet.

The truth, if youtake a moment toresearch it,isthat plasticstraws (and plastic bagsfor that matter) make a meaningful but fairly insignificant contributionto ocean pollution and landfills, and, while uglyandawful, aremuchmore efficientthan youimagine. Theresearch podcastSkeptoid argues that polypropyleneand paper shoppingbags, forexample,put more dangerous chemicals into the environment andare hardlyever re-used oftenenough tobe better than the conventional plastic ones.

Why am I tellingyou this? Becauseone ofthethings weshould all try to avoid is lazy moralising. If youfeel youaresaving theplanet by makingsome incrediblysmall, painless change toyour life, chancesare theimpactis justas small. Sorry, but savinga planet is just not that simple.

Refusing to help advertise sin products doesnot changetheir consumption. (See,for example, Capella, Taylorand Wester’s 2008

paper in The Journal of Advertising, whichanalysed all research dataon the topic and concludedexactly this.)Advertisingmight shapewhichbrand of a sin product people pick, but it’ s not going to change behaviour.

Why? Because peoplelike these products.Theyalso likefastcars, gossip andDonald Trump.These so-called sin products bring people pleasure. And yes, of course, giving upis hard.Just likegiving upcaffeine is hard.

Therecanbe noquestionthat someof thesecompaniesengaged indecades ofdeceptionand shenanigans. But that’s because they wantedpeople tochoose their brand. The boom in illicit trade duringandafter thelockdownbans proves that if people want to indulge in their chosen sin, they will. Stoppingwas amuch easierprospect than paying R2,000 for a sub-par hit of dopamine, but most paid. You can sayit wasaddictiondrivingit, butI think that’s way too simplistic. Habits are farmore than addiction, and they meet complex needs.

The other side of this story is that sin products, asindustries, spend billions in the economy. All the other industries, includingmy own,hang off thisone, andbenefit fromits spend. Farmers especially African farmers whohad theirfarmlands forcibly turned intomono crop plantations thanks to pressure from the West are also dependent on

thisspend. Whilefarmingof products such as coffeeand soy is exploitative offarmers, it’s their only income. Destroythe industry and it’s not the rich corporates who are hurt, it’s the little guy.

The economy is an ecosystem. It’sanuncomfortable truththatthe financial services companies the ad industry proudlyand unashamedly services, bankroll every sin you can imagine; happilydeposit money from thieves; and in countless other wayslaunder thereturns fromall kinds ofactivity, savouryand un. Because money ismoney, it’s all equally taintedand equallyvirtuous. Picking on aneasy target like sin products is to commit the newly minted Plastic Straw Fallacy.

Am I telling youthis to depress you? Quite the contrary. What I’ m sayingisthat anycompany,any person,is capableofdoing goodor doing bad for the world. Beneath the surface is wherethe truth lies. When we decidewhich clients to take on, we do more than a fivesecondanalysis oftheirproduct’ s virtue. We ask: are these good peopleor badpeople? Arethey makingthe worldabetter placeor not? What is their intent? By asking those deeperquestions, weare often surprisedat whothe villains turn out to be.

Isleep witha clearconscience.

Jarred Cinman is the CEO of VMLY&R South Africa

Refusing to help advertise sin products does not stop people from consuming them, because habits meet complex needs

The truth is that plastic straws make a meaningful but fairly insignificant contribution to ocean pollution and landfills

be a little dif ferent

For OnlyKind, kindness was the antidote before the vaccine

NEW IDEASDON’T ARISE from repetition, they are builton braveryandthe tenacity topush beyond the bounds of whatwe think is doableto achievewhat wenever thought possible.

Having spent a career in some of SA’s most reveredagencies, I launched OnlyKind in mid-December2019, toembarkon anew adventureafter winningourfirst big account, Rand Refinery.

Three months later,with just oneclient signedup,a smallteam andtight margins,the agencywas faced with a pandemic, lockdowns and theodds stackedagainst it. Fortunately, “OK” turned out to be more than just OK.

Armedwith auniqueperspective based on personal experience creative, strategyand account management OnlyKind brings to thetable auniqueabilityto makea brandresonate withthe peopleit intends to move.

Did being an entrepreneur make adapting toCovid easier?Yes, and no.

No,because nostart-up iseasy. Covid threw manycurveballs: we had towork aroundsocial distancing, nonessentialitems and damage caused by hand sanitiser to a client’s product.Yes, because we hadnoalternative buttoexpress ourpurpose fully.In aworld confronting itsmortality, kindness

wasthe antidotebefore thevaccine.

Our results prove that agile thinking and being a little different are critical to any startup. Positive word of mouth is useful too.

OnlyKindsigned upclientsthat wehad nevermet, whichwas daunting; but we were fortunate to landhigh-calibre clientswho viewed us as a partner, rather than a supplier.

In our favour was a hybrid model ofchoosing thebest creativesfor the job from around the world. The result is that we were prepared for a periodthat wouldbe definedby

uncertainty and volatility.

We approached every challenge withkindness, teamwork,authenticity and honesty believing that if wedidit right,clientswouldcome back.Thisattitude allowedusto work in Italy, Qatar, Hong Kong and SouthAfrica, becausewe setthe foundationsfora “do what is right and they will come” business.

Not only should creativity have a seat at the decision-making table, it should also redefine that table virtually, metaphorically and financially.

Leigh-Anne Salonika is the founder of OnlyKind

We approach challenges with kindness, teamwork, authenticity and honesty to achieve what we never thought possible

a treasure to keep

Whether the industry retains its high

AGENCY LEADERSFROM across the boardare all saying the same thing: oneof themostpredominantchanges tothe industryin the past few yearshas been the impact on talent.

“The two-year suspension of the dribble oftalent [going]abroad became a torrent in 2021 and 2022 as the ability to movecaught up with desire,” says LucaGallarelli, group CEO of TBWA\South Africa.

“This has been exacerbated by a weakrand,coupled withtherealisation that remote work can, in fact,work. Ithasall butdestroyed

the freelancemarket, puttingadditional pressure on agencies whichreliedso heavilyonitto alleviate capacity constraints.”

Joey Khuvutlu, group MD of FCB and Hellocomputer, agrees that the talent landscapehas experienceda major shift in thepast few years.

“WhenCovidhit, Iassumedmany

freelancers andsmaller creative collectives would runback to the ‘stability’ of big agencies.

“The opposite has happened and the industry’s alreadysmalltalent pool is even smaller now as a result of acombination ofremote working, which enabled the growth of offshore, andthe greatresignation

trendoftalent exitingtheindustry and emigrating.”

The net effect on talent supply anddemand, saysKhuvutlu, isan exponential increase inthe cost of freelance resources. “Across the board, fromjunior tomanagement level, theincreasing costof retaining talentis outstrippingclient

achievers will depend on how it looks after and helps them

123RF/alphspirit

fees, which have remained flat.”

The industry has struggled for many yearsto promoteitself asa potential career, says Adtherapy founder Gillian Rightford.

“Though advertisingis alogical career option for creative talent, the problem is thatmany talented artists are not cutout for the relentlessnessand lackofautonomy in the industry,” she says.

And despite periodicefforts to promotethiscareer pathatschool level, advertising is often not a topof-mind career option for businessminded individuals either, with those who are good at maths and science tending torather opt for BCom and finance-related degrees, she says.

Rightford doesn’t believe the industry isdoing enoughto engage withtalentat universityoradvertising school level or that there are enough industry internships.

“Agencies shouldbe having20, 30 interns, not two,” she says. “And don’t get me started on unpaid internships, which skew towards privilege and employingout of a bubble.The problemis thatthose who come in from the ‘outside’ are going toneed hands-onnurturing and training, and many agencies don’t have the time or the resources to do that. I salute those that do.”

The talent challenge is not purely

a South African problem, says Rightford. “Globally there is a crisis in recruitment and retention due to the advertising and marketing industriesnot havingthe cachethey once did.Tech companiesand start-upsare moreappealing,they pay more and they are perceived to offer more work-lifebalance and more fun. And don’t forget that there is the option to freelance, own your own businessand work from anywhere sometimes even making more money.”

Brain drain

The braindrain isa veryreal issue facing localbusinesses, including advertisingand marketingbusinesses. “South Africanskills especially creative and strategy skills tend to punch above their weight and are lured overseas by opportunities to workin mainstream markets oninternational brands, earnforeigncurrency andliveina saferand morestableenvironment,” says Rightford.

To counter this, she believes the industryneeds tofocus onbetter leadership,mentoring andlistening. “Agenciesneed tobuild empatheticand supportivestructures and allow moreflexibility in their working arrangements. They need to support peopleworking from home with the right equipment.

“Thenumber ofmeetingsneeds to be reduced and more time needs to bespent onnurturing and stretching talent. People need to be helped toprioritise andmanage their career pathsto growth. It’ s also aboutensuring afun working environment. When looking for talent they need tolook outside the bubble. Advertising schools and the closestuniversity areobvious huntinggrounds, butwhereelse might talent be?”

The competition for talent

ThabangSkwambane, groupCEO of Nahana Communications Group, saysthis competitionwithremote working, offshoreagencies and offshore freelancers means the advertisingindustry islosing thewar for talent.

Not only are agencies competing among themselves fortalent, they arealso competingagainstglobal opportunities as well as against new ways of working, like working from anywhere and four-day work weeks all while trying to be more inclusive and meet ever more demanding client needs, he says.

Talent isbeing commoditised,says Skwambane. “We know the best talent should be getting paid more money, but that means placing them in higher positions at younger and younger ages, which in

turn puts pressure on our margins. So, instead of being promoted they are keptat lowerrates forlonger, and then end up wanting to leave the industry sooner.”

The challenge, he says, is that the adindustry isa serviceindustry that predominantly charges by the hour andthat thetime neededto train, upskill, coach and mentor people without compensation is challenging.

“The time it takes to prepare career, training and growth plans and then implement them is painfully tedious,” says Skwambane.

Nahanahas introducedanumber of initiatives to help retain talent including more training, coaching and mentorship.

“As alearning organisationwe appreciate that talentwill leave, butwe hopethey willeventually returnto theorganisation thatdid the most for them and where they were most appreciated,” he says.

PaulMiddleton, MDofindependent agency Ebony+Ivory, reports that it’s harder than ever to findqualitytalent andthenretain them.

“The pressure we expect people to workunder isinsane, sowe’ re battling to retain them. Last-minute briefs and quick turnarounds put pressure on ourpeople and the money isoften notenough tohold them. Our outsourced creative pool

Ebony+Ivory MD Paul Middleton

FCB and Hellocomputer group MD Joey Khuvutlu

isbeing minedbyinternational businesses and the local industry is suffering for it.”

Neo Selwe, group HR director at TBWA\SouthAfrica,says thereisa trendoftalent acceptingjoboffers tobargain withtheir currentemployers for a better salary.

“It’sperhaps timefor theindustry to introspect, because it’s not sustainable to show gratitude only to talent that we are about to lose.”

A recycling of senior talent

Tracy Wasserman,head ofgroup HR at M&C Saatchi Abel, says in her opinion the problem is not so much attractingtalent butrather thewar within the industry.

“The local industryis small in termsof talentrecycling aspeople move from agency to agency looking forwhat ismost attractiveto them. Agencies are building the employee value propositions differently to match what talent is now looking for,” says Wasserman.

“The challenge is having an employee valueproposition thataddresses quality of life, balance post the pandemic, as well as individual priorities.Personal gainsandbeing people-centric need to be balanced against the needs of operating a business.”

She addsthat thepandemic has shifted how agencies understand their people. “If you orientate yourself to ‘happy people,happywork, happy clients’, the foundation is set

to sustain business success whilelooking after your people.”

M&C Saatchi Abel has introduced global tool calledOpenBlend thatis people-centric and addresses holisticwellbeing. It’s also invested in coaching, acknowledging thatall levels,including leadership, need support andguidance foremotional resilience, EQ, leadership tools and managerial growth to ensure all levelsare upskilledto handle performance and delivery as well as mental health andemployee wellbeing.

“Really good people are harder to attract, with many firmly established in their current roles,” admits Wasserman. “Talent identificationneeds tobe more intentional,more focused andcustomised, andto focusonmorethan a ‘post job advert and pray’ approach.”

Finding the right person, she says, isa two-sideddance, andthe approach needs to be streamlined to be more impactful, attractive and customised.

The agency has shifted to more of a headhunting approach, requiringtalentmanagers toputthe work intofinding andapproaching the best.

Attractingtalent hasn’t been a problem for smallagency RAPT Creative. Where itstruggles is with what CEOGarreth van Vuuren callsthe “exceptional level”, where there is a shortage oftalent,resulting inabidding war. Another challenging area is talent who “live fortheextra buckand moveonfor thatreason ”, in the process hurting both agency andclient and damaging theirown reputations.

“In ourexperience, once you ’ve gottalent on boardthat shares your business’s vision, andthey wantto grow and push themselves, retention is nota problem.We put a lot of work into findingthat kindof talent.”

Selwe says that TBWA’s talent retention strategy is

to aim to be genuine and honest with candidates. “It’s not a onesize-fits-allstrategy, andwe tryto implement bespoke talent retention initiatives, particularly forour key talent.”

The remuneration debate

The ad industry has not been immuneto theretention challenges andtrends facing other industries, including the much debated “great resignation”, the “quiet quitters” and “health is the new wealth” trends, says Angela Madlala, chief people officer at Ogilvy.

When itcomes toattracting and retaining talent, the biggest point of contention remains fair remuneration. “While variouseffortshave been made to create and determine salary benchmarks to help with decidingsalary brackets,todate there is nostatistically credible salarybenchmark. Asanindustry we do need to invest in creating an industry salary benchmark, not only todrive fairremuneration but also to play a meaningful role in the industry’s collective ability to manage clientfees andput avalue on the skills withincreative agencies,” says Madlala.

Ogilvyhas beengivingcareful considerationto itstotal talentoffering,shesays, findingabalance between thediverse needsof its talentand remunerationandbe-

Agencies need to build empathetic and supportive structures

Nahana Communications group CEO Thabang Skwambane

123RF/ruda l30

nefits on offerincluding retention and performance incentives.

However, it is the agency ’s large investment intraining anddevelopment that is its most successful talent retention driver,says Madlala. “Being known as the University of Advertising andmaking every effort to ensure that our people feel a senseof belongingis withouta doubt thecentral strategyof our retention efforts.”

Ad schools

Madlala says Ogilvy has had great success in sourcing graduates from local universities and advertising schools. However, shesays while these candidates arrivewith great

potential andpassion, work-readiness is only achievedthrough asound entry-level trainingprogramme.

Wasserman agrees:: “Advertising schoolsare as fitfor purposeas they can be, but agencies need to work with graduates to help them get ‘work ready’ on a practical level.”

Internships and entrylevelpositions, shesays, must be very intentional.

“The natureof theindustry we’re in is very hands-on andrequires on-the-ground learning. It’s criticallyimportant that we remainaware of the bridge frombook to boardroom.”

TBWAhas alsomanaged to discover great talent throughadvertising schools.Ultimately, it’ s up tothe industryto takea chance on these graduates even though theyhave no experience, says Selwe.

“Our jobis togive theman opportunity,not onlyto meetBBBEE scorecardsbut alsoto builda sustainable talent pipeline for the industry.”

Middleton says the industry needs to get more involved, including offering students more time inagencies duringvacationsto provide them with more industry exposure.

Skwambane doesn’t believe any tertiary institution is truly preparing work-ready candidates, arguing that theyare “outof touchwith what is happeningon the ground” Hesaysthereneeds tobeabetter relationship between tertiary institutions and industry players.

“That said, tertiary institutions are preparing good students but it is up to agenciesto turn them into productive employees.”

More needs to be done

Rightford argues that more could be done from an industry perspective.

“The industry needs to be building a pipeline of communication that startsat schoollevel toessentially advertiseadvertising. Weneedto build a vibrant and strong graduate network and throw internships at it. These internships needto work more effectively. The bottom line is that thereis ahuge oversupplyof candidates for limited and restricted places.

“

However, the industry needs to makeamore systematiceffortto ensure that those who get into the business are the best for it.”

The reality,she says,is thatthe industry has been nibbled away for years and is in danger of being consumed by technology companiesand bigfive consultancies,despite consultancies finding it difficult to emulate what agencies offer.

“Agency leaders need to be more public,to standby theiropinions and protect their people so that they can use their talent to their full potential,” she adds.

What employees needfrom a business isto revertto ahierarchy of needs,says Wasserman. “People mustwant towork forus asmuch as we want themto work for us. Most people have an inherent need tofeelloved, appreciatedandthat they belong.To retainthem we need to manage them with trust and flexibility, embracingprogression rather than perfection.”

The lastword goesto Selwe: “The industry needsto understand that its verysurvival is dependent on thetime andresources weinvest in young and upcoming talent. Neglecting this group will be hugely

detrimentaltothe futureofthe industry,given thatwe’re goingto reach a point of serious brain drain soon if we haven’t already. Buildingadiverse talentpipelinewith solid skills transfer plans in place is therefore critical for the future and the sustainability of the industry.”

M&C Saatchi Abel group HR head Tracey Wasserman

Ogilvy chief people officer Angela Madlala

TBWA\South Africa group HR director Neo Selwe

in sharp focus

Beyond

THE LATEST “BRANDS IN Motion” report by WE Communications says that brand purpose globally is facing apressure test. This comes amidgrowing scepticism over whether brands are delivering ontheir purposeandon theirenvironmental, social& governance (ESG) pledges in a world where volatility is a new constant.

The biggesttakeout fromthe 2022report isthatalack ofdatais oneofthe leadingreasonswhy consumers are scepticalof brands achieving theirgoals, saysWE Communications’ MDfor South Africa, Sarah Gooding.

“People want companies to take them along ontheir purpose journey, toshow themwhat happens beyondthe pledgeand beyondthe pressrelease. Whileacompany’ s 2030 executive diversity goal or net-zero promise isimportant, it’ s only the first step.”

Follow-through, shesays, matters. “Stakeholders wanttoknow whatorganisations aredoingthis year, this month, thisweek they want real-time transparency.”

Companies need to demonstrate the veracity oftheir initiatives by including stakeholdersin theprocess, providingregular updates with hard data and quantifiable results, even when theyfall short of expectations, Gooding says.

Consumers expectbrands to share their progress.

Sheexplains thatpeople’s belief in a brand is tied to the transparency of the journey.

“Thereis hugeappetite fora brand tobehave with[genuineness and authenticity]. A brand needn’t beasuperhero,but itdoesneedto be real andtransparent and to provide regularupdates andproof of itsprogress, oreven itsfailures,” says Gooding.

“Sharing both thesetbacks and successes and revealinghow companies are course-correcting along the way will enable them to build partnerships with their stakeholders. Consumers arerooting for brands to succeed and want an upclose view of the progress.”

Gooding says that, in reality, this isn’t easy and requires something of a balancing act.

“Sharing harddata andmaking clearand accuratenet-zerocal-

culations isextremely important, but companiesmust alsoremember not to getlost behind the math. They need to show how those numbers are able tohelp people, especially the world’s most vulnerable. In other words, they must lean into the social part of ESG.”

The “Brands inMotion” study foundthat 86%of SouthAfricans believe all brandsshould invest in making the world a better place and that94% saybrandshave amoral obligation to engage with societal issues whenit affectstheir employees.

The majority of respondents said brands should be more responsible than in previous years to support consumers.

South Africans ranked education (82%), cost of living (80%) and access to health care (80%) asthemost importantareasin

A brand needn’t be a superhero but it does need to be real and transparent and provide proof of progress, or even failures

the obvious, how should a business be purposeful?

WE Communications’ MD for South Africa Sarah Gooding

which to do so.

Thestudy foundthat thereis growing cynicism about purpose, with 48%of respondentssaying brands that take a stand on societal issues are just trying to sell more products and services,while 34% said it was not the role of brands to comment or act on societal issues.

What creates scepticism that brands won’t deliver on their commitments are announcements of new commitments by brands withoutinformation aboutaspecific budget and resources for their fulfilment, or a brand not providing currentdata orcommitting tospecific data-driven goals about progress towards completion.

The majority of consumers prefercompanies tofocus theireffortson longitudinal,multiyearinvestments towards asingle cause as opposedto investingin anew cause every year.

Purpose matters toSouth African consumers 76% say they are more likely torecommend a brand and 72% say they are more likely to purchase a brand if it is a leader on addressing socialissues thatare important tothe consumer.The behaviour of CEOs also matters, with 45% of respondents saying a CEO’s behaviourstrongly orvery strongly influences their decision to support a brand.

Thestudy foundthatSouth African consumers want companiesto communicatetheirposition or actions on complex social issues publiclyvia pressrelease ormedia statement (54%), televised media interviews with the CEO (46%), and e-mails tocustomers andshareholders (46%).

However, while transparency is a key expectation, there isn’t a need to solve or speak out on every issue and a brand should be guided by its sphere of influence, Gooding says.

“If brands spokeout on every flaming-hottopicto hitthenewsfeed, their communications teams

would be in crisis mode every day.

If the topic is not necessarily one an organisation has influence over or if it is not centralto the brand’s mission, it is OK to refrain from speaking or acting. But brands can speak outonissues theyfeelstrongly about and be consistent.”

The ad industry

’s view

Giventhat advertisingandcommunication agencies are typically tasked with communicating the purpose of the brands in their care, AdFocus asked industry players for their view on the issue of purpose.

Strategy director at Yellowwood Ntombizamasala Hlophe says businesses are under pressure to respond faster to societal issues.

“Oneindicationof justhowrelevant brand [purpose] remains comes from the growing number of businessesthat tryto aligntheir efforts with the UN Global Compact. Its seven principles include the protection of human rights, decent work for all, the protection of the environmentand thefightagainst corruption.”

Candice Blumenthal, head of strategy atTBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, says that as people find their trust in institutionsshaken, theyarelooking to values-basedbusinesses as beacons of hope and leadership.

Shearguesthat purposeisstill verymuch abrand-buildinglever, but agrees with the “Brands in Motion” finding thatconsumersand employees aremore scepticalof brands thatmake big,sweeping statements while providing little evidence of commitment.

It’s not just scepticism about delivery that is becoming increasingly evident, says Steve Miller, chief strategy officer at DUKE Advertising, but a recalibration of the meaning and importanceof brand purpose itself in the face of mediocre financial performance, market volatility and, “frankly, some ludicrously exaggerated and lofty

brand purposestatements”

Brand purpose essentially abrand’ s reason forbeing, beyond making money needs to be spelt out to harness and focus the energies of all thebrand’s stakeholders, he says.

But at the same time, it’s equally important not to exaggeratea brand’ s role in society.

“At the end of the day, a rollof toiletpaper will not createworld peace. So much ofbrand purpose hasbeen overblown andthe brand’ s importance inthe lives of consumers[has been so greatly] inflated that a recalibration wasoverdue. If brandpurpose is being pressure-tested, that ishealthy, andto beexpected.”

ForGlen Meier,CEOof Boomtown, purpose-driven marketing is about communicating the distinctive “why” an organisation exists. “While itobviously encompasses activities and values beyond simplymaking profit,thepurpose embraced by the company or brand should bereal andinherent tothe core ofthe business,what itdoes and how it does it.”

He believes purpose remains relevantbecauseit givesusmeaning. Forbrands, it’snot aboutcorporate social investment, public relations or a small add-on, but rather about the real, significant difference it makes to customers, staff and the community.

Meierconcedes thatthereare some purpose-drivencampaigns thatcomeacross ashavingbeen hijacked by marketing messaging. Others, however, havedone it really well.

“My favourite, evenafter all

these years, is Dove. The campaign shifted from talking about how their soapmakes youbeautiful tocelebrating women’s differences and achievements,” says Meier.

Dove’ s “Courage isBeautiful” is also VMLY&R strategist Maphefo Mphaho’s favourite purpose campaign. Itworked becauseit tooka core valueand seamlesslywove it into a relevant social cause.

Mphaho says purpose-driven marketing cannot be approached as a “bolt-on” strategy for a brand without takingits corevalues into consideration.

“It’snotabout kissingbabiesor sending a cheque to a charity at the endof theyear;it’salso notabout vanity metricsor sellingproducts, but it’sabout howthe brand’ s core valuesare seamlesslywoveninto communications. Purpose can’t be a project, it needs to be a pillar in the business.”

And it’s becoming increasingly important, because consumers do notwanttobe talkedat;theywant to feel involved and be at the centre of thebrand’s marketingefforts, Mphaho says.

Blumenthal says a clear distinction is emerging between those companies that communicate their vision their North Star to indicate directionality and a neverto-be-arrived at, aspirational end point, andthose thatuse theirpurpose to navigateevery brand and business decision.

“Thelatterare thetruepurpose players that go beyond the category table stakes and expectation of good corporate citizenship by using their

Steve Miller, chief strategy officer at DUKE Advertising

Candice Blumenthal, head of strategy at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris

Ntombizamasala Hlophe, strategy director at Yellowwood

VMLY&R strategist Maphefo Mphaho

purpose to not just support change initiatives, but be the lighthouses for like-minded consumers and employees to become contributors to change themselves.”

The evolution of purpose

Purpose has shifted from a phrase used inthe annualreport oron boardroom walls to being a central organising theme influencing what a businessdoes todayand inthe future, says Robert Grace, chief strategy officer atM&C Saatchi Abel Group.

And asmuch asit needsto originate in the C-suite, says Grace, it needs to be lived throughout the organisation. “The realevolution is ensuring a brand has a purpose that can beboth boughtinto andcritically acted upon.”

According to Miller, brand purposeseemsto beshiftingfrom

brands seeingthemselves on an evangelical crusade to understanding and measuringtheir actual impact in the world, while delivering a sustainable return to shareholders.

“Encouragingly, there isless pontificatinganda greaterfocus onwhat brands actually doin the world and how they do it, rather thanjust offering lofty promisesembraced withreligious zeal,” he says.

ESG at the core of brand purpose

Grace, a member of M&C Saatchi Worldwide’s ESG team, believes it’s importanttodistinguish between purpose and ESG.

“Purpose is an articulation of a brands’ North Star, which should act as a central, and most powerful singular thought for everything [the organisation] does.For me,ESG is theoperatingsystem a complex one that informsmany considerations and levers, every decision in thebusiness toensurethat it’s delivering positive outcomesfor all stakeholders.”

Grace agrees that consumers, the media and other stakeholders will be putting _increasing pressureon brands.

“The brands that have a defined purpose and meaningful ESG strategy arethe ones that are powered _by far greater clarity andagility interms of choices and decisions thatneed to bemade inthe face of growing constraints and pressures. ”

He firmly believes brandpurpose isstillrelevant, but whetheror not a brand’s purpose has meaning willdepend onwhere it originatesin thefirst place. “Too oftenthe definition ofpurpose is seen predominantlyas a marketing exercise, and this is far too limiting.”

Where purpose needs to originate, he says, is in the C-suite,to ensureit has absolute clarity.

“Having abaked-in purpose allows for

clearer, faster andbetter decisions. In a world increasingly caught up in short-term metrics, purpose enablesbrands totake alonger-term viewof whatsustainedsuccess looks like.”

KaraboDenalane, CEOatTBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, says the question isnot whetherpurpose isstill relevant, but whether the word is perhaps being overused to include every company and every ESG goal or initiative.

“As purpose becomes more desirable and competitive, businesses will find there are now many ways to do good in the world,” he says.

“Those brands who aspire to be truepurposeplayers willneedto move beyond purpose,beyond the domain of marketing and more fully intothebusiness, giventhatpurpose requires authenticity (an alignment of values), consistency (long-term commitments and play) and congruency (evidenced inside out, with purpose being principally lived and deliveredthrough staff and organisational culture).

While most local companies have been slow to adopt and measure ESG formally, Miller points out that most good branded companies haveclear ESGtargets andactivities. Brands are the means to deliverthese, soinherentlymany brands have ESG at the core of their brand purposes.

Gracesays manylocalbusinessesstill havea wayto goin terms ofincorporating ESGinto their purpose and of understanding that acting on a brand’s purpose and ESGagendais anongoingjourney. “It’s ajourney thatneeds constant measurement, communication and improvement.”

Hemaintainsthat therealopportunity lies whena precise pur-

pose is acted on within a clear ESG strategy.

He says we need to amend our view of ESG as being a check list or added complication andrather see itas asignificant opportunityand the future of capitalism.

In his annualletter to CEOs, BlackRock founder LarryFink, the world’s largest asset manager, says: “Stakeholder capitalism (ESG) is not about politics. It isnot a social or ideological agenda. Itis not ‘woke’ It iscapitalism, drivenby mutually beneficial relationshipsbetween you and the employees, customers, suppliers and communities your companyrelies onto prosper.This is the power of capitalism.”

Unlocking theopportunities, says Grace,will takeabsolute precisionregarding thebrand’ s purpose, determination to drive an ESG strategy and, mostof all, balancing the all-consuming short-term metrics with thelonger-term goal of success for all.

Where to from here?

The focus seemsto be evolving from formulating brand purpose statements to identifying, measuring and strategisingthe impact on brand behaviour, says Miller.

“It’s about amore sensible ‘first, do noharm’ approach,and only then doesit becomeabout identifying abigger role for thebrand in society. Atthe sametime, thefundamental commercial purpose of brands is being reintroduced into the conversation too.”

Millersays it’simportant notto overburden brands with responsibilities theymay notbe ableto deliver on. The balancing act that is being played out right now is establishing a sensible purpose while also stretching the brand.

Karabo Denalane, CEO at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris

Glen Meier, CEO of Boomtown

Robert Grace, chief strategy officer at M&C Saatchi Abel Group

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staging a comeback

Local agencies have jumped up the rankings that measure the volume of activity

After a drop in 2020, South African media agencies bounced back in 2021, increasing theiractivity volume by 16%, according to global media agencyevaluation firm Recma.

The annual Recma “Overall Activity Volume Rankings” of media agenciesreport includestraditionalmedia spend as wellas that of nontraditional media. Thelatter includesdigital, dataandanalytics, content, marketing and international co-ordination, among others.

The agency OMD continues to lead the industry,accounting for a 19.4% share of it, ahead of its sibling, PHD Media, which jumped ahead of The Media Shop,the standalone agency that’s part of IPG Mediabrands.

Recma did not record any significant loss in 2021 for OMD. Its 3% growthis primarilyattributed toan organic increase of existing clients such asMcDonald’s, Discovery, Diageo and PepsiCo.

Conversely, PHD’s impressive growthof40%is duemostlytothe agency’s dynamismand competitivenessin pitchesin2021, witha number of newbusiness wins, including RedBull, Sportingbet, ClearScore, Revlon,AEG Electrolux, Bettabets and Chanel.

Though The MediaShop lost Tiger Brands in2021, the agency managed to grow by 20% thanks to small accounts won and the organic growth of several ofits key clients, including L’Oréal,Nedbank and Famous Brands.

MediaCom, fourth in the ranking, won the large Old Mutual account in mid-2021. Inaddition, investments for P&G have doubled in 2021.

Carat had amore subdued new business increase in 2021, with most of itsexpansion comingfrom the organic growth ofkey clients, including Vodacom and Absa.

In addition to an activity volume

ranking, Recma has been building a marketing index, which goes beyond volume considerations. The index is a qualitative evaluation that is based on two sets of criteria: vitality (ninecriteria) andstructure(nine criteria).

The vitality ranking evaluates the dynamism of anagency and is affected byits competitivenessin pitches,new business balanceand participationin pitchesor awards.

In this specific set of criteria MediaCom leads the way ahead ofPHD, thanksto avery positive momentum with the wins of Old Mutual(in mid-2021)and other, smaller accounts (Google, Tupperware and so on).

In the structure ranking which includes criteria that evaluate resources and clientprofiles the size of the agency and the number of experts influence the scores. OMD is theleadingagency instructure,followed by PHD and MediaCom.

Vitality scoresvary morequickly thanstructure scores.Severalyears of successin vitalitylead toan increasein thestructure pillar.Conversely, a majordeparture does not harm an agency’s structure score.

Overall, the qualitative evaluation leads to a different hierarchy of the competition even if we find the same four players out of five. MediaCom is ranked No 1 and has reached the best profile, called dominant, while it

share

is ranked only fourthin the overall activity volume rankings.

Omnicom MediaGroup remains very robust, with PHDranked No 2, followed by OMD in third position.

Carat,ranked No5in theoverall activityvolume rankingsreport,is rankedfourth inthe qualitativeevaluation, ahead of its sibling, iProspect.

Further details andanalysis are available on subscription.

Contact: MylenaAbbouche (mylena@recma.com (mailto: mylena@recma.com), the researcherin chargeofthe SouthAfrican market, formore information.Founded inJune 1991, Recma isan independent researchcompany focused on the media agency industry. Itcollects andanalyses datafrom more than 1,000media agencies in 70 countries, publishes a wide rangeof global,regionaland local reportsthat providestrategic intelligenceto themedia industry.

OMD continues to lead the industry with a 19.4%

CREATIVE CIRCLE SA

2021 Individual & Group Rankings include: D&AD 2021, The One Show 2021, Cannes Lions 2021, Loeries 2021, The Creative Circle Annual Awards 2021

CREATIVE CIRCLE

OVERALL

RANKINGS

AGENCY OF THE YEAR 2021

1 2 2 2 2

THE ONE SHOW 2022

Joe Public United SA

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg Ogilvy SA

HelloFCB+ Cape Town Grey/Team Liquid

D&AD 2022

THE LOERIES OFFICIAL RANKINGS 2021

TOP 10 OVERALL RANKING BY BRAND

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg

Joe Public United SA

The Odd Number Johannesburg

King James Cape Town

Ogilvy Johannesburg

DUKE Cape Town

Grey/Team Liquid Johannesburg

M&C Saatchi Abel Johannesburg Promise Johannesburg

Ogilvy Cape Town

HelloFCB+ Cape Town

FCB Johannesburg Riverbed Marketing Johannesburg

VMLY&R Johannesburg

OVERALL RANKINGS GROUP OF THE YEAR 2021

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Joe Public United SA TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg

CANNES LIONS 2022

Ogilvy SA VMLY&R SA

Grey/Team Liquid Johannesburg FCB Johannesburg

Joe Public United SA

The Odd Number Johannesburg TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg

THE LOERIES OFFICIAL RANKINGS 2021

OVERALL RANKING BY AGENCY SA

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9

Chicken Licken Nissan Massdiscounters Adidas Converse Sanlam UAE Government Media Office KFC V&A Waterfront SuperSport & SA Rugby

OVERALL

RANKING BY AGENCY — AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Joe Public United

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris SA Havas Middle East

The Odd Number King James Group TBWA\Raad Platform Creative Agency T+W MullenLowe Mena Retroviral

1

1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9

TBWA SA

Joe Public Group Ogilvy SA

King James Group DUKE Grey M&C Saatchi Abel Nahana Group VMLY&R

INTERIM RANKINGS 2022

2022 Individual & Group Rankings include: D&AD 2022, The One Show 2022, Cannes Lions 2022, Loeries 2022 (still outstanding), The Creative Circle Annual Awards 2022 (still outstanding)

INDIVIDUAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR

INTERIM RANKINGS 2022

Joe Public United SA

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris SA

The Odd Number King James Group Platform Creative Agency T+W Retroviral Ogilvy DUKE Advertising Grey Advertising/WPP Team Liquid Pola Maneli VMLY&R SA M&C Saatchi Abel Massif Media HelloFCB+ Makereign

The Brave Group Riverbed Showmax Superunion Africa Grid Worldwide

1 2 3 4 5 5 6 8

Joe Public United SA Ogilvy SA

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg

Grey/Team Liquid Johannesbug

HelloFCB+ Cape Town

VMLY&R SA

FCB Johannesburg

The Odd Number Johannesburg

Joe Public Shift MultiChoice HKLM FCB Durban Digitas Liquorice Iron Heart Publicis

VM Design X Bupila Creative Content Halo

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

OVERALL REGIONAL AGENCY GROUP

Joe Public United TBWA King James Group MullenLowe

Ogilvy EMEA Serviceplan Middle East FP7 McCann Menat DUKE Group Grey Africa M&C Saatchi

creative challenge

OnlyKind wins for its tactical print ad on Shell’s seismic blasting

on behalf of Marine Dynamics

FM

’S CREATIVECHALLENGE invitedagencies to create animpactful, fullpage tacticalprint adfor a client, basedon anarticle fromthe current, fast-paced news cycle. Thisyear, threeadsmadeit tothe finalist stage:an adfor Blackboard conceptualised by KingJames, an ad for BakersTennis Biscuits by M&C SaatchiAbel, andan adfor Marine Dynamics by OnlyKind.

This year’s winnerof the Creative Challengefor thebest tactical print adis OnlyKindfor itsShell seismic blastingad onbehalf ofits client, Marine Dynamics.

Thenews storythatpetroleum giant Shell was trying to conduct seismicblasting offSouthAfrica’ s Wild Coast hashad environmental activists and localcommunities up inarms. AdvertisingagencyOnlyKind used a BusinessLIVE article titled “Courtscuppers Shell’s Wild Coastseismicblasting bid” to promote its client, Marine Dynamics, in this year’s challenge.

Gansbaai-based Marine Dynamics was established two decades ago, initially as a shark cage diving operation. Owner Wilfred Chivell isa pioneerin marineconservation and hasfocused on educating visitors about the role of sharks in the marine ecosystem.

Chivell’s interest inthe health of our oceans has resulted in the companybeing heavilyinvolvedin marine research, conservation and education projects involving great white sharks,whales, seals,dolphins, penguins andother marine bird species.

The company has been involved in an initiative to save the African

penguin from extinction. It has also become nationally and globally recognised asa valuableresearch platform, includingresearchers from around the world in its work.

Using its daily observationalplatform andemploying marinebiologists, ithas produced morethan 30 scientificpapers thatcontribute toconservation policy.

MarineDynamics hasvarious entities, which include shark cage diving, whale watching, a conservation trust, a tourism hub and a volunteer programme.

In recent years, Gansbaai traditionally renowned as being a hotspot for great white sharks and one of the best places in the world to see and dive with these iconic creatures in theirown habitat has experienced a steepreduction in the number of sharks.

OnlyKind was appointed by Marine Dynamics earlierthis year to rebrand the business, and pulled all its various entities closer together to have a stronger voice.

“Repositioning our Marine Dynamics brand for increased global recognition is an important part of our growth and we wanted to partner with an agency that shared our ethos and understoodour vision,” says Chivell.

“Leigh-Anne [Salonika] and her teamat OnlyKindwere aperfect matchfor usand wecould notbe more grateful to have her invaluable input on this journey.

“We know OnlyKind’s strong sense of purpose and enthusiastic energy will ensure Marine Dynamics is on the map when anyone

thinks of marine conservation and research.”

The agency initially used the story about a fatalshark attack in the coastal town of Plettenberg Bay as its idea behind the Creative Challenge advert, but then realised it was off brief.

Chivell has long been opposed to any seismic blastingin oceans because itkills everythingfrom whales to micro-organisms and everything in between leaving the ocean a deserted wasteland.

“The real irony is that Shell’s logo isa shell,” says OnlyKindfounder Leigh-Anne Salonika. “The only shell left will beShell’s shell after seismic blasting,global warming, overfarmingand reductioninfood sources, among otherthings. More than 70% of ourEarth is covered with seawater. So best we look after one of our biggest assets.”

Thewinning team,whichincluded Thereza Norton(art director), StefanusNel (copywriter)and Kyle Jewill (account manager), used this insight tocreate their Creative Challenge print ad.

“MarineDynamics isafabulous down-to-earth businessthat really cares about the ocean and the role it playsin theecosystem. Thecompany is made up of genuine experts in their field, but it trusts us as its agencyto adviseiton howto positionitself. Whathasdevelopedis atrueclient-agency partnership out to do good,” says Salonika.

The irony is that the only shell left will be Shell’s shell after seismic blasting, global warming and overfarming

At the back: Theresa Norton (left) and Leigh-Anne Salonika Seated: Isayvani Rattan (left), Stefanus Nel, Noluthando Madonsela and Christopherson (cat). Missing is: Kyle Jewill

Liezl Zwarts

Corporate Profile

DUKE Group

WE GO BY THE NAME OF DUKE Group

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS

Transforming brands into much-loved and envied players that dare to dominate in their categories.

OUR BIGGESTBRAG INTHE PAST12 MONTHS

Nando’s: Make the table bigger OUR BIG CLIENTS

BevCo, Pepsi, Woolworths, Satrix, Mazda, Willowton, Unilever, Food Lover’s Market, Edward Snell,Citadel, Wonga,Marriott International, Coronation, Johnson & Johnson

OUR OLDEST CLIENTS

JiVE, Pepsi,Woolworths, FoodLover s Market, Marriott International, Heart & Stroke Foundation

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

Nando s, RawsonProperty Group,1st for Women, Willowton, Unilever, GoldPhish Edward Snell, Cipla, Retro Group, Johnson & Johnson

ACCOUNTS WE VE LOSTOVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS n/a

WHO OWNS US Independent OUR BEE RATING Level 1

OUR REVENUE BAND R60m-R70m

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 85 WHO’S THE BOSS Wayne Naidoo

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS

The DUKEGroup isa full-servicecommunications company comprising seven independent, award-winning agencies: DUKE, Dialogue, Mark1, DUCHESS, NUDE, FAME and CHAMP. The group was established in 2019 and is a level-1 BBBEE contributor. The group employs over 100 seasoned industry professionals who provide its clients with tailor-made communications solutionsthat achievepositive, powerful results.

OUR KEYMOMENTS INTHE PAST12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS

Celebrating our commitmentto female empowerment and transformation, as well asour depth of talentwith the appointment ofZanele Zwaneas MDof DUKE Advertising and Suhana Gordhan as CCO for the group, both promotions from within.

SOYOU LIKEUS,THISIS HOWYOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US 27 (0) 21-421-4239 zanele@duke.co.za www.duke.co.za @dukeadvertising

The DUKE Group has a history of buckingtrends.In fact,thiseightyear-old independent agency seems to be making a habit of doing the unexpected, writing its own rule book and pushing the boundaries.

While most agencies were struggling to surviveduring the pandemic,it grewand addedfour new businesses to the group. Today, this home-grown business consists of advertising agency DUKE, PR company Dialogue,production company DUCHESS, sponsorship company CHAMP, digital specialist Mark1, media strategy and planning companyFAME, andinsightsand research businessNUDE, which allowsfor anend-to-end capability.

Inthe past12months, thebusiness hasnotjust “bounced back”, buthas bounded forward, doubling insizewith morethan51% growth, largelyas aresult ofnew business. In the past year, the group has acquireda numberof newclients,including 1stforWomen, Rawson, Willowton and Cipla.

All DUKE’s employees were back in the office full time from June 2020,ensuringits clientshadan uninterrupted service.

Clients, encouragedby thegreat energy at the group’s attractive new Waterfront offices inCape Town, could soon be found working out of DUKE’s premises. Theresult was that high-level engagement and close collaboration between agency and client became that much easier, while the proximity enabled more flexibility and agility than ever.

Transformation and women’ s empowerment are fundamental pillarsof DUKE’s philosophy. Six out of seven of the group’s MDs are womenand threeare womenof colour, as is CCO Suhana Gordhan, who joined theagency in 2020. Production companyDUCHESS, owned and managed by women, was established withthe express purposeof empoweringwomenin the creative production industry.

The appointment of Gordhan, an award-winning creative, has built on the creative platform established by previous creative director Mike Beukes,wholeft thegroupto emigrate. DUKE Group was ranked in thetop fivecreative agenciesby the CreativeCircle’s Adof theYear Awardsand numberseven inthe Loeries Agency rankings in 2021.

The group’s work is also making a business impact,ranked first by the MMA Smarties Business Impact Index in Africa,while DUKE, the advertising agency, was ranked third overall creatively.

GroupCEO WayneNaidoo saysthe businessnow hasthe right combination of diversity and depth of experience to take it to the next level. “From the outset, weembarked onadeliberate strategy to ensure we have the right mixof age,experience, genderand race to meet our clients’ needs.”

Inrecent years,DUKEhas garnereda reputationfor itsability to successfullytake onchallenger brands. As Naidoosays, “when you have nothing to lose, you’re able to be that muchbraver”. He believes that thelocal industryneeds more independent agencies such as DUKE totake onthe larger,more established agencies.

“Given that many clients have

While we take our work extremely seriously, we tend not to take ourselves too seriously

pulledback onadvertisingspend, the creative climatehas become that much harder,” he says.

Predicting the operating climate is likelyto becomeeven tougherin the months ahead, he says it will be those businessesthat continueto invest in their brands that will be sustainable and successful.

This, however, is not a group that spends much timeintrospecting or navel-gazing. “While wetake our work extremelyseriously, wetend not to takeourselves too seriously. We workhard butwe ensurewe have a lot of fun and that our people are happy, enjoy their work and are fulfilled. Successes are celebrated with rainbow cakes and Moët,” says Naidoo.

“We don’t playthe poverty card and firmlybelieve thatabundant thinking creates abundance.”

This philosophy has certainly held true for DUKE.

“We lookafter ourpeople and treat them well, with the result that we have a low staff turnover. To ensure a values and culture fit, prospective new senior employees are offered a three-monthcontract before a permanent contract is signed toensure thereiscompatibility between both parties.

“Our work culture is focused on resilience, honesty, mutual respect, focusing onthe workand doing everything with purposeto ensure our clients’ bottom line exceeds expectations. We expect egos to be

left at the door,” he says.

While creative thinking and insightfulstrategy willalwaysbe important,the businessalsoplans to continueinvesting indata and technology. Having a constant pulse on the business landscape, believes Naidoo, is critical.

The DUKE Group’sgrowth will

be underpinned by the expansion of its geographic footprint, rather than the addition of more businesses.

“We have a goal to become one of the biggest and best agencies in Africaand toprovide ourclients with something different to what theyareaccustomed to.Watchthis space, ” says Naidoo.

SIX ESSENTIAL TOOLS YOU ’LL NEED IN 2023

Don’t go into the new year without these critical skills

Thereis noplacefor complacency in the communications space. Just when you think you may have masteredone form of communicationor graspedthe latestsocial mediatrend, somethingnew comesalongto challenge the status quo.

This is according to Eclipse Communications CEOCheryl Reddy, who has identified six critical tools every brand needs in its communicationstoolbox toengage effectively with stakeholders in the year ahead.

Entrenchthepower ofsocialin your business

Social media is an ever-growing source of brand discovery and engagement. Itsimply cannotbe ignored. According to the Sprout Social platform, 55%of consumers learn aboutbrands via social media,with 43%having increasedtheiruse ofsocialmediainthe pastyeartodiscover new products, and 78% being willing tobuy from abrand after having a positive experience with it on social platforms.

Reddy saysthe statisticsshow howimportantit istokeepup withthe ever-changingsocial media landscape and benefit from new trends.

“One goodexample isthe unprecedented growthofTikTok.Launched inearly2018,the channel celebrated 1-billion monthly active users in September 2021 and is expected to surpass the 1.5-billionusermark thisyear(accordingto SocialMediaToday). Brands that ignore the power of social media and specifically TikTok do so at their peril.”

Reel your potential customers in with video Video marketinghas become thego-to online content tobolster overallbrand marketing strategies. With84% of consumersbeing convincedto purchasea productor serviceafter watching an associated video online (according to Cisco), video marketing should be a staple of any brand’s online marketing strategy.

“Notably, short-form video has become very popular since 2020, particularly via the rapid rise

ofTikTok, andisprovingto beacost-effective way to meet consumers on their preferred platforms,” says Reddy.

Get versed in the metaverse Reddy suggeststhat brandsconsider theimpact of simulating digitalenvironments through virtual reality and augmented reality to amplify the user experience.

“Combined with 360° video, brands can give consumers greater insight into its offerings in an immersive, interactiveand excitingway that increases overall engagementwith the brand. This isdefinitely a growingtrend thatshould be explored.”

Understand the influencer landscape Influencer marketing hasskyrocketed with the advent ofsocial media and, accordingto Influencer Marketing Hub, the industry was worth

asmuchas $9.7bnin2020, climbing to $13.8bn in 2021. Studies suggest the industry’s upward trajectory couldlift itsreach as high as$84.89bn by 2028 the reason that 63%of marketers planto increasetheirinfluencer marketing budgets.

Reddysays thatpartnering withmicro- andnano-influencers allows brands to stretch their budgetsand totake advantageof the influencer’s often lower costper-engagement rate.

Italso allowsbrands todiversifytheir collaborationsand appeal toconsumers whomay viewthese influencersasmore relatableand communitydriven as well as creators of more meaningfuland entertainingcontent that resonates with them.

Ensure you have a crisis plan in place

As one of any brand’s most valuableattributes, corporatereputation can make or break a brand forconsumers. Thatis whyan issues and crisis strategy must form thebedrock ofits communications plan.

A Deloittereport onglobal crisismanagement reportsthat fewer than 30% of C-suite executives whohad gonethrough acrisis saythat theirreputationswereable torecoverinless than a year, with 16% saying it took four years or more. Financial and operational crises experience similar long recovery times.

Transparency, authenticity and ethics

Now, more than ever, brands cannot escape the pervasive tentacles of social media. The world is demanding greatertransparency frombrands and if there are skeletons in their closets, there’ s a strong chance those will be aired for all to view and comment on.

Reddysays theneed tobe transparentand authentic is critical, as is the need to adhere to a code of ethics, which should be underpinned by honesty, fair-mindedness,respect, integrityand frankness. “It is vital that brands understand their target audiences inside out as well as the ethical landscapes of the industries they operate in.”

Eclipse Communications CEO Cheryl Reddy

Corporate Profile

Ebony+Ivory (E+I)

WE GO BY THE NAME OF Ebony+Ivory (E+I)

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Seamlessly connecting strategy, insights, creative media, social and digital..

OUR BIGGESTBRAG INTHE PAST12 MONTHS

Successfully navigating the unrest in July 2021to bringtothefore Sasria’s special risk insurance solutions.

OUR BIG CLIENTS

Brand SA, JSE, Sasria, Wits, Wits Business School, Sephaku, IDC

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS

Kreepy Krauly, Creamer Media, Spanjaard, Wits, JSE

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

BAIC, Gestalt, Pamro, Magni

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOSTOVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

Zadna WHO OWNS US 100% independent and South African OUR BEE RATING Level 1

OUR REVENUE BAND R10m-R15m

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 24

WHO’S THE BOSS?

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS

Weare strategic,creative, digitaland media specialistswho craftand helpour clientsdevelop compellingbrandstories and sales results.

OUR KEYMOMENT INTHE PAST12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS

Introducing digital division Oryx+Crake and launching new offices in the Western Cape.

SOYOU LIKEUS,THISIS HOWYOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 11-327-6871 info@ebonyivory.co.za ebonyivory.co.za @ebonyads

While many agencies battled duringthe Covidpandemic,proudly independent integratedagency Ebony+Ivory experiencedhealthy growth.

This hasnot beenachieved through any secret formula but is based on constantly interrogating the business model, an uncompromising determination to do even the ordinary things extremely well, providing an authentic 360° service to clients, and ensuring all of the agency’s capabilities are underpinned by a strong data offering and rich content.

Being sustainable in today’s climaterequires constantly having to adapt, tweak and invest in the business model,says Paul Middleton, Ebony+Ivory MD.

To add depth and width to the agency’s already considerable offering, Ebony+Ivory openedan office inCape Townand launched Oryx+Crake, a new digital offering, while its PR, reputation management and crisis management divisions continue to perform well.

Ebony+Ivoryis theoldestsurviving advertising agency in the country, startinglife asPaul Middleton Advertisingin 1969before changing its name in 1990 to reflect a more inclusive approach.

In 2019the agencypartnered with Lwazi Capital, a black womenowned andmanaged firm,and brought the firm’s director, Nombini Mehlomakulu on board to head upclient servicesandoperations. Mehlomakulu’s contribution to the business,says Middleton,hasbeen invaluable.

“We’re atight teamof 46fulltime and contract workers, a mix of youth combined with owner-managed teams, with extensive capabilities,” says Middleton.

“Everyone needs tobe able to wear at least three hats to succeed atouragency becausewe’re that busy and that focused on constantly raising thebar tobe betterat everything we do.”

Ebony+Ivory has a reputation for connecting high-levelinsights,

sound strategy, innovative creative, digital andmedia seamlesslyand coherently to ensure its clients see a healthy return on their investment. That’sthe reasonthe agencyhas been ableto retainclients suchas Kreepy Krauly, Creamer Media, Spanjaard, Wits and the JSE for as long as it has.

Having been inthe advertising and communications business for thepast 43years, Middletonhas seenbusinesscycles comeandgo. Theagency hasmanaged tosuccessfully ride all of them and has long prideditself onconsistently managing to achievebetween 10% and 20% growth each year.

While achieving the same levels ofagency growthin thecurrent environment has become exponentially harder, Ebony+Ivory has proved its mettle.

In the pastyear, it successfully navigated theJuly unrestthat took place in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gautengon behalfofone ofits larger clients, Sasria, and picked up new clients in BAIC, Gestalt, Pan African Media Research Organisation and Magni.

Paul Middleton & Nombini Mehlomakulu

Everyone needs to wear at least three hats to succeed at our agency

We are creators inspired creators, with 42 years of developing compelling brand stories and sales results

Corporate Profile

Joe Public

WE GO BY THE NAME OF Joe Public

OUR CORE SPECIALITIES ARE Integrated through-the-line brand and communications solutions:: Joe Public (integratedTTL);Joe PublicEngage(PR); Joe Public Ignite (beyond-the-line); Joe PublicConnect (digital);and JoePublic Maximise (media)

OUR BIGGESTBRAG INTHE PAST12 MONTHS

Brutal Fruit s #YouBelongcampaign, in partnership with US singer Kelly Rowland, and Chicken Licken s #FindJamieLovecampaign

OUR BIG CLIENTS

CellC, ChickenLicken, Clover,Nedbank, SolidarityFund, SouthAfricanBreweries (SAB) and South African Tourism

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS

Clover(19years), Nedbank(9.5years), SAB (7 years), Chicken Licken (6 years), Cell C (3 years)

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

Coronation, Engen, Woolworths and Nedbank Digital ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOSTOVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

None WHO OWNS US 60% black-owned, 100% independent and proudly South African OUR BEE RATING BBBEE level 1

OUR REVENUE BAND R200m to R250m NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 184

WHO’S THE BOSS

Gareth Leck, Pepe Marais, Laurent Marty, Xolisa Dyeshana,Khuthala GalaHolten and Mpume Ngobese

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS Webelievethat growthfeedsgrowth. We exist to be the fertile soil that serves the growth of our people, clients and country.

OUR KEYMOMENT INTHE PAST12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS

Rankedas:36th MostCreativeAgency globallyin2022 WARCCreative100 rankings; number 1 Attractive Agency and Best Agency to Work for in South Africa in 2021 Scope Report; number 1 agency in MEA in Loeries 2022; number 1 agency in MEA byThe OneShow 2022;South Africa snumber1 agencybyD&AD Awards 2022.

SOYOU LIKEUS,THISIS HOWYOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 10-591-7770 www.joepublic.co.za

Corporate Profile

M&C Saatchi Abel

WE GO BY THE NAME OF M&C Saatchi Abel

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Creating beautifully simple solutions for an increasingly complex world.

OUR BIGGESTBRAG INTHE PAST12 MONTHS

From our launch of Standard Bank’s 10% Millionaires, to Astron Energy rebrand and leadingthe pronounconversationwith Nando’ s “They” ad, we are most proud of hostingourfirst post-CovidStreetStore in partnership with Superbalist.com.

OUR BIG CLIENTS

Standard Bank; Astron Energy; Heineken Africa; Lexus + Automark; Takealot.com

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS

Takealot.com; Lexus + Automark; MWeb; AVI; Nando s

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

PepsiCo; Caltex; Anglo American; Virgin Active

ACCOUNTS WE VE LOSTOVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

None

WHO OWNS US

51% locally owned. M&C Saatchi Plc has a shareholding of 49%. Black partner and staff ownership stand at 26.13%.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1

OUR REVENUE BAND R200m-R250m

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

M&CSaatchiAbel employsmorethan 250 people.

WHO’S THE BOSS

The partners, an entrepreneur federation OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We’re in the business of creating beautifully simplesolutions foran increasingly complex world. We call this Brutal Simplicity of Thought.

OUR KEYMOMENT INTHE PAST12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS

After threeyears, wewere ableto host our annualLord SaatchiDinner inCape Townand Joburgand seeall ourpeople together, celebrating and connecting. We were also able to celebrate our people with our annual Lord Saatchi Awards. Two truly special occasions.

SOYOU LIKEUS,THISIS HOWYOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US

(Joburg): +27 (0) 11-268-6388 (Cape Town): +27 (0) 21-421-1024 info@mcsaatchiabel.co.za www.mcsaatchiabel.co.za www.mcsaatchigroup.co.za @mcsaatchiabel

“We love a good problem.” Five small words that underpin the M&C Saatchi Group’s Smart Thinking proposition and drove its approach to workand strategythroughout the Covid pandemic.

Jacques Burger, founding partner and group CEO at M&C Saatchi Group South Africa,says these five small wordsare sopowerful be-

cause thegroup hasalways hada strong orientation aroundhow to grow its clients’ top line and market share.

“What sets us apart in the industry is that we see ourselves as a business and marketing solutions company that happensto do advertising, not the other way round,” says Burger

“Whatthismeans isthatthe starting point for each conversation we have with our clients is defining their specific problem statement.”

It’s this approach that has helped the group land, and retain, some of SA’s most beloved brands.

These include some long-standing partnerships some more than 10 years with Nando’s, Standard

M&C Saatchi Group South Africa CEO Jacques Burger and CCO Neo Mashigo

Bankandthe TakealotGroup,and some excitingrecent clientacquisitions acrossthe groupsuch asthe PepsiCo portfolio, including Lay’ s, Liqui Fruit and Weet-Bix.

“When Covid hit, we had to take a step back as a group and look at a different world needing new ways of problem-solving at scale.

“Italso meantapplying thisshift of focus inward to ensure the six companies at the heart of the M&C Saatchi Group, with more than 350 people, could successfully operate as onetightly integratedteam to continueto deliverconnectedcreative solutionsin thewake ofthe drop in ad spend,” says Burger.

There isa tendencyin theindustry to findgroups with a “village” of companies that happen to share the same campus,but workas separate entities.M&C Saatchi Group has broken down the walls to work together in cohesiveand collaborative ways oftenright downto an operationallevel to findwhat will be most useful to the client.

Burger says: “Putting theright teamstogether withthe rightcomplement of specialitiesfrom across the group, and rallying behind these teams,meansthat wecanoffer clients a full spectrum of services to truly add the most value.

“This type of solution orientation is dictatedby whetherthe client needs a media buying solution or a PR solution for example, to package the group offering in the most effective way.

“Our partner model of ownerrun companiesincludes RazorPR, Levergy, Black &White, Connect, Dalmatian and M&C Saatchi Abel.”

This partnermodel meansthat senior people across the group actively guide the thinking to creatively find better waysto solve client problems with smart solutions to build strong long-termsmart partnerships.

Essentially, says Burger, it is less about structure andhierarchy, and moreaboutbeing focusedonthe client’s world,giving themwhat they need,with allthe players,including the partners, on the field.

Maintaining cohesion

Whenambitionsare aligneditis easy to align behaviour.

“Our smart proposition means that each company within the group subscribes to thesame Brutal Simplicityof Thoughtphilosophythat permeatesthe DNAof thebusiness ’s current leaders, partners and creative.

“The coreof thebusiness has alwaysbeen tocreatebeautifully

simplesolutions inanincreasingly complex world. This underpins everythingwe createandextends across all six companies as a natural and easy cohesion.”

M&C Saatchi Group South Africa believes creativity is the key to new and betterways ofsolving problems. “We lovea goodproblem because it gives us the opportunity to use smart thinking to deliver a group proposition instead of a company proposition,” says Burger.

“

And for our clients, who need us to seamlessly connect all the dots in the most powerful way, letting go of structures thatmight holdus back from landinga solutionis smart thinking that hits the target.”

shifting the needle for our clients. Is it makingpeople thinkor feeldifferentlyaboutyour brand?Isit shifting behaviour?”

“At theagency, partof whywe love a good problem is that itdrives ustoshift theconversationwe’ re having with clients.

“But more than that, we love a smart solve.

“Theway wereach thatsmart solve demonstrates the power of Brutally Simple Thinking, why it matters in the world today, and how it isshaping our pursuit tobe the most desired creativecompany on the African continent.”

Having worked with his partners to establish a successful partner-led group modelcomprising amixture of agencies all contributing their smarts at the top of their industries, Burgeroffers thefollowingsix smarttips toestablishing asmart proposition within a tough business landscape:

Build theright teams invest in people more knowledgeable than yourselves because the people with the best people win.

Diversify the broader group offering ensureyou have strong capabilities across arange of disciplinesthatspeak totheclient’ s specific objectives to deliver real value.

Leveragethe powerofenduring partnerships partnerships lay the foundation fornot onlycreating campaigns thatresonate, butthey nurture a strategythat boosts a partner brand’s bottomline,increases marketshare andbuilds brand equity.

Make sure your ambitions are aligned the key to solving problemswith creativitythat winsthe hearts ofconsumers starts withmarrying theright teamswith theright brands. Thatconnection between the agency and the client createsa conduit for the work, which is why it’ s paramount to ensure each brand and thepartners whoservice that brand are the perfect match.

Creativitythecore ofanysmart thinking

Burgersayshis definitionofcreativity hasalways been “original thinking that adds value”

“The secondpart ofthat statementis importantbecausethe world is full of creative thinking the walls of an art gallery are the perfect example of this,” he says.

“Where the differencecomes in with smart thinking is whether our creative outputis addingvalue and

Buildyour foundationson trust when trustis thecornerstone ofa partnership, clientand agencycan push each other in the pursuit of better solutions, better ideas and better creativity that tackles challenges head on.

Have long-term strategic vision withthe incessantbuzz ofcontent, platforms and trends, it’ s even more crucial to land on a sound, insightsdriven and creatively executed strategy. This provides a compass to navigate increasingly competitive waters and discerning consumers.

We love a good problem because it gives us the opportunity to use smart thinking to deliver a group proposition instead of a company proposition

Corporate Profile

OFy t

WE GO BY THE NAME OF Old Friends Young Talent (OFyt)

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Uniquely South African communications work that really works

OUR BIGGESTBRAG INTHE PAST12 MONTHS

Tracker relaunch

OUR BIG CLIENTS

Kia Motors, The Crazy Store, Tracker, TFG, M&G Investments (previously Prudential Investment Managers), Woolworths PR, Bluu

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS

Kia Motors,The CrazyStore (morethan 10 years)

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

Woolworths PR, ACS, Decorex, BetLion, Birkenstock, Tracker

ACCOUNTS WE VE LOSTOVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

Jack Daniels (due to global alignment) WHO OWNS US Ourselves (independent)

OUR BEE RATING Level 2

OUR REVENUE BAND R30m-R35m

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 45 WHO’S THE BOSS

The partners Paul Newman, Chris Gotz, Carol Gallarelli and Melusi Tshabalala

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS

OFyt is a powerful combination of our country’sbestyoung talentandmost experienced communications people. The result is uniquely South African work that really works.

OUR KEYMOMENT INTHE PAST12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS

Getting back to the office after WFH. We actuallyalllikeeach other.Oh,andalso winningsome greatnew clientsand brands in the process.

SOYOU LIKEUS,THISIS HOWYOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 21-461-5178 info@ofyt.co.za www.ofyt.co.za @ofytagency

Old Friends Young Talent (OFyt), oneof thecountry’s mostlongstanding independent agencies, has experienced rapid growthover the past 18 months.

A new structure and fresh faces in management sees an agency distinctly adapted to an industry that’ s changingin realtime. Theteam, including stellar and recognisable industry leaders, is well-positioned to win even more new business and attract the best talent.

OFyt hasadded newin-house capability to offer clients smoother, quicker and more consistent brand service. Creative strategy and executive creative leadership are now availablein bothJoburg andCape Town.

A PR and influence offering has also been included, powered by a nimble, concept-driven in-house content production studio.

Strongly and proudly independent, the agency has retained longstanding clients andadded new ones, withits staffcontingent steadily increasing to more than 45 people across its Cape Town and Joburg offices.

Standing trueto itsname, OFythas arenewed focuson its internshipprogramme, whichhas, sinceitsinception, given more than 100 graduates the right skills to enter the workplace.

In a competitive industry, the agency hasalso successfully acquired cross-capability talent tomeet andexceed the ever-changing needs of its current and future clients.

Carol Gallarelli, OFyt South Africa Group MD, says: “Agen-

cies have had to evolve and change theirways ofworking. Wewanted tobe asfar aheadaswe could,as quickly as we could.

“Wetook awaythe silosand traditional departments. The skills are stillthere, butthey nowintegrate freely. We have become a kind of ‘collective brain space’ of communication experts, who work across clients. Each of us brings our unique, respected and specialised skill sets to the fore.”

This change in trajectory has meant a 50% growth in personnel.

More recent business wins have been securedbased purelyon chemistry andcredentials. Thatis perhaps the surestsign that the DNAis strongin thisexperienced full-service agency.

New business wins for the group include Tracker SA TTL, Woolworths PR, Sterns BTL, Birkenstock via theBash Group)and Allport Cargo Services. Therehave also been exciting projectsfor Decorex

Africa and BetLion.

A small, agilefull-service business, OFyt is not slowed down by size and complexity, relying instead on aquick, intelligentnetwork of capabilities and expert knowledge.

Among theagency’s mostexcitingrecent appointmentsisMelusiTshabalalaas partnerandexecutive creativedirector ofthe Joburg operation.

His insights and leadership have resulted in a fresh approach for the agency’s largestclient, KiaSouth Africa, andfor newclients suchas Birkenstock helpingthese two global brandsdevelop theirlocal expressions.

Based in Joburg, Tshabalala, also known as uMshengu, is a published author of four books.

“Relevance is definedas the qualityor stateof beingclosely connected or appropriate,” he says.

“This isa qualityany brandthat seeks toconnect withits target needs tohave. Thepeople havegot to ‘feel’ you. Globalbrandsare wakingup tothis reality,and our agency is single-minded in working withthe onesin our clientrosterto attainthisrelevance,”

OFyt continues to make moveswith arenewed airof optimism and is certainly an agency to watch in 2023.

“OFytis poisedforgrowth and back in the pitch ring,” says Gallarelli.

“Thanks to the changes we ’ve been implementing, we ’re confident that this is just the start of an exciting time for the agency and its clients be they old or new.”

OFyt has increased its staff contingent to more than 45 people in 18 months of rapid growth

13 YEARS OF BREAKTHROUGH MEDIA SOLUTIONS

For 13 years, we've established ourselves as a non-traditional media agency with solutions that cut through the clutter and uniquely connects brands to consumers. We have provided our clients with a bouquet of cutting-edge media strategy, planning and activations solutions in digital and traditional media.

We are a 100% black owned and led South African agency with more than 150 years of combined leadership experience, with its finger of the pulse of changing consumer and media landscape; global partnerships to bring the best global thinking blended with our keen understanding of the local market.

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You don’t need a logo for your app, you need a brand for your business. It is knowing the exponential power that good brings good ideas that has inspired for the launch of Yellowwood GI GB (Good Ideas Good Brands) Labs. x Find out more www.ywood.co.za