AdFocus 2019: Big skills transformation

FOREWORD

Phumi Mashigo

Brenda Khumalo

Camilla Clerke

Bridget von Holdt

Makosha Maja-Rasethaba Matjie Pride Maunatlala

Michael Oelschig

Ultimately, it boils down to the basics With all the changes, evolution and disrupters, advertising is still about smart, creative writing

T

he elegant Saxon Hotel in northern Johannesburg is best known as the place where former president Nelson Mandela finished his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. So it’s a fitting venue to have a conversation about writing.

Bemoaning the lack of it in the brand communication space, the CEO of one of the country’s biggest agencies — over a plate of salty kippers and eggs — asked why, just a short time ago, there were only a combined four aspirant copywriters being trained by the big advertising schools.

Since then the industry has taken matters into its own hands and is training harder in the discipline itself. Time will tell if its efforts are successful.

But that story is emblematic of a bigger problem that exists in adland — the increasing lack of skills in all disciplines; whether the right skills are being developed for an industry that is grappling with its own identity and place in the business ecosystem; and if it can afford to pay the expensive new people it needs in order to survive. These would include data scientists, analysts, social media strategists and a raft of other job specs that probably haven’t been invented yet.

But let’s get back to the kippers. Before said CEO slaked his thirst with a third cappuccino, he also said those disciplines are critical but what is still at the heart of the advertising craft is high-end creativity.

Best to find people, he said, who are both

Mmapula Mokoena

Nkgabiseng Motau

left and right brained, or second prize is make sure they get along, which at times can be like a room full of Turks and Kurds.

This skills debate is the principal one that is raging in the advertising world right now as the margin-battered industry grapples more than ever before with its place in the business world.

You have players such as management consultancies wanting to be ad agencies and doing a good job of territorial encroachment; and agencies themselves telling people they compete with consultancies, but often battling with big business strategy and hard numbers.

The companies that find the right mix of people who can straddle data management with creative magic are the ones that will win in the end.

This seemingly intractable conundrum is tackled head on in this year’s AdFocus 2019. If we claim to have all the answers we’d be lying.

We’ve simply identified what we think are the salient issues and have tried to point you in a direction. The trouble is, the direction keeps changing as technology speeds up.

The one lesson we learnt in our quest for answers, was to make sure the issue of skills is constantly discussed, that it drives all future-fit planning and also understand it’s a Sisyphean task — the moment you think it’s over, it starts all over again.

Once again under the stewardship of jury chair, Phumi Mashigo from Ignitive, this year’s panel of judges tortured, interrogated and argued over the shortlists and then voted by

Nontokozo Madonsela

Oriesti Patricios

secret ballot for the eventual winners under the hawk-like scrutiny of a representative from consultancy Deloitte.

This is what our jury chair says about the process: “The questionnaire is deceptively simple. A good chunk of it is basic numbers: last year’s turnover vs this year, new business billings, staff who left — but there is a catch.

I’ve watched over the past four years as each jury has different dynamics. Every member comes with a wealth of industry knowledge, business savvy and their own prejudices and in that judging room every one of those factors comes into play.

“The questions raised and the inevitable haggling that follows often turns on the strength of a well-articulated motivation.

Those 200 words can be the difference between a winner and an also-ran. The agencies that put in a little bit of effort in crafting that part of the entry — taking the judges behind the numbers and giving them insight into the magic that makes their business successful have an immediate inside edge.

“So if you follow US ad icon Leo Burnett’s old advice and make it simple, memorable, inviting to look at and fun to read, then the jury will reward your entry.”

So, it’s really back to the beginning, isn’t it?

This is an industry that will always be about the writing.

Ruth Kolevsohn

Jeremy Maggs Editor

Sharon Piehl

Tumi Rabanye AdFocus 2019 - 3

CONTENTS Foreword ............................................................................ 3

COVER STORY It’s survival of the smartest ............................................. 6 Research: The big skills shift ........................................ 10

ADFOCUS AWARDS

Industry battles evolution, disrupters ........... 6

Agency of the year ......................................................... 12 Large agency of the year .............................................. 14 Medium agency of the year ......................................... 15 Small agency of the year .............................................. 16 Network media agency of the year .............................. 17 Independent media agency of the year ..................... 18 Partnership of the year .................................................. 19 PR agency of the year ................................................... 20 Shapeshifter .................................................................... 21 Industry leader of the year ............................................ 22 Lifetime achievement award ........................................ 24 Student of the year ........................................................ 26

Lifetime achievement award .......................... 24

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

Firms that embrace technology set to be the big winners .......................................................... 10

Marketing skills for a new paradigm........................... 28 Technology in advertising ............................................ 29 Training’s new paradigm ............................................... 30 Industry evolution .......................................................... 32 The shift from traditional norms .................................. 34 Tracing the media evolution ......................................... 36 Brands are the new bond ............................................. 37 Media Tech: marketers’ view ........................................ 38 Creativity still key ........................................................... 39 Tertiary institutions need to keep up with new trends .............................................................................. 40 FM Creative Challenge .................................................. 44

Is brand communication still a viable career choice? ................................................................. 39

CORPORATE PROFILES ............................................. 46 Time to tell it like it is, and dress the part .......................................................... 94

Too much regulation restricts industry’s creative juices ................................................... 94

Quadruple triple glory ...................................... 12

Financial Mail editor: Rob Rose

123rf Photo

AdFocus editor: Jeremy Maggs

Contributors: David Furlonger, Samantha du Chenne, Kgaugelo Maphai, Greg Garden, Yatish Narsi, Andrea Quaye, Gordon Cooke, Ayre Kellman.

Surveys editor: Les Tilley Layout: Busisiwe Ntsamba

Cover: Brand Band And...

Project co-ordinator: Lynette Dicey Cover concept: Switch Branding & Design Production editor: Maseipati Tsotsotso

AdFocus Awards project manager: Danette Breitenbach

Graphics: Colleen Wilson Head of advertising sales: Eben Gewers Sales manager: Kay Naidoo Sales: Cortney Hoyland, Debbie Montanari, Nigel Twidale Photographer: Freddy Mavunda,

4 - AdFocus 2019

AdFocus jury: Phumi Mashigo, founding MD: Ignitive & AdFocus main jury 2019/2020 chair; Brenda Khumalo, advertising executive; Camilla Clerke, executive creative director: HelloFCB; Bridget von Holdt, business director: Burson Cohn & Wolfe; Makosha Maja-Rasethaba, partner and head of strategy (JHB): M&C Saatchi; Matjie Pride Maunatlala, head of marketing: TFG

Foschini Division; Michael Oelschig, MD: Cerebra; Mmapula Mokoena, head of marketing: Yalu SA; Nkgabiseng Motau, co-founder & chief creative officer: Think Creative Africa; Nontokozo Madonsela, group chief marketing officer: MMI Holdings; Oriesti Patricios, CEO: Ornico Group; Ruth Kolevsohn, founder & CEO: Coachability; Sharon Piehl, MD: FleishmanHillard; Tumi Rabanye, head of strategy: The Brave Group.

Media jury: Phumi Mashigo, founding MD: Ignitive & AdFocus jury 2019/2020 chair; Candice Goodman, MD: Mobitainment; Gill Randall, CEO: Spark Media; Imraan Rajab, COO: consumer experience at MediaCom SA; Koo Govender, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network SA; Monique Claassen, head of media and digital insights: Kantar; Nicolette (Nikki) Lewin, CEO and founder: Alphabet Soup; Rob Smuts, CEO: RMS Media; Tanya Schreuder, group MD:

Media Brands, Dentsu Aegis Network.

Student Award jury panel: Phumi Mashigo, founding MD: Ignitive & AdFocus jury 2019/2020 chair; Jeanine Vermaak: Joe Public; Gareth O’Callaghan: Joe Public; Gregory King: Promise Group; Makosha Maja-Rasethaba: M&C Saatchi Abel; Tumi Rabanye: House of Brave; Brenda Khumalo, advertising executive.

Deloitte auditor: Mavis Mahlangu.

Printing: Hirt & Carter.

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COVER STORY

It’s survival of the smartest Industry battles evolution, disrupters

A

t one of those seminal “persuasion industry” — for that’s what the ad business the world over is now being called — drinks parties, a top agency executive was overheard saying: “I just can’t do the job these days with the people I have.” And that, in one sentence, sums up the biggest dilemma the sector is facing in an age of digital hyper-acceleration; an oversupply of media platforms; the growing need for differentiated content; and a consumer base that one neuro-branding expert says has collective attention deficit disorder.

So the big challenge for the sector is to upskill. But does ad-land have a grip on what the problem really is and know what solutions to implement?

Brett Morris, who runs the giant FCB agency group that counts Toyota and Coca-Cola among its bigger clients, believes it’s a left-brain, right-brand requirement: “There is certainly a need for more data scientists and analysts but it needs to be those who have an appreciation, or even better a passion, for extracting insights that are a springboard for great creative thinking.”

That view is endorsed by Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of Independent Agency Selection (IAS) and managing partner at Scopen Africa: “Based on what we are seeing in SA and new learnings in London, the shortage is in the area of skills working with data. This is applicable for both agencies and marketers. These are not traditional skills, and successful agencies are directly sourcing people from universities — with the ideal mathematical and logic qualifications.”

Ludi Koekemoer is a doyen in the ad training space in SA, having run the respected AAA School for years. He has a different view: “Brand communications cannot survive today without leadership in acknowledged agency disciplines. These fundamental, traditional 6 - AdFocus 2019

skills are by no means old fashioned. But to prosper you need to be better than or different from your competitors. You need unique creative thinking — clever writing, and disruptive innovation — and foresight skills.

Though the 30-second TV and radio spot is not dead, the orchestra is simply changing, with fewer instruments embracing the latest technology. While it’s vital to be able to survive in a recessionary economic climate with strict financial discipline, ad agencies are today required to manage volatility, embrace effective ‘deep integration’ of digital media in strategic plans and know how to build brands via clever storytelling and experiential marketing.”

Notes Angela Madlala, talent director at Ogilvy SA: “The industry has undergone significant change. In the past few years, Ogilvy has evolved its teams to transform brands driven by technology, data, digital platforms and influence (earned media). This is the essence of modern media. At Ogilvy, we talk about being a modern marketing practice, as opposed to just a brand communications agency.”

She says marketing communications experts must have an understanding of mobile, social and digital platforms — their advantages, their specs and audiences. Agencies need to be as competent on mobile, social and digital platforms as they are in TV and radio.

So that’s all well and good and much of this is the same problem that other sectors of the economy are facing in different ways. The key question is whether the industry is doing enough to find and train the right people?

FCB’s Morris says the pace certainly needs to pick up: “It’s moving slowly because agencies have to compete with technology companies and consultancies for the same talent. Which is why cultural fit is so important. Agencies need to find people who have creativity in their blood. There is also a responsibility for clients

123rf.com

Skills, adapting to new structures are two of the solutions

to change the way they work with agencies and invest in the resource that’s going to help make the creative product work even harder.

As long as agencies are billing by the hour and having to trade off one skill against another, it will be slow. It needs to be a joint commitment from both agency and client.”

Scopen’s McDowell says both agencies and marketers need to work much harder.

“At a recent IAS master class, marketers advised us that junior marketing people need critical upskilling, especially with regard to briefing agencies and working with those agencies. The marketers called on the agencies to help them with any possible training programmes for their marketing teams. I see

COVER STORY

that as an opportunity for agencies to work more closely with client marketing teams.”

Koekemoer is more blunt in his assessment and urges the industry to try a whole lot harder. “Let’s re-identify the key role players: the providers of education and training and then new courses will have to be developed for 2030, even possibly a bespoke MBA for ad agency leadership. Professional bodies are also not focusing on or doing enough to find talent, engaging with or using the training providers and/or providing mentoring for young talent.

The Seta (Sector Education Training Authority) system has failed miserably. While some advertising and media agencies have in-house training programmes and send their young

talent to these providers, there seems to be a number of excuses as to why more training is not done in-house, or why the training providers are not used. They cite lack of time, lack of money, lack of capacity to mentor, too busy at work and the deal-breaking short-sighted question: why should we train young talent if the next agency is going to steal them anyway?” Koekemoer says.

Ogilvy’s Madlala says: “I doubt that any industry undergoing change can be confident about the amount of work they are doing to future-proof their talent base. Moreover, the talent war for digital, data and technology skills reaches way beyond our industry boundaries.

These skills are scarce and critical across

sectors. A major adjustment is needed across our industry’s entire talent-management value chain to meaningfully future-proof ourselves.”

She says the industry also needs to stretch itself in terms of the investments made in acquiring, retaining and developing talent. “All industries are haggling over the same critical, scarce skills. Our salaries and development offerings are uncompetitive relative to industries such as financial services, telecoms, and large retail. We’ve become an easy poaching ground for our clients — due largely to our pay models and benchmarks being uncompetitive in this skills pool.”

So while the ad industry seems to have a clear idea of what needs to be done, it perhaps AdFocus 2019 - 7

COVER STORY

Brett Morris

needs a much clearer idea of what the agency of the future looks like, let’s say 10 years from now. After all, how can you find the skills if you don’t know what business you’ll be running?

Katlego Moutlana is head of strategy at the Mortimer Harvey agency group and says it’s all about size.

“Right now, many brands are reducing fees and cutting back on agency rosters as they are less willing to spend money on services that don’t deliver the best returns. Clients don't want to pay for skills or talent they don't need, which opens doors to smaller, independent agencies and freelancers. Smaller agencies have the freedom to make the decisions they need to cut back on staff whose skills they don’t require as they're not under a directive from a parent company.”

Future-fit agencies, he says, will need what he terms a “value partner” who will help them be more competitive through their products and services. Those partners will likely be rotating super-specialists in micro or niche disciplines. Agencies, he says, will also need a much broader understanding of the client’s business if they are to add depth to their creative strategy.

A constant refrain from clients is their agencies all too often have a peripheral understanding of their business and that leads to frustration and time wasting. Says Moutlana: “With insight comes clearer solutions that will, in the end, affect their sales positively and increase the clients’ potential to thrive in an increasingly competitive economy.”

Moutlana says agencies will also have to become more agile.

“In the current advertising agency 8 - AdFocus 2019

Angela Madlala

landscape, it’s about survival of the fittest. The agency that is able to adapt and transform with the times is the one that will thrive and succeed.”

FCB’s Morris says the agency of the future will be digitally led.

“The SA industry is still maturing with only roughly 30% of spend on digital platforms. Ten years from now we would hope that high-speed internet access will be pervasive and affordable, which means that the majority of the adspend will be on digital platforms.

There will be more emphasis on creatively minded data scientists and analysts. Change is not going to be achieved unless there is a change in leadership approach.”

Ogilvy’s Madlala believes: “The future will be personal and flexible. Evolution in all modern media is gearing towards personalisation and personalised brand experiences. Modern marketing is arguably on a transitional journey towards mastered and enriched personalisation, enabled through robust data integrity. We have already seen a business model increasingly built on project-based, versus traditional, fee-based work. Agencies may be evolving towards a composition of a core permanent workforce, some key joint ventures and partnerships, and a significant contingency workforce.”

Koekemoer is more reflective in his answer.

“It’s much easier to reflect on the past than to predict the future. We all know the focus of brand communications and the bulk of advertising expenditure in the past and even today has been on creating brand awareness.

The future focus will be on brand influence, brand experience, persuasion and brand trust.

Generally speaking, I believe, we will see

Johanna McDowell

marketers using a larger combination of in-housing, outsourcing of specialised expertise, new hi-tech media platforms, exciting brand experience tools and sophisticated media planning algorithms.”

He says the ad agency of 2030 will be much smaller, more specialised and the majority of specialists will work from home.

“This will make teamwork a challenge.

Marketers will use in-housing for greater control, quicker response and lower cost to capitalise on their brand and strategic marketing expertise, data analytics proficiency and website content creation ability. They will also outsource specialised services to fewer, highly creative ad agencies who can come up with unique ideas, great brand stories, exciting and impactful brand connections and experiences. Procurement will be a vital issue.

I envisage a stream of hi-tech agencies specialising in AR, VR, AI and other futuristic communications tools to connect with, impress and influence target audiences to experience and trust brands. WOM (word of mouse) will be much stronger. There may even be some WOM agencies. Digital marketing will require sophisticated analytics covering return on investment of using social media platforms, web effectiveness, and voice commerce — the impact various voices have on the way consumers select brands online.”

Scopen’s McDowell says: “There will be a great deal more people who need to have data skills in order to be able to underpin any strategic and creative thinking in the ever growing area of digital marketing. Growth in digital marketing is about 60% globally — albeit off a small base — and we believe that this is going to continue to grow exponentially over

COVER STORY

Ludi Koekemoer

Katlego Moutlana

the next 10 years. Numbers of staff in agencies, I think, are not going to grow much at all, and agency size in terms of numbers of people will become less of a benchmark.

With in-housing of agencies becoming more and more popular, we might start seeing three different types of structures: agencies as they are now — but possibly not as large — numbers are not going to grow as they did previously. Data and machine learning might mean that there is less need for as many staff; agencies that are built in-house for clients by their agencies — staffed and run by agencies — and those staff will remain on the agency’s payroll; and in-house agencies where the staff are employed by the client company, and with some external assistance from a traditional agency.”

So what challenge then does this pose for agency leaders and what do they need to do?

Morris says: “Leadership will need to be more adaptive, responding to media and market changes faster than we currently do. There will also need to be much more partnership with the most senior clients across marketing and business.”

McDowell says: “Agency leaders — apart from being good people leaders within their own environments — will have to be able to assist marketers more and more in understanding their business needs. And then to be able to communicate to the agency teams on how to deliver these business imperatives.”

Madlala says agency leaders will need

skills “to enable and drive a culture that creates great work across a faster-moving workforce that is increasingly located remotely. Creating culture under these circumstances is hard. Leadership also needs to embrace modern marketing and media, even where many in senior management are not digital natives. This is another challenge.”

While the local ad industry is not going to get this right overnight, it might take some solace from the fact that the growing skills crisis is a universal industry problem. The UK trade magazine Campaign reports that recruitment company Robert Walters found that 84% of businesses recruiting for marketing roles said they were affected by talent shortages, with 81% saying there is a lack of candidates with the right skills.

The magazine then asked what can be done to rectify the skills shortage.

Entry to the profession was a starting point. Campaign pointed out that the advertising industry often struggles because the job roles and routes to get there aren’t as obvious as they are for banking, medicine or accountancy.

“Beyond the TV show Mad Men, there is little genuine understanding among young people as to the roles available for them in media, marketing and advertising.” The magazine suggested a more powerful bottom-up recruitment strategy, which is something the SA industry could accelerate.

“Offering work experience and — better yet — apprenticeships, as other industries have done, would also help bring in talent that otherwise may stay untapped.”

Jeremy Maggs AdFocus 2019 - 9

RESEARCH

THE BIG SKILLS SHIFT Disrupters have created a talent gap in the industry Firms that embrace technology set to be the big winners

W

ith trends in advertising looking like they will change in the near future, experts predict that a new set of industry players, each one fluent in technology, will dominate the market. As a result existing business models will be under pressure to change and adapt to the current focus on technology or will lose out.

It’s been dubbed “the big skills shift”, and it describes the latest industry trend where the best and brightest minds in advertising will be attracted to organisations which have embraced technology and amended their strategies to place tech at the core of their businesses. This is a significant change from the traditional advertising business model, where the big holding companies attract the best talent. In the current climate, with holding companies finding themselves under financial pressure, top talent is looking for other opportunities where they will be able to showcase their skills and learn new ones.

Ultimately, agencies bound by legacy and unable to adapt to a technology-driven business model will be overshadowed by those that have. Moreover, consultancies are in the best position to thrive because of the way in which they instinctively prioritise technology.

Where does this leave the players in the SA advertising industry? According to research conducted on behalf of AdFocus by Tiso Blackstar, 47% of respondents believe technology makes their lives easier, saying that with knowledge around which channels to monitor and activate, technology can save time money and increase market share. On the other hand, 53% believe it makes life more difficult, saying it provides more data but less insights and too many platform choices make budget allocation and return on investment a challenge.

Those in favour of technology say it has made communication easier in a climate where budgets are tight, allowing marketers to 10 - AdFocus 2019

do more with less resources; while those against say there is too much risk associated with influencers and negative social media backlash.

For it or against it, swift developments in the technology space have created a talent gap, with respondents saying that talent development is unable to keep up with the pace at which technology develops. Moreover, this gap is seen not only in technology skills, but also in the areas of strategy and creativity.

Even more alarming is the fact that marketers feel the younger generation do not have the skills they need to work in marketing and advertising. As such, two in five respondents have admitted to increasing their training budgets for marketing and advertising talent in the past three years. The research also showed that a sustained long-term approach will be needed to bridge this skills gap, with a back to basics approach.

The areas showing the greatest dearth of skills are digital marketing and strategy, followed by creative talent, media planning, training, customer-centricity, marketing skills, agility and resilience and black talent.

Respondents plan to address this challenge in a number of ways. These include plans to provide training and development opportunities to existing staff members, while also sourcing the trained staff they need. They also believe that in future, a typical CV from a potential candidate will look drastically different than it did in the past.

The majority of respondents believe print is likely to fall away, giving way to technology and artificial intelligence (AI). There is no doubt that technology has a major role to play in SA,

with digitisation and automation predicted to provide 1.2-million jobs in the country by 2030.

SA’s advertising and marketing industries are making plans to keep up with this digital trajectory.

Respondents say while bursaries, learnerships and training programmes have been put in place, the Mict (media, advertising, information & communication) Seta should be providing more funding for these initiatives. Other respondents talk about “incubating skills internally and sourcing them externally” while mentoring and internships also play an important role in the process.

It’s increasingly clear that the industry, and the skills required to successfully operate within it, are changing rapidly. For some time now, consultancies have been offering services that would traditionally have fallen into the territory of pure advertising. Today, marketers find themselves in a position to choose between hiring a consultancy or an ad agency.

When asked if they would consider this option, 24% said yes, 26% said no, while 20% were unsure. Respondents provided a variety of responses to the question of what they felt worked better in the past. Some said engagements with clients have become more transactional, whereas in the past there was a greater emphasis on relationships. Others believe looking back is pointless, because of the vast difference in the way in which today’s consumers engage with brands as a result of social media. Another suggestion was that marketers would do better to focus adapting their approach to align to the new consumer landscape. Still others believe that in the past agencies were more conscious of quality and there was more time to plan and think and present better work.

With the industry in a state of flux, respondents believe that in the next decade evolution will be driven by technology, digital platforms and AI. As such, the skills sets required to operate in this changing environment will become drastically different.

Communication will continue to be more personalised and targeted. Some respondents

RESEARCH

believe advertising will soon become paperless. The trend of taking certain advertising functions such as creative strategy, conceptualisation, production and digital in-house is predicted to be a real possibility, which means that advertising agencies will be under pressure to show value to their clients by providing data-led insights and business intelligence. This has already been evidenced globally with creative agency Droga5 being bought by Accenture Interactive. Relevance in consumers’ lives remains key. More and more consumers want to use their devices to share and live their experiences, and brands need to find a way to be a part of that, in a relevant and unobtrusive manner. Integrated and omnichannel marketing also remains a pivotal way to engage. This applies as much to consumers as to advertisers and marketers themselves, who will need to have a host of skills listed on their CVs offering experience and abilities across platforms. Some respondents believe there is an overreliance on technology and that in the near future, particularly in SA, where data is a costly commodity, this reliance on technology will change. Others add that the basic fundamentals will “stand the test of time” while including the benefits made available by digital and consumer insights learning.

To this end, global brands such as Puma have already been using a back to basics approach, establishing a flagship store in Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. This is a shift in Puma’s strategy as it moves its marketing spend back to traditional and broadcast media as opposed to live retail.

Trust is another pressing issue that came up in the research, which showed that trust is one of the most important subjects in the industry today. There is a substantial amount of research to support this statement,

including the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, which found that when consumers trust a brand or organisation, they pay attention to its messaging. The fact is that technology has – and continues to — change the industry, both from an operational and a consumer perspective. For starters, it’s changed the way consumers make purchasing decisions.

Traditionally, consumers would become aware of a product or brand through advertising, go through a certain process to buy it and then become a loyal customer.

Internet access, however, allows consumers to move between different stages of the purchasing funnel, interacting with multiple companies at the same time, and selecting from a basket of products.

As such, brands that make use of technology to enable behavioural targeting do 85% better in sales growth and 25% better in gross margin than those that do not, according to McKinsey. Major brands such as Facebook, Amazon and Netflix have developed targeting strategies based on consumer behaviour data to drive their sales revenue, proving there is truth behind the research. Locally, many brands and agencies have embraced the tech trend. Creative agency Duke, for example, recently announced a merger between digital specialist MarkLive and PR firm Positive Dialogue Communications; while King James Group has acquired a majority share in retail shopper agency 34°. Tiso Blackstar and Gumtree SA will be partnering to expose new online audiences to Gumtree’s classified advertising. Ultimately, tech is moving the industry forward at a rapid rate and the marketing and advertising industry has little choice but to align to developing trends or be left behind.

Samantha du Chenne AdFocus 2019 - 11

AWARDS

AGENCY OF THE YEAR, SPECIALIST AGENCY OF THE YEAR, TRANSFORMATION AWARD and AFRICAN IMPACT AWARD Triple Eight Quadruple triple glory Empowerment for women, by women — the ultimate decision makers in the purchasing market

T

hree eights is 24. Multiply that by four and you get 96. So 96 cheers for Triple Eight, the winner of an astonishing four AdFocus awards in 2019.

Triple Eight is not a familiar name to most people in the brand communications industry.

It describes itself as a “socially conscious marketing, PR and digital agency”. The all-women enterprise, founded and owned by MD Sarika Modi, started in 2012 with three people in Johannesburg. Today it employs over 70 women professionals in SA, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Like most brand communications agencies that don’t fit neatly into traditional pigeonholes, Triple Eight entered our specialist agency category, where a strong field was gradually whittled down to a shortlist that also included Levergy and perennial winner Grid.

For the African Impact Award, Triple Eight faced off against last year’s winner, the Dentsu Aegis Network, and previous winner Burson-Marsteller, now renamed BCW. On to the Transformation Award and a showdown with Joe Public, with its remarkable history of social conscience and activism.

To win one of these awards would have been a coup for a relative newcomer. But all three? And then, to cap it all, Triple Eight won the overall Agency of the Year Award, selected from winners of the various AdFocus agency categories — large, medium and small advertising agencies; network and independent media agencies; specialist agency; and PR agency.

Here, Triple Eight edged out large agency winner M&C Saatchi Abel which, had it won, would have boasted a hat-trick of AdFocus wins, having also shared the Partnership of the

12 - AdFocus 2019

Sarika Modi, MD and founder of Triple Eight

Year Award with client Nando’s. So what, in the AdFocus jury’s eyes, is so special about Triple Eight?

Actually, it makes sense that it should do so well in such apparently diverse categories. For while the agency submitted three separate entries and motivations, they were all interlinked, reflecting its core essence.

The agency grew revenue by two-thirds during the AdFocus judging period, from July 2018 to June 2019. But that is only part of its raison d’être. Triple Eight is purpose- and socially-driven.

It’s no accident that it is women-run.

According to Modi: “We stand for empowerment of women and communities.

The advertising industry suffers huge underrepresentation of women in key leadership and management positions despite 80% of global purchasing decisions being made by women.”

Triple Eight, she says, is “more representative of the consumers who make the purchase decisions in the brands we work

with”. Those brands include Nivea, Mortein insecticide, Dettol and Durex.

Among client companies are Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Kellogg’s, Standard Bank and Samsung.

Many of Triple Eight’s campaigns are designed to uplift SA and Pan-African groups and communities. It says something that much of its work is carried out in partnership with African governments and funding agencies.

Sometimes, heads of state are persuaded to support these projects. Zambian president Edgar Lungu has attended two cholera eradication events in his country since last year. Triple Eight’s goal, says Modi, is to achieve what is known as the triple bottom line: measurable upliftment, financial return on investment and high social impact.

This year, among its campaigns, it created a WhatsApp Chatbot platform on behalf of Nestlé to help primary school children from low-income families improve their mathematics. A three-year-old Mums Against Malaria campaign on behalf of Mortein continued to show impressive results.

Triple Eight won Johnson & Johnson’s global Campaign of the Year Award for a project encouraging healthy skin for babies.

Modi says: “Gaining the trust of global multinational brands is a significant achievement for an entrepreneurial agency.

We are competing head-on with large agencies and winning these accounts with exceptional client retention.”

About half of the agency’s work is in SA and the rest elsewhere in Africa. During the AdFocus period, Triple Eight, also known as Giacomo in some markets, ran 12 high-impact campaigns across 10 countries. All projects, which related to “dire” social, health-care and economic upliftment issues, were designed to last between three and five years and involved

AWARDS

The Triple Eight team celebrating their awards at the Gender Awards 2019

goverment partnerships.

Causes included reduction in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity; prevention of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and early pregnancy; rapid response to cholera outbreaks; emergency response to the Mozambique hurricane; hygiene and handwashing programmes; antenatal care; environmental clean-up programmes; and malaria education and prevention.

Malaria is the leading cause of death among children under five in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, says Modi. “It accounts for 12%-20% of deaths in the region each year. We have positively affected 521,326 families each year in these countries.”

These are not occasional projects to polish the agency’s credentials. As Modi says: “We have become a recognised industry leader. We have been doing impact work for over seven years in Africa. It’s not a passing interest.”

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) recognises Triple Eight’s efforts, presenting the agency with its award for excellence in African health communication. Some of Triple Eight’s projects have won sponsorships from third-party funders, as part of their own corporate social investment programmes. What attracts many of these companies and foundations is the fact that the impact of Triple Eight’s interventions is measured.

Modi says every project is subject to monitoring and evaluation of social impact; 80% of these are measured by third parties.

Triple Eight says women empowerment is crucial to its success and is achieved at three levels. Rather than hire for senior positions from outside, the agency likes to recruit young

Connect-Ed School Programme, a sex education Sunlight – A Little Goes a Long Way campaign –

programme empowering adolescent girls and young

enterprise development programme, empowering and

women to reduce HIV, sexually transmitted infections,

upskilling women in their communities

teen pregnancy and gender-based violence

women and groom them for promotion. “We have a continuous development programme in which young women are mentored, trained, reviewed and educated to help them progress through the organisation,” says Modi.

The second level is to hire girls and mothers as brand ambassadors and community health workers. Unemployed and unskilled mothers are trained in basic health, then go through government training programmes at Triple Eight’s expense, before learning about branded products and being deployed into campaigns in clinics and communities.

“In this way we help empower them with skills and a basic income to provide for their families,” says Modi.

Girls straight from school or college are prepared for the workplace before being offered the chance to become brand ambassadors. “For many, this is a way of funding their studies in addition to gaining

work experience.”

So far, she says, more than 1,600 health workers and brand ambassadors in Africa have benefited from these programmes.

The third support level for women is at beneficiary level. The various Triple Eight campaigns have had a measurable impact on women and children in the communities where they have been implemented. Outside SA alone, these interventions have reached nearly 59-million people since 2012.

Modi says: “As a purpose-driven and women-empowered agency, we are a pillar of inspiration to Africans. Our work, who we are and what we stand for should be celebrated.

Our work has a significant role to play in transforming Africa and helping bridge the severe inequality and injustices faced by communities.”

David Furlonger AdFocus 2019 - 13

AWARDS

LARGE ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR M&C Saatchi Abel Heavyweight showdown Growth has been swift and steady as it beats industry giants to bag the big one

T

here’s never been much doubt that M&C Saatchi Abel would succeed. Founder Mike Abel suggests that when his agency opened its doors in 2010, there were plenty of “naysayers” predicting failure for his business model. Maybe. But they were outnumbered by people who believed the agency would flourish. Abel’s own single-mindedness — he had enjoyed considerable success in SA and Australia — would see to that.

And so it has proved. Growth was swift and steady. Creative awards may have taken time to flow but there was an air of inevitability about the agency’s rise.

Today, M&C Saatchi Abel is one of the SA brand communications industry’s heavy hitters. Indeed, this year it can claim to be the heaviest hitter of them all. As the 2019 AdFocus Large Advertising Agency of the Year, it defeated a shortlist containing Ogilvy SA, Joe Public and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris. Other traditional giants also entered but failed to make the M&C Saatchi Abel founder Mike Abel final cut.

Abel describes the AdFocus judging Under chief creative officer Neo Mashigo — period, from July 2018 to June 2019, as “our himself an individual AdFocus winner this year biggest and best year yet”. Revenue grew 20% as Industry Leader — the agency is steadily — some from existing clients but much of it raising its overall creative profile. from new accounts like the SA Revenue Nedbank apart, M&C retained all its Service, the SA Reserve Bank, Savlon, Netflix, accounts last year, several with increased Virgin Active and Standard Bank. The last of revenue. So with three of the four AdFocus these is now the agency’s biggest client. judging criteria — new business, business The newcomers joined an impressive retention and sustainability, and industry blue-chip list that already included Hollard recognition — all nailed down, that left only Insurance, Deloitte Consulting, Namibian one: empowerment and social responsibility.

Breweries, MWeb, AVI, SuperSport, Heineken, Here again, M&C proved itself. It has a level Continental Tyres and takealot.com. Missing 1 BBBEE rating, 60% of staff are black, 60% from the list, however, is Nedbank, which the female, and social responsibility projects agency surrendered when the contract term include the Street Store, which will soon open ended. its 1,000th free pop-up clothing store for the And then there’s Nando’s — the client with homeless. which M&C Saatchi Abel also wins this year’s If this all sounds like a foregone conclusion Partnership of the Year Award and for which for the large agency award, it wasn’t. Joe the agency has won successive grands prix at Public, a past AdFocus winner and regular the last two Loeries creative awards shows.

14 - AdFocus 2019

contender, pushed M&C particularly hard. The others weren’t far behind.

Joe Public grew revenue by 10% last year and profit by 30.5%, thanks to new business from the likes of Nedbank, Assupol, Converse and SA Breweries.

Creatively, bearing in mind the July-June timetable, it was an outstanding year. Joe Public was agency of the year at the Loeries, Pendorings, Bookmarks and Ciclope Africa; and most awarded SA agency at the international D&AD awards. The 2018 Loeries yielded eight golds and the Pendorings 14.

CEO Gareth Leck says: “In early 2019, Joe Public turned 21 and it was definitely a year worth celebrating. Achieving both creative and industry recognition across a variety of industry awards provided clear evidence of the agency’s relentless pursuit of creative excellence. We are very proud to have achieved our greatest number of awards to date.

“We are equally proud to have continued to grow our clients’ business and, in so doing, our own. This was achieved by retaining all our key clients, winning new business, creating value-added services and generating new revenue streams.”

Ogilvy SA grew profits by 11.9% last year.

New business came from, among others, SA Airways, Tiger Brands, Game, SA Home Loans, Mondelez, Pizza Perfect, SC Johnson, Anglo American, Cash Crusaders and UberEats.

According to marketing manager Awande Dlamini: “Delivering growth off a base as large as Ogilvy’s is no small achievement ... and is a tremendous source of pride.”

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris grew revenue by 5.7%, with MultiChoice Africa, Okavango Diamond Co, Stanlib, Centrum and MTN all contributing to the enlarged bottom line. CEO Karabo Denalane notes that last year the agency carried out pro bono work worth nearly R3.3m on behalf of Reach for a Dream and the Joburg Ballet.

David Furlonger

AWARDS

MEDIUM ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR King James Consistent excellence No drama as upward impetus continues unchecked

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f there’s one thing that King James has shown over the years in the AdFocus Awards, it’s that winners don’t have to be spectacular. Sometimes this agency has been just that. But on other occasions its success has rested on a simple principle: it’s just bloody good at what it does.

The 2018-2019 period is a case in point: no huge account wins; no dramatic news; but still a 24% year-on-year increase in revenue.

That’s why a poll among SA agency leaders showed enormous respect for King James and its leaders. It’s also why the agency is the 2019 AdFocus Medium Advertising Agency of the Year.

Much of the revenue growth came King James founders Alistair King and James Barty from project work. CEO James Barty Breweries and Netflix. And we continued to says: “This new business growth formed a compete in the tough retail environment with cornerstone of the agency’s strategy to build solid performing high-output work for Pick n creative capacity across a wide range of Pay.” industries and business challenges and to None of this detracted from the agency’s continue to test and try agile and innovative creative success. There was a grand prix and ways of working.” three golds at the Loeries, three more at the Typical of these was one for Johnson & bookmarks, four at Midas and one at Amasa.

Johnson’s Stayfree feminine hygiene brand.

With its level 1 BBBEE rating, King James There was more traditional work. remains a wholly SA-owned agency. However, Established client Sanlam launched several its membership of thenetworkone — a network campaigns, including a two-minute shower of independent global agencies — gives it initiative to counter Cape Town’s drought access to international best practice and also crisis, as well as a number of projects to mark allows it to showcase African innovation to a its own centenary. wider audience.

Then there was the launch of TymeBank, King James was one of two agencies to one of a number of small challenger banks make the shortlist for this award. The other entering the SA market. With African Rainbow was Duke Group, the business created in 2014 Capital as its majority shareholder, it claims to by former Lowe Bull group CEO Wayne be SA’s first majority black-owned retail bank.

Naidoo.

Barty says King James’s campaign yielded The 100% black-owned entity grew “significantly positive results”. revenue by 260% last year, though this owed Like the rest of the industry, the agency had much to the acquisition of Mark1 Media and to work harder with less. Barty says: “We Positive Dialogue Communications. Once made limited marketing budgets work everything has bedded down, we’ll have a incredibly hard through earned media impact clearer idea of the shape and potential of the ideas for clients like Newlands Spring

expanded entity. However, it says much about the direction in which the agency is going that last year it was a runner-up in our small agency category. Now it’s a medium agency.

Next year ... ?

Among clients contributing to new business in the past year were Pepsi, Food Lovers Market, Lewis Stores, Proudly SA, e.tv, AC Hotels, Advertising Week, Marriott Hotels and Sneaker Lab. Duke is making its mark on the awards scene. Successes included gold at the Loeries and Assegais, and international recognition at Cannes and the One Show. Naidoo says: “This has been our most successful creative year to date. We’ve shown at almost all the important awards shows locally and internationally, across business performance, creative, PR and digital.

“We’ve completely reformed our portfolio of work. It has diversified, pushed limits and consistently infused a spirit of optimism to the brands we work with. We’ve transformed brands from being the runts in the stable into ones marketers and audiences are excited about.”

It comes from being one of the few SA communications groups born in the digital age, he says. “Measurement, agility, speed of execution, and an understanding of both content and channel is hotwired into our DNA, not cobbled on to an old-fashioned ad agency structure.

“We thrive on being tasked to achieve a commercial goal, on generating a measurable return on investment. We insist on being given quantifiable targets and then beating them. Yes, much of the creative product remains subjective but what can be measured must be, and the data drives our responses.”

David Furlonger AdFocus 2019 - 15

AWARDS

SMALL ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR: The Odd Number Only wimps don’t fight back After a major shock, our winner is bigger and better than before

16 - AdFocus 2019

Freddy Mavunda

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hat do you do when you lose your biggest client and have to retrench 40% of your staff? Do you bemoan your fate, draw in your horns and prepare for a shrunken future? Or do you shrug off the experience, come out fighting and end up bigger than you were before?

In the case of The Odd Number, it was always going to be the second option. The loss of the Wimpy account in August 2018 came as a seismic shock to an agency that had been enjoying a steady upward curve. Laying off loyal staff is never easy. But nearly half the workforce?

However, the pain was not to last long.

Within weeks, Cricket SA signed up the agency to promote the Mzansi Super League. It was to be the first of a string of new accounts.

Nedbank Digital Media, Panado, Lion Lager, Beck’s Beer, Assupol, Viu Digital Streaming and two condom brands all became clients.

Game, another addition, fell outside the AdFocus judging period.

By the time it was all over, the agency had 34 staff — 48% more than the 23 it had before the Wimpy loss. Revenue grew by 146,8%.

It is this resilience that sees The Odd Number crowned the 2019 AdFocus Small Advertising Agency of the Year. Of course, it’s not the only factor.

As a level 1, 100% black-owned through-the-line agency, it scores pretty well on transformation.

Its creative status is rising. The 2018 Loeries haul was modest but there was a Pendoring gold and three podium places in the Creative Circle Ad of the Month. The appointment of new executive creative director Terry McKenna, with over 18 years’ experience, should bring added impetus and direction.

The creation of a digital media subsidiary in partnership with the Hoorah Digital consultancy will broaden the agency’s business options, while Selae Thobakgale’s

The Odd Number CEO Xola Nouse

recruitment as strategy director is expected to deepen the overall leadership team as it pursues its long-term goal to become the leading independent agency in Africa. A long shot but nothing is achieved without ambition.

The Odd Number was one of five agencies shortlisted for this award. FoxP2 is rarely out of the mix and so it proved again this year. The Johannesburg operation has established itself as a significant player in the past six years.

Revenue grew 10.5% last year.

According to group CEO Charl Thom: “Our ethos of ensuring that we grow and scale the business at a pace that ensures the product we deliver remains of the highest standard, led to us taking on two significant new clients, and declining the opportunity to work on two more. The fact that Wimpy and Hippo are both new clients that came from existing client groups in Famous Brands and Telesure was particularly pleasing. The stellar results we delivered for them on Mugg & Bean and Budget respectively had a direct impact on being awarded the new business.”

He says the two-year-old partnership with Dentsu has not hurt FoxP2’s ability to deliver groundbreaking ideas and creativity. On the contrary, these are now “underpinned by best-in-class tech and data capability”.

Think Creative Africa, our third finalist, increased revenue by a remarkable 400% last

year. This level 1, black female-owned agency, most of whose clients are project-based, won business last year from, among others, Diageo, MNet, Showmax, Absa, Adcock Ingram and Wunderman.

Retroviral’s revenue growth, at 28%, was considerably more modest but the agency is becoming a well-rounded, respected business.

Sabat, Willard, Liberty, i-Pay, FNB, Geniob, Supersonic, Dynamic Brands and Leadhome were among brands to entrust work to the agency last year. In the opposite direction, Bidvest Prestige, Galderma and Epson all went off the books.

The final contender was Rogerwilco — a name originally from radio communications, meaning "received and will comply". As a full-service digital agency, Rogerwilco would once have slotted into our digital agency category. That category has gone, now the industry accepts that digital is no longer an add-on but an integral part of advertising.

Revenue grew 31% last year on the back of new work from Gumtree, eSat, The Crazy Store, V&A Waterfront, Air Seychelles, Nescafé and others. The year’s awards highlight was two golds at the Assegais — one of them for Clarissa Fleischer in the young direct marketer category.

David Furlonger

AWARDS

NETWORK MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR: The MediaShop Avoiding the low road Staying the course and maintaining its winning streak

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n years gone by, The MediaShop used to draw a line through the AdFocus question asking agencies to list the low points of the previous 12 months. Such negative sentiments didn’t exist, said the agency. Every day was a good day.

A similar attitude still exists, one suspects. As group MD Chris Botha observes, SA might have been through one of the toughest financial periods in its history, suffering recession and record unemployment, but there were no such problems at The MediaShop.

It grew billings by 13% to over R5bn; enjoyed record profits; won Africa’s biggest cross-continental pitch; nearly doubled staff ownership of the agency from 19% to 34%; founded a new agency; and won a stack of awards.

Low points? What low points?

Given all this success, The MediaShop, our 2019 AdFocus Network Agency of the Year, was always going to be hard to beat.

But it certainly wasn’t unbeatable.

We don’t usually have a five-strong shortlist for agency awards but the competition was so stiff this year that we had no choice.

Carat, OMD, Vizeum and PHD all The Mediashop MD Chris Botha pushed the eventual winner close.

PHD fell only a fraction of a fraction put accounts out to repitch but says the short. The only agency to not make the grade experience is uncomfortable for incumbent was The MediaShop’s newborn sibling, Meta agencies: “It feels like your husband is going on Media, which relied heavily on big brother to a ‘walkabout’ to look at other women while get going. you remain married.”

No doubt it will flourish independently in Awards this year included a Loeries Grand the future.

Prix and recognition at the Most, Amasa and The MediaShop’s biggest new-billings win Bookmarks events. during the AdFocus review period was the As a previous winner of the AdFocus R294m MultiChoice business. That figure, Transformation Award, The MediaShop however, is just for SA. continues to press its empowerment Throw in MultiChoice billings for the rest of credentials. With a level 1 BBBEE rating, it is Africa and the total comes to just over R500m.

55% black-owned and 45% black The agency retained the Bonitas health-care female-owned, its management committee is business after pitching against other agencies.

50% black and executive committee 67% Botha says he understands why clients need to

black. So what did PHD do to run it so close? Plenty. Last year it retained 95% of its clients and added Singapore Airlines, BestMed, Pernod Ricard, Shoprite Africa, Liberty Digital, Siqalo Foods, Hewlett Packard and Unilever.

Unilever alone contributed R779m to R1.25bn of new billings, and Pernod Ricard another R101m.

On the downside, GSK and Capitec left, taking R625m with them.

The agency has opened new offices in Durban, Tanzania, Mauritius, Zambia and Mozambique to service Unilever and MTN. Against such opposition, last year’s winner of this award, Vizeum, was always going to struggle to repeat its success.

It made solid progress: Fedhealth and RocoMamas were among brands contributing to billings growth of 15.1%.

That’s a good base from which Vizeum’s new leadership can build.

Anne van Rensburg was appointed MD of Vizeum Cape Town and Byron John, MD of the Johannesburg operation.

Carat won one of SA’s prime pieces of business when it gained the Absa account, worth R5.515m in billings, and managed the bank’s relaunch campaign.

Other significant account additions were Moët Hennessey and Red Bull.

OMD SA, meanwhile, keeps going from strength to strength, though its sheer size often masks the fact.

Billings growth of 2.5% may seem small compared to that of some other agencies, but when you are working from a group base of over R7bn and representing more than 42,000 line items, actual growth in billings and revenue terms are of a size some other agencies would kill for.

David Furlonger AdFocus 2019 - 17

AWARDS

INDEPENDENT MEDIA AGENCY OF THE YEAR: Mediology Gaining momentum

18 - AdFocus 2019

Freddy Mavunda

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na Carrapichano, you owe Rob Smuts a beer. Actually, you owe him a case. No, make that a lorry load. Mediology, Carrapachino’s agency, pushed the entry deadline for this award to its absolute limit. Should it be considered, or not? Yes, said Smuts, founder and MD of RMS Media and a member of the AdFocus media awards jury.

Mediology was a good agency which had just had another good year. It deserved to be in the mix. In Smuts’s words: “It’s probably a winning entry.”

He was right — though he probably wished he wasn’t. Because the other agency shortlisted in this category was RMS. Smuts’s goodwill towards Mediology was his own downfall.

Mediology, SA’s largest fully accredited, independent media agency, won R196m in new billings during the AdFocus judging period, from May 2018 to April 2019. Most of that came from Momentum Metropolitan, won in a four-way pitch in mid-2018 and worth R118,604,563 annually. The Momentum business is managed by Mediology’s Johannesburg office, and Metropolitan by Cape Town.

The agency sorely needed a big win after its previous biggest account, the National Lottery, took its media business in-house. Working on that “fast-paced” account was a huge learning curve, says Carrapichano. “If you can run that account effectively, you can pretty much run any account.”

Lessons learnt from the National Lottery experience enabled Mediology to launch two Momentum Metropolitan campaigns within three months of winning the contract.

The Bridgestone automotive group also provided Mediology with more business during the year.

Mediology has put a lot of resources into its digital division in recent years, and that paid off with the digital business of the Hippo insurance brand, followed by that of the parent company, Telesure Investment Holdings. Since then, the agency has won other Telesure brands and is bidding for more.

Mediology founder and CEO Ana Carrapichano with MD Gus Truter

It’s not surprising that Telesure has moved more business to the agency. A Hippo digital campaign, including the widespread use of Google and YouTube, racked up impressive results. Measurable brand awareness, advertisement recall, purchasing intent, brand interest and spend efficiency all peaked. Down the line, customer conversions to the brand also increased appreciably.

All this contributed to an 80% year-on-year increase in digital revenue.

Carrapichano says the agency has undergone restructuring since last year, including investment in people and technology.

One aim is to create more “strategic, client-facing skills”. She says: “We have also invested behind our consumer insights division, with the end goal that it functions as the heart of the agency.”

Smuts and RMS were always going to struggle against this kind of growth though, in Mediology’s absence, they would also have been worthy winners. RMS is a small, tight agency so the R74.9m in new billings is impressive in the context where it operates.

The biggest chunk of new business, worth R33.5m, came from MAQ fabric softener, but there was also appreciable revenue from

Edcon, Garmin, Alpha Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Others to contribute to 13% growth in media billings included e-Tolls, Phumulela Racing, Netcare Healthcare, Scania Trucks and the Institute of Directors.

One area where RMS scored poorly on judges’ cards was in empowerment transformation. Smuts believes this hurdle will be overcome following the creation of a sister company, 51% owned by black females. The level 2 company, against the main agency’s level 4 BBBEE status, will be “the driving force behind our future success”, says Smuts. For now, though, the new business is in its formative stages and its impact on AdFocus scoring has yet to be felt.

Agencies in media categories are required to provide a case study showing the effectiveness of media strategy. For RMS, the subject was The Glass Recycling Company, for which a concerted campaign yielded a national glass recycling rate of 42%, 600,000kg of glass collected from schools, provision of work for 50,000 people, the training of 1,122 entrepreneurs, and an 82% success rate in diverting bottles and jars from landfill sites.

David Furlonger

AWARDS

PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR: M&C Saatchi Abel and Nando’s Defying the poisoned chalice

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fter M&C Saatchi Abel pitched for the Nando’s advertising business five years ago, the agency received good and bad news. The good news was that it won the account. The bad news? It won the account. Down the years, Nando’s has generated some of SA’s most memorable advertising campaigns. Irreverent, edgy, quick to respond to whatever is happening socially and politically, the brand enjoys a licence to puncture egos that others can only dream of.

That’s one reason the brand has been voted

by SA advertising agencies as the country’s most desired account. What this means, however, is that any agency winning the business has the weight of history on its shoulders. That’s why, when M&C won the account, Nando’s chief marketing officer Doug Pace wrote MD Mike Abel a letter: “Being the Nando’s creative agency is, on the surface, a dream come true. To take the reins on a brand with such an iconic catalogue of advertising is a treat, right? Well, yes and no. We have struggled with many creative partners haunted by the achievements of Nando’s past. Such hauntings rarely make great work.”

Abel himself admits: “Winning a multi-awarded client can be a poisoned chalice. One can be so intimidated by the brand’s august past that brave and brilliant work is impossible.”

So M&C decided not to be intimidated but to pursue two basic goals. These were, to build on the legacy of past advertising but also, more importantly, to do what it was ultimately hired to do: help Nando’s sell more flame-grilled chicken to more customers in more markets.

The fact that both goals have been achieved so successfully is the reason that M&C Saatchi Abel and Nando’s are winners of the 2019 AdFocus Partnership of the Year award.

Two other agency-client partnerships made the shortlist for this award. Joe Public and Nedbank have made huge business and marketing strides during their six years together. The same is true for FCB Africa and

This award is sponsored by:

and:

Coca-Cola over the past eight years.

Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of Independent Agency Selection, the sponsor of this award, was impressed by both entries. She says the fact that Joe Public has increased its share of Nedbank business in such a difficult economic and business environment speaks volumes for the relationship. The FCB-Coca-Cola relationship is characterised by “continuous innovation, very close working relationships, trust, respect and excellent business and creative results”.

None of this, though, could take them past our winners. McDowell says: “Great results, business-wise and creatively. Their work has led to the agency being appointed in other countries on the brand as well as increasing their share of the business locally. Their way of working together is very refreshing and denotes a high level of trust and integrity.”

That trust runs deep. Abel says: “Nando’s gives us the right to be wrong. Even if it sometimes doesn’t believe an ad will work, it goes with our opinion.”

Despite the many creative advertising accolades, Nando’s had never previously won an Apex award for effective advertising. That has changed on M&C’s watch. As Abel says: “It’s one thing loving the advertising, but the real measure is how that translates into actual

sales.” The agency even surpassed spending efficiency targets — based on a ratio of spending to impact — by 50%.

Abel says: “Nando’s was so thrilled with our performance and intuitive partnership, that it awarded us many ongoing campaign projects across the Africa, Middle East and Asia region.

Another division of Nando’s then invited us to pitch for their sauces and condiments business, which we won. Sales flew.”

With M&C, the brand has won grands prix at the past two Loeries creative awards.

Abel says campaign planners decided to address national despondency. So viewers saw Jacob Zuma, Mmusi Maimane and Julius Malema playing “truth-or-dare” over a new introduction of chicken wings, and the Gupta brothers fleeing SA with bags of cash, three months before they actually left.

The agency also decided to compile SA’s biggest repository of indigenous names, so people would no longer have an excuse for mis-spelling them, and published it internationally. Nando’s Pace has no doubt about the efficacy of the partnership or of M&C’s contribution to it. He says: “If you care about your brand, need to be challenged and want to do brave and important work, then this is your agency. Hire it before your competition does.”

David Furlonger AdFocus 2019 - 19

AWARDS

PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY OF THE YEAR: Atmosphere Communications Spot the difference Clients explain what makes a winning agency

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wards entries consist mostly of agencies patting themselves on the back. It makes a change to hear the client side. So what does Thabo Mbaso, Santam’s head of corporate communications, have to say about his PR agency?

“The team is professional, courteous and innovative. The attitude is always positive, there is a sense of freshness and an eagerness to get things done. More importantly, the agency really understands earned media and has good relationships with top-tier stakeholders.”

Or Alison Bonny, Spotify’s communications head for Europe, Middle East and Africa? “I selected this agency to support Spotify’s launch in SA because I felt they took the time to understand our brand, the competitive landscape and the opportunities for us to gain media cut-through.

“The team has been extraordinarily proactive. They delivered an amazing campaign, securing more on-message coverage than we could have hoped for. I can’t recommend them highly enough.”

The agency they are talking about is Atmosphere Communications, the 2019 AdFocus Public Relations Agency of the Year.

Winning has become a habit for Atmosphere, adjudged by the Public Relations Institute of SA (Prisa) this year as the country’s best midsized agency.

MD Nicola Nel says its haul of golds at the Prisa awards made Atmosphere the most awarded PR consultancy in the 20 years of the awards.

International recognition included multiple Sabre awards.

Then there’s the business. During the AdFocus judging period from July 2018 to June 2019, Atmosphere increased revenue by 24%.

Of that, 72% came from existing clients. The value of client retention can sometimes be overlooked in the pursuit of new business.

That value is underlined by the fact that almost 20 - AdFocus 2019

Atmosphere Communications MD Nicola Nel

one-third of Atmosphere’s revenue comes from clients that have been with the agency for over 10 years.

New-business wins last year included top local and international brands like Cell C, Sunglass Hut, Spotify, Lufthansa, Airbnb UK and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.

Clients to part ways with the agency included Nestlé, Trematon and Bluewater. By the end of June this year, the agency had 31 active clients.

One can’t ignore the fact that Atmosphere is part of the King James Group so some of its business comes through the family. Much of its business, however, is self-generated.

It’s also noteworthy that Atmosphere has moved away from the traditional PR agency model that limits itself to services like media relations, reputation management and investor relations.

These days, says Nel, it’s a fully integrated communications agency also offering the likes of content creation, digital PR, influencer relations, executive training and social media.

This change of focus mirrors what is happening throughout the brand communications world, where old boundaries between advertising, branding, digital, media strategy and other activities have been eroded in pursuit of a consolidated whole.

Atmosphere is a level 1 BBBEE company.

Last year it launched Zebra Horse, through which local staff now own 36% of the company.

The PR category requires agencies to use a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of their work. German technology company Siemens asked Atmosphere to help spread the message that data and smart technology can prepare African cities for the continent’s mass urbanisation.

By 2050, more than 1.4-billion Africans will live in cities, many of which will double their populations by then.

With the right planning and support, “these smart solutions will enable African countries to leapfrog into the future”, says Nel. The campaign positioned Siemens as an expert on two fast-growing African cities — Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi. The goal was to encourage nontechnical conversation around industrial digitalisation in Africa; and present Siemens to governments and industry stakeholders as the leading voice on the issue.

Using African textiles and the language of fashion — including a fashion show highlighting Siemens’ digital expertise — Atmosphere and its partners achieved outstanding African and international awareness, including 27.5-million content impressions in six weeks, widespread coverage in SA and overseas media, and strong demand from the global fashion industry. Paris and New York Fashion Weeks both wanted to screen the fashion show video.

Keshen Govender, Siemens group communications head for Southern and East Africa, says of the campaign: “The unique blend of fashion and technology came together exceptionally. The great work from Atmosphere and the King James Group helped us catapult the conversation about the positive possibilities that digital technology can bring to our clients and stakeholders in Africa in a relatable and highly visual way.”

David Furlonger

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SHAPESHIFTER AWARD: Ernest Nkosi Resilience pays off for this young creative Innovative young talent breaks new ground; shifts the status quo

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rnest Nkosi learnt from an early age the value of resilience. It taught him self-belief and the confidence to push on during tough times and make the most of the good. In fact, he maintains that resilience is the most important lesson he has learnt in his career as a filmmaker and creative director at content agency Original Creative Breed and as a commercial director. He also promotes car-spinning events for the WSME Group.

AdFocus’s Shapeshifter Award recognises innovative young talent breaking new ground and shifting the traditional status quo. Nkosi, this year’s winner, is certainly making his mark. He’s already experienced considerable success as an advertiser and filmmaker, most notably for representing SA at the 2015 Golden Globes and the Oscars, where the feature film he co-wrote, produced and directed, Thina Sobabili (The Two of Us) was a top five contender.

The film was a self-funded culmination of four years of saving. Nkosi will begin the journey again in 2020 with a new film, An Ordinary People which he plans to take on the Oscar run.

Another career highlight was working on Vodacom’s 20th anniversary campaign, a project which taught him that he has what it takes to work on big brands. “It was frustrating and exhausting work with long days, but incredibly rewarding,” he says.

Growing up in the Nhlapo section of Katlehong, east of Joburg, Nkosi had a difficult childhood, losing both parents while he was still a teenager. That devastating experience taught him resilience and the importance of courage and perseverance in the face of adversity.

It was this courage that set the course for his career in advertising. After seeing a TV show called Pitch, a story based on three ad agencies pitching for the same account, he set his sights on a career in the industry and called a number of agencies asking them to give him an opportunity. It was Phillip Ireland, founder of Ireland/Davenport who saw his potential and gave him an opportunity.

Ernest Nkosi

“I remain grateful to this day for Phil Ireland’s mentorship, which continues though he now lives in the UK,” Nkosi says, adding that his career has been built on the sacrifice and conviction of so many people — people who saw something in him.

It helped that he was a decent writer and having recently graduated from film school, knew how to tell a good story. “After all, a good story is at the heart of everything,” he says.

“We are the content makers in today’s advertising industry, which is about the

expression of stories, coming from those who have the agility to move quickly and understand the concepts, content and ideas that represent SA today,” he says of the industry’s current shapeshifters.

Film making — and creativity in general in SA — lacks structure and support, he says.

Young filmmakers find themselves in an industry where they can shoot a film, but lack mentorship. “Even the fact that the first film I ever made was a possible Oscar contender was not enough to attract the funding I needed to make the next film,” he says.

That, however, is not what Nkosi sees as the problem. “The problem lies with the filmmakers themselves,” he says. “They are simply not brave enough to back themselves and their work and push for it to compete on a global scale as opposed to sitting back and waiting for funding.

“Why not rather take 10% of the money you make on other jobs and save it to enable a young filmmaker to fund his own film,” he says, adding that it is far easier to sit back and complain about the industry than take matters into your own hands and go for what you want.

Nkosi, by his own admission, is not planning on resting on his laurels any time soon.

Samantha du Chenne AdFocus 2019 - 21

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INDUSTRY LEADER OF THE YEAR: Neo Mashigo A creative who speaks to the consumer’s heart Focus on transformation of SA’s vernacular in advertising in a relevant and more meaningful manner

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his year’s AdFocus Industry Leader of the Year is the multi-award winning creative, Neo Mashigo. Mashigo has been a driving force in the industry to transform SA’s vernacular advertising into authentic advertising with a uniquely African voice. He has long advocated throwing the rule book out of the window and for the local advertising industry to start telling consistently SA stories in a uniquely home-grown voice.

An outspoken critic of campaigns which depict a stereotypical view of consumers, Mashigo argues that brands that insist on portraying these traditional views are missing out on opportunities to engage with consumers through authentic storytelling.

He has also criticised the industry for being too focused on ticking racial boxes, in the process sacrificing authenticity and failing to tell the more genuine stories. “If the creative industry is to survive and thrive, it’s imperative that it tells authentic stories that engage consumers in a relevant and more meaningful manner,” he says.

For too long, local advertising didn’t get it right because global advertising departments had too much influence over what was being created here without having a sufficient understanding — or appreciation — of the nuances of local culture. He concedes, however, that it takes a brave client to give a campaign that doesn’t fall into their known lexicon the go-ahead.

That is starting to change, he says, as the industry finds its own voice through creativity.

“We’re seeing more work being produced in the vernacular, in various languages; we’re being more inclusive and showing more recognition for the many diverse cultures making up our nation. Representation is important. In previous years we didn’t see this type of diversity in advertising.”

Nuances are important, he adds, particularly in terms of ensuring that all groups feel recognised and acknowledged.

However, in order to ensure that the work 22 - AdFocus 2019

AdFocus Industry Leader of the Year is the multi-award winning creative, Neo Mashigo

the industry is producing is inclusive, the talent that produces that work needs to be representative, he says.

Despite a passion for writing and drama throughout his school career, a career in advertising was not Mashigo’s childhood dream. Rather, he dreamt of being a lawyer and was an active member of his school debating team.

He embarked on a university law degree.

However, it was while working for a research company that researched advertisements that he realised how many ads flighted locally were getting it so wrong.

After responding to a newspaper ad posted by the Creative Directors Forum calling for individuals who were interested in pursuing a career in advertising, Mashigo was selected to participate in an accelerated programme.

During the day he worked at Net#work BBDO — the only black creative in the agency — and in the evenings he attended first the AAA School of Advertising and later Vega School.

He spent a total of four years at Net#work as a copywriter, before being appointed as a creative group head at Ogilvy, where he remained for the next two years. In 2007 Mashigo joined FCB as an executive creative

director. It was while working at FCB that he co-founded I See a Different You with a group of like-minded Soweto-born creatives as a side project. The business was initially founded on the idea of providing an alternative view of Soweto and later extended to changing perceptions of Africa, showing its vibrancy and potential as opposed to depicting it as a hungry, burning continent.

Today, I See a Different You positions itself as a production company, specialising in film, photography and influencer work. It is looking to establish a creative Saturday school to provide township children with access to the creative arts. Mashigo feels strongly that all children should be exposed to critical and creative thinking. “Creativity can be taught when the will is there,” he says.

Mashigo is the only member of the team who works full time for an agency.

In 2017 he joined M&C Saatchi Abel as creative partner and in 2018 was promoted to chief creative officer.

Since joining the agency he has pushed to involve more nontraditional creatives into business while at the same time providing an environment where creatives are able to thrive; one which allows them more freedom than many traditional agencies offer.

“Creative people don’t want to be chained to a desk, working nine to five, sitting through laborious meetings,” he says.

“They want to work on their own terms at their own pace. I think as an industry we haven’t figured out how to make this happen; how to get the client, the agency and the employee on the same page.”

He concedes that retaining talent is tough.

“Many people leave for overseas where it’s easier to find positions that are more flexible.

It’s good to let the talent go, to experience new places and cultures and then come back and share that knowledge and new understanding back home.”

Colleagues say he arrived at M&C Saatchi Abel to an agency in flux, teetering somewhere between lukewarm and remarkable. Under his

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creative leadership, however, the agency has made remarkable strides in its creative product, bagging wins at all the major award shows including two Loerie Grands Prix in two successive years. Under Mashigo’s watch, the agency has won 70 creative awards and won its biggest account to date, Standard Bank.

His typically larger-than-life personality and commanding presence has resonated with the agency’s clients. “Neo is great at building relationships,” says a colleague. “He’s able to engage and inspire clients with his insightful perspectives on the creative product. We have managed to solidify many of our client relationships just by having his creative leadership and his voice in the room when it mattered. This has allowed us to sell some of the wildest — but at the same time, most powerful — creative ideas.”

As a result M&C Saatchi Abel has risen in the Creative Circle rankings from 18th position in 2016 to seventh positon in 2018.

One of the most sought after creative accounts every industry creative would love to get their teeth into is Nando’s. M&C Saatchi Abel won the account in 2015. Last year the agency introduced the #RightMyName campaign with the aim of removing spellcheck’s red line from nontraditional names. Nando’s crowdsourced names and built a new dictionary that was made available

via an app on Human Rights Day in 2018, which then removed the red line from under their name.

This year Nando’s Afro-tising campaign won a Grand Prix at the Loeries. The campaign, says Mashigo, raised a lot of questions about how brands communicate — and the way in which they speak — to consumers. “Advertising is in essence intruding in the consumer’s life, which means you need to make what you’re saying worth their while. If what you are producing is fun and engaging or even emotive, you have

Neo Mashigo

already won half the battle.”

M&C Saatchi Abel is increasingly focusing on nontraditional agency spaces, like the Nelson Mandela memorial project, the Tower of Light, a business, tourism and community project precinct which aims to represent the former president’s journey.

Mashigo has mentored a number of young black creatives in the industry, both those working with him and those from competitor agencies. “You’ll often find him deep in conversation with someone in his office wrestling with a creative idea or giving advice, both within M&C Saatchi Abel and even the broader industry as evidenced by the number of creatives from other agencies you’ll see walking our hallways towards his office,” says a colleague. “He is one of those rare black creatives who have persisted with their advertising careers. He understands how important it is for him to bear the torch for those who come after him and to represent black creatives at a senior level and even globally.”

Mashigo is a board member and former chair of The Loerie Awards, sits on the executive committee of the Creative Circle and has previously judged D&AD, the One Show and Cannes Lions.

Lynette Dicey AdFocus 2019 - 23

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Virginia Hollis Honouring the industry’s unsung heroes An unrelenting passion in the face of evolution and disrupters

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Virginia Hollis

collaborations will be the norm in the future.

“Skills don’t all have to be under one roof,” she says. “My particular strength is media strategy and implementation. If a client needs additional services that are out of my area of expertise, I’ll collaborate with somebody who is an expert in that area. If we’re to grow smaller agencies in this industry, we have to give them an opportunity, remembering that for the most part, economic growth in this country will come from smaller businesses, not big businesses.”

Hollis rolls her eyes when the discussion turns to digital.

Digital agencies have their place, she says, but they should be working in collaboration with other small players.

“The problem with really good digital shops

Freddy Mavunda

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n every industry there are the unsung heroes; those individuals who tirelessly volunteer their time and efforts towards improving the sector, participating in industry associations — often doing the thankless jobs nobody else is prepared to do — and mentoring youngsters who are entering the field.

Virginia Hollis is one of these unsung heroes and a fitting recipient of this year’s AdFocus Lifetime Achievement Award.

Founder and owner of Magnetic Connection, a strategic communications company which works with a number of local and international clients as well as media owners, and co-owner of G2 Connection, a business that handles media integration and solutions around TV productions and events, Hollis has spent the majority of her career in media strategy, planning and buying.

Prior to establishing Magnetic Connection she was MD of The Media Shop, one of the largest media agencies in the country, for 15 years.

“I resigned from The MediaShop because I was tired of being part of a big corporate,” she says. “Establishing Magnetic Connection meant that I was able to get back to doing what I love: media strategy and advising clients. I actually like my clients and we’re in the fortunate position to be able to choose who we do business with. I loathe pitching, which typically means the prospective client is looking to get the cheapest possible service without factoring chemistry into the equation, something which I think is critical.”

She says too many multinationals think they need a large media agency to handle their business, not realising that a smaller player will in all likelihood be able to provide more affordable solutions. The result, she says, is that the majority of smaller media agencies will never be able to achieve scale.

Another challenge, she says, is the fact that many larger brands don’t know how to do business with a smaller company, and that

is that their innovation is often inhibited as soon as they’re sucked into larger agencies,” she says.

While digital continues to make inroads, Hollis doesn’t believe the local marketplace is yet at a place where a big brand can be launched exclusively on digital. “Digital still needs to address issues such as reach.”

It’s programmatic buying, however, that really raises her ire. “It’s an exceptionally lazy way of buying digital but something that will continue to be done as a result of the pressure on agency resources.”

She insists that clients need to respect the intellectual property that resides within media agencies, instead of continually trying to negotiate ever lower costs. “We can’t keep dumbing down media agencies because clients

AWARDS demand everything at a cheaper rate — it’s simply not sustainable.”

Her other pet hates include acronyms, -isms of any kind (racism, sexism and ageism in particular), and poor punctuation.

A concerning trend Hollis has noted in recent years is the tendency for some media agencies to retire employees over a certain age and replace them with younger — usually cheaper —staff. “The industry is crazy to let experienced and highly skilled staff slip through their fingers given that media is such a highly specialised skills set. There’s only so much you can teach about media, particularly strategy which relies heavily on experience. Most people coming into the industry are clueless when it comes to media strategy and don’t understand that an X on a schedule does not equate to a strategy.”

The problem, she says, is that while schools teach theory fairly comprehensively, it’s not as easy to teach application, which needs to be learnt on site. “To succeed in the media industry requires logic and a good aptitude for maths. Some media agencies are even starting to appoint actuaries, statisticians and marketing graduates.”

The industry, she adds, has a poor record of empowering people with the knowledge to succeed. “Instead of getting rid of experienced people at a certain age we should be insisting that they embark on a two to three-year handover period, during which time the new incumbent learns the job from the individual they are replacing. The more senior the role the longer this transition period should be.”

She predicts that technology will continue to have a huge impact on the industry and that the role of media buying and planning will ultimately be obsolete, replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). “Removing the human element will be unfortunate as it’s unlikely that AI will be able to intuitively react to black swan events. When [US terrorist attacks] 9/11 happened, for instance, we immediately pulled all airline advertising. Similarly, you don’t want to see a beer ad straight after a report of mass casualties as a result of a drunken driving accident.”

The early days Hollis was unsure of what she wanted to do when she left school. As a result she ended up at a secretarial college and then got a job at a training company. It was suggested that she consider investigating the media industry.

Misunderstanding which area of media she

Freddy Mavunda

Out with the old, in with the new

should be focusing on, she was appointed as a salesperson for Caxton’s on the West Rand. “I was terrible at cold canvassing and I really didn’t enjoy it,” she says.

Eventually, however, she landed a job as a media buyer. “I was clueless at first so I used to call media owners and ask them to help me.

I was lucky as a number of industry stalwarts taught me the rules of the game: Tony Banahan and Alan Bursnall taught me how to read research; media analyst Ian Snelling taught me how to put a media strategy together and how to interpret data — I still clearly recall Snelling marking my early media strategies with a red pen — and Brian Gabriel, a notoriously difficult man, taught me how to handle difficult people.

The industry was small in those days and most of those who had been around for a while were patient enough to teach and mentor newbies like me.”

The world of media, she says, has changed significantly. “When I started out in this industry you had to look up information in a book and then laboriously cross-reference data. We didn’t have the technology that is now so ubiquitous, so we did everything the long and slow way. However, this had the benefit of providing us with a very deep understanding of the industry.”

Hollis joined The Media Business in 1985, leaving as a director in 1992. That same year she joined FCB and established FCB Global Media. Fast forward five years and FCB Global Media merged with The MediaShop, where she worked with media luminary Harry Herber.

“Not only was Herber great fun to work with, but he had a really good insight into the media industry. He’s a very clever man, a media god, and challenged me on a daily basis. His retirement was a great loss to the industry,” she says.

FCB Global Media merged into The MediaShop in 1997 with Hollis as MD. She left The Media Shop in 2012 to establish Magnetic Connection. Her contribution to the industry has been immense: she was a board member and driving force behind the Advertising Media Association of SA (Amasa) for several years.

She became secretary of Masa (Amasa’s predecessor) “because nobody else wanted the job” and later became chair.

She was a sounding board for Gordon Muller, the author of SA’s first media book and part of the team that rewrote the curriculum for the AAA School of Advertising.

Hollis remains a member of the Advertising Media Forum, an Association for Communication & Advertising affiliate through whose board members 95% of all SA media expenditure is bought. She was a member of the Loeries board for many years, where she chaired the media innovation category. She has judged the media innovation category at Cannes. As chair of the Market Research Foundation (previously known as Saarf), Hollis is determined to ensure that SA is ultimately able to provide world-class research.

“Becoming involved in industry associations and various boards is important because it allows you to see what’s lacking in the industry, where the issues are, and gives you access to very senior people,” she says.

“It’s also good to give back to the industry in some way. I’m a firm believer in paying it forward. I was mentored by many people in the early days of my career and I’ve always made sure that I make time to mentor those coming into the industry. Sometimes it’s just one introduction or one conversation that can make a profound difference on somebody’s career.”

In 2011 she was awarded Media Legend status at the Most Awards.

Hollis predicts that media agencies will either start to absorb smaller creative agencies in order to provide clients with complete solutions — something that makes sense given that 90% of adspend resides with media — or that media and creative agencies will begin to merge.

“There is no doubt that there is a need for media and creatives to work more closely together,” she says. “However, I’m yet to be convinced that taking media inhouse is always the solution. One of the biggest dangers with taking it inhouse is that media starts to have a myopic view and can lack innovation and originality.”

Lynette Dicey AdFocus 2019 - 25

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STUDENT OF THE YEAR: Danielle Benadé En-fuse-iastic response Danielle Benadé impressed the judges with her work, which proved to be a ‘cut above the rest’

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t was like a slow-burning fuse. The AdFocus jury was coming to the end of a long judging session and tiredness was beginning to creep in. “Just one more!” said the convenor, as the final submission started showing on the wall screen.

A couple of charts came up, lots of words … nothing special. Jurors started talking among themselves. Then, gradually, the submission began to take shape. The slow start was understood, then forgotten. One idea, one image flowed into the next. The talking stuttered then stopped as eyes fixed on the screen. At the end, the jury was unanimous.

Danielle Benadé would be one of our three finalists.

The question was, would she win?

In Zakiyya Karim and Jamie Calf, she faced formidable opponents. But when the scoring was complete, we had a clear winner. Danielle Benadé is the 2019 AdFocus Student of the Year.

This award is still waiting for its first winner from an inland school. Previous winners have all been students in Cape Town, Stellenbosch or Durban. Benadé keeps the tradition going.

She is in her final year at the Cape Town Creative Academy, specialising in communication design.

Her strengths, she says, are branding and conceptual ideas. “I like telling stories with my work,” she says.

That was evident from her entry. Some students entering this award let themselves down with unbalanced portfolios. Some parts may be brilliant but others are mediocre. Or they may lack a coherent thread running through the submission.

All three of our finalists, and their schools, had thought through their portfolios. Benadé’s, in particular, was a slow, steady build-up to a consummate finale. Perhaps one should not be surprised by her planned approach. Aged 25, she already has an architecture degree from the University of the Free State. “I like design with a purpose,” she says.

That’s why she describes herself as a

26 - AdFocus 2019

Danielle Benadé

brander and designer — “definitely not a typical ad agency person”. How she will develop that into a career isn’t clear yet. She recently undertook an internship with a Cape Town agency but has no fixed work plans. “I definitely see myself eventually having a career in SA but I’d like to travel for a few years first and gain international experience,” she says.

AdFocus jurors said of Benadé’s work: “It’s so well structured. You can see the thinking behind the design. You can see where she’s coming from and where she’s heading. It’s brilliant.”

Karim is also completing her studies. In her case it’s at Cape Town’s Red & Yellow School, where she specialises in art direction. Karim’s considerable talent has already been recognised. She has worked as a junior graphic designer in the school’s marketing department and completed an internship at Ogilvy.

She says she’d like to work at a big advertising agency. Her lecturer, Hanriette Rademan, has no doubts she’ll succeed. “She is shy and down-to-earth but has great empathy for people and works well in groups. She’s a very hard worker.”

Karim says she still has plenty to learn. “I enrol on courses if I think they will broaden my knowledge,” she says. “I like upskilling to learn about new things.”

Jurors said of her work: “Her work is amazing. It blows me away. Every piece of work is so cool. She does everything well.” Of a concept campaign for retailer Mr Price, one said: “The client should take this idea and flight it now. It’s that good.”

Calf proves there is plenty of talent inland, even if it didn’t make it into the winner’s circle for this award. She is an honours student in communication design at the University of Johannesburg. Her strengths, she says, include branding and packaging: “I’m not a plain advertising industry person.”

She has no specific career plans yet.

“What is supposed to happen, will happen,” she says.

Jurors described her work as “versatile”.

According to one: “She’s the sort of person we want to hire. What I really like is that we can see where her greatest skills lie but she is not afraid to move out of her comfort zone.”

David Furlonger

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

How do we stop clients from seeing creative services as a disposable commodity? In Grid’s case, we adapt to industry pressures through foresight and reinvention.

In 2017 we shook off the narrow description of ‘branding design’ agency. In 2018, we urged clients to stop having the same conversations as they only lead to the same answers. This year, we introduced an approach that redefines the way we engage with clients. We call it Investment Creative. By positioning creativity as an investment, we become obsessively involved in our client’s business, resulting in a shift to a value-based remuneration model that emphasizes results, not the hours spent. This way of working leads to more proactive thinking and creates an agile, fluid way of operating that lays the foundation for a relationship based on trust and mutual respect.

It also allows us to stay true to who we have always been at heart - the make it mean something company.

Invest creatively, call Masego on 011 502 4600

www.gridworldwide.com AdFocus 2019 - 27

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

MARKETING SKILLS FOR A NEW PARADIGM Marketers need to adapt to the changing landscape As technology gives the consumer more power than ever before, brands have to be innovative with their tools of the trade

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Freddy Mavunda

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s the business world paradigm shifts from technology being an enabler to a driver, so, inevitably, must the marketing paradigm find its fulcrum. And amid a revolution, evolution is unlikely to be a good strategy for marketers to keep pace with the fundamental reorganisation of how businesses are built and succeed. The proof of this is apparent in the widely agonised over meme that marketing is undergoing an existential crisis; a fundamental questioning of marketing’s purpose, value and meaning.

Technology has hugely complicated the marketing skills landscape and increased the power of the customer and consumer. The place and role of marketing in the company organogram has never been more fluid or less certain — witness the chief customer officer vs chief marketing officer (CMO) standoff, or indeed the role of the chief technology officer vs the CMO, or, as with Coca-Cola and other companies, replacing the CMO with a CGO — a chief growth officer, or simply restructuring marketing right out of the organogram. And how many companies are just lost in the scramble to become “digitally transformed”?

The democratisation of marketing technology tools and techniques has happened at a pace more rapid than the evolution of organisational design.

As marketing desperately tries to evolve in the midst of a business and consumer revolution, the current status is a bipolar disorder between two types and at times two generations of marketers: classical 4P’s foundationalists, strong on consumer insights and brand positioning and building, but lacking deep knowledge of data and digital; and data-driven, digital savvy revisionists, but shallow on the foundational principles of marketing. The driver of this hopefully temporary dysfunctional status, in my view, is not marketing’s inability to embrace or influence the technology revolution, but rather its alarming inability to reach consensus as a

Greg Garden

profession on whether marketing is an exact or inexact science, and thus to be clear on whether the fundamentals of marketing have or will change sufficiently to create a whole new marketing paradigm. A common cause answer to this existential question will provide the fulcrum for a new marketing paradigm.

In the absence of any compelling argument to support a belief that the principles of marketing have, as a result of the fourth industrial revolution, rapidly morphed into a new set of foundational principles, it is imperative that the “two types and two generations” of marketers polarity is replaced with congruity.

At its core, marketing is about influencing consumer attitudes and behaviour. It’s about how to achieve the “what” of the business. To do that requires marketing knowledge and skills that are not new: understanding and application of consumer decision theory; deep and specific consumer knowledge and insight; a fundamental appreciation of branding and why brands really matter; and compelling storytelling, messaging, and communication abilities. The basics of brand building are still the foundation of marketing. The experiences of WeWork, Uber, and increasingly Facebook

are real-time testimony to that.

Technology has created a whole new spectrum of touchpoints through which marketers interact with consumers and has democratised the control we have over those touchpoints. The marketing communication funnel bears no resemblance to that of just a decade ago. Consumer behaviour has followed suit – “loyalty” as a principle is on the decline, “opinions” are replacing “attitudes”, the range of choice and availability facilitates easier brand switching, and “now” is the time. But the tech revolution provides new intelligent tools for marketers.

A hyper-connected world makes the marketer’s job ever more thrilling and potentially more effective, and reinforces the need for strong core marketing principles to be the foundation on which to build new methods and techniques for achieving the “how”.

Indeed, it could be argued that it is not the business paradigm shift that has driven marketing’s existential crisis, but rather the old problem that most marketers are notoriously bad at the fundamentals of business. Marketers who truly understand the complex role of marketing in the broader commercial, environmental and sociopolitical spheres of business, and who know how to use the interconnectedness of everything to forge paths for consumers to collaborate in building compelling and relevant brands, have no crisis of confidence or uncertainly of role or function in their organisations. In the new paradigm more than ever before, marketers must not only be marketing fit for purpose, but must be business fit and technologically fit for purpose.

The marketing capabilities required to thrive into and through the fourth industrial revolution will encompass the breadth of commercial and technological savvy, the reach of channel, touchpoint and experiential suss, and the depth of consumer and brand wisdom.

Garden is the CEO of the Marketing Association of SA

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

TECHNOLOGY IN ADVERTISING

Agencies must regularly make acquisitions in ‘blind spots’ The ability to recognise and harness new thinking and systems into existing products will ultimately determine success or failure

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few years back I was fortunate enough to chat to Mathias Duarte, Google’s head of design, at an awards ceremony in New York. Two things stood out for me that evening. The first was the winner in the automotive innovation category: a little start-up from San Francisco called Uber — and we all know how that panned out — while the other was a comment Duarte made about where “everything” was going.

“One day every company will be a technology company,” he said in parting.

Prophetic words, given that every year since then has provided mounting evidence to support his view. A discussion around technology in advertising feels like a few years too late. The impact of digital is not opinion, but fact. Whether that’s through observing that the beach events and pavilions at Cannes are almost exclusively hosted by tech businesses, or the sobering fact that Google reported second-quarter advertising revenue of $32.6bn in 2019. That’s bordering on what the two largest advertising groups earned throughout the whole of 2018.

More than two decades ago when Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google, working out of a garage in Menlo Park, developed the PageRank algorithm, no-one could have predicted the impact of that innovation on this industry.

Similarly, no-one could have predicted that the start-up they purchased 10 years ago would have more followers than either Christianity or Islam. YouTube’s 2-billion users, in excess of 300-million daily, consume on average 60 minutes a day of content on the channel. In the formative years of both businesses, we simply didn’t grasp the magnitude of the impact. Or we did, and didn’t act fast enough. They were a blind spot.

So where are the other potential blind spots? What should we invest in, what talent and skill should we acquire? I have no idea!

Every day there are new inventions,

Yatish Narsi

innovations and developments that push the limit of what you thought possible. We thought repetitive tasks were all going to be automated while creative would remain, and then we got artificial intelligence (AI) platforms capable of composing original music, generating stock photography of people who don’t exist, and paint in any style of any artist throughout history.

We thought computers could never replace human intuition and our understanding of each other. And then we started to see the merger of biotech and infotech resulting in so many data points — both internal and external — that algorithms and super computers could ultimately understand human needs and desires better than we can.

We thought computation aside, the complex balance, motor skills and agility of the human body were years away from being replicated, and then Boston Dynamics released an online video of a robot doing Parkour. These are all blind spots, and there are a lot of them.

Worrying about where the next big threat

will come from is pointless. It will come from any and everywhere. The Jeff Bezos philosophy of obsessing about the things that will not change is arguably a more useful way to spend your time. Customers are never going to want products that cost more and take longer.

Perhaps the biggest shift we will need to make is in cultivating a product mindset, after years of being in the service one. Creativity is our product. Every year we will need to make it better, faster, cheaper and more effective than before. We will need to wow our customers with new features, developments and packaging to keep them upgrading. I think more than the practical impact, the technology revolution has changed what people expect.

On demand, always on, faster and better, year after year. I don’t think we need to upskill ourselves in the development of new technologies, unless we believe we can do it better. We need to focus on upskilling how we deploy as many of the right technologies required to keep our creative product developing and relevant.

Even companies such as Apple and Google regularly make acquisitions in blind spots, whether that’s acquiring natural language input start-ups to improve their voice assistants, or photography and imaging businesses to improve the performance of their cameras.

The ability to recognise and rapidly integrate new thinking and technologies into our existing products and structures will ultimately determine success or failure.

Which brings me full circle to, “One day every company will be a technology company”. Technology is already in every company. E-mail sucks now, but it was the height of technology at some point. Technology has a habit of making itself redundant, but if used correctly it can only make advertising better.

Yatish Narsi is chief experience officer at Grid Worldwide AdFocus 2019 - 29

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

TRAINING’S NEW PARADIGM Agencies and education institutions need to be a-changin’ If your time to you is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’ — Bob Dylan: The Times They Are A-Changin’ (1963)

I

n order to support the demands of the fourth industrial revolution now ragin’, we need a dramatic two-way skills and development shift. A shift in both brand and communication companies as well as in education institutions.

This two-way shift is largely due to the majority of our markets being millennials who communicate on digital platforms.

This has caused slow-to-change traditional agencies to merge, downsize, acquire digital businesses and outsource digital skills or drown.

Education and training for the sector, on the other hand, is changing, albeit not quickly enough and with insufficient scale.

As Doris Viljoen, a senior futurist at the Institute for Futures Research has said: “Education needs a total facelift … It needs to be reimagined and aligned with emerging skills requirements.”

But a number of radical changes are also required in agencies, most of which are inadequately transformed digitally and with regard to age, race and gender; especially in senior positions.

The cultures in many of these agencies are also not always millennial-friendly in that they are overly structured, too top-down and patriarchal.

How else does one explain the increasing number of young people opening small hot-shops or operating as freelancers?

The majority of young people graduating with creative, communication and marketing degrees are, in my experience, not at all excited about working in a traditional agency.

Four critical issues We have four issues to resolve: ● Revisit the matric curriculum in public high schools, the majority of which (97%) don’t offer the five creative subjects: music, art, drama, dance and design from grade 8 to grade 12.

30 - AdFocus 2019

Gordon Cook is the co-founder of Vega

Hardly any offer digital subjects such as coding.

Tech billionaire Jack Ma said at the World Economic Forum in 2018 that: “We should teach our kids … the arts to make sure they are different. Everything we teach should make them different from machines.”

A World Economic Forum report states that: “Most primary school students will be working in jobs that don’t yet exist, therefore a future-focused approach to education needs to be considered.”

Consider the explosion of careers now available in animation, content creation, social media management, coding, app development and gaming, all of which are needed to connect with consumers of today and tomorrow; ● Agencies must make their structures,

systems and cultures far more millennial friendly; ● Better provide and enable internships, coaching development and continuous learning within agencies; and ● Experienced representatives of traditional agencies must contribute more in terms of guest lecturing, the showing of great work, briefing-in of student projects and the adjudicating of student work.

This should obviously be done in the few specialist creative institutions such as Vega, Open Window, Umuzi and AAA School of Advertising.

But it can also be done in high schools and relevant faculties such as the humanities including fine art, design, literature, philosophy and drama as well as architecture within

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT people who would rather work for clients’ companies that have many continuous learning and development programmes.

traditional universities.

Connecting to one another Tertiary institutions and relevant faculties need to reach out to the world of work and facilitate the connection of the traditional and the disruptive new world of technology.

This can be done by having regular collaborative meetings, workplace field trips, the briefing-in of student projects as well as guest presentations.

On the last point, everyone wins: agencies and companies are exposed to talent and fresh ideas while the students gain real-world experience and feedback.

Agencies and tertiary institutions can work together to open the pipeline, particularly from public high schools into exciting job opportunities in the creative space.

This will require a lot of energy to shift the Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum to one that has a lot more Steam (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics).

Because there are no longer traditional career ladders and we zig-zag through our work life, it’s vital to have a few relevant mentors to assist with personal growth, purpose and development.

This raises another issue: that of continuous development.

Viljoen argues that life-long learning should become an imperative and that all of us working in organisations require “multiple

A development forum

rounds of upskilling, side-skilling and reskilling”.

The reality is that agencies are generally extremely poor with regard to proper induction, internship programmes and continuous learning.

The absence of this desensitises young

Perhaps what is required is an overarching People Development Forum (PDF).

This could be made up of representatives from digital companies, agencies, hot-shops, The Creative Circle, marketing companies, a few experienced freelancers and academic representatives.

The purpose of the forum would be first, to develop strategies and programmes that open the pipeline from public high schools into the creative sector.

Second, to ensure more collaboration between the needs of industry and clients and the education programmes in specialist creative schools and faculties.

Third, to work together to oversee internships – perhaps a version of the successful Thumbprint and Imagination Lab Programme.

Finally, the PDF could work with like-minded organisations to lobby provincial and national government to get the creative subjects offered up to matric.

After all, creativity is probably Africa’s most natural sustainable competitive advantage.

Gordon Cook is the co-founder of Vega, Imagination Labs and ReimagiNation Foundation

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AdFocus 2019 - 31

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

INDUSTRY EVOLUTION The cost of re-tooling advertising businesses Agencies can reap huge rewards by adapting their businesses to the tech takeover

W

hile brands will always require bespoke solutions, agencies are increasingly implementing technological solutions to evolve their user experience value proposition and to automate certain tasks.

The question is, should advertising agencies be putting technology at their centre? Yes and no, says TBWA\SA group CEO Sean Donovan.

“Yes, in that of course any business should be both understanding and deploying technology as it becomes available to make its operations more efficient and effective as well as understanding and deploying technology to evolve its business model. No, in the sense that I think there has been a collective panic in recent times as to what this realistically means for agencies,” he says.

Data and consultants form the core of this debate, he says. “Are agencies really going to re-tool their businesses to compete with the technical competence and offers of consultancies? Of course not, and they would be misdirecting a lot of time and resource, if they did so blindly as a knee-jerk reaction to an external threat.”

Instead, says Donovan, agencies need to use an understanding of all these technologies to augment their core offering and compound their place in this new world ecosystem.

TBWA is constantly evolving its business model, he says, and this includes the understanding and adoption of technology to better serve its central offering, which is disruptive creativity that provides its clients with a larger share of the future.

Not only has this manifested in hiring very different types of people and different roles that it has had in the past, it has also meant redeploying different types of technologies that help it do its job better, or do an evolved version of the job.

“However, we’re not re-inventing ourselves as a technology company,” he says. “First, it’s not our core offering and, second, there are 32 - AdFocus 2019

Grid CEO Adam Bryars

TBWA\SA group CEO Sean Donovan

huge barriers of scale out there. An example of this approach is how Omnicom, TBWA’s holding company, has approached the big data question: having a view on hiring and partnering with leaders in the field on these offerings, and not buying them like other holding companies have.”

There is no doubt that digital is opening up new opportunities for more personal brand communication.

The ultimate goal, says Rita Doherty, group chief strategy officer at FCB, is to create personalised content at scale. However, to take advantage of these opportunities, marketers need to invest in the digital transformation of their business and creative agencies need to become masters of fast content and partner with data scientists.

“There is so much potential in big data, artificial intelligence, automation, MarTech platforms, voice and image recognition, among many other things that we can’t yet even fathom,” says Doherty.

“These technologies will fundamentally change how advertisers operate and make storytelling exponentially more powerful.”

FCB Joburg MD Thabang Skwambane maintains that while it’s critical for agencies to put technology at the centre of their business and to identify what systems, processes and people are required to leverage its capabilities, technology should be considered only as an enabler.

“At FCB we’re looking at all tools, systems,

skills and behaviours that enable this technology migration. We’ve identified key results that we want to achieve in the next six months, and others over the next 18 to 24 months.”

Despite the plethora of new technologies available, including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, blockchain, data science and analytics, it is how these technologies are utilised that enables the work to be produced and it is creativity that will build the connection between the brand and the consumer using the technology, says Skwambane. It’s not so much about re-tooling advertising businesses, he says, as it is re-imagining what agencies should be in the future.

“The advent of any broadcast or communication technology was experienced as a major disruption. If you look at the quality of the work with these ‘new technologies’ they started poorly but improved so dramatically that we now judge work that is not creatively developed without consideration of the journey that it took to get there.”

Skwambane says the advertising industry is under pressure to move faster and develop ways of working as creative service businesses that leverage the immense power of these technologies for their businesses to survive.

King James Group CEO James Barty maintains that evolving operational technologies to enhance an agency’s agility,

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

Rita Doherty, group chief strategy officer at FCB

Thabang Skwambane, FCB Joburg MD

James Barty, King James CEO

efficiency and profitability is critical to retaining a relevant and contemporary agency.

“As agencies evolve to more collaborative ways of solving brand and business challenges, new technology platforms designed for more open and transparent engagement become important tools,” he says.

Industry leaders, agree, however, that creativity remains the cornerstone of the industry. Grid Worldwide CEO Adam Bryars insists that big ideas rather than technology should be at the centre of the business.

“While the industry, for the most part, has been hesitant to embrace technology, there is no doubt that it can better enable ideas and drive scalability. However, this can never be at

the expense of losing our unique proposition, which is creativity.

Technology shouldn’t be playing a role in creating a big idea, but it can play a big role in execution. How agencies adapt to the new world of the fourth industrial revolution will determine both our relevance and our sustainability in the future.”

Doherty agrees that technological advances should always be in support of the most valuable assets that the industry has in its arsenal: creativity and storytelling. “We believe that creativity and storytelling will become more powerful as the technology curve gets steeper.”

Creativity and technology have to co-exist,

says Donovan, adding that one without the other is merely a part of the whole.

In fact, he maintains that creativity is more important than ever and that technology won’t offer some fact-based perspective that will contradict or dull the creative.

Ideas sit at the centre of the business rather than channels, says Barty.

“The acknowledgment that digital channels are playing a more critical role in consumer engagement and customer experience means they have to be well represented in our layers of expertise to help direct how we execute our ideas for maximum effect,” he says.

Lynette Dicey

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AdFocus 2019 - 33

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

THE SHIFT FROM TRADITIONAL NORMS The rise of management consultancies Changing landscape heralds a new set of skills in the industry

A

s it becomes more challenging for brands to reach consumers in a fragmented online world, some brands are turning to management consultancies specialising in data management and analytics such as Deloitte Digital and Accenture Interactive to help them reach consumers more efficiently. It’s a trend taking place both locally and internationally that has generated huge attention, particularly as consultants are increasingly offering creative services allowing them to encroach on turf that has traditionally been the domain of advertising agencies.

The growth of consultancies has been such that Ad Age now includes four large consultants among its top 10 agency rankings.

According to a Forrester report, 75% of marketers are prepared to work with consultants on digital agency work.

Should traditional agencies be concerned?

“Management consultancies have traditionally advised in areas which served to produce the product, but that’s changed,” says Matt Ross, chief creative officer at King James Digital.

“Customers now not only expect an excellent product, but as a result of the ubiquity of most products today, increasingly the differential has been how that product is sold, served and serviced. In other words, the experience.”

And customer experience in SA is almost ubiquitously bad, he says. “It’s at this exact point where creative agencies are crashing into management consultants. Marketing is a key part of customer experience, which is becoming as important as the product.”

The traditional advertising agency model is not sustainable, says Deloitte Digital’s Doug de Villiers. In fact, he believes the industry is at a tipping point. “The only strategy traditional advertising agencies have in the current environment is to turn up the volume with more messages. However, there is a point of saturation where multiple messages all vying for consumer attention damage the brand.”

34 - AdFocus 2019

Doug de Villiers, Deloitte Digital

Johanna McDowell, founder of IAS

Traditional communication agencies rely on slow and often poorly framed research, typically using a reactive approach. The rise of consultancies, he says, is on the back of increased digitalisation, which provides instantly available data. “Deloitte Digital, for example, has access to significant amounts of data, as well as actuarial scientists capable of looking at this data in very different ways.

Advanced analytics is a significant game changer. By their nature, consultancies consider data in a forward looking manner.”

Whereas traditional agencies have implemented digital as a way to get their messages to market and in terms of adopting a digital marketing strategy, consultancies are approaching digitisation in a much richer way, says De Villiers. “Rather than simply using digitisation as a strategy, they are able to layer data, consider a market of one, and refine and redeploy insights in real time. Traditional agencies simply don’t have the analytics available to do this.”

The shift to digital adspend, he says, will undergo a further shift as consumers increasingly turn off digital advertising. One way of getting around this challenge — and a significantly more cost-effective route, he says — is marketing to an audience of one.

The problem this poses to traditional agencies is that their model is not built around

the premise of spending less, but rather on spending more, which is the first problem, says De Villiers. “Consultancies are becoming attractive alternatives for brands looking to reach consumers at the right time, at the right place, and with the right products — an approach which is anathema to the majority of traditional agencies.

“The majority of consumers complain that there is too much advertising on both digital and television channels. Nearly half of TV consumers will pay to have an ad-free television experience. Prolific advertising on TV is pushing viewers towards streaming.”

If there was ever any doubt that management consultancies are a threat to advertising agencies, consider the fact that Deloitte Digital is ranked as one of the top five advertising agencies globally. Its work features at global awards shows such as Cannes, as does work from Accenture Interactive. Both Deloitte Digital and Accenture more than doubled their Cannes entries across categories in 2019 compared with 2018.

Deloitte Digital is attracting clients who want to reach consumers with more customised messages, more efficiently, says De Villiers. “We’re using data to build an authentic and relevant route to market.

Coupled with this is an ability to measure effectiveness in real time and where

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

King James Digital chief creative officer Matt Ross

necessary, adapt the message.”

Clients, he says, are realising a positive effect on their business really quickly. “We’re media agnostic, focusing our efforts on building brand and advertising assets around the most effective delivery mechanism. Our ability to monitor and measure the efficacy of our work is one of our biggest advantages.”

In response to the threat posed by management consultants, a number of creative agencies globally have retaliated by making their own forays into the consulting space. In 2018 Grey, part of the WPP Group, introduced a consulting arm focusing on business and brand design, innovation and digital transformation while Kantar merged four of its brands to form Kantar Consulting, and Omnicom Precision Marketing Group acquired Credera to enhance its consulting capabilities.

While most management consultancies already offer in-house digital offerings, some, such as Accenture Interactive, have gone a step further and bought creative agencies such as Droga5; London-based creative advertising agency, Karmarama; Kolle Rebbe in Germany; programmatic specialist, Storm Digital in the Netherlands; and Brazilian content marketing firm, New Content, in order to enhance their marketing offerings.

Droga5, with offices in New York and London and more than 500 employees, is

Accenture Interactive’s largest acquisition to date, costing an estimated $475m, according to an Ad Age report. Speaking at Cannes, David Droga, founder of Droga5, said he sold his agency to the consulting firm — rather than a traditional agency group — because of its more holistic approach to the customer experience.

In SA, Scopen’s Agency Scope studies marketing and advertising practices. This year’s study addresses the question of the rise of management consultancies specifically, and though the data is not yet in, Johanna McDowell, founder and chief executive of IAS and partner for Scopen Africa, says much of the business and marketing consulting provided by management consultancies is an extension of the range of services they already offer. “What most management consultancies lack — hence their purchasing of agencies — are in-house creative capabilities to execute those strategies.”

Not only does this offer agencies opportunities, but the higher fees charged by management consultancies will deter some clients from using their services. “Agencies should be seizing the opportunity to offer business and marketing consulting directly linked to advertising, but at the same time making sure that the fees charged for consulting are kept quite separate from any advertising outputs,” says McDowell. “In this way, agencies will be able to demonstrate their business and marketing solutions advice from a different standpoint and to capitalise on some additional revenue streams.”

Smarter agencies, she says, are already doing this.

De Villiers predicts that a defining characteristic of those agencies that are able to survive in the future will be their creative ability. “We expect that in the next two years there will be a consolidation of agencies and a growth in the number of hot shops. Agencies will be required to be much more agile and be forced to take responsibility for delivering quality content at the right place and time.

Coupled with this will be a quantum shift in how they spend; no longer will they be able to push ineffective media spend.”

Advertising agencies, he says, will find a role for themselves within the new food chain.

Ross believes that agencies and management consultancies can co-exist.

“A senior figure at the world’s biggest management consultancy once said to a creative agency friend: ‘You’re paid to sell new ideas to your existing clients every day. I’m paid to sell existing ideas to new clients every day.’ Therein lies the inexorable difference between creative agencies and management consultancies,” says Ross.

The problem — and the opportunity for creative agencies — is a lack of understanding in terms of what constitutes the value of a truly brilliant idea, says Ross. “Creative agency value has been, and always will be, ideas. And when those ideas are good, the value multiplier is significantly higher. When they are great, that multiple is even more significant.”

He says, however, that where creative agencies fall down, is in their relationship with the C-suite besides the chief marketing officer.

“We’re seen to be lightweight in the provable science, removing risk, maximising investment. And in this age of change, the removal of some of the risk — and therefore fear — inherent in change is a deeply attractive bedfellow.”

The magic happens, he says, when logic is debunked; when client and agency step off the precipice together. “Logic is not about being wrong. Creativity is about being spectacularly right. For too long creative agencies have sold themselves short. By not changing, and trying desperately to sweat our existing services for more revenue, we’ve come to be seen as necessary at best and untrusted at worst. We have to lean on our differential strength — brilliant ideas.”

Added to this, for too long creative agencies have focused only on their clients’ marketing problems. “The sooner we broaden our view of what constitutes marketing and aggressively pursue those creative capabilities to really help our clients distinguish themselves in the marketplace, the better,” says Ross.

Lynette Dicey AdFocus 2019 - 35

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

TRACING THE MEDIA EVOLUTION Even with technology, human touch remains a commodity There will still be things that only humans can understand, making human resources and skills vital

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ot only has the media landscape evolved as a result of technology, it has resulted in change becoming a constant on so many levels — from internal processes to the types of people we look to hire and where we look to find them.

Yet, with all the technology in the world, there will still be certain things that only humans can understand and implement.

Over the years, media agencies have become commoditised — we use similar tools and the technology available is used by all. The big question then is: what, in this particular landscape, will become the point of distinction between agencies? And what role does technology and innovation have to play here?

Digital processes and technology could bring about a wealth of opportunity in the media landscape, and the automation of certain processes is unavoidable.

For example, in future the capacity for clients to buy media directly — in much the same way as bookings.com and other online portals have revolutionised the travel and hospitality industry, requiring no human interface at all.

Is this a risk to media agencies?

I don’t believe so.

Technology cannot replace the value of human intelligence, certainly where strategy is concerned. However, in order to remain relevant in this world of technology, media agencies need to also evolve.

For one, a greater focus on skills such as critical thinking has become even more imperative, and to find these skills, we need to look outside industry for talent.

Ultimately, the job of a media agency is to solve business problems for clients and help them gain customers. Critical thinking is an essential part of this process.

To this end, many agencies are bringing in talent with different skills sets and experience.

The overlap between management 36 - AdFocus 2019

Kgaugelo Maphai

consultancies offering services in the sphere of advertising has been a source of concern for agencies over the past few years, particularly given their technology know-how.

That said, there are services that consultancies can offer and others they can’t.

Primarily, their strength lies in strategy with a focus on mainly medium- to long-term solutions for clients, whereas the reality is that clients today are planning in shorter cycles (12-24 months) and tracking business results in a more prudent way.

Consultancies are not geared to offer turnkey, end-to-end solutions, whereas agencies are — from strategy to implementation — which makes consultancies far less of a threat to agencies in general, unless they buy into or acquire such agencies.

Perhaps the best way to think of technology within the media buying context is as an enabler. To this end, The MediaShop has set up an in-house intelligence consultancy which we have called Tirisano Consulting, a Tswana

word which means “working together effortlessly”. Its model marries big data and behavioural economics and is currently being tested on clients.

However, I believe the media industry has for too long relied on tools research and planning.

In this industry it’s imperative to remember that we are dealing with people and not just numbers.

To service clients effectively we need to have a deeper understanding of the diverse people/consumers within our country, who they are, how they live and what inspires them.

It takes a human brain to understand the nuances of certain markets — particularly in a country such as SA, which is unique in almost every province when it comes to ethnicity, culture, language and key economic drivers — all of which are critical ingredients in developing media strategies.

Ultimately, we will always need strategic thinking when it comes to connecting consumers with brands, and that simply cannot be replaced by technology.

Indeed, even with machine learning and AI, technology won’t be able to distinguish between the subtle nuances of different market segments.

Every evolution requires human intervention in order to track its progress.

People are at the heart of what we do in the advertising industry and understanding their needs and motivations is a truly human function.

Innovation, driven by technology, is what is needed to drive efficiency in this highly commoditised landscape.

That said, technology will always be the enabler that requires human protocol to frame it.

Kgaugelo Maphai is the MD of The MediaShop

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

BRANDS ARE THE NEW BOND

Connection with consumers is vital

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here are more eyes and ears online than ever before, and Cambridge Analytica is just the tip of a huge iceberg of “programmatic interventions” in consumers’ daily lives. Dinner table conversations involving the word “spoon” turn quickly into an onslaught of spoon ads ranging from teaspoons to wooden ones, as we scroll down our social media timelines. And while the technology doesn’t seem as evolved as to recognise that the dinner conversation was, in fact, referring to an iteration of cuddling, the intention is clear: listen to what people are talking about and profit.

What are the ethical and moral considerations of being a digital “fly on the wall” ready to pounce with “add-to-cart” functionality? Well, if you accept the Ts and Cs and use the platform to popularise your selfie, do you really have the high ground from which to ask that question? And on the flip side, if you’re the property owner in line to profit from overhearing the conversation, why shouldn’t

you jump at the chance? It’s called capitalism, and we’ve all pretty much bought into it.

Brands can hear what’s on your mind and serve you an instant opportunity to feed your purchasing propensity. Now more than ever, marketing managers can tell you what you want to hear, when you want to hear it. All the ingredients for a perfect marriage, right?

“Is media technologically driven advertising more or less invasive?” To millennials it feels like a bit of an antiquated consideration. To us, receiving customised messaging online based on our habits and behaviours doesn’t feel nearly as outrageous as it would to someone who was aghast witnessing Neil Armstrong stepping onto the moon in 1969.

It’s a question of context: for us, it’s how it’s always been. We’re used to the internet, we are fully aware that brands function by getting us to want their stuff, and that they’ll go to considerable lengths to gain coin. And further to this, we don’t have a reference point of media technology that consisted of brand monologues played out on TV, print and radio.

We’ve grown up in an era watching Google eclipse print and making TV and radio weak at the knees for a higher ranking on their search results page. We’re au fait with tailored media and actually expect it. We know blanket, generic messaging doesn’t work. So if there are concerns that brands are damaging their reputations by “invading” consumers’ space with programmatic advertising, except for some extreme cases, this is fairly misplaced for those of us under 35.

Marketing professionals have preached the “listen to your customer” gospel for years, and while they probably didn’t foresee the adage ringing as literally as it does in 2019, the truth is that when brands are empowered to get a little more insight into what you’re thinking and feeling, they can plan better and deliver a more tailored offering. Of course, it’s still a little creepy that they’re listening, and it’s an invasion of privacy, but if you grant the permission, you’ll need to accept that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”, it’s a quid pro quo.

Regrettably, Facebook and Google are not NGOs. I’ve had to dig deep in asking if I hold these views because I, myself, work in marketing, but as far as I can delve, that isn’t the case. It is a fairly widely held view among my peers. The other thing in our favour is that we have been brought up in a hyper-saturated media environment, and so we’re super filterers: just because you’re throwing it at us doesn’t mean we can’t dodge it.

“Tailored” is the new “effective”. Today, there is no more spray-and-pray one-size-fits-all advertising. We get that, and in fact, appreciate it. And, of course, we are aware of the moral question around data privacy and personal information leverage, but, largely, it is a trade-off we are willing to make if we choose to engage with the platforms that we do and the result is more effective advertising … even if it is also more advertising.

As a brand, you need to identify your tribe/s and do your best to connect meaningfully with them. And if consumers are inviting brands onto their phones, marketing directors aren’t going to say no. And heck, maybe you actually did need a new set of spoons, and there’s a great deal of them at the moment, and if you buy six, the seventh is free, and there’s bonus loyalty points, and free delivery if you get a knife and fork too. Ah ... a delectably digitally driven advertising era. At least it’s not another spoon billboard.

Arye Kellman is chief creative officer and co-founder of Tilt AdFocus 2019 - 37

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

MEDIA TECH: MARKETERS’ VIEW Reapplying, unlearning & acquiring new capabilities Time for industry leaders to adapt to change

T

echnological advancements have resulted in a vastly different media and marketing landscape.

Both the rapid rate of change and the amount of change we’re experiencing means this is one of the most exciting times to be a marketer: it’s when we’re able to grow the most, when it’s no longer business as usual, given that consumer behaviour has shifted faster than we can keep up.

In this new environment, the questions we need to address include how to reapply basic marketing principles to this new world order; and what do we need to unlearn so that we can acquire capabilities that are more relevant in today’s world? It’s not an either-or but rather responding to both these questions in tandem.

Attention has become our most scare resource. Consumers don’t want to be interrupted but instead want faster, more personalised digital experiences from brands that do not compromise their privacy.

In SA, smartphone penetration has nearly doubled in the past two years and is now at more than 80%, according to the Independent Communications Authority of SA’s new report on the “State of the ICT Sector in SA in 2019”.

SA is not alone. Mobile penetration in Nigeria is growing at double digits, adding 10-million new users every year, according to GMSA Intelligence, with double screening happening at least two-thirds of the time.

This means the attention you so desperately need from consumers when you flight your 30 second spot is competing with what’s happening on their mobile phones, as well as that cup of tea. My advice is to embrace mobile as it’s likely the closest we’ll ever be to our consumers.

The amount of content that consumers are bombarded with on a daily basis puts enormous expectations on the quality and relevance in the culture of your brand’s 38 - AdFocus 2019

Andrea Quaye

creative. We need to dial up creative bravery if we want to get — and hold — the attention of consumers.

For context … don’t forget that your Instagram post is competing directly with things such as reality TV star Kim Kardashian’s launch of a new range of Spanx.

When it comes to creative executions, one size does not fit all. What you decide to communicate on an outdoor creative execution may not be relevant on a specific social media platform at a moment when consumers want to learn more about what your product or campaign is all about.

The present and future of marketing is to connect our brand’s DNA and business objectives to the right consumer, at the right time, with the right content on the right platforms.

To do that, today’s marketers need to do more than build brands. Now is the time for marketers to lead the growth agenda and unlock growth opportunities through connecting at a deep and tangible level by understanding the consumer audience’s preferences and behaviour and then providing powerful branded content that resonates with

culture.

Our biggest opportunity is to use and organise the plethora of data that we collect — or that we already have — to mould how we market our brands, to provide relevant content while looking ahead to new opportunities.

Let’s welcome a new world where data acquisition strategies and marketing analytics provide a deeper and more actionable insight into consumer behaviour. In this new world, machine learning and artificial intelligence allow marketers to provide a faster and better experience with their brands and provides them with the ability to personalise branded content at scale.

It’s a world where marketers need to build trust with their chief financial officers and chief technology officers to enable the marrying of data, technology and creativity to deliver tangible business results.

These are exciting times requiring a fine balancing act between brand purpose, creative bravery, data and technologies.

Andrea Quaye is vice-president of marketing at Anheuser-Busch InBev

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

CREATIVITY STILL KEY Is brand communication still a viable career choice?

T

he fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is predicted to significantly affect numerous jobs in a variety of industries … and marketing and advertising is no exception.

Brand communication, however, remains a viable career choice, insist industry leaders.

“The ever-changing marketing landscape that is being disrupted by digital technologies, artificial intelligence, machine learning and all things 4IR requires — more than ever before — the brand practitioner who understands the importance of brand building and how to leverage these platforms and opportunities for the benefit of their stakeholders,” says The Odd Number CEO Xola Nouse.

Consumers in today’s attention economy are more cynical, sceptical and distracted than ever, requiring savvy brand communicators who understand the relationship between creativity and strategic thinking. The most valuable currency in brand communication is creativity, says Brett Morris, group CEO of FCB Africa. “Creative professionals are predicted to be relatively immune from a future where artificial intelligence is able to do a lot of things better than humans. Businesses are becoming more interested in creativity and innovation as they strive to become more relevant in the future.

Brand communication has a history of training and working with creativity and innovation though, ironically, the digitisation of advertising has to some extent dumbed down some of that creativity as businesses chase measurement and metrics rather than authentic impact.”

Morris says brand and communications remain a relevant and viable career choice, particularly “assuming that it nurtures and protects the very currency that built it in the first place”.

However, he says there is a danger that instead of focusing on the industry’s strength it becomes more “commoditised”, which will place even more time and margin pressure on an already pressured industry.

“The alternative is a future where creativity

Freddy Mavunda

The creative skill is set to remain vital amid evolution, disrupters

The Odd Number CEO Xola Nouse

HaveYouHeard co-founder Jason Stewart

will become increasingly important for businesses and brands to innovate and make authentic human connections. This is where the skills of branding and communication will come to the fore,” says Morris.

Nouse says in its essence, brand communication and its associated activities remain the bridge between the brand and its intended audience. “Brand practitioners play a crucial role in shaping and curating the nuance of the brand, and ultimately transferring that firmly into the hearts and minds of consumers. When successful, the reciprocal change that takes place between brands and consumers eventually builds affinity, trust and an ongoing relationship.”

He says the science of that process cannot be undervalued or overlooked. “The decision matrix involved in determining the manner in which a message is delivered requires careful thought, active listening and meticulous planning. In my view, this can only be achieved through a deep understanding of the brand and an intimate understanding of the audience in order to deliver winning strategies.”

Trust is becoming the key criterion for purchase decisions as consumers look to align themselves with brands that mirror their values and beliefs — and practise those values with integrity on a consistent basis, says HaveYouHeard co-founder Jason Stewart.

“Brand communication will play an increasingly pivotal role in our future with the demand for brand communicators ensuring it remains a viable career choice,” he says.

However, dynamic factors such as

disruption, attention and trust are probably not being catered for at the same rate of change through formal traditional school curriculums.

“Added to this, because of the rise in personal branding, influencer marketing, the gig economy and the technology disruption taking place in media, there are very smart people who have never had a lesson in branding, but who understand it very well and understand how and why audiences, followers and fans respond to them and others,” points out Stewart. Despite this phenomenon, the advertising industry continues to attract a certain type of individual: it hasn’t fundamentally changed much over the past 50 years and nor has the skills set, says Stewart.

“However, there are many peripheral industries or skills sets that are highly specialised and cater to the new requirements of branding for the future. These individuals are able to learn branding relatively easily though, in contrast, branding experts are not able to learn other skills sets as easily.

“For example, at a recent conference abroad, I spoke to a data scientist who was also head of his UK company’s marketing department. He had no formal brand communication training, but had extensive years of education and experience in data science, and was leading the brand’s direction based on the data the company was accessing.”

Stewart predicts that branding departments and ad agencies will be swept up in the changes facing the industry and will be forced to adjust.

Lynette Dicey AdFocus 2019 - 39

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

SCHOOLS & SKILLS Tertiary institutions need to keep up with new trends With the rapidly changing industry, new graduates require skills that will help them adapt

I

n a rapidly changing world, tertiary education institutions supplying graduates to the advertising industry are faced with the challenge of constantly evolving their curricula to ensure their graduates are work-ready in order to meet the skills shortage.

But are they doing enough, and are graduates sufficiently prepared for the future?

One of their biggest challenges, says Pam Lansdell, head of department of the creative faculty at the AAA School of Advertising, is keeping pace with the rate of change.

“The way that people consume media is changing at a rapid pace and we need to keep up with that — whether it’s teaching new and relevant software or being on top of the latest trends, even if they are only around for a heartbeat.”

The most important skill for the advertising industry, however, remains the ability to think and to apply a big idea to any platform, channel or medium, she says.

“One of our main priorities is to ensure that students are ready to hit the ground running when they graduate, and so we tailor briefs to include the latest software training and solve creative problems that are relevant in the industry,” says Lansdell.

“Though our degrees and diplomas are set against strict exit level outcomes, the lecturers work within these outcomes so that we remain fluid and can keep up with industry demands.”

The focus at AAA, she says, has always been to teach students, both marketing and creative, how to think strategically and solve problems in a highly conceptual way.

This will continue to remain a key focus as the school navigates the rapidly changing landscape of advertising and communication.

Lansdell concedes, however, that there has been a definite shift away from “traditional” advertising and a huge uptake into the world of digital marketing which has been integrated into all its courses in recent years.

Jeandri Robertson, head of education at the

40 - AdFocus 2019

Sihle Sipamla, M&C Saatchi Abel

Jason Harrison, M&C Saatchi Abel

Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, says the school’s focus is not only on preparing its students for career success, but also for a future where technology will have an increasingly dramatic impact on the world of work as we know it.

“We see technology as an opportunity to outsmart the robots by being more human,” says Robertson.

“21st century career success will increasingly rely on a single defining factor: uniquely human skills which we have, in principle, weaved into all our programmes.

Leading the pack is creative thinking, along with critical thinking, persuasion, social intelligence, negotiation, mindfulness, leadership, empathy, conflict resolution and adaptability.”

Vega School’s aim is to produce graduates who are able to design and create original strategic solutions for brand challenges in business and society.

Vega has evolved its offering into four key qualifications in brand communication aimed at designers, brand builders, business academics and practitioners.

The school recently launched a new Bachelor of computer & information sciences in game design & development programme.

In total the school’s curricula spans more than 22 programmes, ranging from higher certificates to a master’s degree in creative brand leadership. Both schools and universities

MullenLowe CEO Sarah Dexter

say they work closely with the industry regarding their curriculum design. Its close working relationship with the industry is something AAA prides itself on, says Lansdell.

“Not only do we work with our students in a real-world way preparing them for the world out there, we’ve always had close ties with the industry and place our third-year students in various agencies as part of a work-based learnership or internship for the last month of their final year.

“The majority of our students either stay with that company past the end date or walk into a job elsewhere.”

Red & Yellow invites industry leaders, creative entrepreneurs and other influential figures to deliver lunchtime lectures and share their real-life journeys with students.

“Continuous exposure to, and interaction with the industry, creates an invaluable feedback loop to ensure that our curriculum stays relevant,” says Robertson.

Exit-level students get an opportunity to work on real-life briefs with well-known brands.

This adds to their ability to understand, craft and present innovative solutions to real business challenges, while at the same time developing crucial interpersonal skills for dealing with and building relationships with peers and clients, she says.

All Red & Yellow programmes include career-focused internships.

Pam Lansdell, AAA School of Advertising

Freddy Mavunda

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT

Koena Teffo, Wavemakers

King James Group head of talent Tabatha King says there should be even more engagement between the schools and the industry. She says while the schools do get industry experts in to address students, and acknowledge the role of workplace literacy, more could be done.

“I think the responsibility lies equally with agencies and schools to do better, especially when students are spending real time in the agencies during their internships. Time spent in agencies should be a game-changing experience for both students and agency leaders.”

In response, King James runs an additional four-week internship programme each year, after the November exams.

Interns spend the first two weeks of the programme across the group’s eight companies and then choose the area they are most interested in for their final two weeks, during which time they are allocated an experienced mentor and get to work on a live brief. “In our experience, our own longer programme is much more beneficial for both the students and the agency and results in the superstars joining our graduate programme and having a real opportunity for permanent roles,” says King.

She rates the calibre of graduates from some schools higher than others. “Some schools are arguably more ideas driven. Those that are more creatively focused in the context

Jeandri Robertson, Red & Yellow

Tina Mogobozi

of the digital era definitely have an advantage.”

Umuzi, in particular, impresses her given their blended learning approach and she longer periods students spend doing practicals at the agencies. Students spend three months studying, followed by three months at an agency. There’s a serious shortage of copywriters entering the industry, she says, to the extent that the art of copywriting is under threat. The industry, through the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA), has initiatives in place to address this crisis.

“There are currently 20 students specialising in copywriting as a result of bursaries facilitated by the ACA,” says Sarah Dexter, CEO of MullenLowe SA, who heads the ACA education portfolio.

Conceding that there is no quick fix, she says the ACA has committed to facilitating additional annual bursaries for copywriters in order to bring more talent into the industry.

One of the many reasons for the current skills shortage is a lack of understanding of the career opportunities offered by the advertising industry, she says. Added to this is a misconception that a copywriter is concerned with legal writing as opposed to creative conceptual writing.

“As an industry we need to do better at promoting the idea that if you do well at an advertising school and work hard, you are pretty much guaranteed a job, given the shortage of young talent entering the industry,”

Tabatha King, King James Group

says Dexter.

She concurs with King that internships are vitally important, but says some schools may not be making sufficient use of these opportunities.

“While any exposure is good, the longer, the better. There’s real gain when these internships are run for four or more weeks.”

There is no doubt, however, that advertising schools are fulfilling a vital role, says Jason Harrison, founding partner and group MD of M&C Saatchi Abel.

“Universities produce book-smart graduates. Advertising schools, on the other hand, are producing street smart graduates who generally are as prepared as they can be for working in the industry.”

Where schools are falling short, he says, is around digital skills. “I’d like to see schools providing a greater focus on how to unlock opportunities on digital platforms by using data more effectively.”

He concedes, however, that this challenge is not reserved for schools, and says the entire industry, including both agencies and clients, are grappling with this same issue.

“It is great to see the schools broadening their curricula, but the one common thread has to be the ability to solve business problems through creativity, irrespective of the course and curricula,” says Harrison.

Like many agencies, M&C Saatchi Abel has a close relationship with advertising schools, AdFocus 2019 - 41

COMMENTARY & INSIGHT particularly Red & Yellow.

“We lecture, do regular talks and help from a mentorship perspective at Red & Yellow, and we are also involved with Stellenbosch University, where we help with a lot of their practical work and host an annual Dragon’s Den client brief process,” reveals Harrison.

He believes it’s important that the industry gets involved with advertising schools.

“The industry has no right to complain about a skills shortage if they’re not prepared to be part of the solution,” he argues.

“It’s only by being involved with schools that we will be able to influence the curricula in order to develop the skills we need for the future.”

At the same time, he says it’s incumbent on schools to ensure their curricula is sufficiently flexible.

“This is a highly demanding industry: we’re working in an environment characterised by less time, less budget and clients who are continually demanding more for less,” she says.

An aspect of the curricula needs to be orientated towards helping students adapt to this very demanding working world: helping them to learn how to be resilient, flexible and emotionally mature enough to be able to cope with a gruelling work load and the mental stretch they’re going to have to go through as they adapt to the working environment.”

King agrees, adding that, “An agency style of working is not one that sits comfortably with millennials. As far as possible, schools need to replicate live agency briefs and push harder regarding delivery so that students become accustomed to working quickly and under pressure.”

It is a shock to the system to transition from tertiary education to the advertising world, says M&C Saatchi Abel account manager and a recent Vega graduate Sihle Sipamla.

“At Vega I received all the foundations I needed in terms of the theory and the knowledge that is required to understand why things are done in a particular way, but there is a big chunk of knowledge missing in terms of how things are actually done on a daily basis.”

She says Vega gave her a kick-start in the right direction, and, thanks to brand challenges and courses such as design thinking as well as strategic management, she had a better idea of what she was about 42 - AdFocus 2019

to step into.

However, she says institutions need to offer and incorporate more practical learning into their degrees, because stepping into the workplace can be daunting, requiring a whole new process of learning.

Koena Teffo, a media intern at Wavemaker and a graduate of the AAA School of Advertising, has a similar take. Though she was relatively well prepared for working in an agency, there were gaps, she says.

“We did a lot of theory, but due to time constraints, only a few practicals. The theory certainly helped prepare me for the terms being used in the industry.”

However, overall, she doesn’t believe the curriculum was sufficient.

“There should have been a bigger focus on more practical assignments and collaborations with different agencies.

Students should be allowed to spend time in each class before selecting their majors. In terms of media, it would have been helpful if the different roles in media had been broken down.”

Teffo says the biggest challenge has been adjusting to the agency world, understanding how things work in the industry and what’s expected of an intern.

“Even knowing the right and wrong things to say in e-mails has been a challenge,” she says.

Tina Mogobozi, a graduate account executive working with the client service team at King James and a graduate of the Red & Yellow School, says the school’s simulation of a real agency and very practical approach was useful after her very theoretical B.Com from the University of Cape Town.

However, she says she would have benefited from a better explanation of the different roles found in a typical agency, how budgets work, as well as training on how to use a project management software.

“I wasn’t prepared for how much pressure you need to get used to working in an agency environment,” she says.

Dexter has the last word: “If the industry doesn’t flourish, none of us will flourish.

To ensure that we grow and strengthen the industry in the future it is incumbent on both tertiary education facilities supplying the industry and the industry — including agencies, industry bodies such as the Creative Circle and the ACA — to work together in the industry’s best interests.”

Lynette Dicey

THE LOERIES OFFICIAL RANKINGS 2019

REGIONAL AGENCY GROUP Rank

Agency

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

TBWA\ Ogilvy EMEA Joe Public United BBDO FCB MEA M&C Saatchi King James Group Dentsu Group VML Leo Burne J Walter Thompson MEA Havas MullenLowe Grey DDB

AGENCY RANKING Rank

Agency

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 27 29 30

Joe Public United Ogilvy Johannesburg TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg TBWA\Istanbul Impact BBDO M&C Saatchi Abel King James Group FoxP2 FCB Johannesburg TBWA\RAAD Grid Worldwide VML SA David Krynauw Ogilvy Cape Town Regency Global J Walter Thompson KSA Leo Burne MEA Havas Johannesburg McCann 1886 Duke Sunshine Collective The Odd Number Showmax Leo Burne Israel MullenLowe MENA Accenture Interactive Futura Hoorah Digital Consultancy Horizon FCB Dubai Parsons Branding

CANNES LIONS 2019

D&AD 2019 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 7 10

Joe Public United TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg Ogilvy Johannesburg M&C Saatchi Abel Cape Town Net#work BBDO Ogilvy Cape Town HelloFCB Cape Town FCB Johannesburg Grid Worldwide True North Design

APEX 2019 Agency

Gold

Silver

Bronze

FCB Johannesburg King James

2 1

Showmax Internal Creative Agency

1

VML SA FoxP2

2

1 2

1

2

2

1

Ogilvy SA

2

Joe Public United DDB SA

Award

1 Kantar Special award

Note: Creative Circle only ranks up to 10th as no points in our system count from 11th place onward

GROUP AGENCY OF THE YEAR INTERIM RANKINGS 2019

1 Grand Prix

Published September 2019 1 Lifetime Grand Prix

Published March 2019 Ogilvy Cape Town M&C Saatchi Abel Cape Town King James Joe Public United TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg FCB Johannesburg Ogilvy Johannesburg Net#work BBDO FoxP2 Cape Town King James II Havas Johannesburg FCB Durban Shi Joe Public

ONE CLUB SHOW 2019 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 6 9 9

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg Ogilvy Johannesburg King James II VMLY&R Johannesburg Net#work BBDO Joe Public United Ogilvy Cape Town FCB Johannesburg King James Duke Cape Town DDB SA HelloFCB Cape Town Grey FoxP2 Cape Town

CREATIVE CIRCLE

CREATIVE CIRCLE ANNUAL AWARDS 2018 1 2 3 4 5 5 7 8 9 10 10 10 10

1 2 3 4 5 5 7 7 7 10 10 10 10 10

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg Net#work BBDO Joe Public United Ogilvy Johannesburg M&C Saatchi Abel Cape Town FCB Johannesburg King James Ogilvy Cape Town HelloFCB Cape Town Duke Cape Town

Note: Creative Circle only ranks up to 10th as no points in our system count from 11th place onwards

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 11 11

TBWA\ Ogilvy SA Joe Public Group King James Group BBDO FCB Africa M&C Saatchi Abel VMLY&R SA FoxP2 SA Duke True North Design DDB Grey

CREATIVE CIRCLE GROUP AGENCY OF THE YEAR FINAL RANKINGS 2018 Published March 2019 1 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

TBWA\SA Ogilvy SA Joe Public Group King James Group VMLY&R SA FCB Africa M&C Saatchi Abel Grey Africa DDB SA Bain & Bunkell FoxP2 BBDO Havas

CREATIVE CIRCLE INDIVIDUAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR INTERIM RANKINGS 2019 Published September 2019 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 14 15 16 16 16

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg Joe Public United Ogilvy Johannesburg Net#work BBDO M&C Saatchi Abel Cape Town FCB Johannesburg King James Ogilvy Cape Town King James II VMLY&R Johannesburg Grid Worldwide FoxP2 Cape Town HelloFCB Cape Town Duke Cape Town VMLY&R Cape Town Grey DDB SA True North Design

CREATIVE CIRCLE INDIVIDUAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR FINAL RANKINGS 2018 Published March 2019 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 10 10 10 13 14 14 16 17 17 19 19

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg Ogilvy Johannesburg Joe Public United King James Ogilvy Cape Town VMLY&R Cape Town M&C Saatchi Abel Grid Worldwide Grey Africa FCB Johannesburg DDB 1886 FCB Cape Town FoxP2 Cape Town Bain & Bunkell Net#work BBDO King James II Havas Johannesburg FCB Durban Joe Public Shi

AdFocus 2019 - 43

44 44--AdFocus AdFocus2019 2019

45 AdFocus - AdFocus 2019 2019 - 45

Corporate Profile

99c WE GO BY THE NAME OF 99c.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS We don’t define ourself as a purely retail agency, but we do pride ourselves on our ability to do retail work better than most.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Too many to mention. We are also proud of having produced two of SA’s most loved TV ads of the past year.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Shoprite, Checkers, Ackermans, OK Franchise Division, House & Home/OK Furniture, Liquorshop, Puma, Spur Corp, Vital Health Foods, and Medirite.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Shoprite/Checkers, Ackermans, Puma, Digicape.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Vital Health Foods, Petly, ATO, Best & Less, Boss Dog Food, and Robertson Winery.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Distell.

WHO OWNS US Independent and 100% South African.

OUR REVENUE BAND R150m-R200m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE >350.

WHO’S THE BOSS Andrew Brand.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We create work that sells.

OUR KEY MOMENTS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Growth on existing business, addition of new business, and not losing any significant accounts. Seeing our long-term plans and strategic investments paying dividends. Pride in assisting our clients grow in a tough economic climate.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (21) 460-5199 info@99c.co.za www.99c.co.za @99c_CT Ninety9cents @99c_ct

99c prides itself on its service-orientated positioning — the agency’s focus is on the client as opposed to looking inward.

Over the years, more and more clients have come to appreciate this way of operating, which is perhaps one of the reasons why it has performed solidly over a year that has been a challenge for many other players in the industry.

CEO Andrew Brand says in the context of an economically constrained environment, 99c has grown its business, and hasn’t had any significant decreases in client adspend or advertising appetite.

“We have been fortunate that our clients see the value of marketing and haven’t pulled back on their plans despite the economic difficulties. Some are even spending more and taking advantage of the opportunities that inevitably present themselves in tough times.”

It’s an environment where clients want more for less, are more demanding and expect every rand spent to work twice as hard, yet Brand sees this as simply the way all agencies need to be working at the moment. “We work in a service industry and we need to accommodate the needs of our clients. Ultimately the rewards that come with delivering should naturally follow,” he says.

Given the current situation in SA, with xenophobia reaching a record high, not to mention political and business uncertainty, the economy looks set for further hardship. “As a business owner, these are the issues that keep me up at night, as they do my clients.

What we need is political and economic certainty so that we are able to plan the future of our businesses; and we need real leadership as opposed to political posturing and short-term thinking,” he says.

What does help 99c to roll with the punches is the way in which the business has been structured.

The majority of the agency’s clients work on retainers, based

99c agency

on a resourcing and workscope basis and both parties agree on the parameters of work needing to be delivered.

“That said, this is a working climate where planning is often thrown out of the window in order to respond to market flux.

However, we’re able to adapt comfortably to this way of working,” Brand says.

Protecting margins while clients’ budgets are under pressure is something the agency has worked hard at over the past few years. Brand says they have brought in more resources but are smart in terms of the skills they seek.

“We look for hybridisation in certain skills, individuals who can work across disciplines. In this way we provide clients with an integrated model and extra staff, but we remain affordable while they’re under pressure. This operating model allows 99c to absorb more work across disciplines, as we have a larger

“Choose Checkers and Get Both” campaign 46 0 - -AdFocus AdFocus2017 2019

pool of resources,” he says.

He points out, however, that certain technical skills remain specialised, especially within digital and production.

If there were a word to summarise the current climate, Brand believes it would be pragmatism. “Agencies have to work smarter, we have to be more efficient with our time and we need to collaborate with our clients throughout the campaign journey, so that we’re able to arrive at a mutually agreeable space without the creative concept being compromised; and without excessive churn.”

Technology has been instrumental in ensuring greater internal efficiencies — such as constantly evolving internal review processes and the introduction of a single point of contact for client feedback.

“Alone, each change we have made does not seem like much, but when seen as a whole our processes have become far more

99c offices

efficient, both for our clients and our people,” says Brand. The use of technology and constant improvement of systems and processes that can lead to greater efficiencies isn’t only about better work, but about a happier staff.

When it comes to trends and changes in the industry, Brand admits he doesn’t place much emphasis on following trend predictions given that they are often random and rarely accurate enough to add significant value.

That said, it’s imperative for agencies to remain relevant, redefining themselves and reimagining what services to provide clients, while ensuring they invest in skills that fit the perception clients have of an agency that is future ready. “We need to be able to give clients what they need, before they even know they need it,” says Brand.

Clients are increasingly taking certain advertising functions in-house, particularly in the areas of data, customer engagement and strategy development. “If this is what clients choose to do, it’s pointless trying to compete with them in these disciplines. What we can, and always will provide, is the creative that will complement the direction they have chosen to take. We’re employed by our clients to do the things agencies have always done — to create great ads and serve as a guiding light where they need us,” he says.

Brand maintains that it’s essential for the agency to be able

Puma Sundowns 2019/2020 kit launch

to provide clients with skills that supplement and complement their own in-house competences should they be required, particularly as the marketplace moves further into the online and omnichannel space. Many agencies are grappling with this 24/7 environment and the new skills it requires, and how to marry data with creative. “The question has to remain what we can do within this space to help our clients grow market share,” he says.

However, talk about an industry skills shift may still be premature, he cautions. “Talking about a shift in skills presumes the industry had the skills in the first place and is based on the premise that these skills are readily available. I’d argue that there’s a severe skills shortage, and it’s one of the biggest challenges facing the industry at the moment,” says Brand.

He argues that for some time we’ve existed within an “Emperor’s New Clothes” environment — every year there is

Shoprite Mo’ Low Low Price Birthday

a new thing that is the “next big thing”. The industry continues to suffer a distinct lack of creative skills, particularly in copywriting, and a tendency to often rush the promotion of talent too quickly, thereby creating unrealistic expectations or experience vacuums, Brand says.

His emphasis on the importance of traditional creative skills is not surprising, given that he runs an agency that is known for the quality of its creative (which is spot-on when it comes to resonating with customers — think the Checkers Little Shop and Little Garden campaigns, or Ackermans’ well-received “I am me” lingerie campaign, which celebrated body positivity).

99c is also trusted by clients for the honesty and transparency of its operations. The agency’s objective is to create work that sells, and Brand maintains that if the client does not make a profit or gain market share as a result, the agency has failed.

Because 99c is not an agency to measure its success based on

creative awards (in fact it hardly enters them), Brand has taken the decision within the next year to become less shy about marketing the business.

“We are a creative agency and we’re proud of our work, but ultimately we would rather talk about our clients,” he says. He plans to ensure that more people understand what 99c stands for.

At the same time there will be a focus on growing the agency’s Joburg operation and concentrating on building its international profile through some global projects it has won.

“SA has a high global standard at a compelling cost for international clients, which is why we want to innovate in this space.”

AdFocus 2019 - 47

Corporate Profile

Abnormal WE GO BY THE NAME OF Abnormal.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Advertising and design.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Bavaria’s “Cheers to Film” series.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Bavaria (SA and Africa), The Redrock Brewing Co, Abland, Craft Homes, and Kemtek.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Abland, Craft Homes.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Kemtek, Expedient, Flexi Space Solutions, and Country Mushrooms.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US Abheka 51%, Independent 49%.

OUR BEE RATING BEE level 2 black-owned.

OUR REVENUE BAND R12m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 12.

WHO’S THE BOSS Operations director: Estilee du Plessis.

Creative directors: Michael Neser and Wynand Botha.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We are purposely different.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Growth and incorporation of better integrated digital solutions.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27(0) 82 500-8108 estilee@abnormalgroup.co.za www.abnormalgroup.co.za abnormal_advertising Abnormal Group

48 0 - -AdFocus AdFocus2017 2019

Abnormal, now in its fourth year of operation, has transitioned from a start-up to a proudly financially independent entity.

It’s a shift that is in large part due to the agency’s business model and a small, lean team of multifaceted individuals poised to make the most of every opportunity.

It’s also thanks to a number of new accounts the agency has taken on including Kemtek, Expedient, Flexi Suite & Store, Country Mushrooms and OBC; together with other project-based work. The agency’s other news is its expansion into Cape Town.

“Cape Town-based clients have reached a point where they want an agency that is a short drive — and not a flight — away. There has also been an economic shift in Cape Town and we have capitalised on that opportunity,” says Abnormal Group operations director Estilee du Plessis.

Du Plessis, together with creative directors Wynand Botha and Michael Neser, agree that the present economy is unlikely to shift any time soon. Though the agency has been fortunate in that its clients have upped their budgets since 2018, this hasn’t been the case for the industry as a whole, where clients are either sticking to the same budgets or, even worse, lowering them or taking their creative in-house.

Botha says as a small agency,

the clients serviced by Abnormal Group generally don’t have the capacity for an in-house creative.

“This is a strength for us, as it means that our clients trust us to do brave work, which is crucial in a tough environment where standing out from the competition is the best way for brands to grow,” he says.

Ultimately, the team believes that the most effective way to adapt to the current business climate is to focus on doing great work with the budgets they have to work with. This is where their business model comes into play.

The team is able to produce breakthrough work on a shoestring budget if they have to — and still turn a profit — because they keep the business lean with sought-after talent who are able to work across disciplines.

“At our core lies the great creative idea. Today’s agencies need to be skilled in terms of taking that idea and ensuring that they can make it work in a digital space, without relying on big budget traditional platforms that many clients are no longer able to afford,” says Neser.

The agency’s philosophy is that if you hire the same type of people, you will get the same results.

It is why the team is always on the lookout for individuals who have a diverse skills set — coding, jewellery design, and brand

managers who have come across to the agency side, among others.

It’s an approach that keeps the business small and hungry and ensures that clients are paying for an outstanding creative who solves a business objective. That said, finding these multiskilled people isn’t easy and the team is happy to train or upskill existing employees when they need to.

Part of the agency’s success in terms of creating stand-out work for its clients is the fact that the team is driven to understand the client’s purpose — the “why” from the outset.

“It’s about collaboration between us and the client, where understanding their strategy and where they want to go is key, enabling us to create strong strategic work that ties into their business objectives,” says Botha.

With the agency’s philosophy centring on building brands to be purposely different through design and advertising, this is an agency that believes in encouraging clients to be brave in their approach.

Playing it safe just isn’t worth it when you could be saying just one brave thing to stand out, the team agrees.

Advertorial

Promoting the country as a global brand Managing a destination brand — be it a city, a region, or a country — is a complex process, and not one that can be done in isolation.

Moreover, when a country has been as negatively affected by corruption and corporate scandal as SA has, it is critical that its various influencers come together to take stock and redirect the narrative that has become associated with it.

This is the primary objective behind Brand Summit Africa — to bring together SA’s key voices, together with others from around the world — on how to understand what informs perceptions about SA and the country’s brand around the world.

Brand Summit Africa convener Solly Moeng says it is a private sector-driven initiative that takes place annually to monitor and understand the evolving image of SA, what informs it as well as which SA brands have a positive impact on the country and which ones affect it negatively.

The ultimate aim is to propose ways to progressively eliminate the negative aspects of the country’s brand and to enhance the ones that will drive positive perceptions of the country on a global level. All of this is ultimately linked to the country’s ability to generate goodwill — at home and abroad — and to attract foreign investment and other foreign exchange earning opportunities in order to grow an increasingly inclusive economy.

“The country has, to a worrying extent, strayed off course as a result of bad leadership. We are no longer living the values defined in the constitution and the Bill of Rights. In order to stay on track, a shared vision, values and ethical leadership are all critical requirements,” Moeng says.

Ultimately, he says, perceptions are powerful in terms of shaping reality.

“Perceptions about countries develop across multiple sectors, including business, education, politics, health, sport and other social arenas, including social justice. In the case of SA, views from the rest of the African continent and other parts of the world must also be taken into account.”

One of the highlights of both the 2018 and 2019 brand summits, he says, was the fact that they attracted delegates from a variety of sectors

all over SA, the African continent, North America, Western and Eastern Europe as well as Asia.

They included influencers from corporate SA, civil society, the media and politics; not to mention the attendance of highly respected delegates such as chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, who delivered the 2018 keynote address, and former public protector, Thuli Madonsela. The 2019 keynote address was delivered by auditor-general Kimi Makwetu.

“A key take-out was the importance of the private sector and the role it plays in terms of informing and shaping perceptions about SA. If the private sector does not buy into the policies and economy, investment simply does not take place and foreign business perception becomes negative,” says Moeng, adding that input from stakeholders across the board is essential to prevent an insular view.

Global benchmarking is key to obtaining an objective view of a country brand.

Looking ahead to 2020, the summit’s focus will adopt a Pan-African outlook and extend its monitoring and analysis to the broader African continent.

“The ultimate objective is to help Africa understand what informs perceptions about it so that steps can begin to be taken to develop sustainable solutions. Africa cannot attain its full economic potential while it continues to be perceived

and portrayed in a negative light on various fronts,” Moeng says.

An additional focus in 2020 will be on Africa’s agrarian economy, looking at issues such as the food value chain: why Africa is still a net importer of food crops and how to change this situation. To this end, education will form a large part of the debate, Moeng says, assessing both existing and scarce skills, as well as the industry players and key challenges.

Brand Summit Africa 2020, incorporating the Africa Brand Summit, will be hosted in Cape Town. From 2020 onwards, the first week of June 2019 will be named Summit Week, with themed excursions taking place around the host region.

The core summit will kick off on June 4 with the launch of the African Summit, and continue until June 5.

“Brand Summit Africa is more than a talk shop. Research-driven, it ultimately aims to provide recommendations — in its annual report — that should help policy makers and destination marketers come up with realistic policies and successful marketing strategies for maximum results,” says Moeng.

AdFocus 2019 - 49

Corporate Profile

Boomtown WE GO BY THE NAME OF Boomtown Strategic Brand Agency.

WE ARE A MIDSIZE AGENCY, OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Main market brand specialists.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE 25 years young.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS The Nescafé Ricoffy brand campaign that built brand love with its core consumers, winning first place in the Hot Beverages category at the 2019 Sunday Times Top Brands Awards.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Nescafé Ricoffy, Sovereign Foods, Lafarge, First Choice Dairy, Hogan Lovells.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS First Choice Dairy, Nelson Mandela University, Lemaitre Safety Footwear.

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Lafarge Zambia, Lafarge SA Communications, BestDrive Campaign, Netcash, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, PE Hotel Group, KitKat Campaign.

WE SEE what others overlook

OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS N/A.

We pride ourselves on ge ing into the hearts of South Africa’s main market. We have rich

WHO OWNS US 100% independently owned.

conversations, not just in trade, but also on the ground, in people’s homes and on the streets.

OUR BEE RATING Level 2.

OUR REVENUE BAND R20m-R30m.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE 45.

WHO’S THE BOSS Andrew MacKenzie, Glen Meierand Shaun Martin.

OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET We use deep #MarketImmersion to truly see and understand people, to create #CulturallyRelevant #CreativeSolutions to connect #brands with hearts and #BuyingBehaviours.

THIS IS WHAT INSPIRES US Seeing how our deep understanding of the consumer leads to creative work that produces results.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US +27 (0)86 119-9494 molo@boomtown.co.za www.boomtown.agency BoomtownSA

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We immerse ourselves into our target market’s way of life, we listen and learn, we investigate and interrogate. By doing this, we see the people behind the data, the culture behind the group, and the real reasons behind their buying behaviour.

This helps us to create compelling, creative ideas that deliver value and close the gap between brands and our country’s biggest market.

So get in touch, because we can do the same for your brand.

Blue Label Media, like its parent company — JSE listed Blue Label Telecoms — is a business driven at its very core by an entrepreneurial spirit and a quest to do things differently. The business was established nine years ago and today supplies around 80-million prepaid airtime vouchers every month to SA’s 34-million prepaid airtime users.

CEO Wayne Miller says this equates to 80% of SA’s mobile phone users who, ultimately, have to recharge their vouchers six to eight times per month on average — providing an ideal opportunity for advertisers to engage with the millions of South Africans who use prepaid vouchers as their means of verbal and social media communication.

“As a medium, we are an enabler of social media,” he says.

“The most commonly used method of recharging data and airtime on a phone is a physical voucher. Blue Label Media offers advertisers the opportunity for mass market reach to place full-colour advertising on these vouchers,” he says.

The company also owns the exclusive rights to a fleet of 1,400 Putco buses.

“With many forms of traditional media usage declining, these buses provide brands with a moving billboard and an opportunity to speak to the mass market in the environments they frequent. We also offer innovative on-bus activations to a captive audience,” Miller says.

With advertising budgets under pressure in a tough economic climate, clients are using their spend more wisely.

“Clients would rather spend the same amount of money on a moving billboard that is seen by more people across a wider geographical range, than a static one,” he says.

The company also specialises

Freddy Mavunda

Keeping mobile clients on the move

Blue Label Media CEO Wayne Miller and the team at their offices in Sandton

in hand painted wall murals that use cutting-edge technology to spray paint the mural to look like a billboard. “Again, this is a chance for clients to communicate with their target markets where they spend their time — for example men who frequent taverns.”

The bonus for clients making use of the company’s platforms is that they can be bundled together for added value and increased leverage. “Depending on what the campaign entails and what its objectives are, we partner with our clients to provide them with maximum reach for their particular market. We’re able to slice and dice our options to suit their budgets,” says Miller.

Blue Label Media has arguably the largest reach in the country, given the amount of recharge vouchers it sells per month.

Another factor in its favour is the depth of knowledge, experience and resources not only within the company itself, but also within the larger Blue Label Telecoms.

The company has experienced positive growth despite the difficult economic landscape, he says, pointing out that because of the harsh economy, clients have come to realise the value of

Some of Blue Label’s digital screens

forgoing costly traditional media platforms in favour of using their budgets more cleverly.

“We’re able to offer an entire package across our properties for the cost of a single television advert,” Miller says.

Blue Label Media remains a step ahead, with plans to integrate digital media platforms into its offering. “We also own eight digital LED outdoor boards on prominent buildings such as Bombela

municipal offices, the Northgate Dome and the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, indicating a future focus to bring as much innovation and opportunity to clients as possible,” he says.

AdFocus 2019 - 51

Case Study Agency: Bureau Veritas Brand: Bureau Veritas Format: Corporate social responsibility campaign Our project partners: Homes of Hope (Johannesburg); Ntsikana Primary School (Johannesburg); Sammy’s Day Care Centre (Centurion); The Baby Home (Durban); St Anne’s Home (Cape Town); SPCA and Vaal Pets (Sasolburg); The Public Relations Society of SA; and Ithemba Trust The premise July 18 was International Mandela Day, a globally acknowledged date where South Africans are encouraged to take action, inspire change and make every day a Mandela Day. To this end, Bureau Veritas (BV) and the Ithemba Trust devised a month-long campaign to instil the idea of doing good throughout the month of July and, ultimately, on an annual basis.

The company mobilised employees and external stakeholders including beneficiaries in communities where employees live and work as well as corporates, civil society, NGOs and professional organisations such as the Public Relations Institute of SA (Prisa) to embed a new way of thinking.

This was based on the premise that change will not take place if something is done only once.

However, repeated actions over a longer period will contribute towards a new way of thinking — and ultimately become a habit.

The thinking The strategy behind the campaign was to encourage everyone to work together to enhance the lives of others and create legacies for the future; ultimately changing communities, countries and nations. The projects selected are sustainable and will create constant personal growth and development for beneficiaries, using talent from the company to bring the concept to life and ensure traction and momentum and, importantly, longevity.

The month-long campaign was simply the beginning.

BV is championing a broader 52 - AdFocus 2019

Sal Govender: Vice-president of Bureau Veritas Southern Africa, shares the importance of giving back

project called “Employees building communities”, an annual calendar programme addressing social justice and education around both local and global issues and challenges.

Employees are motivated to volunteer a specific amount of their time per annum to enrich and enhance the lives of others.

These hours are built into employees’ key performance indicators. Employees are granted time off working hours to participate in the programmes and projects.

Professional videos of the campaign were recorded to share with corporates and the media to promulgate the month-long campaign thinking, with a view to encouraging similar campaigns to wider audiences.

A strategic alliance was formed with Prisa aimed at giving back to the industry through a symbiotic relationship — ultimately benefiting those in need.

The application A “Mandela Month” strategy was devised and complemented with a formal communication plan to activate the ideas and bring them

Members of the Bureau Veritas team close the campaign with a challenge to fellow corporates to make every day a Mandela Day and join the company in changing lives

to life. Beneficiaries were selected from areas around the company where employees live and work, and a corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee was formed within the company to implement the campaign through the human resources department under the leadership of Beatrice Scharneck, the human resources manager for Bureau Veritas Southern Africa.

The campaign was launched by Sal Govender, vice-president for Bureau Veritas Southern Africa, with a pledge ceremony.

Employees placed their handprint on a “Mandela pledge wall banner”, a symbolic gesture signalling their personal commitment to enhancing the lives of others, followed by the lighting of candles and a moment’s silence in recognition of Tata Madiba’s commitment to equality and education.

Weekly competitions, bi-weekly communiques and fun videos (starring employees) were used to articulate the weekly activations and encourage participation.

Competition prizes related to the Mandela Month theme were up for grabs, and employees wore “Mandela Month badges” daily, providing a constant reminder of their pledges.

The month closed with a breakfast forum titled “Why is it necessary for your brand strategy to include corporate social responsibility?” hosted by BV and Prisa, with various SA corporates and the media in attendance.

The impact The campaign has had a

widespread positive impact on beneficiaries including abused, abandoned, orphaned and marginalised children; underprivileged learners; and abused and abandoned animals and their carers.

Employees commented that their lives “would never be the same” after the experience.

Corporates said they had a better idea of how to manage their CSR projects, and the media used the opportunity to spread the word.

Within BV, the global president insisted that the campaign be rolled out into the company’s widespread African footprint in 2020.

The effect The image and reputation of BV has been greatly enhanced through the campaign as a result of widespread positive media coverage in print, broadcast and online platforms.

Brand credibility and equity have increased among internal and external stakeholders.

Pride has been instilled among employees, thereby improving the internal climate, boosting morale and corporate loyalty.

AdFocus 2019 - 53

Corporate Profile

DDB South Africa WE GO BY THE NAME OF DDB SA. OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Integrated communications.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Multi-awarded campaign for SA Commission for Gender Equality.

The FNB “Steve” campaign — it keeps on giving.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Edcon, Plascon, Unilever, MiWay, Coronation, African Bank, Honda, NBA, Mars Wrigley.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Honda, Wrigley, Unilever.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Coronation.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US Omnicom: 70% BBBEE: 30%.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1 contributor.

OUR REVENUE BAND R50m-R60m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 55.

WHO’S THE BOSS Emmet O’ Hanlon.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS Integrated work that works.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Lifetime Grand Prix at the Apex Awards.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (011) 267-2800 info@ddb.co.za ddb.co.za @DDBSouthAfrica @ddbsouthafrica

54 - AdFocus 2019

Creatively driven, effective advertising that delivers on its objective is a hallmark of DDB. The agency is a consistent winner at the Apex Awards, which recognise advertising and communication effectiveness.

Previously, in 2017 it was voted the best performing agency at the Apex Awards.

In the final Apex ceremony held earlier this year, the agency was handed the only Lifetime Grand Prix ever awarded — for its iconic FNB “Steve” campaign. The work, co-created with client FNB, was the most successful ever run by the bank and one of the most effective campaigns in SA advertising history.

The agency has long driven an effectiveness agenda, says CEO Emmet O’Hanlon. “Clients come to us in the knowledge that we produce work that works. This accolade from the Apex Awards is the culmination of our efforts over the past decade to produce hard-working advertising that achieves results for clients.”

What many clients don’t realise, he says, is that not all agencies factor effectiveness into their work. “Creativity without effectiveness doesn’t make for a sustainable client relationship long term,” he says. “Our approach is to use creativity in order to ensure the brands we represent are truly distinct; creativity is an amazing tool to achieve effectiveness.”

Despite a constrained economy over the past year, DDB has successfully consolidated and grown revenue from a number of existing clients. The agency also acquired the prestigious Coronation Fund Managers account after a hard-fought pitch process between some of SA’s leading agencies. A large and extremely well received campaign has since been rolled out in key channels.

He notes that a challenging macroenvironment for the past five years has affected most agencies. Fortunately for DDB, an aggressive new business

Emmet O’Hanlon

The Apex Lifetime Grand Prix Award

approach with a strong, steady rate of conversion, has largely insulated the agency from this downturn.

“This year was quieter for the industry in terms of new business pitches compared with the flow of opportunity that has occurred in past years. We’re predicting another tough year economically for SA, but ultimately we’re confident that an upturn cannot be too far away. We don’t believe in waiting for such things though, and will continue to drive even harder with our existing clients and in new business and awards.

Further to that, we were highly gratified to be a major winner at the prestigious African Cristal awards this year and to see our efforts contribute to DDB being named Network of the Year for the second time in a row,” says O’Hanlon.

The agency’s push into the integrated digital space continues to gather pace. “Around 80% of the work we’ve done in the past year has been digital,” he says.

“We were fortunate not to ignore this trend and rather began to build our digital capabilities organically several years ago. This focus is now paying off with significant expertise in all things digital.”

The agency has had some staff changes this year. Conan Green was promoted to executive creative director (ECD) when longstanding ECD Liam Wielopolski emigrated to Ireland.

Green returned to the agency after a stint at DDB earlier in his career, and brings additional digital expertise to the operation.

O’Hanlon is confident that the agency is well placed for further growth and continued outperformance of the norms despite any economic headwinds.

“Quite simply, we love what we do here and have relished fighting our way to success, year in, year out, for nearly two decades now.”

AdFocus 2019 - 55

Corporate Profile

DUKE WE GO BY THE NAME OF Duke Group.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Helping contender brands transform and thrive in challenging times.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Jive Summer campaign — Let’s Jive Together.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Pioneer Foods; Pepsi; RCS; Jive, Orange Potato; Educor Group; Vox Telecoms; V&A Waterfront; Food Lovers Market; Freshstop; Ren Prop; Allan Gray Orbis Foundation; Protea Hotels; Marriott International; SA Innovation Summit; and Advertising Week Africa.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS RCS; Woolworths; Heart & Stroke Foundation; Jive; Pioneer Foods; Educor Group; Sony Interactive Entertainment (Playstation); Anova Health; Vox Telecoms; Allan Gray Orbis Foundation; Cape Kingdom; Fedhasa; and Westin Hotel.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Pepsi, Orange Potato, Food Lovers Market, Proudly SA, Freshstop, Cortex Group, SA Innovation Summit, Advertising Week Africa, Marriott Hotels, Protea Hotels.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US 100% independent.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND R35m-R45m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 71.

WHO’S THE BOSS Wayne Naidoo – CEO. OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS The Duke Group comprises three independent agencies — Duke, Mark1 and Positive Dialogue — all focused on helping challenger brands find success in increasingly challenging times.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (21) 421-4239 wayne@duke.co.za www.dukegroup.co.za @dukeadvertising https://www.facebook.com/ dukeadvertising/

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Duke Group is celebrating a year of growth during which the agency added both a PR and digital offering to its core business with the acquisition of PR company Positive Dialogue Communications and digital specialist Mark1 Media.

In addition, the group has picked up a number of new clients, including Pepsi, and has experienced strong organic growth from existing clients, says founder and CEO Wayne Naidoo.

The entity itself has grown in size and now employs 71 people.

However, Naidoo is quick to point out that the original structure of a core team of highly experienced professionals remains unchanged, with this team largely leading the strategic direction and generating the big ideas.

For Naidoo, the poor economy is a given. However, he believes that one can choose to be a victim or choose to fight — and Duke has very decidedly embraced the latter alternative.

“The ability to adapt the business to where it needs to be is a great enabler for agencies to succeed in this environment,” Naidoo says. He explains that the structure at Duke has always been flexible. This type of landscape nurtures creativity and has allowed the agency to quickly adapt to a changing environment.

“This is harder for large businesses — their commercial models simply don’t allow for change and flexibility. They’re also risk-averse and are not interested in learning through trial and error, which is an important part of the growth process in a more liberated environment.”

As a result, Duke has created a working environment that is fast-paced and dynamic. In addition, it has nurtured the ethos that “everyone can thrive in tumultuous times”.

It’s about thinking differently

Jive, one of Duke’s clients

when you need to, says Naidoo, adding that the agency is not inwardly focused, and that the objective is not about money, but rather ensuring the best result for the client, in an environment which allows every person to do what they love.

Creatively, says Naidoo, the agency is doing well, and he is pleased with the results. Duke was nominated as “one to watch in 2019” by MarkLives, it won a number of awards at the Loeries 2019 and was also voted the third-most creative small agency, and was a finalist for the AdFocus small agency of the year. Naidoo himself is chair of the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA).

“We have been focused on a number of growth areas —

including capital, intellectual and human growth — all areas where the agency is heavily invested,” he says. “For example, when it comes to our human capital, we don’t have a corporate structure. In fact, we operate more like the ad industry did in its heyday. We understand that people need to work at different times — we have a number of mothers with young children, other employees who live far from the office and, in each case, we encourage employees to use their time effectively as opposed to imposing rigid office hours.” As a result, employees are all exceptionally committed to the business.

“When it comes to how we interact with our people, we have a different way of working compared with most agencies,”

Valentine’s 'Love Your Heart’ campaign for the Heart & Stroke Foundation

says Naidoo. For example, all employees are offered an initial three-month contract. “It’s a lot like dating. If, after that time, both parties wish to continue, we look for something more permanent. If they need another three months, we look at that too,” he says.

Client relationships too are of critical importance, and 90% of the agency’s clients have relationships forged at the highest levels — such as CEO level. In this way, Duke is able to form strong partnerships that are far deeper than the usual client/supplier interaction.

“We place a huge emphasis on growing our clients’ businesses and helping them to thrive. At the top of our minds is always the question ‘what will this do for your business commercially?’ and

this informs our approach of producing work that is both purposeful and creative,” Naidoo says. He adds that he has finally cemented a way of working with clients that he has wished for throughout his career — “an intimate relationship where clients have the true belief that we, as their agency, will take them forward”.

Naidoo has a personal investment in every new client the agency wins.

“They are trusting me with their business and their brand and, as such, I must ensure that the entire team at Duke takes this on,” he says.

“Working here has to be more than a job for the people we employ. At the same time, if we believe we cannot add value to a

client, we tell them and move on.”

When it comes to clients, Naidoo is adamant that the agency will not chase money. “We’re not only about representing big shiny brands. Our greatest satisfaction comes from working with brands that are relatively unknown and helping them to grow,” he says, adding that this is probably because the agency itself has such an entrepreneurial spirit.

Despite the fact that Duke is enjoying a successful phase, Naidoo says he never takes his eye off the ball. “Gone are the days when agencies had the luxury of guaranteed three-year retainers.

Our philosophy is to overdeliver and to never take anything for granted. Every client has the right to fire an agency after a three-month probation period — a fact we never lose sight of and something that certainly keeps us on our toes,” he says. This attitude is coupled with solid creative work, speed of execution, big ideas and an agency that operates

in real time — a truly winning formula, he says.

Constantly striving for more is vital, he says, particularly in a business climate where many SA agencies are in serious trouble. “It seems that overseas, agencies have managed to adapt to the tough environment more easily than they have locally. In SA, so many agencies are still celebrating the 30-second TVC and ignoring pressing issues such as transformation, for example.”

Transformation, he says, involves diversity not only in terms of race, but also gender and age. Duke itself is 100% black-owned and a level 1 BEE contributor.

The agency prides itself on its diversity and believes this is why it is able to produce such a high standard of work.

Ultimately, Naidoo believes that Duke has the right spirit, attitude and commitment to thrive, no matter what the operating climate.

“So many people are talking about adapting — yet fail to do so. People talk of wanting change and doing things differently, but the reality is that when faced with change, they don’t enjoy it. I believe this is where Duke has excelled and we are reaping the benefits,” he says.

The excitement is set to continue.

“We have already started to build our group with two new acquisitions and there is more to look forward to. We’re looking to do some international projects in the coming year and enlarge our presence in Joburg. Most importantly, we want to help take our clients to number one and prove that our approach at Duke Group really works,” he says.

AdFocus 2019 - 57

Corporate Profile

Deloitte Digital WE GO BY THE NAME OF Deloitte Digital.

WE ARE The future of the connected human experience.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Delivering digitally powered brand, advertising, marketing and commerce results.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE 10 years.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Data to market deployment in hours.

OUR BIGGEST CLIENTS Also our biggest secret.

WE’RE UNAGENCY TO TODAY’S CUSTOMERS, THE BRAND IS THE EXPERIENCE, AND 7+( (;3(5Ζ(1&( Ζ6 7+( %5$1' b

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS This is for our clients to disclose OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Nothing comes to mind.

WHO OWNS US We are part of Deloitte Africa.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND We measure ourselves on results delivered for our select clients, not our revenue.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE We are a powerful piece of the ±286,000 Deloitte people who make a #ImpactThatMatters.

WHO’S THE BOSS Celeste Koert for customer & marketing. Doug de Villiers for brand, advertising, marketing & commerce.

OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET We reach people on a human level through our agile integrated, strategic & creative systems.

THIS IS WHAT INSPIRES US The human experience delivered.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US ddevilliers@deloitte.co.za www.deloitte.com

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There’s no distinction.

This is why truly elevating your brand message and experience requires an approach to campaigns and communications that’s less interruptive — and more humancentric — than ever before.

Start by taking back control of your customer data, then using the cognitive web to deliver end-toend customer acquisition, service and retention programmes, which increases marketing ROI. At Deloitte Digital we help clients build and leverage the connections — between people, systems, data, and products — that lets you deliver more personalised, contextual experiences across the customer

journey, at scale.

We also believe that people are more than figures in a data column, more dimensional than consumers, more holistic than patients, and more layered than citizens.

Your audience is a collection of ever-evolving, think-forthemselves, live-life-to-the-fullest, for lack of a better word: people.

In order to connect with your audience, you need to be equipped to reach them on a more human level, through a more connected human experience.

We believe that data-driven creative delivers emotional messaging to more targeted

RANKED TOP 5 MOST CREATIVE AGENCY GLOBALLY

RANKED NO. 1 WORLDWIDE CONSULTING SERVICE PROVIDER

DELOITTE HEAT BESTADSONTV 2018

GARTNER 2018 & 2019

segments at scale, and ensures that we grow customers for life with direct-to-people commerce experiences that elevate both the experience and the sale.

Deloitte Digital helps you build those connections by integrating a wide variety of data, technology, and services across various touch points in the lives of your audience.

And we give you complete ownership of it all. We look beyond the customer to the human, shaping offerings around real lives, to create sustainable business futures.

We call this “Elevate the Human Experience”.

This is the future of the connected human experience.

FRESH@FIFTY! FRESH IDEAS, PERSPECTIVE, ENERGY, EXPRESSION, INSPIRATION

Launched Latin America’s largest airline in Africa in a matter of weeks.

Took Quicktite from new product to country leader on 3 continents in 12 weeks.

Opened new doors of growth in retail.

TH A

N

S VER ARY. NI 9 19 6 9-2 0 1

Love to Play Our Part in building Brand South Africa.

Kept the Kreepy Krauly IYHUK HÅ VH[ ^P[O humour for 35 years.

Exchanged creative stock in service of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

“GREAT ADVERTISING IS A BLEND OF MANY THINGS. FORM & FUNCTION; SCIENCE & SHOWMANSHIP; IMPACT & RESTRAINT. EACH PLAYING ITS PART IN THE WHOLE TO MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY.” 1969. Paul Middleton Snr. Founder

Over the past year, the business of media and creative called for smart thinkers who could articulate concepts and ideas well and roll them out fast, with 40 to 50 different iterations to suit the multichannel delivery requirements of clients.

Ebony+Ivory is set up in such a way that all the traditional disciplines are paired with the talents of publishers, journalists, computer scientists,

sociologists, data analysts and researchers. This structure ensures that it is able to service clients by providing them with simple, costand time-effective solutions with measurable results.

While these are just some factors that have ensured Ebony+Ivory’s relevance over the past 50 years, they remain fundamental to what will continue to ensure its relevance in the future.

There’s also been a focus on strengthening and investing in capabilities to keep our clients relevant in the already evolved Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Skills, agility and simpler structures allow Ebony+Ivory to facilitate, curate and collaborate on demand.

The future is in the hands of those who can create to solve complex issues with simple answers.

E+I6298

In advertising, this is nothing new but remains profound, no matter how much faster the content turns.

Good advertising is fundamental to campaign success. The Ebony+Ivory team consistently seeks such balance to keep brands moving forward.

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Corporate Profile

FCB Joburg WE GO BY THE NAME OF FCB Joburg.

WE ARE A SMALL/MIDSIZE/ LARGE AGENCY Large.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Solving business problems, creatively.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE 93 years old.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Integrated Gold Loerie for the Coca-Coca Phonetic Can. OUR BIG CLIENTS Toyota, The Coca-Cola Company, Absa, Tiger Brands, Sasol, SA Tourism.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Toyota (59 years), Tiger Brands (47 years), NetFlorist (16 years), Coca-Cola (eight years).

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS USAID-Pepfar, Jameson, Absolut vodka.

OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Wimpy, PPC. WHO OWNS US Interpublic 40%; STA 34%; Serialong Trust 16%; and Invincible People 10%.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND R200m-R250m.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE 235.

WHO’S THE BOSS Thabang Skwambane.

OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET #neverfinished.

THIS IS WHAT INSPIRES US Building SA’s most loved brands.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US +27 (0) 11 566-6000 Thabang.Skwambane@fcb.co.za fcb.co.za Instagram: @fcbjoburg

60 0 - -AdFocus AdFocus2017 2019

FCB Joburg, SA’s first creative agency, an agency that has always led the industry and has been at the forefront of change, is set to shift the paradigm ... again.

Having created the local industry when it opened its doors for business in 1926, FCB Joburg has long been acknowledged as an agency that’s building the country’s most loved brands.

It is a regular frontrunner on Millward Brown AdTrack’s Most Loved TVC lists, and 94% of its brands are #1 or #2 in their markets. More recently, it’s been winning kudos from its peers as the agency on top of digital integration, and was recently voted by the industry as the Most Digitally Integrated Agency in the marklives.com survey.

Today, FCB Joburg continues to evolve ahead of the curve to deliver sophisticated creative solutions in an ever more complex marketing landscape that is driven by technology and data.

MD Thabang Skwambane says: “Today’s clients have a myriad requirements. They require specialist business partners to navigate an ever more complex marketing landscape; creative solutions to business problems; use of technology to improve efficiency, data-driven market and consumer intelligence; measurable return on investment (ROI) for marketing spend; rapid content production, and transparency.”

Through its tight integration with its marketing technology

sister agency, Hellocomputer, FCB Joburg is able to elegantly overlap creativity with data and technology with the aim of providing unexpected, evocative and contagious solutions to clients’ business problems.

Importantly, these solutions are channel-agnostic, with Hellocomputer delivering performance and marketing technology geared towards leveraging technology to deliver personalisation at scale, maximise efficiencies through intelligent automation and deliver measurable ROI. As part of the Nahana Communications Group, formerly IPG SA, FCB Joburg gives its clients access to a broad spectrum of specialisations including rapid content production, PR, media and data and analytics services.

This is achieved through Nahana’s open architecture model, which encourages all group-owned speciality agencies to collaborate more effectively and efficiently to solve its clients’ business problems creatively.

The aim of the open architecture model, very simply, is to connect and integrate the best resources for a client regardless of where those resources reside within the group.

Critical to the success of the new paradigm is a representative, diverse and inclusive team that reflects the demographics of the consumer.

And here, too, FCB Joburg leads. 69% of the staff at FCB are

black and 71% of senior and executive staff are women. More than 43% of its procurement is from majority black-owned companies and 15% from black women-owned companies.

“We’ve been at the forefront of the industry for more than 90 years by being brave: creatively, technologically and socially.

Looking ahead, we believe that we will connect our clients to their consumers in more ways by leveraging data and technology and building partnerships to last so that we can build SA together,” Skwambane says.

Corporate Corporate Profile Profile

FoxP2 WE GO BY THE NAME OF FoxP2.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Creative work that works.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Wimpy campaigns created during the first six months of our new partnership that delivered some of their best results ever.

OUR BIG CLIENTS FNB, Wimpy, Telesure, Tiger Brands, Namibian Breweries.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS FNB, Famous Brands, Stanlib, Sampro (Rediscover Dairy), Namibian Breweries.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Wimpy, First for Women, 1Life, Dion Wired, Diageo Tanzania, Jagermeister, Status (Tiger Brands), and Pura Soda.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS N/A. WHO OWNS US 30% Dentsu international, 45% Dentsu Staff Trust, and 25% original partners.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1 (Joburg) and level 2 (Cape Town).

OUR REVENUE BAND R60m–R80m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 60.

WHO’S THE BOSS The Work.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS Strategically driven, data-infused, and technology inspired, through-the-line creative agency that harnesses the power of big ideas to deliver an unfair advantage for our clients.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Winning our second-largest client in Wimpy and delivering outstanding business results after only six months together, resulting in some of our best results in a decade and two Apex Effectiveness Awards.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (010) 500-0230 +27 (021) 424-4802 charl.thom@foxp2.com www.foxp2.com @FoxP2JHB/FoxP2lab FoxP2 Johannesburg/FoxP2 Cape Town

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Two years into its partnership with Dentsu, FoxP2’s clients are reaping the rewards of the agency’s data-fluent, ideas-led, tech-enabled approach. CEO Charl Thom says: “Our strong showing at the Apex Awards this year with four Apex wins across three different clients speaks volumes to the business results this approach can yield.”

Founding partner and executive creative director of Mutant (currently Fox Design) Andrew Whitehouse says: “The Dentsu partnership has infused FoxP2 with the ability to take the latest technology and data opportunities and merge them with the agency’s creative offering. The data environment evolves and develops so quickly that there are always new opportunities for creative work.

Dentsu, being at the forefront of cutting-edge technology and data developments, has made this part of the offering that FoxP2 can make available to our clients, giving them what I think of as an unfair competitive advantage.”

What FoxP2 brings to the market is a unique lens through which it views its clients and their business problems. “It’s a marriage of data, technology and creative and allows our clients access to tools they would not otherwise be exposed to,” says Grant Jacobsen, executive creative director. “It allows us to solve the right problems and not automatically default to a linear, one-size-fits-all approach. Clients are becoming increasingly frustrated with agencies that default to a house style where a big TV ad is invariably hauled out in a first client presentation. We bring a super-charged offering that benefits both our clients and our people, with staff benefiting from exposure to training and global learnings in terms of data and technology.” This forms part of FoxP2’s philosophy, which speaks to the ability of strategic creative to offer clients a disproportionate advantage on

their investment.

One of the year’s biggest highlights was the acquisition of the Wimpy account, which has become the agency’s second-largest client. “To see Wimpy record one of its most successful quarters ever off the back of our first campaign has been extremely rewarding,” says Jacobsen, adding that clients who look to disrupt in these challenging economic times will always reap the rewards. These results translated into two Apex effectiveness awards for the Wimpy and FoxP2 partnership before it was a year old.

As to whether the economy is set to improve or continue to stagnate, Thom concedes it’s a hard call to make. “Economies are by their very nature uncertain,” he says. “The best way to navigate these conditions is to adapt to new challenges. We had just opened our doors when the crash of 2008 took place, and we came through that with flying colours, just as we are doing now.” The key to running a good business in the current climate, Thom says, is being nimble and flexible and open to adapting to a changing environment quickly.

Creatively, FoxP2 has had another successful year, building on its consistent Top 10 Creative Circle finish. Highlights include finishing fifth in the Cannes Global Creativity report, three Loerie golds, a Creative Circle Award Of The Year, and a Gold Epica award.

Executive creative director Justin Gomes says: “The Dentsu network

has high creative ambitions, with FoxP2 identified as a centre of creative excellence. So to see our campaigns for Ster-Kinekor and IndieFin recognised with top honours at the Dentsu International Innovation Awards has been very rewarding for us.”

Work on the African continent as well as other international opportunities looks set to increase as a result of the Dentsu partnership. “We’ve recently completed a high-profile campaign for Pilsner in Tanzania, building on the successful work we’ve created for Bell Lager in Uganda, King Lager and Camelthorn in Namibia and FNB in Mozambique, Botswana and Zambia. FoxP2’s track record in Africa is one of the reasons Dentsu chose to partner with us.

They saw FoxP2 as centre of regional excellence in SA that had the potential to expand into other markets,” Gomes, says. “We’re extremely excited about where this can go.”

AdFocus 2019 - 61

Corporate Profile

Havas, part of the Vivendi Group WE GO BY THE NAME OF Havas Johannesburg.

WE ARE A MIDSIZE AGENCY Entertainment and gaming company.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Communication and entertainment.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE Universal Music Group — 23 years; Gameloft — 21 years; Havas — 17 years.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Cannes Lion, Loeries, Prisms.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Reckitt Benckiser, Total, The Blue Train, Sanofi, Parmalat.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Reckitt Benckiser.

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Anergi and Michelin.

Lynn Madeley, John Davenport, Sipho Dlamini and Hervé Delabrousse

OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS GlaxoSmithKline.

WHO OWNS US Vivendi.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND R40m-R50m.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE 60.

WHO’S THE BOSS Lynn Madeley and John Davenport at Havas, Sipho Dlamini at UMG and Hervé Delabrousse at Gameloft.

OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET Building meaningful connections to consumers using advertising, content and entertainment.

THIS IS WHAT INSPIRES US Our purpose is to make a meaningful difference to the brands and the businesses we look after, to our people, to our industry and to the society we are all part of.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US HAVAS +27 (0) 11-549-3600 info@havas.co.za UMG +27 (0) 11-722-0500 umgsa.com Gameloft +27 (0) 83-289-1035 gameloft.com

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The Vivendi Group comprises Havas, Universal Music Group and Gameloft.

The group was formed when the Bolloré family expanded their holding in Havas to create a true communication and entertainment conglomerate.

The Vivendi Group is the only one of its kind. With expertise spanning specialities from TV channels to music to media buying to gaming and advertising.

Havas is the smallest, and we like to think quirkiest, of the global networks.

Maybe it’s something to do with being French. Or maybe it’s the creation of Havas “villages” which are hubs containing our PR, media, strategy and creative all under one roof, we aren’t sure, but we do know that we tend to do things differently.

The team is led by Lynn Madeley, the CEO of Havas Southern Africa, who has been with the agency for 12 years. She believes that trust is integral to building good long-term relationships.

Havas: Right 2 Read — Social Media/OOH Gold Loerie winner

This trust must (as a certain asset manager sometimes mentions) be earned, it is this trust that enables honest interactions between agency and client. This honesty is what enables a genuinely fruitful working relationship where real solutions to business challenges and opportunities can be created and implemented.

Without it, achieving real and measurable results is unlikely, so this “deep care” is integral to how

accounts at the agency are run.

John Davenport heads the creative team, with executive creative director Fiona O’Connor joining after 14 years at Ireland/Davenport. The creative department is on the up, having won a Gold Loerie for OOH at the 2019 Loeries and a Cannes Lion the previous year.

Davenport places particular emphasis on the importance of the “village” idea, saying “real integration (not the fake kind that

gets trotted out all too often) only happens when people from different areas of specialisation sit in the same building. Ideally at the same table”.

He says this is what gives Havas a unique selling proposition because “very few agencies have everything from PR to media sitting together in one space where people can bounce an idea off someone without having to leave their seat. And nobody has access to a huge music company such as Universal or a cutting-edge gaming company like Gameloft”.

Strategy at Havas is built around the “meaningful brands” methodology, which measures the strength and solidity of a brand’s connection to consumers.

It has shown that if almost 75% of brands disappeared, consumers wouldn’t really notice, and seeks to help the brands Havas works with become part of the 25% of brands consumers are strongly engaged with.

The meaningful brands study works with the SA initiative In Real Life to dig down into how consumers really feel about subjects ranging from the environment to sex, gender, work and family.

In Real Life uses face-to-face interviews to find out how consumers feel, rather than skimming off the surface insights that are too often collected. PR is integral to every campaign produced by Havas, and the award-winning unit is headed by Larry Khumalo.

PR is often used to lead a campaign rather than an “add-on” to the work, and is structured to dovetail with social media as PR and social media are, in many ways, interesting bedfellows.

At the core of the PR approach is the drive to always place the brands and businesses the team works on at the heart of cultural shifts. Gameloft is one of the world’s leading game developers.

The company develops games specifically aimed at the mobile phone market, so is positioned right at the coal face of interaction

between consumers, brands and cellular.

Everyday over 1-million Gameloft games such as Asphalt and March of Empires are downloaded by consumers, yielding fantastic branding and engagement. Universal Music Group (UMG) was referred to by Fast Company magazine as the most innovative music company and one of the Top 50 most innovative companies in the world, saying that “amid the music industry’s digital transformation, Universal is redefining what a modern label should look like”.

UMG has licensing agreements with more than 400 platforms worldwide, and locally represents artists including Black Coffee, Nasty C, Lady Zamar and Spikiri.

Sipho Dhlamini heads UMG for Southern Africa and has led the company’s transformation over the past few years.

The company now has an integrated social media and sponsorship offering that affords clients unique opportunities to engage with consumers.

Subsidiaries such as UMG Live offer talent and artist management, and the fact that UMG raked in 13 SA Music Awards at this year’s ceremony shows that it is SA’s leading record company. The Vivendi group’s genuinely integrated offering provides clients with a unique opportunity to engage in a meaningful manner with consumers.

Perhaps Madeley puts this best by saying: “The nature of the Vivendi group enables each of these businesses to learn from and inspire each other.

“The fact that we share one bottom line means that real integration happens and that advertising, entertainment and gaming work together to build your brand and sell your product in a way that nobody else can.”

Havas: DurexContent ContentCampaign Campaign Havas: Durex

Universal MusicGroup: Group:Cassper Cassper Nyovest stage Universal Music Nyovest on on stage

Gameloft: Asphalt Gameloft: Asphalt

AdFocus 2019 - 63

Corporate Profile

HelloFCB+ WE GO BY THE NAME OF HelloFCB+.

WE ARE A MIDSIZE AGENCY, OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Digitally led creative.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE Six months.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Winning the City of Cape Town account.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Pernod Ricard, Beiersdorf, Investec Asset Management, City of Cape Town, Western Cape Government, Wesgro, Alexander Forbes, Beko, Capfin.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Pernod Ricard, Investec Asset Management.

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS City of Cape Town, Capfin, Alexander Forbes, Sir Fruit.

OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US Nahana Communications Group.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND R70m-90m.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE 80.

WHO’S THE BOSS Robyn Campbell & Mike Barnwell.

OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET The human connections agency.

THIS IS WHAT INSPIRES US Creativity that changes behaviour.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US +27 (0) 21 404-0300 makefriends@HelloFCB.com www.HelloFCB.com @HelloFCB @HelloFCB @HelloFCBagency

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Snap the QR codes to see case studies

After five years of sharing the same premises, and a number of key clients, in 2019 FCB Cape Town and Hellocomputer Cape Town merged to form new agency, HelloFCB+, “The Human Connections Agency”.

Over the years, FCB Cape Town has been known for building some of SA’s most loved brands, as demonstrated by its clients’ performance in the Sunday Times Top Brands survey and on Kantar Millward Brown Adtrack’s Most Liked Ads lists.

Hellocomputer Cape Town has, in turn, been acknowledged, along with Hellocomputer Johannesburg, as two-time winners of the Digital Agency of the Year Award at the AdFocus Awards.

By combining both skill sets and restructuring them under one P&L, HelloFCB+ is a new kind of agency, capable of running, designing and building entire customer journeys, with a strong focus on creativity at every touchpoint. Part of the Nahana Communications Group, HelloFCB+ also offers its clients access to a broad spectrum of specialisations.

This is achieved through the Nahana open architecture model where all group-owned speciality agencies are encouraged to

collaborate effectively and efficiently. The aim of the model, very simply, is to connect and integrate the best resources for a client regardless of where those resources reside within the group.

At the heart of HelloFCB+’s process is the use of data, technology and insights, ensuring meaningful connections are formed between clients and their audiences from the moment they first engage with a brand, all the way through to conversion and retention.

With in-house capabilities that allow HelloFCB+ to act as a one-stop shop, it’s clear that creativity that works for its clients’ businesses is its key focus.

Along with strong strategic and creative departments, it has created the position of a creative technologist to lead its development team, ensuring a powerful art, copy and code partnership.

Fuel Content is its awarded content production unit with exceptional skills in bringing creative products to life, including 2D, 3D, illustration and editing.

HelloMedia continues to make sure its clients’ audiences are intercepted at the right time, using the creative/media partnership to optimise content along the customer journey.

Clearly this approach is working, winning several pieces of new business since its inception. The City of Cape Town, Capfin, Sir Fruit and Alexander Forbes have all come on board, each one making full use of the Human Connections journey to optimally connect with their audience. This approach isn’t only winning new business, but awards too, with both Netflorist’s “Say it with a Cactus” campaign, and the Western Cape Government’s anti-bullying campaign, “Raise your voice. Not your phone” winning both locally and internationally.

As a part of the approach, transformation and education remain of utmost importance.

Along with the Seta programme, HelloFCB+ has created an endowment fund to celebrate the life of one of its employees, Simon Nicholson, who passed away in 2018 — sponsoring two communications students each year. A considerable investment is earmarked annually for training, with a big focus on upskilling, leadership training and equality workshops.

Corporate Profile

Hellocomputer WE GO BY THE NAME OF Hellocomputer.

AS A LARGE AGENCY, OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Digital advertising and marketing technology.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE 12 years.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Design, development and launch of Toyota SA’s website platform that will form the basis of connecting Toyota’s entire digital ecosystem to deliver better data, customer experience and personalisation at scale.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Toyota, The Coca-Cola Company, SA Tourism and Old Mutual.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Pernod Ricard (10 years) Titita (six years) Coke (five years).

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Old Mutual, A+E Networks, Alexander Forbes, Jameson, Absolut.

OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Dial-a-Bed. WHO OWNS US Interpublic 40%; Staff 34%; Serialong Trust 16%; Invincible People 10%.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND R60m–R80m.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE 60.

WHO’S THE BOSS Joey Khuvutlu.

OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET We create responsive digital experiences, driven by data, enabled by technology — wrapped in creativity.

THIS IS WHAT INSPIRES US People. Creativity. Technology.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US +27 (0) 11 566-6000 Joey.khuvutlu@hellocomputer.com www.helloFcomputer.com @hellocomputer @hellocomputer

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Making connections and getting personal at scale Hellocomputer. A pioneer in the local digital communications space, Hellocomputer is one of the most awarded digital agencies in SA. Chief among its achievements is that Hellocomputer is the first digital agency to win a Loerie Grand Prix and has been named Digital Agency of the Year twice

by AdFocus.

Founded on the premise of making technology “More Human” for over 12 years, Hellocomputer has embraced hi-tech to create experiences that connect brands and customers in a way that is understandable, meaningful and builds long-lasting relationships.

“From creating the world’s first tweeting honey badger, which increased Johannesburg Zoo’s event attendance by 48%, to consolidating over 70 websites into one single platform for SA Tourism to improve both operational efficiencies and customer-user experience, we’ve pioneered digital solutions for our clients,” says MD Joey Khuvutlu.

“And now, when a number of the country’s specialist digital agencies are collapsing into advertising agencies or evolving into through-the-line service offerings, Hellocomputer is

recommitting to its digital DNA.” Khuvutlu says with technological advancement comes great opportunity but also exponential complexity across platforms, devices, channels, media, data and ever-evolving digital customer behaviour.

There are more ways to connect a growing number of digital formats to tell stories and vast data to inform both strategy and creative.

Clients therefore require specialist business partners to navigate an ever more complex marketing landscape; to provide creative solutions to business problems; to harness technology to improve efficiency, data-driven effectiveness and intelligence; to deliver measurable ROI for marketing spend; to facilitate rapid content production … and to do all this with transparency.

Additionally, he says, connected consumers are now calling the shots with respect to the brand-consumer journey. Brands must therefore adapt and respond in context.

“Hellocomputer has the tools and capabilities to create and connect a brand’s digital ecosystems so that they respond to individual customers’ journeys

and personalise brand experiences at scale,” he says.

“And, through tight integration with its creative-solutions sister agency, FCB Joburg, it is able to elegantly and seamlessly overlap creativity with data and technology.

“Further, as part of the Nahana Communications Group, the agency has access to a broad spectrum of specialisations including content production, PR and media services. This is achieved through Nahana’s open architecture model, which encourages all group-owned speciality agencies to collaborate more effectively and efficiently,” says Khuvutlu.

“

While most local large digital agencies have evolved into through-the-line service offerings, Hellocomputer is re-committing to its digital & technology DNA

”

AdFocus 2019 - 65

Corporate Profile

Joe Public United 2019 WE GO BY THE NAME OF Joe Public United.

OUR CORE SPECIALITIES ARE Integrated brand and communication solutions; Joe Public (integrated above-the-line); Joe Public Shift (strategic brand design); Joe Public Connect (digital); Joe Public Ignite (below-the-line); Joe Public Engage (public relations); and Joe Public Maximise (media buying and planning).

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Nedbank Secrets.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Nedbank, SAB, Jet, Chicken Licken, Anglo American.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Clover (15 years), Anglo American (12 years), Jet (seven years), Nedbank (six years).

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Amnesty, Bonitas, Expedia, Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, Nestlé, Revlon, Shoprite, Transearch, UberEats, SANBS. ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS McCain WHO OWNS US 100% independently owned by senior management.

OUR BEE RATING MAC charter BBBEE level 3.

OUR REVENUE BAND R200m–R250m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 300.

WHO’S THE BOSS Joe Public United.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS A purpose-driven brand and communications group that exists to be the fertile soil that grows our people, our clients and our country.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Loeries Awards Agency of the Year 2019.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0)10 591-7770 E-mail: info@joepublic.co.za

LOERIES AWARDS

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AdFocus 2019 - 67

Corporate Profile

John Brown WE GO BY THE NAME OF John Brown Media.

WE ARE A MIDSIZED AGENCY AND OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Editorialised branded content that delivers proven return on investment.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE 12 years.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Omnichannel always-on strategy for Pick n Pay. OUR BIG CLIENTS Pick n Pay, Life Healthcare, Old Mutual and Dion Wired.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Pick n Pay — 12 years.

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Capitec Bank.

OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US The Dentsu Aegis Network Group.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1 and damn proud of it!

OUR REVENUE BAND R50m+.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 58.

WHO’S THE BOSS Lani Carstens — group MD. OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET We are a leading content marketing agency that employs the best talent in the business to create award-winning content across the board.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Global recognition for our content director Justine Drake — she won a Content Director of the Year Award at the Pearl Awards in New York.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US +27 (21) 486-7600 lani.carstens@johnbrownmedia.com johnbrownmedia.co.za @johnbrownmedia @johnbrownmediasouthafrica @johnbrownmediasouthafrica

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John Brown leadership team (from left to right): Justine Drake, Lani Carstens, Nina Hendricks, Emma Odendaal, Joanne Hope and Charlton Jacobs

It started almost by uncanny coincidence. A magazine editor and a company executive sit next to each other on a plane to London from Johannesburg. As the wheels lift, they don’t drift away into the in-flight entertainment, but instead begin to talk.

The executive is from retail giant Pick n Pay. The supermarket chain is embarking on a new project, he says, to launch a food magazine with an upcoming brand revamp.

The magazine man listens intently.

He’s William Sitwell, editor at the time of high-end food magazine Waitrose Food and editorial director for John Brown UK, a company that at the time already has about 20 years’ experience in content marketing for clients such as Virgin, Emirates, John Lewis and Orange.

No sooner do the wheels touch tarmac again when Sitwell calls Justine Drake, SA celebrity chef and food editor.

“A few months later I had the proofs of the first issue of Fresh Living magazine spread out on my kitchen table,” says Drake.

The year is 2007 and John Brown SA is launched — one magazine, three staff members, a chair and a computer each.

In 2010, publishing heavyweight Lani Carstens joins

as MD, and swiftly new accounts are won.

Fast forward a couple of years and John Brown SA becomes a fully fledged content marketing agency with offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, 58 employees and more awards than wall space, signing contracts with prestigious

“

consumer lies at the heart of all we do” says Carstens.

Over the years we’ve adapted to meet changing consumer needs, and across our content programmes editorial creatives are creating true omnichannel content spanning videos, podcasts, mailers, social media,

For us at JBSA, the SA consumer lies at the heart of all we do – LANI CARSTENS

clients from Discovery Health, Old Mutual and Edgars to BMW, Mini, Life Healthcare and Capitec.

Being the product of a collaboration across the pond means we are part of a wide international network — John Brown Media’s team of 300 highly skilled professionals are distributed in 12 offices from London to Toronto through Dubai, Boston, Helsinki, Singapore and Madrid.

With our recent acquisition by multinational media and digital marketing communications giant Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), this number has grown exponentially, giving us access to over 500 top agencies in 57 cities.

But our hearts and our roots remain deeply local.

“While we’re JBSA, the SA

”

content hubs, e-commerce and apps.

Everything is based on SEO and data insights, speaking to our clients’ audiences in their language on the platforms they prefer.

But one thing will never change: our belief in the power and value of the creative human mind.

So by combining the capabilities and reach of digital communication channels and data-informed intelligence with human intelligence and creativity, we believe we’ve found the secret sauce for growing brands in SA: A combination of the best local talent, world-class digital marketing and global best practice.

Mixed in equal parts.

RESEARCH Corporate Profile

TILT WE GO BY THE NAME OF Tilt Influence Architects.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Influencer marketing & social content creation.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Launching MAC Africa’s new Instagram channel @maccosmeticsafrica and shooting with the All Blacks in November 2018.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Investec, Estée Lauder companies (Estée Lauder, MAC, Clinique), Colgate, Acer, Disney, Virgin Atlantic.

Our oldest accounts Estée Lauder companies, Virgin Atlantic, Acer, Pringles.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Chair Club, Colgate, Luno, Nespresso, MAC, Showmax, Steers and Investec (additional business units).

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US Independent, 100% management-owned.

OUR BEE RATING Level 4.

OUR REVENUE BAND R8m-R15m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 7.

WHO’S THE BOSS Arye Kellman, chief creative officer.

THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We are influence architects. We create magnetic branded content and amplify it like wildfire. We are the unfair advantage.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Doubling in size while retaining our culture and creating breakthrough work that’s on the right side of history.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US 084 5815479 hello@tilt.co.za www.tilt.co.za @thetilteffect @thetilteffect

@thetilteffect AdFocus 2019 - 69

Women get their own space The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) successfully hosted the second JSE She Invests Arena event earlier this year.

Dubbed #JSESheInvests, is intended to support a savings and investment culture in the country by actively encouraging South Africans — particularly women — to invest by educating them on investment choices and how to invest in the stock market.

This year’s theme, “Let’s Invest in Each Other”, aimed to create a platform for women to take charge of their lives and make bold decisions. “Women need to understand that they don’t have to earn a large sum of money before they start investing but can start small with what they currently have,” says Zanele Morrison, director of marketing and corporate affairs at the JSE. “The objective of the conference is to help women from all walks of life progress financially through savvy investments and economic prosperity; to help them actualise the concept of investing in each other by bringing female leaders together to share valuable insights and knowledge.”

With the intention of inspiring women of all ages to embark on a journey to personal freedom, this year’s event included a gathering of powerful and inspirational women under one roof who shared their successes and challenges. Topics covered ranged from learning how to invest in one’s children, how women can invest in each other and how to make your money work for you.

Keynote speakers included Mapalo Makhu, an award-winning personal finance coach, speaker 70 - AdFocus 2019

JSE Investment event

and the founder of Woman & Finance, a platform that educates and inspires women to take charge of their finances. Makhu is also a money columnist for City Press.

Other keynote speakers included the founder of Rekinle Learn, Rapelang Rabana, a computer scientist and internationally recognised technology entrepreneur, and Anthea Gardner, the managing partner at Cartesian Capital, a SA asset management business.

Dealing with money can be stressful, which is one of the main reasons women tend to have a low engagement with financial markets.

Amid all the other priorities that women have to cope with – not least of which is competing in a male-dominated space for equal pay, equal recognition and achieving a healthy work/life balance — managing money is not always a priority. Yet it should be, says Elaine Mabiletsa, JSE manager for currency derivatives.

She says financial literacy is not so much about the ability to understand how money works but more about acquiring a set of skills and knowledge that allows women to make effective decisions about their financial future. “In order to gain financial independence, women need to understand the risks and opportunities that contribute or hinder the achievement of that goal. One of the most significant paradigm shifts a woman has to

make is to become smarter in creating investments that empower her life choices,” says Mabiletsa.

Financial literacy, she says, is a strategy that can be used to induce a change in behaviour for a woman’s entire family. She concedes that the manner in which financial services and products are delivered today, both online and offline, comes with an overwhelming amount of information, compounded by trying to grasp the complexities of investment platforms with time constraints and pressures.

The She Invests Arena, says Mabiletsa, was created for this very reason: to unpack and demystify stock exchange investment and encourage financial freedom for women.

“This year’s speakers, including financial specialists, lifted the veil on how to go about investing,

what financial freedom really means and how to achieve it, and more importantly, how and where to invest. The conference is targeted at all levels of financial literacy, with the takeaways being that women will acquire knowledge about the value of financial control and how to plan and choose investment packages that speak to their individual circumstances.”

One of the main objectives of the JSE She Invests Arena was to once again create awareness around exchange traded funds (ETFs), an investment product that has been used to encourage more people to invest on the JSE as the offering is both low risk and cost effective.

“ETFs are a good start for women beginning their investment journey on the exchange,” says Mabiletsa. “They are a low-risk yet cost-effective

product that tracks a selected basket of shares, bonds or money, or a single commodity such as gold or diamonds. When these investment assets perform well, the value of the ETFs increases.”

ETFs offer investors a wide range of benefits, including the opportunity to diversify their portfolios, make hassle-free investment decisions and qualify for exemptions from certain taxes such as capital gains and tax on interest and dividends.

They’re also easy to buy and sell through a JSE broker or Financial Sector Conduct Authority (Fisca) registered online platforms. Not only are they an ideal investment vehicle for those starting out but also those looking to grow and diversify their portfolios.

Ultimately, the aim of the JSE She Invests Arena is to empower women to make effective and informed investment decisions by providing them with access to information and knowledgeable speakers, activities and engagements that will instil

confidence and show them that investing is not as daunting as they may perceive it to be.

This year the conference was hosted in partnership with Easy Equities, a local low-cost investment brokerage platform, and True Love magazine.

A multiplatform approach was used to create awareness prior to the event.

This included print adverts in publications such as True Love, as well as the JSE magazine. Digital

marketing on the JSE website and social media posts on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter were also included as part of the awareness campaign.

The event was one element of the holistic effort that the JSE is undertaking to make investment accessible, easily understood and fun. In line with this, a host of lifestyle partners, including Camelot Spa, Swiitch Beauty and Hi-Tec SA, among others, conducted experiential activations, prizes and makeovers at the event.

A number of other objectives were defined for the event. Among them were the opportunities to position the JSE as a thought leader, raise awareness around ETFs and ultimately educate the target audience (primarily professional women with the disposable income to invest).

Another objective of the event was to generate leads of potential investors who have not yet invested on the JSE as well as generate leads from existing investors who have a basic

knowledge of investing and are looking to increase and diversify their portfolios.

The JSE She Invests Arena was the ideal platform to entrench the idea of the JSE as an organisation with the ability to connect buyers and sellers – those who are looking to invest their money with the companies and shares that they can invest in to grow their wealth.

For the second consecutive year the JSE She Invests Arena was a resounding success for both the JSE and its partners and plans are already in the pipeline to host the event again in 2020.

Plans for the next event, will include more coaching sessions and content throughout the year, which will provide much needed support and education, eventually leading up to the event itself.

AdFocus 2019 - 71

Corporate Profile

King James Group South Africa WE GO BY THE NAME OF King James Group SA (Johannesburg and Cape Town).

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS A fully integrated communications and technology offering including brand strategy, through-the-line communications, digital services and platforms, PR, content publishing, digital media and data analytics, live events and activations, retail and shopper marketing, and decoupled retail production.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS The launch of TymeBank, the now second-fastest growing digital bank in the world.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Pick n Pay, Sanlam Group, AB InBev, TymeBank, Allan Gray, Siemens, Visa.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Sanlam Group, Visa, Allan Gray.

ACCOUNTS OR PROJECTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Anglo American, Bata Toughees, Uber, Bon Appetit, Siemens Global, J&J Stayfree.

WHO OWNS US We are independently owned.

OUR BEE RATING We are a level 1 BBEEE contributor.

OUR REVENUE BAND Over R200m annual turnover THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE +350 staff members.

WHO’S THE BOSS Alistair King, chief creative officer and James Barty, CEO.

More than two decades of creative growth make the King James Group SA’s longest-standing pure independent agency network, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

“We back ourselves and remain committed to our independence, firm in the belief that it allows us to partner with our clients’ brands in the most innovative and unique way. We operate on our own terms and run the agency the way we want to. Our culture is our own. In times of uncertainty it’s been tempting to join forces with a conglomerate, but we’ve weathered the economic ups and downs. We value our freedom. It allows for quick decision making,

more experimentation, more innovation and more fun,” says CEO James Barty.

As the only pure independent to reach this milestone, it would be natural to start feeling a little anxious around now, but the agency confesses to feeling somewhat bullish. At a time when many other agencies are downsizing, merging or closing shop, King James is growing.

“Evolving from agency to group to network has always been our plan, and we’re now in the thick of it,” says chief creative officer Alistair King.

King says that as an African-born agency, the group is not steered by global trends or narratives.

“Our industry is often

Siemans FABRIC

TymeBank You’ve got this

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We are in the business of investment-worthy ideas that pull our clients’ brands and businesses closer to their customers.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Celebrating Alistair King’s induction into the Loeries Hall of Fame and winning Best Agency Award at the 2019 IAB Bookmark Awards.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 11 215-0000 +27 (0) 21 469-1500 info@kingjames.co.za www.kingjames.co.za twitter.com/kingjamesgroup facebook.com/kingjamesgroup Instagram.com/kingjamesgroup Linkedin.com/company/king-james 72 0 - -AdFocus AdFocus2017 2019

distracted by what the agency of the future might look like, and forgetting to be the agency in the here and now, getting lost in the noise and losing sight of the fact that our market has its own character. We’ve always been steered by the needs of our current clients, evolving incrementally with them and with their marketing needs. It keeps us focused and grounded.”

“This short-termism simply helps guide us in acquiring the skills we believe we need at any given point in time,” King adds.

A case in point in this ongoing journey are the two new acquisitions announced earlier this year with retail and shopping marketing specialists 34° and content publishing specialists

Sanlam Investments A Whole New World Stayfree Chatbot

Cedar SA being added to the group’s offering.

Moreover, the group is also expanding its footprint into Africa and looks set to finish the year strongly as it gears up for the launch of King James 34° in Kenya.

The business is robust with collapsed silos and distinct but connected specialists across brand strategy, through-the-line communications, digital services and platforms, PR and earned media, content publishing, digital media and data analytics, live events and activations, retail and shopper marketing, and decoupled retail production.

“As an independent, every risk we take is deeply personal.

There’s no-one behind us to back us. But we’ve never been afraid to add something new to our group if we believe it’ll make our agency better. We’re not adding divisions because there’s marketing money there. The motivation behind our acquisitions has always been single-mindedly focused on opportunities that will help to make our creative better,” King continues.

With its long-standing reputation for emotive and powerful brand building advertising and its solid track

Stayfree InSync with Sho Madjozi

record for building narratives in new and novel ways for the digital era, the agency group is strongly positioned as the go-to for integrated services and campaigns across the entire customer journey.

They bring together the right mix of skills to create standout solutions for the vastly different briefs from one brand to the next, from communication solutions to the development of digital products and services.

It’s an approach that has paid off.

It has enabled the group to stay ahead of the curve in a disrupted and fragmented agency world, by constantly evolving to remain nimble, agile and relevant, while retaining its position as one of the most respected agency groups in the country among marketers and peers alike.

It was named Best Agency at the 2019 Bookmark Awards and Marklives Most Admired SA Agency three years running.

“We firmly believe that smart, intelligent and emotional communication still moves consumers to action. It is the creative spirit that has built King James and it will always remain at the centre. To be truly compelling,

communication still has to be evocative, no matter what the channel. A lot of the work out there has become very technical, very functional and very soulless, and we will always strive to challenge that,” says King.

After almost 23 years, the agency remains ambitious and committed.

“We’re not winding down, we’re accelerating. We still care deeply and, if anything, we’re committing more so than ever before. We’re committed to our people and have launched the Purple Patch training academy to drive continued growth and development. The group is also supporting King’s passion project You Have a Way With Words which aims to nurture and grow our country’s pool of copywriters,” adds Barty.

This sense of excitement and positivity is evident in the agency’s long-standing client

relationships and is even showing up in its work, including the recent television commercial for Sanlam Investments: A Whole New World.

The group’s Johannesburg agency has also had a standout year with big wins locally and internationally for cut-through work on Allan Gray, Siemens and Corona.

“We’ve found our creative stride and our work will only continue to get better and better,” says King James Joburg MD Lesego Kotane.

“We’re exactly where we want to be as an agency, producing the kind of work we can be truly proud of. With our team of exceptionally talented specialists and backed by trusted partnerships with our clients, we’re able to push the boundaries of what’s possible to produce category disrupting work that delivers measurable results.”

AdFocus 2019 - 73

Corporate Profile

M&C Saatchi Abel WE GO BY THE NAME OF M&C Saatchi Abel — Johannesburg and Cape Town.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Creating simple and impactful ideas.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Nando’s Afro-tising campaign.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Standard Bank, Heineken Group, Takealot Group, Nando’s, Lexus, and MWeb. OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS AVI, MWeb, Takealot, Heineken, and Nando’s.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Standard Bank, SA Revenue Services, Virgin Active, Canopy Growth, Netflix, and Savlon.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Nedbank.

WHO OWNS US M&C Saatchi has a major shareholding (49.1%). Black ownership (26%) and M&C Saatchi Abel management ownership (24.9%). More than 60% of distributable equity is available for local black staff.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND R175m+.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE More than 180 people. The M&C Saatchi Abel Group of Companies collectively employs over 250 people.

WHO’S THE BOSS The Partners.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We’re in the business of creating beautifully simple solutions for an increasingly complex world.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Winning Standard Bank, the 20% year-on-year revenue growth, retaining our level 1 BEE and winning our second Grand Prix for Nando’s.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US (CT) +27 (0) 21 421-1024 (JHB): +27 (0) 11 268-6388 info@mcsaatchiabel.co.za www.mcsaatchiabel.co.za @mcsaatchiabel /MCSaatchAbel @mcsaatchiabel

74 0 - -AdFocus AdFocus2017 2019

Grand Prix Team Nando’s. Picture: Julian Carelsen/2019 Loerie Awards

As an agency established during the height of the global financial crisis, M&C Saatchi Abel has always possessed a fighting spirit, a culture of entrepreneurialism and an inherent ability to trade in tough conditions.

It’s hardly surprising then that the agency is celebrating what founding partner and group executive Jacques Burger terms an “outstanding year” — highlighted by the acquisition of the Standard Bank account. “In addition, we’ve had a host of other fantastic new gains, including Netflix as well as work in an exciting new category in the form of Canopy Growth, selling CBD-related products globally,” he says. As a result, the agency has shown 20% growth year-on-year in terms of revenue, with over R20m in the form of new business gained and invoiced.

One of the agency’s hallmarks and the reason it does so well, irrespective of the operating climate, is its proactive and solutions-orientated approach when it comes to engaging with clients. “Instead of waiting on a brief, we seek out opportunities and challenges to solve for our clients, constantly thinking ahead for ways in which we can augment our offering, add value and unlock growth,” says Burger.

This approach is essential, given that there is unlikely to be any magical shift in SA’s economic and political circumstances any time soon. “There are deep, fundamental issues that need to be addressed before we’ll see any macro-positive change, which means as an agency, we need to constantly seek innovative ways to add value to our clients within this landscape.”

M&C Saatchi Abel has a reputation for producing useful work that provides a sound return on investment, delivers on business objectives and shifts behaviour. The agency’s philosophy, “Brutal Simplicity of Thought” drives this. “It’s the way we operate: taking adversity and creating opportunity, stripping off the layers of complexity to get the very essence of the potential that lies beneath,” Burger says.

Built into this is the ability to be agile and adjust to changes in the market and plan accordingly.

Building “Diversity of Thought” into the agency is key too — ensuring that the country is represented in the agency’s teams is the only way to produce work that will be relevant and resonate

with consumers.

He concedes that he struggles with the current focus on “short termism”. “A focus on daily or monthly results means you risk losing perspective on the bigger picture, planning and long-term strategy, which can be damaging to brand equity,” he says. In a tough economic climate, marketers have a challenge in balancing short-term results with long-term growth.

The other challenge is a huge pressure on skills. “Agencies need to address diversity of skills by being open to seeking skills in adjacent industries and outside traditional advertising, as well as to upskill, train and educate talent within their own agencies.”

When it comes down to it, M&C Saatchi Abel is an agency that is willing to do what it takes to maintain its excellent reputation in the industry and to go on to achieve its ultimate objective — to be the most desired creative company on the continent. With the next 12 months dedicated to focusing on its clients and the opportunities it can unlock for them, it seems the agency is well on its way.

! ABEL AdFocus 2019 - 75

Corporate Profile

McCann1886 WE GO BY THE NAME OF McCann1886.

WE ARE A Midsize agency.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Strategy and through-the-line communications.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE McCann — 62 years old, 1886 — six years old, Post-merger — 10 months old.

OUR BIGGEST BRAG IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Two Silver Loeries.

Merging McCann & 1886.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Cell C, Nestlé, Steers, McCain, Mastercard, Reckitt Benckiser, L’oréal.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNT Nestlé.

OUR WINS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Nyala, Iwisa, Defy, Black, McCain, Fishaways.

OUR LOSSES OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Diageo.

WHO OWNS US Interpublic 40%; Staff 34%; Serialong Trust 16%; Invincible People 10%.

OUR BEE RATING Level 2 QSE. OUR REVENUE BAND R80m-R100m.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE 105.

WHO’S THE BOSS Derek Coles and Stuart Stobbs.

OUR BUSINESS IN A TWEET Truth well told.

THIS IS WHAT INSPIRES US To play a meaningful role in people’s lives — our people and our consumers.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US +27 (0) 11 566-6458 Derek.Coles@McCAnn1886.co.za

76 - AdFocus 2019

McCann1886 LIVE Area

“Inclusion and diversity are not an option for us, they’re a necessity.

We firmly believe that richer work comes from harnessing different perspectives, and that people who work in accepting environments are happier and perform better.”

That’s the philosophy at McCann1886, where MD Derek Coles actively seeks a wide range of different team members and fosters a space where everyone is free to be themselves.

The agency is a key member of McCann WorldGroup, one of the largest agency groups worldwide, and the best performing agency group at both Cannes and Effies.

In the words of chief creative officer Stuart Stobbs: “We love creativity and firmly believe in its power to enable brands to play a meaningful role in people’s lives.

“Creativity also has an incredible ability to create value for companies, their customers, their shareholders, their staff, surrounding communities and the broader environment. Creativity is a unique tool to effect positive change in the world. What’s not to love about that?

“However,” he adds, “it is important to note that whenever McCann1886 talks ‘creative’, it’s not just talking about those who

sit in the studio, it talks about every staff member in the team.

Great creativity starts with great relationships with clients, meaningful strategies based on real consumer truths, and an agile and flexible system to make sure the agency delivers great work on time, right first time.”

McCann1886 is also a part of the Nahana Communications Group locally, and through this alliance, officers its clients access to a broad spectrum of specialisations including rapid content production, PR, media, and data and analytics services.

This is achieved through Nahana’s open architecture model which, very simply, aims to connect and integrate the best resources for a client, regardless of where those resources reside within the group.

“Staying abreast of the rapidly changing media landscape and consumer behaviour is imperative to our growth,” says Coles.

“So we take digital and social media rather seriously. So seriously, in fact, that we’re the only agency in the country to have built our agency around our revolutionary data-lead approach to digital and social media, called LIVE. “It allows everyone in the agency to keep track of culture,

conversations and topics that reflect multiple macroforces including diversity and inclusion across any market, and thus they are able to be meaningful in real-time while making a real difference”.

“LIVE is a cutting-edge methodology that’s physically expressed on seven interactive large screens in the heart of our agency.

“LIVE puts any one of our team members, or clients, at the centre of real-time conversations to uncover social trends and consumer truths, to empower brands to shift culture and not just observe it. If a brand is going to play a meaningful role in people’s lives, it needs to affect culture.

“And, why the 1886 in McCann1886?” he asks.

“Well, even though we are part of an amazing global network, we are a Joburg-based agency, and that’s the year that gold was discovered in Jozi. We like to think of ourselves as modern miners digging for truths for our clients, and unearthing gold for their brands and delivering meaningful value to their businesses.”

Corporate Profile

Meta Media WE GO BY THE NAME OF Meta Media.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Media.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Cell C Media Play campaign.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Nestlé, Cell C, Capitec and Toyota., OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Cell C. ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS City of Cape Town, Kulula, Defy, Cipla, and Hollard.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US Interpublic 40%; Local 60%.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND Undisclosed.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 26 across Cape Town and Johannesburg.

WHO’S THE BOSS Kagiso Musi.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS A full-service media agency born in an era of data & tech, built on the premise of creating the agency of the future. We don’t believe data is the new gold, We believe the interpretation of data is the new gold.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Only eight months after opening our doors, Meta Media scooped third place in two of the toughest categories at the recent 11th annual Most Awards: the prestigious Full Service Media Agency and Overall Media Agency of the Year categories.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 11 081-8800 info@metamedia.co.za www.metamedia.co.za @meta_za Meta Media

Meta Media is SA’s newest full-service, data-led media agency, having opened its doors in January 2019 as part of the IPG Group. It’s been quick out of the blocks, starting operations with four solid clients and hitting billings of R1bn to date.

Group MD Kagiso Musi believes this is a sign that clients are ready for a different type of media proposition, which is exactly what Meta Media is offering. “The industry is ready for a smaller, more nimble media player and we have received a positive reception from clients and the industry alike,” she says.

Meta Media’s fresh offering centres on the way the agency approaches its work. “For us, it’s beyond marketing metrics and, instead, focusing on helping our clients push their business goals.

By engaging the metrics and business objectives, we focus on ideas that drive the business forward.”

In the current climate, the ability to be nimble and agile is something that is valued by clients — and necessary to survive.

“Clients are looking for agencies that are quick on their feet and who can deliver good returns.

Transparency is also growing in importance, and we are fully transparent in everything we do.”

Keeping a finger on the pulse of industry trends is a large part of what keeps an agency agile. Musi talks about a trend around “DIY to DIM” (do it yourself to do it myself). “Consumers are doing it for themselves,” she says, adding that “how to make” remains one of the top search terms on Google.

“It’s part of the empowerment that consumers expect these days. If they’re not given something, they will work around that and work out how to do it themselves.”

Data is heading media trends — the amount of consumer data produced on a daily basis is increasing with every single swipe, click and purchase.

Businesses are adjusting their models to gear themselves up for communication that is more tailored and personalised,

The Meta Media team

ultimately making it more effective. “Data is a key commodity and its use is really the new gold standard. Our group has invested heavily in this space to ensure that we deliver meaningful insights to our clients’ business needs,” she says.

In a media landscape that is in a state of flux, Musi insists that what the industry needs is more hybrid media people. “There’s a skills shift that’s affecting the industry across the board, and while traditional media channels still rule in SA and on the continent, digital is starting to take a healthy piece of the available media budgets, which have shrunk from a budgetary perspective. I believe the answer is to foster hybrid skills in order to better serve our brands.

“Education is high on the agency’s agenda, in particular educating and upskilling agency personnel on digital and traditional media platforms, and taking our clients and media owner partners on this journey with us as well.”

Upskilling is particularly important, given that the skills

pool is one of the industry’s greatest challenges, Musi says.

“Media people in the industry have evolved at a slightly slower pace than the trajectory of change.

There are fantastic traditional media strategists, planners, buyers, but they have not upskilled fast and deep enough in integrating the digital proposition in its entirety. As such, the agency has cultivated a culture of continual learning at every level to ensure that our people become hybrids and are therefore even more channel agnostic.”

She predicts that 2020 will continue to be exciting and challenging at the same time, that budgets will remain stretched.

Despite this, the agency is ready, she says.

AdFocus 2019 - 77

A still from the TV commercial ‘Afro-tising’ by Nando’s

For the second year in a row, Nando’s and its advertising agency, M&C Saatchi Abel, clinched the coveted Grand Prix Award at the prestigious Loeries, which award the best creative work from Africa and the Middle East.

This year’s win was for a TV ad, which delivered fiery commentary on the state of advertising in SA, while promoting a half chicken meal.

Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer at M&C Saatchi Abel, says:

“

We love to fire up conversations and believe that talking about this portrayal of African-ness was one way of growing the conversation

”

At first, it seemed like a celebration of Africa, but by 2018, so many brands had jumped on the trend, that it became hard to distinguish one ad from the other.

78 - AdFocus 2019

Beer, vodka, cars, shoes, insurance companies, banks and even cheese-flavoured crisps were making the same “edgy” ads featuring the same moody influencers, burning streets, fetishised Afrofuturist fashion and colourful smoke bombs.

“Nando’s has always celebrated everything uniquely South African, both loveable and challenging,” says Doug Place, chief marketing officer at Nando’s.

“We love to fire up conversations and believe that talking about this hyperbolic portrayal of African-ness was one such way of growing the conversation.

“The diversity and beauty of Africa should be rightly celebrated. However, the portrayals in recent advertising are often bizarrely over the top and seemingly the same between brands and categories,” Place says.

So, Nando’s created an advert that reminds us of real SA flavour — that there’s more to local culture than the way it is currently being represented.

The ad called out all the

familiar tropes, and even had cameos from actors and celebrities who were also tired of being cast in “Afro-tising” ads that represented Africa in only one way.

“We love the aesthetic of African creativity. Just take a look at any of our restaurants around the world to see how proud we are to showcase Southern African creative work — African-ness is layered, it doesn’t always have to look so derelict, so serious, so over the top, and all the same,” Place says.

“The ad expressed a growing frustration with how cynical and opportunistic the trend felt, and because of that, South Africans rallied behind it,” says Gordon Ray, executive creative director

on the campaign.

“They shared it online, earning tons of organic views, and they brought their love in-store to Nando’s. So much so that the advertised meal outsold targets by 253.6%.”

“I think the campaign actually challenged the industry and consumers on what and how we view ourselves and how we communicate,” Mashigo says.

“I think that was what made the judges stand up and pay attention, especially because the ad was judged by the people who made some of the work that we highlighted in our ad.

“And it is bold for a brand to challenge society and ask: ‘Is this good enough? Is this what we’ve become?’ ”

Corporate Profile

OFYT WE GO BY THE NAME OF Old Friends Young Talent (OFYT).

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Creating uniquely SA communications work that really works.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Kia Brand Work.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Heineken SA; Kia Motors; Prudential Investment Managers; The Crazy Store; Jack Daniel’s; Distell; TFG and Lindt.

OFYT staff. Picture: Ruvan Boshoff

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Jack Daniel’s (14 years).

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS FutureLife, V&A Waterfront, and TFG. ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS N/A. WHO OWNS US Ourselves (Independent).

OUR BEE RATING 4, soon to be 2.

OUR REVENUE BAND R55m-R65m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 60.

WHO’S THE BOSS Jonty Fisher.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS OFYT is a powerful combination of our country’s best young talent and some of SA’s most experienced ad people.

The result is uniquely local work that really works.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Delivering a series of Kia brand campaigns to humanise and localise the Kia marque.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US CT: +27 (021) 461-5178 JHB: +27 (010) 276-0240 info@ofyt.co.za www.ofyt.co.za @ofytagency http://www.facebook.com/OFandyt

An agency entirely underpinned by the idea of “Old Friends Young Talent”, OFYT is headed by a team of seasoned individuals who are committed to finding, teaching and training the best young talent available from all walks of life and teaming them with experienced ad people to create uniquely SA work that really works.

“Our business model is geared to drive more relevant SA work that resonates with SA consumers, through this creative collision between the industry experience of the Old Friends and the lived experience of the Young Talent,” says CEO Jonty Fisher.

“Our model provides talented young people with an entry point into the industry through our training and entrepreneurship programmes, and clients have the chance to not just build their brands, but help to build a broader social impact too.

It’s a unique business model, and one that has stood the agency in good stead for what has been a successful year. “It’s been a year of consolidation after we took on Heineken SA, Prudential, FutureLife, The Foschini Group and the V&A Waterfront last year,” says Fisher. Profit is up by 52% year-on-year, versus 31% last year — pleasing results in a challenging environment.

As the industry becomes driven more by the rules of procurement than the needs of the clients themselves, OFYT has maintained what they term “old

school” relationships with their clients at a thinking level, which means they have kept their seat at the boardroom table. Clients have direct access to senior management, which has become somewhat of a rarity in the industry.

“Our clients tend to give us the feedback that we’re ‘adults in the room’, reflecting our ability to be thinking partners for them and to hold the problem at the centre, rather than just the brief execution itself,” says Fisher.

In an era where digital transformation seems to have become the be-all and end-all, OFYT takes a different approach.

“Digital is certainly an important platform and we have a strong digital skills set,” says Fisher.

“That said, we take a contextual approach to the client. The truth is our continent is not at the cutting edge of digital — and we need to stay close to where our clients and their customers are. That may ultimately call for a digital solution — or it may not,” he says, adding that the world is getting to a post-digital space anyway, where all skills should contain digital and agencies should be operating in fully blended teams. “We talk about digital against a specific problem and a specific customer,” he says.

The growth of OFYT’s Joburg office is a big focus point, and shareholder management will be put into that office in the next six months. In the past year OFYT has

also welcomed dynamic new senior talent to the agency in the form of Kush Chetty and Tania Barker as creative directors and Richard Broderick as client service director. They join an already heavyweight creative leadership team of Chris Gotz, Kelly Putter and Brandt Botes.

With a newly enhanced team, OFYT has eradicated all siloes within the agency to ensure that every blended team takes an omnichannel, problem-centric approach to the work.

Transformation — for the right reasons and not simply to tick boxes — is also high on the agenda, says Fisher.

To this end, OFYT is soon to conclude a BEE deal whereby the agency will move much closer to becoming 51% black owned.

The team at OFYT understands the world their clients frequent and has worked out how to think for them, as equal partners, says Fisher, adding that many of the agency’s hires come from the client side, which gives the agency even more insight into client needs.

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Corporate Profile

Ogilvy South Africa WE GO BY THE NAME OF Ogilvy SA. OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Marketing and advertising.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Most awarded — Kimberly Clark; Huggies Baby Marathon; Social Impact — Philips & Nelson Mandela Foundation, Shave to Remember; Carling Black Label; and Soccer for Change.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Pep, Vodacom, KFC, MultiChoice, Volkswagen.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS ABInBev, Unilever, KFC, MultiChoice, Volkswagen.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS SAA, Tiger Brands, Game, SA Home Loans, Anglo American.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Sheet Street, Capfin.

WHO OWNS US WPP 45%, Local 55%.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1, 51% black-owned.

OUR REVENUE BAND R400m+.

WHO’S THE BOSS CEO Alistair Mokoena.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS Ogilvy SA is part of one of the largest marketing communications networks in the world with more than 800 staff in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Creative “Work that works”; Apex and Loerie Grand Prix Award for our Huggies campaign; most awarded agency at local and international awards; most awarded agency at the inaugural Marketing Achievement Awards; KFC Turnaround (Make a Meal of It). Kimberly Clark — Huggies. Our commitment to empowerment and transformation has helped us achieve a level 1 BEE rating, and 51% black ownership of the business. Our BEE transaction has helped us empower a total of 91 shareholders.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 11 709-6600 https://www.ogilvy.co.za/ @OgilvySA @ogilvySA

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Ogilvy team

When Ogilvy Worldwide CEO John Seifert first announced his daring ambition to reorganise Ogilvy and future-proof the business, Ogilvy SA joined the charge.

Labelled “Ogilvy’s Next Chapter”, the reorganisation of the group involved consolidating 16 operating companies into one, and fusing Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban offices under one national leadership team.

Harnessing the collective power of Ogilvy in this way has delivered significant growth for both the agency and its clients.

The true success of the Next Chapter was always going to be measured by the thinking and work that the agency delivers.

After a year of accolades for its work, the business is currently ranked as both the most effective and creative agency group in the country.

This has been achieved by evolving its teams to transform brands, driven by technology, data and digital platforms in order to address the modern marketing needs of today’s digitally enabled consumer. The agency characterises the past year as one

of growth, transformation and stronger relationships.

Ultimately, it regards the vote of confidence from its clients as the true confirmation of Next Chapter’s success. In this regard it continues to build client relationships more than 40 years old, built on the kind of trust that comes from generating compelling creative work, and commercial value.

It’s also been able to create genuine empowerment, achieving level 1 BBBEE certification, with 51% black ownership.

Real transformation is about more than BBBEE, though. Over the past two years, the agency achieved an average increase of 6% employment equity talent across senior, middle, and junior

management. This includes growth of 8% in middle management and overall employment equity female representation. The agency has invested more than R4.5m in youth development platforms, and formed further strategic enterprise development initiatives, which helped it pave the way for youth and small business to thrive in the industry.

Transformation is a journey, and Ogilvy SA is fully committed to finding new and exciting ways to spread the wealth and knowledge of the industry to a new generation — while ensuring it remains an equal-rights employer whose people and ownership reflect the diverse nation around it.

Corporate Corporate Profile Profile

Promise WE GO BY THE NAME OF Promise.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Full service, including consulting, data and digital media expertise.

THIS IS HOW OLD WE ARE 14 years.

OUR BIG CLIENTS RMB, SAB/AB InBev, AfriSam, PPS, Bestmed.

WHO OWNS US 100% locally owned.

OUR BEE RATING Level 2.

OUR REVENUE BAND R50m–R60m.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE 75.

SO YOU LIKE US, ENGAGE WITH US +27 (11) 463-2413 hello@promisegroup.co.za promisegroup.co.za @promiseagencysa

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Over the past year, Promise has had continuing shifts in the requirements of its clients and, accordingly, the agency’s output.

Moreover, in line with industry trends, there has been exciting growth in the digital media division and the agency split now lies at 55% digital and 45% through-the-line.

In 2017, Promise established a consulting division in order to provide clients with assistance in digital transformation, business and technology-tomarket strategies that will benefit their brands in today’s competitive market.

CEO James Moffatt says the agency has also deployed some interesting projects around data, data strategies and data best practice.

“We’re currently working on a number of advanced projects for blue-chip clients in the financial services, construction materials and technical solutions sectors,” he says.

Moffatt says the establishment of the agency’s consulting division is a natural extension of its diversification strategy, which has been a priority over the past few years.

“While management consulting firms have for some time now been encroaching

into the marketing communications space, the development of this division is a progression of Promise’s agile planning to accommodate the changing needs of our clients, and not a rebuttal of this trend,” he points out.

It’s a strategy formed around the fusion of creativity and business ideas, which, according to Moffatt, allows Promise to provide its clients with disruptive ways to position themselves in their markets together with defining how they deliver products and services.

Promise has distinguished itself by creating unique creative business solutions that differ from the cut and paste approach taken by many management consulting firms.

Its strategy of diversification has earned the agency the role of trusted adviser to its clients, with an ability to meet a broad range of business challenges, aside from marketing communications. “Within this landscape, our through-the-line output has helped us deliver a number of exciting campaigns for clients that have yielded industry leading results,” Moffatt says.

He adds that strong growth is expected from the consulting division over the coming year.

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Corporate Profile

OMD WE GO BY THE NAME OF OMD. OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Full service media agency.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS McDonald’s digital innovation.

Freddy Mavunda

OUR BIG CLIENTS Standard Bank and MTN. OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Standard Bank and AVI ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Distell Q4 2018.

WHO OWNS US Omnicom Media Group NY. OUR BEE RATING Level 2.

OUR REVENUE BAND Confidential, billings are R8.7bn THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 172 in SA. WHO’S THE BOSS Josh Dovey — Group CEO. OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS SA’s leading media agency was founded in 1996 developed specifically to service a growing requirement for clients who wished to separate media implementation from creative services.

In 2000, US communications giant Omnicom took a majority shareholding in OMD enabling us to access a global network and offer world leading media services. Both Cape Town and Durban operations offer the same equivalent levels of service through our integrated strategy, planning and booking systems.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS OMD has thankfully grown year-on-year but the driving priority has always been to sustain our existing client portfolio with the required efficiencies while driving innovation.

OMD is consistent in service delivery and this is reflected through its growth.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 11 303-2000 marco.santos@omd.co.za www.omd.co.za @OMD_EMEA OMD EMEA

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Josh Dovey CEO and Gary Westwater CFO of Omnicom Media Group South Africa at the company's offices at Bryanston in Sandton.

Despite a challenging climate characterised by restrictive budgets and advertisers intent on driving even further efficiencies, media agency OMD has successfully navigated the past year by incorporating greater innovation and creative solutions in its day-to-day business operations and practices.

According to the Recma (a media agency research company that evaluates the industry) media ratings index, OMD is one of just three media agencies in SA to have shown positive growth over the past four years. The agency has shown 5% growth off a $611m base, which equates to an increase of R443m.

The agency’s growth, says OMD MD Marco Santos, is the result of good client retention — the agency hasn’t lost any accounts in the past year — and the organic growth of many of its existing clients.

“Our priority is to sustain our existing client portfolio with the required efficiencies while at the same time driving innovation. As a result of reduced staff turnover and a significant investment in skills development, OMD is able to provide a consistent quality of service which is reflected in the year-on-year growth we’re experiencing,” says Santos.

Ranked the largest media agency in SA for 14 years running with 21.2% market share by Recma — ahead of The MediaShop

in second position with 17.9% ) — OMD is restricted from pitching on many accounts as a result of exclusivity agreements across various sectors.

“Being the market leader comes with certain restrictions when it comes to pitching,” concedes Santos.

As a result, the agency has evolved its services offering to include digital, creative and app development to bolster its integrated media agency offering.

OMD considers the retention of staff and clients to be a major strength combined with a strong value offering in the context of effective return on investment rather than just by offering extended credit terms or subpar fees, both of which don’t benefit advertisers in the long term, says Santos.

“Our greatest asset is our talent base — many of whom have a long-standing heritage in the industry — and the fact that we’re successfully retaining our staff is very positive,” he says.

“In a tough trading environment innovation and creativity become increasingly critical,” says Josh Dovey, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Africa, OMD’s parent company. “Cost is no longer a defining factor, it just gets you to the table. Efficiencies and creativity are the differentiators. Both our networks (OMD and PHD) have this at the core of their client offering.”

Media agencies that will be sustainable in the future, he says, are those that are investing in talent and fostering creative approaches in their businesses.

“Given that the economy is not growing, the only way to grow our market share is to increase the scope of work from existing clients and to take market share from competitors.” According to Recma, Omnicom Media Group overtook WPP as the largest media agency holding company in SA this year, with a market share of 27%.

OMD’s successful expansion into major territories across the African continent — using a similar model to that utilised in SA — has stood the agency in good stead to pursue growth beyond SA’s borders. Ominicom is currently ranked the number one media group in Africa.

Multinationals as well as medium- to large-sized businesses are increasingly pitching the region as opposed to one country, says Dovey. A robust, owned, multicountry network therefore stands OMD in good stead to pitch for international business.

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Corporate Corporate Profile Profile

Local Planet WE GO BY THE NAME OF Local Planet.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Full service global media network — offering a fresh alternative for clients through our unique ownership structure and independent status.

Local Planet is the world’s only owner-managed international agency network.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Launching Huawei’s P30 Pro across Western Europe and Australia.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Burger King; Carrefour; Crabtree & Evelyn; eHarmony; FC Barcelona; Froneri; Huawei; Maisons du Monde; NetJets; NFON; and Secret Escapes.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS We’ve only just begun!

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS eHarmony, Huawei, and NFON. ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US 45+ Independent founder Media Agencies.

OUR BEE RATING Local Planet SA: level 4.

OUR REVENUE BAND Global Annual Billings: $15.7bn.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 12000+ passionate media experts.

WHO’S THE BOSS Global CEO: Martyn Rattle, CEO SA: Rob Smuts.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We want to work with international clients who deserve better. We offer a level playing field in both strategy and value, servicing clients equally, irrespective of size, operating in a truly transparent manner, securing trust — building long-term mutually beneficial relationships.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (11) 884-9282 rob@localplanetmedia.com localplanetmedia.com

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Local Planet Global Conference – Mount Nelson, Cape Town

Local Planet, uniquely combining best-in-class, best-in-market and the most progressive independent agencies in the world, was launched in 2016. Local independent media agency RMS Media joined other leading independents from around the world as founder shareholders of the new global media network.

The network assists clients to seize growth opportunities globally through local excellence and expertise. The world’s only owner-managed international agency network, Local Planet has 117 offices across 67 markets worldwide, and is now open for business in SA. Responsible for day-to-day operations is London-based global CEO Martyn Rattle, who previously launched and established the Vizeum network for Aegis. Chair Bill Koenigsberg founded Horizon Media, the fastest growing media agency in the US. The network’s lead UK agency is the7stars — a multiple UK Agency of the Year winner — so the business is in capable hands.

The network leadership team comprises many of the founders of some of the most successful independent media agencies globally. Local Planet’s combined media billings exceeds $15.7bn, achieving a global market share of 4.6% in the past year, making it the fourth-largest media agency network in the world. Not bad for a start-up!

Local Planet offers a fresh alternative for clients through its unique ownership structure and independent status, delivering a

genuine and compelling alternative to the large holding companies. Its “edge” comes from always challenging the status quo and standing out from the crowd.

What sets it apart from its competitors?

Local-up planning Traditional top-down planning is neither effective nor efficient.

Centralised strategies are often theoretical, lack local relevance, and, if they are implemented, lack effectiveness. In contrast, Local Planet’s local-up approach delivers the best of both worlds — local effectiveness with international efficiency.

Client-centric approach Local Planet’s value is a mix of quality, price and flexibility that is specific to each client. Business outcomes are at the heart of all remuneration proposals — linking delivery of value to clients’ business success.

Genuine transparency Our key operating principle is a personal and transparent approach to client relationships. A fundamental part of its independent culture that protects our agency’s commercial integrity.

Bespoke technology solutions Local Planet chooses to remain independent and agnostic in terms

of technical solutions, media and data partners. Competitors, on the other hand, retain legacy investments in technology and lock clients into their platforms.

Local Planet’s tech-agnostic approach ensures independent customised solutions, identifying the best available experts and providers tailored to meet clients’ specific needs.

Business is personal Local Planet is proud to be personally invested in its clients and their businesses. Its number one management focus is always on clients’ needs. Clients can expect to never be just another name on the roster, but will always receive full senior management attention where it matters: on the ground.

With no holding company corporate mandate, clients are prioritised over external shareholders with a structure that allows the agency to focus 100% on delivering value.

Responsible for heading the network’s Sub-Saharan African hub, Local Planet SA hosted the 3rd Annual Global conference in November 2018 in Cape Town.

Not only did the agency introduce SA to many new visitors, it was also an ideal opportunity to showcase the talents of the local agency operation. Vamos Local Planet!

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Corporate Profile

Switch WE GO BY THE NAME OF Switch.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Branding and communication.

OUR BIG CLIENTS Altron Group, Cavico Group, AMCA Products, Furnmart and Homecorp, Investec, The Bud Group, Capitec Bank, and the City of Cape Town.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Investec, DGB, AEL, Tsogo Sun, SA Mint, Capitec Bank, and Pearson.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Amka Products, Transnet, Icon Oncology, Cavico Group, Betterbond, and Frey’s Foods.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS None.

WHO OWNS US Independently owned.

OUR BEE RATING Level 3.

OUR REVENUE BAND R50m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 22: Johannesburg and 12: Cape Town.

WHO’S THE BOSS S’bu Manqele, Gaby de Abreu, Larry Shiller, and Simon Arenhold.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS A multidisciplinary brand agency focusing on building brands.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Launch of Kenya Tourism’s Magical Kenya brand. Having our 2010 Fifa World Cup and Mexico’s 1986 Fifa World Cup identity design voted as the two greatest designs in Fifa’s history.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 82 908-8800 +sbu@switchbrand.co.za www.switchbrand.co.za Switchbrand switchworld 224148007629005

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Freddy Mavunda

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Visual brand strategy for Women for Water. Global advertising campaign for SA Mint’s Platinum bullion, offering. environmental and signage programme for Coca-Cola Bottlers SA and Altron Group. Brand strategy & design for Cavico Group. Brand strategy & communication for Icon Oncology.

Switch team

It’s been a very busy year, says S’bu Manqele, group executive director at Switch. A slight upswing prior to the elections was followed by a lull, and now things seem to have stabilised.

Clients are engaging — albeit cautiously — as they wait for policy and political certainty.

Switch itself has had growth from existing clients, both within and outside SA’s borders.

Group executive creative director Gaby de Abreu says, however, that clients are more likely to engage on a project basis these days as there is a lot more negotiation around cost, value and timing.

“There is a growing expectation that work can be turned around overnight at a lower cost than ever before,” he says, adding that digital is driving this, with its faster turnaround times and cost-effective nature.

Ultimately, says De Abreu, while it’s important not to underestimate the value of design work, agencies have had to learn to do work within tighter budgets, faster and better than ever before — if not, clients are likely to look elsewhere.

As big agencies seem to recognise the role played by specalists, there is a growing trend of having specialist skills in-house, allowing them to offer turnkey solutions to clients.

Smaller agencies, like Switch, are

having to adapt and be smarter about the way they do business.

While they cannot compete for the same size of clients, they have to offer agility and higher levels of creativity.

“Larger agencies tend not to have the flexibility and the turnaround capabilities of smaller ones,” says De Abreu.

“With this in mind, we’ve had to adapt to offering a 360º solution to clients. At the same time, we target midsize clients and don’t chase after the big brands, rather creating a niche for ourselves where we can excel.”

It’s a strategy that works for Switch. “Clients want their place in the sun, they want that feeling of being at the top, which they don’t often experience at the larger agencies,” says Manqele.

“Switch, on the other hand, promises clients directors’ involvement, sitting at the table along with the young blood, adding 30-40 years of experience to the process.”

More and more, agencies and clients are tending to hold on to each other, as opposed to looking for new partnerships.

“Clients are staying with agencies with whom they have developed long-term relationships, knowing that the agency will go the extra mile for them — while agencies know there’s not a lot of movement in the market and look for organic

growth from their existing client base with a focus and dedication to growing their brands and successes,” says De Abreu.

Succeeding in this tough environment is also about ensuring that the agency provides a relevant offering that is on point in today’s market.

As branding specialists, this has meant creating strong ties with a digital partner to broaden the agency’s offering in this field.

It also ensures that the agency’s work moves seamlessly between platforms with no distinction between the start of the campaign journey and its end point, and that the digital divide is bridged. Adding to this skills enhancement has been the addition of two animators at Switch’s Cape Town office.

The agency is wholly focused on a culture of learning — both internally and with its clients.

“When we partner with a client, we need to learn their business and their challenges.

Staying ahead means having key conversations about the bigger picture — the local, global, business and political climates we operate in,” Manqele says.

Corporate Profile

TBWA\South Africa WE GO BY THE NAME OF TBWA\SA. OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Using our collective creative capabilities to locate our clients’ brands in culture.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS MTN SA, Datsun, Qatar Tourism Authority, Saint, Creative Circle, Vote for a better SA and winning Cannes Gold, Silver and Bronze for City Lodge.

OUR BIG CLIENTS MTN SA, Spar, Nissan and P&G. OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS Spar and City Lodge Group.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Hyundai.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Standard Bank.

WHO OWNS US Omnicom, Phembani and a local staff trust.

OUR BEE RATING Level 2.

OUR REVENUE BAND Large.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 500+.

WHO’S THE BOSS Luca Gallarelli and 26 talented leaders.

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We are a creative collective powered by our operating system, Disruption, creating work that seeks to make an impact in culture.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS Welcoming Luca Gallarelli as our new Group CEO. TBWA\SA named Regional Agency Group of the Year at the Loeries Awards for the second time in a row (2018 and 2019).

TBWA\Worldwide named AdWeek’s 2018 Global Agency of the Year and one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (0) 11 322-3100 hello@tbwa.co.za www.tbwa.co.za @tbwaafrica @tbwaafrica, @backslashafrica TBWA in Africa TBWA South Africa

From December 2019 TBWA\SA has a new leader at the helm: Luca Gallarelli takes over the role of group CEO from Sean Donovan, who has been appointed to head TBWA\Asia as president. Gallarelli was previously group MD of Ogilvy SA. “We looked far and wide for a successor and believe we’ve found an exceptional candidate in Luca,” says Donovan. “Critically, he is the right cultural fit for the agency and a leader who will play to his own strengths. We have long admired his extensive industry credentials and believe he is the right person to lead the group forward.”

Donovan says he expects a seamless transition and a continued focus on a strong creative product when Gallarelli takes the reins. It’s been a relatively good year for the group with good organic growth, despite being a tough year economically, says Donovan. Creatively, the agency has nothing to complain about: TBWA\SA retained the title as the leading regional network at the Loeries Awards; was the leading SA agency at Cannes this year; was the Creative Circle’s individual and group agency of the year; and is AdWeek’s Agency of the Year. Donovan says his personal highlight was winning South Africa’s first Cannes Lion for a Zulu radio spot, for City Lodge. “We’re operating more

efficiently and benefiting from the launch of expanded data and production capabilities. As data becomes commoditised, there has been a reminder — and a refocus — on the fact that creative remains our core product and output. With more tools and talents at our disposal, I believe there has never been a better time to be in the industry.”

Agencies need to be strategic in

“ ” As a true industry collective, we’re able to take global learnings and perspectives and apply them to local problems.

terms of how they deploy technology, he says, automating low-value tasks in order to free up highly skilled people for highly skilled outputs. TBWA\SA benefits from its group structure to drive efficiencies. Earlier this year it merged OpenCo with Grid Worldwide, a move which has allowed both agencies to offer a more compelling proposition.

A key focus of the past year has been to broaden the agency’s definition of transformation. “One of the challenges facing the industry is that we tend to hire too many similar people,” says Donovan. “As a result, TBWA\SA is focusing on hiring different people in order to get more diversity of opinion such as

engineers, stay-at-home mothers and experts on more mature consumers, for example.”

The group has invested in training and development programmes for key talent in order to provide opportunities for structured learning. The biggest battle for talent, says Donovan, is in the mid to senior level: those individuals who are the key drivers of the future and leadership succession. The industry continues to lose talent to the client side and international market which means the onus is on agencies to continually find and develop new talent.

What differentiates the agency, he says, is TBWA\SA’s disruption philosophy, which offers value relative to its competitors, combined with a group structure which offers multiple marketing disciplines and fluid resource solutions to specific business challenges. “As a group, we are not constrained by rigid boundaries, which means we no longer approach pitches from an individual agency basis but rather from the perspective of the best possible way to address a specific business problem. We’re able to take global learnings and perspectives and apply them to local problems,” he says.

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Corporate Profile

The Odd Number WE GO BY THE NAME OF The Odd Number.

OUR CORE SPECIALITY IS Through-the-line advertising.

OUR BIG PIECE OF WORK IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS Brand SA, Assupol, Nedbank, Game, Panado, and| Cricket SA. OUR BIG CLIENTS Brand SA, Assupol, Nedbank Digital Media, Game, Panado, Cricket SA, and BBC Worldwide.

OUR OLDEST ACCOUNTS BBC Worldwide, Brand SA, Nedbank, and| Assupol.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE WON OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Game, Panado, Cricket SA, Assupol, Viu Digital Streaming, Lion Lager, Becks Beer SA, and Lovers Plus and Trust Condoms.

ACCOUNTS WE’VE LOST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS Wimpy.

WHO OWNS US We’re an independendent, 100% black-owned and managed advertising agency.

OUR BEE RATING Level 1.

OUR REVENUE BAND R40m–R50m.

THIS IS HOW MANY PERMANENT EMPLOYEES WE HAVE 30.

WHO’S THE BOSS Xola Nouse (CEO) and Sibusiso Sitole (chief creative officer).

OUR BUSINESS IN 140 CHARACTERS We’re the leading independent 100% black-owned through-the-line agency in the market.

OUR KEY MOMENT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS IN 50 WORDS In 2018 we had the highest number of Loeries Awards finalists — 15, and won four bronze awards. We won gold at the Pendoring Awards. In 2019 we won one silver and two bronze medals. We won the highly sought-after Game and CSA MSL account. Sbu Sitole won the most admired creative leader medal.

SO YOU LIKE US, THIS IS HOW YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH US +27 (10) 312-6190 info@theoddnumber.co.za www.theoddnumber.co.za @OddNumber /TheOddNumber

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Xola Nouse and Sibusiso Sitole

After a tough 2018 during which the agency lost its biggest client and retrenched 40% of its staff complement, The Odd Number quickly bounced back. Just two months later it won a barrage of new accounts, including the Mzansi Super League annual tournament on behalf of Cricket SA, Viu Digital Streaming, Assupol, Lovers Plus and Trust Condoms, Lion Lager and Beck’s Beer SA, Panado and the highly sought-after Game — Mass discounters account.

Since then, says group CEO Xola Nouse, the agency has maintained a steady growth trajectory with significant revenue growth year-on-year. “Though we’re still a relatively new player in the market, over the past four years we’ve carved a niche for ourselves as a result of great work and significant account wins.

While the new business market has been tough, we’ve managed to grow existing client relationships and acquire new clients.”

Smaller agencies such as The Odd Number benefit by being more agile in the current environment, with the ability to adjust their operating models more quickly than their larger counterparts, Nouse says. “What this allows for is more flexible client relationships which are not necessarily bound by financial targets.”

The Odd Number’s success is

premised on a simple but powerful philosophy: to connect brands to people through powerful, nuanced creative executions. He predicts that new technologies and innovations will continue to affect the advertising business, as will the emergence of smaller entrants to the industry, with the ability to offer bespoke solutions.

“Inbound versus outbound agency services will continue to be a consideration for clients. Our priority, therefore, will be to continue to demonstrate end-to-end value that drives results,” says Nouse.

The convergence of data and creativity will continue to be in the spotlight as clients increasingly look for work that is results driven, while new technologies will open up new ways of reaching consumers.

In this environment, agencies need to remain relevant to the changing needs and demands of clients, both of which are driven by the market and business imperatives.

The agency’s role, says Nouse, will be to embed itself in clients’ businesses. “We need to be as invested in our clients’ success as we are in our own, recognising that our primary role is to solve business challenges through creative executions, which in turn need to factor into business objectives,” he says, adding that

true client and agency partnerships are built on sustained mutual success.

In the past year the agency has set up a digital media subsidiary in partnership with Hoorah Digital Consultancy and appointed Terry McKenna as executive creative director and Selae Thobokgale as strategy director. The latter two appointments, says Nouse, have bolstered the agency’s senior leadership team and helped the agency evolve into an effective and integrated group with a tangible commitment to excellence.

Looking ahead, Nouse says the intention is to continue to grow by attracting leading clients in their respective categories and maintaining its position as the foremost wholly black-owned agency in SA. “We’ve set our sights on international awards, growing our clients’ businesses and maintaining a culture where both the client and our team come first.”

Trailblazers in design, brand and business Established 21 years ago by a group of passionate educators, Vega has grown from strength to strength in the intervening years with a consistent focus on creative development, while at the same time nurturing critical thinking around how to conceptualise, launch and sustain brands.

From the outset a new type of advertising school — one which combined creativity with analytical thinking — had the support of industry stalwarts such as Thomas Oosthuizen, Reg Lascaris, Mark Steinhobel and Graham Warsop.

Listed company AdvTech, bought into the vision for a new concept school and agreed to finance it.

The name Vega was the suggestion of AdvTech’s company lawyer after the brightest star in the constellation Lyra.

The name, says co-founder Gordon Cook, was ideal for a number of reasons, not least of which was that the star was used by ship captains to navigate their way across the seas.

The concept of navigation, he says, precisely informed the school’s approach to teaching and learning.

The team focused on developing a curriculum that would encourage students to question everything and to consider meaningful changes that would make brands and businesses more human.

The concept wisdomwithmagic was captured as the brand’s ethos.

It is an ethos that continues to inform what occurs at Vega today.

Vega launched in February 1999 with 93 students, two studios filled with state of the art Apple computers and a curriculum focused on design, the study of creative innovators, creative development, the pros and cons of brands and a number of multimedia programmes.

Vega co-founders, Gordon Cook, Carla Enslin and Christian Zimelka. Fellow founder Greg Tegoning now resides as an artist on the East Coast

“The curriculum was much about play, making, thinking, feeling and questioning,” recalls Cook.

“There were few constraints and little regulation.”

More than two decades later, Vega has, as Cook puts it, passed through its recalcitrant teenage phase and has evolved into an elegant and savvy young adult with an academic environment that is based on experiential learning where creatives are trained in strategy and strategists in design-thinking on four campuses situated in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban.

Vega School is an educational brand of the Independent Institute of Education (IIE), SA’s largest and most accredited private tertiary education institution.

The IIE is internationally accredited as an independent higher education institution by the British Accreditation Council.

Carla Enslin, national head of strategy and new business development at Vega, is the last co-founder of the school still involved on a permanent basis.

She has been instrumental in launching a number of innovative

programmes, including an MA in creative brand leadership.

“In the past 21 years our values may have evolved, but our focus has not shifted,” says Enslin.

“The need for more creative thinkers has never been greater to solve both business and societal problems. Phygital brand building and omnichannel marketing requires creative solution seekers.

It’s no longer sufficient to simply be a graphic designer or a media planner; rather the industry now requires strategic creative thinking is embedded in the way every individual and team works.”

Cook, who continues to serve on the school’s national advisory, is now involved with Vega’s social

partner, Re-Imagination Lab. Students of the IIE’s Vega are equipped with timeless skills that are in high demand among employers, allowing them to pursue meaningful and impactful careers no matter how the world of work changes.

The future workplace needs more astute, agile and better-equipped sense makers.

Purpose-led undergraduate and postgraduate degrees will help train students with the requisite insights and skills to explore all angles, uncover value, disrupt norms and ultimately develop and implement original concrete and sustainable brand building solutions.

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Changing lives through technology

T

echnology connects us now more than ever before, making our lives easier and more meaningful in many ways. For the last 25 years, Vodacom has played a key role in transforming ordinary people’s lives through its innovative technology, allowing more South Africans to stay connected for a be er future.

South Africa faces some of the highest levels of inequality, unemployment and poverty in the world.

As the leading mobile network operator in South Africa, Vodacom is commi ed to removing barriers to digital access as we evolve to The Gigabit Society – while transforming education, healthcare, financial services and agriculture for our customers and communities.

"For the last 25 years, Vodacom has played a key role in transforming ordinary people’s lives through its innovative technology"

As part of our accelerated rural coverage programme, we deployed over 200 new rural network sites across all nine provinces in the last financial year alone. This comes a er we extended our South African rural coverage by 101 villages in Financial Year 18, in areas that did not previously have network access. The sites are located predominantly in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Services like Vodacom’s Mum & Baby are changing lives by supporting over 1.5 million mothers and caregivers in remote parts of the country, where crucial healthcare information is not easily accessible due to healthcare centres being located far away from their homes.

Key to achieving this means ensuring the continued growth of network coverage and capacity.

Vodacom’s investment into its network is evident as the brand led the country to become the first in Africa to surpass over 80 percent population coverage on a 4G threshold. The launch of Africa’s first standardsbased commercial 5G network in Lesotho in 2018 is further testament to the brand’s commitment to keeping all of its customers connected.

Vodacom now has a solution for this challenge.

Mothers and caregivers subscribed to Mum & Baby are offered this information in the form of SMS messages, educational articles, tutorials, videos and access to tools such as a due date calculator, ensuring that both mother or caregiver and baby are healthy and happy. From early childhood development to education, Vodacom works hard to ensure that today’s youth are ready to be a part of the evolving workforce of the future by investing over R500 million in transforming SA’s education system over the next 5 years. Through the Vodacom e-School platform, over 690 000 learners have been able to access zero-rated curriculum content, ensuring that access to educational information is more inclusive, a critical factor in giving everyone the same tools and opportunities to overcome poverty, create success and be a part of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

Access to zero-rated curriculum content

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Vodacom

This is why Vodacom, as the country’s leading digital telecom, took it upon itself to launch this initiative to prepare the youth, so they can adapt skills of the future and contribute in taking the economy forward.

Vodacom, as a long-standing partner of government, has pioneered a multi-faceted education ecosystem model that looks at the interdependencies and interrelationships of ECDs and high schools and incorporates teacher training, parents and local communities to significantly transform our education system. Vodacom continually facilitates initiatives that look to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual exploitation. Together with the Department of Social Development, the company invested over R6 million towards the infrastructure set-up and running of the national Gender-based Violence Command Centre, which provides support to survivors of abuse. The GBV Command Centre represents the first technology of its kind in terms of social delivery in South Africa. The Centre operates a National 24/7day call centre facility.

Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls The facility employs professional Social Workers with some of them responsible for The Deaf Community using Sign Language.

Over the years, Vodacom has also supplied products and services to help provide value to customers and assist in social transformation efforts. For instance, in 2017, Vodacom Connected Farmer, a cloud-based web and mobile so ware solution, was launched to link enterprises to smallholder farmers, helping farmers improve efficiencies and production. As an extension of this and to create equal opportunities for women and youth in rural areas, Vodacom introduced the Women Farmers Programme in partnership with UN Women in 2018. Agriculture remains a significant provider of employment in rural areas and this programme has, to date, helped train over 400 small-scale women farmers in the Limpopo province alone.

"Together with the Department of Social Development, the company invested over R6 million towards the infrastructure set-up and running of the national Gender-based Violence Command Centre"

As Vodacom endeavours to implement mobile technology solutions that can help bring the government and the people closer, it launched its Vodacom Citizen Engagement App in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. This platform consists in creating a clear and transparent realtime channel of communication for citizens to their respective municipalities and government departments, ensuring that service delivery issues are efficiently reported to the right people and resolved as quickly as possible.

While we’ve been pleased with our progress and the acknowledgement we’ve received, more must and will be done. Transformation is part of the DNA of Vodacom and we will work hard to ensure that the fruits of our economy, and our sector, are shared by all, expanding our portfolio into such avenues as the Internet of Things, with products such as V by Vodacom that provides various smart security tools, blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The future really is exciting. Ready?

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INSPIRING GROWTH Welcome to Wunderman Thompson a leading creative, data and technology agency that helps brands evolve and thrive.

WundermanThompsonSA

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THAT’S IT, FOLKS

TIME TO TELL IT LIKE IT IS, AND DRESS THE PART Too much regulation restricts industry’s creative juices Godfrey Parsnip is the retired founder of the multi-award-winning creative agency, The Neptune Painting Studio. Here he writes in his personal capacity about the state of advertising in SA and how to train great copywriters. He’s best known for his work on the Moo Milk brand and the famous payoff line, “Yoo Hoo No Udder Choice But Moo”. In his spare time he likes to play golf in tweed plus-fours; practise the delicate art of Sabrage; and tootle about in a British racing green Austin Healy Sprite

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123rf.com

W

ell finally this rag of a publication has seen fit to ask me to write about the world’s most difficult job — crafting beautiful sentences to sell stuff. I have won every award known to man in the advertising world including the coveted Rhodium Nightstick given to a campaign that meets an entire brief in one powerful compelling word. Who can forget my ad for a new spa resort in the Cape winelands with the witty descriptor, Aequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminoscupreov itriolic. If you don’t get it, look it up, you marketing and branding halfwit!

Anyhow, enough about me and to the task at hand. Though, before we get there, I should also tell you — just to establish my impeccable credentials in case you’ve forgotten who I am — about another piece of work that set the ad-land alight. Some years ago in a brave move the Ukraine Tobacco Company set out to capture the last uncharted cigarette demographic — what marketers call the future influencers or Fuencers. These were 8-12-year-old smokers who would become lifelong devotees and brand ambassadors.

In a cunningly brilliant campaign, we found schools in the capital Kiev, roped in teachers who were also loyal users of the product to incentivise pupils in the classroom with cigarettes instead of gold stars.

As the young people say today — and

unable to say this for fear of being dragged off to some tribunal watched over by people who have never had a creative thought in their small heads.

Let’s say you have a car brand as a client that is well known for its British pedigree, its calfskin seats, its built-in cocktail bar and walnut steering wheel. Why the dickens can’t you say it’s better than some tin and plastic held together by wire and glue and built in the colonies by child (hopefully smoking) labour?

It’s time we told the truth in this industry of smoke, mirrors and persuasion. Now the chubby boring cove who edits this title and who can’t string a proper sentence together on the telly, told me to offer some sage advice to young copywriters. For the love of Pete, learn how to spell properly and use the Oxford English dictionary, not some Google-driven American equivalent.

And while you’re at it, purchase a copy of English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy from Cambridge University, my alma mater.

Then I suggest you sit at the feet of a master (me) for at least 20 years and soak up as much wisdom as possible. Only then, when he deems it fit, try to write a single sentence extolling one tiny attribute of a product. If it flows and sings and creates a little frisson of excitement in your heart and you want to write another sentence, then you have begun the long ascent to Mount Advertising, where great things like money, fame and awards await you at the summit.

But note, only one in 100,000 ever makes it — one wrong step and you’re back writing swing tags for pawn shops. And finally, dress the part. Piercings, tattoo, and pony tails are for rock band roadies. Buy a suit and tie and polish your shoes, man.

excuse the pun — the idea was lit. Every time young Boris got a question right about the remaining levels of nuclear waste at Chernobyl he was given an unfiltered treat; every time Yelyzaveta managed to get in and out of a hazmat suit in record time, she was encouraged to take a deep drag on a Stolicze, Kozak or Otaman.

Classmates were encouraged to look the other way and sing The Internationale during coughing fits. I was eventually given one of the country’s highest honours for increasing sales by over 100% in just 30 days.

Which brings me to my first point about advertising in this neck of the woods. We have far too much regulation. I advocate a libertine approach to advertising, where you can say just about anything you want. Too much red tape constricts the creative juices. Many years ago I would have used the line “Your Creepy Uncle in the Furniture Business” — it would have created much more interest.

I’m a great believer in comparative advertising. We all know that some cars are better than others, and yet our industry is

Godfrey Parsnip

As Deloitte, we take pride in ensuring we understand our clients, their needs and how to serve them with distinction. We know what itȇs like to put in the time and eÎ?ort to produce work that stands out from the crowd. Deloitte. Making an impact that matters. www.deloitte.com/za