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BY PHATHU LUVHENGO  Luyanda Peter always wanted to start his own business and be his own boss, but was uncertain about which sector would best suit him After spending almost two decades in the corporate sector, this entrepreneur founded an advertising agency and is planning to expand it throughout Africa. Established in 2015 and already operating in Botswana and South Africa, Harambee Communications is a 100% black-owned and managed integrated communications agency, with a special focus on activations, events, promotions and sponsorships. “I only worked in the corporate sector for 17 years,” he said. Peter started his career at SAB (Now AB-InBev) in 1999 as a...

05 November, 2018 /

BY: PABALLO MOLAHLEHI Back when rose-tinted glasses were considered chic, I was thoroughly optimistic about working in the ad industry. This passion grew stronger in varsity, having caught a glamorised glimpse of life in that space. From the fast-paced nature of the ad beast, to the ad folk’s inclination to excessive drinking (I’ll find any excuse to drink, to be honest), while being able to significantly influence pop culture – it was clear that this world was where I belonged. Or so I thought. Nothing could have prepared me for the disillusionment I’d be confronted with upon realising that the same industry I so...

31 October, 2018 /

BY: LEIGH ANDREWS It's a touchy subject for some, but completely necessary to explore: Here's how Fort Review is amplifying the need to truly hear the black voices in advertising and stop being creative Jekyll and Hydes. Makongoza behind the decks at the Fort Review second edition VIP launch event, at Rockets' rooftop in Bryanston on 16 February. It’s no secret that the SA ad industry is in drastic need of transformation. It’s not necessarily that there aren’t enough black voices in the industry, more that those voices are not being heard, and those truths are not being well told. That’s what I call...

31 October, 2018 /

Posted By: Michael Bratt Ahead of a talk that he is giving at the Loeries Creative Week, Google Africa chief marketing officer Mzamo Masito spoke to The Media Online. The chat centred on creativity and its role in both advertising and marketing and the world as a whole. “I love creativity that rhymes with functional design, that is beautiful but is also useful. This is when it helps answer and solve a few questions,” says Masito. He punts creativity that assists in two ways. Firstly, creativity that is used to create solutions to ending the world’s problems, including poverty, racism, prejudice and ignorance. Or creativity that...

30 October, 2018 /

BY: SORIA HAY The Department of Trade and Industry's (dti) proposed amendments to its Codes of Good Practice on broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) focus on ownership and skills development. Soria Hay, head of corporate finance at Bravura Proposed amendments include, for example, stricter requirements for the enhancement status of small and emerging black-owned businesses yet a surprising enhancement status for black-owned generic entities. There is an innovative new skills development indicator which will incentivise businesses to increase their BEE levels while supporting long-term economic growth possibilities. Unexpectedly, no amendments are proposed for broad-based schemes despite criticism levelled at these by the dti¹s minister, Rob Davies,...

30 October, 2018 /

by Carey Finn (@carey_finn) Johannesburg-based full-service communications agency, Riverbed, has set high targets for 2018, in a bid to take the business to what CEO Monalisa Sibongile Zwambila calls “the next level”. Emerging from what was a challenging year for many in the industry, Riverbed is leveraging new wins and hires to bolster both its creativity and position in the market. Monalisa Zwambila Advertising added on “We started very much as an activation and PR agency, and then we added on our advertising competency,” she says. “What we really want to be in a position to do is make a difference in terms of creativity.” Zwambila is confident...

29 October, 2018 /

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Today, we reveal which agency creative leaders were most admired by their peers in Jozi during 2017! This is part of this week’s announcement of the 2017 MarkLives Agency Leaders’ Most Admired Poll results for Johannesburg. Next week will be the national results; last week we revealed the Cape Town results. Monday: Most-admired ad agency bosses in Jozi Tuesday: Most-admired creative leaders in Jozi Wednesday: One to watch in Jozi Thursday: Most-admired agencies in Jozi Friday: Most digitally integrated in Jozi Monday 5 March: Contribution to agency diversity and transformation (Jozi) Every year since 2012, MarkLives has been polling South Africa’s top agency leaders...

29 October, 2018 /

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Iconic South African ad agency The Jupiter Drawing Room (Johannesburg) has been closed down, The Lionheart Brand Holding Company, owners of The Jupiter Drawing Room brand, has confirmed. The agency is no longer trading and the shutdown happened over the course of 3–4 months earlier this year. It no longer employs any staff. Two former senior managers at the agency, Gugu Madlala and Sizwe Kumalo, have contracted with Jupiter Joburg’s remaining client roster through their agency, Black Powder (as in gun powder). Madlala explains that he and Kumalo had initially joined Jupiter Joburg to help drive new business opportunities and to explore empowerment...

26 October, 2018 /

by Carey Finn (@carey_finn) The Mother City may traditionally have not been seen as welcoming to black-owned and operated agencies, but Avatar Cape Town hasn’t let that hold it back. Though not yet two years old, the agency has secured several significant accounts and seen strong growth. “Business has been great” “Since the day we opened our offices in October 2016, business has been great,” says managing director Mthunzi Plaatjie, who estimates that it’s won advertising accounts worth close to R85m in billings (total client marketing spend) over the past 12 months. He is hoping this figure could soon surpass the R100m mark. The agency...

26 October, 2018 /

After two years of actively searching for the right partner to add value and grow the business, Artifact Advertising South Africa has completed a new partnership, with Philasande Sokhela. The ad agency is now a BBBEE level 4 agency (under the new MAC codes), with several divisions offering specialities where needed, including digital (Level 4 SME), promotions (100% black-owned), integrated (51% black-owned) and print (51% black-owned). “We are immensely proud and positive about our new shareholding, especially since it is a completely transparent partnership, bringing new ideas to the business and offering increased value to our customers,” says Andy Taoushiani, Artifact...

25 October, 2018 /