From The Odd Number and Avatar to DNA Brand Architects and Bluecloud, black creative entrepreneurs are demonstrating that South African talent can compete at the highest levels of advertising, marketing and brand communications. South Africa's black-owned and black-founded advertising agencies have plenty to celebrate in 2026. Across some of the country's most respected creative competitions, agencies have earned recognition for work spanning brand storytelling, digital marketing, strategy, public relations and socially relevant campaigns. Among the businesses making their mark are The Odd Number, founded by Sibusiso Sitole and Xola Nouse; Avatar, founded by entrepreneurs including Zibusiso Mkhwanazi and Veli Ngubane; DNA Brand...

After George Floyd, an African American man, who was killed by police in the US, a group of creatives came together to create an organisation to help Black and Brown creatives prosper. Floyd became a global symbol of how Black Lives Matter in all spaces including creative industries such as advertising. Black at Cannes is a creative community curated to bring diversity and inclusivity for Black and Brown professionals in advertising globally. Their focus is to provide a platform to build solid connections and increase representation at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. More opportunities “Black at Cannes was birthed to create more...

JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – FROM humble beginnings with R2 000 (US$117), South Africa’s largest 100-percent black-owned agency has grown into a multimillion-Rand business. Avatar, founded by entrepreneurs Zibusiso Mkhwanazi and Veli Ngubane, is celebrating its ten-year anniversary. In marking the occasion, Avatar also announced a new talent programme for ten students in the creative field. The programme will open in the second quarter of 2023, with further details will be shared closer to the time. “As we continue our mission to do world-class work for world-class clients through our world-class people, we’ve been hard at work in the last ten years strengthening our core: building a...

New proposals are aimed at achieving a substantial change in the racial composition of ownership and management. Continuing lack of access to market share and capital is one of the key motivations behind new proposals put forward by the marketing, advertising and communication (MAC) charter sector code that is out for public comment. The code affects the BEE scores of agencies that form part of the R30bn sector. According to research by the Sanlam Gauge, the BEE Commission and the Interactive Advertising Bureau South Africa that was presented to parliament, transformation targets set out in the 2016 sector code were “minimal and easily...

13 Feb 2023 - Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele calls for public comments on a revised MAC Charter Sector Code The Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele has published a notice in a government gazette (Gazette number 47804 ) calling on the public and interested stakeholders to work with the Marketing and Advertising Communication  (MAC) Charter Council to make oral and written inputs to review the current MAC Sector Code. The MAC Charter Council will be conducting virtual and physical public hearings to review the current Code from 20 January to 09 February 2023 in order to comply with the Department...

Business leader and marketing veteran, Happy Ntshingila, has joined media agency AMA as Chairman. Ntshingila’s rise to fame as an advertising pundit is an inspirational story that most aspiring South African advertising practitioners grow up on. In 2006 the charismatic marketer went from managing director of HerdBuoys McCann-Erickson at the time to Absa’s Group marketing executive, then to SuperSport as Chief Executive. Having helped numerous organisations and businesses in his career, Ntshingila’s return to the advertising, marketing and media industries will see him have the enviable task of helping shape the future of the industry and establishing key strategic partnerships for AMA. “The time has come to break the market domination of...

Minister in The Presidency, Mondli Gungubele to launch the MAC Charter Sector Council The Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele will launch the Marketing, Advertising and Communications SA (MAC SA) Charter Sector Council. The MAC Charter Council is tasked with monitoring transformation of the sector by facilitating the implementation of the B-BBEE sector code. In addition, the Council, which has representatives from government, the regulator, MAC sector, women, youth and organised labour, will measure transformation progress made by the MAC sector. The appointment of the MAC Charter Council is directed towards ensuring that transformation in the sector is promoted, monitored and reported on...

Transformation only skin-deep The SA Human Rights Commission recently held an inquiry into the advertising industry. The five-day inquiry, held in Rosebank, Johannesburg, focused on the production chain in the advertising sector to look at ways to eliminate racism, tribalism, homophobia and sexism, among other forms of discrimination. There is no doubt that reform is needed. The problem is not so much racial discrimination in the advertisements. If we are being honest, since the TRESemmé and H&M incidents two years ago, we have not really had another racism incident. The biggest problem is the racial exclusion of black-owned and black-run agencies from lucrative...

The SA Human Rights Commission recently held an inquiry into the advertising industry. The five-day inquiry, held in Rosebank, Johannesburg, focused on the production chain within the advertising sector to look at ways to eliminate racism, tribalism, homophobia and sexism, among other forms of discrimination. There is no doubt that reform is needed. The problem is not so much racial discrimination in the advertisements. If we are being honest, since the TRESemmé and H&M incidents two years ago, we have not really had another racism incident. The biggest problem is the racial exclusion of Black-owned and Black-run agencies from lucrative advertising...