ABOUT US

What makes us different? You already know the usual buzzwords; ours are different… courage, loyalty, determination, support and heart.

OUR STORY

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Ours was in 2008, when Andrew Brand and Lewin de Villiers decided to open their own agency. That’s all it took: two strategic and creative minds, a shared vision and, of course, a pitch. Cue an unfaltering work ethic, courage, determination and creativity, and our very first pitch became our first client win.

We officially opened our doors on 1 September 2008 with 30+ staff and the Checkers account. A big win. One we took seriously, entering into a one-year exclusivity agreement with the Shoprite Group, to give ourselves time to immerse the agency in their business.

Taking the time to develop deep, long-lasting relationships with our clients and fully engage in their businesses has stood us in good stead, often leading to our own organic growth, starting with one brand and gaining others from within a client’s group portfolio. So too have the lessons we’ve learned, the systems we’ve implemented, the structures we’ve developed and the culture we’ve created; all of which allow us to provide creative solutions for a wide variety of clients across many fields. The proof? Today, we’re almost 300-staff strong and still growing.

We believe that the 99c DNA, the heart of our business and brand, as well as our transparent working model is scalable, relevant and compelling to clients across RSA and Africa. That’s why we have expanded beyond Cape Town into Johannesburg, and beyond our borders into Lusaka, Zambia.

So far, our journey has been thrilling, surprising, sometimes challenging, always enlightening and rewarding. Our future? We can’t wait!

OUR AWARDS

While it’s important that every single brief, no matter how big or small, gets our best work, we can’t deny that we’re proud of each and every award won.

Loeries

2015 – Silver

Tassenberg: Your Legend Lives On | Branded Content: Radio

Pendorings

2016 – Silver

Winhall & de Stadler Jewellers | Retail

2015 – Silver

Checkers: Suzaniel | Retail

2014 – Silver

Tassenberg: #YourLegendLivesOn | Truly SA: Integrated Campaign

Tassenberg: #YourLegendLivesOn | Digital & Interactive Communication

Digicape: Apple-uitverkoping | Original Afrikaans Digicape: Apple-uitverkoping | Retail

2013 – Silver

Tassenberg: Truly SA | Integrated Campaign

2012 – Silver

Checkers: Blougroen/Groen/Rooi | Newspaper

Checkers: Blougroen/Groen/Rooi | Retail

2009 – Silver

Checkers: Pinkie | Magazine

Assegais

2014 – Silver

Tassenberg: #YourLegendLivesOn

Checkers: Inflation Bulldog | Retail

2013 – Gold

PUMA: Kings of Pong | Magazine

Other Awards

Shoprite Holdings

2009

Western Cape Supplier of the Year | National supplier of the year

2010

Gauteng Supplier of the Year | National supplier of the year

2014

Northern Cape/Free State Supplier of the Year

2015

Gauteng Supplier of the Year | National supplier of the year

2016

KwaZulu-Natal Supplier of the Year

Orchids

2013

Checkers: Back to School

2014

Checkers: Inflation Bulldog

2016

Checkers: SA Chefs Association

2017

Checkers: Back to School

SERVICES

We run a full-service agency to offer brands a complete, 360° advertising experience.

CREATIVE

From blank canvas to final product, we analyse and craft our work to find the best visual communication solutions, whatever the brief.

Our designers balance the analytical with the beautiful, the technical with creativity, to produce hard-working and visually impactful communication.

DIGITAL

The modern consumer, coupled with today’s technology, is not only changing the way we do business but also the way our clients do theirs.

The way we see it, our job is twofold: to develop a deeper understanding of today’s consumers, and to weed out the fads to make clever use of the right technology in order to grow our clients’ brands.

STRATEGY

The strategic planning department is responsible for generating consumer insights that aid in the development of strategy and tactics and in evaluating communications campaigns. Strategic planning encompasses three phases: strategy development, creative development and evaluation of effectiveness.

The primary responsibility of the department is to understand the target audience and to “represent” it throughout the advertising development process. This is accomplished through the use of market and research data on the product or service, the category, the market, the competition and the client. Consumer insights into the potential customer provide an understanding of what motivates consumers first to try a product and then to continue buying it, which enables advertisers to establish an innovative connection between a brand and the consumer’s life.

While more traditional research may uncover consumer insights, our strategic planners’ department takes these consumer insights, interprets them and advises the creative team how they can be used to develop creative strategy. Strategic planning influences the entire creative development process except for production. It has a crucial role during strategy development in helping to incorporate the consumer’s point of view, ultimately putting the consumer at the heart of the communication process.

This enables the agency to create advertising that is consumer-centric, relevant, impactful and effective. It is important to remember that even the most brilliant creative execution that is not consistent with the strategy cannot compete with an average execution that is.

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory, tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” –Sun Tsu, Ancient Chinese Military strategist

PRODUCTION

When it comes to production, we explore different ways to create content and deliver your message, within budget and on time – before the work even begins.

We produce multi-platform communication well beyond the standard television commercial. Our print, on-screen and digital production is creatively driven, integrated, and effective. On-site implementation and production capabilities mean that we’re fast too.

Our key services include:

• Print production
• Stills & interactive photography
• Image manipulation
• CG/3D imagery
• TV commercial broadcasts
• Digital content generation
• Procurement & sourcing services
• Project management
• Production workflow automation

POST-PRODUCTION

We get that post-production is an integral part of a full-service advertising offering. Our teams of offline editors, VFX artists, animators and colourists specialise in animation, design, visual effects, brand commercials, focussed retail offerings, adaptations, versioning, pax and trax.

Post-production is also constantly evolving. So we’ll say that we work in the following programmes… for now:

• After Effects
• Cinema 4D
• DaVinci Resolve
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Premiere

PUBLIC RELATIONS

We’re passionate and proactive when it comes to strategically promoting our clients’ brands. After all, raising a brand’s image leads to sales, which ultimately impacts the bottom line.

Our PR team moves effortlessly between traditional and digital concepts, from creative campaigns to live events.

Our full-service offering includes:

• Strategic campaign conceptualisation & implementation
• Social media campaigns, community management & content creation
• Full-service influencer brand ambassador programmes
• Media event & launch management
• Establishment & leverage of strategic brand partnerships
• Media liaison & product/service amplification
• Internal communications
• Reporting & campaign data analysis
• Crisis management
• Press material, advertorials, thought leadership

MEDIA

The media landscape has changed significantly over the last few years, and it continues to evolve. Our newly established Media Strategy, Planning and Buying division works closely with all internal departments to conceptualise and execute 360o media strategies, delivering on clients’ communication and audience objectives.