99c
| Monday | 08:00 am - 05:00 pm |
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| Tuesday | 08:00 am - 05:00 pm |
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| Wednesday | 08:00 am - 05:00 pm |
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| Thursday | 08:00 am - 05:00 pm |
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| Friday | 08:00 am - 05:00 pm |
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| Sunday | Closed |
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NEWS BLOG
Destiny Man – My Business Journey
9 June 2017 by 99c
From a young age, I have always been creative – from drawing and cartooning, to writing and drama – I loved anything where I could express myself creatively. Towards the end of my school years, I had a teacher who suggested I consider advertising as a career. It married my drive to create with my desire to be part of the hum of an exciting, ever-evolving business. I was hooked.
After school, I completed a diploma in Graphic Design and Art Direction at AAA. While studying, I played cricket and rugby every moment I could. I managed to make the WP Under 21 rugby team, and later played semi-professionally in France.
My cricket and rugby careers taught me more about management and leadership than any studies, courses or seminars could ever hope to. I captained teams for most of my life and always relished the challenge. Dynamics within team environments are so fluid and adrenaline-charged, with each person relying on their teammates to succeed. Sport taught me the importance of culture, trust, accountability, teamwork and passion. Winning teams are brimming with all five ingredients and I believe this translates identically into business.
I also learned the importance of understanding how different personalities react in certain situations, and how each character requires appropriately different feedback. Some people need a stick and others a carrot, but most require a unique combination of the two. To complicate matters further, some are allergic to both…so you have to find something else!
After graduating from AAA, I headed to the UK for a stint and did the usual squatting and working for scraps that was a rite of passage for many young South Africans, doing everything from bar-tendering to nightclub bouncing.
Upon returning to South Africa, I was appointed at Berry Bush, which later became BBDO Cape Town – part of the global advertising network. Over the next 13 years I worked my way through the ranks, progressing from Art Director to Creative Director, and eventually promoted to Head of Retail Advertising.
I fell in love with the pace, intensity, volume, rigor and honesty in retail advertising. My position had evolved from a primarily creative role to a more strategic one, and I enjoyed the new challenges that I was faced with on a daily basis.
After spending over a decade at BBDO, I took leap of faith and decided to go on my own. I realised that there weren’t many agencies that shared my beliefs in how I thought agencies were getting it wrong, nor did I believe many agencies – if any – truly embraced retail advertising as I did…with appropriate respect, care and attention. Retail work is challenging, relentless and honest – there’s nowhere to hide.
I started my agency in 2008 with my mentor Lewin de Villiers and our first pitch resulted in us winning the Checkers account. The rest, as they say, is history
Over the past eight years, I have seen my agency grow from two people to over 270 full-time employees, with a client portfolio that includes Shoprite/Checkers (our largest piece of business), Ackermans, Distell, Spur Group, Cape Union Mart and many others.
Leading a team this size is not easy. It’s impossible to always be able to give the support, input or encouragement required, as you cannot be everywhere all at once.
I have come to realise that this is less important than uniting a team around a shared vision or purpose. Simon Sinek says, “Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest”. This is something that resonates, as it serves as a reminder that personal evolution towards true leadership involves not only hard work and accountability, but more importantly, self-sacrifice.
Lessons in Leadership
Most people are a combination of the High Performer, Solid Worker and in some instances, the Problem Child. An employee could be a High Performer at one task, and a Problem Child in another. Diagnosing the employee’s performance according to the specific task or function will help ascertain the style of leadership applied in that instance.
The High Performer
Highly capable, driven and efficient, they generally don’t like being micromanaged. They usually figure out their own way, learning from mistakes as they go – but be ready to step in with support when they need you as they can often have personal blind spots resulting from overconfidence.
The Solid Worker
Capable and competent, they can generally be relied upon to get the job done, but sometimes require some motivation. Stand back when they’re engaged in a task they do well at, but remain close enough to offer support, guidance and advice as soon as it’s required. Encourage them to solve problems on their own; instead of providing solutions when presented with a problem, challenge them to think of a solution. They will inevitably gain confidence and satisfaction in working it out themselves.
The Problem Child
Although they may be talented, this individual sometimes has a negative attitude or produces inconsistent or poor quality work. It’s important to try understand why they behave or work in that way. Have they got a mental block because they aren’t confident? Are they preoccupied with problems at home? Whatever it may be, it’s important to communicate your expectations kindly yet firmly, while offering ongoing encouragement and guidance. If you do not see an improvement over a certain period of time, they need to be aware of the consequences – but with the right leadership and mentorship the Problem Child often turns into a High Performer in time.
99c Welcomes Natasha Omokhodion-Banda
REVIEWS
PHOTO GALLERY
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.
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