Mthunzi Plaatjie to head AVATAR in Cape Town

Mthunzi Plaatjie has been appointed as AVATAR’s managing director in Cape Town. The agency opened its office in the Mother City earlier this year, after being awarded the Chevron South Africa digital account following a three-way pitch. Plaatjie comes to AVATAR having just successfully launched BET Network (Black Entertainment Television) across a number of territories in Africa.

“It was fairly tough finding the right candidate for our Cape Town office, because it was critical to us that we matched values with this person,” says Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, CEO of AVATAR. “It’s not just Mthunzi’s experience that makes him the ideal fit; it is also his passion for connecting with diverse groups of people and his dedication to creating the kind of experience and advertising that makes a real difference to businesses. We’re incredibly excited about what Mthunzi will be doing to help grow our business in the Cape.”

“Full circle”

Plaatjie went to AAA School of Advertising, where he did a diploma in integrated marketing communication and also obtained a certificate in journalism from Varsity College, before starting his career in advertising at Berry Bush BBDO in Cape Town (now Net#work BBDO).  He also worked at Switch Design Group, The Agency, TBWA, MetropolitanRepublic, Y&R and a number of media and FMCG companies.

“I’ve come full circle, returning to the city where I’m from and where I started my career,” says Plaatjie. “More importantly, I’m excited about helping to grow a company that has real global aspirations. We’ve seen a lot of global agencies coming to Africa and snap up local shops; it is time we turned this around. An agency that understands the marriage of advertising and technology that put clients’ businesses ahead of awards and that understands how to market successfully to Africa’s complex and diverse territories is going to do well. I want to be a part of that experience.”

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