by Kim Penstone. Almost every new agency that opens its doors wants to shake things up. The rallying call is for change, the aim to break free from the bonds of ‘how it’s always been done’. Think different, be different, do different. But very few actually do. Enter Cheri Yase Kasi, which directly translates as “the girl from the township”, now based in Morningside, Johannesburg, which is determined to break the old mould.
The cracks are already showing.
Doing it herself
Founded in July 2015, this independent black-owned and -run agency started its life as a one-woman show, starring the aptly named Sunshine Shibambo. Fresh from the corporate world of SAB, and disillusioned by the wider marketing industry’s continued lack of insight into the black consumer market, she decided that, if she wanted to make a change, there was only one sure-fire way to do it — herself. “I resigned on my birthday and started the business one month later, on the couch, with a laptop and a cellphone and a car,” she says.
Six months later, having secured contracts with the likes of Ndalo Media, Unilever partner Jalibird, and Tiger Brands’ Fattis and Monis, she hired her first employee, Meredith Jones — who actually approached Shibambo and offered her services, having heard about her via the industry grapevine and believing that this ‘girl from the township’ had the potential to make a real difference in an industry that remains dominated by white, upper-class men (and some women).
You need to meet Shibambo in person to understand the magnitude of her ‘sunny’ personality and her ability to inspire and enthuse the people around her while simultaneously making them feel part of something that is bigger than the sum of what they do.
360 approach
Although Cheri Yase Kasi started out specialising in the events, experiential and social trending fields, where Shibambo had developed an impressive reputation, it soon became apparent to her that her clients needed a more 360-degree approach, and she was determined to provide. Shibambo’s two business partners, Tumi Mohube and Mandla Mazibuko, followed closely thereafter, when Cheri Yase Kasi — much to everyone’s surprise — won the Castle Lite contract.
“I knew by then that I needed people who were brave, who could tackle anything in the marketing and media world, who had worked in the corporate and advertising world and understood how it operates, but who were also prepared to do what it takes to go it alone,” Shibambo says. “While the three of us had never worked together before, our work lives had always interlinked. They were an obvious choice.”
Mohube, who honed her marketing skills over eight years at SAB working on brands including Castle Milk Stout and Peroni, took on the role of strategy director at Cheri Yase Kasi; while Mazibuko, who has 15 years’ experience in the advertising world, most notably as creative group head at Jupiter Drawing Room, wears the hat of creative director. Mazibuko is the only exception to the woman-only rule in the agency.
Big plans
Incredibly, Shibambo admits to not knowing what she wanted to achieve, at first. There was no business plan, no big audacious goal. But that has changed, and the agency that is emerging from the dreams of this township trio has solid beliefs and big plans. Part of this clarity may be attributed to the agency being selected alongside nine other SAB suppliers for a pilot three-month incubation programme, which has seen AB Inbev invest over R1m in support, not to mention the mentoring, and coaching from some of the country’s top marketing minds.
“As an industry, we are seasons behind,” says Mazibuko. “This is Africa. Why do we follow European and American rules? We need to speak African, do African, be African. It’s time for change.”
Mohube elaborates: “The bigger, established agencies are driven by seasoned creative directors, who obviously bring with them huge experience. But the stark reality is that these (mostly) white men are out of touch with the marketplace. They simply don’t understand the audience; the demographics, the cultures, the sub-cultures.”
Age-old marketing conundrum
It’s South Africa’s age-old marketing conundrum. Do you have to have lived a while or walked a mile in your consumers’ shoes, in order to understand them? Can a 50-year old white, male creative director who has lived his whole life in Constantia ever create communication that really speaks to an 18-year-old black kid born and bred on the streets of Soweto?
Isn’t that what consumer research is for? Or are the gaps in this country just too big to bridge with an online questionnaire?
Cheri Yase Kasi believes that it has a built-in advantage because it instinctively understands the audience — its cultures and subcultures and communities; the languages and slang; the customs and conventions; the family structures and substructures; the frustrations and confusions of living dual lives in and out of the townships and suburbs; the struggle to make it, and the pressure to make it all worthwhile… The agency also believes that there is only one way to redress this lack of understanding — and that’s to bring more black skin into the game. It has a policy to only work with black, predominantly female, suppliers.
“The only way to empower people is to give them the opportunity”
Many may balk at this. But Shibambo stands firm: “I know how hard it is to make it in this industry, as a black person. To overcome the preconceptions that I’ve only made it this far because of the colour of my skin, not the quality of my work. To ensure that I’m always, always on time, so that no one can make jokes about operating on African time. I also know how hard it is to make it as a woman, in a male-dominated environment, where you often have to work twice as hard to earn half as much. The only way to empower people is to give them the opportunity. To turn them on. We have been fortunate enough to have been given that opportunity, and we are committed to using this opportunity to open doors for others.”
Interestingly, other agencies have started using Cheri Yase Kasi to vet new suppliers trying to break into the industry. So the strategy is working.
Mohube adds that it’s also not only about supporting fledgling companies, but also communities: “We are here, not only because we are brave, but because we had others behind us, supporting us. So we believe it is important to support these people, too.”
Ubuntu in action
Both Mohale and Shibambo moved back when they started up. Their mothers even helped them cover staff salaries, when cash flow couldn’t cope. In fact, the entire agency’s families have been roped in at some stage or other. “We pull in moms and their church friends to help us pack goodie bags. We employ pensioners, which gives them a sense of pride. Third-year students get some work experience. Township kids get a little extra cash. And sometimes a first glimpse of what’s possible for a kid from the township.”
It sounds like ubuntu in action. A truly African way of operating.
Shibambo concludes, “A big part of my dream has become to improve the lives of people around me, whether directly by turning them on or giving them a foot in the door, or indirectly just by showing them that it can be done. Anyone can change the world, even this Cheri Yase Kasi.”
It’s an agency worth watching.
Kim Penstone is a freelance journalist, specialising in marketing, media and advertising. Over the past 15 years, she has worked for a variety of leading marketing industry publications, including Marketing Mix, Marketingweb and Brand Magazine, and in her freelance capacity contributes regularly to specialist titles, such as Brands & Branding, AdFocus and MarkLives. She has recently started a blog, www.runlikeamom.co.za, which is completely unrelated to the marketing industry.
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