by MarkLives. Interpublic Group, owners of agency networks including McCann, Draftfcb and Lowe + Partners, has announced a first quarter operating loss of $42.4 million, compared to a loss of $39.4 million a year ago.
Category archives: Adland
EXCLUSIVE: Top ECD leaves Ford Europe, joins one year old South African agency
by Herman Manson (@marklives) In a stunning coup for OFyt (Old Friends Young Talent) the agency, just over one year old, has announced that it has lured Greg Burke back to South Africa as ECD of its new Johannesburg office. Burke has been creative partner for O&M London’s Ford business since 2005 (as Executive Creative Director of Blue Hive London – the WPP agency that handles Ford in Europe). OFyt last week announced that it has won the Kia Motors South Africa account and that it will be run out of Johannesburg.
Burke spent 30 years in the South African advertising industry – mostly at Ogilvy/RS-TM – where he worked on VW (remember the David Kramer campaign for VW Bus?). Other accounts he has worked on as ECD at Ogilvy Cape Town included Carling Black Label, BP, Shell, WWF, Old Mutual, NSRI, Woolworths and Castrol.
OFyt currently employs 36 people. It expects to employ 12-14 people in Johannesburg once the office has been fully set up.
OFyt was launched last year by Jono Shubitz, a former ECD of Ogilvy Cape Town and chairman of OgilvyOne and Ogilvy Interactive SA; Gary Leih, a former group MD of Ogilvy South Africa, co-founder of ad agency The White House, chairman and CEO of Ogilvy Group UK and an Ogilvy Worldwide board director; and Paul Newman who, after a career in banking at Barclays in London and with Banque Nationale de Paris, served as marketing director at Nationwide before launching his own ad agency Amperzand.
Give-away: Quirk Education Mobile Marketing course worth R6200
Quirk Education, MarkLives and TREND are giving away a mobile marketing course form Quirk Education valued at R6200. The course runs from 7 June to July 26. The course is presented entirely online through the Quirk Education Learning Centre – no travel is required.
You will be awarded with a certificate from Quirk Education at the end of the course should you obtain an overall average of 50% or more across the assignments and research project. You will also receive a virtual badge that you can add to your website, blog or social network. The course is endorsed by the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA). This is a valuable prize – please be sure you have the time to complete this course before you enter!
Agile, collaborative agency backed by Quirk Group
by Herman Manson (@marklives) Clients are becoming more frustrated with agencies, especially as agencies grow to become corporates with all the inflexibility and structural issues that entails. As client problems require quicker turn-around, greater flexibility and innovation, their agencies are becoming less likely to fulfil these requirements.
Designed to counter these issues are Kathryn Sharfman’s new agency, Fast and Remarkable. Quirk Group backs the agency in which Sharfman is a shareholder.
Fast and Remarkable officially launched October 1st. The agency brings together teams of experienced freelancers under the project management skills of Sharfman. Sharfman’s husband, Las Madurasinghe, with a background in investment banking, is also involved in the business.
The agency is focussing on digital projects and offerings include strategy, production and media. Focus will be on quick turn-around times, essential in the digital environment, as well as top quality (i.e. remarkable) work and pulling together a network of well vetted and deeply skilled individuals.
Digital has a fairly low barrier to entry, Sharfman notes, and Fast & Remarkable is set up so clients can easily access high-level digital skills and experience. It’s that experience which offers agile solutions to client problems, says Sharfman.
Sharfman says the new agency taps into the collaborative work model with its strong focus on people and maximising their individual contributions for the benefit of clients.
HKLM — soon a R100 million agency
by Herman Manson. Ten years ago four friends decided to launch a brand and design agency. Their focus would rest on emerging markets, especially on Africa and the Middle East, although their work would take them onto design adventures in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe as well.
The Switch: A window today, a mirror tomorrow
by Alistair Mokoena (@AlistairMokoena) Ever thought about the relationship between a window and a mirror? The question on many people’s lips is, is advertising a mirror to the soul or a window into the aspirations of the soul?
Mthatha in surprise bid to host Loeries
Mthatha city councillor Golden Magrede has announced that the city is preparing a bid to liberate the Loerie Awards, an annual advertising award backslap, held hostage by the City of Cape Town these past several years.
“It’s time South African advertising plucks its head out of the Madam’s backside,” said Magrede, in an apparent reference to Western Cape Premier Helen Zille. “This is a thriving city, part of the beating heart of Africa, and we believe it is in the best interest of the South African advertising industry to come here and rediscover its roots in our fertile soil.”
“We also produce great weed in vast quantities,” says Magrede, “I heard Cape Town ran out of blow this year. That stuff is bad news – the trend is towards organic products – another point ad execs need to consider when they look at our bid.”
Behind the 76 MotherRussia and Morrisjones merger
by Herman Manson. In the short term the agency is focusing on bedding down the merger, says Nina Morris, to decide on focus areas, and then to look at the continent for further opportunities.
EXCLUSIVE: Sekunjalo Group company buys digital agency World Wide Creative
Saratoga Software, a subsidiary of JSE listed Sekunjalo Investments Limited, has acquired a majority shareholding in Cape Town digital agency World Wide Creative.
Sekunjalo is lead by Dr Iqbal Survé, who recently made headlines thanks to the successful bid (still subject to approval from shareholders and authorities) by the Sekunjalo Independent Media Consortium to acquire the South African division of Irish owned Independent Newspapers in a R2 billion deal.
Independent titles include The Star, Cape Times, The Mercury and Isolezwe amongst others as well as the online news portal IOL.
(A recent SENS statement by the company points out that Sekunjalo Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd is a party to the Sekunjalo Independent Media Consortium and not the JSE Listed company, Sekunjalo Investments Limited. Sekunjalo Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd (part of the consortium) “will work closely with the technology business of Sekunjalo Investments Limited (which owns Saratoga Software) to ensure that thereis synergistic benefits for Sekunjalo Investments Limited.”
Survé recently told media journalist Gill Moodie that innovation and digital transformation was key to make Independent newspapers competitive and to take on arch newspaper rival Media24. He had hinted in that interview that the imminent acquisition of digital assets to help achieve these goals were on the cards.
World Wide Creative is known for its expertise in the production and development of digital assets. Current clients include Hyundai, The Foschini Group and Virgin Mobile. World Wide Creative was launched in 2003 by business partners Fred Roed and Mike Perk.
EXCLUSIVE: JWT Cape Town appoints new ECD, managing partner
Willem van der Merwe, formerly Managing Director at Trigger Isobar, has been appointed as Managing Partner at JWT Cape Town (@jwtmea). Van der Merwe, 33, will report to Jim Faulds, COO at JWT S.A. Jonathan Lang joins JWT Cape Town as ECD on April 1.