Fourteen years after its launch King James has emerged as South Africa’s most acclaimed independent ad agency. Growing organically, the agency has finally reached a tipping point to boost confidence, influence and revenues, even as it steers the challenges of offering a fully integrated, digitally adept service.
Category archives: Adland
Cell C puts new agency decision on review
EXCLUSIVE: Cell C puts new agency decision on review
Freelance goes ‘e’
Last month’s arrival of the global freelance portal Elance in South Africa was inevitable; it already has a deep virtual presence.
Creative director running (between meetings)
by Sammy-Jane Thom. Despite incredulous looks from colleagues, I’ve realised that there are, surprisingly, a lot of parallels between running and a day at the office.
Jupiter Cape Town’s year for living dangerously
At the end of last year, the bad news just kept coming for The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town). At the start of December 2011, the agency was informed that a two-month termination clause had kicked in on its biggest account – that of Woolworths – which it had held for five years.
Mike Barnwell says agency language should change
Mike Barnwell, the recently appointed ECD at Draftfcb Cape Town, wants agency language focused on compartmentalising the communications trade to go. Instead of below-, above- or even through-the-line thinking, he wants his agency to talk about strategically sound solutions instead.
Letter from NY: How ad schools are losing our industry’s talented thinkers
by Matthew Bull (@StixBull) Our industry is losing talented thinkers. An open letter.
Global skill, cultural exchange Toffie Pop Festival’s aim
Starting on Friday 30 March and ending Sunday 1 April 2012, the annual Toffie Pop Festival, a festival/conference hybrid that celebrates contemporary popular culture, publishing, design and art, is once again taking place at the Cape Town City Hall.
Old friends, young talent at new agency
Young talent from disadvantaged backgrounds, given a hand up and gaining real commercial experience so as to make them attractive in a competitive job market. This is the aim of three old(er) hands in advertising with a new commercial venture, Old Friends Young Talent (OFyt), that hopes to help transform the ad industry from the bottom up.
Creating happiness part of the job at thirtyfour
Often, when speaking to agency MDs and creative directors from many of the traditional flagships of South African advertising, the name of some specialist below-the-line agency would come up, and the conversation, flowing so easily around the currents of industry gossip but moments before, would grind to a halt. “I’ve never seen any of their work.” And I would go, “But you have…”