The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

May 13, 2011 | 5 min read

Aubrey Malden, former managing director of McCann-Erickson in Scotland, returned to South Africa in 1998 and has since set up his own agency in Johannesburg, The Forensic Marketing Company. Here he shares his experiences of the South African ad industry.

It’s been a few years since I returned to South Africa.

Well, what’s it like?

It’s pumping. And well, it isn’t.

The advertising and marketing business is pumping along and the water the ANC Government promised the people isn’t pumping. Or rather it is in some places, out of burst pipes, spilling onto the roads and blowing holes under the roads in the form of large pot-marked potholes that sometimes get filled-in, until they burst open again. In some places the water doesn’t even arrive in the people’s homes. Pipes are often fractured and dry, or not even laid.

Anyway enough of that, you didn’t start reading this blog to see what was happening to our infrastructure did you? If you want to do that just pick-up the website of one of our local papers. You wanted to see how things are in “The Business,” didn’t you?

Here’s a quick snap shot then, and if you already know about what is happening here, on the supposedly “Dark Continent” press escape and read a blog somewhere else.

First of all if you think it’s a “Dark Continent” from an advertising and marketing point of view you’re woefully wrong.

South African agencies punch well beyond their weight in the international awards. The boardrooms of Ogilvy, King James, Hunt Lascaris and The Jupiter Drawing Room bear witness to that. Have a look at their websites when you have a mo’. The sad thing is, how many of the awards are for legitimate clients?

The workshops we run for our clients are showing the overall quality of advertising is taking a dive. Some 10% of advertising is being judged to be effective work. Is it the client’s fault, or the agency’s? Me thinks it must be, um the clients, when you see the quality of award work (usually “agency Initiatives” or what we called in the UK “Chip Shop Ads”) you know agencies are capable of producing the work. On the other hand, maybe agencies are not pushing their clients hard enough to accept good work?

Is it that the better admen have left?

Many of the boardrooms of the major international agencies now have, or had, South African bottoms sitting in some of the top seats.

Past accolades go to Reg Lascaris from TBWA Hunt Lascaris, the late Robyn Putter from Ogilvy and Gary Leih who sat in the hot London Ogilvy seat.

So how’s the world of media doing? Hey, it’s booming. It’s growing and is fragmenting; it’s a hot shrapnel shell of media choices exploding over the trenches.

In December 1991 we had just 7 TV stations. In 2009 we had 92. Radio stations have grown from 34 in 1991 to 137 in 2009.

Consumer magazines have grown from 250 in 1991, to 660 in 2009.

As for the lowly newspapers, well, they have stagnated, I’m afraid. Gone back, just a tad. 22 dailies in 1991 to 21 in 2009.

Sad to see though, with the low remuneration packages being given by some clients to their media independents, how much quality planning and strategy time is being given to putting together a truly effective and influential media package to rock the boat. More often than not it’s the same old same old stuff. When you have such a wonderfully sparkling plethora of media choices available why is it so dull? And why oh why, when Target Group Index arrived here, at least 5 years ago is everyone not embracing it? Oh, I know why, they don’t have the time, or the client won’t invest the money, and if they do, we don’t have the brains to dig and delve into every revealing and rewarding nook and cranny of consumer and brand behaviour.

What is refreshing is the fact that King James, the only true local, amongst the big boys, walked away with Ad Agency of the Year Award. Not only did they produce world-class advertising for investment company, Allan Gray, their revenue growth of 27% was impressive. They were appointed to handle the local, Johnny Walker campaign (and whisky is flowing down the throats here like a whirlpool inspired tsunami) they also won the McCain frozen foods account and British Airways.

Let’s pause on the work for Allan Gray, It’s certainly worth a big ponder. When clients and agencies talk revolves round “engaging the consumer” and “finding meaningful insights” so often but so often bears no fruit, other than a few rotten apples, this campaign stands heads and shoulders above the rest. It puts meaning to “insight” and “engagement.”

Firstly the planner’s insight (or was it the planner?) of understanding the potential consumer’s life-stage and current disposition towards investment (cynical about making a quick buck) and the client’s ability to make money slowly and steadily for the consumer. Then secondly, the beautifully crafted en- result. An engaging parallel between the way Allan Gray achieve long term results and the way John Lennon and James Dean could have achieved even more, given time. Hey give your investment time to work with Allan Gray and they will make you money, as they have with my money. Who says truth in advertising has gone forever? Surely it’s the future?

Maybe our politicians will take truth into account these coming local government elections and deliver the services to the people, as they have so often promised before and before. They could start with the water…