Jacques Coetzee joined South Africa’s leading printing group, Paarl Media, in February 2007 as Group Sales Manager. One of his responsibilities was to find new business opportunities.
After receiving approval for the Shopper’s Friend Adpaper concept during 2009, he set about creating a new business that a year later employ 102 people and 1 600 distributors, publishes the largest publication in SA with a 2.2 million weekly distribution, and also does national direct leaflet distribution.
The Shopper’s Friend Adpaper created a new media category, bringing together the best features of newspapers, magazines and direct distribution in one product on a scale that South Africa has never seen before. It challenges conventional free-to-consumer business models, providing a cost effective method for advertisers wishing to reach more households in a controlled environment.
Coetzee thrives on challenges, is not afraid to question conventional thinking and believes that there is always a better way.