Close to 20% of Ogilvy SA’s total revenue is now driven by work for clients in places like New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, and London. The company is showcasing South African talent and specialist expertise to the rest of the world through a global offshoring hub for the Ogilvy network.
“We quickly took advantage of the fact that you don’t need to be in the same room, or even continent, as clients, for you to collaborate on incredible work,” said Ogilvy SA CEO Pete Case, adding that the company managed to pivot by deliberately growing this global service unit. “This has opened us up to an exciting global market, where our adage of borderless creativity has come to life,” says Case. “We have been able to access markets across the globe from here in South Africa, using Ogilvy’s extensive network.”
The hub provides access to all Ogilvy SA expertise, including all through-the-line (TTL) services, with a strong bias towards digital content, social media, data and analytics.
“What started as spontaneous assistance to other countries a couple of years ago has become a top strategic priority for Ogilvy’s global growth and connected culture between markets,” says Ogilvy’s recently appointed global CEO, Devika Bulchandani. “South Africa has proven to be a creative and performance powerhouse to the network. Ogilvy plans to leverage SA-based talent to deliver outstanding work for the group’s biggest clients, while supporting a sustainable cost structure in an increasingly challenging business environment”.
SA included in all new business
Yves Baudechon, global head of Ogilvy C2, Content and Context, says Ogilvy globally now organically includes the South African hub in almost all new business.
“Ogilvy SA is setting global benchmarks in digital marketing and communications and provides unique opportunities for South African creative talent to build their careers working on exciting local and global brands such as IKEA, Vans, Amazon, Pfizer, Off-White, Coca-Cola, and even the European Parliament,” said Christophe Chantraine, managing director of Ogilvy C2, Content and Context, leading the global operations at Ogilvy in South Africa.
“We thrive in developing innovative approaches and formats to drive engagement and deliver on brand and performance objectives,” added Chantraine. “We have managed to successfully blend creativity with technology to generate content personalisation at scale, something that has been hugely sought after by our international clients.”
Ogilvy SA is scaling fast with massive opportunities in this space for anyone wishing to gain global exposure but within the framework of an SA-based organisation and proven culture. Recent wins include the Verizon business working with Ogilvy North America. The company will be hiring more than 20 digital creatives and content experts for this latest opportunity. ·
For Case, expanding the Ogilvy SA creative footprint fully embraces the group’s ambition.
