Facebook has been getting a ton of attention because of how rapidly it has integrated itself into the daily lives of so many people.

South Africans have embraced the social network in force. Official figures (as of May 2012) put the number of South Africans accessing Facebook via their desktop computers at 5 million with 7 million accessing the social network via mobile devices.

Every month (data as of October 2011) South Africans post 39 000 video clips, 499 000 ‘check-ins’ (showing people their location), 22 million wall posts, 32 million photo uploads, 35 million status updates, sends 102 million messages, posts 106 million ‘likes’ and posts 176 million comments.

South African brands have already achieved success using Facebook as an ad platform including Big Concerts. When it promoted the U2 360° tour in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Big Concerts used Facebook for a teaser and sales campaign over a 15 day period. As a result they added 5 644 fans via the ads to their Facebook page and another 10 000 through the organic spread.

Source: Habari Media

Reprinted from the March 2012 edition of AdVantage magazine. Facebook user stats updated.

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by Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) The switch-on of the WACS cable, the first in-flight WiFi in South Africa and the latest Internet stats made for a big Internet week.

The Internet arrived publicly in South Africa almost 20 years ago, but it continually evolves and grows along paths that were never anticipated.

In one week this month, three of those paths were opened up or laid bare in a momentous week for South African connectivity.

On 8 May, the first ever scheduled air flight with on-board WiFi took off from Lanseria airport on a Mango plane. The connectivity technology was supplied by the Wireless G hotspot and telecommunications provider, and the “backhaul” by Vodacom.

In theory, it meant that anyone on board could simply switch on a laptop or tablet computer, or even a smartphone, and connect to the WiFi access point on board. After a registration process and a credit card payment – or entering a voucher or account number – the traveller could not only access e-mail and the Web, but also conduct instant messaging and even voice conversations.

The bad news is that a new generation of morons will be sitting on planes shouting into their computers things like “You’ll never guess where I’m phoning from” and “Can you hear me now? And now? Sorry, I’ve got a bad signal!”

During the test flight, around a 100 technology media types on board tried to connect simultaneously, and the connection crashed under the load. Because the total capacity of the current system is about 8Mbps to a single aircraft, each user is limited to a 256Kbps link, with “bursts” up to 1Mbps. So as long as no more than a dozen or so are trying to connect at once, it should work fine for basic purposes. That limitation, hopefully, will discourage the peril of phones on a plane.

The day after the flight, World Wide Worx released the headline findings of its Internet Access in South Africa 2012 study, which was backed by the howzit MSN online portal.

The study showed that the South African Internet user base had grown from 6,8-million in 2010 to 8,5-million at the end of 2011 – no less than 25% growth. Moreover, this strong growth would continue during 2012, and the Internet user base is expected to pass the 10-million mark by the end of the year.

Said Justin Zehmke, Executive Producer of howzit MSN: “These findings are a powerful signal that the demand for online content in South Africa is likely to explode in the coming years. As the market grows and matures, we will see a greater choice in information sources and a maturation of online services.”

These numbers also show that the Internet has finally awoken, fully, in South Africa. Penetration is now approaching 20% of the population, and for the first time we can see the mass market embracing digital tools on their phones.

The headline findings revealed that a total of 7,9-million South Africans access the Internet on their cell phones. Of these, 2,48-million access it only on their cellphones, and do not have access on computers. The remaining 6,02-million users access the Internet on computers, laptops, and tablet computers. However, 90% of this number – 5,42-million – also access it on their cellphones. This means that almost 8-million South Africans sometimes or regularly access the Internet on their phones.

While smartphones are the main driver of Internet growth, the cost of data use is being driven down by new undersea cables connecting sub-Saharan Africa. The study shows that undersea cable capacity to South Africa at the end of 2011 was 2,69 Terabits per second (Tbps), and due to rise to 11,9Tbps by the end of 2012.

On 11 May, the next massive pathway to that capacity was opened up: the West Africa Cable System, comprising 5,12Tbps of South Africa’s undersea cable capacity, was officially switched on.

MTN is the largest investor in WACS, having committed more than $100 million, of which a chunk went to the construction of cable landing facilities in Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, to support their networks there.

“The impact of MTN’s investments in Africa is far-reaching,” said MTN SA Chief Technology Officer Kanaragaratnam Lambotharan. “Africa has, until now, been a pedestrian on the information superhighway.”

Clearly, in land, sea and air, a new connectivity era has begun.

* Arthur Goldstuck heads up World Wide Worx (www.worldwideworx.com) and is editor-in-chief of Gadget. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee. Reprinted from Gadget.

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Wallace Seggie (@wseggie), a South African creative director, has developed an app that brings together  in one place award-winning work from a number of the world’s largest advertising festivals.

AwardsCandy (@AwardsCandy), an iOS app that works on iPhones and iPads, covers winning work in the Film, Print, Radio and Outdoor categories from the Clio, One Show, D&AD, Cannes Lions, EuroBest and London International award shows. It has even been awarded official Media Partner status for the 2012 Clios.

The idea is to create a single resource from where to access the winning work from the various award shows. Seggie first investigated the idea in 2008 as a possible website. But it was his first iPhone that convinced him that the project should proceed and that mobile would be the medium to do it in.

Initially, he outsourced the app construction to an outfit in India he found via Elance – a site that connects freelancers with project work. The first try did not turn out the way he wanted, and Apple rejected it initially because it would have downloaded copyrighted work rather than just streaming it.

Deciding to get his hands dirty, Seggie undertook the development of the app himself, registering with Apple as a developer, and finally got the go-ahead for the app to be placed on Apple’s iTunes store on 10 January, incidentally also his birthday.

Wallace Seggie. Photographer: Barry White

In its first incarnation, the app was designed to only feature the TV categories from three award shows but this has since been enhanced to the current four categories of six international award shows. Each ad is accompanied by a full list of credits.

With this awards season – the first AwardsCandy will be covering – just swinging into action, over a 1000 users of the app, which retails for UK£1.99 (or US$3 – for May 15 and 16 South African readers of MarkLives.com can download the Awards Candy app for the low price of 99c US) on iTunes, has already been registered.

Seggie says that the next phase of development on the app will add social features. He is looking for developers and investors willing to take the app to its next level as it outgrows his technical skill set.

Seggie was a creative director at Bester Burke and before that served as an art director at Ogilvy & Mather and at King James.

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Exclusive reader offer: For May 15 and 16 2012 South African readers of MarkLives.com can download the Awards Candy app for the low price of 99c US.

 Originally published on Bizcommunity.com Marketing & Media | South Africa – click to see more comments.

The Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, is “disappointed and appalled by the leakage of the [ provisional] report” into the Western Cape government’s R70 million communications contract with TBWA Hunt Lascaris, according to Public Protector spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi.

The provisional report was covered extensively in the Sunday press this weekend. City Press reported on Sunday that the Public Protector has found the contract “invalid.” The Sunday Times wrote that Zille herself was absolved of any blame quoting from the report that “No evidence or information was presented or found … indicating that the premier was in any manner involved in the procurement process.”

The Sunday Times first published allegations that the office of Western Cape premier Helen Zille had awarded the province’s communication budget to agency TBWA Hunt Lascaris without following proper tender procedures in 2011. That story valued the contract at R1 billion over two years.

According to Masibi there are no findings in a provisional report – only observations that constitute a basis for comment by parties to the matter. These observations could only become findings if:

(1) No comments are received
(2) Comments do not contain valid objections.

“The Public Protector will meet with Premier Zille on 17 May 2012 and expects comments from parties by 18 May,” says Masibi. The PP will issue findings by 31 May.

- Western Cape premier responds to provisional Public Protector report on communications tender

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Chris Gotz, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Cape Town, recently took up the reins as chair of the Creative Circle, a body promoting creativity in the South African advertising industry. The Creative Circle represents 64 member agencies and approximately 5,000 creatives.

Gotz, who wasn’t a member of the previous board, was elected as chair by his peers, into a seat that goes up for election every two years. Creative circle members hold a ballot to vote for the top creatives in the country off a list of people whose work has been recognised through industry awards and the members at the top of the list are invited to serve on the Creative Circle board. For the position of Chair a second ballot with the name of their nominee is submitted by member Creative Directors – Gotz received the most nominations with the last election late last year.

Not coming in from the previous board gives him an outsiders view, he believes, something many in the industry would welcome given the Creative Circle’s sometimes rather staid reputation in the broader market.

Part of that reputation stems from lack of insight into the role the Creative Circle has defined for itself, which centres around raising and maintaining high standards of creativity in advertising, providing input into official industry bodies like the ACA and ASA and endorsing appropriate local and international ad awards for South African agencies to enter into (currently these are the Creative Circle Monthly Awards, Ad of Year, Cannes Lions, D&AD, the Clios, the One Show, The Loerie Awards and The Eagle Awards).

Partly it has to do with the election mechanism which votes the top awarded creatives onto the board, and because reputations are established over decades (and some agencies spend more money on entering award shows than others), the impression is created that the same people run the Creative Circle year in and year out, leaving little space for new blood.

On this point Gotz’s election hopefully shows change is possible with the current voting system, but whether it’s the rule or the exception remains to be seen. Of the remainder of the new committee, numbering seventeen without Gotz, three are new members (Jonathan Beggs, Graeme Jenner and Kamogelo Sesing) while a fourth, John Davenport, rejoins the exco after an absence.

Gotz has identified greater engagement with the broader marketing and communications industry in highlighting the value creativity offers in finding solutions to business problems as a key point of strategy the Creative Circle needs to pursue. Many of the world’s most successful brands celebrate creativity, not least Apple and Coca-Cola, to name two examples. A culture of creativity inside organisations often helps lead them to success as with Google, a point Gotz believes the Creative Circle should be highlighting to everyone.

Gotz will further focus on industry transformation during his tenure saying that people in agencies should tell relevant stories to the broadest possible range of South Africans and that creative departments especially does not yet reflect the demographic make-up of the country’s population. That said, the industry being relative small numbers wise, it should not be that difficult to transform, and the Creative Circle is committed to implementing strategic initiatives to speed up that process.

While it used to provide AAA bursaries it decided to change course under the previous chair Brett Morris, and Creative Circle member companies will now be offering ten students from The Imagination Lab,  an outreach programme started by Vega, paid internships inside their agencies. Numbers of available internships will increase as the programme settles in and with its focus on creative departments Gotz believes the initiative will quicken the pace of transformation here.

Gotz admits that the advertising industry’s awards culture has worked against it. But awards themselves are changing, say Gotz, to integrate results into the judging process, and are increasingly marrying effectiveness and creativity. This sets the case for creativity as a positive correlation between the two can now be highlighted. Locally the results from the results focussed Apex awards and the more creatively inclined Loerie Awards are also starting to mirror one another, says Gotz.

Gotz also hopes to expand the membership for the Creative Circle, membership fees work on a sliding scale with large agencies paying R16,500 a year, medium sized agencies R13,200 a year and small agencies (fewer than 10 people or just starting up) R6,600 a year.

On criticism that the Creative Circle has not endorsed the local digital advertising award show, the Bookmarks, which is run by the DMMA, Gotz says that the Creative Circle has shied away from endorsing specialist sector awards, especially if it duplicates categories already available at the Loeries.

Gotz says now is an exciting time for creativity across the spectrum – from advertising to architecture. The role of the Creative Circle in celebrating the value of creativity becomes easier in one sense, while managing its relevance in a time when creativity flourishes all around it and across so many industries, becomes more urgent.

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Following reports in the Sunday press that a provisional report from the Public Protector has found the R70 million Western Cape government communications tender currently held by TBWA Hunt Lascaris “invalid” the provincial premier and DA leader Helen Zille has issued a response through her newsletter SA Today.

Also see our story (August 17, 2011) on the original ‘tender scandal’ report by the Sunday Times. The Sunday Times had published allegations that the office of Western Cape premier Helen Zille has awarded the province’s communication budget to agency TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris without following proper tender procedures. It valued the contract at R1 billion over two years.

We reprint Zille’s statement from SA Today in full:

By: Helen Zille
13 May 2012

The purpose of this edition of SA Today is to set out the facts and the context of prominent reports that appeared in various Sunday newspapers suggesting that a communications tender issued by the Western Cape Government was “unlawful” and should be terminated. These reports have understandably caused widespread concern. They are based on a draft report written on behalf of the Public Protector, that was leaked a week before the agreed deadline for us to submit comments to rectify mistakes in the draft.

Our response to the reports on the leaked draft is as follows:

A provisional report, drafted for the Public Protector, into the Western Cape Government’s “alleged improper procurement of communications services” was leaked to the media a week before the agreed deadline for our response. This in itself is highly irregular, and prejudices our right to rectify what our Senior Counsel, Advocate Geoff Budlender, believes to be material legal errors in the draft report, before the report is finalised. Without casting aspersions on the Public Protector herself, we believe this premature leak prejudices the administration of justice and compromises our rights.

Under normal circumstances it would not be appropriate to respond to the draft report in public before we have interacted with the Public Protector and given her the opportunity to consider the legal opinions we have obtained, and correct the draft before the publication of the final report.

We have tried repeatedly to make contact with her since we became aware that the report, written on her behalf, had been leaked late last week. Our attempts have failed. We therefore have no alternative but to state our case publicly. We also place on record that, should the draft report’s material errors in law not be rectified in the final report, we will take the findings on review to the High Court.

It is important to point out that there are a number of central points that are beyond contestation and are accepted as “common cause” by all parties in the matter.

Most importantly it is accepted that there was no corruption whatsoever, nor any evidence of political involvement, interference or manipulation in the procurement process.

The draft report finds that two (out of the six) people who served on a tender bid evaluation committee should not have done so. The two were special advisers to the Premier, Ryan Coetzee and Gavin Davis. However, the Public Protector’s draft report acknowledges that there was no attempt to improperly influence or manipulate the process, that the presence of the special advisers made no difference to the outcome of the evaluation, and that indeed one of the special advisers, Ryan Coetzee, had supported another company during the short-listing.

The key paragraphs in the Public Protector’s draft report are as follows:

7.1.1 “No evidence was presented or found during the investigation that indicates any involvement of the Premier personally in the procurement process”.
7.1.2. “There was also no indication found suggesting that the Premier instructed that her special advisers should be (or that she was aware that they were) involved in the drawing up of the specifications of the tender and appointed as members of the Bid Evaluation Committee.”

Turning to the role of the Special advisers, the Public Protector’s draft report concludes:

7.6.2: “There was no suggestion that the Special Advisers of the Premier that were involved in the procurement acted improperly or tried to manipulate or influence the process in any manner.”
7.11.2: “During short-listing the majority of BEC members rated TBWA as the highest, with the exception of Mr Coetzee.”

Despite this, the Public Protector’s draft report concludes that the involvement of the special advisers was “unlawful” and therefore rendered the contract “invalid”, requiring its termination.

According to our senior counsel, Advocate Geoff Budlender, this conclusion is legally flawed and cannot be sustained because there is nothing in the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act, the Treasury Regulations, or the Accounting Officer’s System that, explicitly or implicitly, prohibits the involvement of special advisers in the bid evaluation process.

According to Budlender’s opinion, on the subject of EXPLICIT prohibition, he says:

23. “I have been unable to find anything in the Constitution, the PFMA, the Treasury Regulations or the AOS [Accounting Officer System] which explicitly makes it unlawful for a special adviser to be a member of a BEC.”
35. “It follows from what I have said that there is no provision in the law which explicitly prohibits the participation of special advisers as members of a Bid Evaluation Committee.”

Turning to possible implicit legal constraints, Budlender notes:

55. “Under the circumstances I do not think one can draw the inference that the law implicitly prohibits the participation of a special adviser in a BEC [bid evaluation committee]…”.

Budlender concludes that the argument for terminating the contract cannot be legally sustained. In fact he explicitly says that the Western Cape Government does not have the legal power to terminate the contract. In order to do so, we would have to make an application to the Cape High Court, but this would be unlikely to succeed because “the court would inevitably find that considerations of public interest, pragmatism and practicality lead to the conclusion that the award of the tender should not be set aside.” (para 76).

In fact, if we were to make an application to Court to terminate the communications contract it would result in fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

The draft Public Protector’s report also contains a number of additional comments and conclusions which we contest.

However, we agree that the R8,696 spent to re-advertise the tender could have been avoided, but this money was spent precisely to prevent future and potentially significant fruitless and wasteful expenditure that would have been incurred if the error in the original advertisement had not been corrected early on.

The administrative flaws that emerged in managing the original tender process (which required special procedures in order to apply to all departments) were identified early on through our internal systems, and rectified long before the issue became a public matter. We immediately acknowledged the administrative shortcomings at the start of the process and we are constantly working to improve them.

None of these administrative glitches involved anything unlawful. Nor did they amount to material failings that could not be rectified. They were, in fact, rectified and the awarding of the tender was not compromised.

As for the value of the communications tender: When reports first appeared, absurd sums of up to R1-billion were given. It is worthwhile noting that since the contract was brought into effect less than R6-million has been spent on communications with the agency, of which TBWA, the company involved, has received less than R1-million.

There are, of course, the inevitable calls for me to resign as a result of the Public Protector’s draft report. I had undertaken to resign if the tender was found to be corrupt. It is common cause that there was no corruption whatsoever, and I regard these resignation calls as the normal political posturing that should be treated as such.

I will be making all of these, and other points, to the Public Protector myself when I meet her later this week in order to give her the opportunity to rectify the report before she finalises it under her name.

The One Club commissioned a South African agency, Pollen Creative Media, to produce its One Show Interactive campaign this year.

Pollen Innovations Director Tim Robinson had pitched the idea to One Club President Kevin Swanepoel. Robinson says that while some in the ad industry used to see the One Show Interactive as a fringe event with digital now making up such a big part of the marketing industry that is quickly changing.

Robinson says that the concept for ‘Poker Game’ was developed around the strategic nature of the creative industry and the social closeness of the people within the industry who, when it came down to business, all have their game faces switched on!

Geography wasn’t an issue says Robinson, before shooting began Pollen “created an archive of reference and style boards so that when we referred to a technique or style our intent was clear. This enabled client to revert quickly with input and changes where necessary.”

Pollen is a design, motion and technology company that focuses on moving picture and interactive creative solutions. The company is managed by partners Bridget Scarr (Managing Director), Graeme Carr (Creative Director), Nolan Vernon (Business Director) and Robinson.

“The One Club has expressed a great satisfaction in the quality of work that we have endeavoured to deliver,” says Robinson. “We have plans to further grow and develop the relationship.”

MarkLives.com runs a regular slot featuring the best local and international magazine covers every week. We recognise well thought out, powerful and interesting (and hopefully all three in one) magazine covers and celebrate the mix of pragmatism, creativity and personal taste that created each of them. By media blogger MediaSlutZA.

INTERNATIONAL
FACTICE, May / June 2012

With our weekly post of 14 October 2011 we chose the Schön cover (issue 14) with Rick Genest (Zombie Boy) as one of our favourites.  A few magazines have hoped to copy the shock-factor by placing Rick Genest on their cover, but unfortunately it just lacked something, or looked cheap. Not so Factice magazine (May/June 2012) which features the (strange) beauty which is Zombie Boy on its latest cover.

TurboJet Horizon, May 2012

I know, I know. A lot of Photoshop time has gone into creating the cover of this magazine for ferry operator TurboJet. But no one can say that it’s not very effective and hits you like a ball in the eye! I honestly think some of our local sports magazines can take a few tips on their covers from this publisher.

ARTnews, May 2012

“Naked or Nude.” This is definitely one of those easy and simple but very effective coverlines that makes you think about the subject at hand. It can also be read and understood in so many different ways. But in this case, I’m sure the debate will not be about the coverline, but rather the model and the striking image. Very appropriate subject matter for a magazine about Art.

LOCAL
Getaway, May 2012

And Getaway does it again! They’ve been on this list a few times now but they deserve it! The covers and content are just getting better and better and definitely sets the mood for what to expect once start paging through the book.

Rolling Stone, May 2012

Spoek is still very low on my radar but it seems like he shouldn’t be. This kind of cover image is what Rolling Stone South Africa should be focussing on for future issues – they seem to be doing it right and it works for them! The article itself is also extremely interesting. They shouldn’t syndicate covers, but rather create our own local covers that are of international standard by itself.

- The (for now anonymous) blogger behind MediaSlutZA knows way too much for his own good about media in South Africa. Magazines in particular. His mission is to show when South African magazines might fail, but most importantly, succeed. If you’re looking for a library about South African magazines and news, your one-stop pitstop is MediaSlutZA. #MagazinesForTheWin

- Find a cover we should know about? Tweet us @marklives and @mediaslutza

by Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) The following is a tweetnote presentation  – 10 tweets on the same topic – on the Internet Access in SA 2012 study for the 2012 Netprophet conference recently held in Cape Town.

1. #Net2012 unveils headline findings of Internet Access in SA 2012 study. World Wide Worx report due June.

2. #Net2012 uses multiple methodologies: primary research, interviews with providers, market intelligence.

3. #Net2012 first headline finding: there were 8.5-million Internet users in South Africa at the end of 2011.

4. #Net2012 found 2011 growth in SA user base was 25%, following 28% in 2010. Internet has awoken in SA.

5. #Net2012: 6,02-million access on computer, laptop, tablet. 90% of these also on cell. 2.48m only on cell.

6. #Net2012: Total of 7,9 million South Africans access the Internet on their cell phones.

7. #Net2012:  Number of 3G users in South Africa: 5,5m. Smartphone base end of 2011: 8.5m. Forecast 2012: 11m.

8. #Net2012: Undersea cable capacity to SA at end of 2011: 2,69Tbps. End 2012: 11,9Tbps. End 2013: 24,6Tbps.

9. #Net2012 ADSL lines in use in South Africa: 820 000. 2011 growth: 13% . Limited by Telkom as sole supplier.

10. #Net 2012: Internet growth in 2012: expect 20%, taking user base past 10m mark and 20% penetration.

* Arthur Goldstuck heads up World Wide Worx (www.worldwideworx.com) and is editor-in-chief of Gadget. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee. Reprinted from Gadget.

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Cape Town headquartered agency ninety9cents has landed the ATL Capitec account* – probably the most exciting banking brand any agency can hope to work on. Capitec, it’s estimated, spends R80 – R100 million on advertising through a year.

The account win follows a financially sound year for the agency in which it grew revenue by 43% year on year – the second year revenue growth has exceeded 40%. Revenue now stands at around R59 million.

Andrew Brand, MD of ninety9cents, says Capitec is a perfect fit for the agency, which has extensive retail experience through its work with Checkers and Ackermans. Carl Fischer, Head Executive of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Capitec, is on record as saying “We do not think like bankers. We think like retailers.”

Capitec was launched in 2001 and built its banking infrastructure on the back of its original micro-credit business. Since 2006 it has been repositioning itself in the broader market emerging as a challenger brand to the big four South African banks.

The bank is also known for its straight talk and dislike of unnecessary frills – a culture it shares with ninety9cents. The first radio work with the new agency is already out.

Capitec faces challenges similar to those Checkers and Ackermans faced a couple of years ago – changing consumer perceptions of the brand so that it appeals to a broad audience and without seeming downmarket to its more affluent customer base.

Ninety9cents launched in 2008 with Checkers as its founding client. Incidentally – Brand and his team won the Checkers account from what was then Berry Bush/BBDO Cape Town back in 2008.

For its first year the agency was tied to Checkers through an exclusivity agreement. It successfully helped reposition Checkers through the ‘Don’t change your lifestyle, change your supermarket’ campaign.

It has since expanded its client base to include Ackermans, whose CI it redeveloped in March this year, John Dory’s, brands in the Distell group, Digicape, Puma and now Capitec, amongst others.

The work on Checkers (which spends around R450 million a year on advertising) has also been evolving and is focussed on the key delivery areas for the brand such as wine, its butcheries and its cheese section. The Checkers in-house wine brand, Odd Bins, has emerged as a Top 10 liquor brand in the country in terms of volume sold. Checkers has been stealing market share from rival Pick n Pay and has seen its basket size increasing.

Brand says the agency takes a business orientated approach to finding solutions to client problems – he has even gone on trips with buyers from Ackermans to better understand their business.

Ninety9cents landed the Capitec business after an initial meet and greet in early February and was asked to do work on one of their campaigns. They were appointed on the back of the work done. Brand says the agency is looking for appoint ten new people.

The agency has also been beefing up its digital offering which now consists of a team of six. It also works closely with digital specialists where they the client prefers – Capitec for example has Quirk handle its digital account.

Brand says although the agency is best known for its retail work, and that he finds it flattering that its success in this field makes people believe ninety9cents is a retail agency, the agency produces a much broader scope of work. ‘We have already proved we are not a one trick pony,” says Brand.

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* The Capitec account was formerly managed on a project basis by 140 BBDO and its MD,  Eric D’Oliveira, says the two parties finally separated on mutual agreement. No staff is being retrenched.