Lighthouse agency status for Saatchi & Saatchi SA

For clients, Lighthouse status unlocks the world's best creative and intellectual capital while also validating the high calibre of work produced within our borders.

The appointment comes as the South African operation, with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, showed an average of 40% growth during the two years, as well as racking up several international creative awards.

Gail Curtis, CEO, sees this as recognition of the development of the agency, but refrains from putting a figure on what beacon status may generate in the way of growth.

“We will be the starting point for investments in new activities and positioning assignments for top local and international brands. Customers are looking for new ideas and contact points to reach consumers, and Saatchi and Saatchi's new strategy puts us in a better position to accommodate their requirements,” she explains.

The overriding plan also involves comprehensive competence development for employees, and the agency expects that in the future, several new employees will come from a background other than that of conventional advertising. For example, it is likely that the agency will be welcoming people with skills from the fields of interactive communication, design and PR.

“Saatchi & Saatchi has achieved phenomenal growth during the past two years, with the Johannesburg business alone growing by 38%,” says Curtis, alluding to the agency's ambition to lead the global network creatively by 2010. “This is no pipe dream either, given the agency's recent awards tally. Saatchi & Saatchi won a Vuka Grand Prix for its television commercial created for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and more recently a Bronze Lion at Cannes for its Head and Shoulders and a Merit Award at the One Show for Olay.

“We are an energised and creatively inspired business, targeting accelerated growth underpinned by some of the most forward thinking and innovative methodologies in brand communication available,” says Curtis. “We are business that is going places.”

Part of the Publicis Groupe, the fourth largest global communication company, Saatchi & Saatchi handles more than 40 multi-national companies including Procter and Gamble, Toyota, General Mills, Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile and General Mills among others.