Draftfcb SA linked to top brand performance

Savanna and Santam are long-standing clients of Draftfcb Cape Town, which is a separate business to Draftfcb Johannesburg. This agency handles Vodacom, Toyota and Old Mutual.

Savanna, Vodacom, Koo and Old Mutual took 1st place in their respective consumer categories in the survey; ciders, network providers, tinned foods and long-term insurance, while Toyota, Energade and Santam notched up very respectable 2nd places in theirs; consumer cars, consumer energy/sports drinks and business-to-business short-term insurance.

Vodacom also took 2nd place in the consumer community upliftment category and 5th in the consumer Green Brand category while Old Mutual made a second appearance in the 4th spot in the business-to-business long-term insurance category.

Commenting on these brands' performance in the awards, Draftfcb South Africa Group CEO, John Dixon, said: "The agencies in our network may operate as independent, standalone businesses but they do share the same vision - and that is to build South Africa's most loved brands.

"Building brands that are genuinely respected and admired in the South African marketplace is all about creating effective communication that wins the hearts and minds of South African consumers. Our collective clients' performance in the Sunday Times Top Brand Awards have again demonstrated beyond doubt we're getting this right, and are sure our clients appreciate that the work we do for them adds real value to their businesses," he said.

Dixon added that clients' contribution to the success of their brands had not gone unnoticed either: Vodacom's Enzo Scarcella and Toyota's Pieter Klerck were awarded joint 3rd in the inaugural 'Marketing Personality of the Year' award.

"While agencies can contribute much in terms of creative and strategic direction to a brand's success, it takes a bold and knowledgeable client to make the right decisions at the end of the day. Enzo and Pieter are proving amongst the best marketing brains in South Africa and we are thrilled that their influence has been recognised in this way," said Dixon.