Advertising News South Africa

OgilvyOne launches in SA

One of the world leaders in direct and digital marketing, OgilvyOne launched in South Africa last week. Distinguished by its thought leadership and expertise in the data and analytics arena, it was voted the number one global customer engagement company in 2012 by the business researcher Forrester.
Shelley Waterhouse
Shelley Waterhouse

"The world of CRM and loyalty has been revolutionised by digital insights and delivery. Add to this the power and benefit of location-specific mobile communication, particularly here in Africa, and a new world of marketing opportunities opens up to us," says Brian Fetherstonhaugh, chairman and CEO of OgilvyOne Worldwide.

He visits the group's Cape Town and Johannesburg campuses this week with OgilvyOne Worldwide senior leaders Patou Nuytemans, Annette King, Günther Schumacher and Paul O'Donnell to run training workshops with clients and staff and share global best practice.

"CRM, data and digital direct are critical to our growth strategy for the future in South Africa. There is no doubt that a key aspect of the accelerating digital step-change is the growing importance of data and the ability to leverage the insights that can be gathered by learning from the way consumers behave and socialise. This unlocks enormous opportunities for optimising communication," says Abey Mokgwatsane, Ogilvy & Mather South Africa CEO.

"We don't just build brands. We extend beyond the traditional to create and develop innovative digital platforms that engage with all the right people in all the right spaces," adds Adrian Varkel, managing partner, OgilvyOne Worldwide, Cape Town.

Demystifying data analytics

The recently released 'Sexy Little Numbers: How to Grow Your Business Using the Data You Already Have', by Dimitri Maex, MD of OgilvyOne New York, demystifies data analytics; offering practical examples and actionable advice for companies and marketers striving to find and reach the most profitable customers and achieve the biggest return on their marketing spend.

"Before the digital age, it was fairly simple to target customers using direct mail and traditional CRM techniques. Today, the quantity of data that is now easily available gives companies an unprecedented window into how customers engage with brands - and more importantly - where that can lead to revenue," says Maex.

Despite global recessionary concerns, trends indicate a consistent growth for CRM initiatives, including digital and mobile mediums, according to managing partner and head of OgilvyOne Worldwide, Johannesburg, Shelley Waterhouse.

"In South Africa, businesses continue to invest in new and innovative marketing solutions. Brands are dedicating higher media spend to digital platforms and there's an appetite for CRM as marketers come to understand how it can positively impact a business. Clients are demanding efficiencies on existing businesses and now look to consolidating many of the services they require within one agency.

"The ever-increasing interactions consumers are having with local brands via mobile and social media are extremely effective and will continue to grow. Marketers and relationship management agencies have long been stating that this is a key differentiator for them but has this been accomplished? Let's prove once and for all that South Africa can be a leader in the space of big data."

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