Daniel Calbacho to open Red Marketing office in London

Daniel Calbacho, founder of Red Marketing

Founded by Daniel Calbacho in 2003, Red Marketing is a results-driven digital marketing agency, providing a full range of traditional and digital marketing services. The team of strategic thinkers and innovative technologists specialise in creating industry-tailored digital marketing solutions, including strategic planning, content creation, social media management, photography, videography, community management, crisis management, web development, web design, SEO, Google AdWords, public relations, influencer relations, events and consulting.

We find out more from Calbacho about the expansion...

Congratulations on the announcement of opening up an office in the UK. How has the planning been going?

We have been planning the expansion since 2019. As a result of the pandemic, things were slowed down, which allowed for strategic adjustments that have worked out for the betterment of the expansion.

Setting up an office during the Covid-19 pandemic, let alone in another country, must have been challenging. What was this process like?

During the pandemic, we adjusted to a hybrid work model. We closed our offices of the last 17 years and the team went home to work, like much of the world. This period allowed for introspection and reflection. We used the time wisely and developed new ways of working from various locations. Our clients adjusted too, and became familiar with this new method of meeting and communicating.

With that said, we developed our UK website, set up the SEO and Google AdWords campaigns, touched based with our connections in London and prepared for our entry. Members of the team, who left to live in the UK, have asked to join and support our expansion into the UK market and our current client base has been very supportive in referring us to British and other European colleagues to initiate business.

What lead to the decision of opening up an office on that side?

We are a well-established agency in South Africa. We have won numerous awards that are both local and international, so after 19 years in business we wanted to expand.

I have a British passport and a network in London and now that the team all work within a hybrid working model, all the ducks are aligned for the expansion.

Do you already have a client base on that side? If so, who do they include?

Our current client base locally will remain, we have also been referred to several clients that we are chatting to now and in a short time we will build up the agency in the UK with plans to expand to the US and other parts of Europe.

Will you be offering the same services as you have in South Africa? Or will your offering change to serve the needs of clients there?

We have become category experts at what we do locally, so we will offer the same services in the UK market. We are aware there are unique differences that makes for a dynamic environment and place for us to upskill and adapt.

What do you hope to achieve with the new office in the UK?

Being based in the UK will allow us access to global headquarters of many international companies and to assess business networking opportunities that allow for global expansion while supporting the local South African workforce and economy.

Have you established a team on that side? Who will lead the team?

As the founder, I will lead the operations in London. As mentioned before, there are team members from Red Marketing who immigrated to the UK who have expressed a keen interest in joining the team in London, managing key accounts, content curation, styling and production as well as professional photography and videography.

Is there anything that you would like to add?

It is with an ambitious drive, an open heart and will to achieve that the Red Marketing business is expanding from its South African operation into its European venture, all with the objective of being a global agency with a hub in Johannesburg, London and Los Angeles.