That winning Vizeum vision

We've saluted Vizeum's single-minded media innovation focus before, shortly after its announcement as the world's fastest growing media network in its Overall Activity Billings 2014 report. Vizeum South Africa further proved its worth in 2015 by taking home 'media agency of the year' at the 2015 Annual AdFocus Awards, along with seven awards at the prestigious Bookmark, Loeries and Assegai awards in 2015. These campaign wins are more impressive as they're based on concrete results, with a Bronze Assegai Award 2015 for BMW I and Silver Assegais for BMW ConnectedDrive and Santam App, as well as Bronze, Silver and Gold Bookmarks 2015 for their BMW 2 Series work.

The Vizeum team celebrating their Annual AdFocus 'media agency of the year' win

Kelvin Storie, managing director of Vizeum Johannesburg, says the agency's overall highlight was achieving a first by winning across the 2014 MOST Awards' three categories of media agency of the year (Vizeum CT), specialist media agency of the year (Vizeum JHB) and full-service agency of the year (Vizeum CT).

"It really was such a surprise for us all and definitely cemented the fact that we are on the right path," he says, adding that the team's most recent AdFocus win "symbolises recognition to all concerned for their on-going determination, hard-work and strong teamwork that has been displayed in order for us to have achieved such strong growth."

With such a fighting spirit, little wonder Vizeum's seen by many as 'one to watch' as it continues its upward trajectory. Storie shares the agency's background and lets us in on the secrets of their local media agency success...

1. What does it take to be a successful media agency?

Storie: It simply comes down to the right mix in people - we all need to be on the same page to get to one cohesive goal. At Vizeum, we search for that specific DNA to ensure we have the right culture to ensure continuous growth, learning, passion and most importantly recognition. It's summarised into three key areas: the best team delivering best-in-class ideas; clients that place great value in their relationship with their media agency; and media owner partnerships that ensure we are at the leading edge in terms of solutions out there.

To extend that success across the continent, you need teamwork, a strong network and perseverance.

2. Sounds like a winning strategy. Give us the background on how the SA agency got started and its link to Dentsu Aegis.

Storie: Vizeum forms part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, which formed in 2013. It was formerly the Aegis Group Network, formed in 1989. It has shown phenomenal growth both within South Africa and the rest of Africa over the past two to three years.

Vizeum SA was started in September 2007 by current joint directors Tanya Schreuder and Richard Procter. Having initially started in Cape Town, within a few years we had to expand the operation and opened our doors in Johannesburg.

Team Vizeum

3. What's the basic work flow or creative process in the agency?

Storie: We work to a rigorous proprietary planning process to integrate communications around the consumer decision making journey, which we customise to meet our clients specific requirements and more importantly their business objectives. At the end of 2014 we were in a three-way pitch to retain the BMW Motors account, as well as to pick up the MINI account. It was tough, but we succeeded and took over the MINI account from 1 March 2015.
Other accounts we have picked up are BBC Worldwide, MAN Trucks and Pernod Ricard planning and TV buying.

Digital is a natural movement for most agencies, so we have had to adopt a different approach in staffing up as well as working on skillet training and transferring thereof.

With regard to the rest of Africa, Dentsu has invested time and money into growing the Vizeum Africa footprint. We in turn have invested in upskilling the team to ensure natural migration for our clients into Africa.

At Vizeum we have always prided ourselves on relationships and culture - we are all in this together (client, agency and media owners) so in order to get the best out of everyone, it's important to cultivate a good relationship and push each other to the best of their ability.

4. Tell us what you foresee from 2016.

Storie: For Vizeum SA, the plan is to continue in crafting our capability, training, up-skilling and pushing ourselves to keep delivering on our promise of 'connections that count' by producing through-the-line solutions for clients.

I'm not the biggest fan of trends, I prefer to see them as challenges and how we will attempt to adapt and adopt new ways and thoughts. For Vizeum, we are continuously evolving and tweaking our strategic process with digital underpinning each and every medium. A new age of media thinking is needed and hence this would define the certain 'media camps' people are sitting in. If you're willing to do the same job you did last year then you won't progress or evolve.

Industry-wide there has definitely been an increase in overall campaign strength over the past two years, which is fantastic. In the past it really just lay with that creative idea. Now, the marriage of firm results with an amazing creative media idea to amplify it is really making the awards playing field quite challenging - in a good way. But we still have a way to go to meet up with the international standards, as we are still coming to grips in trying to truly measure results accurately for all media.

Time will tell whether media agencies step up and exceed campaign expectations in 2016. Click here for more on Vizeum, or follow the Vizeum Twitter handle.