99c partners with MECA to offer expanded list of services

Lebogang 'ShugaSmakx' Mothibe

Jacqueline Nyembe

Andrew Brand

MECA, which specialises in executing strategies that creatively engage the main market, boasts an impressive repertoire of events under its belt, including the Kasi Food & Drink Festival and Soweto Massive. It has also hosted nationwide events and activations for the likes of the SABC, MTN and Hunter’s Cider, among others.

Established in 2013, MECA is the brainchild of Lebogang ‘ShugaSmakx’ Mothibe, one of the founding members of the game-changing, award-winning hip-hop group, ‘Skwatta Kamp’.

Mothibe recognised that his experience gained in managing artists’ events, bookings, brands, publicity and sponsorships through Buttabing Entertainment (Bonang Matheba, Dj Naves, Kwesta, Skwatta Kamp, etc.) could be leveraged to the benefit of other brands, and he formed Ventilation Productions in 2006 with fellow Skwatta Kamp member Siyabonga Metane. The two later parted ways, and Mothibe went on to establish MECA in 2013 with three other partners.

Explains Mothibe, “Brands often miss the mark when speaking to the African consumer, failing to tap correctly and authentically into this market. The consumer landscape is vast; therefore, an on-the-ground partner who has the necessary insights, cultural context and national resources is vital.”

MECA and 99c will work closely together in order to identify opportunities to offer fresh perspective and value to both client portfolios.

“Together with 99c’s expertise and scale – and through the in-depth insights, network and experience we’ve gained during our time within the entertainment and marketing space – we’re able to offer clients a single port-of-call for all of their communication, requirements,” says Mothibe.

99c Johannesburg Managing Director Jacqueline Nyembe concurs. “I am excited about the partnership, as I believe it will benefit the agency’s standing by offering clients an ever-increasing range of services, enabling clients to better entrench themselves within our dynamic market.”

“MECA’s expertise in delivering impactful, culturally relevant, results-driven outcomes and their understanding of both mass and niche markets is perfectly aligned to our ethos as a growing agency focused on 'doing work that works', and we look forward to realising the full potential of this partnership to the benefit of our current and future clients,” says 99c Group CEO Andrew Brand.