Ogilvy South Africa makes waves in international markets, by successfully blending creativity and technology

L-R: Pete Case, Yves Baudechon, Neo Makhele, JP LeRoux, Christophe Chantraine, Nkosinathi Biko, and Angela Madlala

Ogilvy SA CEO Pete Case says the company managed to pivot by deliberately growing this global service unit. “We quickly took advantage of the fact that you don’t need to be in the same room, or even continent, as clients, for you to collaborate on incredible work. This has opened us up to an exciting global market, where our adage of borderless creativity has come to life,” says Case. “We have been able to access markets across the globe from here in South Africa, using Ogilvy’s extensive network.”

This global offshoring hub for the Ogilvy network provides access to all Ogilvy SA expertise, including all through-the-line (TTL) services, with a strong bias towards digital content, social media, data and analytics.

“What started as spontaneous assistance to other countries a couple of years ago has become a top strategic priority for Ogilvy's global growth and connected culture between markets,” says Ogilvy’s recently appointed Global CEO, Devika Bulchandani. “South Africa has proven to be a creative and performance powerhouse to the network. Ogilvy plans to leverage SA-based talent to deliver outstanding work for the group's biggest clients, while supporting a sustainable cost structure in an increasingly challenging business environment.”

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Yves Baudechon, global head of Ogilvy C2, Content and Context, says Ogilvy globally now organically includes the SA hub in almost all new business.

An increasing percentage of Ogilvy SA’s total revenue is now driven by work for clients in places like New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, and London. This success is a testament to the high standard of work that comes from South Africa.

“Ogilvy SA is setting global benchmarks in digital marketing and communications and provides unique opportunities for South African creative talent to build their careers working on exciting local and global brands such as IKEA, Vans, Amazon, Pfizer, Off-White, Coca-Cola, and even the European Parliament,” says Christophe Chantraine. Managing director of Ogilvy C2, Content and Context, leading the global operations at Ogilvy in South Africa.

Ogilvy SA has enabled 'borderless ways of working' with colleagues in Europe and the US operating as connected teams. In the creative space, the South African team has specialised in transforming creative ideas into native content for social and digital touchpoints.

“We thrive in developing innovative approaches and formats to drive engagement and deliver on brand and performance objectives,” says Chantraine. “We have managed to successfully blend creativity with technology to generate content personalisation at scale, something that has been hugely sought after by our international clients.”

Ogilvy SA is scaling fast with massive opportunities in this space for anyone wishing to gain global exposure but within the framework of an SA-based organisation and proven culture.

Recent wins include the Verizon business working with Ogilvy North America. The company will be hiring more than 20 digital creatives and content experts for this latest opportunity. ·

For Case, expanding the Ogilvy SA creative footprint fully embraces the group’s ambition.

For more information, contact:
Christophe C | az.oc.yvligo@eniartnahc.ehpotsirhc
Rohenie Naidoo | az.oc.yvligo@oodian.einehor
https://www.careers-page.com/ogilvysociallab to join our global team in Cape Town or Johannesburg: career page.