Growing through the line

Howard Smiedt launched Brand Activation three and half years ago, out of the ashes of an Ogilvy company called Promotional Campaigns. At the time, it was on its last legs, with a staff complement of four.

But Smiedt recognised the potential in the business. Internationally, clients were decreasing the percentage of their budgets spent on traditional, above-the-line communication, and increasing that spend 'below-the-line'.

It was Smiedt's intention to find a way to recapture as much of this spend as possible: "I don't doubt for a second that consumers are involved in traditional above-the-line communications, but I do believe that there are a thousand other ways to reach these consumers, and that no one in the marketing game can afford to ignore these opportunities.

"It's always been my policy to think beyond the job bag, and that's the thinking I set out to capture when we launched Brand Activation."

He did this by reinventing the company, transforming it from one that focused solely on promotions to one that focused on bringing brands to life - through whatever means necessary, whether a live event, a sponsorship, industrial theatre, on-the-ground activations... the list goes on.

Ogilvy CEO Nunu Ntshingila puts the success of the company down to real understanding of client needs, and the ability to meet these needs: "Brand Activation is fulfilling a need that so many clients have had for so many years, in terms of bringing their brands to life in a very real way. It's not a secret that today's consumers require so much more in order to really get excited about a brand, or even to notice it, and Brand Activation has this ability to generate that excitement, to create that presence."

Unlike most agencies, Brand Activation has no account management. Instead, it uses the account teams at Ogilvy, who are incentivised to think of 360 degree communications activities that bring Brand Activation into the equation. This manner of working ensures that the brand communications remain consistent and that all opportunities are pursued for clients.

DStv national marketing director Graham Pfhul says it's Brand Activation's ability to see through the line that works so well for him: "We have the same people working on all areas of our brand, which not only keeps the communication to the public consistent, but also makes it easier for us as a marketing team. Most importantly, we feel that this team, because it is working on so many areas of the brand, has a much better understanding of our brand, and this naturally results in better work."