#Newsmaker: Amy Leibbrandt spearheads Fame

Source: LinkedIn LinkedIn Amy Leibbrandt, new MD of Fame

How did you get involved in media?

After high school and a gap year in London, I completed my BA Marketing degree at the AAA School for Advertising. Having completed all three specialities, namely brand, account and media management, I felt media best suited to my personality and strengths. I love working with people but at the same time, I’m equally as comfortable focusing on the detail and data that comes with media. Media gives me the best of both worlds.

What is your vision for Fame?

My vision for Fame is to provide not only strong strategic thinking and value to clients’ brands but to deliver excellent client service and innovative solutions to all the stakeholders within the business.

I also hope to nurture and grow young, new talent in the media industry, as the business develops and grows.

How will you go about accomplishing this?

We are lucky enough to be a part of the Duke group, while at the same time, have access to amazing tools from the OMG business.

This gives us a competitive edge when it comes to really looking at media as an art and a science.

Over the past few years, pure costs and performance have driven a lot of clients’ media-marking decisions, with significant pressure on business and the bottom line (especially throughout lockdown).

We overlay this thinking with a strategic approach, to ensure that we deliver on clients’ needs in a way that is right for the brand and its consumers.

I also want to get young people excited about the media industry again, and for them to look at the opportunities available as viable and exciting career options. I truly believe this is where growth, innovation and great work will come from.

What excited you the most about your new role and Fame?

I was excited to work as part of a full-service agency team again; the excitement of physically being in the same space as great creative teams is inspiring.

I also love the fact that we are part of the Duke group with its specialist partners, such as Dialogue, Champ, Mark1, Nude and Duchess which lets us deliver on any and all clients’ needs - all under one roof.

How does it fit into the rest of the Duke business?

We partner with Duke and the other specialist agencies to fill the media role for their clients and vice-versa. We also work independently with other creative, specialist agencies and clients throughout South Africa.

What do you think is the biggest skill you bring to the role?

I have worked in this industry for almost two decades, so my experience has been peppered across a great number of brands and categories. This gives me a holistic view and strong strategic base, not only with media, but with brands and consumers as a whole.

Secondary to that, I love working with people and developing close relationships with my clients and colleagues. At the end of the day, we are partners with the same goal.

Duke Group launches Fame Media: New joint venture with Omnicom Media Group

DUKE  8 Jun 2022

How has media buying changed?

There is so much pressure on business, that media seems to have become very transactional.

Clients are wanting the very best results at the cheapest cost, sometimes at the sacrifice of innovation or really great ideas.

We are having to be smarter in our decision-making to ensure that we can tick those budget boxes, but still do work that is memorable, relevant, and interesting.

What do you love the most about media / your job in media?

I love that media is constantly evolving. Every time I meet with a new media partner, I am blown away by the evolution of media – from the time I was studying (before Facebook had been created) and now – it makes our jobs increasingly challenging, but I love that we are forced to stay immersed and are constantly learning.

What do you do when you are not working?

I am a mom to a 12-year-old tween, so my free time revolves mostly around his sport and social schedule, which I love, but leaves little free time for myself. Other than that, I spend my time doing pole fitness, dancing, looking after my pets and eating my way through Cape Town’s restaurants.