Maximising 'uberisation'

We are seeing the "uberisation" of business categories says Kevin Tromp, CEO, Publicis Africa Group, who spoke to Bizcommunity at the recent Publicis Africa Group conference held in Sandton, Gauteng.

"Businesses are looking to partners for guidance, but the classic advertising model is one that does not give them that; it tells them how to build a brand." He says most advertising agencies operate pretty much as they did 20 years ago. "Globally agencies are having to be technologically savvy enough to provide the right kind of consultancy to clients to allow them to have a competitive advantage."

As a result most agencies are struggling with different models. However, he says, if this is to focus on digital; that ship has sailed. "Digital is like breathing; it is inherent in everything we do. The focus needs to be on business transformation, marketing and communication."

Kevin Tromp

Given the above he says that as an organisation, Publicis Africa Group has, globally, reconstituted that way it moves to market. "Last year we concentrated on acquisitions. This year there is a massive focus on consultancy and marketing with the new paradigm of being organisations that truly create value to clients worldwide."

In terms of South Africa this is about focusing on the integration of the digital and the classic. "The market is still seeking the digital integration path, and some agencies in the country have been more successful than others. While large digital agencies have hired classic agency skills, I do not think this has always played out well for them. For me the bigger success has come from the pure digital agencies, such as our agency Liquorice," he contends.

This said, he says there is a lot of smart stuff being done locally in the social media and promotional space. "In general the local industry produces work that is not far off the pace."

Turning to Africa, Tromp believes the continent is an open field in the sense of the opportunities that exist. "We call it the leapfrog continent because of the opportunities that abound to leapfrog legacy issues because of technology."

The hunger on the continent for information and the increasing access to the internet and social media, sees a level of sophistication emerging across the continent.

The other area in Africa that interests him is its human capital. "I think the quality of the human capital of Africa is immensely underestimated. "The world thinks of commodities and minerals when they think of Africa but its people are what bodes well for the future of the continent," he says.

"Add political stability, an emerging middle class and a youthful population and you get the most exciting opportunity for brands in the world today - one that allows you to develop roots to market, to forge relationships with consumers in an age of engagement."

He adds that the youthful population allows brands to tailor communications and promotional interfaces to establish relationships now that will provide brand and shopper-based behaviour that will bring value in the future.