Digital goldrush: Bluegrass Digital set up office in Joburg

One of the first, and definitely one of the most innovative digital agencies to hit South African shores, Bluegrass has recently worked on a number of exciting projects with Johannesburg based clients like DDB, Gloo, College Hill, King James, South African Breweries and Thinkmoney.co.za.

Creative director of King James and Punk, Matt Ross says: "I cannot say enough good things about Bluegrass. They are, simply put, excellent. More rabbits have been pulled from more hats than I care to mention by Nick, Mark and their team. From unbelievably tight deadlines with the highest quality implementation, they have delivered time and time again. And if that wasn't enough, they are down-to-earth, lovely and solutions focused people. I continue to use them, and will do so for many years to come. I recommend any agency to do the same."

Founding member returns to SA

Back from London, 15 years later, Managing Director Nicholas Durrant, has firmly set the company's sights on tapping into the wealth of Africa, starting with Johannesburg.

Durrant says, "Since the inception of Bluegrass Digital in 1996, Cape Town has been our hub to support our London Office and UK strategy. The simple fact is Joburg is South Africa's financial capital and where the majority of the country's head offices reside. Naturally, we need to be there, following in the steps of many other digital agencies born in Cape Town. Our main development hub will remain in Cape Town and we will look to better support our agency relationships and further development of new partnerships. "

According to Fin24, South Africa's digital spend is expected to rise to 21% within the next five years. With the world of digital fast becoming the world we live in, companies have adopted digital strategies as part and parcel of any intelligent advertising campaign. Add to that Gauteng's 33% contribution to the GDP, a bustling international airport that flies direct to each major city in Africa and afar, and Bluegrass's expansion into Johannesburg is a logical one.

Managing Director, Nicholas Durrant concludes, "Since Bluegrass operates on a global scale delivering creative technology for clients such as Novartis, Amgen, Lego, Costain Plc and a number of Oil Companies, there's no reason why we can't continue to use our offices to further grow into South Africa, Africa and beyond."