Bravado strengthens offering as SA's newest youth marketing agency

Bravado is originally Brave Group’s experiential agency and since inception, Bravado has brought a vibrant and energetic offering to clients – making it one of the industry’s authoritative leaders in experiential communications and influencer engagement.

The repositioned Bravado will be led by managing director Bongani Chinkanda, a serial entrepreneur who has started and led businesses in marketing and advertising. In 2017, Chinkanda joined HDI Youth Consultancy as CEO where he transformed an activations-only business to one that was insights and strategy led and executed on multiple platforms. He also expanded the network by opening offices in Ghana, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

“I’m excited to join the Brave Group and re-introduce Bravado to our clients and stakeholders as a partner in effective youth communications. In positioning ourselves as a digital, mobile-first youth specialist agency we have found an opportunity amidst today’s challenges by meeting South Africa’s youth where they are: on their mobiles, on social media, and within their various spheres of influence. Now, more than ever, the youth are engaging with brands and communities with purpose, and they require communications that aligns with their values and outlook, and collaborates with them for solutions,” says Chinkanda.

Bravado’s new leadership also includes Nick Kaoma as creative and strategy director, and Daniel Kahn as operations and experiential director, and its management team owns 49% of the company, and Brave Group the remaining 51%.

Kaoma has worked in multiple industries, and his career started in print journalism. During the span of his 15-year career, he’s run a successful streetwear clothing company, and has worked with some of the biggest the biggest FMCG and retail companies such as Tiger Brands, ABInbev, Distell, Danone, Pepsico, and Edward Snell to execute events, activations, digital and creative campaigns.

Daniel Kahn has over 20 years’ experience in both the advertising and corporate worlds, and he’s worked on multinational blue-chip brands across South Africa and African regions. In 2015 he founded Loxyion Conexyion, a Loerie award-winning experiential agency focused on the mass market.

As part of Brave Group, Bravado’s specialised offering will integrate into the broader agency as part of full-spectrum communications for joint team work, while also maintaining its own roll of clients with specific directives in the experiential and youth marketing fields. In the short time Bravado has been operating, the company has acquired and maintained an impressive showing of clients, and produced extraordinary results for companies and their respective brands.

Karabo Songo, Brave Group CEO, says: “The idea of an agency that caters for the youth, while having a deep core ability of mass market execution, and understanding of the Black market, makes sense due to the South Africa statistics and dynamic. Brave Group is excited about this addition to our expertise and we believe that only the young, and the brave will prevail.”

Bravado has offices in Gauteng and Western Cape, with its head offices in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.

For more information, please visit Brave Group’s website at Brave Group and follow our social pages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for updates.