#Africa Month: Marrying money and media campaigns

Take Flume. At the helm, there’s a finance guy, Ruan Oosthuizen, and an advertising guy, Jacques du Bruyn. Never the twain would have met in an old business dynamic, but instead they have created a successful digital agency, which is responsible for the first-ever Google Case Study for Banking in SA.

Jacques du Bruyn

Tell us something about your company and how you got started?
We started Flume on the basis of being creatively calculated - everything we do for our clients needs to superbly creative whilst delivering ROI. This is something that we do through our online marketing toolbox. A big strength is the balance between the two of us, where one is very creative (Jacques) and the other is very analytical (Ruan). This dynamic, together with our skilled team, has provided a fresh perspective for all that we do for our clients in the digital marketing space.

How did the whole Google case study come about?

It all started when Nedbank Insurance employed us as their full-service digital agency. We initiated Google Adwords advertising and from the time we kicked off the campaign, till recently, the leads (of potential new clients) increased each month, while the cost per lead dropped drastically. In essence, we were driving serious return on investment for Nedbank. It goes without saying that this got Google's attention and they decided to publish a case study about our work.

Ruan Oosthuizen

What do you think it was about your case study that made it compelling enough for Google to publish it?

The fact that there was no fluff. It was hard-core numbers that proved that the campaign was driving actual business to Nedbank. The data dictated that we were outperforming competitors in the industry.

Explain more about the Nedbank Insurance campaign?

The campaign has one goal - to drive leads at a profitable cost per lead. A great digital campaign should reach a point where the value of the new business is higher than what you're spending on advertising. That's the mark we hit with the campaign.

What do you think your achievement means for the financial sector in terms of digital marketing in South Africa?

Firstly, it means that South African agencies are up there with the best in the world. It also means that the financial sector has no excuse not perform well online. If they don't adapt, they will be left behind.

Name one thing that each of you have on your bucket lists?

Ruan: Climb a huge mountain and base jump off it.
Jacques: Run the Comrades.