Wunderman Thompson launches Prism Sport + Entertainment in South Africa

Qondisa Ngwenya

Wunderman Thompson is making a strategic bet on growth in sponsorship with the launch of a new unit of Prism Sport + Entertainment.

The new unit will be part of the Wunderman Thompson offering in South Africa and marks the expansion of London-based Prism Sport + Entertainment into the South African market.

Sponsorship veteran, Qondisa Ngwenya, will lead the unit as managing director. Prism South Africa will have a decidedly modern take on sponsorship marketing, including both traditional sponsorship consultancy plus digitally-powered capabilities adapted to a post-Covid-19 environment.

Prism is unique in the sponsorship world in that it works solely on behalf of brands, helping to shape and execute strategies in sport and entertainment. With the added benefit of having an in-house production team, Prism develops engaging brand content and communications.

“For three decades, brands have been choosing Prism for our industry-leading expertise on the most effective ways to engage sport and entertainment audiences – whether that’s digital, print, broadcast or experiential,” said Jamie Copas, Prism CEO. “We’re pleased to enter the dynamic South African market with the reputable Qondisa Ngwenya to help clients navigate sponsorship effectively.

Ngwenya has 25 years of sponsorship and broadcasting experience gained from managing large sponsorships, major events execution, content development and aggregation, rights negotiation and sales across Sub-Sahara Africa. He has played signigficant roles in the likes of the FIFA Football World Cup, CAF, Cricket and IOC Olympics. He also launched the Unite for Mandela Initiative on behalf of the National Departments of Sport and Recreation and Arts and Culture.

The new unit will build on Prism’s global footprint in Formula One, football and other sport and entertainment sectors, carrying on Prism’s ethos of being rightsholder agnostic in facilitating brand sponsorship strategies that reach, engage and grow audiences.

Miles Murphy, CEO of Wunderman Thompson South Africa, said, “We are delighted to bring this specialist member of the agency network to South Africa. This bolsters our already impressive credentials in sport with expertise we know will be valuable to our clients and prospective clients wishing to tap into consumer passions.”

“My experience fits hand and glove with Wunderman Thompson and its ethos,” added Ngwenya. “I’m looking forward to helping brands use Prism’s full range of capabilities to exploit the opportunities that sport and entertainment represent.”

Prism’s core services include:

• Strategy, Insights and Analytics
  
• Partnership Negotiation and Management
  
• Planning and Creative
  
• Brand Experiences and Events