Rice founded Yellowwood Brand Architects in 1997 and remains involved as a board director and chairman. Passionate about the linkage between creativity and commercial effectiveness, Rice says that South Africa has seen a vast improvement in creative effectiveness in recent years.
"The topic is on most marketing agendas today and its importance is reflected in our awards landscape. Whenever I tackle the topic in conferences and seminars, it always generates much interest. Marketing is meant to be an investment not just a cost, so there is growing acceptance among the more progressive marketers in this country that creativity and effectiveness are symbiotic partners, not mutually exclusive combatants."
There is, however, an old-fashioned view that you can have creativity or you can have effectiveness, but you cannot have both, says Rice. "There is evidence to prove that this is not true, but unfortunately being creative or approving creative work is more difficult than the lazy alternative of commissioning safe and uncreative campaigns."
To address this issue, Rice recommends that we keep banging the drum to show the link between creativity and effectiveness. He says that the debate should be taken to the boardroom so that CEOs and FDs can get the message too and that they should be convinced that the greatest risk of all is to take no risks. "Publicise the great case studies. Fire the risk-averse marketing directors."
Rice is excited to be judging the Creative Effectiveness campaign at this year's Cannes Lions and says that he is hoping for a two-way flow of experiences. "I hope to bring back some fabulous case studies and insights to share with South African marketers, but I also hope that my Apex experiences will add to the calibre of the debate with my fellow jurors in Cannes."
