Digitas has taken a bold step, embarking on an identity transformation, but from the beginning of this journey, we knew it was more than a simple visual refresh. It was a fundamental shift; a move to connect creativity, data, and technology into a single, unified ecosystem.
Source: © 123rf
123rf Ntokozo Nhlanhla, executive creative director at Digitas, describes the agency’s rebrand as a bold integration of creativity, data, and technology
The integration isn’t just a creative flourish or strategic choice. It’s both.
This brand unification is a powerful enabler, transforming fragmented marketing frameworks into seamless, client-centric lifecycles.
A connected, omni-channel journey
In today’s always-on digital world, consumers expect brands to meet them wherever they are, on any platform, and at any stage in their journey.
At the same time, they expect brands to show up authentically, consistently, and in ways that forge a meaningful connection.
Traditionally, creative often existed in silos as standalone adverts while data was locked away in call centres or with analytics teams, and technology was deployed in service-specific pockets.
The expectation now is that brands need to earn their way in with a single brand voice and experience across every touchpoint, whether a customer is filing a service complaint on an app or engaging with the brand’s latest ad on social media.
Our rebrand positions us to deliver exactly that: a connected, omni-channel journey that places the consumer first, bridges silos, and ensures every interaction feels part of a unified narrative.
By integrating creative, data, and technology, we fuel personalisation at scale. This allows brands to truly understand their consumers and communicate in ways that feel human, relevant, and timely.
Sho’t Left work
A great example of this in action is Digitas’ work with Sho’t Left, the domestic travel arm of South African Tourism.
The brand’s message of It’s your country. Enjoy it! aims to inspire ordinary South Africans to explore locally, a challenge as many believe travel is too expensive or out of reach.
Instead of pushing price discounts, we crafted a campaign that tapped into people’s personal affinities and preferences for South Africa’s three big pillars of local tourism: Beach, Berg, and Bush.
The goal: inviting consumers to place themselves inside the travel narrative that resonated with them the most.
If someone showed interest in “Beach” on social media or through a targeted ad, they would be shown coastal experiences, while “Bush” enthusiasts were served safari-style adventures.
This strategy went beyond clever segmentation, creating a seamless path from the very first click.
Desire for a local trip was sparked by relevant content, nurtured through personalised retargeting, and fulfilled with tailored deals on a micro-site aptly called “Perfect Match” with aggregated deals pulled from the Sho’t Left website, where users could swipe through travel options in a Tinder-style interface that matched experiences aligned to their interests before directing them to a booking page.
This helped streamline the decision-making process and ensured customers didn’t have to sift through irrelevant options.
The result boosted engagement and built a strong emotional connection between the user and product, with a 44% increase in booking enquiries.
Connected ecosystems
Given the proliferation and constant evolution of technology, it’s not surprising that brands want to be on the cusp of the next big trend, whether in artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), or flashy digital builds.
However, trend-chasing often results in a single, headline-grabbing touchpoint that doesn’t always connect the broader customer journey.
The weakness lies in fragmented touchpoints that dilute the overall message and reduce impact, leading to disinterest as the power is now in the users' hands and not brands or platforms.
The Digitas approach consciously avoids this by ensuring every execution is centred around the consumer’s pain points and intrinsic needs.
Technology isn’t the story. It’s the enabler.
We start with a human problem, then design the journey to solve it.
Using a connected ecosystem way of thinking means every interaction contributes to a fluid, end-to-end journey that fosters deeper engagement and loyalty.
In creating these connected ecosystems, we understand that behind every data point and technology platform is a human experience.
At the core, we are humans creating for humans.
This means investing in our talent, our “Unicorns”, to bring diverse human perspectives to our work.
This people-centred mindset ensures our solutions aren’t just technically robust but grounded in genuine empathy through insights and an understanding of how people actually live, think, and feel.
Ntokozo Nhlanhla 12 May 2025 Leverage a global network
Reflecting our commitment to “impact through insights”, our approach is further harnessed by our ability to leverage Publicis’s data platforms and data-first companies, like Mars, LOTAME, through our global network, allowing us to make smart, strategic decisions rather than relying on assumptions.
It’s about using intelligence and analytics to shape strategies that matter, whether we’re drawing inspiration from global tech hubs in India or Brazil, or applying learnings to hyper-local contexts.
Harness AI
Our connected approach also positions us to harness AI in ways that go beyond generative creativity.
AI helps us analyse data faster, recognise patterns across the consumer journey, and refine targeting and messaging to keep campaigns highly relevant and impactful.
Ultimately, the shift from fragmented elements to a unified ecosystem under a refreshed visual identity is about evolution with a sharper focus on connecting brands to global standards, giving the ability to compete on a broader scale.
Our brand unification provides strategic clarity and creative freedom to connect the dots between desire and delivery, personal relevance, and measurable impact.
Doing so cements our role as a catalyst for truly integrated marketing, where every moment counts and every experience feels like it was made just for you.
