Tag: Andrew MacKenzie

Agency growth allows investment in fresh talent

Six new hires across creative and account management, sees Boomtown adding to its talent fueling the agencies growth, capacity and creative output.

Within the client services, Pelokazi Mtwisha, Anina Pienaar and Zanda Twala join the team as account managers. And Danelle Classeen, Sukesh Moodaley, and Siyabonga Ndlebe bolster the Boomtown design force.“Adding young blood to the team enables us as an agency to elevate our creative output, challenge the status quo and drive new ideas,” remarks Boomtown Managing Director, Andrew MacKenzie. “From a practical perspective, we have increased our capacity, allowed for areas of focus and investment in talent that shows enormous promise.”

Two of the recent appointments come from the agency’s intern programme, Bayeza, which focusses on the development of graduate talent from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. “Sukesh and Pelo underwent a year-long internship with us, and we didn’t want to let them go!” adds MacKenzie. “They’re a huge asset to our junior team and it’s incredibly fulfilling to see them grow.”

Within the account management team, there are areas of focus for each new hire: Zanda Twala handles Government and parastatal clients, Anina Pienaar handles accounts alongside her new business responsibilities and Pelokazi Mtwisha manages the media buying across all accounts. “By providing areas of focus, our client services team is able to foster, meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships that last. An important part of any business, and advertising is no different,” says MacKenzie.

 

 

Gerard Addison, intern to Art Director

Beginning in 2013 as an intern as part of the Boomtown Bayeza programme, Gerard Addison has quickly proven his creative prowess as has risen up the agency ranks, and today has been appointed as Art Director.

The role will see Addison concept and create client campaigns for the agency, and directing the visual elements. “My passion is in concept design, big ideas and art direction, and that’s what I have built my career to date around,” remarks Addison. “To have created this goal for myself, and to have achieved it in such a short space of time blows my mind, but I am excited for the challenge that lies ahead.”

“Gerard and I have had many conversations about his career and ambitions,” adds Boomtown MD, Andrew MacKenzie. “Our approach to not only clients but our people is creativity, possibility. And for him to have begun as a graduate four years ago, and now be our Art Director is an amazing achievement and we’re incredibly proud of him and his work.”

Bayeza: turning interns into future leaders

As an Eastern Cape agency with a national client base, Boomtown found it challenging to find the talent it needed. As a solution it created an intern programme, Bayeza. In its fifth year, the agency is looking to hire its next intake of graduates to become part of the team and become moulded into outstanding, employable resources.

Bayeza started in 2012 with one graphic design intern in 2012, Pola Maneli. A talented individual who won two gold Loeries went on to work for one of the best advertising agencies in South Africa. Over time, the programme has grown and grown, with Boomtown now able to offer five Bayeza spots, and is looking for new young talent to enrol in various disciplines, including graphic design, copywriting, client service, HR, digital, production and strategy.

How Bayeza works

Rather than running an internship program where individuals are seen as junior staff, Boomtown runs a specific year-long program with each intern having month by month modules specific to their area of expertise and study. “In this way, we fast track the interns, and they learn more in one year than most junior employees learn in two,” adds Boomtown MD, Andrew MacKenzie.

This specific training also makes the interns highly sort after from an employment perspective and Boomtown is tremendously proud that to date it has achieved a 100% success rate in employment once the interns graduate from Bayeza. “We have employed the majority of these individuals as part of our growth strategy, and others have gone on to be part of reputable companies across South Africa,” says MacKenzie. “The program is also differentiated in that it is not a “free from pay” internship. Each is salaried over and above the dedicated and specific training they receive.”

The Bayeza program not only answers to the needs of our business and a concerted effort to build on our employment equity but also responds to the drive around skills development and more importantly, is changing the lives of the individuals who complete the program immeasurably.

Seeking the next generation

Boomtown is looking for its next team of creative graduates to join the agency from January 2018. Applications are open to candidates in marketing, graphic design, copywriting, brand strategy, digital, production and social media. Candidates can email their CVs through to careers@boomtown.co.za until November 1st, 2017.

 

 

Internal hires see creatives realise their possibility

Boomtown is pleased to announce the promotion of Nick de Beer to Creative Group Head, and Lara-Anne Derbyshire moves from Creative Group Head to Strategist.

To fulfill client demand, Boomtown needed to secure the talent to expand the teams’ skill set and man-hours, Andrew MacKenzie, Boomtown MD explains: “Lara-Anne’s studies in psychology, her decade of creative experience and her analytical, process-driven approach will prove invaluable and add to the department.

“Strategy and consumer insight is vital to success, and an increasing number of clients are realising the value of investing in uncovering consumer insights to communicate effectively in an ever increasingly cluttered market place.”

Nick’s creative prowess has spurred internationally successful campaigns for Boomtown clients and has proven himself in leading teams through projects and delivering award-winning campaigns on time and in budget. “The step into creative group head is a natural one for Nick, and is an exciting career development for him. There will be new challenges, but we’re all looking forward to working with and supporting him in his new role.”

 

Rush Sports goes live with revived brand

Pietermaritzburg based Rush Sports, a brand which has attracted an experienced team and leading cycling brands to its stable unveiled the evolution of its brand identity created by Boomtown, including a modernised and simplified update to its iconic red and black logo and a new look and feel for branded communications and experiences.

The appointment of a new senior management team, expansion (including a new office in Pretoria), and future growth plans were fundamental to this change. Briefing Boomtown to create its new identity, the agency also rolled out a direct mail campaign to introduce consumers and partners to the new brand.

“The brand needed to mature in-line with the business,” remarks Rush Sports Managing Director, Andre van Aarde. “The visual execution of Rush Sports needed to demonstrate our focus, professionalism and our love of riding.”

UCI mountain bike World Cup champ Greg Minnaar was recently appointed as a Director and proves Rush Sports recruits a team who ride and succeed: “As a Santa Cruz rider, I believe the brand has found a great home in South Africa with Rush Sports. Both companies have a rider-focused strategy, and are innovative in their approach to business.”

With the idea ‘less is more’, the new identity for Rush Sports is clean, sophisticated and places it in-line with the market-leading, international brands it represents in Southern Africa.

“Rush Sports is emerging as one of those unique brands that are instantly recognisable in cycling circles,” adds Andrew MacKenzie, Boomtown MD and avid cyclist. “To thrive in this new digital world where business moves faster than ever, we wanted to modernise and elevate the brand in a design that is simple and elegant, yet unquestionably Rush Sports.”

“We’ve been on a fantastic trajectory, with digital technology being an increasingly important part of our business,” van Aarde added, “Now it’s time for our brand to embody the company we’ve become.”

Boomtown designed a brand mark to work seamlessly across all digital platforms, retail channels and printed media, while preserving its heritage was key to the overall effort.

The evolved brand identity will be rolled out to all Rush Sports products, communications, and experiences.

Newly-appointed Product Director, Philip Erasmus adds: “My priority is to work with suppliers to deliver exceptional value for our customers, the new CI is another great way to express our professional approach, attention to detail and elevate our position in the market.”

Hogan Lovells makes its mark on Africa with Boomtown

Global law firm Hogan Lovells identified Africa as part of its growth strategy, and it partnered with Boomtown to successfully make its mark on the continent.

Building measurement tactics into each touchpoint, Boomtown’s integrated communications strategy increased traffic to the Hogan Lovells Africa webpage  by 79% and social media impressions increased by 225% during the launch month, with the Advertising Value Equivalent for traditional and online media providing material return on investment for the client.

The campaign

The pan-African integrated communications campaign Boomtown created, centred around the headline, ‘Be a mountain, or lean on one’.

The rationale for the headline was the acknowledgement and knowledge that proverbs are very much part of the African culture, and are rooted in colloquial interactions and are highly significant.

“We took advantage of Hogan Lovells’ authenticity and straight talking manner to add weight to the headline,” explains Boomtown MD, Andrew MacKenzie. “And we addressed the stature of the target audience, acknowledging their contribution to Africa’s business successes. The campaign centered on the importance of partnership with a law firm that sets out to protect their accomplishments.

“Using an African-inspired headline, we aimed to illustrate that Hogan Lovells understands its clients, as well as the African nations’ specific legal needs.”

Hogan Lovells is globally recognised for quality work, its network of local partners, commercial and cultural acumen and genuine commitment to making a difference, and this also pulled through the campaign. “Boomtown certainly met the brief and delivered on its promise,” enthuses Abena Poku, Marketing and Business Development Manager for Hogan Lovells. “We want to be recognised as a multi-disciplinary player in our target African territories, and our launch campaign communicated this, and our supporting messages within key markets.”

 

Posts navigation

1 2
Scroll to top