Draftfcb Cape Town has re-defined its business model by merging its creative departments to form one multi-disciplinary studio with through-the-line capabilities. The studio will be headed up by current BTL Executive Creative Director Glynn Venter. Francois De Villiers has been appointed Creative Chairman.
The agency, which began life back in the 1930s as E Lindsay Smithers, has also made changes on its business side. The client service, strategy, media and experiential teams have been grouped into two “mini agencies’. Godfrey Morley returns to the Draftfcb group as the newly restructured agency’s MD. He replaces Brian Stockdale who will leave the agency later this year to pursue entrepreneurial interests.
Says Group CEO John Dixon says the “new’ Draftfcb Cape Town has been several months in the making. “Kudos must go to the Cape Town management team who drove the process. Godfrey’s brand and marketing experience, too, complements the new structure and client mix. He spent six years at SABMiller culminating in his appointment as Head of Sponsorship for the brewer He also served as Marketing & Communications director for McDonalds South Africa for three years; and as Group Marketing Director at Samsung before joining Draftfcb in 2006. I am energised by the direction the restructure has taken, and 100% confident that the agency has emerged as a stronger, smarter, sleeker version of what was already a star performer on all fronts.’ .
Commenting on the new structure, industry doyen and now the agency’s Creative Chairman, Francois de Villiers, says: “True integrated marketing communication solutions are what clients locally and internationally demand and deserve. And this holistic approach has been the basis of some of Draftfcb’s most famous campaigns in the past. Now, with a unified creative studio, we are making our offering even more seamless.’
Executive creative director Venter feels that one of the main benefits of this new way of working will be increased efficiency. “The merged studio acknowledges that clients are looking for faster turnaround times on creative solutions. Our creatives will also be exposed to many other influences on a daily basis, as opposed to being locked into any one discipline. It’s going to prove to be a really stimulating environment in which to work.’ .
Deputy managing director, Elizanne Rauch, who will guide the agency until Morley joins on June 1, maintains the new structure empowers the non-creative competencies to do business in a way that makes the best use of their skills and takes them forward into the new era of advertising. “For us, this re-engineering allows us to do what we already do well – developing strategy and brand stories – better.’
