There was a time in the 1980s when advertising agencies were largely based in
Sandton City and surrounds. Creatives and strategists would meet regularly, sharing
ideas about their work and pitches to launch new campaigns. In retrospect, those
seemingly insignificant coffees and lunch exchanges are what helped to drive
cutting-edge ideas.
It was healthy competition. These fledgling agencies, though still playing their cards
close to their chests, had each other as part of the idea flow that permeated the
industry.
Could it be a coincidence that this was also the time when the local industry made
the most waves at the Cannes international awards? Over time, the industry
developed, agencies moved away from the heart of Sandton and industry awards
returning to South Africa were also fewer and far between.
In his book Social Physics, Alex Pentland investigates why some ideas take off and
others do not. Pentland uses a series of mathematical and data science studies
which prove that the flow of ideas among social networks lead to greater success
among people. The data and behavioural findings linked to the studies, point to how
the flow and spread of ideas in a social network contribute to both the collective
and individual intelligence of communities.
Silicon Valley, aside from the fact that it grew up around what was once a handful
of technology companies, became successful globally and attracted more venture
capital funding which grew the industry. It can also be attributed to the fact that
Google, Facebook, Apple and many others, share ideas to keep this flow of
creativity within close proximity.
Similar to the technology industry and its continued innovation, the advertising
industry also thrives in the continued flow of ideas and the impact of this collective
intelligence in other business sectors. In the age of data and what can be learned
from it, we are able to connect the dots with greater ease and influence human
behaviour far better than ever before.
As a community whose objective is to primarily drive actions and human behaviour,
the advertising industry occupies an invaluable position to help brands understand
their colourful and multi-faceted consumers in Africa.
Oresti Patricios (@Orestaki) is the CEO of Ornico, a brand intelligence firm that
focuses on media, reputation and brand monitoring, analysis and research.
Follow @OrnicoMedia on Twitter for advertising trends, updates, some of the latest
media analysis and research in Africa.
– Oresti Patricios
