New digital tool connects brands and ad agencies

The service also extends to service providers and suppliers for agencies, allowing ad agency execs to find project partners, based upon skill sets, to expand project capacity. This should result in growth for small agencies and start-ups. The service is offered to smaller and mid-sized brands, as well as larger brands with very hands-on marketing executives.

The service is expected to evolve into a business-acquisition tool for ad agencies and also allows them to inform the market as they expand their own service portfolios.

“A lot of marketers are only familiar with a handful of ad agencies and, while databases with information on possible agency partners do exist, they are generally walled in as paid-for services," says Ramify.biz founder, Herman Manson, who is also the publisher and editor of the South African advertising and marketing industry news site, MarkLives.com.

Ramify.biz allows agencies to create a database-driven listing that will assist marketers in picking communication partners, such as information on services offered, BBEEE scores and the size of the agency. Marketers then specify their partner requirements using the Ramify.biz search function and matching results are returned. Marketers may then shortlist agencies/suppliers and pull comparative data for review.

Ramify.biz offers its search functionality free of charge. Agency profiles are free, too, encouraging the inclusion of the broadest possible range of agencies in the database.

The site is also intended to make the job of procurement easier when it comes to pitching; instead of very broad requests of interest, marketers may now submit a pre-compiled shortlist to their procurement departments to start the process.