#LoeriesRanking with... Publicis Machine

Rossiter: The marriage of technology and creativity is at the heart of our agency strategy and the work that received recognition this year is proof that this focused approach is working for us.

Eales: Technology is moving at an incredible rate and as McPherson said, in order to keep up with this, we made a decision at the beginning of 2016 to change our strategy to deliver solutions to our client’s problems that are driven by a combination of creativity and technology.

McPherson: The pursuit will always be there. Betterment and refining our product and service. I like to refer to our ethos as ‘never afraid’, as we are never afraid to try something new, groundbreaking or bold… I think by sticking to our strategy and aligning it with our attitude/ethos, we will continue to deliver unique solutions that resonate with our clients’ audiences.

Rossiter: We’ll continue to pursue the alchemy of creativity and technology as the formula is not only working, it resonates with each and every one of us in the agency. In our industry, the only constant thing is change, especially in the world of tech, and this excites us – a lot.

Eales: Now that we’ve seen our strategy start to deliver results, we’ll stick to it and aim to get better year on year, constantly refining our thinking with the same drive to do better, year on year.

McPherson: Let’s just say it’s a 100% improvement. Last year we had a lot of finalists but walked away empty handed… that motivated us to do better and be better. You need to have those reality checks to take stock of where you are at as an agency, and then improve what needs improving.

In one year, we went from winning ad of the year, to winning nothing at the Loeries just four short months later. That gave us perspective.

I’ve always said it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. This year we proved we are back on the map and improving. Our Loeries wins proved this, so did our Cannes wins.

Rossiter: Chalk and cheese! Last year we didn’t convert a single finalist, which was gut-wrenching for all of us. But we didn’t skip a beat, we got up, dusted ourselves off and put our best foot forward, and we chased the work that echoed our strategy.

Eales: It’s a 100% improvement. Last year we landed a bunch of finalists but no conversions, it was a bitter disappointment but one that made us reassess the work we’re doing and push harder, with the results speaking for themselves…

McPherson: I’ve always had great respect for all agencies and agency leaders that achieve creative accolades and success. Grid Worldwide and Native VML come to mind. I think the teams and leadership in both those agencies have incredible passion and vision. We are all friends, even though we are competitors. We learn from one another through observation and also friendly engagements. I think this is what pushes the industry forward. Both of them feel that they’re embracing the ‘new’ way of communication and branding.

Solving problems is what we do, and at the core of this is our ability to do it creatively. This is what will always drive our success. ‘Be positive and innovate.’ That’s my mantra.

We’ve been very fortunate to welcome newcomer and AAA’s Student of the Year, Kelsie Blake, to our team as a permanent member of the Publicis Machine Cape Town team this year. We actually identified her through our robust mentorship and learnership programme. Kelsie really has been a valuable asset to our studio and she comes with a great attitude and abundant willingness. All the ingredients that you can’t teach, and you just know she will grow into a future leader. I’m confident Kelsie will have an incredible career in our industry and will grow into one of the women in power in the industry. She is definitely one to watch.

Rossiter: I’ve always admired Nunu Ntshingila, head of Facebook Africa. Not only is she a formidable business person, but a powerful advocate for women, especially young women, who have the fortitude and dedication to make a career within the communications industry.

Seeing her inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame in 2016 was both inspiring and thought-provoking. Our industry recognised a female leader as well as a leader from the business side of our creative industry.

When it comes to ‘newcomers’, my admiration lies with the collective at Arcade Content – directors Lebogang Rasethaba, Kyle Lewis and Zandi Tisani along with their producers, are making big waves in our ever-changing industry.

They’ve pioneered a production style in response to tighter marketing budgets and wavering attention spans, which has resulted in captivating content, long- and short-format documentaries, as well as music videos that have received much-deserved limelight, both at the 2016 and 2017 Loeries.

Eales: Pete Khoury, Shane Forbes and the team at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris are people whom I continue to admire. I love the work they’re doing at the moment and the quirky stuff they’re producing for their clients. I’ve known both of them since the early days at the Jupiter Drawing Room and Metropolitan Republic and I dig that they’ve become such creative powerhouses.

As far as newcomers go, I have to big up one of our own newcomers: Kelsie Blake. She was student of the year at AAA last year and we were lucky enough to add her to our team in 2017. She has this incredible new-age way of thinking and looking at things, something that certainly keeps me on my toes when we review. It’s young talents like Kelsie who keep old dogs like me young and fresh.

Lots to look forward to from 2018! Click through to our Loeries’ special section or the Publicis Machine press office for more, and be sure to follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.