#StartupStory: Mandisi Ads maximises the potent artistry of OOH advertising

Mandisi Ads founder Mandisi Maqetuka | image supplied

Tell us how you got started on launching Mandisi Ads?

We started off by accumulating strategically positioned digital and static OOH inventory in line with local OOH by-laws.

In 2020, our very first OOH campaign was with the Capitec Bank at our impactful airport sites, in the same year, we produced another client’s (Sizwe medical fund) successful OOH campaign on our unconventional and tactical airport branding inventory.

In 2022, we officially launched Mandisi Ads with a GCIS national malls OOH campaign and a regional (Western Cape Province) malls and lifestyle environments OOH campaign for the Western Cape Government.

We then amplified our launch through the company’s business introductory tour, visiting media agencies across the country.

What services does Mandisi Ads offer?

Mandisi Maqetuka: We offer out-of-home advertising static and digital inventory, where we position clients' brands right at the apex of their target markets with colossal ROI.

Our OOH inventory offering includes the following precincts:

1. Affluent airports environment
2. Different LSMs malls environment
3. Utility social lifestyle environment

What inspired you to start this business?

Other than the conspicuous ultimate template of generational wealth creation, the OOH business is inspirational to me because it is one potent advertising medium artistry with a value proposition to drive an immediate and direct response that mix markets could perform on, leading to clients’ OOH campaigns KPI high-end results.

What challenges did you face in starting Mandisi Ads?

Access to markets at an organic scale was and still continues to be a challenge in our business.

What future plans do you have for Mandisi Ads?

A quest to attain sufficient capex and vastly increase our digital out-of-home inventory and create latitude for our clients to purchase and manage their campaigns efficiently through programmatic DOOH, too.

What trends do you predict for the advertising and media sectors?

With the deprecation of third-party cookies by most major browsers to the changes in consumer behaviour that distinguish our post-pandemic era, I believe that advertisers and brands will have to systemically adopt a very agile, adaptable and feasible approach to reach their target markets. In the end, the datafication of the advertising and media fraternity always presents both opportunities and threats.

As an entrepreneur, what would you like to see change in the South African startup landscape?

A paradigm shift from working in silos to a unified ecosystem and prompt an establishment of a tailored digital start-ups bank, of which will be strictly catering for all of our SMMEs and SMEs’ business needs with zero to non-red tape.

What words of motivation do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Integrity above all in your business. When a temporary doom and gloom moment finds you, trust the process and never stop having constant positive thoughts, practical concentration and mental strenght, for which are your margins of victory.