By Darren Gilbert
Why did 99c open an office in Zambia, and why now?
We’ve always had a desire to grow our business into Africa and, after initially earmarking Nigeria and Angola, ultimately decided to launch in Lusaka first.
From a business perspective, Zambia’s proximity is an advantage. There are no time differences. And traveling there is relatively simple. Being an English-speaking country also simplifies matters.
Finally, two of our major clients – Shoprite and Ackermans – both have a growing presence within Zambia, and we are driven to create increasingly strategically-driven creative that is more relevant and resonant with the market, which can only be achieved by physical presence.
As for why now, we just felt the time was right and that to wait any longer would unnecessarily delay our ability to start getting going.
How does this move fit into 99c’s broader business vision? And how will it affect the way the agency does business?
We believe it’s a necessary and logical step towards growing our business beyond Cape Town.
We are looking to open soon in Johannesburg, too, as well as other African markets, which I believe indicates how serious we are about our future and how determined we are to grow our agency.
Seldom does a day pass without minor or significant changes to how we do business, or what our product is. We constantly push for better work, improved efficiencies, and deeper relationships with clients, partners and consumers.
I am hoping that we will learn a great deal from our Zambian business that can be applied back in South Africa and into other future markets.
What challenges did you face in going about opening this office?
The challenges have been relatively insignificant thus far because Zambia is quite friendly towards South African business compared to some other countries.
There will always be certain logistical challenges but the hardest part of the process really has been just committing to it and getting it going.
Are you anticipating any challenges in Zambia? And how different is the market in Zambia to that of South Africa?
We will discover as we go along. I don’t anticipate major political changes to Zambia/South Africa trade relations which allows for a measure of security and stability.
There are some similarities but many more differences – far too many to mention or assign any kind of ranking to. I am also acutely aware that as much as we know (or think we know) right now, we have so much more to learn.
That’s what makes it so exciting to us – learning new things about new markets is such an amazing opportunity and privilege.
Finally, you’re also planning to open an office in Luanda and Lagos. Can you tell us more?
I believe those two markets in particular are so exciting. There’s a vibrancy and energy that’s palpable. The challenges of opening in Angola and Nigeria are obviously far greater than most countries, given their language and cultural differences, distance and current economic situations. But there are huge opportunities to be had by being brave, as we’ve seen from what Shoprite has achieved.
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