By Darren Gilbert

What does your appointment to The One Club Board of Directors mean to you? Where would you rate it on your list of personal career achievements?

It is a real honour and privilege to have this opportunity, so I’d definitely rate it up there.

Being part of such a well-respected global body is a unique opportunity to showcase the creative prowess and talent that South Africa has to offer. But there are also opportunities to learn from some of the most well respected creatives and CEOs in the advertising world.

That makes this a real growth and learning opportunity, as I look forward to an enriching exchange of ideas and viewpoints.

How important do you think this appointment is for the South African creative industry as a whole?

South Africa does not fare badly in terms of creative recognition globally. I think the difference with this, however, is that we have a seat at the table and our voice can be heard.

That is extremely important, in my opinion, not only for our industry, but also for The One Club, because they too will benefit from our views.  

You were also instrumental in bringing The One Show Diversity Programme to South Africa in July last year. Can you tell us more about the programme and how it works?

The advertising industry still struggles to be wholly representative, so the programme aims to reach black advertising students and expose them to international creative talent as well as a broader understanding of how agencies work.

The format for the boot camp is identical to that of an agency and it takes place over a week. Students receive a brief from a client on the first day that will be unpacked and tackled over four days. Teams have a mentor and each day is rounded off with a presentation from an executive creative director from the industry.

At the end of boot camp, the teams present their ideas to a panel, which is then followed by an award ceremony.

How has The One Show Diversity Programme been received by the local creative industry?

This is an invaluable opportunity that The One Club has been able to provide to about 215 children over the last two years and we hope to increase that number even more this year.

The industry has been amazing in supporting it and I don’t think it would’ve been as successful if it wasn’t for them.

In your opinion, what more needs to be done to ensure the local ad industry is wholly representative of South Africa?

There are a lot of initiatives currently being done by various industry bodies, but we need a lot more. This is an issue where I think government has a very big role to play in terms of introducing kids to creative subjects at a school level and with access to advertising schools, which are very costly.

However, we cannot afford to wait, so I think it’s up to the industry to do as much as it can to get our house in order. I also think clients can play a bigger role in putting pressure on the agencies that service them.

How does the local ad industry compare, creatively, with the work that you have been exposed to overseas?

The work I saw last year at One Show was truly inspiring, and each category’s winners had their own standout factor or theme, which I found refreshing. Having been part of the Interactive Jury, what stood out for me about the work we awarded was that there was a general theme of technology not being technology for technology’s sake, but actually making a real difference in people’s lives.

That is what I hope to see more of this year and South Africa is still working to get this right.

Finally, what are your expectations for the local ad industry in 2017?

More than ads, content. This is a trend that we’re seeing more of, every single year.

Consumers are looking for communication that is engaging, entertaining and is ultimately content. The time of thinking of commercials in just the traditional sense is over. People have become media channels in their own right.

It’s up to us to make the most of that. 

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