Asante Blush aims to be the pioneer marketing service provider in a largely male-dominated industry. The agency, which places a strong focus on brands that desire to reach out to female audiences, intends to keep a pulse on the nuances that make up this unique target market.

According to a PWC paper published in April 2018, titled Women in Tech, women in South Africa earn 60 cents for each rand earned by men. South Africa ranks 19th out of 144 countries when it comes to the gender gap — this according to the Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum in 2017.

However, there has been a myriad of key events shaping global and local conversations about gender equality with social media raising consciousness about the need to take action against the injustices faced by women," says Cuma Pantshwa, director and co-founder of Asante Blush.

"While the industry is making great strides towards gender inclusivity, as well as how women are portrayed or spoken to in advertising, there is still a long way to go and we want to be at the forefront of the change that is inevitably coming," Pantshwa adds. 

"We are proud and excited to launch this offering that has been brewing for months and months in the wings, and we're ready to go. We've put a lot of background work into this product and can't wait to see what great work we can bring to market through the partnerships which we plan to form with brands and organisations," Pantshwa says. 

Co-founder Zama Nkosi-Mabuye says, "One of the ambitions that this business has is to not only aid in amplifying women's voices but to also helps brands speak to their female consumers in a manner that resonates with them. Not only from a marketing comms point of view, but also through inculcating the thinking that is needed to create an ecosystem that feeds the female value chain. We look forward to working with various partners to achieve this."

The partnership is formed on the basis of 'a coming together of minds', and women entrepreneurs who are passionate about 'crafting authentic marketing and communications solutions for their clients'.

"We are determined to be an active part of the messaging that goes out to women because the reality is that it's not possible that one size fits all," Nkosi-Mabuye says.

According to the Asante Blush team, South African women are affected by many serious issues including poverty, an abnormally high crime rate, femicide, access to healthcare and unemployment. The team intends to aid in tackling these problems through the work they do for and through their clients and partners.

Asante Blush strives to offer creative and idea solutions, strategy, content and the research and insights that provide a basis for the consumer understanding. The all-female founders and partners share over 40 years of industry experience combined.

For more information, visit www.asanteblush.com. You can also follow Asante Blush on Instagram.