Effective Friday, 1 March Kathryn McKay assumed the role of executive creative partner, while Jane Smit stepped into the position of managing partner.

Both McKay and Smit bring a combined 40 years of experience and expertise to the new agency and aim to deliver powerful and highly effective solutions to clients, says M&C Saatchi Group SA.

Jacques Burger, CEO of M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, expressed enthusiasm about the appointment.

"We are so pleased to welcome McKay and Smit onboard, a pair of real trailblazers that bring a wealth of experience. Reconfiguring and reorienting around the opportunity of including the services of B2B and B2C one-to-one marketing presents a massive opportunity. Not just for the Group, but for our clients and how we service their needs," says Burger. 

With over 40 awards to her name, Mckay is a strategic ECD with extensive experience in CRM across many industries — financial services, automotive, FMCG, retail, pharmaceutical, non-profit and more. Past clients include:

  • the Telesure Group
  • Ackermans
  • Volkswagen
  • BMW
  • Sun International
  • Old Mutual
  • Capitec
  • Burger King
  • Mweb
  • Pfizer
  • BP, and
  • Shell.

According to M&C Saatchi Group SA, McKay has a particular passion for driving successful donor programmes, and has done so for clients like The Children's Hospital Trust, MSF and SPCA.

"I'm seriously excited to be joining M&C Saatchi Group SA through Black&White. Mostly because I've always been passionate about one-to-one marketing and have seen the potential to do things better," says McKay. 

"Most other agencies in our space talk about performance and ROI as if it's a differentiator. For us, that's a given. It's expected. If we don't deliver that, we're doing something wrong. But we take a different approach at Black&White. We sum it up as 'creating beautiful connections'," McKay adds.

"'Creating' speaks to finding the moments that matter to your customers, 'beautiful' talks to the quality of the work we deliver — and 'connections'. Well, that's what customer relationships are. Whether you're selling burgers, or trying to keep a customer with your insurance company, you need to connect with them. That takes curiosity and creativity. And for us, that's where the magic lives," says McKay.

Jane Smit, with nearly two decades of experience in CRM and direct marketing, is known for her dedication to increasing Customer Lifetime Value for clients, says M&C Saatchi Group SA.

Armed with a degree in journalism and a passion for art and literature, Smit's talent for organisation and planning, coupled with her ability to maintain composure under pressure, will be instrumental in shaping Black&White's offerings.

The group says Smit is equally excited to bring Black&White's vision to life.

"Nowadays, everyone is all about the tool, the marketing platform. For us, the tool is just the enabler. It's about what you put in it, and how that influences what you get out. We're technology agnostic, human-centred and design-driven. And that's how we plan to move the needle for our clients," Smit says.

The group concludes that with the addition of McKay and Smit at the helm of Black&White, M&C Saatchi Group South Africa reaffirms its commitment to delivering innovative and results-driven solutions to its clients in the ever-evolving landscape Direct Marketing, CRM and Loyalty.

For more information, visit www.inblackandwhite.co.za and www.mcsaatchigroup.co.za. You can also follow M&C Saatchi Group South Africa on LinkedIn. 

*Image courtesy of contributor