Being the second advertising agency in South Africa to be so awarded, McCann is leading the pack when it comes to adhering to international standards for quality management systems.

Keeping McCann on the right track is consultant and lead auditor from Future Systems, Tonja Jolly, who says, “It has been a very exciting process and working with an agency that wants to be ahead of the curve keeps you on top of your game. The most interesting journey was making sure that the left-brain, creative people buy into the logical, right-brain systems.”

McCann first enquired about ISO accreditation when signing on its then-client, Telkom. Says financial director at McCann, Danie van Aswegen, “We were interested to discover how it would improve our efficiencies as an agency to our clients. Deliverables have improved greatly which translates into saving time and money, which ultimately is passed on to our clients.”

He added, “Being an incredibly creative environment, it was about finding a winning recipe. We haven’t compromised on our creativity but merely introduced a structured process that will check all the boxes necessary for the detailed Dekra auditing process.”

The Dekra certification is an international one that follows the ISO global initiative of due processes and procedures. Says van Aswegen, “It is not limited to accounting and admin processes, and for us it was about introducing these practices into an agency environment to ensure that our processes are delivering on a sound product. In essence it is about verifying the processes that support the products.”

McCann’s certificate is valid until November 2015, with annual audits to review the processes. “The challenge is to live it, and to make sure the plans in place mirror the real-life actions; and then to record the processes and provide sufficient evidence,” says van Aswegen.

With McCann being part of a global network, strict processes already exist and it was necessary to structure rather than reinvent the systems. “ISO 9001 is now an extension of our daily lives at work, and our staff has bought in to the many benefits of following diligent procedures. It makes agency life easier, with clearly set and defined systems that are available for everyone to gain from,” Van Aswegen concludes.

For more information on the agency that transforms brands and grows businesses, visit www.mccann.co.za or call 011 235 4600.

McCann Johannesburg is the flagship and largest office on the African continent within the McCann Erickson Worldwide group. Globally, it is one of the world’s largest advertising agency networks, with operations in over 110 countries and a client roster that includes pre-eminent global marketers and many of the world’s most famous and well-loved brands. The agency is a unit of McCann Worldgroup, a leading global marketing solutions network, comprised of a collaborative list of best-in-class agencies that emphasises creativity, innovation and performance.