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Last year’s AdFocus Small Advertising Agency of the Year continues to flex its muscle, navigating a challenging year with resilience and agility.
SA’s leading independent, 100% black-owned agency has grown its business and continues to exceed its revenue targets as a result of a number of account gains, including Game, Newzroom Afrika, Mara Phones and M-Net
Recognised as the second-most admired agency for diversity by MarkLives, it has been awarded multiple Pendoring and Loerie awards in the past 12 months.
The agency received five One Show finalist positions, which resulted in four merit awards, at the world’s most prestigious awards show, The One Show. It also received one D&AD finalist position.
The net result of these accolades is that the agency has been recognised by The Creative Circle as the second-highest rated agency in the country.
The Odd Number easily adapted to the lockdown, given its robust systems which allowed it to continue with business as usual. A Covid-19 business continuity plan was developed,
regularly updated and shared with staff, detailing the agency’s work-from-home policy, working methods, flexible hours, meeting commitments and technology.
The Odd Number CEO Xola Nouse and chief creative officer Sbu Sitole at the comp any ’s offices in Bryanston, Sandton
“Our primary message to our staff was that we would need to continue to produce the work efficiently and effectively, and continue to meet deadlines and provide exceptional service to our clients and internal teams,” s ays CEO Xola Nouse.
A shift in consumer behaviour in 2020 has meant an adjustment to advertising spend. At the same time, businesses are wanting to commercialise increased media consumption.
A priority for brands in the current environment, says Nouse, is to remain relevant and empathetic to the changing circumstances of their consumers.
Mobile, digital and social platforms will remain key to getting messages across in a timeous and cost-effective manner, which means that the messaging being created in advertising and communication content is more important than ever before.
To succeed in this environment requires agencies to be responsive to the needs and demands of their clients, who are, in turn, having to respond to the market and their evolving business imperative.
A priority for The Odd Number is to embed itself in its clients’ businesses and become as invested in its clients’ success as it is in its own. Creative executions need to factor in business objectives. True client and agency partnerships, says Nouse, are built on sustained mutual success.
The Odd Number’s philosophy is simple: to connect brands to people through powerful, nuanced creative executions. It’s a philosophy which has stood the agency in good stead given that the agency is increasingly attracting leading clients in their respective categories.
But if growing its clients’ businesses and maintaining a winning culture is not enough, the agency has also sets its sights on more international awards. Watch this space!
The Odd Number
2020 Financial Mail AdFocus profile
Last year’s AdFocus Small Advertising Agency of the Year continues to flex its muscle, navigating a challenging year with resilience and agility.
SA’s leading independent, 100% black-owned agency has grown its business and continues to exceed its revenue targets as a result of a number of account gains, including Game, Newzroom Afrika, Mara Phones and M-Net
Recognised as the second-most admired agency for diversity by MarkLives, it has been awarded multiple Pendoring and Loerie awards in the past 12 months.
The agency received five One Show finalist positions, which resulted in four merit awards, at the world’s most prestigious awards show, The One Show. It also received one D&AD finalist position.
The net result of these accolades is that the agency has been recognised by The Creative Circle as the second-highest rated agency in the country.
The Odd Number easily adapted to the lockdown, given its robust systems which allowed it to continue with business as usual. A Covid-19 business continuity plan was developed,
regularly updated and shared with staff, detailing the agency’s work-from-home policy, working methods, flexible hours, meeting commitments and technology.
“Our primary message to our staff was that we would need to continue to produce the work efficiently and effectively, and continue to meet deadlines and provide exceptional service to our clients and internal teams,” s ays CEO Xola Nouse.
A shift in consumer behaviour in 2020 has meant an adjustment to advertising spend. At the same time, businesses are wanting to commercialise increased media consumption.
A priority for brands in the current environment, says Nouse, is to remain relevant and empathetic to the changing circumstances of their consumers.
Mobile, digital and social platforms will remain key to getting messages across in a timeous and cost-effective manner, which means that the messaging being created in advertising and communication content is more important than ever before.
To succeed in this environment requires agencies to be responsive to the needs and demands of their clients, who are, in turn, having to respond to the market and their evolving business imperative.
A priority for The Odd Number is to embed itself in its clients’ businesses and become as invested in its clients’ success as it is in its own. Creative executions need to factor in business objectives. True client and agency partnerships, says Nouse, are built on sustained mutual success.
The Odd Number’s philosophy is simple: to connect brands to people through powerful, nuanced creative executions. It’s a philosophy which has stood the agency in good stead given that the agency is increasingly attracting leading clients in their respective categories.
But if growing its clients’ businesses and maintaining a winning culture is not enough, the agency has also sets its sights on more international awards. Watch this space!