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Edelman’s South African office is a point of pride for the entire global Edelman network. Edelman South Africa has become one of the network’s top performing operations, while simultaneously becoming one of the largest and most respected communications agencies in SA. In the past two years, Edelman’s headcount has tripled in size, with revenue growth well into the double digits each year. This top performance has been attributed to the way the agency seeks and hires talent.
The agency’s approach to hiring staff is methodical and purposeful, looking further afield than its competitors in the PR space. Edelman’s staff complement of 60 people includes digital experts, designers, media planners, strategists and copywriters – disciplines not typically associated with public relations. Talent is often sourced from advertising agencies which helps to bring to life the agency’s approach – what it calls “communications marketing.”
In an economic landscape where budgets are becoming ever more constrained while KPIs remaining the same, many clients no longer have the finances to work with a host of different, specialist agencies. Instead, they are forming strategic partnerships with one or two agencies who have the ability to cover all necessary core competencies.
To this end, Edelman has focused on a broader scope than PR alone, honing its communications marketing approach. At the tip of the spear is communications, explains MD Jordan Rittenberry, which focuses on building trust and relationships with consumers, which in turn creates brand loyalty, allowing clients to weather the storm of economic uncertainty. Marketing has become somewhat secondary in this approach, based on the belief that consumers see a television commercial or billboard as less authentic, and true value comes from trust that makes customers feel closer to the brand.
Indeed, trust has become a vital aspect in the interaction between consumers and brands. According to the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, only 35% of South Africans trust the media, four points lower than last year, and a clear indication that distrust of “fake news” is more than just a passing trend. With its core business in earned media, Edelman pays close attention to this loss of trust, maintaining that consumers no longer find it easy to separate good journalism from falsehoods. As a result, brands should be working hard to engage with media in ways that nurture trust with their consumers.
In uncertain times, many marketers would rather take no action at all than issue communication that has the potential to hurt their brands. In this climate, Edelman sees its mandate as helping its clients to “act with certainty”, providing C Suite advice that will enable them to cut through the chaos and gain the trust and attention of consumers.
One of the agency’s greatest benefits is the fact that it offers the breadth and scale of a global firm, coupled with the passion and enthusiasm of an independent boutique agency. Being a family run company, it reports solely to its clients rather than shareholders, providing clients with the best of both worlds.
Edelman’s growth over the past two years has proven it is filling a void in the market and the agency plans to harness this advantage as it grows to the next level. As more clients bring Pan African work to the agency’s door, it looks forward to expanding its footprint into Africa in the near future.
Edelman
2018 Financial Mail AdFocus profile
Edelman’s South African office is a point of pride for the entire global Edelman network. Edelman South Africa has become one of the network’s top performing operations, while simultaneously becoming one of the largest and most respected communications agencies in SA. In the past two years, Edelman’s headcount has tripled in size, with revenue growth well into the double digits each year. This top performance has been attributed to the way the agency seeks and hires talent.
The agency’s approach to hiring staff is methodical and purposeful, looking further afield than its competitors in the PR space. Edelman’s staff complement of 60 people includes digital experts, designers, media planners, strategists and copywriters – disciplines not typically associated with public relations. Talent is often sourced from advertising agencies which helps to bring to life the agency’s approach – what it calls “communications marketing.”
In an economic landscape where budgets are becoming ever more constrained while KPIs remaining the same, many clients no longer have the finances to work with a host of different, specialist agencies. Instead, they are forming strategic partnerships with one or two agencies who have the ability to cover all necessary core competencies.
To this end, Edelman has focused on a broader scope than PR alone, honing its communications marketing approach. At the tip of the spear is communications, explains MD Jordan Rittenberry, which focuses on building trust and relationships with consumers, which in turn creates brand loyalty, allowing clients to weather the storm of economic uncertainty. Marketing has become somewhat secondary in this approach, based on the belief that consumers see a television commercial or billboard as less authentic, and true value comes from trust that makes customers feel closer to the brand.
Indeed, trust has become a vital aspect in the interaction between consumers and brands. According to the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, only 35% of South Africans trust the media, four points lower than last year, and a clear indication that distrust of “fake news” is more than just a passing trend. With its core business in earned media, Edelman pays close attention to this loss of trust, maintaining that consumers no longer find it easy to separate good journalism from falsehoods. As a result, brands should be working hard to engage with media in ways that nurture trust with their consumers.
In uncertain times, many marketers would rather take no action at all than issue communication that has the potential to hurt their brands. In this climate, Edelman sees its mandate as helping its clients to “act with certainty”, providing C Suite advice that will enable them to cut through the chaos and gain the trust and attention of consumers.
One of the agency’s greatest benefits is the fact that it offers the breadth and scale of a global firm, coupled with the passion and enthusiasm of an independent boutique agency. Being a family run company, it reports solely to its clients rather than shareholders, providing clients with the best of both worlds.
Edelman’s growth over the past two years has proven it is filling a void in the market and the agency plans to harness this advantage as it grows to the next level. As more clients bring Pan African work to the agency’s door, it looks forward to expanding its footprint into Africa in the near future.