Social@Ogilvy takes digital prize

Social@Ogilvy was named ‚’Best Digital Consultancy in the World’ in The Holmes Report on 14 October. The global practice within Ogilvy & Mather has grown into one of the world’s premier social media marketing consultancies in just seven years.

During that time, the practice has steadily built a cohesive network of social media experts in Ogilvy PR around the world, Since inception, two things have helped Social@Ogilvy gain an edge in the market: The first is the unit’s cross-disciplinary status, which sees it work across Ogilvy’s existing units in public relations, digital, activation and advertising ‚Äî a absolute must in an era of rapid convergence.

The second is its genuine global scale. Under the leadership of John Bell, Social@Ogilvy has developed a talented team with more than 550 employees across 35 markets, driving a wide range of thought leadership initiatives, all of which have added up to top-line growth of more than 35% and a host of award-winning campaigns.

Social@Ogilvy in South Africa was launched in February 2012 and has grown by 122% year on year. Since its launch, the practise has acquired key business, including blue-chip clients such as Anglo American, KFC, Cell C, Peroni, DStv, Turkish Airlines, Audi South Africa, Mondelez (Stimorol, Halls and Chappies), Castrol and Pikitup amongst others. The staff compliment has also grown by over 100%. Some of Social@Ogilvy’s areas of expertise include strategy, conversation mapping, content strategy and development, community management, advanced reporting and insights.

Nick Bedford Business Director Social@Ogilvy, says the award is a result of the calibre of the team members and the level of trust that Ogilvy & Mather clients put in them. ‚”In a time when there are so many questions being asked around the role of social media, awards like this make it easy to have those conversations and show the true value of meaningful interaction between brands and their customers‚”.

‚”The communication industry is constantly changing. We need to ensure that we never lose sight of what’s driving this change: technology and customer behaviour. The magic happens when these two worlds collide. We are a team of communication specialists, who have one common vision – to deliver great work and great business results,‚” adds Bedford.

Ogilvy Public Relations Johannesburg MD Joanna Oosthuizen says the PR industry is becoming more about content and conversations. ‚”We are proud to be leading the way from a social and digital perspective as Ogilvy Public Relations as this is integral to the constant growth of our business‚”.

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