Coming off the back of its 32% growth per annum for the last five years, and 34% in the past 12 months, as well as a successful B-BBEE deal that took its rating from Level 5 to Level 2, Johannesburg-based Promise Group has announced its new full-service data offering and acquisition of several more prestigious clients seeking the diversified and innovative solutions Promise delivers.
“Our goal since inception 12 years ago has always been to innovate and offer a range of services that best serves each client,” says James Moffatt, Promise CEO. “The most recent client to join our stable of well-known brands is Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), a financial powerhouse that we are very proud to be servicing in a through-the-line capacity across its entire portfolio.”
Preceding RMB at the start of the last financial year was Edcon Specialty, the division that houses Edgars Active, CNA, Boardmans, Red Square and Edcon Cellular; as well as its international brands portfolio that comprises iconic brands like Calvin Klein and Lipsy, Moffatt says.
Promise was also successful in its through-the-line pitch for Castle Lager, and has secured responsibility for the entire digital marketing portfolio for long-standing client, AfriSam.
Says Verushen Reddy, Director, Strategy & Innovation: “To continue innovating and charting new paths in our business, we have introduced a full-service data offering to assist clients to unlock the potential of their data, for both planning and ongoing optimisation. We believe this is a unique offering in the independent agency space.”
Reddy adds that working with clients’ data to improve marketing and advertising while identifying opportunities for alternative revenue streams and business improvement is a key growth area for Promise, and one that is attracting interest from existing and potential clients. “This approach towards the generation of insights and creative inspiration has already started to benefit a large portion of our clients,” he says.
Moffatt adds that Promise’s strategy has always been “to be remarkable, grow our services through diversification, but stay true to our core values”. This includes having an intimate knowledge of the business each client does and the sectors they function in, and continually seeking creative solutions and opportunities on their behalf. “All effective innovation is grounded in data,” Reddy adds, “and our new data offering also brings the prospect of seeing where there is room for disruption, or to avoid being disrupted.”
With a team that has grown from two people 12 years ago to 90 staff members now, diversification has allowed Promise to reduce client production costs and make use of under-one-roof services that give both the client and the account executives far better control over campaigns and saving time.
“We have always promised our clients ‘remarkable’, and always delivered that – along with value, ethical business dealings and meticulous crafting of creative solutions,” Moffatt says. “Our track record speaks for itself, but we are also aware that resting on our laurels has no place in our clients’ businesses. Seeking solutions is our passion and one that we have built into the cornerstone of our client relationships.”
