28 November 2008
	ADVERTISING AGENCY OF THE YEAR - FOXP2 David and Goliath By Matebello Motloung A mix of passion, talent and drive churns out a recipe for success for this small agency

FoxP2 is the name given by scientists to a speech gene that enables humans to talk. In the case of the SA advertising agency of the same name, its results speak for themselves. Barely three years old, FoxP2 has burst into industry consciousness. In 2007 it won three gold Loeries, four silvers and five bronzes. This year there were five golds, three silvers and two bronzes. The agency has also scored creative points on the international scene at The One Show, the Clios and Cannes. Pound-for-pound, or rather head-for-head (it has fewer than 20 staff), FoxP2 is by far the country's most creative agency. It is this stellar performance that makes FoxP2 the 2008 AdFocus Advertising Agency of the Year. Its elevation, however, was not straightforward. The first round of judging reduced the field to a very strong shortlist. After two rounds of discussion and voting in the final round, the judges were deadlocked between FoxP2 and Ogilvy Johannesburg. As it happened, the two agencies were first and second on the points table at this year's Loeries, with Ogilvy leading the field. One half believed Ogilvy's consistent excellence over many years should get it the nod. The other half felt FoxP2's spectacular rise could not be ignored. Unlike other awards, AdFocus does not create categories for different-sized agencies. There is only one. There was even talk of sharing the award until a final, impassioned debate swung the vote FoxP2's way. Loeries chairman Festus Masekwameng, who was one of the judges, says: "What is impressive about FoxP2 is that they have done consistently well since the beginning. This is particularly impressive, given that they didn't have the most exciting brands to play with when they started." Fellow judge and Creative Circle chairman Rob McLennan says FoxP2's performance is "absolutely mind-boggling for an agency that size". On close inspection, however, it is clear the agency's make-up was a recipe for success from the outset. Its founders - creative directors Andrew Whitehouse and Justin Gomes - are a mix of talent, the right chemistry, drive and passion. The two met eight years ago while working at Lowe Bull Johannesburg as deputy creative directors. During their two-year stint at Lowe, they won several awards including three Cannes golds, a One Show gold and three Loerie grands prix. Having conquered the local circuit, they left SA to spend four years overseas at TBWA in Paris and Lowe New York. In 2005 they returned to SA and started FoxP2. The third shareholder, Charl Thom, is a media strategist who joined the creative duo in April last year as MD and partner. Thom has worked in SA and overseas for the likes of Saatchi & Saatchi, Net#work and Ogilvy. He was instrumental in growing the business unit at Grey Worldwide Cape Town and helping to bring in clients such as Heineken, Amstel and Tanquery gin. They say three is a crowd but in FoxP2's case, it seems to be the magic number. Since the formation of the formidable team, the agency has gone from strength to strength. Revenue more than trebled last year, from R2,6m to R9,3m. That's still small-fry compared with many established industry players - though whether FoxP2 would ever want to threaten its culture by joining the giants, is open to question. Perhaps the momentum is already unstoppable. A rush of new clients last year brought in R108m in added business. The agency picked up five new accounts: Coronation Fund Managers, Entyce Beverages (Freshpak, Trinco, House of Coffees, Frisco), 24.com, the Dairy Consumer Education Project and new business from Brandhouse. It won all five pitches it entered and lost one account, Old Khaki. Unilever and Harley-Davidson are among brands that have since joined the FoxP2 laboratory. The agency has 12 clients and handles close to 30 brands. The biggest clients are Brandhouse, Entyce Beverages and Coronation Fund Managers. It required an exceptional performance to keep Ogilvy Johannesburg at bay. That agency won 10 of 13 pitches it entered last year, gathered new business worth R378,5m, collected awards like confetti, "invented" M-Net Idols contestant Cliff Jennings, and generally kept every other agency on their toes. The only thing lacking during the AdFocus review period was top honours at international awards. Even without those, it was an outstanding business year. New accounts included the second Coke Brrr, WesBank, Sun International, Tabasco, Nike, CTM and Business Connexion. A growing number of activation accounts underlined the agency's ease in moving into new advertising directions. Its biggest disappointment was the ending of the 30-year relationship with Amstel, after SA Breweries lost the licence to produce and market the lager in SA. KingJames Cape Town, predictably, was among the finalists. Group creative head Alistair King may complain that, by its standards, the agency underachieved in 2007, but it still collected a haul of awards and commendations with which many other agencies would be delighted. Its Allan Gray work was not alone in receiving accolades. One hopes potential changes to the group's structure will not affect its creativity. KingJames confirms it is considering an approach from a global advertising network but states: "The control and independence of the business will not be compromised as the deal will be structured independently to the traditional agency affiliations." The group is also "finalising a BEE transaction, which will see 26% of the group's equity held in black hands". Net#work BBDO was another to prove the old maxim, that you can't keep an old dog down. Okay, maybe not that old but the agency has a consistent record for excellence. Not surprising, when it has six creative directors in the industry's top 30 and was the highest ranked SA agency in the international Gunn Report creativity table. It excelled at the Loeries, Apex, Marketing Excellence and just about everything else in which it competed. In addition to a stream of new accounts, it also grew organically by taking on Cell C's retail business. Joe Public was another in the final mix. The young agency, which has been negotiating to regain independence, not only continued to win awards, but also enjoyed the highest client confidence ratings in its history. In its submission to AdFocus, Lowe Bull Cape Town described 2007-2008 as "the most significant year in our history". The judges agreed, which is why it was among the finalists. Almost as pleasing as its creative awards and 500% year-on-year increase in profit margin, was the recognition of its young talent. Annie Klintworth was one of 12 finalists from around the world for the Clios Young Stars, while Simon Lotze and Brian Bainbridge won gold at the Young Guns international awards. Finally - though not in order of rating - there's The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg. For one client alone - MTN - CEO Renee Silverstone and her team have created a roll of honour for which many other agencies would require a full stock of clients. Both locally and internationally, the agency continues to excel. It's also noteworthy that the agency's work contributed to Absa, Edgars, Jet, MTN and SAA all featuring highly in the Business Times top brands survey.