27 November 2009
	PROFILE MINDSHARE

Type of agency Media consultancy Telephone (011) 582-6400 Website www.mindshareworld.com Key person Maria Phillips, CEO Ownership WPP (Int) 53,3%; local 46,7% Black equity 40,5% Accounts gained 9 Accounts lost 3 Clients 32 Staff 93 Biggest clients - Unilever, MTN, KFC, MultiChoice, IPL Recession? "What recession?" asks Phillips. Billings are up 17% and profit has trebled. MTN came on board in December with R354m, which compensated for the R300m loss of SAB two months earlier, after holding it for 25 years. Other significant losses were I&J and Bayer. But the combined R391m in losses were wiped out by R560m in new billings. Windfalls were the (probably one-off) R125m Indian Premier League cricket, and the R52m ANC build-up to the general election. Other wins included international soccer governing body Fifa, Ford, Business Connexion and the Automobile Association. A recent rebranding of the agency is intended to provide, in Phillips' words, "a new structure, look, processes and tools and attitude". Awards last year were a gold Roger Garlick for innovation, and a silver and bronze for innovation from The Internationalist magazine.