Pepe Marais and Xolisa Dyeshana: Connecting the dots of advertising

Pepe Marais and Xolisa Dyeshana review the benefits of working in a digital space and the importance of strategy in a campaign.

“When we speak to mass market, the most effective medium will remain television, but the digital space gives you that two-way conversation,” says Joe Public’s chief creative officer, Pepe Marais. The various digital platforms have opened many doors for the advertising industry, allowing access to an influential generation and providing spaces to interact with consumers.

“Engagement is what we are striving for,” adds executive creative director Xolisa Dyeshana. “If you can have relevance there [the digital world], you can actually get people’s attention in a big way.”

The team at Joe Public have proven this with the success of their digital campaigns, which include the two-minute Dial Direct ad that became the second most viewed South African video on Youtube.

Regardless of the medium, it’s a solid strategy that lays the foundation for a good advertising campaign. Dyeshana puts the success of Joe Public’s projects down to its strong strategy department, and explains that “there’s an entire system – a process, which we call “The A to B” that our strategist department goes through”. The strategists do the groundwork and ask the big questions like, “where does the client want to end up?” and “where is there room for growth?” in order to give the creative team direction. 

Watch the Talk with Pepe Marais, Joe Public