Johanna McDowell | Bizcommunity

Johanna McDowell | Bizcommunity

News

Meet the judges of the IAS Agency Credentials Award

Direct Marketing

Meet the judges of the IAS Agency Credentials Award

Issued by DMASA 23 hours

Source: © 123rf The year ahead brings a perfect storm of marketing pressures. Are your agency partners ready?

Marketing & Media

Preparing for 2026: Why the clock is already ticking for marketers

29 Jul 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Assurance Masterclass Series reveals that 70% of procurement professionals are
overwhelmed by marketing contracts, while agencies quietly exploit the gaps

Marketing & Media

Overwhelming marketing contracts, agencies quietly exploit the gaps

16 Jul 2025

From deck to DNA: Embedding culture in your credentials

Direct Marketing

From deck to DNA: Embedding culture in your credentials

Issued by DMASA 15 Jul 2025

Source: © 123rf For the first time in the decade-long history of Agency Scope in South Africa, participation is on track to surge to a record 710 interviews

Marketing

Marketers make their voices heard, as Agency Scope participation almost quadruples

8 Jul 2025

Win the room before you even walk in the door: Credentials and the sizzle reel

Direct Marketing

Win the room before you even walk in the door: Credentials and the sizzle reel

Issued by DMASA 24 Jun 2025

Source: © 123rf The most recent IAS Media Auditing Masterclass explored the often-overlooked parts of agency spend where bloated Scope of Work (SOW) estimates and unchecked costs run rife

Media

IAS Media Auditing Masterclass: If you’re not auditing, you’re bleeding

10 Jun 2025

Source: © 123rf Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company, looks at the secret weapon to winning pitches

Advertising

What's your secret weapon in winning pitches?

29 May 2025

Your credentials are your greatest pitch – IAS backs first 10 agency submissions for 2025

Direct Marketing

Your credentials are your greatest pitch – IAS backs first 10 agency submissions for 2025

Issued by DMASA 8 May 2025

Volkswagen Group Africa continues their creative partnership with Ogilvy

Advertising

Volkswagen Group Africa continues their creative partnership with Ogilvy

Issued by Ogilvy South Africa 6 May 2025

Source: © 123rf The 2025 first half AdForum Summit will take place in New York between 12 and 16 May 2025 with one of the key meetings with the leadership of Omnicom Advertising Group

Marketing & Media

AdForum Summit includes key meeting with Omnicom Advertising Group leadership

6 May 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Assurance Masterclass series, in partnership with Media Marketing Compliance (MMC), continues its four-part masterclass series with a deep dive into programmatic media, exposing inefficiencies and shedding light on the challenges and solutions facing advertisers today

Marketing & Media

IAS Media Assurance Masterclass Series spotlights Programmatic Media

24 Apr 2025

Source: © 123rf Agency Scope South Africa 2025/26 is set to launch in May 2025, and has been expanded to include AI, influencer marketing and retail media as well as a wider industry scope

Marketing & Media

Agency Scope South Africa 2025/26 to launch in May, with expanded categories and reach

4 Apr 2025

Marketing & Media

10 Tips for building a strong partnership with your agency

Johanna McDowell 27 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf Scopen's research shows that the latest global trends signal a growing reliance on AI, a strong push toward integrated agency solutions and a strategic re-evaluation of in-house marketing structures

Marketing & Media

EXCLUSIVE: Scopen research - Be integrated, AI-powered and strategic, or be left behind

20 Mar 2025

Scopen has unveiled key trends from its first media agencies’ New Business Report in South Africa, which shows that South African media agencies participated in an average of 45 pitches last year (Image supplied)

Media

South African media agencies compete for new business in 45 pitches annually

14 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf Scopen unveils key trends from its first creative agencies’ New Business Report in South Africa, which shows that South African creative agencies participated in an average of 47 pitches last year

Marketing & Media

Exclusive: South African creative agencies compete for new business in 47 pitches a year

11 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Marketing Compliance Masterclass series, in partnership with Media Marketing Compliance (MMC), addressed one of the industry’s biggest concerns—non-disclosed media models

Marketing & Media

IAS Media Marketing Compliance Masterclass Series: Tackling non-disclosed media models head-on

11 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Auditing Masterclass Series, in partnership with Media Marketing Compliance (MMC), is a no-charge, short but highly informative four-part webinar series designed exclusively for marketers.

Education

Master media transparency: The IAS Media Auditing Masterclass Series

4 Feb 2025

Source: © 123rf Scopen South Africa has launched its New Business Report, a no-charge resource designed to enhance industry knowledge around new business activity in the advertising and communications sectors

Marketing

Scopen South Africa unveils creative and media agencies new business report

30 Jan 2025

Source: © 123rf Panoramic view of Santiago de Chile with the Andes mountain range in the back. Scopen's latest report analyses the new business practices of creative companies and advertisers' practices in Chile

Marketing

Scopen research finds Chilean creative companies invest an average of R500,000 per year in New Business

28 Jan 2025

#BestofBiz 2024: Marketing & Media

Marketing & Media

#BestofBiz 2024: Marketing & Media

17 Dec 2024

Ogilvy scoops IAS Agency Credentials Award for the second year running, closely followed by Boomtown

Advertising

Ogilvy scoops IAS Agency Credentials Award for the second year running, closely followed by Boomtown

Issued by DMASA 21 Nov 2024

Source: © 123rf The sixth wave of the Agency Scope study in South Africa will begin in May 2025

Research

Agency Scope 2025 to include more marketing and agency professionals

14 Nov 2024

Source: © 123rf There is evidence of a strong trend of strategic creativity being the magic ingredient

Marketing

Today’s Holy Grail: Strategic creativity

8 Oct 2024

Source: © 123rf Finding the right fit between marketer and agency is not just a matter of swiping right or left, but more like an old-fashioned tinderbox - which could light your fire or burst into flames, writes Johanna McDowell, founder & CEO of Independent Agency Selection (IAS) and managing partner Scopen Africa

Marketing

Agency selection: Forget everything you know about Tinder…

Johanna McDowell 30 Sep 2024

Judges of the IAS Agency Credentials Award announced

Advertising

Judges of the IAS Agency Credentials Award announced

Issued by DMASA 16 Aug 2024

Well-structured agency credentials continue to attract the attention of marketers

Marketing

Well-structured agency credentials continue to attract the attention of marketers

Johanna McDowell, Issued by DMASA 31 Jul 2024

Source: © 123rf Scopen 2023-2024 shows that the number of marketers seeking integrated agencies is set to rise in South Africa

Marketing & Media

Finding that integration Unicorn: Is it media agencies?

22 Jul 2024

Source: © 123rf Scopen research shows how media fragmentation means creative agencies and media partners need to have closer connections.

Marketing & Media

Scopen: Marketers seek close collaboration between creative and media agencies

10 Jul 2024

2024 Effie Awards South Africa judges announced

Events & Conferencing

2024 Effie Awards South Africa judges announced

Issued by Association for Communication and Advertising 3 Jul 2024

Agency credentials: Marketers look past awards to get to the grit

Marketing

Agency credentials: Marketers look past awards to get to the grit

Issued by DMASA 26 Jun 2024

Source: © Loeries South Africa’s top four awards according to Scopen are The Loerie Awards, Cannes Lions, Effie Awards and Bookmarks.

Marketing & Media

Scopen: Chemistry between agency and marketer becomes more important

24 Jun 2024

IAS Agency Credentials Award 2024: Guidance for a shot at the prize

Marketing

IAS Agency Credentials Award 2024: Guidance for a shot at the prize

Issued by DMASA 3 Jun 2024

Source: © 123rf Social Media continues to claim a large share of digital spend in SA according to Scopen's Agency Scope SA

Marketing & Media

Digital spend, digital return – and digital snake oil salesmen

4 Jun 2024

Source: © 123rf The latest Scopen study shows that the percentage of clients not concerned by competitive conflict in their sector within an agency has grown from 21,3% in 2019 to 40% now

Marketing

Trust and wanting a specific agency overcomes competitive conflict for clients

15 May 2024

Johanna McDowell

Marketing

SA represented at 2024 AdForum Summit in New York City

8 May 2024

Source: © 123rf As marketing agencies continue to seek ways to deliver the goods, we are seeing ‘old agency’ bumping up against ‘slick martech’, writes Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) and Scopen partner

Branding

Creating a “magic middle”, not a “them and us” of brand vs performance

Johanna McDowell 29 Apr 2024

Source: © 123rf In 2021, the average contribution made by creative agencies to clients’ business growth was 26%. This is up by 4% in 2023, while media agencies have maintained their 34% contribution from 2021 to 2023 says Agency Scope SA

Marketing & Media

Agency Scope: Creative agencies contribute to clients' growth increases in 2023

10 Apr 2024

Source: © Melpomen 123rf Ogilvy, Joe Public and TBWA as well as Carat, OMD and TheMediaShop are all standouts in the Agency Scope as rated by marketers

Marketing & Media

Agency Scope: Top creative and media agencies according to marketers

27 Feb 2024

Source: © Anne Spratt Agecny Scope 2023 has found that the trend of in-house marketing operations is starting to wan, as marketers start to respond to the post-Covid world

Marketing & Media

Scopen 2023 trend: In-house agency heading for the out house?

21 Feb 2024

Image supplied. Agency Scope’s Top 10 most admired media agency professions is headed up by Wavemaker's Merissa Himraj and half of the top 10, are women

Media

Wavemaker's Merissa Himraj tops Agency Scope's Top 10 media professionals rankings

16 Feb 2024

Image supplied. The Agency Scope 2023 – 2024’s Top 10 top creative agency professionals have been revealed

Marketing

Joe Public United's Pepe Marais and Xolisa Dyeshana lead Agency Scope's top creative professionals

14 Feb 2024

Source: © Shopright Holdings The perception some clients have of agency environments is often ‘creativity coupled with chaos, overseen by someone called traffic’, writes Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) and Scopen partner

Marketing

Unlocking agency methodologies: Why understanding operations is crucial for clients

Johanna McDowell 14 Feb 2024

#BizTrends2024: Roan Mackintosh - Overcoming tight budgets and data complexities in 2024

Marketing

#BizTrends2024: Roan Mackintosh - Overcoming tight budgets and data complexities in 2024

Roan Mackintosh 1 Feb 2024

Image supplied. Carla Enslin, academic head of the IIE Vega School examines how being true to your ‘throughline’ will align you with being authentic in 2024

Education & Training

#BizTrends2024: Carla Enslin - Authenticity: How throughlines can guide creatives

Dr Carla Enslin 30 Jan 2024

Source: © The Good Things Guy Art Installation by Kilmany-Jo Liversage at Nando’s Maponya Mall in Soweto, Johannesburg

Marketing

Agency Scope 2023-2024: Industry respect for Nando's marketing three times that of nearest rivals

29 Jan 2024

#BizTrends2024: Chelsea Owens - 4 digital marketing trends that will shift the needle in 2024

Marketing

#BizTrends2024: Chelsea Owens - 4 digital marketing trends that will shift the needle in 2024

Chelsea Owens 26 Jan 2024

Image supplied. Geoff Cohen, DYDX addresses the alarming trend in digital advertising; AI-driven fake advertising websites

Digital

#BizTrends2024: Geoff Cohen - The alarming digital trend of AI-driven fake advertising websites

Geoff Cohen 23 Jan 2024