Jericho Advertising Zimbabwe makes waves in SA

JERICHO Advertising Zimbabwe has, for the second year running, now, been the only non-South African advertising agency listed by Adfocus, the prestigious South African Advertising and Marketing Annual published by The Financial Mail. Jericho is also now ranked amongst the Top 20 South African advertising agencies, despite not having an office in South Africa.

The Adfocus recognition comes at the end of a stunning year for the Avondale-based, three-year-old advertising agency, in which it became the first-ever Zimbabwean advertising agency to be named by Adreview of South Africa as Africa Advertising Agency of the Year for the year 2013.

The Zimbabwean outfit beat long-established, multi-country networks like Ogilvy Africa, which operates in over 30 countries in Africa!

Jericho's world-class abilities were also recognised during 2013 by SABMiller Africa in Johannesburg, who awarded the Zimbabwean agency the brief to develop a pan-African television advert for Chibuku Super.

The agency has since filmed the television ad and it is now flighting in several African countries ranging from Zambia to Tanzania.

Adfocus writes of Jericho: "Having won seven out of eight pitches and R12 million in new business [Jericho has] established its creative credentials.

It won six awards at the Ngomas show and had a Toyota ad chosen by the Japanese motor company as the best work in Africa."

Jericho Advertising chief executive Mr Denford Magora commented:

"We are really proud to be counted amongst the South African ad agencies that are universally acclaimed as amongst the best in the world.

"We continue to be surprised to see Zimbabwean companies going to South Africa to get their advertising done, when multinational conglomerates like SABMiller and Western Union are actually coming to Zimbabwe to engage Jericho for pan-African work. It says something about the standards we have managed to establish at Jericho that, even as we speak now, contracts are being signed with a globally recognised mobile phone brand to do work for them across several African countries from our Jericho offices in Harare.

"We also continue to be the lead consultant for Western Union in major markets across the world, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Africa, where we provide strategic input for the communications in those countries to Western Union."

Commented Ashley Mhonda, executive creativedirector at Jericho Advertising: "We at Jericho, together with our sister Jupiter agencies in Harare, Lusaka, Malawi and Gaborone, are proud to be raising the Zimbabwean and Southern African flag so high, featuring amongst some of the most respected ad agencies in South Africa, one of the creative powerhouses in worldwide advertising."