Riding on the crest of a winning wave, one of KZN’s leading advertising agencies, The Ogilvy Durban group, has announced its successful acquisition of The Sharks business.

MD of the Ogilvy Durban group, John Gale, who is a self-confessed rugby fanatic, and an avid supporter of The Sharks says “Our team is really thrilled to have won The Sharks business, and their recent Absa Currie Cup Final win comes as the cherry on the top for us as we embark on what we trust will be a creative journey with them. This is one of the world’s biggest provincial rugby brands in terms of the awareness and exposure they have garnered over the years, which makes it a very challenging brand on which to work.

“They have evolved over the years into a brand that is synonymous with “family” by creating events during their home games that are highly entertaining. There is something for everyone at these games – from Sharkie’s hilarious antics, Flasher Girls, not forgetting the drama of the actual matches, culminating in the world’s biggest braai as spectators gather on the outerfields of The Absa Stadium Durban to celebrate a win or commiserate a loss. They have gathered to themselves a loyal mass of supporters who have stuck with them through all their ups and downs over many years.

“Given the strength of this brand, we hope to sustain its growth and to take it beyond what the players themselves do for it. It is vital that we continue to maintain supporter loyalty and grow the base to swell the crowds at our home ground.”

Mike Ablett, The Sharks Marketing Manager says, “Bringing a new ad-agency on board will stimulate new thinking and help turn good ideas into a reality. We welcome Ogilvy into The Sharks family and we are very excited to develop our partnership with them.”

The multi-award winning Ogilvy Durban group, which is based in Durban’s Point Waterfront, has a string of major accounts on its books such as BHP Billiton, Boxer Superstores, Continental Tyres, Defy, Marico SA, Reebok, Society for Family Health, South African Sugar Association, Sun International’s Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom and Wild Coast Sun, and several brands from Unilever’s Household Care division. They also handle the Field Band Foundation’s account on a pro bono basis.

The Group has notched up significant accolades over the years including being finalists in the 2009 Cannes Festival for their Continental Tyres campaign as well as receiving the 2009 and 2010 PMR Africa Diamond Arrow Award for Leaders and Achievers in Advertising Agencies in KZN and the 2008 Tony Koendeman Finweek AdReview Durban Agency of the Year Award. The agency has received various Loeries in recent years for their Continental Tyres and Reebok campaigns.

The Ogilvy Durban group includes Ogilvy Durban, which handles traditional advertising portfolio and OgilvyAction, a brand activation division which focuses on building brand equity and driving sales for clients through promotional, experiential and shopper marketing.

“As The Sharks account is largely event focused, we will be drawing on the expertise of our activation specialists to drive sales through creative innovations. So watch this space.” enthuses Gale. - sharksrugby.co.za