Johannesburg, | Penquin, one of South Africa’s leading advertising agencies, celebrates a remarkable year in 2023 marked by agile creativity, substantial growth, and an unwavering commitment to improving lives.
Experiencing significant client victories, Penquin has achieved unprecedented growth this year, solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the dynamic South African marketing landscape. As the curtain falls on 2023, Penquin takes a retrospective look at the year’s achievements while casting a visionary gaze toward an even more ambitious 2024.
Strategic Growth and Business Restructuring
2023 saw significant growth for Penquin, not only in terms of the team’s size but also through a comprehensive restructuring of the business. Ryan Nofal, Managing Director of Penquin, shares insights into this transformative process explaining “The business has grown significantly in terms of personnel in 2023, none more so than in the last few months which saw Penquin undergo a complete restructure of the business.” This restructuring aimed to enhance service delivery by creating dedicated teams and updated departments focused on innovative solutions.
Diversifying Client Sectors
Penquin’s expansion into different sectors, such as the fashion industry and financial sector, stands out as a notable achievement. Neil Robertson, Client Service Director at Penquin says “New client acquisitions have given Penquin the opportunity to start doing work within different sectors, broadening our employee knowledge and skill sets.”
Agile Studio and Creative Triumphs
Penquin’s creative team showcased its agility and commitment to excellence throughout the year, successfully managing multiple projects without compromising on quality. The agency’s studios’ ability to seamlessly navigate different projects and deliver exceptional outcomes has been a standout achievement. Dave Doubell, Executive Creative Director at Penquin, reflects on the creative achievements, saying “One of the big achievements of the year is how the studio manages to keep fighting the deadline game and come out winning, while producing high-quality work. The amount of juggling between jobs and rollouts has been amazing.” He adds, “For a creative, it’s always hard to stop while in the motion of a job to do another job, then jump back to your original job. So overall, a lot of jobs went out.”
2023 Highlights
The past year was filled with some incredible highlights for Penquin as an agency, including the successful launch of multiple cars for a Suzuki and other noteworthy campaigns. Ryan Nofal reflects on a standout moment for him sharing “In a year when our largest client launched five new cars into the market, and we’ve had the opportunity to do some incredible work. It’s very difficult to isolate one specific campaign but if put on the spot, I’d have to say the launch of the new Suzuki Grand Vitara.” Neil Robertson shares that one of his standout moments of the year is ” a true milestone and accompanying Guinness World Record that our client, Suzuki, set when they held the first South African Jimny Gathering, attracting almost 800 Jimnys.” Dave Doubell fondly recalls, “Some of my favourite moments of the year include the re-brand of the TicketPro logo. We also did such a cool job for Suzuki EECO, which is a small panel van.”
A Glimpse into 2024
Looking ahead, Ryan Nofal outlines Penquin’s vision for 2024, emphasising a commitment to people and innovation. “Our focus for 2024 is people, people, and people. We have set a goal to positively impact the lives of 50,000 people in the upcoming year.” This people-centric approach extends to staff, clients, and the supply chain. Penquin envisions operating at the intersection of innovation, data intelligence, and creativity to deliver optimal strategies and campaigns for clients in 2024 and beyond.
As Penquin concludes a dynamic and impactful year, the agency looks forward to building on these achievements, delivering innovative solutions, and making an even greater positive impact in 2024.
