According to Stats SA, the advertising industry in South Africa is estimated at R30.4 billion. However, a lot still needs to be done in as far as transformation is concerned.
It is no secret that the ad industry is one of the least transformed sectors in South Africa. Only a few people are taking the initiative to make a meaningful change in advertising to bring about the much needed diversity in the sector. In 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, Kgaugelo Maphai decided to do something about it. Maphai, formed partnership
with advertising, media, digital, PR firms and production agencies.
Born in Pretoria, Maphai always knew that one day he would end up in advertising or broadcasting. “My dream has always been to work in the broadcasting or advertising industry. I grew up enjoying listening to the radio as most young people of my age at that time did. One day I took a trip with a friend who used to work for SABC Radio and who exposed me to the commercial side of it. It was during this trip that one realised you can be on radio without
necessarily being on air. Because I was passionate about sales and marketing, I thought I could merge my two passions: advertising and radio. I worked hard to secure a job there and in 1999, I was appointed as one of the account executives at SABC Radio selling commercials and sponsorships for the African language stations. That was probably the best time of my life because working on those radio stations afforded me an opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the diverse cultures of our country,” he recalls.
Maphai studied at AAA School of Advertising and in 2019 completed a Strategic Executive Programme at Harvard Business School in the US. He worked part – time at Edgars and continued in retail where also worked for American jeans manufacturer Levis Strauss. He remembers how hose days he took a paltry salary enough just to pay for his rent. “I was lucky because Levis gave staff members generous discounts to purchase clothes,” says Maphai.
In 2002, still at the SABC Maphai moved to Metro FM as a Portfolio Sales Executive and later acted as a Portfolio Sales Manager. Soon afterwards, he would be headhunted by several companies. This included a move to eTV, East Coast Radio and he later came back to the SABC where he headed up Trade Marketing for all 19 radio stations.
Maphai comes from a family of self-made business people, so he was likely to venture into business as well. His father, Dr. Vincent Maphai, is the Chairman of the Sibanye-Stillwater Board, his brother Kgomotso is Director of BT Industrial
while younger brother Katlego is the Co-Founder of Yoco, a South African-based fintech company.
In 2009, in the middle of a global recession he co-founded with a business partner his first company, Dream Team Talent Management, a brand management company which focused on managing personalities and celebrities.
“I always felt that I can play a role in assisting talented people to manage the value of their brands. We worked with renowned brands such as TKZEE, Khuli Chana, Bala Brothers, Thembi Seete and many others. We felt that if they didn’t
succeed as brands, younger people wouldn’t have role models to look up to,” he explains.
Maphai was restless. Later on, he got involved with Brandswell, a through-the-line creative agency where they worked for companies such as Uniliver, SAB, Coca Cola and other FMCG companies. He would join the Media Shop in 2017 as Managing Director of the Johannesburg office. Under Maphai’s leadership, The MediaShop won several accolades including the Financial Mail’s AdFocus Network agency of the year twice, he successfully retained business
and won various key accounts.
“We managed to transform the agency to bring in talented black strategists and media planners into the business. When I left in June 2020 the agency was 70% black,” he says.
After serving at The MediaShop for three years, Maphai decided to explore other business opportunities and pursued his lifelong dream of setting up a Pan African marketing and communications group that will focus on purpose-led cohesion in the African continent. Maphai’s company, Matrix Communications Group (Pty), has a footprint beyond SA’s borders.
“Our vision is to set up a strategically sound and insights led agency matrix group across the continent. In the process we hope to work with clients who share our vision and therefore partner with us in connecting with consumers across the continent” says Maphai.
Debates on racism in the advertising space have been raging for quite some time, with the likes of Clicks getting a market backlash due to racist adverts. However, before the Clicks’ debacle, overt deprived of understanding their own country. They are still controlling the creative output within agencies and are not always listening to black creatives within the agency. We generally still have a eurocentric approach to what we do, which means some clients are not tapping into the local insights which resonate with the majority of consumers to make their brands relevant,” he says.
According to Maphai, driving transformation in the advertising sector still needs to continue. He says, there are still lily-white companies that don’t see anything wrong with having no diversity in all levels of their companies. “The only black people in those agencies tend to be the receptionist , the lady who makes tea or the driver. Some will even go as far as manipulating the system by either fronting or creating structures which are not authentically reflecting transformation.
Just hiring a black MD or Chairperson is not transformation, we have got to believe in the benefits of having a diverse work-force especially in a country like ours,” says Maphai.
His advice to young entrepreneurs is that they should learn to be patient: “The key thing is, there are no shortcuts in life, and you can’t buy experience. The difference between me and a 25-year-old is that I can make quicker and well
informed decisions because of my experience. Patience does pay off and here I am in my 40’s and still at it. They must seek to learn from other experienced professionals who have previously walked their path.”
“My outlook has always been to respect people until they have given me a reason not to. For that reason, I don’t judge people, irrespective of background and that has enabled me to learn some valuable lessons from simple unassuming people. We must avoid big egos and being arrogant especially when in positions of authority. We need to be always vigilant with the responsibility which comes with being in a leadership positions,” he continues.
Maphai unwinds by travelling and spending time with his family. He listens to different genres of music. If not doing that, you will find him watching a bit of sport, documentaries and current affairs. He also enjoys reading non-fiction
books that explore people’s lives, politics, and business. He enjoys his Apple gadgets and he is a Kaizer Chiefs supporter. A story for another day
