Providing a consistent and engaging message to targeted consumers in a world where information and channel overload is the norm is no mean feat.  Core to the success of top award-winning media agency Carat SA, however, is a deep understanding of the strengths and appropriate usage of each channel, combined with a passion for embracing new channels and providing clients with an integrated solution.

It has indeed been a phenomenal year for Carat SA.  The agency was voted Media Agency of the Year 2010 at the Finweek  Adreview awards, and this was followed up with an “A” rating –one of only two in South Africa - from RECMA, the global benchmark for media agencies. 

Carat has amassed significant total billings, with annualised billings now standing at R1,5 billion.  Business wins in the past 12 months include Cell C, Old Mutual, Nokia, Industrial Development Corporation, Spur and Panarottis.   The agency’s Head Office is in Cape Town, but is has also recently opened a new office in Johannesburg - under the leadership of Erica Gunning - which has quickly become a serious contender, achieving R520m in gross billings in a very short space of time.

Managing Director Quinton Jones ascribes the agency’s success to a passionate team and both the range and depth of services on offer.

“We are able to offer clients a strategic and integrated media solution, based on a deep insight into all channels and an understanding of how best to combine these channels to achieve client objectives.  As part of the Aegis Group, we not only have access to several highly sophisticated media tools, but also to a number of ‘best of breed’ specialist companies and services operating in the media environment.

“Ultimately, however, our success is a function of the calibre of our staff, and it has been particularly pleasing to reap the benefits of a passionate team working together for the good of both the agency and our clients,” he said.

Jones cites the example of the Cell C “Tell Trevor” campaign as typical of successful multi-channel integration.  He notes that each channel has a specific role to play in building, driving or re-enforcing the message, in such a way that the overall impact is greater than merely the sum of the parts.

“On each and every campaign we will determine the ultimate objective to be achieved and then seek to combine the most appropriate new media, including digital and out-of-home, with the most efficient use of traditional media to meet these objectives, and hopefully to exceed our clients’ expectations,” he concludes.