1. Greatest company contribution to Digital in SA
Background
With digital being one of the strongest growing marketing sectors in the world and more so
in South Africa with it’s relatively new uptake of digital marketing in the past 3 years, it is no
surprise that we face one of the most daunting task of finding digital talent in South Africa
let alone new talent to help agencies to continually meet and drive the industries growth
and development.
In truth the digital talent pool is quite small with demand of digital marketers being far
higher than supply.
What do we do? One strategy employed by many agencies is poaching staff from one
another, which is helping meet particular agency demands in the now moment but in doing
so increasing the supply and demand situation for the medium to long term of the industry.
Business Goal
Invest in the future of Digital industry by:
• building awareness of digital to the potential future talent of the industry (graduates)
• encouraging future advertising schools and talent about the importance of digital in
marketing as an option for a real career
• Create excitement and buzz around digital in South Africa
• closing the gap between academic learning to real-life experiences
Strategy Employed
To celebrate Prezence Digital10 year Anniversary in South Africa, Prezence Digital launched
the Digital Student Brand Challenge under the initiative called ‘The 10Teams, 10Brands and
10Days Challenge’ by:
• Helping 1 brand (registered NGO) to executing a comprehensive digital solution to
address one of their business problems
• Challenging the future Marketers of Advertising in putting their practical learning to the
test and by doing so raising the profile of the digital industry and the daily challenges we
face
• Giving students a unique and innovative real-life experience
• Rewarding the best team with a 10 grand prize
• Rewarding the best team-member (as voted by the mentors) with an internship
• Educational mentor g through some of the Countries leading thought leaders

2. The Challenge
• Universities and colleges graduates were targeted in taking up the challenge by speaking
with their lecturers (only space for 10 teams with no more than 10 team members)
• Each Team was assigned a Charity to work for (The Client/Brand). These charities were
not affiliated or clients of Prezence Digital in anyway
• Each team were assigned a mentor from within Prezence Digital for the duration of the
challenge to provide advice, direction and practical experience (and nothing more)
• The challenge was to identify a business problem that could be addressed via a digitally
led marketing campaign
• Teams had 10 days to meet the clients, agree on the challenge and formulate a digital
solution that addresses at least one Business Problem
The Process and Scoring
• Prezence Digital allocated key personnel (mentors) with the responsibility of giving up
their precious time to assist each team with the challenge
• Time was given in the operational and logistical planning to ensure the challenge was
professional and fair.
• Each team had to present their solution to a panel of judges that included Mentors and
Journalists
• Each team had a maximum of 45mins to present their solution – to give a real-life
scenario of pressure and priority in pitching
• Each team was measured on the following scoring card:
• Understanding the BRAND 10%
• Articulation of the PROBLEM 10%
• Solution and STRATEGY 25%
• CREATIVE treatment 25%
• Expected RESULTS 5%
• FESIBILITY of Solution 10%
• PRESENTATION skills 10%
Results Achieved
Industry-Led Benefits
• An innovative niche identified in helping foster a closer relationship between Advertising
Schools / Students and development of digital in SA Agencies
• A natural and real-life bridge between academic schools and agencies, by encouraging
students to take up Internship with a digitally led agency
• Longevity in the Initiative in addressing the long term gap we have in talent within our
digital industry by investing in the future talent with the Digital Student Brand
Challenge)

3. • Providing Student with educational benefits outside of their current core academic
modules with real-life scenarios that allows students to put their academic learning’s
into practice
• Raising the importance of Digital led campaigns for Charities – with no or little budget
• Mentorship of students with industry leading experts
Team-Led
• 10 Teams were identified within 1 day of launching and asking the Universities to
partake in this challenge
• 10 Charities identified within 1 week that included:
• 8 teams went through to completing the challenge
• 2 teams dropped out as it fell in between their exams and were spending more time on
the challenge than their exams
• All teams identified as winner based on the outstanding work, with one ultimate winning
team (At the awards ceremony, #changealife was praised for their winning campaign
that revolved around raising awareness of SHAWCO Health's need for a corporate
sponsor in an inexpensive, feasible, and innovative way using digital at the heart of the
solution, but also including experiential and offline elements.
• 10 grand given to the winning team

4. • 1 team member to be identified for internship at Prezence Digital
• 1 extended internship t be identified from other 7 teams (TBC)
• Untold buzz and excitement amongst student of the challenge
• Buy-in from Universities to continue challenge next year
Testimonies
Judges/Mentors
Asked to summarise their thoughts in the ubiquitous word limit of the digital age, 140
characters, the judges had this to say of the Challenge.
“What an inspiring competition! Students affecting social change through digital” – Ronald
Bach
“Anything is achievable with pure passion, determination and teamwork’ – Lynette
Hundermark
“Blown away by the amount of time the teams invested in creating their prezos. They were
professional, well researched & exuded creativity.” – George Reed
“Amazing, inspiring, and unexpectedly professional.” – Julian Mountain

5. “All teams joined the dots, creating sustainable, educational campaigns these charities can
really run with. What more could you ask? ” – Tim Bishop
“What started off as a challenge, ended up being one of the highlights of my career with
commitment, professionalism, and dedication with regards to taking a brief.” – Prakash
Patel
"The Prezence Digital Student Brand Challenge gave life to theory, and meaning to
classroom lessons that is often lacking in the academic context. By creating a supported
framework for the students to interact with real brands, real business challenges and real
clients the digital industry in South Africa will benefit from this Prezence Digital initiative by
virtue of emerging digital talent that understands not only creativity but also bottom line
and deadline." - Rachel Irvine, Managing Director; Irvine Bartlett
"It’s The Apprentice meets an internship on steroids and it was absolutely brilliant. The
students learnt so much and came out of it so positive. We’d like to be more involved in
next year’s Prezence Brand Challenge; it’s an amazing thing." - Dawn Ellingson, student
placement manager at Varsity College Cape Town
"The impact on students and their motivation for a future career in the digital industry has
been tremendous. We look forwarding to participating in the Prezence Student Brand
Challenge again because of its ability to develop and realise talent and potential." - John
Cooney, MD Red& Yellow
Challenge Initiator’s
“I can honestly say that in my 23-year career in advertising in both the UK and now South
Africa working with some of the biggest brands and brightest and most successful marketers
in the world, I can truly say today was one of my most memorable, proud, and inspiring days
in advertising!” said Patel in a message to the students after the presentation day.
In future, the challenge will partner with non-profit social initiatives, and potentially other
agencies, sponsors brands and the vanguard of the next decade's marketing talent, tasking
them with the creation of a digitally-themed campaign for deserving charities under the
mentorship of marketing experts to help bridge the gap between academic learning to real-
life experience.
Closing the Challenge, Patel had the following to say of the students’ work: “Major
congratulations to your lecturers, universities and institutions. They have taught you well.
You have given us so much hope for the future of digital marketing not only in South Africa,
but in the industry as a whole.”
Students

6. Sean Gibbs (Red & Yellow), a student who worked on the campaign for one of the charities,
echoed the sentiments of all the students involved in the Challenge when he said: “The
Brand Challenge provided us with an opportunity to remove ourselves from our comfort
zone and really test our skills in the industry at a new level.”
Kirst Bohle (Red & Yellow), Extracts taken from Kirsten’s blog
(http://thejollyjammer.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/10-teams-10-brands-10-grand/) :
In honor of their tenth birthday Prezence Digital put together this fantastic brand challenge
experience and invited marketing students from around Cape Town to battle it out for the
grand prize (pun intended) of R10 000 and one internship position.
So in keeping with the theme, here are ten things I have gained from this experience:
• The simplest ideas are often the best.
• Trust your gut. You know when you have a good thing going.
• A short deadline can be a blessing. Inspiration flowed due to time pressures, risks were
taken out of desperation. And it worked.
• Winning teamwork is about recognising each others strengths and about recognising
your own.
• Calm in the face of chaos, something I can do.
• Probably don’t drink coffee just before you go into a presentation and are already
nervous. The hands shake and the bladder cries.
• We may be amateurs but we are not useless.
• Advertising is power. Power to manipulate, power to convince. And power to change
lives.
• There is no greater adrenaline rush than standing in front of a roomful of influential
people and presenting an idea that you already know is a winner.
• This is the career I want.
Huge thanks again to the team at Prezence Digital. This was truly an incredible experience

7. Lecturers
Dawn Ellingson who manages student placements at Varsity College Cape Town said: It’s
The Apprentice meets an internship on steroids and it was absolutely brilliant. The students
learnt so much and came out of it so positive. We’d like to be more involved in next year’s
Prezence Brand Challenge; it’s an amazing thing.
John Cooney MD Red& Yellow: The impact on students and their motivation for a future
career in the digital industry has been tremendous. We look forwarding to participating in
the Prezence Student Brand Challenge again because of its ability to develop and realise
talent and potential.
Charities:
CartHourse (http://carthorse.org.za/2012/08/prezence-digital-sas-ten-brands-challenge/ )
We were chosen as one of the organisations who will benefit from Prezence Digital SA’s Ten
Brands Challenge!!! All very very exciting! A team of students from Red & Yellow School of
Advertising have been allocated to us and they have to come up with a digital campaign for
Cart Horse in just 10 days! They are here now – interviewing Diana and some of the carties.
If our campaign wins, Prezence Digital SA will build and implement the campaign for us!!!!
The Campaign at this stage is TOP SECRET but all will be revealed in time … so watch this
space and send lots of positive energy our way!