RAPT Creative, already a wavemaker in the South African marketing world, is embarking on an ambitious journey to revolutionise the traditional agency model.

The agency’s latest venture seamlessly blends media planning and buying with its already established integrated advertising offering, which spans above-the-line and below-the-line through digital and social to events, on-the-ground activations, shopper marketing and PR.

This sets a new industry standard for integrated marketing solutions under one roof, being from one agency – not a group.

The agency’s Founder and CEO, Garreth van Vuuren, admits this is a nod to how things were in advertising’s golden age and a glimpse at where things are going in the future. He champions a vision where operational excellence meets creative innovation and freedom.

“By offering a full spectrum of expert services — for truly integrated creative services — underpinned by custom-built AI and sophisticated customer analytics tools, RAPT Creative is poised to transform client expectations of agency partnerships,” he says.

“Our goal has always been to create a nexus of strategy, creativity, and technology, delivering not just campaigns, but deep, engaging experiences. Media is the final piece of the puzzle.

“The approach shakes up the industry status quo with a model that is more unified and streamlined, speeding up the process from brief to execution while elevating and freeing creativity to lead to an overall more effective and efficient outcome,” he explains.

Critical to the success of RAPT Creative’s model is the ability to deliver the media component, but the crucial barrier to entry to the media space for small and medium-sized businesses has always been access to large amounts of capital to ‘underwrite’ the media buying.

Van Vuuren has this covered. He has secured the necessary investment into the agency giving it access to a facility that will allow it to onboard the largest media accounts in the country on 30- to 60-day payment terms.

He also points out that this strategic pivot from RAPT will be energised by the expansion of its leadership team, marking a significant leap towards unparalleled integrated marketing excellence.

“This strategy champions cohesive, specialist teams working under a singular strategic vision, removing unnecessary costs and fostering a culture of togetherness centred around innovation and creativity,” he stressed.

“Leading this transformative charge on the media side is Wayne Wilson, appointed as Chief Operating Officer: Tech & Media. His role is pivotal in steering RAPT Creative’s media capabilities towards innovative ground-breaking, impactful campaigns with its own product development to boot.”

Wilson brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as COO of AdDynamo and his pioneering work at Hitch Innovations, known for its marketing media and ad tech innovations. Joining him in fortifying the agency’s innovative and strategic prowess is Anke Nel, newly appointed as Head of Department: Group Media Strategy, and Genevieve van Vuuren, who joins RAPT as Strategic Business & Innovations Partner.

Nel’s experience at Wavemaker, along with Genevieve Van Vuuren’s exposure to the UK market during her time at Horizon Strategy (where she serviced, among others, Meta in its drive for AI and tech innovations) as well as her seven-year stint on the African continent at Consumer Insights Agency as a director of the agency, which will be instrumental in helping clients navigate the complex media landscape, ensuring that strategies are not only innovative but also seamlessly integrated with the overall business objectives.

Further distilling the agency’s focus on creativity and its integration into media and platform is Tanya de Jongh from GRID who will work alongside veteran CCO James Cloete as Head of Design. Her renowned design expertise set to elevate the agency’s creative output to new heights.

“By breaking down the silos within agency operations, we’re not just streamlining our process; we’re redefining the benchmarks for what integrated marketing can accomplish,” Wilson says.

“This comprehensive approach ensures that every campaign is meticulously crafted to perform optimally across all media platforms. With these strategic additions to the team, RAPT Creative is not just responding to the changing dynamics of the marketing and media landscape; it is actively driving the evolution, setting a new precedent for what is possible in integrated marketing solutions.”