By Charndré Emma Kippie
Dale Hefer is the CEO of the Nedbank IMC, Africa’s foremost integrated marketing conference aimed at local and African marketers, and a consecutively sold-out event in 2019 and 2020 (lauded as the “virtual benchmark”). This year’s event will be held on 29 July: One day. One stream. 18 top local and international speakers. No sales pitches – just hard-hitting and practical insights for anyone involved in any discipline of marketing. At any level. Marketing is Business™.
Dale is a former Businesswoman of the Year, award-winning entrepreneur and the bestselling author of the marketing book From Witblits to Vuvuzelas. Her second book entitled Hustling, Happiness, and a Blow-Up Doll Named Percy was launched in May this year. Dale is the founder of top advertising agency Chillibush, which she started in 1998 and sold in 2014. By then it was billing more than R100-million per year.
The IMC (Integrated Marketing Conference) was first started in 2010. I bought the conference in 2018 and re-launched it in 2019 with Nedbank as the naming sponsor. My main objectives, in buying and re-launching the conference, were:
My launch theme was “Marketing Gets Naked”. I wanted to strip away the misconceptions and jargon often associated with marketing and strip it down to the bottom line. I also knew this could be Africa’s largest marketing conference and an industry highlight (which it has become). Khensani Nobanda – head of marketing at Nedbank – immediately saw the value. She loved the idea of creating world class thought leadership for her staff and for Nedbank clients. She also loved the opportunity to uplift the youth. We had an immediate meeting of minds and the 2021 conference will be our third.
A mother of 12-year old twins, I am originally from Zimbabwe, and moved on to complete my BA at the University of KZN. After graduating, I worked my way around the world, after which I returned to Johannesburg.
In 1998 I started an advertising agency, Chillibush, from a suburban garage. I then sold the business in 2014 by which time my annual turnover was over R100m. During my time running Chillibush, I became a finalist in the Ernst & Young Global Entrepreneur Awards (Runner up to Koos Bekker) as well as a finalist in South Africa’s Top Women in Business and Government Awards. In 2010 I was awarded Businesswoman of the Year. My agency was ranked a top ten South African agency by both the Financial Mail and Finance Week.
After selling Chillibush I purchased the IMC Conference in 2018. I re-launched this in 2019 as the Nedbank IMC, which has become Africa’s foremost marketing conference. In 2020, I was tasked with taking the conference virtual, as a result of Covid-19. The virtual conference had over 1000 delegates and was described as “the new virtual conference benchmark”. Ninety-five percent of the polled delegates rated the conference as excellent.
I have also successfully completed the Comrades and Two Oceans ultra-marathons, as well as the Argus, 94.7 and Rhodes cycling events. And have completed several endurance canoe races. During my schooling years I actually represented Zimbabwe in hockey, squash, and athletics.
There is a growing consciousness in the world around us, made possible by access to vast amounts of online information, with people deeply engaged in following social movements, practices and issues that trend on social media. Events that happen elsewhere, if touching a social or political nerve, can have an impact on consumers who are, in reality, not materially affected by the event. This consciousness is changing the way consumers respond to brands, boycotting those which may not meet with their expectations. Relying on an existing brand loyalty today is no longer enough – consumers can quickly change if, for example, they find out that a product contains unhealthy additives or ingredients from scarce resources, hear that the company’s practices are not focusing on sustainability, and so on.
South Africans have always been brand conscious and brand loyal, and we are cautious spenders. Given our current economic challenges, spending is more considered. While South Africans are prepared to pay more for quality, the product must deliver on this. Like our overseas counterparts, South Africans require an authentic voice in marketing, from adverts to influencers. If this is missing, there can be mistrust or even dismissal of the product.
Shopping apps are also on the rise in South Africa. Research indicates that 35% of us have installed shopping apps on our phone. These apps are a mix of retailers and specific brands. Again like our international counterparts, we tend to research our products online before purchasing, searching for information and looking at videos as part of that search. This means that brands should be on top of their online presence, easily accessible and intuitive to what kinds of information the consumer is going to be looking for, and questions they are seeking answers to.
My bottom line is to always give it my best shot. To work on a problem as best I can. To try and avoid negativity. I keep motivated knowing that I need to earn the respect of my 12 year old twins by demonstrating a good worth ethic. And to show that work can be good fun. I have also learned to say NO which has taken many years.
In addition to the bursaries given via the conference, I sponsor a soup kitchen in Parktown North.
If they are marketers, I would suggest they try and get hold of my first book titled From Witblits to Vuvuzela’s: Marketing in New South Africa. If they are looking for some general ideas about life and business I recommend my new book: Hustling, Happiness and a Blow-Up Doll Named Percy. Using humorous stories of some of my real-life experiences – for example, why everyone needs a blow-up doll named ‘Percy’ – I demonstrate how to navigate this strange world so that you, too, can find your own brand of happiness.
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