Joe Public Celebrates 25th birthday by Committing to Growth of Young Creative Talent

This month, Joe Public proudly celebrates 25 years of growth within the South African advertising industry.

To mark the occasion, the organisation – currently ranked the largest independent and locally owned communication group in our country – is making a commitment to the next generation of creative talent.

“We are celebrating this milestone by living our purpose of growth, which has remained at the core of everything we've done over the years. We are grateful to be in a position to commit 25 bursaries for the next 25 years to support the continued growth and transformation of our industry,” explains Pepe Marais, co-founder and group chief creative officer, who is also a firm believer that diversity is the cornerstone of creativity.

Joe Public launched in 1998 with a revolutionary Take-Away advertising model, which was then sold to an international holding company in 2001. The agency faced near bankruptcy in 2008 but gave everything except up and bought the business back in 2009. 

Since then, Joe Public has seen continued growth, becoming the largest black-owned independent agency in 2020, and also ranked as the number one creative agency in South Africa according to all global and local industry platforms, as of March 2023.

“We are excited to give young creatives from underprivileged backgrounds the opportunity to excel in our industry, in partnership with the Red & Yellow School of Advertising, by building a pipeline from grassroots into our business, as we strive to put our South Africa industry on the global map, by means of a diverse talent pool.”

"We’d like to thank our people and our clients, past and present, for their ongoing commitment and partnerships over the last 25 years. As we step into our next chapter, and plan for the next quarter century rather than merely the next financial quarter, we are fully committed to delivering on our purpose of growth, through
the power of creativity. This is why we believe in the importance of investing in the growth of young creative talent,” concludes Khuthala Gala Holten, co-managing director and shareholder.