Strategy as the New Creative Frontier: Keke Mahlelebe on His Plans for Mother
For Keke, joining Mother Berlin as head of strategy wasn’t just about embracing a new role, but taking on a new challenge. The opportunity to step into a new city, be a part of an independent-thinking agency and push cultural boundaries resonated with his vision for the future of strategy.
Keke is set to redefine the role of strategy in advertising, viewing strategists as inherently creative thinkers who thrive at the intersection of experimentation and clarity. He champions curiosity and encourages his team to pursue their personal interests, understanding that these will provide unique perspectives and translate into offbeat and interesting creative references.
In conversation with LBB’s Olivia Atkins, Keke reflects on his career journey so far, shares his creative philosophy, and outlines his future plans for Mother Berlin’s creative strategy.
LBB> What drew you to the role of head of strategy at Mother Berlin?
Keke> Quite simply, it was one word — interesting. I mean, firstly, it’s Mother — a truly exceptional company that’s still fiercely not for sale, and making some of the world’s most interesting work since almost before I was born.
Moreover, it's in Berlin — a madly creative city with even madder economic firepower. A dreamy combo for a strategist like me who’s obsessed with the commercial impact of creativity. That’s pretty interesting.
Also — it’s quite an interesting time to be going from a big network to a nimble independent.
Then, there’s Alex, and Felix — lifelong best mates and CCOs at Mother Berlin and Mother London respectively. That's also rather interesting, as I’m fairly certain that nothing else quite like this exists.
And of course, there’s the other lovely and ridiculously talented people — all handpicked from around the world, that I get to work with every day. Each one of them is super interesting.
LBB> How did your previous experiences at TBWA and M&C Saatchi shape your approach to strategy and how will they inform your work at Mother Berlin?
Keke> At M&C, like an Olympic athlete, I practiced the relentless application of simplicity, a skill mastered by few and envied by many, and at TBWA, on adidas, it was about demonstrating it on the global stage.
At Mother, it will be about leveraging the power of simplicity to inspire creativity at the highest level. A far more fluid and intuitive relationship between the disciplines of strategy and creative.
LBB> You’ve worked locally, regionally and globally, with brands like adidas, Netflix, Nando's, and Heineken. How important do you see the role of strategy within the creative process?
Keke> Very. I imagine a world where no one bats an eyelid when a strategist pulls up to an edit suite, or writes a music brief, or comes up with an achingly simple territory that ends up being a line on a poster. Every part of the creative process can benefit from a level of laser-sharp precision, and some wicked lateral thinking.
LBB> You've lived and worked in Amsterdam, Cape Town, and now Berlin, how has your international experience influenced your strategic outlook? And what are you most looking forward to about working in Berlin specifically?
Keke> It’s given me a unique life experience and rich perspective to draw from as well as subvert — I can find an unusual solution to a problem, bring seemingly unlikely things together in surprising ways, and think more radically.
Berlin is already known for its radical and prolific creativity, and I am most excited about the challenge of making standout work in a place where it’s almost impossible to stand out.
LBB> Your strategic philosophy is made up of ‘radical simplicity’ and ‘precise yet off-centre thinking,' what does this mean in practice and how do you actively prioritise this?
Keke> I believe any argument, brief, or even email can be brutally reduced to a few words or crisp sentences, and no simpler.
But, as a strategist, it’s not enough to just distil, you’ve also got to provoke and inspire curiosity, while teetering at the edge of madness with great sophistication.
At Mother Berlin, we’ll stay true to this through bespoke tools and methodologies, while also letting a generous amount of randomness and mischief into the process. Like asking a lateral question to prompt a lateral answer, or designing frameworks that live on a single page or challenge you to get to one word, or briefing sessions that use no words — only pictures. These are a few of the things we’ll experiment with to make the best work we possibly can.
LBB> Speed and accuracy are critical in today’s fast-paced creative landscape. How do you balance quick decision making with deeper creative thinking?
Keke> Clearly defined and well-articulated ideas travel quickly — the murkier and more complicated they are, that’s when everything slows down.
I’d rather spend the time getting to the killer idea and ditch everything else that isn’t, because when we get into execution and craft, the work will naturally move at pace because of the clarity we had upfront.
You don’t always have the luxury of choosing when to balance what during the chaos, but even in the most critical moments, somehow a great idea always seems to solve everything.
LBB> Mother Berlin prides itself on being culturally and creatively impactful. How will your strategic approach align with and enhance Mother’s creative ethos?
Keke> Speaking of speed, nothing moves faster than culture, and to truly be impactful, you need to behave and communicate credibly and definitively.
Having spent most of my life not only building brands that create and shape culture, but also actively contributing to culture through my own personal creative outlets and ventures — from wine, to music, to fashion, and design — I've paired all of the aforementioned things into weird and wonderful experiences and products. This will enable me to draw from this wealth of lived and learned experience and apply it convincingly to the work that we make at Mother Berlin.
LBB> As 2025 begins, what are your immediate priorities as you step into this new role? What long-term impact do you hope to achieve at Mother Berlin?
Keke> To go out and scour the earth for relentlessly-precise and slightly off-centre thinkers who’d like to join my team.
To raise the already very high bar of creativity in the capital, and build a brilliantly-resilient business together with the leadership team in Berlin.
For Mother Berlin to be the most interesting office in the world and place where you go to make the best work of your life.
