New agency to connect SA's digital marketing firms with the world

Global businesses now have an avenue to access low-cost digital marketing consulting and services from South Africa, in the form of new startup Fierce. The venture has been launched by Dave Moffat, former CEO of global digital solutions agency Hellocomputer. 

Fierce will partner with South African firms that offer a variety of services in the digital marketing sphere, ranging from strategy and creative production to data analytics and development. Global brands that are seeking these services at a low cost can approach Fierce to be connected with this base of firms.

According to Moffat, who spoke to Ventureburn, clients will come from a variety of markets and backgrounds, including major brands, film production companies, gaming studios and other agencies. Moffat, meanwhile, will act as a consultant and project manage for these firms.

Fierce was launched in February this year, and Moffat has already been in touch with potential clients across the globe, and has identified six digital marketing agencies within South Africa that could join his base of service providers. According to him, these firms will be approached as partners and not acquisitions. 

“The approach will be partnerships and not outright acquisitions so founders remain incentivised. Fierce will be a source of revenue and management consultancy to these partners,” he said. Moffat is likely to have a wide base of agencies to choose from, given the rapid advancement of digital marketing in South Africa.

Marketing technology (MarTech) has come to be a buzzword in South Africa, with many businesses working on how to leverage comprehensive data analytics to deliver a superior customer experience. Digital marketing agency Hoorah Digital recently described the goal for these agencies to be hyper personalisation.

Major international firms such as Google and Boston Consulting Group have also come to be involved in South Africa’s digital marketing landscape, offering businesses a benchmark against which to weigh their digital progress. While all this bodes well for Fierce, Moffat admits to being significantly disrupted by the global Covid-19 crisis. “We are all hands on deck,” said Moffat.