L to R: Tebogo Motsepe, Bridget Harpur, Star Kachisa and Grant Macpherson

[PODCAST] Client Hot Seat: How marketers really assess creative, briefs and production partners.

With Bridget Harpur, Grant Macpherson, Tebogo Motsepe and Star Kachisa

Ever wondered what really happens when your script lands in a marketer’s inbox? What makes them sit up, what makes them stall, and what sends your big idea straight to the bin? At this year’s IDIDTHAT HOUSE, inside the Nedbank Loft at Loeries Fringe 2025, we flipped the script and put the marketers in the hot seat. Moderated and joined by Tebogo Motsepe (Executive Head: Marketing Strategy, Nedbank), the panel pulled zero punches as Grant Macpherson (CMO, KFC South Africa), Bridget Harpur (Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Group Africa), and Star Kachisa (Head of Marketing, Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa) revealed how ideas really get judged behind closed doors.

From briefs to boards to the final call on production partners, these heavyweights unpacked what excites them, what kills an idea instantly, and what it actually takes to get a ‘yes’. Honest, practical, and surprisingly energising, this session cracked open the real decision-making playbook.

As Tebogo put it, “Our partnership with IDIDTHAT during Loeries Fringe this year to create the Nedbank Loft reflected the kind of industry we want to build, one grounded in collaboration, curiosity, and creative bravery. Seeing marketers, agencies, and production companies come together for open, honest conversations reminded me that progress happens when we listen to one another and challenge the way things have always been done. The panels led to moments of alignment that showed how, together, we can move South African creativity forward.”

So if you’ve ever wondered how to get your work through the gauntlet and into culture, this one’s for you.

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Photography by Alfonso Stoffels

Where creativity actually earns its keep

For these marketers, creativity isn’t decoration, it’s the business driver. “Creative is not an add-on, it is the lever,” said Grant. He pointed to the numbers: creatively awarded brands show higher profitability and stronger share price growth, while great creative can make a media plan almost 50% more effective. “On fast-scroll platforms, attention is the currency,” he added, “and creative is what buys it.”

Bridget agreed. “We are interrupting people. Be entertaining, informative, and high quality or be ignored.” For Star, creativity is Spotify’s identity. “If we champion creators, our brand work has to compete with them. That’s the standard.”

Tebogo tied it together. “At Nedbank, creativity isn’t just about great ads, it’s about unlocking growth and inspiring collaboration. When creativity and strategy align, that’s when brands start making a real impact.”

How marketers judge creative work

Each brand has its rhythm, but all four agreed that creative evaluation needs structure  or at least shared understanding. At KFC, Grant described a “creative scale” designed to align ambition, not ego. “It’s about speaking a common language with our partners and lifting the standard together.”

Spotify’s process is evolving. “Not every job needs to blow the lights out,” said Star. “But we must be honest about what each piece of work is trying to do.” Volkswagen thrives on instinct and trust. “We use gut, we sleep on it, then we commit,” said Bridget. “Ogilvy is an extension of the team.”

And at Nedbank, Tebogo explained, consistency is everything. “Our ‘greatness scale’ builds institutional memory. It ensures our creative standard outlives any single campaign or person.”

Protecting ideas from internal sanding

“Marketing owns marketing,” said Bridget. “We hear the feedback. Thank you. Goodbye.” She laughed, but meant it. “I’ll go to war for the idea if I believe in it.” Grant agreed. “We debate the degree of risk, mostly with legal, and then stand by the work.

You can’t create great campaigns by committee.” Tebogo added: “If the strategy is clear and the creative ladders up to it, it’s easier to defend. Collaboration upfront keeps the work intact later.”

Choosing directors and production partners

All four agreed: the best creative work happens when marketers, agencies, and directors trust one another. At Spotify, the agency curates three directors, and Star makes the final call. “Reel strength matters, but so does chemistry. I need a collaborator with a strong point of view who can land it without breaking the relationship.”

At Volkswagen, the “rule of three” is non-negotiable. “Car shoots are specialised, but budgets are changing,” said Bridget. “For instance for our latest shoot for Forever Golf, we needed a filmmaker rather than a commercials director. The right choice depends on the brief.”

Grant added that at KFC, relationships are everything. “Sometimes I’ll say, I want to work with this director. We talk fit and budget. Sometimes it’s a no, and that’s okay. Relationships matter.”

Tebogo closed the section: “The best work happens when everyone knows their role. Marketers must trust their agencies to recommend the right production partners and then empower them to deliver.”

The state of South African creativity

When the talk turned to the bigger picture, Star dropped a truth bomb. “I’m tired of seeing the same brands winning year after year. The work is great, but it’s always the same names. We need more brands in the mix, there’s so much brilliant marketing that never makes it to the awards stage. It gets boring when it’s predictable.”

She went further. “Some brands are doing incredible things but they’re not entering or they don’t know how to play the awards game. Creativity doesn’t end when the campaign goes live, it’s about how you show up, how you tell your story, and how you champion your work beyond business results.”

Bridget pointed to the talent drain as another challenge. “We’ve lost a lot of senior mentors. We need to teach young people more than just tools, they need intuition, risk-taking, and judgment.”

Grant added: “If brands truly believe in the power of creativity, their work will get here. But many don’t know how to tell their story through a case study, and that’s where so much great work falls flat.”

Tebogo wrapped it up. “When we gather like this, marketers, agencies, and production companies, it reminds us that the strength of South African creativity lies in collaboration. Our next step is making sure that collaboration translates into representation. The next wave of brands should see themselves on those stages too.”

The last word

Great clients steward, not censor. Great agencies partner, not pander. Great production choices are made in service of the idea. The work that wins is the work that solves the business problem, survives the building, and still feels human when it meets the world.

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