Pete Case has seen advertising change a lot. Here’s what hasn’t.

So, what has more than three decades of making work, building agencies and leading creative people taught Pete Case? Quite a lot, as it turns out. We spoke to Pete, CEO & Creative Chairman of Ogilvy South Africa, about why South African creatives travel so well, the ideas that still give him goosebumps, what great marketers get right, protecting humans in the age of AI, surviving an industry full of ‘Nos’, and why you’ll occasionally find one of South Africa’s most powerful advertising leaders in his garage fiddling with a petrol engine.

2026-08-14T13:58:18+02:00August 12th, 2026|Categories: Editorial|Tags: , |

Creative Circle’s Full Circle event is back

The Creative Circle Full Circle 2026, in partnership with Ster-Kinekor, hosts a selection of jury members, as they take the audience inside the jury rooms, through an inspiring showcase of the top trends, insights and award-winning work from Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Craft Award Results: June 2026

Three examples of South African craft rise to the top in this month's IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards. Congratulations to Paul Ward from Giant Films, Alex Smillie from Pressure Cooker Studios and Craig Moore from Robot, whose work impressed this month's judges. And a big thank you to Galaletsang Kgoathe, Creative Partner at Ogilvy South Africa, and Marc Algranti, Music Supervisor at Algranti Music, for giving up their eyeballs, ears and excellent judgement to crown this month's winners.

CANNES DAILY DIARY: Day 4 with Mariana O’Kelly

Former Ogilvy South Africa ECD and creative powerhouse Mariana O'Kelly is flying the South African flag on the global stage. Now based in Chicago, Mariana is the first Chief Creative Officer of DonerColle Partners, the alliance between Stagwell agencies Doner and Colle McVoy. If you've never had the pleasure of working with Mariana, this diary is a wonderful introduction to her brilliant, funny mind. South Africa misses you, ma se kind.

IDIDTHAT & ACA team up for the first-ever South African Creative Showcase

More than 200 people gathered for the first-ever South African Creative Showcase where 14 agencies and their clients presented the work they hope will make South Africa proud at Cannes Lions 2026. It was a rare and wonderful sight: competitors and clients all in one room, cheering each other's work on. A rare chance for the industry to come together and get behind Team South Africa.

Meet South Africa’s Cannes Lions Jury 2026

Being invited to judge at Cannes Lions is one of the highest honours in our industry. This year, 31 South Africans help shape the festival's most important conversations, serving on both shortlisting and awarding juries across categories ranging from Titanium and Glass to Film to Media, Design, PR and a Jury President in-between. Meet the marketers, strategists, filmmakers, designers and creative leaders representing South Africa on the global stage. Thank you legends for making us proud.

WISH I IDID THAT

We all know that feeling. A piece of work drops and your stomach sinks a little because… damn, you wish you’d did that. The idea, the craft, whatever it is, it gets under your skin in the best possible way. So instead of pretending creatives don’t get wildly jealous of good work, we decided to celebrate it. We asked some of South Africa’s top talent to look at the work released between September and December 2025 and pick the pieces they genuinely wish they’d done themselves.

South Africa wins big at One Show. Here’s the work.

South Africa came out punching at The One Show Awards 2026, with local agencies, production companies, creatives, marketers, and brands picking up Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Merit recognition across a wide spread of categories. Go team SA! Congratulations to all the South African Pencil and Merit winners. Here’s the work that brought it home.

IDIDTHAT to host Cannes Predictions Dinner 2026

On Tuesday 19 May, the IDIDTHAT Cannes Predictions Dinner returns, bigger than before, bringing together agencies, marketers, and production partners for the live reveal of South Africa’s Cannes Lions contenders for 2026, as predicted by our judges. Make sure you secure a table for your team.

IDIDTHAT announces South Africa’s 2026 Cannes Lions Predictions Judges

For years now, IDIDTHAT has brought together a select group of the industry’s sharpest minds to review the South African work entered into Cannes Lions and to call, ahead of the world, what they believe will rise on the global stage. Here's who's doing South Africa's predicting this year.

South Africa One Show 2026 Finalists

South Africa is showing up strong at the The One Show, leading the Middle East and Africa region with 48 finalists. From agencies to production and post, the work is cutting through for Team SA, and with every finalist guaranteed a Pencil or Merit, it’s already a big win.

South Africa’s Clio Awards Work & Winners 2026

‘Vaseline Verified’ campaign for Unilever racks up an impressive run of Golds and Silvers, ‘Mntana ka Gogo’ bags picks up Silver and Bronze, ‘Show Ghana Love’, ‘Zuzu the Crab’ and ‘The Philipstown WireCar Grand Prix’ bring in a few more bronzes. Have a look at all the work and who won what in our Clios 2026 showcase.

Craft Award Results: March 2026

The judges have spoken. Director Arthur Neumeier from Eyeforce tops this month's IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards, with the esteemed Sibs Zihle, Creative Director at Ogilvy South Africa and Bruno Bossi, Director at Carbon Films on the judging panel. Congratulations to Arthur!

[PODCAST] Bigger, Better, Awarded: How to build case studies that actually win. With Fran Luckin, Khensani Nobanda, Kabelo Moshapalo and Xolisa Dyeshana

When four South African respected jury presidents sit down together, you listen. Between them, they’ve presided over Cannes Lions, Loeries, Dubai Lynx, and the IAB Bookmark Awards - shaping what the world calls “award-winning work.” At this year’s IDIDTHAT HOUSE, inside the Nedbank Loft at Loeries Fringe 2025, this powerhouse panel brought together Fran Luckin (CCO, VML South Africa), Khensani Nobanda (Group Executive: Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Nedbank Group), Kabelo Moshapalo (CCO, Ogilvy), and Xolisa Dyeshana (CCO, Joe Public).

The Creative Process: How top ad minds come up with ideas.

Ranked the #1 Creative Director in Africa and the Middle East at The One Show 2024, Alex Goldberg is Creative Partner at Ogilvy Cape Town, overseeing Volkswagen, Audi, and Coronation. In this Q&A, he shares how ideas really happen inside the agency, what it takes to move a brand forward, and why trusting your gut (while pushing the craft) matters most. 

2025-09-16T14:56:18+02:00September 16th, 2025|Categories: Editorial, Ogilvy Editorial|Tags: , |

Craft Award Results: July 2025

This month’s IDIDTHAT.co Craft Awards were judged by two industry powerhouses who know a thing or two about craft, Mbeu 'Snooze' Kambuwa, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy South Africa and Grant De Sousa, Director at They. A huge round of applause to Bruno Bossi from Carbon Films and Marco Raposo de Barbosa for being recognised with Best in Craft. And of course, shoutout to the whole team that brought the KFC magic to life!

Cannes Lions 2025 wrap-up, the South African winners and the work

Yes, we know Cannes is over… but we’re not quite done talking about it. Here’s your full roundup of the week: the complete winners table, the work, and the companies that brought it home. You’ve inspired us all and reminded the world (and ourselves) what South Africans are capable of.

SOUTH AFRICA AT CANNES: Day 5 by Pete Case

As the curtains close on Cannes Lions 2025, Pete Case, CEO and Creative Chairman of Ogilvy South Africa, shares a final day full of reflection. From his time judging Creative Strategy to stepping on stage for Titanium, Pete wraps the week with insights on the power of creativity, a toast to South Africa’s wins, and a reminder that what we do, and who we do it with, really matters.

Marketer Spotlight: Behind the Craft with Bridget Harpur

Bridget Harpur, VW South Africa’s Head of Marketing, is all about telling beautifully crafted stories. Bridget proves what’s possible when marketers fight for the craft and that’s exactly why we need more of her. Case in point? The VW Tiguan ‘Life on the Mind’ commercial, which snagged Best in Craft for Direction and a Mention for VFX in IDIDTHAT’s monthly Craft Awards last year. Here’s 5-minutes with Bridget Harpur.

2025-03-13T10:20:02+02:00March 12th, 2025|Categories: Marketer Spotlight|Tags: , , |