New PE ad agency triumphs
A NEWLY established Port Elizabeth-based advertising agency has come out on top in a national awards event after being nominated by its very first client for a creative advertisement placed in newsprint.
The annual Tiso Blackstar Annual Recruitment Awards (AMARA) honour professionals in the recruitment and human resources industry who have excelled in transforming the South African economy.
Goodbye Boring Advertising’s creative director Gary Welsh, who has more than 12 years’ experience, said their aim was to challenge the norm by designing something bold and courageous.
“This was our first advertisement placed, it really stood out above the others because people tend to not make them sparkle and for it to stand out you really need to make it appeal to business.
“We were entered by Henley Business School, our client – we were short-listed in July last year and then we found out that we had won earlier this week,” he said.
No stranger to filling the cabinet with awards, internationally awarded Welsh parted ways with one of the Bay’s biggest advertising agencies to create a new model of agency.
“It is a great honour to have been up against the international agencies especially when you are starting out with a fresh enterprise and for being recognised for all the hard work and bravery.
“We hope this award will be the first of many and we hope a group of brave clients will be joining us going forward,” Welsh said.
The Richmond Hill-based agency is being run from Welsh’s home, which he says offers his team a “free-spirited working environment to ensure maximum creativity”.
“Goodbye Boring’s way of working allows those who now prefer to work from home – or wherever – who would otherwise be lost to the industry, to continue producing award-winning work for great brands.”
Henley Business School Africa dean and director Jonathan Foster-Pedley, who nominated the agency, said because of its fresh approach, he was excited to continue working with it.
“I thought they were very creative – normally you get the agencies in Johannesburg or Cape Town who get all the credit and you don’t often think Port Elizabeth could offer the same or better quality work.
“I am delighted that they have won and it was really well deserved,” he said.
Foster-Pedley said he wanted to continue working with the agency on other social development projects to benefit various communities.