The agency for a new world
Africa’s fortunes
favour the brave
The agency for a new world
Why leaders invest
in building the icons
of a new world
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 3
Who we are
We are game changers, disrupters, team players,
trusted partners, business innovators, progressive
thinkers and international professionals.
Brand Communications is a leading
independent agency that develops
communications for the icons of a
new world. We offer a brand-led, 360°
approach for clients all across Africa
and those entering the continent –
including strategy, design, advertising,
public relations, public affairs and
digital communications.
From a rich variety of African and
international backgrounds, we come
together to work in a collaborative way.
Across our team we speak English, French,
Afrikaans, Ibibio, Kikuyu, Bafang, Slovak,
German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Flemish,
Twi, Ewe, Ga, Fante, Hausa Lingala, Pedi,
Swahili, Tigrinya, Amharic, Wolof, Dioula
and Zulu.
We are at the forefront of dynamic
business developments on the continent
and, together with our clients, we aim to
positively impact the future growth of a
new world taking shape.
We are driven to help maximise the growth,
profitability and campaign outcomes our
clients seek to achieve.
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 4
Navigating
for success in
a new world
Developing the influence of leaders
and unlocking the potential of their
brands, to make both iconic.
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 5
New world
thinking
Employing the intellectual capital
of our teams to give leaders, brands
and campaigns more standout.
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 6
360°
approach
We use a brand-led 360°
communications, full-service
agency approach to implement
iconic branding consistently
across all touchpoints.
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 7
What we do
We are committed to developing the icons
of a New World and making them recognisable
on a regional, national and global stage. At the
same time we help international clients on their
journey in Africa.
Through our strong global partnerships
and local networks, we give our clients
greater access to promote and grow
their leadership and their brands on
both regional and world stages.
From idea creation to implementation,
our full service agency seamlessly joins
up a range of communication disciplines
to maximise investment and consistency
across all client stakeholders and markets.
Branding
& design
Iconic
brands
Public
relations
Internal
comms
Media
relations
Public
affairs
Advertising
Digital
Corporate
comms
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 8
Private Equity in Africa.
The frontier market opportunity.
Window to your world. African technology
takes on the world through interactivity.
Pan-African commitment localised.
Growing Africa’s insurance industry.
Transforming Industry.
Transforming Nigeria.
Growing cross-border.
Through reciprocal relationships.
Limitless. Not just a free trade zone,
a strategic intervention.
Transforming Africa.
One girl at a time.
Investing in infrastructure.
Delivering change.
Fuel the life you lead. Competition
through local content fuels aspirations.
The future is pan-African. The building
of a truly home-grown multinational brand.
The optimal link for building business in
Africa. A paradigm shift in venture capital.
Proven pioneer. How building markets
transforms lives in Africa.
Taking the UK Embassy
of Côte d’Ivoire online.
Petro Ivoire.
Moving Forward.
Mobile Technology.
Smart Africa.
The Wings of Morocco.
African, naturally.
Building prestige. Capturing the property
market in Ghana.
Power. People.
Progress.
Connecting Business.
Connecting Africa.
BUSINESS COUNCIL
FOR AFRICA
Urban energy and diversity
in Côte d’Ivoire.
A selection of our clients
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 10
Branding
and design
1. Align brands to
business strategy
Business Strategy
Brand promise
Differentiation / Positioning / Value propositions
2. Position: how to grow
the influence of clients
and their brands
Guide market sentiment
Guide client brand experience
Guide brand reputation with stakeholders
Guide brand reputation with stakeholders
Guide internal brand behaviours
Brand cut-through
3. Design: how to make
clients and their brands
cut-through and stand
out more than the
competition
Brand design
Visual identity and systems
Brand innovation and Digital design
Brand optimisation
4. Optimise the
brand through
consistent, brand-led,
360°communications
360° communications delivered via brand touch points
– growth via intangible brand value
Growing loyal relationships
Creating barriers
for competition
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 11
Advertising
We offer our clients a range of advertising
services, including design, creative
conceptualisation and full production.
We are media neutral and not driven by
media commissions. We only use those
mediums that we think will benefit the
brand and be effective touchpoints through
which to help realise the objectives of the
organisation.
We also work with media monitoring
agencies for those clients on retainer with
us, to help measure brand or product SOV
(Share of voice) in the markets, as well as
monitor actual implementation of materials
by media owners.
Television
Design and production of epic television commercials as well as motion graphic solutions, used
to drive awareness through heightened emotional and creative impact, across either cross border
satellite platforms or national terrestrial TV channels
Radio
Conceptualisation and production of radio commercials or content, for consistent brand presence
and awareness locally and across the continent, including broadcast on national and community
radio and the rise of specialist, market segment focused stations
Billboard
From large outdoor sites to smaller gantries and walk-by sites such as bus-stations and the like,
we use billboard to drive presence and talkability of brands and their products or services.
Print
We use print albeit in big newspapers, magazines or niche publications to drive relevant information
and brand recall.
Online and mobile
Increasingly, we use digital communications as the market matures. This includes traditional online
advertising campaigns where click-throughs and impressions can be instantly monitored. Mobile
broadband volumes are projected to increase by over 200% by 2020 and mobile advertising is
becoming a key part of campaigns.
User experience design
― UX is the process
of enhancing user
satisfaction by
improving the usability,
accessibility and
pleasure provided
in the interaction
between the user
and the product
User interface design
― User interface design
is complementary to
UX, the look-and-feel,
the presentation and
interactivity of
a product
Web development
― Developing websites
and other digital
interfaces for hosting
via intranet or internet.
Using coding skills that
involve WordPress,
HTML5/CSS3, PHP,
Jquery, SQL/MySQL,
Bootstrap/Skeleton,
foundation
― Types of services
include:
Web development,
Desktop web apps,
CMS development,
Intranet development,
Ecommerce
development,
Database integration,
CRM (Customer
relationship marketing),
SEP (Search Engine
Optimisation)
Video and
motion graphics
— Post production of
materials for Corporate
and Product Videos,
Demonstrations,
Explainers,
Infographics,
Title sequences, etc.
— Services include:
Storyboarding,
Conceptualisation,
video editing,
motion graphics,
animation
― (Motion graphics
encompass digitally
produced video footage
or animation, creating
the illusion of motion
– usually combined
with audio for use in
multimedia projects)
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 13
Digital
Our Digital design and Web development
offerings include the design and building
of code, from scratch, for websites, mobile
sites, CMS (Content Management Systems),
intranets, business tools and all things
interactive.
Under our Motion offering we also
create and develop video production,
animation, motion graphics and
editing. We plan, conceptualise,
produce and edit, using either
live-action video or motion graphics
to inform, educate, simplify and tell
brand stories on screen.
Digital
Digital design Web development Motion
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 15
We create effective and inspiring communications that deliver on business vision, engage stakeholders
and manage an organisation’s reputation internally and externally. We understand business and use the
full scope of Brand Communications to develop, communicate and manage a cohesive strategy across for
your organisation.
Our Corporate
communications
offering and approach
Corporate Communications
Engaging stakeholders Driving open communications
Regular and driven strategic communications, via internal
communications at business development moments and
milestone moments.
Inspiring and inclusive communications that motivate employees
around company aims and vision
Key messages Internal comms Day-to-day partners Influencer engagement Raising awareness
Simple, powerful
messages that are
delivered consistently
on all platforms
Profiling CEOs/ business
heads using multiple
corporate channels
Working in close
partnership with company
leaders, communications,
marketing and other
divisions
Comms with relevant
influencers: business
leaders, investors, other
key communities
Through Internal comms,
events, input on marketing
materials, branding,
campaigns, brand
revitalisation, etc.
Materials Digital strategies CSR Issues management
Crises prep
management
Develop and manage
multi-platform corporate
materials that reflect the
brand and ensure they
are being effectively used
across the organisation
Develop and oversee digital
content which reflects
company’s brand and
messaging and greater
engagement on intranet
Develop strategy around
branding, content delivery,
connecting with
right audiences
Ensure preparedness, including pre-crisis audit of risk
issues, scenario planning, readiness training, media
training, monitoring, spokesperson identification, logistics
preparation, situation set-up, social media engagement
and monitoring
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 16
Public
relations
We understand the power of story-telling
and have a proven track record of success.
We take simple and meaningful messages
to the right external audiences that deliver
a company’s vision and new business lines
so you are empowered to shape your
own narrative. Using the full scope of
Brand Communications, we ensure
a company’s message builds on its
reputation and in turn grows your impact,
strengthens your brand and improves
your competitive positioning.
Public relations
Work plan Creating meaningful PR
Develop and implement strategy, translating
corporate goals and key messages into plans that
integrate communications using multiple channels
Cultivate relationships with targeted external
audiences that make an impact
Public
relations
Executive
comms
Media
coverage
Media
relations
Materials
Identify
compelling
strategies and
stories that
reach the right
media and
other external
audiences
Speechwriting,
scripts,
talking points
and public
presentations
for events such
as media day
and industry
events
Manage
external media
coverage, source
and manage
interviews, to
generate positive
views about the
organisation
Cultivate,
manage
and drive
relationships with
key business and
trade reporters to
secure coverage
at the right, or
critical moments
Develop
media toolkits,
biographies,
talking points
and briefs
Media
coaching
Digital
strategies
Industry
organisations
Events
Issues/Crises
management
Deliver ongoing
targeted
and relevant
media and
presentation
training for
company
executives,
using live
scenarios that
match media
and industry
audiences
Develop
and oversee
digital content
which reflects
company’s
brand and
messaging
and greater
engagement
on social media
platforms
Work with
leadership
to co-ordinate
messaging and
engagement
with industry
organisations
Oversee
materials for
events, content
production
(multiple
channels) and
deliver company
messages,
manage
talking points
Anticipate
and identify
challenges
and emerging
issues. Build
processes for
leadership
to escalate
and calibrate
around crisis
comms, using
step-by-step
scenarios
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 18
Public
affairs
Influencing political and regulatory decisions
requires penetrating insights, compelling
language, powerful arguments and motivating
campaigns. By engaging politicians, the media
and the public, we can help clients shape,
create or adapt to their message and offering.
We provide clients with political intelligence
and the support they need to engage
stakeholders, manage their reputations,
and design and run impactful campaigns
to achieve their objectives.
Public affairs
Work plan Creating meaningful PR
Develop and implement strategy, translating
corporate goals and key messages into plans that
integrate communications using multiple channels
Cultivate relationships with targeted external
audiences that make an impact
Public
relations
Executive
comms
Media
coverage
Media
relations
Materials
Identify
compelling
strategies and
stories that
reach the right
media and
other external
audiences
Speechwriting,
scripts,
talking points
and public
presentations
for events such
as media day
and industry
events
Manage
external media
coverage, source
and manage
interviews, to
generate positive
views about the
organisation
Cultivate,
manage
and drive
relationships with
key business and
trade reporters to
secure coverage
at the right, or
critical moments
Develop
media toolkits,
biographies,
talking points
and briefs
Media
coaching
Digital
strategies
Industry
organisations
Events
Issues/Crises
management
Deliver ongoing
targeted
and relevant
media and
presentation
training for
company
executives,
using live
scenarios that
match media
and industry
audiences
Develop
and oversee
digital content
which reflects
company’s
brand and
messaging
and greater
engagement
on social media
platforms
Work with
leadership
to co-ordinate
messaging and
engagement
with industry
organisations
Oversee
materials for
events, content
production
(multiple
channels) and
deliver company
messages,
manage
talking points
Anticipate
and identify
challenges
and emerging
issues. Build
processes for
leadership
to escalate
and calibrate
around crisis
comms, using
step-by-step
scenarios
S U D A N
S O M A L I A
D J I B O U T I
E R I T R E A
E G Y P T
L I B Y A
A L G E R I A
T U N I S I A
M O R O C C O
W E S T E R N
S A H A R A
M A U R I T A N I A
M A D A G A S C A R
B O T S W A N A
S O U T H
A F R I C A
N A M I B I A
L E S O T H O
SWA ZIL AND
ETHIOPIAS I E R R A L E O N E
T H E G A M B I A
C A P E V E R D E
G U I N E A - B I S S A U
G H A N A
M A L I
C Ô T E
D ’ I V O I R E
B U R K I N A
F A S O
B E N I N
E Q U A T O R I A L G U I N E A
S Ã O T O M É P R Í N C I P E
C H A DS E N E G A L
N I G E R
N I G E R I A
G U I N E A
C E N T R A L A F R I C A N
R E P U B L I C
C A M E R O O N
G A B O N
C O N G O
D . R . C O N G O
K E N Y AU G A N D A
S O U T H
S U D A N
Z I M B A B W E
Z A M B I A
A N G O L A
T A N Z A N I A
B U R U N D I
R W A N D A
Agence dediée
Agence relais
Bamako – Cotonou – Dakar – Douala
Kinshasa – Libreville – Lomé – Nairobi
N’Djamena – Ouagadougou – Pointe Noir
Francophone media
buying footprint
extending into Africa
We offer Francophone clients
pan-African media expertise
across 14 countries
Our Francophone clients include:
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 20
Our
presence in
Côte d’Ivoire
Our hub for Francophone markets
Yvan Guehi leads our Abidjan office
which operates as a hub to cover the
Francophone West Africa territory, right
from building Brand, Public relations,
Public affairs and Advertising strategies
to implementing campaigns.
Anglophone media
buying footprint
extending into Africa
We offer Anglophone clients
pan-African media expertise
across 7 countries
Our Anglophone clients include:
S U D A N
S O M A L I A
D J I B O U T I
E R I T R E A
E G Y P T
L I B Y A
T U N I S I A
M A L I
C A P E V E R D E
S E N E G A L
G U I N E A - B I S S A U
C Ô T E
D ’ I V O I R E
B U R K I N A
F A S O
S I E R R A L E O N E
T H E G A M B I A
A L G E R I A
M O R O C C O
W E S T E R N
S A H A R A
M A U R I T A N I A
M A D A G A S C A R
B O T S W A N A
S O U T H
A F R I C A
N A M I B I A
L E S O T H O
SWA ZIL AND
ETHIOPIA
C E N T R A L A F R I C A N
R E P U B L I C
C H A D
C A M E R O O N
E Q U A T O R I A L G U I N E A
S Ã O T O M É P R Í N C I P E
G A B O N
C O N G O
N I G E R
B E N I N
N I G E R I A
G U I N E A
G H A N A
U G A N D A
S O U T H
S U D A N
R W A N D A
B U R U N D I
T A N Z A N I A
K E N Y A
Z I M B A B W E
Z A M B I A
D . R . C O N G O
A N G O L A
Ghana
Nigeria
Liberia
Sierra Leone
Gambia
Guinea
DR Congo
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 22
Our presence
in Ghana
Our hub for Anglophone markets
Brand Communications Group opened an
external branch in Accra-Ghana in 2010.
Starting with only one client, Ecobank Gh
Ltd, and with a skeletal staff of three,
Brand Communications Ghana has grown
into a full-service marketing communications
agency, led by Tina Boadi.
Nigerian clients include:
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 24
Our presence
in Nigeria
A growing presence in this key market
Brand Communications recognises the
pivotal role that Nigeria occupies on the
continent. As one of the emerging economies
of Africa, with the largest population and
a growing youth demographic, Nigeria
continues to represent enormous potential.
We are ideally positioned to help our clients
reach out to target audiences and
increase their market share.
1
2 3 4
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 25
Our global
presence
We are fiercely independent and help clients drive
the objectives of their brands, organisations and
initiatives using our global and local presence,
market knowledge and understanding.
Our offices
1 London – Global HQ
2 Abidjan – Francophone markets
3 Accra – Anglophone markets
4 Lagos – Nigerian market
Building
iconic
brands
Audit and analysis
Analysis/Brand objective
Landscape/Competitors/
Consumers/Research
Brand Narrative
Ideas/Identity/Design/Creative/
Brand platforms/Channels/
Campaigns
Create the narrative and design
– Narrative development
– Design development
– Creative campaign ideas
Define goals and objectives
– Understand trends and/or market forces
– Evaluate current perceptions and channel effectiveness
– Perform internal/external audit and gap analysis
Develop the
strategy and
positioning
– Validation
with audiences
– Internal
engagement
– Strategic
development
Execute and
implement
comms
– Public relations
– Corporate
communications
– Public affairs
– Advertising
– Social media
– Internal comms
– Events and
activations
– Media monitoring
– Brand evaluation
and management
Strategy
and
design
Values/
Essence/
Benefit/
Differentiation/
Motivation/
Personality
Brand
Comms
Brand comms/
Awareness/
Preference/
Reputation/
Measurement
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 26
Our model
4 steps to successful
brand-led, 360°communications
that optimise your brand.
4
1
2
3
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 27
The team
Terhas Berhe
Founder and Managing Director
Terhas Berhe is the founder and Managing
Director of Brand Communications.
Terhas has over 20 years’ experience in
brand development and public relations
management, working across Africa and in
Canada and the UK. She takes a pragmatic
approach to creating and managing
campaigns. Her hands-on management
style ensures that Brand Communications’
diverse and collective thinking leads to
a distinct customer experience for
every client.
Charles Walker
Strategy Director
Charles joined Brand Communications
in 2011 and leads on strategy for many
of the firm’s major clients. He was
previously the owner and CEO of Kemistry
Brand Consultancy in South Africa until
2009 where he worked on branding and
communications strategies for clients
including Barclays, Coca-Cola, Vodacom,
the South African Broadcast Corporation
and the city of Johannesburg.
Zarina Banu
Senior Director of Corporate
Communications Public Relations
Zarina joined Brand Communications
in 2016, where she leads the Corporate
Communications and PR team. She was
Senior Counsel at Ogilvy in Hong Kong,
where she was part of the team that won
the 2015 Holmes Report Asia Pacific
Consultancy of the Year. Zarina is a former
broadcast journalist. While at Al Jazeera
English, Zarina and her teams won the Royal
Television Society’s News Channel of the
Year for coverage of the 2011 Arab Spring.
Mark Sabah
Director of Public Affairs
Mark joined Brand Communications in
2016 after six years at Hermitage Capital
where he led on international government
relations for the global Magnitsky
campaign. Mark has over 16 years’
experience in public and political affairs in
London, Brussels and Hong Kong, where
he was a regional director for corporate
clients across the Asia-Pacific region.
Mark was brought up in Africa, having
lived in Mali, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and
Namibia before moving to the UK.
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 28
The team
Kam Devsi
Head of Brand Design
Kam joined Brand Communications in
2015. Kam has worked with numerous
global creative agencies including
Interbrand, Futurebrand and Siegel+Gale.
He has over 20 years’ experience in
corporate branding including identity and
branding development, developing and
directing unique corporate identities for
clients such as American Express and
Barclays. Kam has been awarded a DBA
award for Design Effectiveness, ‘Gold’ at
the Transform Awards in 2010 and 2011,
as well as ‘Silver’ at the New York Festival.
Damien Robins
Creative Director
Damien joined Brand Communications
in 2016 having worked with some of the
UK’s most highly regarded Integrated
agencies including Ogilvy Mather, Mother,
Fold 7 and Wieden+Kennedy. Over an 18
year career, Damien has worked with some
of the world’s most well-known brands to
create design-led campaigns, events and
branding. Damien was born in the Solomon
Islands and raised in Australia. He has
worked in Australia, the US, Argentina
and the UK.
Oliver Sarr
Head of Digital
Oliver was born in The Gambia. He joined
Brand Communications in 2008, having
previously worked at Gamesman where
he was a design engineer. After gaining
his Degree from Bradford University,
Oliver trained as an Industrial Designer
before making the switch to branding
and communications. Oliver now heads
the digital department that creates
Brand Communications’ digital offering
such as websites and animations. Oliver
leads a team of digital designers, developers,
motion designers and animators.
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 29
The team
Yvan Guehi
Country Manager, Côte d’Ivoire
Yvan, who was born in Côte d’Ivoire,
joined Brand Communications in 2009.
Yvan became Country Manager for clients
in Côte d’Ivoire, after being promoted
from Account Manager and Senior Account
Manager. In 2016, Yvan opened the
Brand Communications office in Abidjan
where he leads on long-term growth
strategy for clients in West Africa and
the Francophone region.
Tina Boadi
Country Manager, Ghana
Tina joined Brand Communications in
2010 as Client Services Director for the
Ghana Office. Now as Country Manager,
Tina draws on her vast experience
gained while working for clients such as
Unilever Ghana, the London Development
Agency (LDA) and the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF). Tina’s
specialities include strategy, branding,
advertising and event management.
Tina is a member of the Advertising
Association of Ghana.
Chimène Toko-Awambeng
Business Development Manager,
Francophone Africa
Chimène has an extensive background
in consultancy in Europe and Africa. This
includes four years of consultancy work in
Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo,
managing teams of 10 to 15 people on a
wide range of clients, focusing on emerging
markets. Chimène also spent six years
managing portfolios for insurance companies
in the commercial sector of France before
joining Brand Communications. Chimène
is a recent MBA graduate from Hult
International Business School.
Salihu Mahmud
Project Manager, Nigeria
Salihu joined Brand Communications in
2008. Salihu co-ordinates on client and
project management for all clients based
in Nigeria, including Ecobank. Salihu is
also skilled at corporate events, product
launches, branch openings and works with
other offices on pan-African co-ordination.
Salihu previously worked in Saudi Arabia
and London, specialising in graphic design
and digital strategy.
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 30
A summary of our services
Branding and Design
— Brand strategy
— Positioning
— Innovation
— Architecture
— Marketing planning
— Advertising strategy
— Brand definition
— Brand identity
— Creative brand platforms
for communications and/or
advertising campaigns
— Brand guidelines
Advertising
— Above-the-line campaigns
― Television
― Radio
― Print
― Billboards
― Online and social media advertising
— Below-the-line campaigns
― Direct marketing
― Activations
― Promotions
― Launches
Corporate comms
— Develop key messages
— Internal communications
— Building partnerships
— Engaging influencers
— Raising awareness
— Create materials
— Create and enhance
digital strategies
— Develop and execute
CSR plans
— Issues management
— Crisis preparation
and management
Digital
— Design and build websites
— Design and build mobile sites
— Design and develop Intranets
— Video production
— Animation
— Motion graphics
— Editing suites
— Live action videos
— Motion graphics
— Post production
Public relations
— Executive communications
— Media relations
— Create materials
— Media training
— Create and develop
digital strategies
— Event creation
and management
— Issues management
— Crisis preparation
and management
Public affairs
— Political engagement
— Government relations
— Stakeholder engagement
— Crisis management
— Campaign engagement
and promotion
— Regulatory engagement
— Speaker platforms
Africa’s fortunes favour the brave 31
Are you ready to access the power
and potential of Africa?
If you are looking to build excellent
communications strategies in Africa, develop
relationships across these exciting new markets
and tap into a consumer base that is growing at
an unprecedented rate, or if you are an African
company seeking entry to the UK, Europe or
the USA, Brand Communications can help.
Contact our offices in the heart of London or in Africa
to discuss how we can work together.
Website:
brandcommsgroup.com
Twitter:
Corporate communications and Public relations: @brandcomms
Public affairs: @brandcommsPA
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/brand-communications
YouTube:
Brand Communications
London
E: london@brandcommsgroup.com
T: +44 20 7638 6856
28-29 Threadneedle Street
London, EC2R 8AY
Abidjan
E: abidjan@brandcommsgroup.com
T: +225 20 30 59 27
Accra
E: accra@brandcommsgroup.com
T: +233 302 541 460
F: +233 206 392 894
No. 6C Oleander Street
East Legon, Accra
Lagos
E: lagos@brandcommsgroup.com
T: +234 802 798 1911