In an environment where boardroom banter is more boring than bold, and you’ve brainstormed over more bad cups of coffee than you care to remember, the novel approach embraced at That’s It Communications is a breath of fresh air.
Our agency’s ‘kitchen boardroom’ is a beautifully appointed open plan kitchen (complete with black Smeg fridge) and interactive space where staff cook pancakes for our clients, and good food and great cappuccino form an integral part of the creative process.
Owner Maryke Hough started the agency six years ago, and it is a point of pride with her that the first two staff members, art director Lulette Van Zyl and operations director Dru Mincher, are still with the agency, with the trio forming the foundation of the business.
Top: Maryke Hough, Lulette Van Zyl and Dru Mincher
That’s It Communications is a full service agency, with a special focus on digital and social media. “Eighty per cent of our clients are from the financial services sector, and we have extensive knowledge and experience in this market,” Maryke reports. “It’s a complex market, but we have managed to come up with a unique and creative way for our clients to communicate with their consumers,” she adds.
In the past six years, That’s It Communications has gone from strength to strength, doubling our turnover in the past year and increasing our staff complement by 50 per cent. There have also been some impressive client wins, including First Rand Bank, Sanlam, PLC, Nashua, Gold Fields, BetterBond and Medihelp. Furthermore, we have increased our scope of work we do for existing client, FNB.
“Our approach has been to break the mould set by more traditional agencies,” says Maryke, adding that That’s It has a unique structure which allows it to do so. “We do not have a traffic department, nor do we make use of account directors. This fluid structure allows us provide a better turnaround time at a more cost-effective rate to clients,” she explains.
For Maryke, understanding the digital space is of the utmost importance. “Monetising clients’ digital presence is what counts at the end of the day and, as an agency, we have to be able to show results,” she insists.
To this end, she took three months off in 2011 to attend courses on digital and social media at New York University, allowing That’s It Communications to move into the digital space with the relevant knowledge behind it.
Staff are provided with training on the medium to widen their skills sets and are also encouraged to learn additional disciplines. “For example, our designers are encouraged to gain experience working on the production side too,” says Maryke.
“Clients have certainly opened up to social media in a big way,” she continues. “As recently as a year ago, many clients were reluctant to use the medium, but today it’s the buzzword in every brief we receive. I think it’s because they have seen how successful social media campaigns can be.” In response, we have upskilled our digital competencies and have now included application development as part of the service offering.
And if all this is not reason enough for clients to make use of the services available at That’s It, Maryke maintains that the camaraderie and friendly spirit present amongst this young, dynamic team, as well as the exceptional pancakes and cappuccino, will seal the deal.
Indeed, Maryke has significant plans for the agency. Regardless of the fact that clients remain constrained by budget, we are determined to deliver a good product that is both easily measurable and falls within budget. “I am looking to grow this agency strategically to become one of the strongest in the country,” she concludes.
the team
