Senior thinking. Sharp turnaround. Zero fluff.
I’m a senior creative partner for marketers & agencies
I’m a senior creative and strategy partner who brings commercial and creative synergy through-the-line, without the weight of a full agency. I connect brand, performance and content into one clear direction, and when needed, assemble trusted specialists to deliver with speed and accountability.
A snapshot of work
Game of Thrones: ‘Join the Night’s Watch’
Season 8 was coming, and we had to get people to binge all 7 previous seasons before it landed. We drove a 281% increase in episode views, and elevated the Showmax app to trend at #1, surpassing targets and winning multiple awards.
Tali’s Joburg Diary: TikTok
Tali had moved to Joburg, and we needed to market her new season. The campaign had 32.5 million impressions, a CPI 54% higher than target, and won Promax Gold: Best TikTok campaign.
Investec: ‘More than data’
Investec is a highly personalised private bank, and we needed to bring this truth to life. Our commercial won Silver and Bronze Bookmark awards.
Sport has a new player
The launch of Showmax Pro in SA, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria.
We brought the legend Ali alive. Awards: Promax Africa Grand Prix, Ciclope Gold, Loerie craft.
Words from clients & colleagues
“Under Philippa’s guidance, our creative projects were not only groundbreaking but also directly contributed to tangible business successes. She is a strategic thinker with a profound understanding of business dynamics.”
- Karabo Makenna: Creative Director Showmax
“Philippa is by a rather wide margin one of the most strategic creative directors I have ever worked with. Philippa is masterful in her craft, strategic in her approach and obsessive about work that delivers against business objectives.”
-Nicola Van Ast: Founder & CMO Growthink
“I appreciate Philippa’s ability to zoom out and see the full picture — how each campaign or piece of content fits into a broader narrative — while also diving into the weeds to guarantee we delivered excellence.”
- Kourtney Simons: CMO Yoco Technologies
Coca-Cola, Drive Alive & Nestle
Drive Alive TVC. This is one of four commercials that won a One Show Merit, 4 Gold Vukas, and a campaign Silver Loerie.
Coke social campaign to reward and share happiness. The campaign broke all previous campaigns’ engagement records, and won a Gold Assegai and a Gold Sigi.
Nestle Maggi Senses web series about a Wok that’s lost its purpose. It drove major brand love, and won a Bronze Assegai.
You can run, but you can’t hide…
A chilling integrated campaign for a horror series. Awarded Promax integrated Grand Prix.
St Agnes: where the only saint is in the name.
The murder mystery ‘The Girl from St Agnes’ required a campaign as mysterious as its plot. We propelled the show to break viewership records, and won multiple awards.
‘No one tells a story like a local’
The Handmaid’s Tale
South Africa’s domestic violence statistics are some of the highest in the world. We repurposed the Season 3 trailers of Hulu’s Handmaid’s Tale to bring awareness to the state of women abuse in South Africa and provide an outlet for help. The work won a bronze Promax.
Some see conspiracy everywhere
To market the UFO series Project Blue Book, we created lo-fi stock footage YouTube pre-rolls that tactically alluded to conspiracy theories in a sequential targeting campaign. The strategy resulted in an 11.5% view-through rate increase. We also won a Bronze Loerie.
Here comes the pride
The Original reality series Somizi & Mohale: The Union documents the famous couple’s wedding journey. It was a landmark event in the LGBTQ+ community, and our campaign drove record-breaking viewership, a #1 organic Twitter trend and a 38% increase in Showmax’ Instagram following. We won 2 Promax Golds in Integrated and Social.
Our social media campaign drove the show to trend at #1 on Twitter, and increased Showmax’ Instagram following by 38%.
We edited footage from the reality series to provide a glimpse into Somizi and Mohale’s beautiful union.
Our Audi Xenon Plus print won a bronze campaign Loerie, and my Hotel De Ville copy was nominated for Loerie craft writing.
Print & copywriting craft
The reimagined Yoco App
Fintech company Yoco reimagined their app, and needed to encourage merchants to upgrade to the new version through a CRM campaign.
Yoco Counter
Introducing a sleek new counter-top point of sale, Yoco Counter.
The Wife Original Series
Succeeded subscription targets by 222%. Trended on Twitter every week for 14 weeks. The most-watched show on Showmax of all time. Here is the integrated campaign overview, and count down videos.
Showmax Original content key art
I creatively-led the concept, copy and execution on key art for local Showmax originals, and international adaptations.
Group of women dressed in glamorous, elaborate dresses, sitting on a white bench on a balcony with a scenic ocean view in the background, promoting the TV show 'The Real Housewives of Durban' Season 2 on Showmax.
Promotional poster for the TV show 'The Real Housewives of Durban,' Season 2, featuring a group of women dressed in elegant dresses, posing together in front of a light-colored background with large windows. The logo of the show and the network Showtime are also visible.
Promotional banner for the Showmax original series "Dam" featuring a woman partially submerged in water with a serious expression, and the "Dam" title reflected in the water.
Promotional poster for the series "Blood Psalms," showing six characters in traditional and fantasy costumes standing in front of an ancient, dark fortress under a stormy sky with lightning.
Six men gathered around a table in a parking garage, engaging in a lively conversation and sharing drinks. The scene is dark with vehicles in the background. Title text above them reads, 'The Wife, Season 2, A Showmax Original Telenovela.'
Key art for the original series The Wife. Campaign surpassed targets by 200%.
Promotional poster for season 2 of the TV show "The Wife" which surpassed targets
This was tactical outdoor, situated right next to Neighbour Good's market in Joburg
Key art promoting the original show tali's wedding diary