Left to Right – Jacques du Preez, CEO; Mzi Deliwe, Deputy CEO; Tshego Sefolo, Provantage Board Chair
2023 heralds the 20th anniversary of the group. And the last two decades have seen Provantage establishing a group of scale. 2022 was the group’s most successful year to date, and this entrepreneurially focused business has comfortably evolved into a R1bn multinational operation. Transformation is key to the Provantage agenda, and the company is not only a proudly Level 1 BBBEE contributor but also 52% Black-owned and 39% Black-female-owned.
Provantage is a proudly South African company that actively provides services to advertisers and brands throughout Africa and beyond. The company operates in nine countries across the African continent, encompassing 11 standalone businesses – and growing.
Today, Provantage is one of Africa's largest and most innovative end-to-end media and marketing solutions businesses, extended over key consumer touchpoints in various environments and audience segments.
These businesses include dedicated divisions – among others, brand activation, field sales and marketing, transit media, billboards, street furniture, golf course media, airport advertising, point of sale design and manufacturing, and mall media – with an extensive basket of full-service marketing capabilities rounding off Provantage’s best-in-class offering.
Other areas of expansion on the Provantage agenda are sports media and sponsorship and schools media. In-store and trade-related media are also key focus areas for expansion in the immediate future.
Provantage currently provides employment for over 5500 people in nine countries, empowering independent contractors, other external partners, and its full-time staff. Jacques du Preez, Provantage CEO, attributes the business’s success to several discerning factors:
“Despite our consistent growth, we have always remained agile. We are a big business that is not bound by big business conventions. That enables us to act fast and be proactive, rather than reactive in various market segments,” says du Preez.
He adds, “At the centre of our ethos is an entrepreneurial spirit. We stand by our values. We are committed to being focused and accountable, open and honest. We put our people first and welcome progress and innovation. We harness our collective knowledge and partnerships to deliver innovative, customer-centric, fit-for-purpose solutions every time.”
With the evolution of Provantage’s business portfolio and widening product offering, the company is transforming the sectors where it operates. Provantage Chairman Tshego Sefolo elaborates on the thinking behind the transformation: “We have established a formidable presence as an Out of Home media specialist. We are harnessing that footprint to expand our market offerings geographically while we continue to provide best-in-class media and marketing services to our clients. An important part of our growth strategy is focused on vertical integration, to streamline operations internally.
“Through our collective knowledge and partnerships, we are evolving and transforming the sectors where we operate from one-dimensional to multi-dimensional – that in a sense – is disrupting the media and marketing services segments and unlocking true value and ROI for our clients. This approach has naturally led the way for us moving away from a traditional procurement structure and entering collaborative strategic partnerships with external stakeholders.”
Provantage has a history of leadership based on its utilisation of consumer insights and dedication to giving clients relevant and effective marketing and advertising options within the Out of Home realm. This measured approach will extend to Provantage’s marketing services offerings, providing the Group’s new and current clients with the same peace of mind that every campaign is targeted and impactful.
“We have remained successful by investing in personnel, products and research that have entrenched deep specialisation in every segment that we enter – without any business unit taking precedence over another,” says Mzi Deliwe, Provantage Deputy CEO.
He adds, “This structure is a critical part of our DNA. And it will continue to add value for every customer in every segment of our business. Going forward, we will enhance and reinforce our strategic relationships and partnerships, building on the spirit of cooperation we have cultivated over time.”
Provantage’s reach enables clients and brands to connect with millions of consumers. Their scale extends to 16 million commuters, over 22 million shoppers and as many as three million monthly airport travellers with informal and formal trade access points inclusive of 45 000 trade outlets. This footprint continues to expand, and one of the company’s primary focus points is to digitise current assets wherever digital transformation is appropriate.
With its track record of success as leverage, Provantage is by no means a “new kid on the block”. As a full-service Marketing and Out of Home Media Group, the company has consistently proved its leadership, bringing innovation and class-leading marketing and media solutions to brands throughout Africa.
To learn more about Provantage’s full-service marketing and Out of Home services, visit https://provantage.co.za/
