Penquin Blog

Marketing in 2025 is going to be a wild ride. Your business needs an agency that canroll with the punches and craft strategies that deliver real...

The start of a new year isn’t just about dusting off your gym membership or starting that elusive hobby. It’s also the perfect time to hit the...

As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, one trend set to take centre stage in 2025 is Predictive Personalisation.

Penquin reflects on an extraordinary year filled with groundbreaking achievements, innovative campaigns, and major client wins. The agency has...

Penquin, continues its award-winning streak with a standout performance at the 2024 MMA Smarties Sub-Saharan Africa Awards, cementing its position as...

Don't panic about missed opportunities this holiday season! Discover how to prepare your festive marketing strategy for 2025, with insights on...

Penquin, one of South Africa's leading advertising agencies, has announced that it celebrated a remarkable year in 2023 marked by agile creativity,...

Discover how Penquin helped Villioti Fashion Institute achieve a 22% increase in student enrolments through a highly targeted paid social media...

Xbox's '24 Days of Christmas' campaign boosted holiday sales and brand awareness using programmatic buying and innovative multi-channel...

Local brand and communication agency Penquin has announced that it has secured a total of five accolades at the Scopen's 2023 / 2024 Agency Scope...

In the fast-paced landscape of marketing, one trend is poised to take centre stage in 2024 – inclusive marketing. As the world becomes more...

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, staying attuned to the preferences and behaviours of different demographic groups is crucial for...

Penquin celebrates an impressive milestone in 2023: 23 years of being at the forefront of the South African marketing landscape.

In a world where time is short and there are so many options available, it takes more than pricing for retailers to get ahead of the competition....

Most businesses are harnessing the power of social media nowadays, but what can you do to reach people who don’t care about social media?

Social media is undoubtedly a big contributor to big data, but what can marketers do with the information they get from social media platforms and...

There are many marketing agencies in South Africa. But, should you choose an integrated marketing agency or specialist agency to suit your overall...

We firmly believe that it’s only with a strong framework and a good strategy that you can make some amazing marketing. Here’s the low down on media...

A good marketer recognises that to continue to grow long term, a business needs to start building a brand. This is achieved through an integrated...

What is inbound marketing and what are the advantages of combining the inbound methodology with your digital and traditional marketing campaigns to...

Running a traditional marketing campaign is a lot of work, but nowadays companies have even more options to think about when it comes to digital...

Should you run a campaign to increase brand awareness, or should your marketing focus on the products you actually sell? We dig into the advantages...

Most businesses need creative marketing to get a message across to their target markets, but how can gamification assist in reaching more consumers...

How do you approach your marketing strategy – especially during tough economic times? Do you believe it’s best to have something always ticking away...

What are the benefits of outsourcing your marketing efforts? I’ve worked with Penquin for many years, but they pulled out all the stops when...

Need to improve your marketing ROI? Here are 5 quick win strategies marketers can use to ensure you deliver the best possible results without...

Move over Millennials, Generation Z is set to take over. The generation buzzword for the longest time has been the all-too-familiar ‘Millennial’ -...

Want to make your media efforts work for your brand during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond? Here’s what you need to do to get the most bang for your...

Choosing the best agency to help you with your marketing efforts can be difficult. And we’re proud you’ve taken this crucial step and are ready to...

Quick wins are great to boost morale but they can be a hindrance to your business growth - here’s how to tell when to strive for a quick win and...

Will an outsourced or in-sourced marketing solution help your business hit its targets? We examine the competency, capacity, and costs of these two...

From craft beer to beauty products, South Africa is home to many small artisanal businesses. Here’s a round up of some of our favourites - and why...

Media buyers, media planners, and media strategists are all equally valuable to marketing success. We firmly believe that it takes a strong...

Influencer marketing can extend your social reach (or laser-target your message), but only if the influencer you partner with is a good fit for your...

Fully independent, full-service marketing agencies in South Africa are few and far between. Our independence is the fuel that drives us to provide...

A vital task for any manager is to learn how to delegate and run an efficient team… but how to best do this tricky task?

Marketing has evolved significantly over the years and so have clients’ expectations of marketing agencies. Here are six main expectations that are...

Do you want to take a closer look at your marketing strategy but not sure where to start? How about nailing one of the keys to success - your brand...

Every winning integrated marketing strategy has to include the right elements of the marketing mix. To help you do this, you can use the four P’s and...

Briefing is an essential part of the relationship between client and agency. This handy article is written for clients to help guide the briefing...

Before asking for sponsorship fees from brands, media owners should consider the cost of the products being sponsored - this in itself is a form of...

A communication strategy is essential for a good marketing strategy - but it isn’t a marketing strategy itself. Our MD, Veronica Wainstein, explains...

Many companies are way too focused on themselves! I went to an INBOUND 18 session that focuses on businesses going back to solving for their customer.

Social media community managers deal with the worst! Here are some tips for you - the every day consumer - on how to message brands on their social...

Imagine if you could grade your client service team at your advertising agency, giving them a report card on their service. What would you score...

Our new look is s**t hot, there’s no denying it. Here’s what Penquin’s Panda has to say about his new crib, new website and re-ignited passion for...

The client service provided by your agency has some major advantages - are you using them to their full capacity?

What do hamburger menus, blue sky thinking and pilots have to do with marketing? We can’t blame you for thinking marketers are from Mars, that’s why...

Partnering with the right agency can deliver astounding results for your business. Here’s how you can tell if your current marketing strategy is...

Why does a tight brief play a crucial role in delivering exceptional creative? Follow the journey of a brief from concept to creation, and find out...

Nobody knows your business as intimately as you do, that’s what makes the onboarding process so important. Onboarding allows your marketing agency to...

If the thought of mingling with a room full of strangers sends shivers down your spine, you’re not alone. Here’s some advice from Penquin’s MD,...

How do you push your team to be more creative? It might sound counter-productive, but a good process could help! Pairing the word ‘process’ when...

It’s one thing when you have data to measure the success of your marketing strategy, but it’s often difficult to put a number to creative content....

Marketing integration is more important than ever, merging the physical and digital worlds to create a consistent, memorable brand image. Here’s...

Once known as the pound sign, the # is now the most popular method of categorising content on social media. Here’s how you can use hashtags to...

Embracing change can be scary but agility, in the form of small incremental changes, is the key to success. Here’s how you do it...We’re lucky enough...

Programmatic media is disrupting and restructuring traditional advertising. Here’s how you can amplify your brand’s message using these three...

Collaborating with a marketing agency can free you up to shine in your core role. Getting to grips with the complex and challenging world of...

These days, marketing budgets are tight and every cent spent needs to be accounted for. That makes calculating a correct ROI (return on investment)...

Here we look into the benefits of strategic brand partnerships (co-branding) and how they can be used to get maximum marketing campaign traction. ...

Image source: Galore Take a look at the rise of social media as mass media in society and how the Kardashians leveraged social media to build their...

Penquin’s MD, Veronica Wainstein, writes about her rise through the glass ceiling and the challenges other women face doing the same. I’ll be frank...

Finding the right candidate for your marketing department can be a long and tricky process. Here’s a few tips to help you weed out the talent from...

An integrated marketing strategy communicates your messages over different platforms in a carefully chosen, customer-facing way and cuts through the...

Use the 80/20 rule to win your customer’s trust and loyalty by adding value through useful and engaging content, instead of just punting products. ...

Take a trip into the mind of a procrastinator to understand what makes us put off preparing that presentation - at least until tomorrow. We’ve...

The challenge of aligning sales and marketing is tenfold when your marketing services are outsourced – even if the outsourced team is packed full of...

If you heard that print was dead, you heard wrong. Print ads are still the most trusted form of advertising, despite the popularity of digital media.

So, let me guess. Your marketing efforts started strong. You knew your funnels inside out and back to front; and they worked for you too. Calls to...

There is no doubt that an event planner’s job is probably one of the most exciting and the most stressful of all the vocations out there. No two ...

Brand awareness via social media platforms is of utmost importance, but everyone always wants to see results before they have a solid social media...

What is Inbound marketing, and how has the digital revolution given rise to marketing you’ll love? Inbound marketing was “born” in 2006, when...

If you’re new to PPC advertising and don’t know where to begin, bookmark this blog post. Approaching your first pay per click (PPC) campaign may...

Artificial intelligence is the next Industrial Revolution and it’s already making inroads in marketing. You probably don’t realise it, but you’re...

Each year we start off with bigger, better plans at making this the best year for our businesses’ marketing. But are we just doing more of the same...

South Africa is one of the fastest growing global markets and is growing quite rapidly in the digital space. According to the Social Media Landscape...

Marketing trends are constantly in flux, but some in-depth reporting gives us a look at what to expect going forward.

The success of a digital campaign can only truly be determined with real measurements in place. With the amount of data available on digital...

Advertising has the ability to shape perceptions, to make a difference and - yes - even to change the world! Advertisers are trying to sell a...

Social media and digital have completely taken over the way in which people consume media (and advertising). Because of this, advertisers have...

In 2015, the holiday season saw US consumers alone spending $56.42bn on e-commerce sites. Cyber Monday (the Monday following Black Friday) that year...

A lot of marketing is about the long game, but here are 5 easy actions you can take right now to make a difference to your marketing ROI.

Welcome to modern marketing: where content is quick, competitors are many and time is a commodity very few marketers have. In years gone by, ...

Do you know your way around marketing ling, or are you still wet behind the ears? Take our quiz to find out!

For years, women have struggled with juggling family responsibilities and high power jobs. But is having a family, taking care of household chores,...

What are Millennials? Put simply, it’s the group of people who were born between 1980 and 2000 and have somehow been lumped together into the...

Marketing your brand is about more than putting a price to your product; it’s about connecting with your audience and selling them on what your brand...

It’s important to plan, organise and manage your efforts when it comes to various projects. However, this can go wrong very quickly when not well...

If you’re finally clued up on Millennials, we’ve got news for you. There’s a new kid on the block: Generation Z, and they’re creating quite a stir. ...

Customer experience has changed considerably since the digital world has transformed the way we think, experience and make decisions. Gone are the...

Distribution is the key difference between a bestseller and dud, or a random pic becoming a meme. In inbound marketing, great content might be the...

Since the turn of the century, South Africa’s internet penetration has exploded from less than 10% of the population having access to the...

Business buy-in to brand promise: the key to making marketing effective. Regardless of differences of opinion about marketing, when a new strategy...

How different is inbound marketing from content marketing? Watch out – you’ve just walked into a hotly contested and highly controversial...

Is buyer persona just yet another buzzword in marketing? Not according to the statistics! In order to make informed decisions around your marketing...

Design is one of the key drivers for engagement in advertising, and getting it right for your target audience and buyer personas is crucial. What we...

A discussion on why the relationship has broken down, and how to fix it by focusing on what's important: your customers. Doing a search on sales /...

In marketing, strategy execution varies from business to business, with distribution of messaging changing as though strategy were a screenplay. Your...

Movies, TV series, books and theatre all have one thing in common: They tell stories. Whether abstract or direct, and whatever genre, people engage...

These days, it looks more and more likely that technology will take over the world, with the prominence of digital marketing and online buying habits...

Who are you in the biggest connected network known to man? Find out how social media has changed not only our personal lives, but the way we do...

For most people, getting a wad of spare cash before Christmas is a cause for celebration and excitement. For marketers, the buzz isn’t that...

Finding your target audience When you start your business or move into new territory with an existing business, your marketing strategy can be one...

You know that consumers are a key resource in successful marketing campaigns. Once you have secured their attention they can become the ultimate...

In the current digital environment, the process of advertising and closing sales has become far more consumer-centric, with personalisation becoming...

How a client-agency relationship can work for you Published originally in Entrepreneurmag, Jun 19, 2012. Revised September 2015. Relationships in...

Understanding the role of traditional media in a new marketing environment. We are often asked if traditional media is still relevant in this day...

The consumer journey has changed a great deal in the last 15 years with the advent of digital marketing and its large-scale adoption. The changes are...

All of the steps we take on our marketing and sales journey are geared toward ensuring that we engage with our consumers in a positive way, close...

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” Whatever you are, be a good one - Abraham Lincoln What is Word of Mouth? Word of mouth marketing is the...

Digital marketing is the fastest-growing medium in existence today. Its prevalence has considerably increased and changed each part of the consumer’s...