Agency Talk: Webwiser's playbook for scaling a digital agency in Africa

Agency Talk is a tactical, quarterly discussion about running exceptional digital agencies, from Africa.

In this session, we had a chat with Michael van den Heerik, CEO of WebWiser — a leading ecommerce marketing agency in South Africa. He shared highlights of working with brands such as Under Armour, Heineken, and Birkenstock. He also shared several wins, including helping Crocs hit 70% of their annual target in one weekend, and driving The Black Insomnia Coffee to be the biggest-selling coffee brand on Amazon USA in 2019!

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Content timestamps
0:00 Welcome
0:35 Michael’s intro and how he ended up in Cape Town, South Africa
3:10 Origin story and the early days of WebWiser
7:36 Launch success stories featuring The Black Insomnia Coffee and other brands
11:30 How WebWiser helped Crocs achieve 70% annual target in one weekend
15:02 Why you should work with brands that let you bring your best to the table
19:23 Tips on how to tactfully manage or terminate a difficult client relationship
22:10 Why Michael is confident to ask for more money from his clients, if necessary
27:18 How WebWiser’s team of 40 works across multiple campaigns
35:32 Why you should have a global mindset as a digital agency
43:46 More on working with clients that enable your creativity and vision
48:53 Michael’s approach to pricing and pivot away from retainers
51:46 How to win global clients as an agency building from Africa
57:55 Conclusion