Duke is less than three months old and had its first three clients on board before they had even launched their logo and secured offices: AFB, Warwick Wine and Silverline 360. Naidoo intends Duke to be a different kind of agency: the one that comes up with business solutions and product innovation, not just ad campaigns and brand relaunches. He believes his varied experience in the market positions him for exactly that challenge.
After spending 15 years of his career in advertising at Lowe, ending up as the CEO of Lowe & Partners; where he also served as chairman of the ACA (Association for Communication and Advertising) and sat on the board of the AAA School of Advertising, Naidoo made the leap just over two years ago into the financial services industry as chief marketing officer of AFB (African Finance Business), a retail credit and unsecured loan business operating in several African countries.
Naidoo describes his time there as a "crash course MBA into financial services and telecommunications". He retained them as a client when he decided to return to his "first love" in business: advertising.
"I'm an ad guy. I was talking to the biggest brands and retailers on the continent as the CMO of AFB and I realised that the clients have moved on in a big way, but globally, advertising has not. We are not talking the language of big business, of investment, of product innovation."
This is what he hopes positions his new agency, Duke, in a unique place in the industry. "We don't go in with an ad campaign, we go in with a programme. We talk to the CEOs... the Boards... The nature of the clients we are talking to is sizeable and clients will dictate the size of our business. I want the right clients on board who understand what we are trying to do. I'll stay independent as long as possible because that gives us flexibility."
Q: Why launch a new agency now?
A: It's always a good time to launch a new business - as long as you have a great team, a clear idea of what it is you want to achieve and people who are eager to work with you. Too many folk wait for 'planets' to align around them. My view is they just end up being eclipsed.
Q: Why the name Duke?
A: Named after my father's hero: John Wayne. First Indian to be named after a cowboy.
Q: What kind of agency do you hope to be?
A: Not a conventional one. Conventional agencies create expected work which delivers expected outcomes. Not breakthrough solutions. Our model aims to do this by working closely with the most senior client execs. We're already working with CEOs on real assets that build their businesses as well as our own. It's a potent creative partnership.
Q: What is at the top of your to do list?
A: To generate contagious energy that will allow us to attract the right people onto the bus. Both in terms of staff and clients.
Q: What is your creative focus right now?
A: Developing and sharing ideas with clients that build both our businesses.
Q: What is your main business challenge?
A: Quality and usefulness. If you do a great job and fulfil a real need, everything follows: the right people, the right projects, the right kind of success.
Q: Most important attribute needed to do your job?
A: Fearlessness.
Q: The biggest trend to note in the industry?
A: Everyone is opening or acquiring a digital capability hoping that this will solve their online requirements. The bigger challenge though is not in the channel being created, but in the meaningful dialogue that is required.
Q: What inspires you?
A: Hunger. Those that never give up and bounce back from setbacks.
Q: Your life philosophy?
A: Exercise body, mind and soul.
Q: Tell us something about yourself not generally known?
A: I came first in a Fairlady competition called 'Me and pet' with Scampy, my pavement special, when I was one.
Q: At the top of my 'bucket list' is..
A: To rollout an initiative whereby businesses or key executives get to "adopt a school" which supports three tangible pillars, i.e., security, play and sport.
