X Repo star fronts Network X OOH's new brand campaign
Out-of-home media company Network X OOH has unveiled a new brand identity and market positioning as it looks to strengthen its presence across South Africa's premium, township, transit and digital advertising sectors.
South African television personality Xolani Maphanga stars in the ad. Source: YouTube.
The relaunch marks a new chapter for a business that has spent more than a decade building outdoor media networks where South Africans live, move, trade and connect. The refreshed brand reflects Network X OOH’s evolution from a restless start-up spirit into an ambitious, culturally connected challenger, with a national footprint across roadside billboards, township digital screens, transit environments and commuter routes.
Network X OOH was founded by serial entrepreneurs Dimitri Tsaperas, Nicolas Tsaperas, Amz Gomez and Grant Jansen, whose instinct for building, testing and moving quickly shaped the company from its earliest days. Rather than chase only prestige placements, the business focused on environments where daily South African life is most visible: taxi ranks, township main roads, CBD corridors, taverns, retail strips and transport routes.
That approach became the foundation of the company’s growth. With the addition of Jason Steyn as sales director, recognised for his sales leadership and market intuition, Network X OOH strengthened its relevance to brands seeking meaningful reach beyond conventional advertising environments.
“For us, this relaunch is not about changing who we are. It is about giving the market a clearer expression of what has always made Network X OOH different,” says Dimitri Tsaperas, co-founder of Network X OOH. “We have always believed that South Africa’s streets carry intelligence, culture, movement and opportunity. If brands want to understand where attention is really happening, they need to understand the places where people are gathering, travelling, buying, talking and living.”
Who stole my X?
The relaunch also includes a new brand campaign featuring Xolani Maphanga from the South African television show X Repo. Built on a local creative idea, the campaign sees Maphanga arrive under the impression that Network X OOH has “stolen” the X from X Repo. What begins as a humorous confrontation becomes a story about the role outdoor media plays in communities.
As the campaign unfolds, Xolani moves through Network X OOH environments and engages with commuters, businesses and residents who explain that billboards and digital screens can represent more than advertising space. Illuminated sites contribute to visibility at night, infrastructure supports local activity, and outdoor platforms become part of township and commuter life.
The campaign uses humour, familiarity and street-level storytelling to show that outdoor media is not passive infrastructure. In South Africa, it sits inside living environments, where culture, commerce and community intersect.
Right people, right context
Steyn says the refreshed positioning speaks to what clients need from out-of-home media. “Brands are under pressure to prove that their media choices are not only visible, but relevant,” says Steyn. “Our strength lies in understanding movement patterns, commuter behaviour and the commercial energy of township and urban environments. The opportunity is not just to place a message in front of people. It is to place it in the right context, where it feels part of the environment and has a better chance of being noticed and acted on.”
The new identity reflects Network X OOH’s entrepreneurial history, its understanding of kasi culture and its focus on building media environments that help brands connect with audiences where attention is immediate and influence is lived in public.
The relaunch forms part of a broader growth strategy that will include content initiatives and storytelling around township economies, commuter culture and the future of outdoor advertising in Africa.“Outdoor media has always been about more than panels and sites,” adds Steyn. “It is about presence, timing and understanding the flow of people. The brands that win are the ones that show up with relevance and consistency. That is the space Network X OOH is built for.”