Johanna McDowell | Bizcommunity

Johanna McDowell | Bizcommunity

News

In 2006 Johanna McDowell founded the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company. This year the company celebrates 20 years (Image supplied)

Marketing

20 years in, the business nobody believed in is still very much open for business

11 hours

Social and influencer marketing has become the fastest-growing sector of the global advertising industry (Source: @ The Alvin Report

Digital

Social-first: The future of brand building?

24 Mar 2026

Consumers don't have an ad problem: Great ideas haven't changed, the industry has

Marketing & Media

Consumers don't have an ad problem: Great ideas haven't changed, the industry has

23 Mar 2026

A roundtable of agency leaders and marketers discussed the evolution of the global agency model at the recent Scopen Africa Decade Awards (Image supplied)

Marketing & Media

The evolution of agencies from FTE* to...

11 Mar 2026

The inaugural Scopen Africa Decade Awards were announced at a special event held in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 24 February. Pictured: All the winners (image supplied)

Marketing & Media

A decade of consistency: Scopen Africa Decade Award recognise top leaders and agencies

Danette Breitenbach 25 Feb 2026

Juno tops 'client satisfaction' in Agency Scope

Media

Juno tops 'client satisfaction' in Agency Scope

Issued by Juno Media 13 Feb 2026

Agency Scope 2025 shows that reputation is now shaped as much by delivery and peer credibility as by visibility (Image source: © 123rf )

Marketing & Media

Agency Scope 2025 reveals top creative and media agencies

11 Feb 2026

The real work in a new client–agency relationship begins after the pitch, when the honeymoon period is over, (Image source: © 123rf )

Marketing & Media

New client–agency relationships: Closing the gap between pitch and partnership

29 Jan 2026

Scopen is celebrating a decade in South Africa with an invitation-only anniversary event in Johannesburg on 24 February 2026 (Image source: © 123rf )

Marketing & Media

A decade of Insight: Scopen marks 10 years in SA

28 Jan 2026

#BizTrends2026 | Scopen President, Cesar Vacchiano: Less is more

Marketing

#BizTrends2026 | Scopen President, Cesar Vacchiano: Less is more

Cesar Vacchiano 21 Jan 2026

The Agency Scope 2025 Survey shows an industry racing into AI while dreading the fallout (Image source: © 123rf )

Marketing & Media

EXCLUSIVE Agency Scope 2025 | What keeps marketers and agencies awake at night

21 Jan 2026

6 ways brands need to rethink marketing in 2026

Marketing

6 ways brands need to rethink marketing in 2026

21 Jan 2026

#BizTrends2026 | Publicis Groupe’s Jonty Fisher: A much more synthetic world

Advertising

#BizTrends2026 | Publicis Groupe’s Jonty Fisher: A much more synthetic world

Jonty Fisher 20 Jan 2026

#BizTrends2026 | Nahana CEO, Thabang Skwambane: Africa will ignite what is next

Marketing

#BizTrends2026 | Nahana CEO, Thabang Skwambane: Africa will ignite what is next

Thabang Skwambane 19 Jan 2026

#BizTrends2026 | IAS' Johanna McDowell: AI, creativity and media agencies

Marketing

#BizTrends2026 | IAS' Johanna McDowell: AI, creativity and media agencies

Johanna McDowell 19 Jan 2026

Scopen reveals South Africa's top campaigns and companies for 2025 (Image supplied)

Marketing

Scopen’s SA's top campaigns and companies 2025: Checkers dominates

4 Dec 2025

Scopen's South Africa’s Top 10 Most Admired Marketing Professionals for 2025 has been released (Image supplied)

Marketing

Scopen’s South Africa’s Top 10 Most Admired Marketing Professionals for 2025

2 Dec 2025

Ogilvy and SAB Carling Black Label 2023 winners of the IAS-sponsored FM AdFocus Partnership Award (Image: Source © AdFocus Awards )

Advertising

FM AdFocus Awards 2025: The power of partnership in a changing industry

21 Nov 2025

Ogilvy takes top honours at 2025 IAS Agency Credentials Award

Direct Marketing

Ogilvy takes top honours at 2025 IAS Agency Credentials Award

Issued by DMASA 18 Nov 2025

South Africa's Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) joined 34 global consultancies in closed-door sessions at AdForum 2025 in London (Source: © 123rf )

Marketing & Media

5 key trends from the AdForum Worldwide Summit 2025

11 Nov 2025

Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of IAS and partner for Scopen Africa, reports back from the AdForum Worldwide Summit. Social, she says, is rising in importance

Advertising

EXCLUSIVE: Wrap up of AdForum Worldwide Summit from Johanna McDowell

28 Oct 2025

Source: © Coolr Coolr, a social agency, is one of the agencies visited by the AdForum Worldwide Summit taking place in London

Advertising

EXCLUSIVE: AdForum Worldwide Summit Day 3 from Johanna McDowell

24 Oct 2025

Source: © WPP Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of IAS and partner for Scopen Africa, reports back on day 2 of the AdForum Worldwide Summit which included a visit to WPP.

Advertising

EXCLUSIVE: AdForum Worldwide Summit Day 2 from Johanna McDowell

23 Oct 2025

Source: © Which School Adviso Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of IAS and partner for Scopen Africa, reports back from the AdForum Worldwide Summit

Advertising

EXCLUSIVE: AdForum Worldwide Summit Day 1 from Johanna McDowell

22 Oct 2025

Source: © 123rf Choosing the right research partner is now as complex as selecting your creative agency says IAS

Marketing & Media

Why smart marketers treat research selection like an agency pitch

21 Oct 2025

Johanna McDowell, founder and CEO of IAS and partner for Scopen Africa, will be at the AdForum Worldwide Summit, which takes place next week in London.

Marketing & Media

IAS represents SA on global ad forum

15 Oct 2025

Source: © 123rf Forward-thinking CMOs are reshaping the way creative and media intersect as integrated briefs become standard practice

Marketing & Media

Building responsive systems: Integrating creative and media

14 Oct 2025

Marketing

In search of agencies at speed: The case for the fast track pitch

2 Oct 2025

Source: © 123rf One of three of Agency Scope's preliminary findings is AI. "Right now, AI feels like electricity in 1890. We know it will power everything, but most of us are still figuring out where to plug it in" - FMCG marketer

Marketing & Media

Agency Scope 2025's 3 preliminary findings: A glimpse into marketers’ changing expectations

15 Sep 2025

Meet the judges of the IAS Agency Credentials Award

Direct Marketing

Meet the judges of the IAS Agency Credentials Award

Issued by DMASA 1 Aug 2025

Source: © 123rf The year ahead brings a perfect storm of marketing pressures. Are your agency partners ready?

Marketing & Media

Preparing for 2026: Why the clock is already ticking for marketers

29 Jul 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Assurance Masterclass Series reveals that 70% of procurement professionals are
overwhelmed by marketing contracts, while agencies quietly exploit the gaps

Marketing & Media

Overwhelming marketing contracts, agencies quietly exploit the gaps

16 Jul 2025

From deck to DNA: Embedding culture in your credentials

Direct Marketing

From deck to DNA: Embedding culture in your credentials

Issued by DMASA 15 Jul 2025

Source: © 123rf For the first time in the decade-long history of Agency Scope in South Africa, participation is on track to surge to a record 710 interviews

Marketing

Marketers make their voices heard, as Agency Scope participation almost quadruples

8 Jul 2025

Win the room before you even walk in the door: Credentials and the sizzle reel

Direct Marketing

Win the room before you even walk in the door: Credentials and the sizzle reel

Issued by DMASA 24 Jun 2025

Source: © 123rf The most recent IAS Media Auditing Masterclass explored the often-overlooked parts of agency spend where bloated Scope of Work (SOW) estimates and unchecked costs run rife

Media

IAS Media Auditing Masterclass: If you’re not auditing, you’re bleeding

10 Jun 2025

Source: © 123rf Johanna McDowell, CEO of the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company, looks at the secret weapon to winning pitches

Advertising

What's your secret weapon in winning pitches?

29 May 2025

Your credentials are your greatest pitch – IAS backs first 10 agency submissions for 2025

Direct Marketing

Your credentials are your greatest pitch – IAS backs first 10 agency submissions for 2025

Issued by DMASA 8 May 2025

Volkswagen Group Africa continues their creative partnership with Ogilvy

Advertising

Volkswagen Group Africa continues their creative partnership with Ogilvy

Issued by Ogilvy South Africa 6 May 2025

Source: © 123rf The 2025 first half AdForum Summit will take place in New York between 12 and 16 May 2025 with one of the key meetings with the leadership of Omnicom Advertising Group

Marketing & Media

AdForum Summit includes key meeting with Omnicom Advertising Group leadership

6 May 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Assurance Masterclass series, in partnership with Media Marketing Compliance (MMC), continues its four-part masterclass series with a deep dive into programmatic media, exposing inefficiencies and shedding light on the challenges and solutions facing advertisers today

Marketing & Media

IAS Media Assurance Masterclass Series spotlights Programmatic Media

24 Apr 2025

Source: © 123rf Agency Scope South Africa 2025/26 is set to launch in May 2025, and has been expanded to include AI, influencer marketing and retail media as well as a wider industry scope

Marketing & Media

Agency Scope South Africa 2025/26 to launch in May, with expanded categories and reach

4 Apr 2025

Marketing & Media

10 Tips for building a strong partnership with your agency

Johanna McDowell 27 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf Scopen's research shows that the latest global trends signal a growing reliance on AI, a strong push toward integrated agency solutions and a strategic re-evaluation of in-house marketing structures

Marketing & Media

EXCLUSIVE: Scopen research - Be integrated, AI-powered and strategic, or be left behind

20 Mar 2025

Scopen has unveiled key trends from its first media agencies’ New Business Report in South Africa, which shows that South African media agencies participated in an average of 45 pitches last year (Image supplied)

Media

South African media agencies compete for new business in 45 pitches annually

14 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf Scopen unveils key trends from its first creative agencies’ New Business Report in South Africa, which shows that South African creative agencies participated in an average of 47 pitches last year

Marketing & Media

Exclusive: South African creative agencies compete for new business in 47 pitches a year

11 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Marketing Compliance Masterclass series, in partnership with Media Marketing Compliance (MMC), addressed one of the industry’s biggest concerns—non-disclosed media models

Marketing & Media

IAS Media Marketing Compliance Masterclass Series: Tackling non-disclosed media models head-on

11 Mar 2025

Source: © 123rf The IAS Media Auditing Masterclass Series, in partnership with Media Marketing Compliance (MMC), is a no-charge, short but highly informative four-part webinar series designed exclusively for marketers.

Education

Master media transparency: The IAS Media Auditing Masterclass Series

4 Feb 2025

Source: © 123rf Scopen South Africa has launched its New Business Report, a no-charge resource designed to enhance industry knowledge around new business activity in the advertising and communications sectors

Marketing

Scopen South Africa unveils creative and media agencies new business report

30 Jan 2025

Source: © 123rf Panoramic view of Santiago de Chile with the Andes mountain range in the back. Scopen's latest report analyses the new business practices of creative companies and advertisers' practices in Chile

Marketing

Scopen research finds Chilean creative companies invest an average of R500,000 per year in New Business

28 Jan 2025