‘Imbongi’ is Xhosa for praise-singer. We thought this was an accurate description of what we do for our clients. No matter what it is – a new company or product; financial results; sponsorship; staff campaign; or other special event – our job is to make it something to shout about, and then, to do the shouting for you.

Imbongi Communications is one of the few empowered medium-sized consultancies in South Africa specialising in all aspects of communication - marketing; public relations; advertising; production; and promotion. During the past five years we have tackled projects or done work for the following companies either as Imbongi Communications or as BHA Communications as we were previously known: broll; Metropolitan; Propell Finance; AstraPak; John Berry Logistics; SA Rugby Referee; W.P. Rugby Referees; and the Woodstock Improvement District.

We offer the traditional PR service

Over the years, we have represented various clients and tackled numerous projects. Through this experience we have found our so-called niche, the things we feel we do best. These include:

MEDIA RELATIONS AND PUBLICITY
Taking your story to the people you think need to hear it through the appropriate media locally and nationally, be it newspapers, magazines, television or the web.

CORPORATE IMAGE AND IDENTITY
Helping you make your mark. This starts with your logo and basic corporate stationery and extends to compiling a detailed corporate identity manual and advising on how your image is consistently carried through in your advertising and other production elements like corporate brochure, clothing or video.

SOCIAL INVESTMENT
Finding meaningful community projects that are compatible with your company profile - causes that really make a difference to society in general and for you as well as for those you are helping.

RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
Conducting research and interpreting data to present a workable plan of the best route forward, whatever the problem or project.

FINANCIAL PUBLIC RELATIONS
Working with listed companies who are required by JSE-regulations to communicate regularly with their investors through public announcements, annual reports, analyst presentations, annual general meetings and ongoing comment or opinion.

EVENT MANAGEMENT
Adding that unique touch to any event. Taking the hassle of worrying about details like the venue, entertainment and pondering over the number of cases of wine to be ordered out of your hands so all you have to do is arrive on the day.

PLAIN BUSINESS WRITING
We have taken the bold step of becoming one of the first South African communications consultancy dedicated to PLAIN BUSINESS WRITING. Professional communication doesn’t need to be pompous communication. A more straightforward, ‘human’ style - such as in the average email - is the accepted way to communicate in business these days. Every piece of writing that leaves our office has been subjected to a Plain Business Writing check.

We are serious about empowering our staff

At Imbongi we see empowerment on a number of different levels.
The most widely reported is of course ownership and in this regard we come out tops. More than 66% of the shareholding of the company is in the hands of people from designated groups as defined by the Employment Equity Act.

But that’s only half the story. In our opinion empowerment needs to permeate the entire organisation. In fact, it has to become part of its ethos. We are proud of our track record of advancing people from disadvantaged backgrounds through practical experience, subsidised training and career guidance. People at all levels within our organisation benefit under our empowerment charter.

Imbongi strives to support emerging suppliers. Often fledgling entrepreneurs struggle to make inroads into big business, battling to deal with the often-encountered multi-layered bureaucracy prevalent in larger organisations. We actively seek out suppliers that have complementary skills and services so that we can work and grow together.

A lot is spoken about empowerment these days. At Imbongi we turn that into action.

We are not only talkers – WE ACT

At Imbongi we are proud of our service to the community. We currently actively support two initiatives designed to improve the lives of ordinary South Africans.

Sive Nathi
A home in Brackenfell for severely physically and mentally handicapped children.
It was started by modern-day Florence Nightingale Lorraine Joja and today is the only shelter for almost 60 children from disadvantaged communities. The organisation, which was first run from Lorraine’s small house in Khayelitsha, is one of only four in the Western Cape providing for this group of challenged individuals. Imbongi is active in helping with Sive Nathi’s communication requirements and will be assisting with the imminent launch of their website.

Oceana Power Boat Club (OPBC)
The small-craft slipway at Granger Bay in Cape Town
OPBC, home to a large number of recreational boaters and small-scale fishermen is threatened with closure to be replaced with upmarket residential apartments and a private beach. The loss of Cape Town’s only safe accessible slipway will wreak havoc through the City’s subsistence fishing community. Imbongi has played a leading role in communicating the slipway’s valuable role in Cape Town through the Save Our Slipway campaign. Our commitment to this project over the past two years resulted in the Imbongi team being awarded the club’s prestigious Service Award of the Year in November 2002.

Imbongi’s BEE credentials as at 26 January 2009

Annual turnover:
MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE AND EMPLOYMENT POLICY
Imbongi Communications has operated as an owner-run business since opening its doors in 1997. From the outset it was felt that the only way to go was to divide the ownership equally between the three founders. Each director is as key to the day-to-day running of the business as the other two; there are no free-riders and no overlaps in terms of who’s best suited to what task.

Gavin Schilder CM (33%) is an award-winning graphic designer responsible for the production side of the consultancy such as brochures, annual reports and various newsletters. As per the standard classification for BEE status, Gavin is a previously disadvantaged South African.

Bev Hawthorne WF (34%) is the writer who has, over the past three years, established herself as the Plain Business Writing guru. She also oversees the admin side of the business, a job she landed because she’s a level-headed, highly organised woman.

Cullum Johnston WM (33%) is in charge of client liaison and never tires of juggling the tough demands and even tougher deadlines put on him by clients, his team of account executives and a forever-changing whiteboard of projects and proposals.

For more information, contact Cullum Johnston on 021 671 9143 or cullum@imbongisa.com. Visit the website at www.imbongisa.com.