Nandus du Plessis
Verified Expert in Marketing
Marketing Expert
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Toptal member since June 30, 2024
Nandus is a seasoned communications and strategy professional who excels in strategic and digital marketing. Dedicated to consumer-focused results and ROI enhancement, he's known for innovative, award-winning campaigns and advanced reporting tools. Nandus has mentored top marketing talent, blending classic and modern strategies and advocating for transformative practices and cutting-edge technologies.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Advertising
- Brand Building
- Brand Marketing
- Brand Strategy
- Digital Marketing
- Digital Marketing Strategy
- Marketing
- Strategy
Work Experience
Founder and Lead Consultant
Crazy Ginger Consulting
- Founded a strategic consultancy service, working with investment funds and international startups to establish brands from value proposition to brand proposition and data-driven brand identities.
- Initiated the Creativex.com company pivot to focus on executional quality, resulting in a $25 million capital raise and a $100 million valuation in 2023.
- Enabled Transunion to enter the marketing and advertising industries, establishing a strategic foundation for the new media business unit, including business processes, martech usage, and people structure.
Africa Zone Director
AB InBev
- Acted as connections director for the African zone, one of only three similar roles within the company in 2019.
- Handled two billion in spending across 13 countries and six disciplines, including media, sponsorship, digital, creativity, capability, and experiential.
- Established the company's first internal agency in Africa within five months.
Associate Director – Global Head of Content Excellence
AB InBev
- Designed and developed the company's consistent approach to systematically improve creative quality.
- Developed creative standards to improve content return on investment.
- Defined the company's approach to connection planning across 50 countries.
Head of Digital Content and Social Engagement
SABMiller
- Built digital capabilities across 200 brands in 60 different counties.
- Introduced a new way of planning and implementing digital content strategies in 28 countries.
- Acted as an internal consultant for marketing directors, assisting in changing digital content quality across channels and functions. This included advising on social listening, media, reporting, and team processes.
Digital Communications and Extra Cold Asset Brand Campaign Manager – Castle Lite
South African Breweries
- Developed a digital brand communications strategy for the 4th biggest beer brand in South Africa.
- Handled campaigns, promotions, app development, website development, mobile-driven campaigns, digital installations, and influencer management.
- Initiated a transferable content strategy and implemented a measurement approach to evaluate ROI on digital communications.
Assistant Brand Manager – Castle Lite
South African Breweries
- Managed line assets and merchandising, overseeing the biggest strategic priorities for South Africa's fastest-growing premium beer brand.
- Pioneered digital marketing for Castle Lite, making the brand the fastest-growing South African beer brand online.
- Designed promotional campaigns, including the most successful trade promotion for Castle Lite to date.
Account Manager
South African Breweries
- Managed off-premises sales accounts of £17.4 million in value.
- Handled trade brand management, product launches, sales collaterals, customer relationship management, activations, and promotions.
- Oversaw a team of three merchandisers and managed the sales team's budget.
Project History
Global Content Marketing Capability for SABMiller
Conceptualized, created, and implemented a global content marketing department and capability across 28 countries and over 300 brands.
The global content marketing capability was the most extensive program for SABMiller, the world’s second-biggest brewer. It was implemented over 12 months in 28 countries and reached over 770 participants, with an average satisfaction rating of 9.1/10. The program taught marketers, C-suite executives, and agency partners how to communicate across traditional and digital channels.
Extra Cold Mind Reader
https://www.lovethework.com/work-awards/entries/157601Created the world's first beer-pouring machine controlled by human brain waves.
The Extra Cold Mind Reader is an interface that operates on mind control and dispenses Extra Cold Castle Lite with the power of thought. The interface uses an EEG headset, which records brain waves along the scalp by measuring the brain’s spontaneous electrical activity over a short period. The device is set to detect conscious thought, emotion, and facial expression, allowing the user to control their experience. By measuring the user’s concentration levels, the system can trigger a draught pour: the more the user could focus on Extra Cold, the more draught was poured.
DraftLine, an Internal Digital Advertising Agency for AB InBev
Established AB InBev's first internal agency in Africa within five months and only the 4th internal agency globally.
DraftLine is an agile team of creatives and marketers dedicated to enabling AB InBev’s global transformation. The team uses data-driven creativity to build best-in-class digital and local campaign activations, trade and eCommerce programs, and promotional packaging and programming.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Commerce and Law
University of the Free State - Bloemfontein, South Africa
Certifications
Graphic Design Diploma
Vega School of Advertising
Digital Marketing Diploma
UK Insititute of Digital Marketing
Strategic Brand Marketing Diploma
AAA School of Advertising
Skills
Core
Marketing, Brand Marketing, Brand Strategy, Branding, Digital Marketing Strategy, TV Advertising, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Social Media Management, Social Media Content, Content Creation, Content Marketing Strategy, Copywriting, Go-to-market (GTM) Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media, Email Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Community Management, Growth Hacking, Marketing Leadership, Marketing Technology (MarTech), Digital Marketing, Sales, Content, Paid Advertising, Retail Marketing Campaigns, Social Media Strategy, AI Marketing, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)
Platforms & Tools
Content Marketing Platforms, Pardot, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Google Analytics, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Suite
Business Models
B2B
Other
Communication, Advertising, Radio Advertising, Training, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Content Management, Campaigns, Growth Strategy, Design Thinking, Workshops, Business Development, WordPress, Market Fit, Restaurants & Dining, Community Development, Community Growth, Social Media Engagement, Community Marketing, Data Analysis, Brand Design, Strategy, Digital Media, Retail Sales, Outdoor Advertising, Digital Strategy, Pitch Decks, Design, Content Writing, Google Docs, Law, Brand Identity, Brand Building, Graphic Design, Business Law, Arbitration, Retail Strategy, Retail & Wholesale, Digital PR, Paid Media, Media, Sponsorship, Consulting, Events, Commerce
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