Wetpaint Advertising: Dominating in the Design and Advertising Landscape Since 1997

A pioneer in the advertising landscape, Wetpaint Advertising started its remarkable journey in 1997 as a full-service advertising agency to serve businesses aspiring to build their brands and accomplish goals. This is a needs analysis and performance-based agency widely renowned for its meticulous strategic approach based on strong deliverables of KPIs and return on investment. This differentiates their service, as they focus on deliverables first and then work backward to what they need to do and create to achieve it.

Wetpaint is rapidly succeeding as a strong marketing partner that offers specialized solutions catered to the client’s specific requirements. Under the direction of Petra Mc Cardle, the driving force behind the brand, the company is expanding its footprint in the marketing sector with the help of its dedicated team, years of experience, and in-depth industry knowledge.

The Latest Tech Inclusion

The industry is dealing with an exponential increase in platforms and technological possibilities. Petra’s Tribe leverages collaborative problem-solving to identify potential blind spots and challenges their clients may encounter to combat this. They do this by “Yoda” moments and creating world-class strategies that make use of the latest AI tools to keep clients ahead of the curve.

A Distinctive Approach to Maintaining Resilience and Adaptability

With the entire tribe, the team continuously works on a growth mindset. Monthly team-building exercises to keep everyone learning, developing, and supporting one another when they stumble. In today’s environment of relentless pressure, limited time, and worldwide drama, organisations across all industries should strive to support the people (what we refer to as the tribe) in remembering why they do what they do, finding meaning in what they do, and aligning themselves to achieving it together. This way of thinking has become so ingrained in Wetpaint culture that it not only informs our values but also our daily ways of working. After all, they spend more time at work than at home!”

Overcoming the Hurdles Along the Way

Every brand has its share of success and hurdles, and Wetpaint is no exception. Historically, the ad industry has been a boys’ club, particularly in the 1990s and the early 2000s. To lead as women and have a diverse tribe comprising people of many racial, gender, and cultural backgrounds, the leader, Petra, had to maintain her position. Their recruitment policy is based on hiring tribe members who are first and foremost problem solvers but who also bring in their individuality and distinctiveness collectively. Petra believes that her entire team stood their ground and thought ahead of their time.

Another major issue the company and its founder faced was the huge expectations of clients in terms of marketing results with a small budget to invest. As Petra said, “It has been one of the biggest challenges for us to advise clients that you cannot expect a Ferrari on a Tata budget.”

Nurturing a Healthy and Positive Work Culture

The employees are considered integral to the company’s success and culture. At Wetpaint, they promote a proactive, outspoken culture. Because ideas are developed at all levels and are not merely pushed from the top, this results in ongoing innovation.

Further, the leading lady said, “Wetpaint ensures we as a tribe are constantly growing and learning; this stems from our values at the agency, which are:

“CO-ELEVATE: Our tribe empowers one another. THINK BIGGER: Our tribe lives locally and builds globally.

DO IT BETTER: Our tribe seeks #moonshot moments (for our clients and ourselves).

OWN IT: Our tribe acts like owners.”

Aiming for New Heights

COVID has taught the world that there are no borders for business. Petra and her tribe will continue to expand and develop the African Agenda for global clients and be the “go-to” experts for expanding business on their continent.

The team plans to keep expanding its AI technology because they are on an ambitious growth trajectory and are looking into a number of options for expansion. From a personal standpoint, Petra aspires to build the next generation of advertising industry leaders. She loves building people to be the best versions of themselves inside and outside of the boardroom, taking Wetpaint and the tribe on an upward trajectory toward world dominance.

The Idea and the Ideator

Petra Mc Cardle, the Founder and CEO of Wetpaint, is the brain behind Wetpaint’s phenomenal success. She was among the first women to own and operate an agency in South Africa when she founded it in 1997. After 26 years in business, Wetpaint is becoming known as an outstanding beacon of excellence with the power to dominate the local and international marketplace.

There is a core team of 20 employees, with extended members working on a project basis. Together with a global presence in the US, Europe, and the UAE, they are present in 14 African nations. “We believe the challenges of staying curious and helping brands excel in existing and emerging markets are what allowed us to have such staying power,” the trailblazer of a woman continued, adding, “Although the structural essence of our agency is ever-adapting, our core values have not changed since inception.”