Specialised experiencePrint

Facts

Founded by media specialist Rob Smuts in May 1993

Trained by media gurus Noel Coburn of Caxton fame and the legendary Roger Garlick

Positions held by Rob Smuts prior to launching RMS Media:

  • NMB. Marketing services executive. Employed and trained by Noel Coburn
  • Partnership in Advertising (now Publicis). Media Planner: Plascon. Employed by FCB’s John Sinclair
  • BLGK. Media planner: Standard Bank/Nissan. Employed and trained by Roger Garlick
  • Lintas. Media group head: Unilever, KFC, Wesbank. Employed by John Turvey
  • Initiative Media. Media account director: KFC, Wesbank

The media environment in 1993 (when RMS Media was launched)

Dick Read’s Media Shop was gaining a strong reputation – Harry Herber was still to take over the reigns. The Media Business, SA’s first media independent, founded by Brian Gabriel, was still trading and staffed by young turks Virginia Hollis and Tony Banahan. Steve Topp’s recently launched New Wave Media had been awarded the IEC account and Lyndall Campher was running a sweat shop called Eurospace, pre OMD. The big creative agencies were busy hiving off their media departments as independents and media strategist Rob Smuts launched RMS Media.

Since then agencies have come and gone.

Fast forward

Only two independently launched media agencies remain from this beginning period: The MediaShop (TMS) and RMS Media. Others have evolved, re-grouped, merged and re-branded. But only TMS and RMS have stood the test of time.