---
title: 'Senior Copywriter at Ogilvy Social.Lab South Africa'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-copywriter-ogilvy-social-lab-south-africa-cape-town-4a47sdwpde2w'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Senior Copywriter at Ogilvy Social.Lab South Africa

- **Company:** Ogilvy Social.Lab South Africa
- **Location:** Cape Town, South Africa / Johannesburg, South Africa
- **Posted:** 2025-09-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sociallabsa/jobs/4607890005

## Job description

Ogilvy Social Lab, part of WPP, is setting global benchmarks in digital marketing and is driven by offering our expertise to both local and international clients through a multi-market footprint.

We have enabled 'borderless ways of working', operating as connected teams and providing Creative, Content, Media and Intelligence capabilities to Ogilvy agencies and clients in more than 20 countries.

Join our globally connected team and work on challenging projects that transcend borders. Embrace a career that takes you to new horizons and make a global impact!

## About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit [WPP.com](http://wpp.com/).

We are looking for a Senior Copywriter

As a Senior Copywriter, you will play a key role in developing and executing creative concepts and copy for multiple brands. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including art directors, strategists, and account managers, to create compelling and engaging copy that aligns with the brand's tone and style. Your expertise in conceptualization and extensive experience in social first, will ensure the successful delivery of captivating campaigns that resonate with the target audience.

## Responsibilities

- Collaborate within a creative team to develop innovative and impactful concepts.
- Craft compelling and engaging copy for various platforms, including social media, websites, blogs, email marketing, digital advertising, radio and OOH.
- Ensure all copy aligns with the brand's voice and tone, while effectively communicating key messages and brand values.
- Collaborate closely with art directors and designers to ensure seamless integration of copy and visuals in the final campaign deliverables.
- Conduct thorough research on industry trends, consumer insights, and competitor analysis to inform and enhance your creative approach.
- Provide guidance and mentorship to junior copywriters, fostering a collaborative and creative work environment.
- Create presentations to present and articulate your ideas effectively to internal stakeholders and clients, incorporating feedback and making revisions as needed.
- Stay up-to-date with emerging trends, social media platforms, and industry best practices to continually improve your craft and contribute to the agency's growth.

## Qualifications and Experience

- Bachelor's degree in advertising, marketing, communications, or a related field.
- Proven experience as a Copywriter, with a focus on conceptualization
- Strong portfolio showcasing your expertise in idea conceptualization and your ability to create compelling and impactful copy across various platforms.
- Exceptional writing skills with a creative flair, able to craft persuasive and emotionally resonant copy.
- Ability to think conceptually and generate innovative ideas that push the boundaries of campaigns.
- Proficiency in English with excellent grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- Familiarity with SEO best practices and the ability to optimize copy for search engines.
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively present and explain your ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience writing for the broader South African Market
- Proven track record of working within a creative team

Experience mentoring and providing guidance to junior copywriters is a plus. Experience working in other markets in Africa is a plus. Languages other than English related to SA also a plus. Experience in Alcohol space is preferred.

Note: The job spec refers to a senior copywriter role with conceptual experience for a global alcohol brand, within C2 in Social Lab, part of Ogilvy South Africa.

## About you

- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills
- Highly organized in thought and action
- Strong time management and organizational abilities
- Demonstrated ability to manage large projects with multiple priorities
- Able to work well within a team

Offer

- Full-time job within a growing and trendsetting agency
- Global client portfolio
- Attractive package and benefits
- Continuous trainings. Career conversation and growing opportunities
- Flexible homeworking policy

## About Ogilvy Social.Lab South Africa

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Ogilvy Social.Lab South Africa is a digital marketing agency offering creative, media, intelligence, and content services to agencies and brands worldwide as part of the Ogilvy network.
- **Entity Type**: Private (unit of Ogilvy, which is part of publicly-listed WPP)
- **Headquarters**: Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (with additional office in Johannesburg)
- **Founded**: 2018
- **Founders**: Not publicly available (the South African unit is led by Managing Director Christophe Chantraine)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Advertising Services / Digital Marketing
- **Target customers**: B2B – agencies and brands (enterprise and SMB) across 91+ countries; serves both local and international clients
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “A story is only as good as the distribution system that can deliver it to the right audiences, at exactly the right time and in the right place.” – The agency calls this “Story Thinking” and “Smart System Distribution.”

## Products & Services
- **Digital Intelligence**: Competitive benchmarking, social listening, audience profiling, e‑commerce audit, search intent modelling
- **Digital Media**: Media planning, paid social, paid search, programmatic, display, Amazon advertising, e‑commerce, reporting and measurement
- **Creation**: Concept development, native digital content production, creative optimisation, graphic and motion design, community management
- **Digital Strategy**: Channel strategy, customer journey mapping, audience segmentation, cross‑channel integration, influencer strategy
- **SEO**: Keyword research, on‑page/off‑page SEO, local SEO, technical implementation

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (part of larger Ogilvy/WPP group)
- **Key Metric**: Total staff of 600 employees across 16 global locations; South African unit employs 51‑200 people. In 2020 the SA office reported a **300% increase in billings** and **tripled its team size**.
- **Notable clients**: Ikea, Philips, Nestlé, Huawei, Chanel, Vans, European Union
- **Growth Signals**: Rapid expansion since 2018; dedicated content hubs for clients in North America, UK, Europe, Asia and Africa; leading Social Commerce expertise inside WPP; launched a Graduate Training Programme in 2021.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Story Thinking + Smart System Distribution**: A differentiated methodology that pairs strong creative ideas with precise, cross‑channel distribution.
- **Cost‑efficient, scalable model**: Provides reliable, cost‑effective digital marketing solutions by leveraging a global talent pool and shared resources across 16 offices.
- **Global reach with local execution**: Ability to deploy content in 91+ countries while maintaining dedicated teams for regional clients.
- **Part of the Ogilvy/WPP ecosystem**: Access to world‑class tools, technologies, and methodologies from the largest advertising group globally.

## Strategic Focus
- **Social Commerce**: Leading WPP’s Social Commerce expertise, using social media to drive transactional relationships.
- **Borderless working**: Operating as connected teams across time zones to serve multinational clients seamlessly.
- **Talent development**: Expanding the Graduate Training Programme to recruit and upskill local talent in campaign management.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as a “modern creative agency in every sense with a culture of curiosity, exploration and growth.”
- **Work environment**: ‘Borderless ways of working’ – teams collaborate across continents, offering exposure to global projects.
- **Locations**: Offices in both Cape Town (Woodstock) and Johannesburg (Bryanston). Hybrid/remote policy not explicitly stated, but the “connected teams” model suggests flexibility.
- **Perks**: Graduate training programme; opportunity to work on high‑profile global brands; career growth in a fast‑scaling unit.
- **Engineering/analytics culture**: Strong emphasis on data‑driven marketing (Digital Intelligence, SEO, programmatic), with roles for analysts, researchers, and tool experts.

## Sources
1. [ogilvysociallab.co.za](https://ogilvysociallab.co.za/)
2. [job-boards.greenhouse.io/sociallabsa](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/sociallabsa)
3. [za.linkedin.com/showcase/social.lab-south-africa](https://za.linkedin.com/showcase/social.lab-south-africa/)
4. [ogilvy.co.za (Press Release - Dec 2020)](https://www.ogilvy.co.za/node/181)
5. [za.linkedin.com/company/ogilvy-south-africa](https://za.linkedin.com/company/ogilvy-south-africa)

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