Avish Gordhan and Mandie van der Merwe: TikTok and DEI Flip-Flops Reminder of Brands’ Power to “Shape the World”

We’re starting the year by asking CEOs, CMOs, and CCOs to reflect on their best and worst of 2024, and hopes and fears for 2025. Today: Saatchi & Saatchi’s co-CCOs Mandie van der Merwe and Avish Gordhan discuss the politically turbulent year ahead, their plans to skydive and run a marathon this year, and the changing media landscape. 

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Despite “economic pressures, shrinking budgets”, and a raft of other challenges that faced the industry last year, “2024 at Saatchi & Saatchi felt like the start of a feel-good story,” according to the Publicis agency’s chief creative officers, Avish Gordhan and Mandie van der Merwe. 

When they joined in late 2023, it was the first time in their careers that their mums recognised the name of the agency. While that was a highlight, it was the “treat” of working with Publicis Groupe AUNZ CCO Dave Bowman again, and finding “a kindred spirit in Pat Rowe”, Saatchis’ CEO, that took the cake professionally for the pair. 

“We were involved in a piece of work for Toyota HiLux. That reminded us why we love this industry,” they said of the 2024, ‘You Don’t Send a Ute to Do a HiLux Job’ campaign released for Toyota which saw the brand poke lighthearted fun at its competitors. 

Another highlight was a trip to see the Northern Lights. 

“Yes, it is as spectacular as the Instagram posts suggest. And, yes, we were very, very lucky. Many people stand in -25C without even a glimpse.” 

Mandie acknowledged 2025 will likely be politically turbulent, but she’s confident in the “big leaps in terms of creativity” that happen during tough or uncertain times. 

“People often turn to creativity to comment on the world and spark dialogue,” she said. She referenced Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’, a “bold response” to the climate of 2018. 

While she isn’t suggesting there should be a celebration of “tumultuous political reality”, she does believe there is a great opportunity to use “creativity to challenge, inspire and provide meaning.”  

Avish added, “Meta’s decision in the U.S. to drop fact-checking, the banning and unbanning of Tiktok, and the pushback against DEI business initiatives,” have all unsettled the media landscape.

Those developments serve as a reminder to him that decisions made by influential brands “shape not only the industry but also the world.” His concern is the effect such decisions will have on the work. 

“Who we speak to, how we speak to them, and the values our work reflects. Navigating these changes thoughtfully and finding ways to hold onto your own values amidst it all will be one of the most important things to pay attention to in 2025,” he said. 

On a personal level, Avish described himself as an “introvert by nature” and noted he loves finding ways to spend time alone. This year’s adventure will see him train for his first marathon for Australian Cancer Research. 

“Having lost my dad to cancer and seeing how it affects so many people around me, I hope to make a difference. I’m looking forward to spending many, many solitary hours training and nursing my knees. Please donate here if you can afford to.” he said. 

Mandie is also constantly looking for new ways to step even further out of her comfort zone. “That’s how I ended up scuba diving, despite being so claustrophobic,” she said. 

In 2025, Mandie will be “upping the ante” and jumping out of a plane. She expects this experience to be “equal parts terrifying and exhilarating” and is hoping the experience is also cathartic. 

“Worst case, I’ll scream my head off and have a great story to tell—assuming I don’t pass out from the sheer stress of it all.”