SA digital marketing company to benefit from Twitter investment

Ad Dynamo, Africa’s largest digital media reseller, has strengthened its partnership with Twitter after the global digital force bought a minority stake in Aleph Group, a US-based digital media company and Ad Dynamo’s parent company.

The Cape Town-based digital marketing company that has been Twitter’s sales partner in Africa since 2013 believes Twitter’s new investment in parent company Aleph presents an opportunity to grow South Africa and the continent’s digital marketing industry.

“It’s going to accelerate the maturation of our industry [which] is not only about running ad campaigns, but also about the production of great creatives … There are so many opportunities out there that are not as big as they could be simply because there is a shortage of good talent,” CEO of Ad Dynamo Sean Riley tells Moneyweb.

“I think what will be great for South Africa is that Aleph is passionate about accelerating the growth of digital in emerging markets and improving skills is one of the big barriers to that,” he added.

According to Riley, even as a minority stake, Twitter’s investment into Aleph will still be significant given that Aleph is estimated to be valued in excess of $2 million.

Read/listen: How the markets are adjusting to the pandemic; and Twitter vs Google

Twitter will be the first Silicon Valley company to partner with Aleph, which is in a pursuit to upskill emerging economies by providing digital advertising education, training and certification to more than 50 000 professionals in 90 countries.

The partnership promises to create new digital jobs that will help underpin economic development in underserved markets.

“Having Twitter as a stakeholder in Aleph is a particular honour and a special recognition for us. This is a clear endorsement of our efforts in educating a new generation of digital professionals, equally everywhere around the globe,” Aleph CEO and founder Gastón Taratuta said in a statement.

“Access to quality education is key to personal success, yet some parts of the world keep being left behind. Our mission is to ensure that being a digital expert becomes a possibility for all and we are committed to making that happen,” Taratuta added.