After a nail-biting first season of The Next Brand Ambassador, Sharadel Reddy, Chase Geyer and Mpho Monareng beat out stiff competition to win themselves a once-in-a-lifetime career within the Capitec marketing team.
ALSO READ: The Next Brand Ambassador Grand Finale broadcasts this Thursday 7 November
The series has been a game-changer in the South African television space and has been hailed for not only giving challenges tasks which pushed them creatively and professionally, but for also giving viewers tools, tips and advice to adapt into their own lives and businesses.
Over the past 13 weeks, the reality series had South Africa’s top young aspiring marketers compete in tasks that tested both their strategic and creative skills. After each challenge, the contestants were judged on their performance by a panel of highly respected personalities in the digital marketing and media world, including brand guru, Sylvester Chauke, digital marketing leader, Odette van der Haar, and social media, fashion and entertainment icon, Nandi Madida.
During their final challenge, the five finalists were tasked with managing aspects of a Capitec Live Better Talk event which was held in Cape Town on 24 October. This included ensuring that the speakers as well as entertainers J’Something, YoungstaCPT and AKA were looked after, socialising with invited influencers, conducting social media interviews and proving that they can keep calm under pressure.
Finally, it was Sharadel Reddy, Chase Geyer and Mpho Monareng who proved that they have what it takes to step into the competitive marketing industry and were crowned the winners of the debut season of The Next Brand Ambassador. The trio’s tactical, creative and critical approach to problem solving and creativity saw them beat out fellow Top Five contestants Porschia Kim Pedro and Cebo Mpanza and will soon be stepping into their new roles within Capitec’s marketing team.
Naturally, winning the show is guaranteed to change the lives of the three contestants. Sharadel Reddy admits that the entire experience has shaped her into both a greater businesswoman and a more critical thinker. “Winning a competition of this magnitude feels surreal,” she says. “The whole experience was a perfect meeting between hard work and opportunity and I am so excited to engage, learn and evolve with Capitec. I have absorbed a plethora of knowledge with many lessons to be learnt – the most important being the ability to listen. If you do not have the ability to listen you have an inability to grow and if you have an inability to grow you hit a professional ceiling. The door opening culture that I promised throughout my time on the show has begun and I know it’s going to be great.”
Meanwhile, Chase Geyer says that being a contestant on the has been a life-changing experience for him. “I feel a great sense of honour and pride to have been selected as one of the three winners of The Next Brand Ambassador,” Chase says. “I have grown exponentially with my fellow contestants and through this experience I feel that I have become the best version of myself. The show has taught me the importance of teamwork, that every single person’s voice is important and that if individuals work as a unit and uplift one another then great things can be achieved.”
Mpho Monareng adds that the experience forced him to get out of his comfort zone and apply his skills differently in order to achieve the desired result. “My journey on The Next Brand Ambassador has been absolutely amazing. It has given me the confidence, drive and the opportunity to rebrand and rebuild and taught me the necessary skills to succeed in a high-paced marketing department,” Mpho says. “It feels absolutely amazing to have won the competition. Truthfully, this experience has taught me that winning isn’t everything – but wanting to win is. That’s the energy I am taking into this new experience and I can’t wait to grow even more in the months to come.”
SABC 3 Programming Manager, Hamilton Ngubo says “The winners showcased their creativity and resilience and proved they’re able to work under pressure and ‘own it’. We are incredibly proud of the overwhelming response from our viewers that have connected with the series that is both entertaining and gives insight to take into the workplace as well.”
Capitec Head of Brand Marketing, Sbusiso Kumalo, is gratified by how far the contestants have come during their time on the show. “The Next Brand Ambassador pushed each contestant to their limit and we’re incredibly proud to welcome Sharadel, Chase and Mpho to our team. They have proven that they can handle a fast-paced marketing environment and together we look forward to helping South Africans simplify their banking so that they can live better.”
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