Boundless, a local independent advertising agency, is taking the fight to large international competitors that dominate the sector thanks to the growing corporate demand for smaller and agile teams that take on big projects. SA’s advertising industry, estimated to be worth about R120bn, is dominated by large international agencies with deep pockets. According to MarkLives Agency Revenue Rankings for 2025, the top five agencies operating in SA are Irish-US company Accenture, France’s Publicis Groupe, British firm WPP and US firms VML and Ogilvy.In SA, Zibusiso Mkhwanazi’s Avatar Agency Group is regarded as the biggest local player. Fran Luckin, recently appointed co-chief creative officer at Boundless, told Business Day the rise of independent agencies is one of the most exciting shifts happening in global advertising, and it is providing opportunity for smaller competitors.Luckin said the growing appeal of these creative businesses is being driven by corporate clients who value more direct, personal relationships with agency founders and the “energy and flexibility” that these smaller teams provide. Boundless, on track to make about R60m in 2026, is one of a handful of independent agencies that use small teams of experienced professionals to take on large projects that would normally be taken on by the large incumbents. ‘Less politics. More ideas’“Independent agencies tend to be closer to the work, closer to the culture and closer to the clients who actually want to make something interesting,” Luckin said. “Less politics. More ideas.”Advertising is part of South Africa’s broader cultural and creative economy, which contributes about 5.6% to GDP.According to CEO Paul Jackson, Boundless is a completely new entity. It did not evolve from Jackson’s previous agency, Grey Advertising Africa, which was sold to WPP and became the Grey office for 10 years. The agency handles a portfolio of brands spanning automotive, industrial, stationery, and beverages. Key clients include South African Breweries (SAB), Corona, Kilimanjaro Lager in Tanzania, BIC Stationary, the SPCA, Mazda and Telesure Group. The team consists of seasoned professionals with “deep multinational experience” from agencies like Grey, Ogilvy, and VML, Jackson said.“We move much quicker, and we use a lot of technology to do the drudgery work. So a team of 14 or 15 people here can do what an agency of 50 or 60 people do because of senior talent,” he said. Instead of wholly owning offices, the preferred model for Jackson is partnering with “top owner-managed, independent agencies” in local markets. These affiliates act as partners who understand the local culture, clients, and markets.Under that structure, Boundless acts as the core strategy and creative hub from South Africa, while the local affiliates or regional teams execute the campaigns. As such, the agency is able to service clients across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. It also handles work for large international firms such as Google and Diageo from South Africa, executing via on-the-ground teams in regions such as the UK and Ireland.As the sector undergoes rapid digital transformation, Luckin says digital is expected to account for 74% of total ad spend by 2029. She said shifts in where talent and creativity sit are increasingly shaping not just the industry, but the economy at large.