Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by TJ Njozela
Bizcommunity.com· 10h The age of adjustment 2 min read
Enable the use of cookies for making advertising more relevant and to support the sourcing of high-quality content on this site. If you don't allow this use, then ads shown to you may be less relevant. Third party analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our websites so we can make them better, and the third parties can develop and improve their products, which they may use on websites that are not owned or operated by Microsoft.
Jacaranda FM’s Breakfast and Drive Shows triumph with 3 wins at the 2025 Telkom Radio Awards
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries Jacaranda FM, South Africa's beloved multi-award-winning radio station, has once again proven its excellence in broadcasting by securing multiple accolades at the 2025 Telkom Radio Awards, held on 6 December at the Sandton Convention Centre. The station took home an impressive three awards, including wins for both its flagship Breakfast and Drive shows.
Brenda Khumalo joins the Grand Jury for Gerety Awards 2026 Original
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries The Gerety Awards has announced the 2026 Grand Jury as well as a new category called Moments Cut, which was created to honour campaigns that did not wait to ask for permission. South African advertising leader and founder of Lobengula Advertising, Brenda Khumalo is on the global Jury.
Checkers Hyper opens first Lego shop-in-shop in Paarl Original
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries The Shoprite Group is well on track to reach its goal of 223 openings for the 2026 fiscal year, having launched 143 new locations in South Africa between July and November 2025.
Bakwena announces holiday traffic plans: What drivers need to know Original
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries With festive travel picking up across South Africa, the Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire is advising motorists to plan as traffic volumes on the N1 and N4 are set to surge over the coming weeks.
Hot 102.7FM wins Station of the Year at the 2025 Telkom Radio Awards
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries Hot 102.7FM showed its muscle at the 2025 Telkom Radio Awards. Held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday, 6 December, the Awards honoured South Africa’s leading radio talent, and the station reaffirmed its position as the growing force in the industry with a standout win in the Hotly contended and highly prized ‘Commercial Station of the Year’ category.
Eskom enters agreement with Samancor and Glencore-Merafe Original
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries Eskom said South Africa is working on ways to support its ferrochrome industry, announcing agreements with Samancor Chrome and the Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture.
The age of adjustment Original
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries We often tell ourselves that we are living in an age of innovation, transformation, and progress. But if we are honest, most of us are just trying to adjust. Author: TJ Njozela, executive creative director at Dentsu Creative South Africa The systems around us evolve daily. Faster software, smarter tools, and new ways of working.
Scopen SA’s most admired creative and media agency professionals for 2025
2 days7 days30 daysBy Industry Show more Advertise your job vacancies Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries Scopen South Africa’s most admired creative and media agency professionals for 2025, based on spontaneous nominations from both marketers and agency peers, have been revealed.
The age of adjustment
We often tell ourselves that we are living in an age of innovation, transformation and progress. But if we are honest, most of us are just trying to adjust. The systems around us evolve daily. Faster software, smarter tools and new ways of working. The story we tell is one of the constant accelerations. But the quieter truth is that most of our energy goes into catching up. Not because we are unwilling, but because change happens faster than people can process.
Agency Life: Everybody’s favourite target audience
Agency Life – TJ Njozela Apr 1, 2019 by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) If you’ve ever wondered what it means to have diamonds crushed up in your face, you’re probably an older millennial. If you don’t even know the song that’s referenced, you’re probably a silent gen or baby boomer. If you’re thinking “I luh that song, no cap”, chances are you’re a gen Z. This whole generation shandies can be confusing, but it really helps brands talk to the right group to get them to cop their product (that means buy).
Agency Life: Stop pretending to know what digital is
Agency Life: Stop pretending to know what digital is by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Blah blah blah social media, blah blah influencers, blah blah blah blah blah banners. That’s how a typical conversation about digital advertising goes out here in these advertising streets. A whole lot of blah blah blah. It’s actually ironic how the majority of a supposedly forward-thinking industry still pretends to know how digital advertising works, when it really doesn’t.
Agency Life: Surviving Loeries 101 #Loeries2018
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) I don’t know about y’all but this year seems to have flown by quicker than drinks at an open bar. January was just yesterday, then one lumbar puncture and some schedule 5 meds later (it’s an inside joke), and now it’s The Loeries. And, if you know anything about Loeries, you know that it’s about three things: recognising the best work in the industry from across the continent, networking, and getting turnt.
Agency Life: How to survive the festive season
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Working in an ad agency means we don’t get some of the perks our friends and family get working in other industries. It’s been scientifically proven that we’re more likely to find a unicorn fawn in a mystical forest than get things such as bonuses and 13th cheques. Ok, maybe it’s not scientifically proven but, deep down, you know it’s true. So how in the world are we supposed to make it through one of the most-commercialised times of the year?
Agency Life: The black elephant in the room - part 3
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) In the second column in this trilogy on transformation in the ad industry, I addressed how the white peeps contribute to its stumbling along. We’ve still got a long way to go but at least you’ve got a starting point. My people, I’m just going to go straight into it. Sorry, not sorry. Yeah, I said it. And, no, it’s not coconut tendencies. But before you run to Black Twitter to have my black status revoked, let me explain. Say you want to go out for dinner.
Agency Life: The black elephant in the room - part 2
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Previously, we looked at why the elephant is in the room. Now, we’re going to talk about the challenges of having a pachyderm in an advertising boardroom. Eish, white people, this one is mostly about you people. Not in a bad way, but we need to have some real talk for you to understand some things. Here are a few. There are a few counter arguments that say that black economic empowerment (BEE) or transformation are just forms of reverse racism.
Agency Life: The black elephant in the room - part 1
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Yes, this is another article about transformation. No, it’s not a rant. Yes, it’s going to be controversial. Black people might find the awkwardness of ‘white people smiles’ in the office a lot more awkward, and white people might start wondering if young black creatives really are ‘gathering’ to talk about fashion and music, or if they’re plotting the next #ThingThatMustFall.
Agency Life: Not all clients are created equal
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Knowing the type of client you’re dealing with may make it easier to understand each other. Here are a few types of clients you’re likely to encounter and some tips on how to turn the pressure of real-life challenges into a fairytale ending. Agency life is fast-paced and highly creative, and collaboration is more often than not key to successful campaigns. This means that you have to deal with other people. All kinds of people.
Agency Life: How to intern like a boss
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Starting at an agency at the very bottom of the food chain may be daunting, especially when agency life is nothing like what you thought it would be. At least you were thinking. If you want to make it up the ranks, you’re going to have to do a lot more thinking to impress your seniors, their bosses, and the bosses’ bosses.
Agency Life: What it means to be creatives of the future
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) With all the new buzzwords, it may seem as if creatives have to make a dramatic change to stay relevant, but here are a few tips to help make the transition from old-school to a creative of the future. There was a time when creative roles were simple and straightforward. Copywriters were the wordsmiths, art directors were artwork and layout specialists, and designers were visual artists.
Agency Life: Self-discipline in creativity
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) In an industry where we constantly strive to break convention, be disruptive and find new insights to make brand relevant, it seems almost paradoxical that discipline should be a characteristic a creative individual should have. We mostly think of discipline as rules, structure and formalities, all of which are in contrast with the creative process, which involves intuition, innovation and imagination.
Agency Life: How to keep going when you’re burning out
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Working in an advertising agency may be a lot of fun, and the challenges you face may help you develop and advance in your career. Late nights and weekends spent at the office with colleagues, boxes of pizza and cappuccino after cappuccino while you work on a pitch or a huge campaign are inevitable. So are daily tiffs and squabbles. Coping with the everyday pressures of advertising isn’t too difficult with proper stress management.
Agency Life: The importance of accountability
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Accountability. It’s one of those words that you usually only hear when something’s gone wrong and someone needs to take the fall. Although it’s a word that rarely brings up positive sentiment, accountability is a crucial component to making sure that agencies get the job done — and done well. It’s also how you may grow and develop yourself, by adding value, and getting more responsibility for doing so.
Agency Life: Kick procrastination where it hurts
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) One resolution that makes it onto most peoples’ list, and inevitably becomes forgotten, is the resolution to procrastinate less. Yes, procrastination — that word that reminds you that you should be doing something that for some or other reason you just keep putting off and you don’t even know why.
Agency Life: Talent vs hard work
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Working in a creative industry isn’t always sunshine and roses. Not only do you have to be creative on demand, but there are time pressures brought on by tight deadlines. Sometimes, you may find yourself juggling more than one brief. So which of the two — talent or hard work — can help you get further? Although natural talent is something most people wish they had, hard work ultimately takes your career much further than talent alone can.
Agency Life: How to get along with Sue/Fez/Musa when you don’t…
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) There are many different personality types in an agency and, with such a wide range, clashes are inevitable. In a workplace where collaboration and teamwork are critical to creating amazing work, conflict between colleagues may make it difficult for the entire team. So, instead of name-calling or ghosting a coworker when you butt egos, here are three ways to resolve the tension like a grownup.
Agency Life: He said, she said, you said, they said
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) When working at an agency where storytelling is a big part of the job, sometimes you’ll find that the stories being told aren’t about the ads but the people who make them. Here are three tips to ensure that a little gossip doesn’t turn into a big deal, so you’ll be able to enjoy more laughs with everyone while avoiding getting caught up with ‘He said, she said’ conversations within an ad agency.
Motive: How do you quantify creativity anyway? [Part 2]
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) Advertising agencies offer clients creative output — whether it is a creative PR campaign, a new design for a logo, a 30-second TVC, or POS elements. So how do agencies charge a client? Most agencies charge for the particular skill set required to complete a project, ie copywriting, strategy, art direction, project management, production, etc. The cost varies from agency to agency, as well as the seniority of the people who will be working on a brief.
Motive: How do you quantify creativity anyway? [Part 1]
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) You’ve probably heard the old adage, “Time is money”. This couldn’t be truer than in the advertising industry, where agencies literally charge clients for the hours that any particular employee spends on a given project. This leads a lot of people to mistakenly think that advertising agencies sell time. The simple argument is that a fast-food outlet’s product is a burger because that’s what they sell to customers.
Motive: Take a break - time management in adland
by TJ Njozela (@tj_njozela) When you work in a creative industry, time management is a critical skill that you’ll need to master to ensure you do the best work you can, more efficiently than the other person. One of the most difficult concepts to get your head around is that, to contribute more at work, you should spend more time away from work.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with TJ
Contact TJ, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack