Lucky Chery, a purpose-built agency team created by Lucky Hustle, has been appointed as lead agency for Chery South Africa following a competitive pitch process. The appointment will see Lucky Chery lead Chery’s strategy, creative, digital and digital buying as the automotive brand enters its next phase of growth in the South African market.
The win reflects Lucky Hustle’s belief that modern brands require more than a traditional agency structure. They require agile, senior-led, high-performance teams designed around the business problem, not the agency organogram.
The agency’s approach was led by Darren Morris, CEO of Lucky Hustle, who shaped a model that brought together the right combination of strategic, creative, digital and delivery capability for Chery. The dedicated Lucky Chery team will be led by Ryan Nofal as CEO, overseeing the account and ensuring the team delivers with the speed, sharpness and commercial focus required in one of South Africa’s most competitive categories.
For Morris, the appointment is an important validation of Lucky Hustle’s challenger-agency philosophy.’Brands are under pressure to move faster, think sharper and prove value more clearly,’ said Morris. ‘The answer is not always a bigger agency machine. Often, the answer is a more carefully assembled team with the right people around the table from day one. That is what we built for Chery, a team designed specifically for their ambition, their category and the pace at which they need to move.’
‘The Lucky Chery team stood out because they brought us a strategic approach and creative direction that was tailored for us. They built a team around our brand, our market and our ambition. That level of intent, combined with strong strategic and creative thinking, made them the right partner for Chery,’ said Nicole Steenkamp, Brand Manager, Chery South Africa.
Lucky Chery’s winning model was designed to give Chery access to senior thinking, faster decision-making and tighter integration across campaign development and execution.
Nofal said the account requires both category understanding and momentum. ‘Automotive is a category where consumers are buying confidence, identity, practicality, aspiration and trust,’ said Nofal. ‘Our job is to help Chery show up in a way that is distinctive, relevant and commercially meaningful. The team has been built to do exactly that.’
The Chery appointment comes as Lucky Hustle continues to build its reputation as a digital-first creative agency that believes in work that works. Morris said the future of agency-client partnerships will depend on the ability to build teams around brand needs rather than expecting brands to fit into fixed agency structures.
‘The best work happens when the team is built for the task,’ he said. ‘That means the right leadership, the right chemistry, the right skills and the right level of accountability. Chery needed a team that could move with them, challenge with them and grow with them. That is what we are here to deliver.’
LUCKY CHERY
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucky-chery
