# ThinkStory

> ThinkStory is a down-to-earth creative agency in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since 2014 we have helped businesses of all sizes grow by making them easy to understand and hard to ignore, through brand strategy, brand messaging, custom web design and development, video production, content creation, and social media and digital marketing that all work together.

ThinkStory believes good business is done with honesty and integrity. We listen before we recommend, we are upfront about costs, and we tell clients when they do not need something, even if it means less work for us. All work is built to serve a clear business goal, not to win awards.

## Key facts

- **Name:** ThinkStory (ThinkStory Creative Agency)
- **What we are:** A full-service creative and marketing agency
- **Founded:** 2014
- **Headquarters:** WeWork, 173 Oxford Road, Rosebank, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2196, South Africa
- **Also operating in:** Cape Town, with a global network of specialist creatives
- **Service area:** South Africa (and international clients)
- **Email:** hello@thinkstory.co.za
- **Phone:** +27 (10) 500-7684
- **Website:** https://thinkstory.co.za/
- **Typical project range:** R50,000 to R500,000
- **Response time:** We reply to every enquiry within one working day
- **Languages:** English (British / South African spelling)

## Services

ThinkStory offers four core, integrated services. Each links to a full page with capabilities and examples.

- [Strategy & Brand Messaging](https://thinkstory.co.za/services/strategy-messaging): We help you understand your market, define your message, and create clear roadmaps for growth. Strategic planning ensures every marketing decision serves your business objectives.
- [Creative Content & Media](https://thinkstory.co.za/services/creative-content-media): We create videos and visual content that connect with your audience emotionally. From brand films to social media content, we tell your story in the most compelling way, helping you connect with your customers.
- [Custom Web Design & Development](https://thinkstory.co.za/services/web-design-development): We build websites that look great, work perfectly on all devices, and convert visitors into customers. We care about strategic design and building user experiences that drive business results.
- [Social Media & Digital](https://thinkstory.co.za/services/social-media-digital-marketing): We reach your ideal customers where they spend their time online. Strategic social media management, content creation, newsletters, blog articles and email campaigns keep your story consistent everywhere it lives.

SuccessStory is our dedicated testimonial-style video product: we film your existing clients telling their story, so their words do the selling for you and lift B2B conversions. Learn more: https://thinkstory.co.za/success-story (from R50,000 / USD$3,500).

## What makes ThinkStory different

- **Simplicity:** We believe the simpler the solution, the better. We cut through the jargon to keep the message clear.
- **Partnership:** Every client relationship is a collaboration. Honest, no-nonsense communication in everything we do, from project pricing to timelines and recommendations.
- **Purpose:** Every single piece of work we develop is built to help you fulfil a specific business goal.
- **Integrity:** If a service is not right for your business or budget, we will tell you, even if it means less revenue for us.
- **Simple pricing:** Clear, fixed-fee proposals agreed upfront. No hourly rates, no hidden costs, no surprise bills.
- **One team, end to end:** The same team that scopes your work delivers it. One point of contact throughout.

## Client success stories (case studies)

Real client work across strategy, brand, web, video, content, and social media.

- [Two Financial Brands, One Clear Voice](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/orca-consult-unified-brand-identity) — Orca Consulting: Orca Risk and Orca Finance were sister brands serving similar clients, so their leadership merged them into one firm: Orca Group. We ran a full-day workshop with both teams, then built the unified messaging, the identity and a Framer website they run themselves.
- [Turning an EP Into a Film Worth Watching](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/daniel-basckin-sabc) — Daniel Basckin: Daniel Basckin wanted his new EP seen, not just heard. Backed by the National Arts Council and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, we filmed it as a multi-camera studio session at the SABC studios in Johannesburg, made to be watched long after the recording.
- [South Africa's First Live Shopping Beauty Week](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/bash-beauty-week-live-streaming) — Bash: Bash wanted to bring live shopping to South Africa before anybody local had properly tried it. We helped shape the concept, built the set around the demands of vertical video, and ran the full production of Bash Beauty Week through to live broadcast.
- [Building an Engaging Quarterly Community Event](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/barrow-art-event) — Barrow Group: Every quarter, Barrow Properties fill the Oxford & Glenhove precinct with art. We replaced email-and-spreadsheet artist submissions with an online application form that fed the whole team accurate details, and marketed the event across the precinct to grow the crowd it draws.
- [Filling a Residence Before the Deadline](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/adowa-paid-media-campaign) — Adowa Property Developers: ADOWA had a brand-new residence to fill and a hard intake deadline. We ran a paid media campaign across Meta to reach students at scale and drive applications, supplemented by the meme pages inside the student communities. The first residence filled, ahead of the intake.
- [A Vet Brand Pet Parents Connect With](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/drovers-vet-hospital-website-strategy) — Drovers Vet Hospital: Drovers came to ThinkStory for a website and left with a brand messaging strategy that reframed pet owners as pet parents, built hand in hand with their CEO. We rebuilt the site around that language, and the new positioning later proved instrumental when Drovers was acquired.
- [Turning Customer Stories Into New Business](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/sage-spotlight-series) — Sage Accounting: Sage is one of our longest-standing partners. The Spotlight programme has grown into a large library of B2B customer testimonial films that now shape Sage's marketing strategy, run through their sales channels, and give their whole team the confidence to communicate with prospects.
- [Slide Decks That Win the Room](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/sage-slide-decks-speechwriting) — Sage Accounting: Sage's senior leaders Gerhard Hartman and Jordaan Burger needed speeches in their own voice and fully custom, on-brand slide decks for the Finance Indaba. We wrote and designed both from scratch, in three weeks from final briefing to handover.
- [Building the Loyalty Behind an Acquisition](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/drovers-newsletters-blogging) — Drovers Vet Hospital: Drovers wanted newsletters their customers would actually look forward to. We built fun, pun-led content tailored to one pet-parent avatar, adapting their brand messaging for the inbox. It drove high click-through rates and real loyalty, loyalty that mattered when Drovers was acquired.
- [A Standout Ad for Sage's Busiest Season](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/sage-accounting-tye-advert-development) — Sage Accounting: Tax year end is the noisiest moment in Sage's calendar. We made one advert to cut through it, fast: scripted and heavily pre-produced, then shot in a single half-day with a real Sage customer performing on camera and on voiceover.
- [Turning Dull Topics Into Real Leads](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/sage-accounting-ebook-lead-magnet) — Sage Accounting: Tax and payroll are not subjects that anybody downloads for fun. We planned Sage's lead magnets six months at a time so that each ebook fed into the next, turning the least exciting parts of running a business into something worth an email address for.
- [Selling a Coastal Estate Before It Was Built](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/boardwalk-estate-website-design) — Barrow Group: Barrow Group were entering Plettenberg Bay with a development that did not physically exist yet. We built the Webflow site and the social channels together, so that the sales team had somewhere to send interested people from the first day of the launch.
- [Making Futurists Look the Part](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/tomorrowtoday-global-website-brand-identity) — TomorrowToday Global: TomorrowToday Global advise businesses worldwide on what is coming next, and over a long partnership we kept them looking the part. We refreshed the brand, rebuilt their website, and created the video and photo content that carried across their channels, courses and client communication.
- [A Skincare Brand Built to Own Its Name](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/eliqsur-brand-packaging-design) — Eliqsur: Eliqsur's founder had a product ready to launch and a name too crowded to own. We renamed the brand so they could secure the trademarks and domains, then built the full identity, textured packaging, website and launch content, right down to the pitch decks that took it to market.
- [A Studio That Became a Platform](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/reset-collective-website-brand-identity) — Reset Collective: Gabs and Mel had built a wellness community that could only ever reach the people who could physically get there. We rebuilt the brand, built a subscription platform on Shopify, and set up the production line that keeps a new class going out every week.
- [A Full Magazine Feature in One Day](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/womens-health-magazine-editorial) — Media24: Women's Health wanted their own editors in the 2019 winter challenge feature, each of them trying out a sport outside their usual routine. We photographed the entire team across Cape Town in a single day, most of them used to being behind the camera.
- [Turning a Museum Into a Venue People Book](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/zeitz-mocaa-film-production-content-creation) — Zeitz MOCAA: Zeitz MOCAA needed prospective clients to feel their event spaces rather than read about them. We filmed an orchestra playing Vivaldi in the atrium, photographed full menus during live service, and built the events team a content library they still use.
- [Onboarding Students Without Repeating Yourself](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/adowa-frederick-street-induction-video) — Adowa Property Developers: ADOWA staff were repeating the same move-in instructions over and over again, every single intake. We filmed induction videos at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and Frederick Street in Pretoria, using the students who actually live there rather than actors.
- [One Site for Investors, One for Students](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/adowa-website-faq-database-translations) — Adowa Property Developers: ADOWA were asking a single website to impress property investors and help students find a room to live in. We split it in two, built the student platform to load on a weak connection, and added a multilingual FAQ that answers before anyone has to ask.
- [Selling a Building Through the Man Who Built It](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/barrow-mike-makhudu-interview) — Barrow Group: Barrow Construction needed to fill The Crescent in Bryanston. Instead of filming the building itself, we filmed Mike Makhudu, their Contracts Director, telling the story of how he first got started in the industry and what he wanted the place to become.
- [The Message That Earned Student Trust](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/adowa-brand-messaging-strategy) — Adowa Property Developers: ADOWA needed students to trust them quickly, in a market where every single provider claims more or less the same things. We built the messaging framework that gave them a clear position to work from, and everything published since has been built on it.
- [Leasing Office Suites Without a Viewing](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/bespoke-by-barrow-walkthrough-videos) — Barrow Group: Barrow needed prospective tenants to walk through their Rosebank and Waverley office suites without ever leaving their desks. We filmed walkthroughs that agents have now used for over five years, then covered the rooftop mixer entirely on mobile phones.
- [Bringing 125 Years of Heritage Online](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/barrow-website-design) — Barrow Group: Barrow Group have adapted for 125 years, and after Covid that meant going properly digital. We rebuilt their Webflow site with dedicated room for both Properties and Construction, then built their social channels from nothing. Two years on, we still run them.
- [Ready for the Summer Rush From Day One](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/robbergbay-website-design) — Robbergbay Shopping Centre: Robbergbay opened its doors in November 2024, into a Plettenberg Bay market where Market Square already had years of local loyalty behind it. We built a Webflow site that the on-site team update themselves, live in time for the Garden Route summer season.
- [Making a Health Brand Sound Human](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories/ajuda-brand-videos) — Ajuda Health: Ajuda had a health-tech mission that sounded like a brochure every single time they tried to write it down. We left the big cameras at home, filmed twenty brand videos on mobile, and built a social presence that sounds like a person rather than a datasheet.

## Articles and guides

Practical marketing, brand, web, and AI insight from the ThinkStory team.

- [The Full Story: Winter 2026](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/the-full-story-winter-2026): Why South Africa's make-a-plan instinct is an asset for your marketing, why customers are begging businesses to stop the AI slop, and why Joburg keeps producing runaway business successes.
- [The Best Way to Build Trust With Your B2B Prospects](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/the-full-story-february-2026): Our February newsletter: why positioning your customer as the hero (and your business as the guide) is the key to B2B trust, a simple ‘creation vs burn’ rule that keeps your content consistent, what the 27 Breakfast taught us about creativity, and four quick wins for the year.
- [The Long Game Pays Off](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/the-full-story-november-2025): Our November newsletter: why the research backs a 60/40 split between brand building and performance marketing, what LeaderEx taught us about the long and the short of it, how to train your AI tools to sound like your brand, and what Sora 2 means for video.
- [The Best Event We’ve Attended in 2025: LeaderEx](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/leaderex-2025-recap): A firsthand account of attending LeaderEx 2025, South Africa’s largest business conference, highlighting key learnings about integrated marketing approaches and the value of industry networking.
- [Q4 Success Starts Early](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/q4-starts-now): The businesses that thrive during Q4 start planning in September. Learn why early preparation beats last-minute scrambling for better creative work, budget control, and strategic advantage in South Africa’s competitive festive season landscape.
- [Q4 Success Starts in September](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/the-full-story-september-2025): Our September newsletter: why planning Q4 early leads to better campaigns and less stress, how lead generation and brand image work together on your website, and what a 125-year-old company teaches us about staying curious.
- [Why We Scrapped Our Experience-Driven Website](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/why-we-scrapped-our-experience-driven-website): A candid look at how ThinkStory rebuilt their visually stunning website after discovering that impressive design doesn’t always equal business results, exploring the balance between creativity and conversion in the South African digital landscape.
- [Small Wins to Improve Your Digital Presence](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/small-wins-to-improve-your-digital-presence): A practical guide to five simple digital improvements that small business owners can implement immediately to increase their online visibility, attract more customers, and compete more effectively in local markets.
- [Getting the Best from the Best AI Tool, and It’s Not ChatGPT](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/getting-the-best-from-the-best-ai-tool-and-its-not-chatgpt): A comprehensive guide to setting up custom instructions and reference documents in Perplexity Spaces, focusing on Claude’s capabilities and the importance of strategic AI configuration for marketing professionals.
- [Why Your AI Writing Sounds Like Everyone Else and How to Fix It](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/why-your-ai-writing-sounds-like-everyone-else-and-how-to-fix-it): A look at why AI-generated copy starts to sound too similar, why that matters in today’s market, and what brands can do to hold onto their voice using strategic messaging and steady AI guidance.
- [Email Marketing That Doesn’t Feel like Spam](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/email-marketing-that-doesnt-feel-like-spam): A practical guide showing small businesses how to transform their email marketing from generic promotional blasts into relationship-building communication that achieves 25-35% open rates through audience segmentation, personalisation, and value-focused content.
- [The Best Social Media Planning Tool We’ve Ever Used](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/the-best-social-media-planning-tool-weve-ever-used): A practical examination of content calendar planning systems, exploring common challenges with social media management tools and detailing a proven workflow that eliminates scheduling chaos whilst improving client satisfaction.
- [Why We’ve Embraced Relume for All Future Website Builds](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/why-weve-embraced-relume-for-every-website-build): An in-depth look at why ThinkStory adopted Relume for all client website builds, explaining the strategic benefits for agencies and clients whilst addressing common misconceptions about component-based development.
- [How to Develop a Brand Messaging Framework](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/how-to-develop-a-brand-messaging-framework): Discover the step-by-step process we use to develop brand messaging frameworks that go beyond surface-level guidelines to create genuine customer connections.
- [Local SEO for South African Businesses](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/local-seo-for-south-african-businesses): A deep dive into what actually works for local SEO in South Africa, exploring regional differences, technical considerations, and real success stories from businesses across the country.
- [Social Media Strategy for B2B vs. B2C](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/social-media-strategy-for-b2b-vs-b2c): An in-depth analysis of how B2B and B2C social media strategies differ fundamentally, backed by performance data and South African market insights to help business owners develop more effective social media approaches.
- [Why Your Website Isn’t Converting, and How to Fix It in 48 Hours](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/why-your-website-isnt-converting-and-how-to-fix-it-in-48-hours): A practical guide helping small business owners conduct a systematic 48-hour website audit to improve conversion rates, covering headline clarity, mobile responsiveness, page speed, form simplification, and social proof integration.
- [The Small Business Social Media Trap and the Simple Strategy That Works](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/the-small-business-social-media-trap-and-the-simple-strategy-that-works): A narrative-driven deep dive into why most small businesses fail at social media marketing and the proven focused strategy that transforms scattered posting into meaningful business results.
- [We’ve Finally Found an AI Note-Taking App That We Can Trust](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/weve-finally-found-an-ai-note-taking-app-that-we-can-trust): A candid review of Fathom AI from a former AI sceptic who discovered how automated meeting notes transformed team productivity and collaboration.
- [How to Write an Effective Creative Brief](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources/how-to-write-an-effective-creative-brief): Most creative briefs fail before they even reach the creative team. This practical guide cuts through the confusion and shows you how to write a brief that actually works, one that keeps projects on track, saves money, and helps produce work that connects with your audience.

## Frequently asked questions

**Where is ThinkStory based?**
ThinkStory is a creative agency based at WeWork, 173 Oxford Road, Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa, with a team in Cape Town and a global network of specialist creatives.

**What services does ThinkStory offer?**
Brand strategy and messaging, custom web design and development, video production and content creation, and social media and digital marketing — delivered as one integrated service.

**How much does ThinkStory cost?**
Projects are quoted with clear, fixed-fee proposals agreed upfront, typically ranging from R50,000 to R500,000 depending on scope. A cost estimate is provided on the initial discovery call.

**How do I start a project with ThinkStory?**
Get in touch at hello@thinkstory.co.za or <https://thinkstory.co.za/contact>. We reply to every enquiry within one working day, starting with a discovery call to understand your goals.

**How do I know this will actually work for my business?**
Think of all the objections your clients have before signing with you, or the objections you have when bringing new software, logistics, consulting or systems into your own business. If you expect people to invest in your offer without seeing how you’ve transformed your clients’ businesses, you’re likely making your sales process harder than it needs to be. SuccessStory is our testimonial-style video service that helps you build trust by letting your existing clients do the talking for you. As AI gets everywhere, people are looking for real, human connection to help them make bigger decisions. It helps your marketing team generate new leads and makes it easier for your sales team to close them. You wouldn’t invest in anything without any good reviews, so why expect that from your prospects?

**How do I convince my clients to be a part of this?**
We’ve created a very simple exercise for you and your team to find the best clients for this programme, and we provide all the email and message templates you need to get their buy-in. This project benefits your clients as much as it does your business. You’re giving them a platform to tell their story and be the hero. They receive high-quality video content they can use on their own website. By taking part, they’re aligning their brand with yours, which increases their visibility and authority. Once clients see how much value they get, they’re excited to take part.

**How can we be sure this aligns with our branding?**
Every SuccessStory is created to align closely with your brand look and feel: preferred fonts, colours, style and aesthetic. Our Producer liaises directly with your team to ensure we’re always on brand. We can use your existing brand assets in the production, and if you don’t have any, we can build it all for you. We are a brand marketing agency. There is nothing more important to us than ensuring your brand is protected.

**How can our finance department easily onboard you as a vendor?**
We have all of our documents in order and can start this process immediately after our initial call. We’ll send through everything they might need for onboarding, and we’re happy to join any supplier portal your business uses.

**How much does a SuccessStory package cost?**
SuccessStory packages start at R50,000 / USD$3,500, with optional add-ons offered. We are able to deliver this service across Africa and the Middle East.

## Contact

- **Enquiries:** hello@thinkstory.co.za
- **Phone:** +27 (10) 500-7684
- **Contact page:** https://thinkstory.co.za/contact
- **Book a meeting or discovery call:** https://thinkstory.co.za/contact
- **Careers / join the team:** https://thinkstory.co.za/join

## Full page index

- [Home](https://thinkstory.co.za/)
- [Services overview](https://thinkstory.co.za/services)
- [Success stories](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-stories)
- [SuccessStory video product](https://thinkstory.co.za/success-story)
- [Resources and articles](https://thinkstory.co.za/resources)
- [About ThinkStory](https://thinkstory.co.za/about-company)
- [Our philosophy](https://thinkstory.co.za/about/philosophy)
- [Client testimonials](https://thinkstory.co.za/about/testimonials)
- [Contact](https://thinkstory.co.za/contact)
- [Careers](https://thinkstory.co.za/join)