Chatroom was founded in 2000 by Angela Naumann, with Gordana McNamara (nee Zezelj) joining as a co-director in 2002. We are now a diverse, multi-talented team servicing top local and international clients. Knowing the importance of culturally-specific media, our team is fluent in English, German, isiXhosa, isiZulu and Afrikaans. With extensive relationships across all markets and media, Chatroom is as diverse as it is specialised.
We believe that communication requires the solid commitment and input from executive management to achieve its mandate: transferring key information from your brand to a defined audience through specific channels, strategically keeping communication clear, informative and relevant. Years of market research and engaging with blue-chip companies and their consumers affords us an informed insight into your market. These strategies are relevant to all business, from fashion designers to engineers. By working in and through all media, we take your brand and put it in the mind and pocket of the consumer.
It doesn’t end there. Our policy is to grow brands over time, ensuring financial growth, and working with you to achieve your goals and, eventually, your dreams.
Our Mission:
Building brand leaders and maximizing brand value by providing strategic and creative brand management and communication solutions.
Our Value Propositions:
- Experts in strategic and creative brand management
- Creating synergies through an integrated advertising and PR approach
- High levels of experience in complex product and service industries
- Strong focus on local positioning of global brands
- Highly skilled in gearing up local brands to compete in international environments
- Quality driven team with high attention to detail
- Good understanding of diverse target audiences
Directors
Gordana McNamara holds a Masters Degree with great honours in Business and Administration from University Tuebingen in Germany and has successfully completed a 1-year MBA programme in New York in the USA.
She has held positions as Marketing Manager and Strategy & Marketing Consultant for large international corporations in the telecommunications, travel and transport industry in Germany, including:
- Eon/Cable & Wireless
- Vodafone,
- Deutsche Bahn and
- Deutsche Post Worldnet.
She has 15 years of professional experience in management consulting and developing and implementing brand and communication strategies.
In 2002, looking to build international business acumen, Gordana joined Chatroom as a shareholder and co-Director. She has been developing Brand Strategies, Advertising and PR campaigns ever since, with major achievements including:
- The Brand Development for the South African Oil & Gas Alliance
- The Brand Strategy Development for Eastern Cape Tourism
- The PR launch of Dyson in South Africa
- The national brand launch of Maersk Line
- The cover page launch of the African Romance luxury diamond brand
- The communications and events for100 years of MTU
- The successful development and implementation of an award-winning PR campaign for the education programmes of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Gordana is an experienced facilitator, presenter and Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming. She has been serving on the Council of the Cape Chamber of Commerce since 2005 and represents small and medium sized businesses as the Chair of the Chamber’s Regional Issues Forum. She is also involved with the local German-speaking Rotary Club, where she is President elect for 2010/2011. She is a member of the German South African Chamber of Commerce as well as PRISA, the Institute for PR and Communication Management in South Africa.
Angela Naumann studied in Germany, Belgium and Cape Town and holds a Masters Degree in Journalism, Communication Science and Psychology. She has worked in the field of strategic Communication/Public Relations and Event Marketing for the past 12-years. Angela started her career in PR and Communications at one of the largest global PR agencies, Ketchum Communications at their Munich offices, where she was, among other projects, involved in the global Brand Identity launch of British Airways.
In 1999 Angela moved to South Africa and after short stints as a freelancer at local agencies, she opened Chatroom in 2000. Since then she has developed and implemented communication and brand strategies for local and international clients in a number of industries. Highlights include:
- Communication Strategy Development for Metrorail
- Brand Identity Development for Eastern Cape Tourism
- Change Communication for Deutsche Bank
- PR and Brand Communication for the South African subsidiary of global employment services leader Manpower Inc.
- Brand Development for specialist natural resources investment company Pallinghurst
- Putting Cape Town based exotic leather manufacturer Cape Cobra on the South African map of fashion and luxury.
Angela is also a certified Master Practitioner for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and an Associated Coach certified by the UCT Graduate School of Business’ Center for Coaching. She serves on the Western Cape committee of PRISA, the Institute for PR and Communication Management in South Africa, which she has chaired from 2005–2007. She is passionate about contributing to the professionalism of the industry and speaks regularly at tertiary institutions and related events.
Angela chairs the Cape Regional Council of the SA-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and serves on the Chamber’s Senior Council.
