Interview with Balticbest jury member Gareth Pretorius, Creative Director of Circus Advertising (Mauritius).
What makes Mauritius unique?
The cultural mix of Mauritius is really unique, I think that makes Mauritius a true paradise. We have people of African, European, Indian, Chinese, and many other origins living peacefully together.
Mauritians are extremely green-driven people, we spend a lot of time outdoors and appreciate nature. And so many people are creative in someway – we have really many talented people here!
What are the main business sectors?
The biggest business sectors are Real Estate & Hospitality, financial services, information and communication technology, Manufacturing, Ocean Economy.
There are not many Internationally known consumer brands coming from Mauritius, but we have have many B2B companies – like CIEL textile – that are doing business globally.
The Mauritius IFC boasts more than two decades’ track record in cross-border investment and finance and offers an unparalleled well-regulated, and transparent platform. As an internationally recognised jurisdiction of repute, the Mauritius IFC is home to a number of international banks, legal firms, corporate services, investment funds and private equity funds.
What are the ambitions of your agency – Circus?
We go beyond our little island and service the whole region: Reunion, Seychelles, Kenya, and Madagascar, for example.
Circus is a true 360-degree marketing company and nurtures the best of Mauritian talent in-house.
One of our strongest assets is to be a one-stop solution for all our clients marketing needs from research, strategy, execution and production.
If somebody from Northern Europe wants to work on a tropical island – are you hiring?
We are always on the look out for talent, but our company focus is dedicated to developing the local economy.
There are many B2B companies in Mauritius, what kind of marketing services do they need?
B2B companies need employer branding and they need to develop investor relations.
Investors are interested in sustainability, this is the number one thing, even more important than the bottom line.
This cannot be communicated in an old-fashioned way, it needs to be communicated more creatively, almost like b2c communication.
This is a global trend, you notice it also at Cannes Lions. Holding companies, that used to be in the shadows have started to focus more on corporate brands. P&G is a good example, in the past, they only promoted their consumer brands and many people were even not aware of the corporate P&G brand.
What are the trends in the tourism industry in Mauritius?
Hotel brands are focusing on ecotourism, protecting the environment, and stimulating local circular economy. For example, a hotel may stop using imported ingredients like salmon to encourage local sourcing or another may prohibit the usage of motor boats on the lagoons. They are all trying different strategies and initiatives but have a common goal, sustainability.
The hospitality industry has started to promote the traveler mentality instead of a tourism mentality.
