indwe magazine – June 2005

MARCUS BREWSTER

Mr Publicity
Text: Jana du Plessis
Image: © Marcus Brewster
What’s been brewing in Marcus’ mind? With strong awards and years of Public Relations experience behind his name, it’s no wonder that Mr. Brewster is seen as the Father of PR in South Africa. Jana du Plessis met up with him to find out about his latest accomplishments.
Marcus Brewster is as crisp as a breeze on a full autumn morning. With his hair neatly combed, his Polo shirt freshly ironed and his face is sporting a perfect smile, he talks effortlessly about everything, from his passions to his obsession with time. I find him to be the perfect companion to a cup of hot English tea and buttered scones topped with home-made strawberry jam.
Marcus Brewster is mostly known as “the nice one” of the Pop Idols judges. But his involvement in the media started way before then. In 1991 he started a promotions company called “Home Run” in Cape Town, which was literally run from his home. The demand for such a service in Cape Town proved to be high, and the company had to move into an office in just a few weeks. 1995 saw the start of Marcus Brewster Publicity, a full-service Public Relations company that aims to meet every client’s individual need. Marcus describes himself as “a bit of a control freak” with an eye for detail. It is this characteristic that has made Marcus persevere in his profession. He explains that his company has come full circle this year, with the company having reached its objectives of “giving a brand legs, expanding it, and communicating it in the most effective way.”
Marcus Brewster Publicity proves to be a mega house of strength in South African PR. “We won two Awards at the PRISMS this year, which are the Oscars of the PR Industry. One was for our campaign surrounding the launch of Louis Vuitton in SA (Best New Product or Service) and the second was for our work on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women in The World 2004 (Best Existing Product or Service),” says Marcus. “The bottom line is that we swept the boards in all available consumer PR Categories,” he adds with a twinkle in his eye. One very striking characteristic of Marcus is his humility. With all the Awards and accolades behind his name, one would expect someone like Marcus to walk around with an ego to match his achievements, but he his feet remain firmly planted on terra firma.
Anything relating to the media brings out Marcus’ killer smile. In asking him what excites him about PR, Marcus replies enthusiastically, “Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of opening a newspaper or magazine and seeing a story in print that you facilitated. I always tell my staff that if that doesn’t give them a high then they are in the wrong business.” He is also very positive about the future of PR in South Africa, “PR is growing rapidly in SA, both as an industry and in terms of the respect and importance it now holds in the marketing mix. What’s also gratifying is that it’s absorbing large numbers of black students. As literacy levels increase in SA society, consumer access to and trust in media will grow, making PR an indispensable communications tool.”
Marcus is a very busy man, and he likes to keep his mind busy with the thing that affects him most – the media. No wonder that he describes himself as a bit of a media junkie. He eats, sleeps and consumes the media all through his daily life, from the moment he opens his eyes with the morning news and closes them again with a good book. But I’m curious to know what makes him tick. “Lots of things... overseas travel to archaeological sites and sacred places, Saturday morning shopping at church bazaars and school fetes hunting down rare books, watching my favourite movies with the commentary channel on DVD.” And what he would doing if PR, I wonder aloud. “I would like to own a second hand bookshop! Or be a travel writer,” he answers without having to think.
Travel is another one of those things that gets his facial muscles moving. Marcus finds that most of his moments of inspiration come from travelling. His most recent trip was a quick visit to Mexico and his all-time favourite destination is Egypt. The mysticism surrounding Egypt gets Marcus thinking. “I’m really into alternative archaeology and I’m interested in finding out what the secrets are that the Egyptians encoded in their buildings, like the pyramids,” Marcus says with a far-off look in his eyes. In between working, flying, emailing, gyming, reading and absorbing the media, Marcus always makes times for travelling.
Time is the only thing that seems to be escaping Marcus’ grip. He runs on a tight deadline on a daily basis. There is no time to waste in this man’s life. He confesses to always flying at night so as to save time which would have been wasted during the day. His typical workday consists of waking up at 6 in the morning with the news. He then works up a sweat from 7 to 8 in the gym every morning and gets to work at 9am sharp. His house is just around the corner from his company, so there is no time wasted in traffic.
At work he is permanently on email, communicating with his staff, his office in Gauteng and other business relations. Lunch is enjoyed at his desk, again to save time. He leaves work at about 6pm and goes straight to yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays or opts for a quiet night at home on the other nights. Marcus has everything he needs right at home – his own entertainment centre, a massive collection of books, videos and DVDs, and every luxury you can think of. It’s no wonder that Marcus describes himself as a home person who prefers relaxing on his comfy couch with a good book rather than hob-knobbing through the streets of Cape Town with nose-in-the-air celebrities.
Does the Father of PR in South Africa have a motto? “Not really, but I still hear the echo of my mother’s warning – ‘if you’re not going to do something properly, then don’t do it at all!’”
Marcus’ favourite things:

• Who is your favourite Pop Idol?
I was always very fond of Bianca. She is definitely the biggest start to have come out of Pop Idols
• What is your favourite book?
Madame Bovary – the French version. I am fluent in French, so I love the way the sentences are constructed.
• Do you have pets?
Yes, two cats called Starr and Pearl
• Your favourite TV programme?
I love “Sex and the City”. My other favourites are “Will & Grace” and “Survivor”.
• Favourite movie?
Sunset Boulevard
• Favourite non-alcoholic drink?
I’m a bit of a teetotaller. I love my Earl Grey Tea or I’ll drink carrot juice. You get carrot juice in Mexico like you get orange juice in South Africa.
• Favourite alcoholic drink?
I’m not a big alcohol drinker, but I would go for something like vodka and a mix.
• Do you have a favourite artist?
Toulouse-Lautrec
• What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I wake up with the media, with morning news
• What is the last thing you do before you go to bed?
I’m always reading something. So I’ll be reading just before bed.
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