The BIG5D Podcast E57: "Agency Matchmaking" with Bianca Waterberg, Founder, NSPYRE

This episode of the BIG5D Podcast is supported by Dialog

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Welcome to Episode 57 of the BIG5D Podcast, a production of BigFive Digital and the Africa B2B Tech Report.

This episode shares more of the great on-stage content that you may have missed at the 2025 Summit, held in May at Innovation City Cape Town. Or maybe you were present but want another opportunity to take notes and soak in the insights.

In this episode, Bianca Waterburg, the founder and CEO of Cape Town digital agency Nspyre, and BigFive Summit Co-host Amanda Louw-Bester (also MD of Pragmattica Consulting) chat about something that many SMEs have struggled with at one time or another — picking the right digital marketing agency partner for your business.

This conversation certainly goes there — the two marketing pros offer a long list of green and red flags for choosing the right agency partner. And much of it comes down to communication. The agency needs to be open and truthful about what it can deliver. And business owners need to be open and truthful about what they need. And what they expect.

In this clip, Bianca shares one common red flag, which is agencies that overpromise. One example of this is guaranteeing page one Google results within days or weeks.

The conversation also gets into some trends in digital marketing that were top of mind for many in the audience. And many of these revolved around how emerging technologies like AI are acting as either disruptors or enablers for agencies.

In this clip, Bianca pushes back on the notion that AI will replace agencies. Her view is that while AI is a valuable tool for marketers, the need for a human presence in the marketing process will not go away any time soon.

Episode 57 Timestamps

Here are time markers for some highlights of our conversation between Amanda and Bianca, recorded in May at the 2025 BigFive Summit in Cape Town. We encourage you to listen to the full podcast (or watch it on YouTube). However, if you prefer to skip around, these timestamps offer a good sense of what Bianca and Amanda (and the audience) had to say.

Introductions {01:28}

Advice to business owners {04:47}

Dealing with acronyms and buzzwords {05:17}

Agency business models {10:28}

Is AI a threat or an enabler for digital marketing agencies? {18:58}

Customer information & privacy {20:23}

How AI is changing Google Adwords {40:22}

Red flags in finding an agency partner {43:40}

Watch this conversation on our YouTube channel.

Or you can find this episode on your favorite podcast player.

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About the BIG5D Podcast

The BIG5D Podcast is a weekly show featuring in-depth conversations about tech and business in Africa and the Middle East with the leaders who are building, investing in, or taking to market digital products and services that make businesses more successful.

The BIG5D Podcast is available here on Substack as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Please follow, comment, rate, and review the BIG5D Podcast. Your engagement helps others discover us so they too can learn from the amazing builders and thought leaders we feature on the show.

Want to recommend a guest or sponsor an upcoming episode? Reach out at info@bigfivedigital.org.

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