MARKETING MAVERICK, SYLVESTER CHAUKE
ON RESILIENCE, DEVELOPMENT AND PASSING ON THE BATON
me that that was what we were doing. That’s when my love for the marketing and advertising industry developed and grew,” he shared. He knew he wanted to get into brand communication from then. His journey began at what was then The Rand Afrikaans University (RAU). “I was completely comforted by the space. I felt that UJ was the most welcoming space for me because the conversations I had with the Faculty of Humanities helped me choose modules, and exposed me to bursary opportunities, and allowed me to structure the correct mix of subjects based on my personality and aptitude. There was a lot of support, and this made my journey of studying Marketing and Communications quite powerful.” He shared that the institution prepared him to build a bridge to get into the agency space. During his second year, he took an internship at FCB, working on the Vodacom and FNB accounts, among others. At 43, Chauke is a published author and the Founder and Chief Architect of South Africa’s Large PR Agency of the Year for three years, DNA Brand Architects, which he founded 12 years ago after career highlights as National Marketing Manager for Nando’s, raking in numerous awards for the brand, as well as Director of Marketing and
UJ is renowned for its alumni making a huge impact on society. One such is Sylvester Chauke, an alumni, advocate and ground-breaker in the marketing and advertising industry. Born and bred in Soweto, Sylvester Chauke’s schooling was in the township where he went to Leresche Primary School in Orlando East. His high school was broken up into two - Altem High School, also in Orlando East and then Nghunghunyane High School in Chiawelo. “I am a proud Sowetan! You can imagine that my educational framework was based on what I understood and knew. By the time I went to varsity, I was stepping into a different world I was not necessarily ready for,” he said. Being the early bloomer that he was, Chauke completed matric at the age of 16 and at 17 began his first year at UJ. On what sparked his interest in advertising and marketing, Chauke said that at the age of 12, he went to a television audition for a role in a back-to-school commercial. He did his audition and received a call a few days later informing him that he got the part. This led to him appearing in a TV commercial set in the heart of Johannesburg. “I didn’t fully understand what the whole thing was until weeks later when I saw the advert play on TV. It dawned on
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ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
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