About us
A decade in and hundreds of brands later, we still work only with product brands in fashion, beauty and lifestyle. We know this world inside out, and we're accountable for what happens to your numbers.
In Leigh's words
I spent the first decade of my career running marketing for global media brands like ESPN and the Walt Disney Company across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. I was climbing the ladder, ambitious, and my work was being recognised. In 2012, I was named Australian Young Marketer of the Year, and Walt Disney Company Employee of the Year for the region the following year. But deep inside, I always wanted to run my own business. That was the dream.
Then life took an interesting turn. I found out I was expecting twins, and my husband and I decided to move home to South Africa to start our own businesses. The skills came with me. What didn't was all the support I'd taken for granted inside those big companies, the big budgets, the teams, the training, the people quietly handling the things behind the scenes. For the first time, it was just me, and I remember exactly how that felt: building something with everything on the line and no team in my corner.
“If I felt like that, I knew I couldn't be the only one.”
And I knew I couldn't be the only one. I looked around and saw so many brilliant South African brands, so many of them built by women, pouring everything into what they'd made, with almost nowhere to turn. The big agencies were too expensive and too impersonal. Doing it all yourself was a fast track to burnout. Nobody was offering real, senior marketing at a scale these brands could actually reach.
And for me, it was never only about the numbers. I've always believed that for the women building these brands, your brand isn't a logo or a colour palette, it's an expression of who you are. Any agency worth hiring has to understand that and protect it, not flatten it in pursuit of a quick win. That's still true of everything we do: I treat brand and performance as one thing, because they are.
So I built the team I wished I'd had. People who bring real expertise, who actually care, and who measure success the way you do. My mission hasn't changed since day one: to be the agency that women-led, product-based brands trust most, here and beyond. Because when these businesses grow, they create jobs and livelihoods, and I get to help them do it in a way that stays true to who they are.
Leigh
Founder, Alphabet Social
The team
Everyone here works directly on client accounts. No complex layers or handoffs to people who don't know your brand.
The Alphabet Way
More than anything else, this is what guides how we think, create and show up. These principles shape every strategy we build, every piece of creative we produce, and every decision we make.
We become an extension of our clients' team. We ask better questions, care deeply about the outcome, and treat every business as if it were our own.
No vanity metrics. No hype. No smoke and mirrors. If something isn't working, we say so, even when it isn't what you hoped. Honest advice will always matter more than easy answers.
Beautiful marketing without strategy is just decoration. We understand the business first, then choose the direction. Every recommendation has a purpose.
The best marketing is both beautiful and effective. Brand and performance aren't opposing forces. They're strongest when they work together.
Marketing shouldn't feel overwhelming. We turn complexity into clarity, giving founders the confidence to make smarter decisions and grow sustainably.
The industry never stands still, and neither do we. We embrace new technology and fresh thinking without chasing every trend or sacrificing the soul of our clients' brands.
Who we work with
We work with established product brands in fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Our roots are in South Africa, where most of our clients are based, but we work with international brands too, and we know what it takes to compete beyond SA. If you've built something good and you're ready to invest properly in growing it, we'd love to talk.
Book a discovery call and let's find out. Thirty minutes, just an honest conversation about your brand and where you're taking it.
