"We were having an influx of foreigners visiting South Africa and we needed comment on it and we did it in a way that demonstrates the ignorance and the misconceptions that people have about our country, " says Ahmed Tilly, executive creative director at Nando's advertising agency.

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Roitfeld and Testino later teamed up with U.S. designer Tom Ford during his first years as creative director at Gucci to reinvigorate the brand with an innovative advertising campaign.

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Mike Hughes, who signed on as creative director in 1978, told me that the agency success is tied to a philosophy of advertising that combines likability and effectiveness.

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