South Africa: Land of creative freedom.

Despite clients' budgets being smaller than international rivals', South African shops have done well.

South Africa has just had its best year at Cannes, winning a total of 30 Lions, including a press Grand Prix for FCB Johannesburg. This is not a sudden blossoming, however - the country has been a source of eye-catching creativity since the early 90s. So what makes it so good?

Those who work in the market believe restrictively small budgets have forced South Africans to come up with more imaginative solutions. 'By and large, clients' expectations have increased while budgets have remained the same,' Mike Barnwell, the creative director of Grey South Africa, whose campaign for the removals company Elliot International picked up a Press Lion at Cannes, says. 'This has forced us into a more disciplined way of thinking. The average budget for a TV campaign is about two million rand (roughly pounds 190,000), which is ludicrous when you're competing against global campaigns that cost millions of dollars to create.'

But he also points to the cultural diversity of South Africa, with its 11 official languages. 'Many of our campaigns have to appeal to a wide range of people, so it's not surprising they capture the eye of international juries. They have a multicultural feel and tap into universal human emotions.'

Mike Bosman, the group chief executive of TBWA\South Africa (which won five Lions at Cannes including a few for Pedigree, not far behind the Agency of the Year, TBWA\Paris, which won eight), is another who attributes the market's size to its creativity. 'You can find yourself working on a mobile phone in the morning, toffees in the afternoon and tyres the following day,' he says. 'You gain experience quickly, alongside a thorough understanding of how to build a brand. I also think we naturally have a pioneering, can-do attitude.'

Crucially, Bosman says, this attitude is encouraged by clients: 'Not only do they not mind something out of the ordinary, they positively demand it. Let's face it, when you're working on a campaign that's not costing millions of dollars, you can afford to take risks.'

South Africa's unique history and geography is another ingredient. As Zeona Motshabi, the chairman of Lobedu Communications and the managing director of Lobedu Leo Burnett, observes: 'We're a small country with a big personality. I think we're conscious of the fact that we're not quite a First World country, so we can't afford to be complacent. We want to make our mark. That attitude leads to a creative entrepreneurship.'