EXCLUSIVE: Hewlett combines assets to launch new agency player, Machine

[Herman Manson: @marklives] Adrian Hewlett, CEO and founder of the Habari Group, has combined his group's significant through-the-line, below-the-line, research, digital and social businesses to launch a major new independent advertising agency called Machine. 8 Feb 2012 09:19

Can Facebook ever make (real) money?

[Thomas Oosthuizen] Growth is hardly the challenge Facebook faces. The challenge for the monetarisation of Facebook is not how many people it reaches - it is a huge medium by any standards - but how it extracts revenue from its core business: connecting people in an objective, friendly, social, non-threatening and non-commercial environment. 7 Feb 2012 10:40

[2012 trends] Bob, where's my flying car?

[Matt Ross] I'm risking joining the ranks of ludicrousness by jumping in the mire of guesstimation. I'm not focusing on any specific area of our industry; after all, any development affects us all. I have tried to be broad, though. Oh, and I've avoided trends. The following will be stalwarts for years to come - the temporary is never attractive, anyway. Unless you married Liz Taylor. 31 Jan 2012 11:36

John Farquhar, a man of fascinating contradiction

[Gill Moodie: @grubstreetSA] John Farquhar, the legendary ad man and commentator who died at the weekend, was a man of fascinating contradiction: a sophisticated thinker with a poor education; a loner who worked in the team-based world of advertising; an irascible man who was shy at heart. 30 Jan 2012 15:58

Pendoring relocates to Cape Town as part of Creative Week

The Pendoring Awards - which celebrate and encourage the use of Afrikaans advertising, as well as Truly South African communication for Afrikaans advertising - will this year be part of Creative Week Cape Town, on Friday evening, 21 September 2012. For the first time, too, the Loeries judging week and judges' seminars will also be held in the Mother City during Creative Week. 30 Jan 2012 11:59

[2012 trends] Getting found in 2012

[Lana Hindmarch] In 2012, businesses will take a more aggressive approach to transforming their marketing efforts and reducing their cost per lead, by focusing more on permission-based, inbound marketing programmes that allow customers to find them. 27 Jan 2012 13:01

[2012 trends] The year of the phoenix

[Joanna Oosthuizen] Twenty Twelve, year of the dragon, a leap year and the year the world as we know it is meant to end. I believe it will, not in a dooms-day fill-my-bunker-with-canned-food kind of way but in a thinking, progressive, collaborative and connective way. It's a phoenix year, where great ideas and people will rise from the economic ashes and drive informed action. 26 Jan 2012 12:37

2012 Tabbie Awards open for nominations

CLEVELAND, US: The 2012 Tabbies call for entries is now available at the TABPI website, allowing all B2B magazine editors, publishers and art directors the opportunity to have their best work judged by their peers. Tabbies' partners include South Africa's SAFREA, and MPASA. [video] 26 Jan 2012 11:40

[2012 trends] Convergence, content key themes for media, advertising

[Tanya Schreuder & Richard Procter] Consumers hold the upper hand in how we advertise: they are the ones who are more empowered, are demanding more and are less loyal. The challenge is to get to know your consumer! 2012 will see various trends being built upon where there is a convergence of media platforms, a need to share information in real time and a demand for cross-platform content and messaging that can simultaneously reach numerous audiences. 25 Jan 2012 14:48

[2012 trends] An amateur audience

[Stacey Rumble] In the last few years we've seen an increase in online consumer conversation as more and more South Africans gain access to the Internet, mostly via mobile. While this increase has been on the cards for some time, this year we're seeing proof of a much larger local online community. 2012 will be the year that industries better grasp how to reach us all. 25 Jan 2012 13:48

[2012 trends] Whoosh! The year in which nothing happens

[Walter Pike] In 2012, things will stay the same. Everyone still believes that marketing has not changed and that social is a channel. Yes they are starting to understand how important channel is but they have not and will not grasp just how much. 20 Jan 2012 14:18

[2012 trends] Email marketing trends shaping the year ahead

[Warren Moss] Despite what the doomsday predictions say, email will not become irrelevant due to the rise of social media. As one of the most cost-effective and efficient eMarketing service offerings, email marketing is expected to continue to be a crucial part of the digital marketing mix in 2012. 20 Jan 2012 13:52

[2012 trends] GFC's impact on media-marketing arena

[Karen Phelan] There are a number of trends forecast for 2012 that will have an impact on all facets of the media-marketing arena. 18 Jan 2012 15:59