RadioWorks Conference 2012 re-ignites passion for radio

Moreover, with more advertisers acknowledging that consumers are now more than ever connecting with brands through digital and social media communities - the big question is, 'what does this mean for radio?'

RAB GM, Matona Sakupwanya confirms that this year's line-up of speakers, who've each been tasked with 'fuelling the fire for creating great radio, to help advertisers achieve their objectives', will address this and many more other radio advertising issues of the day.

"Despite the popularity of our growing digital offerings, radio's real power still lies in the connection it makes with listeners. Radio has become the meeting point for a number of new technologies such as mobile, social media and the internet.

As the champion of the medium of radio in South Africa, we've made it our business to prove the effectiveness and relevance of the medium in the new media landscape and demonstrate how advertisers and their advertising agencies can take advantage of this in their radio advertising", she says.

Speakers

Not Your Average Listener! Rich Mulholland, former Rock 'n Roll roadie and founder of presentation firm, Missing Link puts the 'freak' in frequency with a helicopter view on the birth of digital - radio's illegitimate love-child!

In studio...Some of the best in the business, namely Ukhozi FM's Linda Sibiya (Durban only), 94.5Kfm's Ryan O' Connor (Cape Town only) and 5FM's Gareth Cliff (Johannesburg) give advertisers their tips on how to best connect with the evolving listener and optimise their use of radio for maximum ROI.

Judith Spilsbury, head of Effectiveness Insight at the RAB UK roadmaps its evolving challenges and milestones over the past 20 years, providing an excellent perspective on how media strategists and marketers today, can determine the effectiveness of their radio campaigns

Frank.net 'machetied through the radio clutter in 2011 with its straight-talking, tell-it-like-it-is, honest brand voice'. Hear Frank.net CEO Lenerd Louw and multi award-winning agency, FoxP2's ECD Justin Gomes unpack radio's role in a campaign that sold R1-billion of life cover in the first 4 months of launch - and continues to grow!

Prolific writer, chairman of Chillibush Communications and honorary member of the Twitterati, Victor Dlamini contests lazy ideas and simple-minded concepts in marketing.

Cathy O' Connor, chairperson of Commercial Radio Australia looks at digital radio and its impact on terrestrial radio internationally + what we can take forward from the Australian success story

Fresh from his duties as Cannes 2012 radio jury president, Rob McLennan gets under the skin of creatives with breakthrough knowledge from the festival and tells us why South African radio advertising has the 'best reputation in the world'.

Craig Rodney, MD of leading digital communications agency, Cerebra explores the rise and attraction towards digital content, the death of interruption-based advertising, and how creative agencies have the biggest opportunity right in front of them

'Lost in Translation' - a panel of industry heavy-weights tackles language in radio advertising. Walter Pike dissects the role of radio in the social era, Ogilvy CEO Abey Mokgwatsane predicts how the digital revolution will impact the future agency and its partners and John Smeddle of Leo Burnett in the Middle East unpacks the increase in radio ad spend in BRICS nations, validating radio as a relevant platform in robust emerging markets.

The Cape Town leg of the conference will take place at the Crystal Towers Hotel, opposite Century City shopping centre on Wednesday 22 August, while the Johannesburg leg is on 23 August at the Forum, at the Campus, Bryanston. The Durban Breakfast is an invite-only session. For more information, go to www.rab.co.za/radioworks2012.