FNB stanza firm after ad uproar

[Rod Baker] NEWSWATCH: FNB has bounced back following its tiff with the ANC over its recent 'You Can Help' advertising campaign with full-page adverts in a number of national newspapers. The adverts are written to look like poetry, reports iafrica.com. 28 Jan 2013 07:03

[2013 trends] A virtuous cycle - appscriptions, augmented, apocalypses and other apt trends

[Gisele Wertheim Aymes] The world is more interdependent and interconnected than ever before. Technology is ensuring the free flow of ideas, information and energy; creative co-operation and influence; and is bringing change across the globe that is happening at an unprecedented and accelerated rate. 25 Jan 2013 12:59

ANC to meet FNB on 'that' ad

NEWSWATCH: An ANC delegation is to meet with FNB representatives today at 11am at Luthuli House to discuss First National Bank's 'You Can Help Campaign', reports IOL, which also reports that the Democratic Alliance wants a probe of state adspend in The New Age. 25 Jan 2013 06:34

Attacking traditional media is not the way to sell digital marketing

[Melody Maker] For years, digital agencies and publishers have tried to sell the value of their medium by attacking traditional media such as television, print and outdoor. These old-fashioned channels are outdated, we are told; they are irrelevant and taking their last breaths of life in a market that is shifting over to digital platforms. 25 Jan 2013 04:05

[2013 trends] Media and advertising regulation in 2013

[Gail Schimmel] So here we are in 2013 - the Mayan trend predictions for 2012 having spectacularly failed to materialise, leaving some of us with hangovers and debt that we had secretly hoped would be wiped clean in a Mayan-flavoured apocalypse. Now is the time for us to look into our crystal balls, and see if we can get our predictions for media and advertising regulation a bit more spot-on than the poor Mayans did. 24 Jan 2013 12:05

[2013 trends] Predictions for the retail sector

[Gareth Pearson] A transformation is in motion amongst shoppers and retailers country-wide. Consumers are becoming more discerning and demanding, and retailers and manufacturers are under pressure to innovate, offer quality and savings - all in one eco-friendly package! Here are some interesting trends for the retail sector that I've identified for 2013. 23 Jan 2013 12:48

[2013 trends] The year of the snake

[Oresti Patricios] Context is king, but knowing what's around the next corner takes a little more than 20/20 vision. To find out what trends, innovations or environmental changes could affect your brand's future in 2013, here's some foresight. 22 Jan 2013 09:55

Business Report article a generalisation - govt

A newspaper report accusing ministers of being disrespectful towards the media was based on "generalisation" and was unfortunate, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) said. 22 Jan 2013 09:55

Print ads most successful way to reach consumers

Despite the myth that consumers do not notice advertising anymore, research results in fact show the exact opposite; and what's more, these results also prove print advertising's efficacy, says Ask Afrika's Dr Amelia Richards, client services director for the company. 22 Jan 2013 09:16

Rhino the newsmaker... press club gored

[Rod Baker] NEWSWATCH: 2012 saw news around Marikana, Zumaville, Julius Malema and the school textbook crisis, but the National Press Club decided rhino in South Africa was the 2012 Newsmaker of The Year - and that led to some strident criticism, reports Times Live. 21 Jan 2013 06:06

Sanef slams prisons officers' treatment of journalists

The SA National Editors' Forum (Sanef) says it condemns in the strongest terms the detention of journalists and photographers by Correctional Services officers while on an official visit to the Groenpunt Maximum Security Correctional Centre in the Free State, the site of a violent demonstration by prisoners a week earlier. The parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services arranged the official tour of the prison by the media. 19 Jan 2013 10:00

Copyright and the world of online news

[Ilse du Plessis] LONDON, UK / BERLIN, GERMANY / PARIS, FRANCE / BRASILIA, BRAZIL: The way in which we keep up with the news has changed greatly over the past decade. How many of us still buy a daily newspaper? Many of us opt to get our news from a variety of online sources. 16 Jan 2013 06:29

Caxton takes a bigger stake in TM

NEWSWATCH: Mail & Guardian reports Caxton has boosted its stake in Times Media Group. 16 Jan 2013 06:24

[2013 trends] The old 'new' rules for language

[Tiffany Markman] Here's my list of old 'new' language rules for 2013: things that have evolved over the last few years, things pro writers are using in certain contexts and things you will see more and more in today's writing, now that you know what to look for. [Please note: the listed items are to be used only in light of the mini-disclaimer at the bottom.] 15 Jan 2013 12:05