[2012 trends] 12 words we'll see more in 2012

[Tiffany Markman] Wait. That's a bit of a fib. Sorry. Every year, my Biz Trends contribution is a wish list of stuff I'd like to see happen in marketing, communication or writing. I'm often right. But this year I want to be right. 11 Jan 2012 12:09

[2012 trends] Getting published in 2012

[Allison Cooper] While 2012 will bring another hard year for some brands and their consumers, there are others which will continue to perform really well. In 2012, marketers must seek out trends that not only enable a brand to engage with consumers, but also ensure that they are constantly breaking through the media's gatekeeping role to ensure newsworthy publicity opportunities. 10 Jan 2012 15:15

[2012 trends] Social media marketing and the youth

[Bradley Maseko] The following is a breakdown of 12 social media marketing trends for 2012 with regards to how businesses will target the youth market. The emphasis for businesses/brands in 2012 will be to avoid becoming subject to the "Social Media Burnout Effect". 10 Jan 2012 14:23

The past, present and future of advertising agencies in SA

[Warren Lodge] Advertising is not a new concept all at. Political campaign displays have been found in the ruins of Pompeii and ancient Arabia. Advertising as we know it is generally agreed to have begun with newspapers in the seventeenth century. Simple descriptions along with prices of products then served their purpose until the late nineteenth century. 21 Dec 2011 10:32

Bare naked brand names

[Naseem Javed] Last century business names were colourfully dressed with uniquely stylized lettering, colourful logos, slogans and contextual support. This century, such 'stylized dependency' has been pushed over the cliff by neo-socio-mobile-media-lingo. They're stripped and typed in black and white text as soundbite-sized 'bare naked words', blending into chat lines alongside abbreviations and numbing-mumbo-jumbo. 14 Dec 2011 11:16

Scrutinize campaign wins AfriComNet Award

Scrutinize, an innovative campaign that got young people to "scrutinize" their behaviours and take action to reduce their risk of HIV infection, has won the 5th Annual AfriComNet Award in the Best Multichannel category. 9 Dec 2011 11:24

[Stakeholder engagement II] Reputation gains far outweigh effort

[Reana Rossouw] In the first part of this series, I highlighted the identification of material issues and meaningful stakeholder engagement as two cornerstones for good sustainability reporting. In this second and final part, I look at stakeholder engagement as a critical component of King III and conclude with an excellent case study on clothing retailer Gap. 9 Dec 2011 10:40

[Stakeholder engagement I] Determine material issues, listen to right people

[Reana Rossouw] In the first of a two-part series, I take a look at the essential need for meaningful stakeholder engagement and materiality identification as the cornerstone for a good sustainability or integrated report. 8 Dec 2011 13:36

Mother City retains Loeries, Creative Week to expand

In a four-way pitch against Ballito in KwaZulu-Natal, Johannesburg and Sun City, Cape Town has emerged triumphant to retain The Loerie Awards in the Mother City. The Loeries Judging Week and Seminars will also move from Johannesburg to Cape Town, so that judging will take place during Creative Week in the days leading up to the awards ceremonies. 8 Dec 2011 11:24

Apex Communications Ltd becomes Apex Porter Novelli

Apex Communications Limited, a communications consultancy firm based in Kenya, has become a network partner of public relations firm Porter Novelli and will from now on be known as Apex Porter Novelli. 7 Dec 2011 12:09

APO signs deal with France Telecom-Orange

The African Press Organisation (APO), the distributor of press releases in Africa, last week announced the confirmation of a contract with global telecommunications operators, France Telecom-Orange. APO will be responsible for the distribution of all press releases issued by the Orange group to operating countries in Africa. 5 Dec 2011 10:07

Internships: making the right choice

[Charl Thom] It's that time of the year when the inboxes of HR departments and agency execs start overflowing with internship applications. Beginning your career with the right agency is arguably one of the most important decisions you'll make. As a starting point, consider culture, courage, vision and brand as a non-negotiable. 30 Nov 2011 12:42

Hill & Knowlton EA wins PRSK awards

Hill & Knowlton East Africa was awarded four awards at the 2011 Public Relation Society of Kenya (PRSK) Excellence Awards, held on 26 November 2011 at a gala evening in Fort Jesus, Mombasa. 29 Nov 2011 16:12

How challenger-brand thinking can be used for entrepreneurship

[Abey Mokgwatsane] Recently I had the honour of speaking at Cape Town Entrepreneurship Week on how challenger-brand thinking can be used as a framework for entrepreneurship and some other thoughts. As per my usual style of presentation, it was made up of images that I spoke to, rather than words on slides. So since distributing my presentation won't help, I wrote this summary to share what I spoke about. 28 Nov 2011 14:22