[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

[2012 trends] With apologies to Cindy Lauper: boys and girls just wanna have fun

[Mike Abel] It's been a trying time aboard the good ship GFC (Global Financial Crisis). But like all sailors on the sea of life, if rough becomes the new normal, the seasickness begins to ebb and we can start moving away from being "bent-double" over the side of the boat and assume steadier footing through these turbulent waters. 10 Jan 2012 13:27

Twitter launches brand pages, but is it too little too late?

[Vincent Hofmann] 25% of Twitter's current user base post their tweets using Twitter's web interface. 75% of Twitter's users make use of applications to interact with brands, friends and foe. So is Twitter's recent introduction of Twitter Brand Pages a waste of time? Not if Twitter has anything to do with it. 10 Jan 2012 11:41

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

The mind of a Kenyan shopper

[Carole Kimutai: @CaroleKimutai] It is that time of the year - the season of promotions, raffles, freebies and sales. But marketers in Kenya have to work twice as hard because of high inflation that has seen the cost of living go up. Basic commodity prices have almost doubled in the last 12 months and consumers have been forced to dig deeper into their pockets and make tough choices when it comes to purchases. 12 Dec 2011 16:00

[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

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

Africa: Marketing the fight against climate change

Environmental activists have climbed to new heights at COP17. Known for courting arrest by attempting to commandeer oil rigs and whaling ships to highlight their pro-environment protests, seven Greenpeace members were arrested at the UN climate change conference for trying to hang a banner demanding: "Listen to the People, not the Polluters". 8 Dec 2011 08:55

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

Time to rethink Kenyan radio

[Philip Mwaniki] Let's be honest, the glory days of Kenyan radio are behind us. What we have now is pure experimenting based on research and market forces. Segmentation is the in thing today. 5 Dec 2011 13:45

How to spread word of mouth for your brand

[Jason Stewart] Many businesspeople realise that, from a marketing perspective, word of mouth (WOM) is the most influential force with respect to how your consumers view your brand, especially regarding the decision of whether to purchase or not. But what's less known is how to stimulate WOM for your brand - and that's the focus of this article. 5 Dec 2011 10:46

Creative vertigo: the spin of the ICANN branding revolution

[Naseem Javed] The word gTLD has been added to the hard-core lexicon of global branding. Why is this new spin causing vertigo to some? Before you say anything else like "what?", just hold on. It makes no difference whether you already are an expert on gTLD or not. It's in your face and we will all have to cope with it for a long time, so deal with it. 2 Dec 2011 12:30