Festival of Media Awards 2011 shortlist announced

MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND: OMD and Starcom lead the agency networks in the shortlist for the Festival of Media Awards 2011. Ogilvy Johannesburg has been shortlisted for its South Africa Tourism campaign. 14 Mar 2011 12:27

MIPFormats: Finalists for 'Fresh Talent Pitch'

PARIS, FRANCE: MIPFormats, the pre-MIPTV formats conference and pitching showcase, has announced the line-up for the "Fresh Talent Pitch". The six selected candidates will present original ideas for non-scripted concepts to have been chosen from about 100 submissions. MIPFormats, organised in association with C21 Formats Lab, will take place in Cannes on 2-3 April, ahead of MIPTV 2011 (4-7 April). 14 Mar 2011 12:14

Writers festival hosts 21 prominent writers

The 14th Time of the Writer international writers festival will be held from 14-19 March 2011, hosting 21 prominent writers from a dozen different countries in Durban, South Africa for a week of literary dialogue and exchange of ideas. 28 Feb 2011 08:15

Adobe Digital Publishing Suite supporting major subscription models

SAN JOSE, US/JOHANNESBURG, SA: Adobe Systems Inc has announced that Adobe Digital Publishing Suite will support both Apple App Store Subscriptions and Google One Pass for magazine and newspaper publishers. Currently available as pre-release technology, the suite is already being used by leading global publishers to create and distribute their titles on tablet devices. 28 Feb 2011 07:21

MIPTV launches brand of the year award

PARIS, FRANCE: MIPTV 2011 will present the first Brand of the Year Award (5 April), as part of its two-day Branded Entertainment Summit (5-6 April), which will see Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide CEO, Miles Young, deliver a keynote address. 24 Feb 2011 08:05

Leo Burnett sponsors Dubai Lynx Student Academy

DUBAI, UAE: For the third year, the Dubai International Advertising Festival is joining forces with Leo Burnett to form a dedicated Academy for 20 students from across the Middle East and North Africa, offering a unique intensive three-day educational programme during the regional annual advertising and communications festival that will take place next month. 23 Feb 2011 12:01

First 'Media Accelerator Program' launched at Festival of Media 2011

MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND: The Festival of Media Global 2011 launches a brand new initiative in a bid to find the most exciting new media businesses in the world. The Media Accelerator Program (MAP) will be reaching out to the global community of media innovators to find those new companies who are set to most impact the sector in the coming years. Who will be the next Twitter or Facebook that will revolutionise the way we market to our customers? 23 Feb 2011 10:33

Cannes Lions: SA's Rose chairs Film Craft Lions Jury

LONDON, UK: Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the final two jury presidents for this year's event. South Africa's Keith Rose, director and founding partner of Velocity Films in South Africa, will chair the Film Craft Lions Jury while Maria Luisa Francoli Plaza, global chief executive officer of MPG, has been appointed Media Lions Jury president. 18 Feb 2011 11:15

Lisbon to host Eurobest 2011, 28-30 November

LISBON, PORTUGAL: The 4th Eurobest Advertising Festival, one of Europe's leading awards and annual events for creative advertising and communications, will be held from 28-30 November this year in Lisbon, Portugal. 9 Feb 2011 09:03

One Show announces Q3 finalists

NEW YORK, US: The One Show has announced its finalists for the 3rd Quarter All finalists will move into final judging where they will compete for a chance to win a coveted Gold Pencil. 24 Jan 2011 11:23

ADC announces 90th Annual Awards Advertising, ADC Hybrid juries

NEW YORK, US: The Art Directors Club (www.adcglobal.org) has announced the full Advertising jury of leading creatives and educators for the ADC 90th Annual Awards, which is open for entries at www.adcawards.org. The jury includes Ivan Johnson, executive creative director, Network BBDO, Cape Town. 24 Jan 2011 10:05

[2011 trends] Post-production: less about tools, more about talent, service, delivery

[Tracey Williams] 2010 was all about the FIFA World Cup, so 2011 will be about brands re-establishing themselves and promoting themselves by their own intrinsic qualities. In post-production, it is becoming less about the tools (as that outdates itself so quickly) and more about the talent, service and delivery. 21 Jan 2011 10:49

[2011 trends] It's a Wild. Wired. Wellthy. World!

[Gisele Wertheim Aymes] The recent global recession has changed our world forever. In a new digital age, characterised by oversupply and too many product types in almost every market, the challenge for companies will be to locate and capture pools of high-profit demand and be able to move with speed and flexibility to take advantage of them. Here are 11 trends for 2011. 18 Jan 2011 14:17

Using music effectively in advertising

[Rob Boughton] LONDON, UK: The best adverts understand how to employ music as a powerful tool to connect with the audience. From classical music, with BA's iconic Flower Duet, to propelling a new band to fame, as was the case for Babylon Zoo when Spaceman featured on the Levi adverts; music plays a vital role in turning a good advert into a great one. Yet the process of finding the right sound track for an advert is not always as simple as it seems. 18 Jan 2011 10:49