Stepping out with Mister Walker

The digital divide

The digital divide cuts to the heart of what separates traditional advertising practitioners from the new digerati. Nowhere can this knowledge divide be more obvious than in the advertising and media industry. But that could all soon be a thing of the past.

The term digital divide was first coined in the US about 15 years ago, to describe the gaps in ownership of computers (and the consequent lack of access to information) largely defined by ethnic and economic status. But this is not the only division that has been caused by digital.

Fact: there are those can that bandy about the new media terminology (CPA, CPC, CPM etc) with abandon and those who conveniently prefer to use the bandwidth excuse and the rather tedious interface of the Internet to continue to pay less attention to online marketing solutions than to its sexier broadcast cousins. The added rationale for avoiding digital being the obvious factor that for mass market reach in Africa, an online campaign cannot hope to reach the same amount of people as an outdoor or primetime SABC solution. Or can it?

Coupled with the above factors, with every geek and pixel purveyor proselytising about the wonders of digital, it is no wonder that clients and agencies alike retreat to the comfort of a traditional approach. You know, the one that includes TV, radio, print, oh and a banner ad - somewhere.

What is missing from the above approach and what is emerging as the keyword of the new media is INTEGRATION.

Also what is becoming apparent is that planning an online marketing strategy is nothing like planning an above-, below- or through-the-line one. How so?

If you look at the digital campaigns that have won big at Cannes this year, such as The Great Schlep (www.thegreatschlep.com) and Sagami condoms (http://w00kie.com/2009/08/14/sagami-original-condom-ad/), you will see textbook examples of the crucial INTEGRATION approach - which requires only two things - a crystal clear marketing objective and a big (read also meaningful and engaging) idea.

Aspects to consider in a successfully integrated campaign, would be:

what relevant "hook" will drive the target audience online - mobile, experiential or traditional?
which of the plethora of other relevant online media channels, blogs etc, will be used to carry the marketing message or drive traffic and why?
what changes in behavior, involvement or action do you want the online experience inspire?
how extensive could the additional PR or social media awareness spinoffs be?
and, it goes without saying, how will all these be couched so as to be unique to your brand?

While we are on the subject, perhaps a contributing factor as to - correct me if I'm wrong - whythere was an underlying feeling of dissatisfaction around the awarding of this year's digital Loerie prizes, which no one can quite put their finger on, is this: apart from one or two exceptions, they did not generate the mass changes in awareness or behaviour that it has been demonstrated the medium can achieve and which is its raison d'etre. They did not inspire us to vote differently, migrate to Florida or wear a condom.

Thus, the race for a unique or breakthrough use of digital communication on our continent is still wide open. One would hope that the mythical divide between specialist "online" practitioners and other advertising service providers will soon disappear and that anyone charged with communications will be able to integrate a powerful digital aspect in their marketing mix simply by following the above approach.

Here's what you might need...

One Small Seed has lived up to its name and has grown into a beanstalk. Received its email newsletter full of empire-building stuff as usual, including a new online page turner called www.joebubble.com. Spent quite awhile there looking at the Steri Stumpie vid...

From there I was swept up in a viral whirlwind - seems Between 10 and 5 had covered King James' concept in May this year, somehow got washed up at ChrisRawlinson.com and Springleap.com. Pretty impressive for a product that's unhealthy and unattractive.

Found out from Between 10 and 5 there that there is yet another new online showcase for all things creative called www.capetowncreatives.co.za, with a whole saga about how it chose a lighthouse for logo. Also checked out Behind the Scenes at Jax Panik Loeries performance which was nice - don't ZA entertainers just love jogging shorts?

From Rawlinson I found out that the the British are trying to give Rooibos to South Africans, which is quite innovative; let us know if you get any.

Thought I'd pop in at Seth Godin, apparently the most popular marketing blogger in the world - from which I pulled the title of this entry, "Here's what you might need". Absolutely brilliant.

Dwaaled around a bit more deciding to join Huddlemind, and not a moment too soon to find an entry put up that very morning about the launch of the Silicone Cape initiative which happened on Thursday 8 October at which Dr Mamphele Ramphele in her capacity as Chair of the Technology Innovation Agency apparently got a standing ovation following these words:

TIA's main purpose was to stimulate and intensify technological innovation in order improve economic growth and quality of life for all South Africans. But having heard what I heard this morning I think the most important role we can play is to have government create an enabling environment... I am now on your doorstep and I am not going to leave until you have helped me to get TIA to be the enabler that it can and should be" [Standing ovation from audience]

You can follow further developments and commentary in this regard at:

Which is how a small seed grew into a big one.

Zakitumi, baby!

Thought you might want to share a few marketing lessons that I picked up from the Cape Times, when I went online to renew our subscription this week – actually I went on to upload a photo I thought they might like – of the side of Table Mountain covered in spring flowers – but could not find an option to do so.

I did find the letters page and could read a whole lot of entries but, sadly, no clear invitation to submit anything via the web : (. It reminded me of some of the old stories about design, for example, how even after electricity was invented, lamps were still shaped like gas lamps for decades even though they didn't need to be – because people couldn't envisage a lamp any other way!

There are many of these stories, if you want to know more, why not email me and we can discuss it?

Anyway, the same principles apply to websites – still mostly dishing up their offerings in the same old way instead of recognising that everything has changed. We have been reading for half a decade about the participatory or "customer-made" trend; Trendwatching.com vaunted it already in 2006, but the trouble with trends is that just knowing about them won't help your brand at all – identifying where and how in your business to apply them, will.

For example, a whole host of opportunities exists for the Cape Times to apply some hot and cooling trends to its brand offering via its web interface:

Freelove

Leaping at the chance to renew my subscription while online, I was disappointed by the choice on offer: subscribe to OPTION ONE – the printed edition or OPTION TWO – the digital edition – either/or?!? Surely there must be some mistake – customers today don't want EITHER or OR, they want it all! They want to feel they got a good deal, like being rewarded for subscribing to the print edition by having the pdf edition thrown in at a special rate – on the glossy pokeable LCD display of their choice.
Transparency tyranny

A trend from 2007 referring to the new transparent or fully informed marketplace. Adopting some of the above strategies would offer the brand the additional opportunity for transparency – COMMUNICATE WITH US – TO TELL US ABOUT IT – so no further chances for our fave brands to engage with us are lost.
Customer-made

The opportunity to implement this trend perhaps exists, now that one's customer base is so enabled with every digital recording device known to man, to expand on the popular Cape Times letters page, as a critical point of engagement.
How to do this? A simple, bold buttony thing up front inviting us to contribute our own letters and images. It's nothing major, just the old fashioned letters page – on steroids. Instead of feeding readers from the paper to the web, why not feed them from the web to the paper – offering the best of the online letters in a fat new printed letter section?

While writing letters to the paper might previously be considered the domain of retired folk, the web is the very opposite, opening up the chance for whole new dialogues. Which kind of shows how using trends tactically need not necessarily mean reinventing the wheel, but uncovering what you have of value and repackaging it in new and relevant ways.

You can still have the clever award winning brand building ads – but they need to dovetail with the strategic and operational stuff that the consumer interacts on their ground with everyday. It's the holistic, big picture thing.
Foreverism

As one of South Africa's oldest and most beloved brands, the Cape Times is of as great a value to us, perhaps to the world, as the NY Times – we love it, we value it, we don't necessarily want to change much about it, but, as the co-stakeholders that we are, we might be invited to participate – there's that word again – in new ways – to ensure its presence for the future. Which of course in this instance goes perfectly with the above "Consumermade" principles.

What is a rather fab stroke of genius is the launch of the Zakumi cartoon exclusively on the web at IOL, by the Madam & Eve outfit – Stephen Francis and Rico [Schacherl]. The Adventures of Zakumi is just the kind of saleable, added value, engagement thing we need.

Have I been asleep or am I the only one who didn't know that Zak was designed by none other than Andries Odendaal? [You know Wireframe Andries; it's ok, Andries, we like him more now that we know it was you] But that the mascot's debut costume itself was produced by Cora Simpson of Cora's Costumes in Boksburg – go her!

Believe it or not, I gleaned these facts via the Jamaica Gleaner via Google. [Terry, Bizcommunity did report these facts too in 2010 FIFA World Cup Mascot unveiled ;) – assistant editor]

As if this is not bizarre enough, Zak even has his own, somewhat underrepresented, Facebook page. Awww.

So now that Zak's time has come, might he be on the verge of attaining icon status in the hands of Rico? Might he be getting a mate or kittens? Go leopard hunting at http://gallery.iol.za.org/v/cartoons/Zakumi/.

Afrosuisse

Some of you may recall having seen Tyler Brulee, the uber-Euro designer and media mogul via satellite at the Design Indaba in 2004. At the time, we as the custodians of the Bizcommunity brand were inspired to shift our brand a little north of centre, imbuing our 100% homegrown values with a bit of Swiss panache.

We figured if it were good enough for Wallpaper* and Monocle, it would surely good enough for us.

In case you're wondering what the link is between Canadian-born Brule and Swiss design, he was responsible for repositioning the airline once known as Swiss Air, now known simply as Swiss.

But apart from its achingly pared down iconic red and white status, what is the mystique behind Swiss design? The answer to this was provided by a happy stumble, which in the pursuit of empire building, I have blatantly plagiarised from author Barry Silverstein. Read the full 24 August 2009 article.

The point Silverstein makes in his article is that for such a small country, Swiss brands pack a mighty global clout - Nescafé, UBS, Nestlé, Credit Suisse, Zurich, Rolex, Lindt, Swatch, Longines, Breitling and TAG Heuer - and not forgetting the army knife. Ok, they may be a bit dull, but you must admit it's impressive that such a tiny country has become a global branding powerhouse. So how do they do it?

Swiss companies rate themselves; it's not just about watches and choccies, it is about the "Swissness" which is embodied in every fibre of their corporate styling! Capitalising on this value, the Swiss government is even going so far as to publish a comprehensive corporate identity manual for Brand Switzerland, realising "that a focused and strong brand definition is necessary for successful positioning in the international market".

Haven't you ever wondered about Nestlé's little baby bird logo? Well, the equity that snuggles on the reverse of this US$110 billion stable of products was started by Henri Nestlé, a pharmacist who created an alternative to human breast milk in the 1860s. The product, which apparently saved the life of a premature infant, went on to be successfully marketed. In Henri's German dialect, Nestlé meant "little nest," so he chose a bird's nest, also his family's coat of arms, as his trademark. A stylized version of which is still used today.

Similarly, the household name "Swatch" was simply formed from the words "Swiss" and "watch". Perhaps demonstrating that marrying what you do with who you are ensures automatic authenticity in the marketplace.

Perhaps lessons to be learned indirectly from brands like these are that being true to what and where you are in the world is great investment, that it is not de rigeur to follow any kind of global standard practice in product development or branding, and that the best products and brands of the future will be the ones that are truly imbued with heart and a proud and fiercely guarded national character.

[Loeries] Camps Bay to be Cannes'd

"Grand Daddy" of The Loerie Advertising Awards, Andrew Human was guest speaker at Film and Events Publishing (F&EP) get-together held last night, Thursday, 30 July 2009, at Southern Sun Waterfront [formerly the Holiday Inn] in Cape Town.

For those of you that don't know, F&EP puts out two monthly tabloid publications aimed at the film and related industries - The Call Sheet and The Event - and also publish the glossy fmg ofratr Filmmakers Guide to South Africa - which is mostly for an overseas market. Currently in print only, it is at work on joining the online publishing frat. Its guests appeared to be the somewhat cool end of the industry spectrum, with a host of friendly and beautiful workaholics all probably secretly vying for that elusive expenses-paid pass to Cannes.

And speaking of Cannes, get your diaries out and once and for all mark off the long weekend in from 24 [Heritage Day] - 27 September for the 31st Loerie Ad awards in Cape Town.

In case you've missed all the existing pre-hype, here's a recap:

The activities kick off on Heritage Day with a Mayoral Welcome for the VIEs [Very Inflated Egos] at 5.30pm, the customary Industry Battle of the bands at 7.30pm and the 10.30pm Chairman's Party with none other than DJ and chairman of the Loerie Awards, Festus Masekwameng in the mix.

2007 interview with Festus Masekwameng

As Andrew pointed out, the catch is here - with two nights of parties to go, you don't want to overdo it at this one - yeah right.

For the duration of the weekend, Camps Bay will be closed off and you will be able to book out lunches at selected venues and hang out in bars which have been reserved for the industry from where you can watch the wildlife on the beach across the road. The awards ceremonies at the Good Hope Centre will be open from 4.30pm, with live music and refreshments to amuse you until the doors close and the Communication Design, Print Media and Student Awards hosted by Ads24 begin at 8.30pm.

The ceremony will last only one hour, where after the parties will start in Long Street Village, which will also be closed off exclusively for the Industry. Shuttles and Rikkis are lined up for the whole weekend to ensure we all practice "safe transport".

If you got the hang of that, it's all the same again on Saturday, except the awards will be for the electronic media (Radio, TV, Digital, Online Advertising), as well as Live Events, Mixed-Media and Integrated Campaigns, and will be hosted by the SABC.

Pledging his support for the Loeries last night as well was the commissioner of the Cape Film Commission, Lawrence Mitchell. As some of Cape Town's most ardent cheerleaders via its Vision 2030 quest, its naturally thrilled to be to be able to show its commitment to creativity by sponsoring one of the Birds.

More details are available at Attending the Loeries weekend in Cape Town? Some pointers... so I guess it's time start conceptualising those outfits. Also see the 2009 Loeries special section on Bizcommunity.com, or go to www.theloerieawards.co.za.

Ten things I have learnt

Here are ten things I have learnt.

Everything you do has been done before (and better).
Everything you need to know is already on your head. You just have to find it.
The minute you think you are any good, it's time to leave.
You will never really like anything you do - and you will die knowing you still have to do your best work.
The truly talented are also the nicest (because they know how hard this all is).
Never assume everyone understands what we do. Most never will. The perfect client does not exist - though you will be very lucky to have one or two really good clients in your entire career.
Everything we do is a matter of opinion. Make sure you have one.
Only work with people you'd invite to your home for a meal.
Speak with your own voice. Not someone else's. This is not as easy as it sounds (so avoid design annuals).
You only get out - what goes in. Never, ever stop learning.

Starting, running and keeping a small design business

Ten simple truths for a design business - and the ten years of learning about them

Number 1: Ground Zero
A design business starts when it’s ready, why it’s ready and how it’s ready.
There is no grand Master Plan.
It just ‘sort of happens’.

Number 2: Getting Going
You are not in the graphic design business.
You are in the opinion business.
Also known as the pain relief business, the people business and the compromise business.

Number 3: Up and Running
From 8am to 5pm you are a manager.
From 5pm to 8am you are a designer.
Stay single, sell your wife and kids, tell your friends you’ve gone to Alaska, and get to like junk food. You will not have a life.

Number 4: Still at It
Do what you have to do to keep going - so you’ll have to eat pooh sandwiches in the beginning.
There’s plenty of time in the future to get picky about what you work on - and who you work for. Starting out means this is not the time to be precious.

Number 5: Hiring and Firing
Never hire with your d!&k.
Try and overlook Miss February. Hire on talent; not breast size or ‘he’s so cute’.
50% nice guy and 50% talent - after that it’s really a lottery.
Always have more than one interview - and get a second opinion.

Number 6: The People Business
Like kids, staff have highly developed bullsh%t detectors. They don’t con easily.
A small office is one place where the truth will set you free. Don’t bullsh%t, play politics or leave things to fester. ‘Happy Families’ and ‘we all love each other’ doesn’t work. Staff will always do what suits them - when it suits them. And tough sh%t if you don’t like it.

Number 7: The Perfect Client
Develop a culture based on comfort - and avoid a culture of fear.
Find clients who want to work with you, pay their bills and ‘get it’.
Try and work with their decision makers - and steer clear of the workers.

Number 8: Keeping the Doors Open
Avoid debt! Stay small - even if you get big. Debt will kill you for sure.
As will the dreaded tycoon disease (a little success and you start acting like a d%ck and spending like Donald Trump).

Number 9: The Business of Business
Business isn’t rocket science. It’s simple and logical.
Remember, you’re a business first - and a design studio second.
Make sure someone is running the ‘business of business’, you trust them, and you know what’s going on.

Number 10: Partners
A partner has to be absolutely, totally, undeniably, unconditionally and without doubt fundamental to the future of your business. Only ‘partner’ with someone you’d like to invite home for a meal – and know you’ll enjoy the evening.

The Free Tip
50% of your problems disappear when you make money…

Word on the Street

In the continued pursuit of empire building opportunities, two or three trends collide beautifully in my inbox this month. The first from the uber-reliable Trendwatching.com showing a whole host of revenue generating ideas. The intro to their featured trend Sellsumers, reads as " A recession-induced need for cash... enabling individuals to act as (part-time) entrepreneurs, fueling concepts that help ordinary consumers make money instead of just spending it." Proof that Africa is always ahead of global trends, with the rest of the world only now catching on to what we've been doing out of necessity for decades.

For example from the mailing list of the irrepressible Zayd Minty, comes this invite to the delightfully entitled Group Soup exhibit in Woodstock next Tuesday.

Where you will be able to witness the coming of age of the South African commercial arts - in this case listed as animation/illustration/painting/photography - beautifully demonstrating how to use the experience we have gained as "recession-induced entrepreneurs" on wall near you and at http://word-of-art.withtank.com/what/. The sublime talent of Faith47 and Mzwandile Buthelezi a.k.a. Hac1, for example are overdue for recognition as valuable commercial resources. Proving as with trends throughout the ages, today's subversive is tomorrow's cash cow.

Faith47

RASTY

Trying to show how to darn those holes in the shredded global economy, the Japanese have identified their equity in cute (!) as a revenue stream. This sees them sending out "cute amabassadors" to capitalise on their status as one of (if not the) cutest countries in the world. Looking at the goods on offer at http://www.neatorama.com/2009/03/13/japanese-cute-ambassadors/ I'd wager that if we play our cards right, we're very much in a position of strength to take them on in the cute race and probably an array of other cool categories as well.

Ambassadors of Cute attend a news conference at Japan's Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. (Neatorama)

Perhaps we are only now starting to see the glimmer of what it means to live in a Creative Economy, where the reality is, that if you are not able to make it, bake it, or shake it, it is unlikely that for much longer you will be able to fake it.

Political designs

The great thing about being a graphic designer is that it offers opportunity for political debate [from the point of view of impact, engagement and iconography] even if one is otherwise utterly unqualified to talk about the subject. In this, the year of the street pole poster, we are seeing many of the usual candidates displaying their colours for all to comment, and hopefully, act, on.

Currently high up on the poles, the ANC logo is what is known in the industry as a sacred cow, a marketing term used to describe a motif so laden with emotional and historic equity that it could never, ever be changed. How anybody ever agreed on it in the first place is a thought worth pondering, but if it was my party, I might start toying with the idea of questioning the relevance of a military industrial platform to a 2009 target audience.

From a messaging point of view the ANC's street poles proclaim that "Working together we can do more", demonstrating the finesse of meaning and potential in a slogan - for example the line "We work for you" would have left us no option but to succumb.

Nail salon?

You may not have noticed that the ID has a new logo! What at a distance looks like a peach lozenge, at the traffic lights is revealed as an orange fingerprint, under the medium italic CAP lettering. Is it only me, or does the new identity leave them looking a little less like a political party and a little more like a nail salon?

I must say I'm a bit sorry that after the acquisition of its gorgeously witty African X motif in November last year, to date COPE's colours have been noticeably absent from the promotional party. Perhaps they haven't got to Cape Town yet?

One party that has is the DA. You can't miss it. Aside for being criticised for for its resemblance to Obama's campaign logo and the lack of the colour black in the design, when it was launched last year, the new DA identity raised barely a blip on the radar. Now, with its [security] blanket media coverage, we are perhaps in a better position to evaluate what this more organic symbol might come to represent in the contemporary political landscape.

Of course, ideologically, best value for its global brand potential and its wear the t-shirt cred, the Pan-African Party has still got to be my favourite; unfortunately, this year also sadly absent from my suburb. Come on guys!

Marketing street party Loerie

However, the Loerie in the category of marketing street party, and the one that ensured I laughed happily all the way from Hospital bend to Edinburgh Drive, was the one that even in light of all the above, had the guts to take a "no logo" positioning - foregoing its customary elephant park imagery and opting instead for the unmistakable and unbranded visage of Mangosutho Buthelezi - wearing only a payoff line: THE TRIED AND TRUSTED ALTERNATIVE!

I'm betting most of you don't even remember what IFP stands for.

Overall from a styling point of view a much, much better effort than 2005, when, if you recall, most of the candidates just blew up their passport photos and hoped for the best.

From Zero to Herero

Recently returned from marketing research trip to northern Namibia with client NEO Paints, visiting Oshikati, Otjivarongo, Oshikango - guess you haven't heard those names since we sent our boets off to deactivate landmines in the '80s... "You can't do any marketing," my Windhoek-based client told me, "until you have seen the north."And how right he was.

All the signage and billboards you see in the region are masterfully and charmingly hand-painted, making most of the commercial photographic billboards look as if the people who designed them haven't been there.

Bypassing Etosha by a whisker, we headed for the wildlfe of Oshikango, commercial hub of the North.

China is in the mix here - throwing up huge slabs of concrete studded with aircon units. Massive trucks leaving all the time for the new booming Angola, laden with stuff - I mean stuff.

But the local people are so stylish, not even the nasty merchandise can diminish their beauty. At one point we toyed with the idea of opening up a modeling agency called From Zero to Herero - Oshikango today - Milan tomorrow [name courtesy of associate Mike Souter]. www.makaraba.co.za

It rained the entire week we were there, causing the scenery to often look like a far cry from the [stereo]typical landscapes one usually sees on the postcards, and even turning one local hardware outlet in to an Offroad Experience. Now there's a new concept for someone - Extreme Retailing - I'm loving it - give all those superfluous SUVs a bit of a workout.

There is an urgent need to reclaim our photographic heritage

African vernacular photography

Visual images evoke the most powerful sense of a moment in history, none more so than photographs. There are countless examples that immediately spring to mind as icons of turning points in the 20th century.

Photography also has a destructive legacy, unfortunately, in the so-called ‘scientific’ images of Africans made during colonial-era. Much has been written about the cold scrutiny of the lens such people were subjected to in that process.

The fact that photography was appropriated as an African art form, and quickly became absorbed as part of urban African domestic life, has been largely overlooked though. It is precisely because photographs produced an instantaneous visual image that they became so popular.

Means of communication

During the early part of the 20th century, while an African migrant labour force was basically denied education and access to literacy, photographs became a means of communication. For communities who were still close to the traditions of oral history, the image of a person spoke volumes of their character and provided a record of the individual.

Later, when the process of urbanisation and industrialisation was experienced in full force, vast numbers of people left rural areas to live in segregated ‘townships’. These dense peri-urban areas that were consolidated by the apartheid government also provided great opportunities for African photographers who worked in the townships.

At first photographs were only taken in makeshift studios, but these still provide a priceless archive of African family life during the middle of the 20th century. Families recognised the inherent power of photographs to record their simple domestic histories in a visual account of weddings, births, birthdays and other celebrations.

Birth pains

During the final decades of the century, South Africa suffered tremendous social upheaval in the birth pains of a democratic society. Much of that process has been well-documented in published photography. As more and more people gained access to cheaper cameras, the ordinary rituals of family life were also recorded during that time. These images from Soweto, kwaMashu and Khayelitsha have been neglected as part of South African photographic history, and there has been little effort to document and publish pictures from this record.

Despite the global economic turndown, fine art presently remains at a premium. Talent scouts from the centres of the industry (for that is what it has become) in New York and London constantly scour the world for new sources of artworks. Photography has recently emerged as a stronger force in the international art trade, due to prior lack of exposure compared with other branches of the fine arts such as painting or sculpture. There is intense interest in the ‘hidden’ photographic records of places previously ignored by the mainstream. South Africa is precisely such a place.

Claim our own

There is an urgent need to claim our own photographic heritage before it is claimed by others. This requires a comprehensive survey of African vernacular photography, which are the images produced by African photographers for African communities.

While these pictures tell a story that is both universal, and unique to our country, they also compose a continuation of the ancient tradition of oral history. The family albums of South African townships could be presented in the form of an exhibition or book, as a vital part of the story of our nation’s growth.