[Mike Taberner] Great brands have many things in common: visionary leaders, great marketing strategies, excellent products and a great understanding of their competitive landscape. They also have a focus on including their employees in their marketing efforts.
21 May 2013 05:17
[Amanda Cromhout] Sounds easy doesn't it? But how do you start such a strategy? Do you even know who your most profitable customers are?
15 May 2013 08:05
[Douglas Kruger] From Amoeba to Icon; where do you currently rank in your industry's natural progression? In this piece, I walk you through the seven stages of development as you strive to position yourself as an industry expert. [video]
13 Apr 2013 06:31
[Darren van der Schyff] Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg famously announced the death of email two years ago, which makes one wonder what he knows that we don't.
26 Mar 2013 12:14
[Keenan Harduth] After six years of research into why businesses succeed or fail in China, Emily Chong, the acting vice president of design and marketing for Frog innovation specialists, tackles the subject of survival strategies for brands in China. The parallels and differences in marketing to South Africans were startling.
13 Mar 2013 10:28
[Abram Molelemane and Anton Ressel] One of the many questions that usually pop up when entrepreneurship is discussed is whether entrepreneurs are born or made. Like most things in life there is no simple answer, but our experience of working with entrepreneurs has given us a few insights into this debate.
8 Mar 2013 07:00
[Veli Dlamini] This article is an extension of my previous article titled
"Giving your brand the "cool factor" in 2013 (part I)". This time around I will be touching on the strategies that brands can use to engage with the youth market on social media and importantly to be relevant in the youth culture and pushing the point that
social media marketing is a means to an end; it's not the end itself.
15 Feb 2013 10:16[Mike Taberner] This is the line that we use as a reminder whenever we approach a project or idea. We are particularly critical when it comes to evaluating whether the campaign idea is strong enough to support the brand we are working with. Importantly though, it liberates us when it comes to our creative processes.
13 Feb 2013 06:00 
[Obaika Consulting Team] The year 2013 for most brands, especially the ones coping with saturated markets in developed countries, will be a decisive one. Incorporating
Africa into their corporate brand strategy, if they haven't done so, will be the better part of valour, so to speak.
31 Jan 2013 13:20
[HKLM Exco Team] No, the concepts of "tribalism", "gamification" and "engagement" aren't a promo for the latest computer game, but are in fact the trends that will characterise the way companies and consumers interact in 2013. The branding industry is constantly developing and. while the following trends are evolutions rather than dynamic, short-term changes, we believe there are 10 areas that will define the brandscape over the next year.
31 Jan 2013 12:33
[HDI Youth Marketeers Team] Young South Africa is savvier than ever before. If you are looking for a smart and discerning
prosumer, this group of kids, teens and young adults will give you more kicks than you've ever bargained for. They know just what they are looking for from any brand, and this makes them that much more satisfying to please. Here are a few trends to look out for in 2013.
31 Jan 2013 11:30
[Nandkishor Buty] As 2013 commences, afro-pessimism seems to cede to afro-optimism. There is a global consensus: Africa is poised for a great future. What will be the impact of Africa's growth on our industry? What will be the major trends of the year? In the business world, predicting the future is a crucial exercise.
30 Jan 2013 12:39
[Dave Nemeth] No matter how slow off the mark, we have all come to the realisation that, no matter what line of business we are in, drastic measures are needed in order for us to not only increase market share but also to survive. It is not, however, all doom and gloom and for those who are embracing innovation and prepared to experiment with new ideas, a lot of opportunity awaits to reconnect with consumers and rise above the negative economic factors.
30 Jan 2013 10:44
[Johanna McDowell] There are a few trends to be aware of in 2013 which will help create opportunities within the advertising and marketing arena in South Africa. A number of these come from local and international intelligence.
29 Jan 2013 12:41
[Mike Silver] It's that time of the year where agencies are asked to haul out the old crystal ball and provide pearls of thumb-sucking wisdom. Before we do so, it would be wise to see how history might repeat itself. Reflecting briefly, for experiential marketing, 2012 was quite a year locally and abroad. Oh, and mazeltov on surviving the Mayan apocalypse - it was touch-and-go for a second there.
29 Jan 2013 11:18
[Doug Mayne] All early indicators seem to confirm that December 2012 was a relatively good year for the mall environment. Certainly not a 'shoot the lights out' result but stable, single digit growth nonetheless. The point now is what 2013 holds in store for us. Here are a few key trends which I think are relevant...
28 Jan 2013 11:56
[Kevin Bassett] "Content, context and customer proclivity" will be the mantra that drives this year's marketing metamorphosis in the arena of mobile technology. I believe that we will see a year of repositioning - of un-automate, de-campaign and game-play - but also of tighten, regulate and measure. In short, 2013 will see the 'mobile moth' turn into a butterfly.
28 Jan 2013 10:52
[Thomas Oosthuizen] I like the number 13. Like with most other things, it is what we
do with it that matters. Great companies never use the excuse of prevailing trends as a reason for them not to perform. They just leverage the circumstances better than their rivals. So, while economists will contemplate economic and social conditions in 2013, it is what
we as marketers do that matters.
28 Jan 2013 10:05
[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
[Chemory Gunko] Nowadays it seems that there are a million email and contact databases to choose from for your marketing - and whatever your budget, if you look hard enough, you'll find a price point to suit you.
23 Jan 2013 09:39
[Warren Moss] The year ahead is unlikely to see any fantastical new developments in direct marketing; in fact, it's more likely to be characterised by the maturing of existing technologies and a return to more traditional practices.
22 Jan 2013 10:16
[Abey Mokgwatsane] How does your brand break through the clutter? If you're in the business of understanding and catering to the evolution of consumer needs, desires and expectations, look front and centre. Here are my predictions for 2013...
18 Jan 2013 12:05
[Gillian Rightford] The biggest change in South Africa will be the continued growth of mobile and online, and how this affects everything we do - all of our buying habits, from deodorant to cars, and how, when and where we do it.
16 Jan 2013 10:25
[Steve Cragg] As crisis-hit Europe continues to impact economic growth, and projections for the local economy are trimmed, the battle for a share of consumer spend is getting increasingly fierce. Retailers will rely on technology to drive innovative discount models and integrated loyalty programmes by optimising the one device every consumer has access to already - even in-store - the mobile phone.
15 Jan 2013 11:08
[Bradley Maseko] The following is a breakdown of social media marketing trends for 2013.This year I take a look at both
external (the youth market) and
internal (business marketing efforts) trends that I predict will play a crucial role in further cementing the role of social media marketing in the overall marketing strategies for most brands and businesses seeking to effectively engage the youth market through social media platforms.
15 Jan 2013 01:02
[Charles Stretch] The Protection of Personal Information Bill (POPI) was passed by the National Assembly on 11 September and will be signed by the President before Christmas - but what is it? And how will it affect your business, and your individual rights?
29 Nov 2012 07:41
[Glen Meier] We all know the term 'less is more', but in a busy and complex world it is often forgotten. For a brand to say more and have optimal impact it needs to say less, less grey, less of the same, and more difference, more relevance. Simple doesn't mean easy though, and that's where the craft comes in. The craft of simplification.
20 Nov 2012 08:27
[Tony Sham] In a world of fan bases, follows and likes, the rules and measurements of direct marketing have changed considerably.
31 Oct 2012 06:41
[Chris Moerdyk] It's not a bad idea once in a while to step back from what is becoming an increasingly complex world of marketing communications and refresh ourselves on just what sort of advertising consumers trust.
20 Sep 2012 13:47[Chris Moerdyk] The only possible justification for an event such as the
annual Loerie Awards is that it gives the people who work in advertising agencies an opportunity to escape the daily grind of watching creativity stifled by commercial interests.
28 Aug 2012 12:25 
Angola
Botswana
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
Uganda
Tanzania
Mauritius
Seychelles
Algeria
Egypt
Morocco
Zambia
