[Rod Baker] NEWSWATCH: As expected, the controversial Protection of State Information Bill has been passed in the National Assembly, but will probably face a challenge in the Constitutional Court, reports Mail & Guardian, while Rebecca Hodes, writing in Daily Maverick, takes ASASA to task over the Xpanda ad that critics reckon is racist. In IOL, Caxton non-executive chairman Paul Jenkins says that established news outlets are not stifling the smaller players.
26 Apr 2013 08:22
[Chemory Gunko] With our highly competitive marketing landscape, and the ease with which anyone with a PC can create marketing collateral, it has become more important than ever before that your company has a strong brand identity.
17 Apr 2013 07:46
[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
[Evert Lombaert] Now and again a video pops up on YouTube which simply can't be ignored. One has popped up, which sharply placed SA's privileged youth under the microscope and it's not all that rosy.
12 Apr 2013 15:26
[Robert Volker] One of the results of the Information Age is that visual imagery has come to the forefront of our attention. Therefore, a basic understanding of graphic design, and acquiring basic graphic design skills, will have a positive influence on your potential contributions in the workplace.
5 Apr 2013 05:40
[Louise Worsley] The most frequently cited definition of project failure is the failure to meet time, cost, or scope targets. However, even when these three have been met, success can remain elusive.
15 Mar 2013 06:12
[Rod Baker] NEWSWATCH: Gareth Cliff, DJ and Idols judge, has lent his voice to a Disney show and will be the voice of Ducky Mo-Mo in the Disney production Phineas and Ferb, reports Channel24, and Mail & Guardian reports that the Free State claims it didn't pay R140m for a website, but only R40m... Now
that's a relief.
5 Mar 2013 06:55
[Terry Levin] The human UI (or the interface where the human body meets machine) made quite a few appearances on the first day of the 2013
Design Indaba Conference which took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). [video]
28 Feb 2013 09:36
[Alan Smith] The right to exploit the name of a famous person commercially has been the topic of some debate, decision-making and policy consideration in local and international forums. This article briefly explores the legal issues that arise from a situation of this nature.
20 Feb 2013 09:29
[Walter Pike] Quite honestly I am not going to go down the road of criticising FNB for getting involved in either politics or religion with its "You Can Help" campaign. Although on that subject I have to point out that as a global megatrend there is a strong argument that says that corporates need to involve themselves with social issues. Ask Starbucks what it feels to be on the receiving end of not doing so.
1 Feb 2013 06:55
[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
[Rod Baker] NEWSWATCH: According to a
Mail & Guardian report,
The New Age has claimed that the videos of the children used in FNB's "You Can Help" ad campaign were scripted and that the children were paid. In its turn, FNB has accused
the New Age of 'lazy' reporting, reports
Mail & Guardian 30 Jan 2013 07:56
[Ryan Williams] I believe this year will be a positive one for cinema in South Africa, with a variety of influential trends taking hold of the industry. Digitalisation, 3D, blockbusters, increased attendance and on-the-mark cinema campaigns are all sure to contribute to a successful year.
29 Jan 2013 12:06
[Gisele Wertheim Aymes] The world is more interdependent and interconnected than ever before. Technology is ensuring the free flow of ideas, information and energy; creative co-operation and influence; and is bringing change across the globe that is happening at an unprecedented and accelerated rate.
25 Jan 2013 12:59
[Janice Spark] South Africa is a complicated place - each year outdoes the last in the 'magnitude of change' stakes. And we just know this year will deliver even more surprises. Nonetheless, important trends appeared across the brandscape during 2012. Here I explore the key brand moments of the year just passed, and take a peek at what might be ahead.
25 Jan 2013 12:24
[Anton Ressel] As a business consultant with a special focus on the craft and small scale manufacturing sectors, I have come to recognise a number of shared traits amongst entrepreneurs and business owners engaged in the design and manufacture of products.
22 Jan 2013 05:32
[Matona Sakupwanya] Radio has always baffled media futurologists, effortlessly bouncing back from perceived 'threats' such as recession right through to technological revolution - something consistently touted by 'radio assassins' as the next to bring about the demise of the medium. Bucking the trend, year-on-year growth as an industry remains at a steady increase and this demonstrates its enduring relevance.
21 Jan 2013 11:40
[Craig Kolb] It seems we are at a point where technology advances so quickly, it is almost unsettling. Of course, it is a matter of perception but, for what it is worth, my subjective experience over the past five years has been one where a disturbingly high number of 'impossibles' have suddenly become 'possible'.
17 Jan 2013 13:28
[Karen Ashwin] In reviewing the past few years from an events perspective, I'm tempted to ask: "Where did all the fun go?" As both the South African and the international events industries have grown, developed, matured and become increasingly competitive - all within the context of the global economic crisis - I might be forgiven for thinking that the game plan has changed.
16 Jan 2013 10:40
[Rolf Akermann] Is creativity clouding the issue...? When I studied at university and at IMM for a marketing manager course, etc it was always a task for students to define the target market and strategy that the brand was following of a particular campaign/commercial. At the risk of sounding like John Farquhar (whom I admire) I find creativity is clouding the issue.
2 Nov 2012 06:30
[Bonnie Ramaila] I'm always disturbed when watching a TV commercial and not get the message; this leaves me with a mixed bag of feelings.
27 Oct 2012 08:26
[Gavin Mills] Wouldn't it be wonderful if activation were as simple as it sounded... Get out there, shake your rattle, and roll in shekels. But, as many have learnt the hard way, that's not how it rolls no more...
23 Oct 2012 11:46
[Ann Druce] Open any technical journal and, with a few exceptions, the advertising is dire. The company logo is usually right at the top, highlighting the real problem: the advertiser thinks their ad is all about them.
11 Oct 2012 06:23
[Simone Rossum] A number of South African brands can claim to be intrinsically South African. Lion matches, All Gold tomato sauce, Huletts Sugar, Koo Baked Beans and Ouma Rusks come to mind. However, truly iconic brand status is usually reserved for international brands like Apple, Mercedes and TagHeuer. They're embedded in our culture and our consciousness as true icons.
11 Oct 2012 05:30
[Vanita 'Bezi Phiri] I've been exposed to a myriad of advertising campaigns that are inspiring in terms of creativity, but essentially poor in selling the product they're advertising. It explains why ad agencies lose accounts that have won them prestigious awards. A lot of ads may get the audience's attention, and perhaps even entertain them, yet they fail to drive them as consumers: the worst example being clever ads whose products the audience forgets.
28 Aug 2012 05:16
[Diane Charton] Video, once an expensive and cumbersome format for Web users in South Africa, is quickly moving into the mainstream. Marketers that don't buy into its potential are at risk of falling behind the needs of their audience.
6 Jul 2012 10:38
[Gail Schimmel] In recent weeks, many right-thinking South Africans have begun to wonder if we as a country may have our priorities wrong. Thousands march about the president's penis, but child rape and lack of jobs and education seem to cause little more than a ripple on our radars. And now the SABC has decided that it should pull ads
off its own bat, and has disallowed a Nando's ad, it seems, on the basis that it promotes xenophobia and violence and has bad language. (video)
5 Jun 2012 13:24
[Romy Paull] I couldn't help but be grateful for what the birth of experiential marketing has done for our profession. From a production perspective, there is now global recognition of a specialised multifaceted skillset that allows us to transcend the basic associations of toolkits and tape measures.
15 May 2012 09:28
[Edward Fisher] Nando's has always been agile and, as technology enhances the turnarounds on production time, it has become even better at flighting ads in the immediate wake of the people and events that it satirises. But here comes the real rub... (pun unintentional...) Santam, on Tuesday, 24 April 2012, has responded to Nando's parody with its own [video].
24 Apr 2012 14:49[Gail Schimmel] I would agree that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is correct in that it has identified that the government's
Protection of Information Bill ads deal with an issue that is controversial, and that does "broadly" involve an issue of public policy. However, I have to question whether the ASA has carefully read Clause 2.4 of Section I of the
Code of Advertising Practice. [video]
19 Apr 2012 13:09 
Angola
Botswana
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
Uganda
Tanzania
Mauritius
Seychelles
Algeria
Egypt
Morocco
Zambia
