[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
[Quentin Joubert] Marketers around the world are expected to start tapping into the power of location-based services (LBS) over the course of the next year as a means of delivering more targeted and engaging advertising to consumers.
2 Mar 2013 07:00
[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
[Daryn Smith] One of the first seasonal marketing opportunities of the year is Valentine's Day, and as people around the world look into each other's eyes and express their enduring love, astute marketers have a perpetual annual opportunity to generate revenue for their brands.
5 Feb 2013 05:25
[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
[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
[Tyrone Middleton] A majority of businesses have or are considering using Facebook pages to promote their companies. Many of them resort to tactics such as bribery, encouraging users to 'like their page' in order to enter a competition or win a prize. The aim is to either stir up support or grow a larger fan base. All this is often done without the use of a third party application.
29 Jan 2013 16:35
[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
[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
[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
[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
[Declan Hollywood] More than one billion dollars was spent on airline tickets over the internet in South Africa last year. With this growing 24% each year, it is becoming increasingly important for business owners within the travel industry to harness the power of the web to increase their customer bases and their revenues.
29 Sep 2012 08:29
[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
[James Hurford] Most people write badly because they can't think clearly. It follows that if you can think
clearly, you have a chance of writing well. These tips will help you put on paper exactly what you have in mind.
14 Aug 2012 10:51
[Jason Stewart] When it comes to branding in 2012, 'talkability' is currently one of the hottest topics internationally. It's consequently one of the most important questions which a brand custodian should be asking themselves today.
20 Jun 2012 11:04
[Catherine Mavrocoleas] Stretch Experiential's Catherine Mavrocoleas and Mike Silver explore
pop-up stores as an engagement medium in the South African market and provide a guide to effective execution.
11 Jun 2012 06:01
[Sarah Britten] The following case study will demonstrate how ANC used a compelling consumer insight and combined it with innovative execution to drive home the relevance of the brand message.
4 Jun 2012 13:09
[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
[Herman Manson] One year on and
140 BBDO, the agency formerly known as
Net#work BBDO Cape Town, has found that its identity change and internal organisational behaviour shift is paying dividends. Of the three pitches it undertook in 2011, it won the two in which it was the incumbent and then scored one of the biggest accounts in Cape Town when it bagged the third in Metropolitan.
20 Apr 2012 13:10
[Gillian Rightford] Much has been written about the relationship between Michael Jackson and his doctor, Conrad Murray. And haven't we also been wondering whether Whitney Houston's doctor will go under the same microscope? This got me thinking about the sometimes-dysfunctional relationship that exists between marketers and ad agencies.
30 Mar 2012 13:54
[Herman Manson] Young talent from disadvantaged backgrounds, given a hand up and gaining real commercial experience so as to make them attractive in a competitive job market. This is the aim of three old(er) hands in advertising with a new Cape-Town based commercial venture, Old Friends Young Talent (OFyt), that hopes to help transform the ad industry from the bottom up.
22 Mar 2012 10:20
[Herman Manson] Often, when speaking to agency MDs and creative directors from many of the traditional flagships of South African advertising, the name of some specialist below-the-line agency would come up, and the conversation, flowing so easily around the currents of industry gossip but moments before, would grind to a halt. "I've never seen any of their work." And I would go, "But you have..."
20 Mar 2012 12:44
[Mongezi Mtati] To date, there are two brands in particular, Absolut and Nike, which have hit the ground running when it comes to going beyond a social media presence and influencer engagement, making it difficult for challenger brands to catch up and maintain the pace. A third brand, Carling Black Label, did phenomenally last year by focusing less on social media and more on influencers [video].
20 Mar 2012 11:55
[Wayne Naidoo] Significant milestones have been achieved in the past 10 years of working to transform the advertising profession, and these should be celebrated. However, it is agreed that South Africans now understand that transformation is a multidimensional process - getting the 'numbers' right in terms of equity is only but one step.
9 Mar 2012 13:50
[Wikus Engelbrecht] Much to everyone's surprise, at the turn of 2012 the runaway-hit social networking site wasn't Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. it was in fact Pinterest, the latest social media craze that seems to have captured everyone's attention.
28 Feb 2012 17:10
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