Get the push vs pull marketing balance right

[Vanessa Clark] In Hugh Lofting's Doctor Doolittle books, the Pushmi-pullyu is a rare animal from Africa with two heads, half gazelle and half unicorn. When it tries to move, it gets pulled in two different directions. It wouldn't be surprising if many marketers feel like this at the moment, trying to navigate the rapidly changing digital marketing world, and getting the balance right between push and pull marketing. 16 Feb 2012 08:34

Africa sprints ahead with mobile banking

[Vanessa Clark] With all the right ingredients for a successful banking on-the-go eco-system to develop, Africa is the leading the way in mobile banking. 13 Feb 2012 11:17

The power of belief and expectation

[John Boe] While you may not always get what you want, you will always get what you expect! Surprisingly, the power of belief and expectation work just as effectively on your feelings of self-doubt and limitation as they do on your thoughts of success and achievement. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you are bound to be discouraged. Belief is an incredibly powerful state of mind. 13 Feb 2012 10:53

Media goof sparks debate on responsible reporting

[Carole Kimutai] A goof by one of Kenya's leading media houses - the Nation Media Group (NMG) has sparked a mega debate on responsible reporting and how journalists are using social media to break news. 8 Feb 2012 10:26

Recruit your way to the top!

[John Boe] Essentially a sales manager's primary responsibility is to recruit, train and motivate his or her sales force to achieve peak performance. Of these three vitally important tasks, recruiting is the least understood and by far the most challenging. 6 Feb 2012 09:48

Sit up straight and pay attention!

[John Boe] Several years ago, I read a fascinating article about a body language experiment that was conducted by a group of marketing students attending a major university. The experiment was designed to measure the impact, if any, of non-verbal communications on the learning process. They gathered a group of 100 student volunteers who agreed to participate in the experiment. 30 Jan 2012 09:23

Six ways to boost your career in 2012

[Donna Rachelson] Instead of trying to keep vague work-related New Year's resolutions ("I'm going to improve my career skills; find a better work/life balance or make more of an impact in my team"), focus on specific areas where you can implement sustainable changes in your work life in 2012. 26 Jan 2012 12:45

BBA 7 brings double housemates

[Gregory Gondwe: @Kalipochi] Multichoice Malawi announced on 24 January 2012 that the Big Brother Africa housemates of Season 7, will go in the house in pairs, where they will choose whether to pair with spouses, friends or family. 25 Jan 2012 13:24

[2012 trends] Five African digital trends for 2012

[Dawn Rowlands] Africa is a mobile-first digital environment with 55% of the continent's 1 billion people having mobile phones. In South Africa mobile internet penetration is 70%, whilst desktop internet penetration sits at only at 11%, whereas in Nigeria mobile and desktop penetration are both over 20%. 24 Jan 2012 12:27

ICC confirms charges against Joshua Sang

[Carole Kimutai] The International Criminal Court (ICC) has today confirmed charges against radio broadcast journalist Joshua Arap Sang and three other Kenyans. 23 Jan 2012 14:37

Are you a team player?

[John Boe] Have you noticed that when a sports team wins a championship game, both the players and the coaches talk in terms of a "team victory" and appear to truly enjoy sharing the accomplishment? While on the other hand, teams who are going through a losing streak tend to make excuses and point fingers. 23 Jan 2012 09:32

[2012 trends] Media trends in Africa for 2012

[Oresti Patricios] The continent's future is tied to its media. Free open media promises much for flourishing democracies and economic growth, but authoritarian states will struggle to let go of controls. 19 Jan 2012 14:27

The art of motivating salespeople

[John Boe] When the tide comes in, all the boats in the harbor go up! The long-term benefit of an incentive program is to coax your sales force out of their production comfort zone. Once a salesperson stretches to a new level of personal production, their self-confidence and expectations skyrocket. 16 Jan 2012 12:31

Someone is watching Kenya's media

[Carole Kimutai] In the last four months, Jackal News has broken all barriers and become the source of news and gossip on the happenings in the Kenyan media space. Carole Kimutai caught up with Bogonko Bosire, who says he owns news and gossip, asked him about media in Kenya and China investing in media. 16 Jan 2012 11:47

How mobile marketing failed in 2011

[Vanessa Clark] Mobile marketing failures in 2011 were arguably less about campaigns going horribly wrong, and more about missed opportunity, too little integration of mobile into overall marketing tactics, and the need to be much more strategic about using mobile marketing. 10 Jan 2012 14:11

UK firm to boost climate change coverage in EA

[Walter Wafula] WRENmedia, a United Kingdom-based a specialist communications company is set to sharpen reporting skills of journalists covering climate change issues in Eastern Africa, according to Susanna Thorp, director of the firm. 3 Jan 2012 09:07

Is mobile marketing overhyped?

[Vanessa Clark] Mobile, schmobile. Mobile marketing's just another buzzword thrown around by your agency, marketing department or publications like this one. Rather than being the next evolution in marketing, it's just a distraction from getting the basics right, and another way for your agency to charge you more. 15 Dec 2011 08:26

Bare naked brand names

[Naseem Javed] Last century business names were colourfully dressed with uniquely stylized lettering, colourful logos, slogans and contextual support. This century, such 'stylized dependency' has been pushed over the cliff by neo-socio-mobile-media-lingo. They're stripped and typed in black and white text as soundbite-sized 'bare naked words', blending into chat lines alongside abbreviations and numbing-mumbo-jumbo. 14 Dec 2011 11:16

Multichannel strategy shows major operational benefits

[John Ginsberg] Most companies run their marketing functions in a fragmented manner that is completely out of step with the reality of a multichannel world. They need to treat integration of marketing functions and data across channels as an urgent priority if they are to drive the maximum benefit from their marketing investments. 13 Dec 2011 09:51

Don't stop chasing your dream!

[John Boe] In the mid 1970s, a man named Sylvester had a dream of one day becoming a movie actor, but couldn't find a talent agency in New York City willing to take a chance on him. After being turned down by hundreds of agencies, he was so broke that he couldn't afford to pay the heating bill in his apartment. It got to the point where he couldn't even buy food for his dog and was forced to sell him to a stranger for $25. 12 Dec 2011 10:36

CPJ report: 52 journalists jailed in Africa

[Theresa Mallinson] There are currently 52 journalists imprisoned in Africa, in nine countries. More than half the jailed journalists are held in that scourge of media freedom - Eritrea. The most disturbing news to come out of CPJ's recent report on journalists behind bars, is that the trend of imprisoning journalists - often on trumped-up charges - has seen a sharp increase over the last decade. 12 Dec 2011 10:05

Africa = 'social' and 'media' and 'revolution'

[Rick de Kock] In the space of barely a year, our continent has injected a unique African meaning into the phrase "social media revolution". Only in Africa has tangible meaning been attached to each of those words in such dramatic ways. 8 Dec 2011 08:32

What techies are doing with social and what that means for marketers

[Mongezi Mtati] JOHANNESBURG/LONDON: Just when you think you know where social media and its influencers are going, it all changes again. I recently attended two conferences, one in South Africa and the other in the UK, to see just what technologists are working on and where investors are looking. 5 Dec 2011 11:19

Engage your prospect's learning style

[John Boe] The successful outcome of your next sales presentation will be determined largely by your ability to do two things very well; develop rapport with your prospect and adapt your sales message to engage his or her preferred "learning style." 5 Dec 2011 09:50

My wishes for the mobile industry in 2012

[Michael de Souza] The mobile ad industry is maturing fast. In 2011, just about all players posted healthy growth, building up impressive case studies in partnership with brands who've taken advantage of the mobile opportunity. Revenues are up too, thanks to sustained effort, solid work, and rapid consumer adoption of mobile channels. 29 Nov 2011 15:22

Be Prepared!

[John Boe] It's been said that salespeople don't plan to fail, they simple fail to plan! How much time do you currently spend preparing for your client appointments? If you're honest with yourself, the answer is probably not enough. In my opinion, the single most common characteristic shared among all successful salespeople is the value they place on pre-appointment preparation, research, and planning. 28 Nov 2011 13:42

Removing the barriers to marketing yourself

[Donna Rachelson] Billions of rands are spent on branding and marketing campaigns every year by companies in South Africa wanting to attract new customers and grow market share. Marketing professionals will tell you that the fight for consumers' attention is fierce - ensuring your product or service stands out in a cluttered and competitive market is hard work. 25 Nov 2011 13:09

LG among top 100 global innovators

[Carole Kimutai] LG Electronics has been listed as a Thomson Reuters 2011 Top 100 Global Innovator, being recognised for its achievements as one of the world's most innovative companies. 24 Nov 2011 15:03

Journos threatened at Mutharika's 'press rally'

[Gregory Gondwe: @Kalipochi] For the umpteenth time, Malawian journalists on 21 November 2011 had to suffer hostility that was full of scorn and intimidation from ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cohorts in the presence of leader and state president Bingu wa Mutharika, who was returned from a ten day holiday in Hong-Kong at the Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe. 24 Nov 2011 14:44

Nakumatt Holdings ranked among global Top 50 family businesses

[Carole Kimutai] Kenyan based retail outlet, Nakumatt Holdings has landed a spot in the Campden FB World's Top 50 fastest growing family businesses. The global research listing by Campden FB in conjunction with Ernst & Young places Nakumatt at the top spot in the African family businesses with South Africa's Pick n Pay closing in at position 41 in the rankings. 23 Nov 2011 13:57