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[Herman Manson] Kulula.com supposedly said something nasty about Joseph 'Sepp' Blatter and it made the front page of The Mercury. And the Cape Times. It ran in The Star. Then SAPA picked it up and it was everywhere - News24, The Sowetan, East Coast Radio. Only the comments in question were not made by the tweeps over at @kulula, which originally broke the news on Twitter that FIFA has demanded it drop its tongue in cheek ‘Unofficial National Carrier of the ‘You Know What' campaign. It was I, Mr Blatter. 19 Mar 2010 12:38
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[Walter Wafula] Google, through its Ugandan subsidiary, will next week train local business and information technology journalists to sharpen their reporting skills by utilising its products and services. 19 Mar 2010 10:41
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Newly-licensed pay TV broadcaster On Digital Media (to trade as TopTV) is ready to enter the market and launching in May 2010, offering 55 channels - for now - at a subscription fee ranging between R99 and R249, CEO Vino Govender announced this morning, Thursday 18 March, in Johannesburg. “We intend to make pay TV accessible for all and as a right and a necessity for all South Africans, not only for the wealthy,” Govender told journalists at the company's offices in Woodmead. 18 Mar 2010 13:06
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[Dr Nikolaus Eberl] When Jeremy Maggs interviewed International Marketing Council (IMC) chair Anitha Soni earlier this week as to just how much damage the recent service delivery protests have caused to South Africa's brand image, in view of the impending 2010 FIFA World Cup, deja vu of previous world cup hosts kept flashing before my eyes - it appears that the months running up to the big event tend to be beset by problems and challenges alike, ever since the 1990 World Cup held in Italy. 18 Mar 2010 12:00
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[Duncan McLeod] The authority in charge of administering South Africa's country-code top-level domain is likely to introduce three new second-level domains below the .za in local Internet addresses. The proposed “second-level domains” are .mobi.za, .fam.za and .shop.za. 17 Mar 2010 12:23
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The latest revelation that Africa has less than 1 million country domain websites is a sign that the continent still favours priorities such as poverty eradication, land redistribution, basic health care, clean water and education, among others, ahead of developing its technological capacities. Vika Mpisane, GM of .ZADNA, made the revelation during the presentation of .za market research survey yesterday, Tuesday, 16 March 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg. 17 Mar 2010 10:19
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[Chris Moerdyk] South Africa's new national sport - "Jobs for Pals" - has taken a new turn with allegations that government departments are stealing marketing ideas and passing them on to friends. 16 Mar 2010 11:56
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Former Business Day managing editor Lisa MacLeod is flying the South African flag high in the UK, having recently been promoted to the post of managing editor at Financial Times (FT) after joining the London-based newspaper in 2003. In an interview with Bizcommunity.com this week, MacLeod speaks about UK's technophobia, its conservative newsrooms and some of the pressures facing SA newspapers. 16 Mar 2010 11:28
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[Gillian Rightford] Hey, so I know we all talk about how important the consumer is in the business of creating advertising. But if you are an advertising/communication practitioners, have you taken the time to study this legislation, the new Consumer Protection Act, which goes live in April 2010? 16 Mar 2010 11:23
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[Walter Wafula] Regulators of Africa's information and communication technology sectors have been advised to cut back the high fees charged on operation licenses to boost the penetration of internet communication on the continent. 16 Mar 2010 11:07
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[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's state-owned newspapers performed dismally last year despite enjoying a virtual monopoly on the daily news market, recording an operational loss of US$329 000 during the year to 31 December 2009. 16 Mar 2010 10:46
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[Dr Nikolaus Eberl] When the International Travel Bourse (ITB) held in Berlin declared the 2010 edition closed on Sunday, 14 March 2010, the unanimous conclusion was that last year's downcast industry mood of recession has been replaced with buoyant hopes of a sooner-than-expected recovery, as 187 countries, including South Africa, vie with one another to lure European visitors to their parts of the world. 15 Mar 2010 13:20
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[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed fast food giant, Innscor Africa, is to spend a substantial sum on re-launching its popular fast food brands. These include Creamy Inn, Chicken Inn, Nandos, Pizza Inn and Bakers Inn. The group also runs the Steers franchise in Zimbabwe. 15 Mar 2010 10:49
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[Herman Manson] Loeries 2010: The biggest event of the year. The campaign theme for this years' annual Loeries event, announced today, Monday, 15 March 2010, by CEO Andrew Human, is of course a tongue-in-cheek, if rather dry, reference to that 'other' biggest event of the year. Before those FIFA lawyers get their knickers in a knot again - Kulula-style - no part of the campaign actually ever mentions the FIFA World Cup or shows a football. It's called having a sense of humour. [poll] 15 Mar 2010 10:00
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[Walter Wafula] Ugandans who wish to be successful have been encouraged to identify their strong attributes and exploit them to be more competitive in the fast growing economy. 15 Mar 2010 09:31
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] It was a case of giving a voice without having a voice. That is how working journalists in South Africa were described in the past, but that is about to change as the Professional Journalists' Association (ProJourn) has officially launched. 15 Mar 2010 06:15
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] “There are 12 million (10? 11?) mobile Internet users in South Africa.” “Marketers must roll their sleeves to start targeting 40 million SIM card users or ‘lose out'.” “Mobile marketing is the way to go.” “Mobile marketing is getting bigger because mobile Internet has overtaken PC Internet.” These statements, among others, have become like boring music in marketers' ears. But is it really working? How effective is mobile marketing? 12 Mar 2010 12:23
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The FIFA World Cup trophy is set to arrive in South Africa in early May to begin a national journey as the end of its worldwide tour, which comprises 86 countries and 130 000km, draws near. 12 Mar 2010 11:23
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[Chris Moerdyk] A growing number of media owners in South Africa are finding that their regular advertisers are holding back on placing ads during June and July 2010 when the FIFA World Cup is on, and they're at a loss to understand why. I must admit it is mystifying. 11 Mar 2010 12:09
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[Duncan McLeod] Television in SA is on the verge of its biggest changes since its introduction in 1976. Two new pay-TV operators will finally launch soon to take on DStv, and the move to digital terrestrial television will change the competitive dynamics of the industry forever. 10 Mar 2010 12:42
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The great mistake of today's business environment is to believe that digital can fulfil the role of marketing. It will not, Miles Young, global CEO of Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide, said yesterday, Tursday, 9 March 2010, in Johannesburg. 10 Mar 2010 11:09
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The SABC board is upset and disappointed by what it calls annihilating and baseless accusations made by the president of trade union BEMAWU regarding Clare O'Neil, a board member who has recently been asked to provide "extended oversight" on all of the corporation's sales and marketing activities. 10 Mar 2010 10:00
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[Ann Druce] Networking has become a buzz word, but it's hardly a new way to market your business. Of course, the fact that it has been around for generations underscores that it does have merit. The only real change is the way in which networking has been formalised. 9 Mar 2010 12:47
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[Dr Nikolaus Eberl] When the Olympic flame was extinguished in the cauldron and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games were officially declared closed by IOC President Jacques Rogge, commentators were unanimous in declaring the hosting nation the biggest winner. 9 Mar 2010 11:52
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Will Clare O'Neil get paid like a ‘nine-to-five employee' for providing extended oversight? Is this a well-calculated tactic to give her a full-time, well-paid job? Is she going to sit in the office all day to provide these services effectively? What do 'extended oversight' and ‘secondment' really mean? These are, among others, some ‘do or die' questions the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers' Union (BEMAWU) wants the SABC to answer. 9 Mar 2010 11:18
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[Issa Sikiti da Silva] While the growth in number of websites officially registered worldwide is a tangible proof that the Internet is cruising ahead, it has been established that more problems and challenges are likely to emerge, whether in terms of safety, fraud, ‘squatting', logistics or disputes. 9 Mar 2010 05:44
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[Herman Manson] "Here's to the crazy ones... who had the balls to copy one of the greatest commercials ever made." The Bizcommunity.com peanut gallery was un-amused when Ornico recently picked a DStv promo, titled 'The Dreamers', as an 'Ad of the Week' in its ad showcase on Biz. The promo in question reminds one strongly of a rather iconic ad made by Apple for its successful 'Think Different' campaign in the late 1990s. 8 Mar 2010 13:23
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[Dumisani Ndlela] Clothing retail giants are finding that the battle for the cash market is turning tougher due to a proliferation of informal retail shops stocking cheap but quality merchandise from abroad. 8 Mar 2010 11:51
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[Chris Moerdyk] Toyota's recall programme seems to have escalated into a full-scale turf war between the Far East and the US. This is the only conclusion many automobile industry marketers can come to since, if one looks at historical precedent, this entire issue should have blown over weeks ago. 8 Mar 2010 11:11
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