Advertising South Africa

From fake (April Fools’) news to fake followers - 3 Apr 2017

By Leigh Andrews

From fake (April Fools’) news to fake followers - Mon, 03 Apr 2017It was a difficult week for many, so the few April Fools' Day headlines this past weekend lightened the mood with a few chuckles. Not to worry if you missed them as I conducted a quick roundup.

I also brought our #BrandManagerMonth coverage to a close by exploring the need for everyone to welcome ‘the elephant in the room', based on insights from HumanEdge's recent Crucial Conversations course. Click through to find out why it's important to tackle taboo or tricky topics in all aspects of life rather than sweeping them under the rug, from your home to your office.

Someone who doesn't have a problem with this is Aileen Lamb, new MD of New Media. Jessica Tennant caught up with her for a quick chat on what Lamb's most looking forward to from her ‘dream role' as she takes the reins at such an exciting time in media.

Hadlee Simons also keeps things interesting by investigating the massive problem of fake social media followers, based on the example of two local writers who ran a dummy Instagram account and bought fake followers in the process to highlight just how easy it is to do so.

Lots to read and learn from - have a good week and keep your eyes peeled!

< Back 

Leigh Andrews

Leigh Andrews

Andrews was on the inaugural Marketer of the Year (MOTY) jury for the 2019 Marketing Achievement Awards (MAA) as well as an #Inspiring50 2018 nominee herself, and judged over 500 entries for the most recent Epica Awards - the only creative prize awarded by journalists working for marketing and communications magazines around the world. She's also serving on the IAB (SA)'s #Bookmarks2020 Publisher panel.

Responsible for keeping a finger on the pulse of the latest happenings in the marketing and media industry, this is an almost 24/7 role that involves keeping one eye on your inbox with the other on your social media feed, to write breaking news stories and interviewing key people in the B2B space.

All made easier by 13 years of working for companies such as Microsoft, Kagiso Media, Fleet Street Publications, the Mail & Guardian Online, Caxton Community Newspapers and Newsclip's media, marketing and PR publications.

Let's do Biz