Creativity in a nutshell – make mine an emoticon - 19 Oct 2015[Leigh Andrews] We're celebrating a raft of senior editorial appointments at Bizcommunity.com - girls run the world! Then, kicking off with some agency insights, I chatted exclusively to Gil Oved, co-CEO of the Creative Counsel, ranked by AdReview in 2014 as the largest marketing, media and advertising group in South Africa, about the impact of their recent acquisition by Publicis and so much more. Still on creativity, in her latest [TrendTalk] column, Louise Marsland talks us through the emojis of language. This is becoming increasingly important to consider as we become a more visual society focused on expressing ourselves as easily - if not creatively - as possible. read more Turn to white papers for digital marketing wisdom - 12 Oct 2015[Leigh Andrews] Jacques van Wyk writes that interactive print is crucial to direct marketing. This is based on insights gleaned from a white paper released by PwC that shows mobile elements in marketing campaigns are becoming an industry standard, with up to 88% of South Africans now having mobile internet access and mobile accounting for more than 50% of all global e-commerce traffic. Research from other white papers such as Exponential's recent one on audience engagement shows that audience engagement is no longer an intangible, immeasurable aspect of marketing. read more Tips on professionally handling customers - 5 Oct 2015[Leigh Andrews] We start off with an exclusive from Louise Marsland...The Mail & Guardian has appointed seasoned journalist, editor and digital strategist Verashni Pillay as its new Editor-in-Chief. It's hoped that Pilllay will reinvigorate the brand and steer the publication "back to its roots", following a raft of retrenchments, recent cutbacks and falling circulation. read more Innovation, engagement and tech-enabled inventions - 28 Sep 2015[Leigh Andrews] Louise Marsland writes about some of her favourite new inventions in today's digital-enabled time in her latest [TrendTalk] column. One of these is the Wize Mirror, which can diagnose what's wrong with your body through facial analysis. read more Spring into the Equinox by testing out the new Bizcommunity interface - 21 Sep 2015[Leigh Andrews] Exciting news: We have a new navigational interface as of today, designed to enhance Bizcommunity's unique brand offerings. There's a full list of new features for you to test drive, get cracking! Danette Breitenbach kicks things off with feedback on last week's Biz Trends Imbizo, which featured trend talks a la TEDx style from leaders in the advertising, branding and marketing communication industry. read more Unlocking your true business potential through audience insights and innovation - 14 Sep 2015[Leigh Andrews] It's always interesting to find out just what your readers really think of your publication. If the feedback shared in the first session of last week's Media24 Lifestyle summit is anything to go by, the publisher is hitting the mark on every level for its target audience. In sticking with what makes our audience smile, we looked at how Halo has added some feel-good humour to what's typically seen as a grudge purchase in their latest ad for insurer King Price, which aired during Carte Blanche last night. Douglas Kruger also shares six reasons why it's critical to innovate in your business in the second installation of his 'Relentlessly Relevant' series. read more Innovation 2015: Thinking far outside the (bunny chow) box - 7 Sep 2015[Leigh Andrews] We kick off this week with the first in Douglas Kruger's 'Relentlessly Relevant' series, with a look at lessons on innovation from a Soweto street vendor who tosses your bunny chow takeaway onto the highway - we can all learn from this example of true business innovation. Adiv Maimon shares this innovation-first mindset by explaining why custom solutions work, especially in the digital marketing industry where it's tempting to use a one-size-fits-all template. Lastly, we dive over the Digital Edge with key insights into the importance of digital with Dr Michael Wu, the man behind the Facebook Engagement Index (FEI) and Community Health Index (CHI) and one of this year's most anticipated speakers on the Digital Edge speaker line-up - taking place on Wednesday, 9 September at the Sandton Convention Centre. All inspired reading that should get some innovative business ideas sparking... read more The good and bad side of digital - 31 Aug 2015[Leigh Andrews] The Nedbank Digital Edge speaker lineup is an impressive one this year. Leigh Andrews spoke to Lucia Maseko, John Gevisser and Glenn Gillis to find out what they're looking forward to the most. read more Digital marketing in the spotlight - 24 Aug 2015[Leigh Andrews] Today sees the start of our Special Focus on Digital Marketing. Curated by Louise Marsland, it features exclusive interviews with the trendsetters in this field and pinpoints the fact that digital is more than just another channel, it's the new marketing way, with digital intelligence the new business currency. Sticking with our focus on all things digital, Danette Breitenbach quotes Hando Sinisalu, co-author of The Storybook 2, The Best of Global Digital Marketing on the fact that while awards are all about creativity, clients are paying for results. read more All about the Loeries... - 17 Aug 2015[Leigh Andrews] The Loeries Awards 2015 took place this past weekend, and with it brought the parties, the fashion, the creativity and more. Everything you need to know exactly what happened throughout Loeries Creative Week Durban, can be found in our dedicated Loeries Special Section. Be sure to view all Saturday & Sunday night winners, the galleries, video interviews and more. Bizcommunity was at the event, and Leigh Andrews comments on the how the new service design category serves as a wake-up call for any brand. read more No space for glass ceilings in this industry! - 11 Aug 2015[Leigh Andrews] A strong message from last week's [IMC 2015] speakers - male and female alike - was to not self-impose a glass ceiling, especially not on your integrated marketing creativity. I also got some insight into how to get started with an effective integrated marketing strategy, all from the likes of top inspirations like Alistair King, Paula Raubenheimer, Melissa Attree and Lynette Gordon. Then, if it's marketing to millennials you're looking for advice on, it helps to remember that they're 'self-centred', so you'll do well sticking to selfies, hashtags and retweets when your brand looks to appeal to this target market, writes Michele Warbreck. read more Cracking the advertising budget - 3 Aug 2015[Leigh Andrews] News making the rounds on Biz today - Chris Brewer lets us in on the secrets behind the advertising budget. He says a good advertising campaign will produce good results - even when the advertising budget is theoretically insufficient. In our weekly Loeries spot, Leigh Andrews spoke to Banzi Kasana, the 2014 recipient of the Loeries Creative Future Scholarship, to find out how the programme has changed his life. Where should you place your advertisement for media efficiency? That's the question Mercedes Westbrook gets to the bottom of, and says that your audience model needs to change in this day and age. Don't forget about the upcoming webinar presented by Meltwater Africa in association with Gumtree and Bizcommunity on how to successfully influence brand reputation in today's hyper-connected world. read more Looking to the future with customer insights… - 27 Jul 2015[Leigh Andrews] Content marketing remains in the spotlight this week, with the conclusion of our Special Focus on Content Marketing. Click through to the special section for a reminder of Louise Marsland's interviews with a number of trendsetters in the field and look out for our PDF compilation later this week. read more Content marketing goes under the probe… - 20 Jul 2015[Leigh Andrews] Today sees the start of our two-week Special Focus on Content Marketing. Louise Marsland has compiled a number of interviews with the trendsetters in this field, with new content released each day as we close out the month. read more Expectations ahead of next week’s Apex Awards and next month’s Loeries - 13 Jul 2015[Leigh Andrews] With a week to go until the 20th Apex Awards gala ceremony, we kick off this week's original content by investigating just how peak praise resonates with ACA Apex Award wins, and how exactly they champion greater accountability by rewarding communication campaigns that work, sell and resonate in the minds of their target audiences, thus delivering results. Still wearing our investigative journalism hats, Louise Marsland takes a deep dive into why you shouldn't 'skewer your clients' with #AskTwitter, especially given the social network's mob mentality. Then, for some global perspective, Ann Nurock chats to Joanina Pastoll, about SA advertising's competitive edge, based on her recent spate of international advertising award judging. Lastly, with the 2015 Loerie Awards just a month away, we look into an area of award shows that often receives criticism - the judging. read more |
