Censored! - 17 Dec 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] We know it's the time of goodwill to all etc, but it's difficult not feeling somewhat aggrieved at the SABC's antics regarding Jacob Zuma being booed at the Madiba memorial service. Many, if not most, of us agree that the booing was not appropriate on such an occasion, but for the SABC to censor what is a major story of the year doesn't help. As Ed Herbst writes, the national broadcaster has a duty to provide the news - good and bad - since we are all forced to pay it licence fees - whether or not we ever watch it. read more Will POPI become a dirty word for marketers? - 9 Dec 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] Steve Ferguson says that the Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013 (POPI) was signed into law in November. read more Just because you're on holiday doesn't mean your target market is - 2 Dec 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] OK, so it's the end of the year and you're basking in the sun ... or whatever rocks your boat ... read more SABC: Clouds over Hlaudi - 25 Nov 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] It was only a matter of time before the SABC was back in the news instead of reporting it... which more than one commentator reckons they do badly. read more Lights… Camera… Action… Biz Takeouts at Bookmarks 2013 - 18 Nov 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] Warren Harding, of Biz Takeouts fame, was at The Bookmarks 2013, video camera at the ready, to waylay the unwary and get their views on the awards. Watch the video, enjoy the video... read more Now, about those awards for creativity… - 11 Nov 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] As Mike Silver says, we've all been there... The shortlists are announced, the chatter begins and the creative industry suddenly forgets to eat, sleep or Instagram their latest sunset. read more Second time lucky for TopTV? - 4 Nov 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] TopTV has struggled to make headway against MultiChoice's DStv service, even looking to porn as a means to gain market share. Now however, the channel is to relaunch as StarSat with what looks like an ambitious target - to grow its existing base of 100,000 homes by 700,000 a year. It's been in existence for a little while now, and has barely penetrated the market... read more Nothing works like saying 'sorry' - 28 Oct 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] MetropolitanRepublic has apologised to Loeries, and to the SA marketing industry, over their Loeries awards-win debacle, which is good because the value of a genuine "Sorry, we boobed" is often underestimated. On the career front, Juliette Attwell takes a look at job-hopping and a psychometrist's career options. Ok, we all know the festive season is not that far off, so we take a thoroughly turkey leg-in-cheek look at that Harrods hamper and ask: who's the turkey, then? Our ever-popular Biz Takeouts Podcast continues to draw listeners, and this week we look at socially responsible marketing with [dot]Good, as well as the upcoming charity event, Rockin for Room 13 and find out more about the event and the charity Room 13. read more Some inconvenient truths… - 21 Oct 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] The Big Debate, just canned by our friends at Awkward Park, sounds like just the sort of show that should not be canned - billed as it is/was to give a voice to the voiceless and put the odd minister or two on the spot over service delivery, corruption, wasteful spending and so on. Benedicta Dube takes a look at the Big Debate drama, and says it was not long before the inconvenient truths became too inconvenient to the powers-that-be, and The Big Debate got canned. As so often happens, however, the reason given for the canning are... read more SABC: the party’s mouthpiece? - 14 Oct 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] Veteran SABC reporter Ed Herbst, in the second part of his essay on the SABC and its editorial independence, takes a look at how he reckons the ANC has tightened its grip on the SABC. Still on the subject of the national broadcaster, it appears former communications minister Dina Pule signed off on the SABC/MultiChoice deal that it is alleged will apparently see the SABC selling off its broadcasting assets. On the digital front, Danette Breitenbach reports on whether the DMMA may become an IAB Chapter. In the second in a two-part series on insights, Sid Peimer looks at the issue of briefs with insights and suggests it's not what you think. [Biz Takeouts Podcast] 73 looks at a "shoppable magazine" with Spree.co.za, and Ann Druce tells you why podcasts don't belong in content marketing plans. Rod Baker, Content Director (@Bizcommunity, @Biz_Marketing) PS Take a look at the latest ads in the Ornico ad showcase. read more SA’s top brands on Mxit - 7 Oct 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] The latest Mxit Brand Index has been released, revealing the top South African brands on Mxit on 30 September 2013, and Alan Knott-Craig‚ Cell C's chief executive‚ has something to say about Icasa's mobile termination rates announcement which should see, thank goodness, a much lower mobile termination rate (MTR) to 10c by 2016. Ness Garcia gives us the five main reasons why businesses use blogs to market online, while Paul Divall makes the case for why managing media assets is critical in digital broadcasting. Chemory Gunko takes a look at brand building for the internet and makes the point that brand building for the internet is about... well, you'll just have to read the article. All is revealed: the DA has admitted that it put up the Gauteng billboards with the message "E-tolls. read more Taking offence - 30 Sep 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] We all remember the Flora margarine advert and fallout that ensued, which is why Justin McCarthy tells us what an advert for a tub of margarine can teach us about the dangers of narrow self-interest. Next stop... e.tv? Possibly not, but Bizcom's Warren Harding dusted off the old suit and hit the Red Carpet at the 35th annual Loerie Awards to bring us Loeries 2013: The Biz Takeouts video. Moneyweb vs Media24 will be a precedent-setting case in the context of South African media law. read more What else, but The Loeries? - 23 Sep 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] The Loeries Awards weekend has just ended and we were there. Now you can be there as well with our extensive coverage... read more Have banner ads reached their sell-by date? - 16 Sep 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] That's what Matthew Arnold is asking. He says, while the web has developed, banner ads have not kept up. On The Loeries front, in today's Creativity Q&A, Sarah Britten chats to Jason Little, who's here for The Loeries from Sydney. You want to use Twitter and tweets to boost your business? If that's the case, make sure your tweets don't end up as twacks-ups. Diane Charton takes a look at the central role consumers take in brand stories and Desere Orrill reckons it's time for that text talk. And to end... read more When good news… possibly ain’t - 9 Sep 2013[Rod Baker, Content Director] If people like the SABC's Hlaudi Motsoeneng have their way, 70% of SABC news stories will be "positive". Do we really want to be fed news that has been selected on a "feel-good" basis? There are probably people who would be happy with that... read more |
