BizTakeouts makes its century - 11 Aug 2014[Rod Baker] We started BizTakeouts as an audio version of our online news and it has become such a hit that we decided to celebrate our 100th show with a blast of a party. We also bring you the top 40 South African brands on Mxit on 31 July 2014, and news that in the opening salvo of a David versus Goliath battle, a group of pensioners are suing Times Media Group. In her regular column, Louise Marsland recounts how brands hack life thanks to a big trend that has emerged in the past few years in marketing as brands reach out to their 'real' consumers. Finally, Sid Peimer gives you the five faux pas of strategic planning. read more Motsoeneng: National sports should ‘belong’ to the SABC - 4 Aug 2014[Rod Baker] Commenting on the national broadcaster's loss of the rights to broadcast Bafana games live, COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng is reported to have said, "All sports of national interest must belong to the SABC. We must regulate it, and all sports of national interest must be on the SABC." In the meantime, however, the national broadcaster has lost the rights to live Bafana games. Still on sports, Kaajal Nagindas says that companies sponsoring sports celebrities so that the individual becomes "the face" of the company need to realise that should the celebrity get into the news for all the wrong reasons, your misbehaving brand ambassador can hurt your brand. And finally, if the claims are correct, companies in the near future will be able to test public reaction to advertisements, music and films before they are released by monitoring brain signals. read more It’s a matter of Faith - 28 Jul 2014[Rod Baker] Despite a scathing report on the man by the Public Protector, a court challenge from the DA, and a less than enthusiastic response from mall quarters - including her own party - Communications Minister Faith Muthambi is sticking to her guns regarding her stand on Hlaudi Motsoeneng's permanent appointment to the position of COO of the SABC. Muthambi says she has filed an affidavit opposing the DA court bid to reverse the SABC board's decision to appoint Hlaudi Motsoeneng permanently as chief operations officer. Good news for young women aiming to make their mark in the marketing industry is a new CSI initiative that will empower them. The initiative, Phakama Women's Academy, is a corporate social investment (CSI) programme from VWV. OK, it might seem obvious, but in the opinion of a leading coaching expert, Brad Sugars, the prime reason businesses go under is due to... read more Money, money, money… - 21 Jul 2014[Rod Baker] The SABC has paid about R42m in thank-you bonuses to SABC staffers, writes Thabo Mokone - and the staff apparently still have their annual 13th cheque coming in December as well. Not everyone is pleased with the corporation's cash gift, however. Laurie Sloan discusses the future of communicating in a digital space and reckons mobile technology is significantly changing the way businesses interact with their customers, and to put it simply, engagement is everything. And finally, Danette Breitenbach reports on the arrival of Consumer Science in SA - Mondelez International has opened a new Sensory Laboratory in South Africa - the first in the EEMEA region. read more It’s parly time… Faith to face parliament over SABC COO - 14 Jul 2014[Rod Baker] It seems the SABC instead of reporting, is too often in the news - and usually for all the wrong reasons. The latest is the confirmation of the appointment of Hlaudi Motsoeneng in the position of COO by communications minister Faith Muthambi - and not even her own party seems too pleased. read more Your brand is not your buddy - 7 Jul 2014[Rod Baker] Natalie Jardine reckons that not even on social media can, or should, a brand be a friend. She says that after almost a decade of fighting for this, we're finally at a point where CEOs & CFOs have finally cottoned onto the idea that digital is the way of the future, and your communications and marketing strategies need to take this into account. Good news on the CSI front is that The Street Store, a local pop-up shop for the homeless has gone global - from China to Cape Town, Brussels to Bangladesh, Florida to France, Mexico to Melbourne. It's captured the imagination of people worldwide. 'Aah, yes... read more CliffCentral a clanger? No way - 30 Jun 2014[Rod Baker] Gareth Cliff's "unradio" station CliffCentral has denied it failed on Comedy Central Africa after its agreement was terminated after low viewing figures. read more SA roars at Cannes Lions - 23 Jun 2014[Rod Baker] OK, we've said it before, and we'll say it again... When it comes to creativity, SA is second to none. read more Spotlight on how SA is featuring at Cannes Lions - 17 Jun 2014[Rod Baker] We're bringing you the results from Cannes Lions 2014 as soon as they become available - here, here and here and as usual, South African entries are often proving that in the field of creativity, advertising and marketing, we're right up there with the world's best. We'll be bringing you the results throughout the week. But on a different note, we also have Chris Moerdyk's views on why advertising agencies lose clients, and it usually comes down to... read more Can you use social selling to boost B2B sales? - 9 Jun 2014[Rod Baker] Graeme Wilson takes a look at 'social selling' and asks whether it can be used to increase B2B sales? He says it's no wonder that more and more B2B brands are warming to the idea. read more A tale of two haircuts, media, and racism - 2 Jun 2014[Rod Baker] Ed Herbst takes a look at racism in the media, and a tale of two haircuts, and how the Mandela legacy of reconciliation has been squandered. On the broadband front, Sipho Maseko, Telkom CEO reckons that while debates in the telecoms industry fall into three categories: what is good for consumers, business and for the country, it all comes down to the fact that our survival rests on convergence. YouTube's first-ever video upload was of Jawed Karim (the site's co-founder) looking a little awkward during a trip to the zoo. Since then, we've seen a great deal more and Mike Silver now looks at commercialising the YouTube experience while Louise Marsland reckons brands, well... read more Winning an AdReview award reflects business success - 26 May 2014[Rod Baker] In a follow-up to the AdReview Awards featured on Bizcommunity last week, Danette Breitenbach chatted to some of the winners to find out how winning an AdReview award reflects the success of their business. Harry Herber suggests we buckle up for the media ride of our life. Why? Because he says the next TV tsunami is on its way. read more Competing for the future, the Marketing Indaba, and why trends matter - 19 May 2014[Rod Baker] Wayne Bishop was recently asked to do a talk at the University of Johannesburg entitled "What does the Future Ad Agency look like?". read more The media: how powerful, exactly? - 12 May 2014[Rod Baker] Almost on a daily basis, the media expose or report on yet another instance of corruption or police brutality and, as Anton Harber wrote last week on Bizcommunity.com, "Now the media is uninhibited in exposing government corruption and security force brutality. read more Twitter targets SA, ANC brands school buses - 5 May 2014[Rod Baker] Some may reckon the SA economy is now second to Nigeria's, but in terms of advertising, Twitter reckons South Africa leads the pack. On the media front, while Sanef reckons the so-called secrecy bill will harm media freedom, the ANC has caused a row by branding two sponsored school buses in its own colours. Anton Harber says that our freedom has been hard won and we have a robust media, but do we have the will to defend our freedom? Finally, James White shows you how to navigate the new PR landscape. As he says, business is changing. read more |
