How important is SEM? - 29 Sep 2014[Rod Baker] Content, online presence and SEO are all vitally important for your business. In this month's DigiChat with Andrea: Search engine marketing, we find out from SEO specialists which search engine marketing initiative is best, organic or paid? Nowadays, customers are skeptical of traditional marketing tactics, they only see a gimmick. read more Till the next Loeries! - 22 Sep 2014[Rod Baker] Creative Week Cape Town has come to an end, with the final Loerie awards ceremony taking place last night at the CTICC. A total of 256 awards were handed out over the course of the weekend, four of which being the prestigious Grands Prix awards handed out to Grid Worldwide Branding; One Kingdom Creative Studio; FCB South Africa and Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg. Congratulations to all the winners and those nominated for awards. read more Let the creativity begin... - 15 Sep 2014[Rod Baker] Today marks the beginning of Loeries Creativity Week Cape Town, and judging has begun to reveal the finalists up for awards at the ceremony this weekend. The week is filled with events with the Loeries Exhibition, a creative sponsorship workshop, the DStv Seminar of Creativity followed by the awards ceremony and some hip and happening parties at Fiction, Shimmy Beach Club and more. The Loeries also organise the Creative Future Scholarship, giving students from disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to study at a top institution. The recipient of the scholarship will be announced during the awards. Meanwhile in today's newsletter, Louise Marsland looks at the meme that took a bite out of Apple, specifically #ScarfGuy. read more And the next speaker needs no introduction… - 8 Sep 2014[Rod Baker] Standing up in front of a crowded room is something some people equate with having a tooth pulled - without anaesthesia - but it's a fear that can be beaten. However, it's not just a matter of what you say, but how you say it, what your body language tells your audience and how you're dressed. Here James Hurford asks... read more The busy receptionist and the most amazing pitch in history - 1 Sep 2014[Rod Baker] There are many ways to pitch for a new account. Here's one that involved making the prospective client aware of some painful home truths as Sid Peimer describes what he calls the most amazing pitch in history. read more Print media and bundles of figures… - 25 Aug 2014[Rod Baker] Publishers of newspapers and magazines have been bleeding, and are taking desperate measures to cling onto their share of a shrinking market. The problem, however, is that the strategies they are deploying might not meet with the universal approval of advertisers. read more Intrigue and backstabbing in the newsroom - 18 Aug 2014[Rod Baker] Anton Harber tells a tale in three chapters of behind-the-scenes newsroom intrigue and backstabbing. read more 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 |
