MARKETING & MEDIA Standard Bank 'moving forward', launches staff social network[Simone Puterman] Standard Bank is no longer "Inspired. Motivated. Involved" but "Moving Forward" with its first integrated global and in-country advertising campaign to support the group's growth in emerging markets, it announced yesterday afternoon, Thursday, 16 July 2009. The bank has also developed an internal social network site, BlueConnection, to enables employees worldwide to connect with each other using features common to Twitter and Facebook. [multimedia] | |
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT Indulge your Vice[Ruth Cooper] Vice magazine is a free international subversive pop culture magazine which will be hitting shelves in SA in no time if not already. To celebrate this they threw their SA launch at the Assembly this past Friday with the help of an eclectic mix of bands including, Inge Beckman, Ree - Burth, Ashtray Electric and UK band the New Young Pony Club DJ set. | |
Kopano Lentsokoane commented on YFM searching for white DJI agree with you miss tell it like it is,if they said a gay or lesbisn dj people would have still complained I just don't understand why do we always have to complain about stupid things,Iam a big YFM listener and think that its a very good move they have made,it shows that they are not scared of change unlike other radio stations. | |
MARKETING & MEDIA CNN strengthens brand equity amid recession[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As the global recession continues to inflict incalculable damage to media businesses around the world, Cable News Network (CNN) says that it is coping well so far and remains optimistic and committed to keeping its product ahead of the game, bearing in mind that content is always king. Rani R Raad, CNN International senior VP in charge of advertising sales in Europe, Middle East and Africa, spoke exclusively to Bizcommunity.com ahead of his arrival tomorrow, Friday, 17 July 2009, in South Africa ahead of the 2009 CNN MultiChoice African Journalist of Year Awards in Durban this weekend. | |
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT Heaven Underground rocks the blues[Sindy Peters] The rainy season's been wreaking havoc all round the Western Cape with a monster cold front causing flash floods in the city centre forcing people to abandon their vehicles and swim for it. Live music venues will be feeling the pinch as party people dare not brave the weather, true fans of Heaven Underground and Southpaw however, did last weekend. They stood front and centre chanting along to the lyrics while some manically swung their heads in circles. | |
Josie Stewart commented onWe, Platform45 are at the forefront of cloud computing and Software as a Service. We help SME's become tech savvy, enabling them to reduce their running costs and survive the current economic storm. Regardless of the economic condition, companies should always be looking for more efficient and cost effective methods for all area's of their business. Thanks for a great article, slowly people will realise that they need to embrace technology and allow it to benefit their business and personal life. Cheers Josie | |
MARKETING & MEDIA Unprecedented deluge of SABC board nominations expected[Chris Moerdyk] Never before has there been so much interest in the nomination process for a new SABC board amid demands from many sectors to make the process a lot more transparent. | |
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT Ho ho ho and a bottle o' Boswell[Sindy Peters] I've been to many a Boswell Wilkie Circus growing up and when I think circus I picture a huge tent with a ring in the middle, clowns running about, prancing ponies, jugglers, acrobats, more clowns and candy floss. The circus currently running at the Grand West's Big Arena is a whole lot more. Flashy lights, sword fights, mermaids, cannon balls, fire breathing and a little ho ho ho and a bottle o' rum are all part of the show. So if this gets your sea legs tapping, then grab yer matey's and go peer into the depths. | |
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT Nothing plastic about Ashtray Electric[Ruth Cooper] BizLounge met for a chat with Cape Town rockers Ashtray Electric at Cafe Royale in Long Street last Friday. Friday was a busy day for the band which saw them perform live later that day on a Kids TV show and perform that night at the Vice Launch at the Assembly . We managed to catch some time and coffee with the four to discuss dark lyrics, air traffic control and drunken clumsiness amongst much more. | |
Luke Vincent commented on Importance of getting online during the downturnSouth Africa's geographic location creates a barrier to trade with the rest of the world. Its just harder to transfer idea, products, knowledge and services than if we were on Europe, America, or Asia's doorstep. If the whole country had greater access to the internet, that barrier is removed. With the South African entrepreneurism and cheap internet we could quickly be a powerful force on an global scale. Expensive internet connections are holding ordinary South Africans and the whole country back. | |
MARKETING & MEDIA Permanent SABC board nomination process flawed - coalition[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The campaign for the nomination process of the new permanent SABC board has two major flaws: the July 31 deadline is extremely tight and the dissemination process notifying the public about the nomination process is wholly insufficient, according to the Save our SABC Coalition. | |
IT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS Aegis acquires Call Centre Nucleus[Tshepiso Seopa] South Africa's Call Centre Nucleus group has been fully acquired by Aegis, India's business process outsourcing arm of the diversified Essar group, it was announced yesterday 9 July 2009. The company says the purchase of CCN is a part of its strategy to invest R500 million in next three years and create 5000 jobs in South Africa. | |
MARKETING & MEDIA Tackling the recession logically[Chris Moerdyk] There are two really important things business needs to do during a recession and prosper in an increasingly competitive South Africa... | |
MARKETING & MEDIA Importance of getting online during the downturn[Stephen Newton] South Africa has fortunately been spared the worst shock from the ongoing financial crisis, but is experiencing the effects of the digital age's first serious economic slowdown. During these difficult times, the online sector represents a giant opportunity. | |
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT Swimming low down with The Stremes[Sindy Peters] The BizLounge team managed to get hold of The Stremes - the SA-cum-UK rock n' rollers, who are busy gigging around the Cape Town area, slowly building a fan base of crazy people who've taken to this threesome instantaneously. We wanted to find out what they're doing right, know what it's like being back in the country and share their deepest darkest secrets with our readers but alas, we had a nasty, son-of-a-monkey's-uncle glitch with our recording device and lost the entire sound clip. | |
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT DJ Euphonik creating the aurally pleasant[Ruth Cooper] DJ Euphonik chats to us via e-mail about the importance of creating a brand for yourself as an artist, Honk Kong Phooey and signing girl's boobs. | |
Philani Mdingi commented on Online communications media - getting involvedEmail newsletters have proven to be very effective in maintaining relationships with clients. When a company's email newsletter contains useful information, readers actually look forward to receiving it in their inbox and can result in long relationships and repeat purchases. For example, as an online marketer I always look forward to receiving the Quirk emarketing fortnightly newsletter because I find it to be very informative Social media tools can be used in conjunction with email marketing to increase a brand's online presence. Add your Face book, twitter, Linked In, Stumble Upon and delicious icons on your email footer to boost your brand's online presence. If you are not in at least two of these online platforms then it's time to think again. Find me on twitter at www.twitter.com/philani Find Me on Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/philanimdingi | |
MARKETING & MEDIA Recruit your way to the top![John Boe] Essentially a sales manager's primary responsibility is to recruit, train and motivate his or her sales force to achieve peak performance. Of these three vitally important tasks, recruiting is the least understood and by far the most challenging. | |
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT Tapas of a Geisha[Julia van Schalkwyk] Last night Ruth, Sindy and I had the pleasure of testing out the new Winter Wellness menu at the trendy Geisha Wok and Noodle Bar in Greenpoint. Well renowned Irish chef, Conrad Gallagher has put together a menu that is delightfully light in comparison to the usual heavy winter dishes. | |
MARKETING & MEDIA Online communications media - getting involved[Katharina Scholtz] PR & SOCIAL MEDIA: There are a number of online channels through which your company can communicate online; I discussed principles for approach previously. In order to understand what is possible, it's worth familiarising yourself with some of the channels that are available. |