Refined artistry at its most profound

Marketing explained by a pink pony

[Mark Schefermann] Lately there seems to be a lot of campaigns that haven't managed to get the basics right of marketing. Here is a beautiful case study that sums up those basics that should be implemented for any campaign. (video)

Leadership lessons from Madiba

[Kay Vittee] Annually, we celebrate Mandela Day because we respect Nelson Mandela for his great leadership that brought about South Africa's democracy. However, Madiba has set an example that shouldn't just be admired, but also emulated in our own leadership roles.

Global and South African economic outlook

[Craig Pheiffer] Revisions to global growth expectations for both 2013 and 2014 have been to the downside in recent months as economic data releases have generally printed at or below expectations. In the multi-speed economy that is the world economy, some news has been positive, but in aggregate, global demand has moved along at a pedestrian pace.

Legalities of volunteering - understanding obligations

[Louise Bick] Mandela Day has arrived, bringing with it a host of community-related initiatives running throughout the month of July. As a volunteer, there are a number of options and obligations you need to be aware of and keep in mind when working with a charity.

King content: The rising influence of blogs in the African travel trade

[Paul Steyn] It's becoming common knowledge in the travel industry that the single most important part of a website, other than general booking information, is quality blog content.

Will sponsored blog posts, tweets work for your brand?

[Cole Rautenbach] It seems as though the South African business landscape is currently littered with an entire army of solopreneurs just like you, who have made their dreams and ideas a reality and are frantically ploughing through their Twitter followers, email databases, and offline network contacts for clients and customers.

FPB gets bad report

IT in the public sector

[President Ntuli] Governments around the world are under enormous pressure to deliver more services with fewer resources. The current European economic climate in countries such as Greece, Spain and others have forced governments to cut their budgets by as much as 50% in some cases - a very serious case of "do more with less".

Marketing campaigns need social business software

[Gys Kappers] The use of social business software can assist marketing campaigns, by cutting through the scattered complexity and bringing together multiple work streams in an observable (social) way.

Well shiver me timbers... not

Social media for business: an aid not a hindrance

[Wayne Levine] With more and more people Facebooking and tweeting from work, traditional businesses are desperate to understand how these platforms impact on the way people work.

Lack of flexibility major drawback in print advertising

[Marcus Stephens] Many South African media buyers and advertisers make the mistake of paying a premium for a print publication's entire subscriber base, or even its claimed pass-on readership, when they are simply aiming to talk to a small sub-set of that audience.

Five steps to keep control of the sale

[Monika D'Agostino] Buying or leasing a car is an emotional decision. At least for me it is, and listening to most of my friends it feels like it's similar for them too.

The story of your sushi

[Dr Deanne Drake] Salmon are sold to us as a delicious, healthy and natural food - the bounty of the sea. This may conjure up visions of rugged, foggy fjords and robust Norwegian fishermen hauling nets of these noble silver beasts into their boats. This is, however, not usually the case.

Z Day with World War Z

208 GTi is a hot number

Berkman breezes through the Baltic

Sustainability at the heart of business

[Justin Smith] The only way to accomplish your sustainability goals is by fundamentally changing your approach to business.

Get lost!

[Peter Mann] I bottomed out on unwanted, unwarranted, unjustified bullxxxx marketing today when my cell rang with a Cape Town number I didn't recognise. (021 557 **83)