Native advertising is all about deception

[Anton Harber] If you go to the Mail & Guardian's Thought Leader website, you will find a front-page link to "Stories of Help", about a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in schools...

Oprah: It's all cisterns go

[Rod Baker] Heart, cease thy pounding... TV talk show celebrity Oprah Winfrey recently fixed a toilet in the home she shares with partner Stedman Graham, reports Ireland's TV3. It seems she accomplished a bog-standard repair.

Social media: Not just for IT and marketing departments

[Conrad David] Social media is your entire business, you need to create a complete social ecosystem of your business for all departments to embrace with open arms.

2013 was the year of the digital customer

[Kevin Meltzer] 2013 was another banner year for self-service in South Africa. We have seen the online market grow in leaps and bounds, with more and more people using their tablets, smartphones and PCs to do everyday transactions rather than standing in queues and waiting on hold for call centre agents.

A cautionary media tale

[Ed Herbst] Here's a look at political philanderers past and present and the role that the media plays in exposing them.

Gauteng colour codes ads? With our money?

[Rod Baker] NEWSWATCH: Gauteng's use of ANC colours in billboards and posters - supposedly to publicise the administration's work, but using ANC party colours - has raised questions, reports Mail & Guardian.

Lessons I've learnt from my boss

[Sally Pike] The start of a new year often brings with it moments for reflection. As the clock strikes twelve, we're offered an opportunity (even if it's more psychological than tangible) to dance off the cares of the previous year and twist into a new year with vigour, conviction, dreams, goals and plans.

Cape Town Corporate Games 2014

[Grant Wilson] Originating in San Francisco in 1988 and rapidly growing in popularity each year, the third annual Cape Town Corporate Games will take place from 5-8 June 2014, with the V&A Waterfront playing host once again. What better venue than this to showcase the best that Cape Town has to offer?

[2014 trends] Taking deep breaths in marketing and media

[Chris Moerdyk] The primary trend in 2014, in my opinion, will be taking deep breaths to try and make practical sense of the tsunami of technology and radical consumer changes that have taken place in the past few years. And top priority will be:

Cross the "T" for Technical at events in 2014

[Liam Prince] Since it's a new year and we're in the game of making resolutions - here's one I hope will stick throughout 2014... don't forget the technical for your next event.

[2014 trends] Marketing research trends for 2014

[Craig Kolb] From the integration of Big Data and samples, to the growth of open panels and the tantalising possibility of automated marketing management; 2014 should be an interesting year.

47 Ronin fails to excite

[Charles Siboto] From the outset of this review, you need to know that this is a terrible movie. Save yourself some money and just wait for it on DVD. Even then do not buy it, just hire it from the video store.

New withholding tax on cross-border services

[Graeme Palmer] The Income Tax Act, 1962 was recently amended to provide for a new withholding tax on cross-border service fees. According to the new law, a withholding tax of 15% must be levied on the amount of any service fee that is paid by any person to or for the benefit of any foreign person to the extent that the amount is regarded as having been received by or accrued to the foreign person from a source within South Africa.

Finding our way together

[Dr Francois Bonnici] There is plenty that is going right in SA education - but it is not enough unless disparate players pull together - and that includes government.

The future is personalised engagement

[Danette Breitenbach] Given the pervasiveness of mobiles in South Africa, one would expect it to influence the retail sector greatly. However this is not the case says Jesse Green of Perk, a company that works with retailers to engage shoppers on their mobiles while in-store.

[2014 trends] Business trends for online retailers

[Gary Hadfield] Having been a senior role-player in the e-commerce space for 13 years, these are some of my industry trend predictions for 2014.

Five ways to optimise your e-marketing

[Gareth Slaven] Online marketers often get carried away with the daily tasks linked to running a digital campaign, neglecting several small yet vital steps that could go a long way in optimising their e-marketing strategy.

Bringing the gaming word to Africa

[Danette Breitenbach] Early December last year IGN landed in Africa - to the applause of gamers on the continent. Perhaps the launch of IGN Africa slipped past you, but then now is all the more time to sit up and take notice.