Understanding mass personalisation and why your brand needs it

[Gareth Pearson] Mass personalisation is not just a buzzword or international trend making waves overseas. It's here and already making its presence felt in the local consumer market. Here's what you need to know...

However you word it, Uber is a taxi company... UK ruling says

[Sharon Snell] New technology has been disrupting traditional models of doing business for many years and legislation has struggled to keep up...

Five customer referral mistakes to avoid

[Charles Mburugu] One of the most effective ways of getting new customers is through referrals. Getting constant referrals from your clients and customers can increase brand awareness, create trust and boost your profits significantly...

What's new at Sun City

[Ruth Cooper] A much loved and popular holiday destination for local and international families since the late 70s, Sun City has been synonymous with fun-filled family holidays, glitzy gambling, and an OTT African kitsch style that tourists just can't seem to get enough of.

Social media sentiment shows why customer expectations matter

[JP Kloppers] Brands that fail to meet customers' high expectations may see their market share slide. Marketing is a multi-billion rand exercise in setting expectations...

Baby Opel with the X factor

[Henrie Geyser] Opel is stepping up its onslaught on the local compact SUV market with the pre-Christmas unwrapping of the latest version of its popular Mokka...

#AdFocus2016: Why The Hardy Boys and client SA Home Loans won 'Partnership of the Year'

[Leigh Andrews] With a relationship stretching back to April 2008, agency The Hardy Boys and client SA Home Loans walked away with the title Partnership of the Year at the 2016 FM AdFocus Awards. John Little, regional managing partner at category sponsor Observatory International for EMEA, shares how agency and client alike benefit from collaboration and a shared challenger mentality...

Russell Hobbs Rush: Make a dash for it!

[Mike Sharman] By the time December sneaks up on us, the average consumer is on the verge of Festive Fatigue. Branded content becomes white noise, and shelf liners and POS collateral of all shapes and sizes morphs into a solitary red blur of a fat man in a suit with a jolly grin, sans differentiation...

How to deliver the only exceptional value shoppers want these December holidays

[Bandile Ndzishe] The highly competitive December holiday marketing has no place for the pliant and weak marketers. It is a war room affair...

Business 2020: It's not about you, it's about them

[Julia Ahlfeldt] If 2016 taught us anything it is that it is essential to fully understand who your customers - or target audiences - are. The shock Brexit and USA election outcomes are both cases in point...

Demand for personalised service increases 52%

[Wynand Smit] Verint Systems has noted in its 2016 research an increase of 52% in customers preferring customised service. This year, eight out of ten customers prefer it when service is personalised to them. It is apparent that market preferences are developing at a rapid rate and companies need to develop in time with their consumers...

How to do impossible things

[Damon Stapleton] It has been an interesting week. The world may run out of Guinness. As I write this Ireland have just beaten the All Blacks 40 - 29 in Chicago. It is the first time they have done this in 111 years. To continue the surreal sporting theme, Andy Murray, has become the number one tennis player in the world...

SA drops in Paying Taxes Report ranking

[Danette Breitenbach] South Africa has fallen 31 places from 20 out of 189 in the World Bank's Paying Taxes study...

Buyer beware: what are the property's restrictive conditions?

[Bruce Swain] Many buyers have purchased their dream home, only to realise that the plans they had to add another storey, or to sub-divide the property can't be realised because of restrictive conditions they weren't aware of...

What is really the most important part of a training system? - Pert Industrials

[Peter Horszowski] If your equipment is used badly or not at all, then it doesn't matter how good it is. Here are five reasons why the course material is really the most important part of a training system...

Mobile phones usage for travel

[Josephine Wawira] In the latest report on how people use phones for travel, Google in collaboration with Ipsos has provided insights on the influences mobile devices have on travellers' decisions...

#BizTrends2017: South Africa's new retail reality

[Ailsa Wingfield] Despite South Africans' roller-coaster sentiment during 2016, they've continued to spend, highlighting a clear disconnect between the South African psyche and actual purchase behaviour. This means that in 2017 more than ever a multi-dimensional approach will be required if retailers are to obtain a firm handle on South Africa's new retail reality...