 | [Michelle Francis] A recent article in the New York Post describes the advent of Grand Ambassadors, which is a prognosis of where the experiential activation industry in South Africa could be, given training and investment in brand ambassadors. |
 | [Bevan Ducasse] Today's smartphone is a calendar, contacts, games console, music centre, camera, miniature TV, communications portal, news delivery system, encyclopaedia, navigation system, memo pad... and you can also make calls on it. Yet, there is room to cram more functions in there and one in the near future is the wallet. |
 | [Robert Sussman] The Consumer Protection Bill and its potential impact on the ICT sector elevates the role of service level agreements (SLAs) in future trade. |
 | [Tom Manners] Scarcely two weeks ago, the Industrial Development Corporation issued an official announcement that not only portrayed the PC industry as a sector in absolute free-fall but also blamed Microsoft's perceived failure to get Windows 8 off the ground as the reason for the decline. |
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 [Rico Schacherl]
|  | [Yvonne Nhuta] By law, everyone is entitled to a safe and healthy working environment. Consequently, all businesses should be aware of their legal responsibilities to commit to high standards of health and safety in the workplace. |
 | [Louise Worsley] Success in project planning can remain elusive, even after the three elements of project management - time, cost or scope - are met. In reality, success seems to depend more on whether the project solved the problem it was meant to solve, whether the customer uses it and whether the project was a valuable use of time and money. |
 |  [Martin Kingdon] I have always thought that it was common sense to understand as much as possible about the people who were, or would possibly be, actually buying my products in the real world with their real money. Strange then how much money is not spent by brands understanding this.
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 |  [Adrian Botha] The imposition of higher taxes on alcohol and legislation, such as the proposed ad ban and the Gauteng Liquor Act, focuses on the regulated industry, but not much is being done to address issues that stem from the non-regulated industry.
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|  [Martin Kingdon] Seems like everyone needs to have some Shopper Marketing these days. That is capital "S", capital "M". Shopper Marketing. Too good for lower case. All around the world people are nodding sagely at the revelations coming out about how shoppers actually shop. Aside from the debate about what shopper marketing actually is, there are a couple of key points to make.
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| [Louise Worsley] When reviewing the nature of leadership in projects, as to how far leadership responsibilities of the sponsor or business owner extend and what leadership role should the project manager adopt, it is often helpful use the metaphor of a taxi driver. |
 |  [Rolf Akermann] Packaging is critical, particularly in the FMCG category. Manufacturers spend money on research and design to put something on the shelf that will catch the consumers' eye and convince them to buy the product. However, once the product is ready to be opened, consumers hit the first obstacle.
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| [Michelle Francis] There is no denying that when it comes to the launch of new products or variants, product sampling is one of the most effective vehicles and is one of the main drivers included in the mix. The other is when brands are looking for a cost-effective quick solution to move product off the shelves. Both avenues have their merit but it is going to become increasingly difficult to maintain/increase retailer mindshare and support if we do not raise the bar and deliver medium to long-term value. |
 | [Liza Bright] As consumers face an on-going struggle in this volatile economic environment, new findings from the Neilsen report have identified the top five major factors on grocery purchases: price, transportation costs, health, enhanced nutrition and package labelling. This is why an offering of a wide selection of quality, cost-effective, value-orientated products is important. |
 | [Kevin Bassett] For those planning to upgrade their cellphone in 2013, care must be taken, given the three elephants of computing (Google, Apple and Microsoft), who are stomping on mobile territory. Users need to know who's who in the zoo, because they are fundamentally different. |
 |  [Jason Frichol] In South Africa, liquor retail is only geared for destination purchases. You're either looking for your brand or a good deal in a specific category. Whichever the case, it's a quick entry and exit for the shopper. With impending legislation, you'd think liquor would follow other retail verticals where the store is the medium and start encouraging cross- and up-selling but this is not the case.
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 | [Dave Nemeth] Following this current recession, will see the emergence of the 'new consumer', who has a new set of standards and ethics, particularly when it comes to spending those hard earned Rands. |
|  [Jason Frichol] One of the questions that I often field is why are retailers, in general, limiting creativity and opportunity when it comes to point of purchase (POP) display? My nippy answer is that most brands take a myopic view when it comes to POP and this one-dimensional approach is the product of driving placement costs up and display opportunities down.
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 | [Jonathan D. Novotny] Most online stores operated by small businesses in South Africa, fail to provide the user with an experience which leaves them at-ease and confident about their order being processed and delivered. The majority of these problems are easy to avoid. Let's look at the most common issues and a simple solution. |
 |  [Gareth Pearson] Own brands, store brands, dealer own brands, home brands... call them what you will, private labels are here to stay and not just as in-the-background, budget-friendly brands, aimed at cash-strapped consumers but rather as significant players in the retail space. This growth provides a unique opportunity for South African retailers to connect with their customers as never before.
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