[2013 trends] Seven youth-influencer outreach insights

[Mongezi Mtati] In 2012, brands asked some pertinent and challenging questions pertaining to influencer outreach and seeding their products. Insights gained both as a delegate and a speaker at a number of enlightening conferences over the past year have led me to the following observations about what brands want and how Africa's youth prefer to be communicated with - from a marketing and advertising perspective. 21 Jan 2013 11:49

[2013 trends] Internal communication: high value, low cost

[Daniel Munslow] 2012 was a challenging year for most businesses. Not just from a financial perspective, but from an employee engagement perspective. It makes sense that the two are linked - it is more difficult to create and sustain solid engagement when times are tough, and it is the role of internal communication to maintain that connection. 16 Jan 2013 10:59

Reputation boost for Ogilvy as ODMA shows success

[Herman Manson: @marklives] The Ogilvy Digital Marketing Academy (ODMA), an educational initiative between Ogilvy and lecturer and digital strategist Dave Duarte, has celebrated its first year of contributing to the "geekification of the ad industry," as Duarte had joked it would do when the academy in its current form was first launched in early 2011. 18 Apr 2012 12:28

The rise of the sentient enterprise

[Godfrey Parkin] How efficiently does your organisation think? Whether you are a 40 000 employee corporate or a five-person start-up, if you cannot sense what is going on in your competitive environment, cannot analyse and interpret that input, and cannot make the right decisions or act appropriately in real-time, your enterprise is poorly equipped to thrive in socially networked markets. 27 Feb 2012 14:36

[2012 trends] Reasons not to 'touch that dial'

[Gilda de Araujo] 2012 heralds a brand new chapter for radio advertising and, more and more, savvy advertisers are are acknowledging that successful campaigns demand the time, effort and nurturing of an involved team and more. [multimedia] 26 Jan 2012 14:18

[2012 trends] The metaphor of the Age of Aquarius

[Gillian Rightford] Whether this year actually brings the end of the world as we know it or not, 2012 is an interesting year from an astrological point of view. 16 Jan 2012 15:35

[2012 trends] Out with fear, in with hope

[Thomas Kolster] Despite a dire economic outlook for the world economy, I'm looking forward to 2012; it's going to be an exciting and positive year. Countries and companies alike might panic and turn their backs on sustainability, asking with a tremble in their voices: Is the well-being of people and planet really a luxury we can afford in these tough times? 12 Jan 2012 14:52

[2012 trends] 12 words we'll see more in 2012

[Tiffany Markman] Wait. That's a bit of a fib. Sorry. Every year, my Biz Trends contribution is a wish list of stuff I'd like to see happen in marketing, communication or writing. I'm often right. But this year I want to be right. 11 Jan 2012 12:09

Discussing the digital adspend/audience disconnect

[Herman Manson: @marklives] At the Microsoft Advertising Imagine Istanbul 2011 conference that took place last week in Istanbul, Turkey, a panel discussion tried to find reasons behind the % adspend vs online audience (little money/big audience) disconnect in the MEA region. Overall, digital adspend lags more developed markets dramatically, even as digital audiences have grown and use of social media has familiarised people with digital environments. 10 Nov 2011 13:28

Clients say "screw the line" - Godfrey Morley

[Herman Manson: @marklives] Godfrey Morley has been running Draftfcb Cape Town for a little over a year. As someone who has spent most of his career on the client side of the table - he was head of sponsorship for SAB, communications director for McDonalds, marketing director of Samsung and executive director at Thebe Tourism Group - Morley brings a strong focus on business transformation to the agency. 3 Oct 2011 11:54

[SxSW 2011] The future of PR

[Catherine Lückhoff] In his recent post, Does PR have a future?, David Armano, SVP of social business planning at Edelman Digital, predicts that as business becomes more social, job descriptions will change. Each employee will become the face of the company, acting in part as the marketing, communications and sales agent for their organisation every time they engage publicly, especially on social networks. [view twitterfall] 24 Mar 2011 13:18

Going Dutch

[Herman Manson: @marklives] Amsterdam has established itself on the international ad arena with its creative upstarts and numerous small but super-hot shops doing international work. It's also positioning itself at the forefront of industry change with a collaborative model penned by Roger Beekman, founder of 60 layers of cake, the collaborative agency he launched in Amsterdam in 2005 and which last year spawned an office in Cape Town, as well as several competitors. 8 Mar 2011 13:19

Five imperatives for effective marketing

[Terence Marsh] After a tough couple of years, 2011 calls for a look at what we've learned along the way and urges us to employ certain business imperatives essential for a steady emergence from the recession. 15 Feb 2011 10:40