General Motors drops Facebook advertising on eave of IPO: Why?

[Walter Pike] General Motors (GM), the third biggest advertising spender in the US, has announced that it would no longer be allocating any budget to Facebook advertising because paid ads on the site have little impact on consumers' car purchases, according to a GM official. 16 May 2012 16:47

[2012 trends] Getting found in 2012

[Lana Hindmarch] In 2011, further innovations in the online space meant that consumers became even more savvy about blocking out traditional forms of advertising. Buyers also showed that they have the capability to evaluate the products and services they need on their own. 27 Jan 2012 13:01

[2012 trends] Who you are shouts too loud!

[Ingrid von Stein] 2012 started with an announcement that, for the first time, digital music sales topped physical CD sales. Therein is the undeniable fact and confirmed trend for 2012 in communications: digital is officially the leading arm of the communications platform. 26 Jan 2012 11:08

[2012 trends] Strong and continued growth for social media

[John Beale & Heike Meyburgh] With 2011 in the rearview mirror, we expect a strong and continued growth on various social media platforms in 2012. The increased online penetration and a strong drive from mobile operators to connect more people to the internet through smartphones or dongles will undoubtedly lead to more people joining social networks. 23 Jan 2012 12:26

[2012 trends] The new frontiers of market research

[Leanne Freeman] I think 2012 will be a fascinating year for market research in South Africa, as more specialist tools and techniques are increasingly absorbed into mainstream methodologies. New technology will be a key driver, but this will be carefully balanced by efforts to really understand consumer behaviour by directly engaging respondents. 20 Jan 2012 12:08

[2012 trends] Strategically solving the conundrums of marketing complexity

[Darren Woolley] The world is sitting in a now familiar state of uncertainty, with debit crisis, stagnant established markets and emerging growth markets and continued pressure to deliver increasing returns. In the face of this uncertainty and continuing increase in fragmentation and complexity, marketers will need to strategically develop more flexibly responses to deal with a range of conundrums. 18 Jan 2012 14:47

[2011 trends] May your forefinger be with you...

[Sue Disler] Upon entering a new decade while a mere 45 minutes away from civilisation (Cape Town) this summer, my observations of how technology has changed our lives have grown far more acute. 17 Jan 2011 14:44

AVE: small acronym, big controversy

[Angelo Coppola] Blaming clients for the continued usage of AVE in South Africa when measuring the effectiveness of a public relations campaign is an excuse used by PR people, says Lesley Schroeder-McLean, MD of PR Africa, who maintains that media reach would be a far more useful measure of media coverage, until a more acceptable measure on a communications campaign's effectiveness can be found. 22 Oct 2010 13:59

Salary survey reveals ongoing inequalities

The third annual Careers24 Salary Survey, released Monday, 25 January 2010, reveals that despite South African organisations' commitment to gender and racial equality, differences among the demographics suggest that many are still unconvinced. 27 Jan 2010 10:46

[2009 trends ] Online consumer trends for 2009

[Tim Shier] Never before has the consumer had so much power to influence corporate change. While this trend in itself isn't new and was discussed in great detail in the Cluetrain Maninfesto in 1999, as well as in 2006's Wikinomics, there is a great deal of significant to this power shift - as I'll share with you as I predict some online consumer trends for 2009. 12 Jan 2009 11:25