Markex Cape hits the right spot
According to feedback from exhibitors and visitors to Markex Cape, which ran 19 - 21 August 2008 in Cape Town, the show is filling an important niche in bringing marketing innovations to the Western Cape.

Common creativity at work
[Paul Jacobson] A recent comment by a friend about the music industry's reluctance to publish and distribute music under Creative Commons licence because it can't exactly give the music away free, may not be entirely unexpected, but it does bother me somewhat because his comment typifies a perception of Creative Commons that is both inaccurate and hampers adoption of Creative Commons licences in the commercial world.


Public protest action - all for a good cause
Tomorrow, Friday, 5 September 2008, is Casual Day and, through a public ‘protest' action, Absa has been encouraging corporate South Africa to lose it suits and ties this Friday in a bid to help the organisers meet a new record fundraising high of R15 million.


Celebrating the evolution of the secretarial profession
The role of the secretary is ever evolving. According to specialist secretarial recruitment agency, Executive Secretary Appointments (ESA), today's personal assistant (PA) or secretary needs an all-round ability to handle almost every departmental function, including marketing, financial and people management. Not to mention advanced multimedia technology skills.

Launch of advertising research unit
Ipsos-Markinor announced the launch of its new Advertising Research Unit, ASI, today, Tuesday, 8 Setpember 2008. With products designed to evaluate advertising concepts from conception to execution, the unit is intended to build upon the research company's existing knowledge of brands and brand management.

Actuate partner named as Most Influential Woman in Business by CEO Magazine - Actuate
Terri Brown, partner and strategic director of internal marketing company Actuate, has been recognised for her pioneering work in the communications field, named as the overall winner in CEO Magazine's ‘Most Influential Women in Business & Government Awards' in the Communications category.


Important do's and don'ts about internal communication - Chris Moerdyk
Motivated, committed employees make for increased productivity and more profit. And the way in which management communicates with them can be the key to successful motivation or an absolute confidence and commitment killer.

Creating consumer friction - Exp
Ryan FitzSimons, the founder and CEO of Gigunda Group, a full-service innovation and involvement agency dedicated to delivering unforgettable brand experiences, gives insights into experiential marketing and its role in the marketing mix.

Effective sponsorship shapes the event
[Emmet O'Hanlon] As the lead up to 2010 starts to gain momentum, sponsorship will increasingly come into focus as a communications activity. So what are the ingredients of a good sponsorship and what are the approaches that just seem to plod along?

Top FNB marketer seconded to 2010 OC
FNB brand director Derek Carstens has been seconded to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee (OC) as marketing and commercial chief officer, the OC announced yesterday, Thursday, 4 September 2008, at a press briefing. Carstens takes on the challenging task of marketing South Africa, in particular to overseas audiences, as the world focus shifts from the 2008 Olympics to SA as it prepares to host the festival of world football in 2010.

ADC announces Young Guns 6 final 50
The Art Directors Club, the organisation for integrated media and the first global creative collective of its kind with membership in advertising, design and visual communications, has announced the 50 young professionals who have claimed the ADC Young Guns 6 title.

Loeries 2009 host city out to tender
Margate, Sun City, Johannesburg or Cape Town? After reviewing a long list of possible towns, The Loerie Awards has invited these four host cities/locations to submit proposals to host the 2009 Awards ceremony. The tender deadline is the last week of September 2008 [poll].

Time for a radical change in advertising
[Chris Moerdyk] The way in which products and brands are advertised and promoted is in dire need of a thorough makeover, as fewer and fewer consumers are seeing ads and, when they do, they clearly don't believe what they see.

Luckin moves on up at Ogilvy Joburg
Following Gerry Human's appointment as Ogilvy Johannesburg's chief creative officer, Fran Luckin has been appointed executive creative director. This further strengthens Ogilvy Johannesburg's management team comprising Julian Ribeiro (MD), Neo Mahkele (strategic planning director) and Sharleen James (director: account management).


Cannes Lions withdraws Amnesty France Bronze Lion
LONDON: Cannes Lions today, Wednesday, 3 September 2008, withdrew the Bronze Press Lion awarded to TBWA\Paris for Amnesty France on grounds of ineligibility.

AMPS 2008A release around the corner
The South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) All Media And Products (AMPS) 2008A will be released on Thursday, 18 September 2008.

Global ad agency sells Zim associate for US$1
[Dumisani Ndlela] Global marketing and advertising agency Young & Rubicam (Y&R) said this week it had finally sold its 25% stake in Zimbabwean associate Imago Young & Rubicam (Imago Y&R) for a mere US$1 after its involvement in a re-election campaign for President Robert Mugabe.

New president for D&AD
Garrick Hamm, who will become the new D&AD president on 18 September, intends to use his year to motivate his peers to encourage new talent. “Our industry and agencies are dead without the next wave of creative thinkers. Few of us were born geniuses. Remember - we all started somewhere,” he says.


Ads police turns 40
[Tshepiso Seopa] The Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) of South Africa is celebrating 40 years of existence and of policing the ad industry, making sure that there is fair play among advertisers and marketers. Yet the organisation has often been accused of being a toothless watchdog.

AMASA JHB gets networking on Facebook - AMASA
Realising the potential of social marketing, the Johannesburg chapter of AMASA (Advertising and Media Association of SA) has added Facebook to its communication mix as a channel to forge online avenues of communication with current and potential members.

Draftfcb using Imagination to empower young black creatives - Draftfcb (South Africa)
The South African advertising industry is embracing young vibrant creative talents and opening career avenues to them through the Imagination Lab, and Draftfcb is working with this inspiring initiative to help identify, nurture and train our youth to ensure a strong industry for the future.

Black Khaki features at SA Publication Forum Awards - Black Khaki
The SA Publication Forum's first Corporate Competition took place in conjunction with the National Press Club in 2002. The aim of the competition is to reward excellence in internal and external corporate communication media. The thorough feedback by their expert judges also makes the competition an excellent training opportunity.

Mick & Nick's Hansa promotion drums up over one million SMSes - Lowe Bull
The quest to win a non-executive seat on the Hansa Board of Approval (HBA) has created great mileage for the Hansa brand since the competition kicked off in June this year.


Small budget meets big ad - Timesquare
With the latest Daihatsu Sirion ad, Johannesburg-based advertising agency Timesquare has proved that you don't need a massive budget or months of lead time to create an inspired television commercial.


Lowe Bull inspires people to "feel something" - Lowe Bull
Sometimes the simplest ideas produce the most evocative results. This was true for the new poster campaign for the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO), created by Lowe Bull.

Branding: a board's responsibility
[Lindie Engelbrecht] Gone are the days when a company's brand - or reputation - relied solely on the efforts of marketers. While the more public efforts to build the brand may still be spearheaded by the marketing team, proactive plans to protect what is arguably the company's most valuable asset, its brand, should be executed by board members, as part of their role in guarding company interests.


Superbrands announces Council members for 2008 - Superbrands
Superbrands, the world's largest independent arbiter of brands, has finalised the independent Council for Superbrands South Africa 2008.


The state of the brand - Brand Alive
[Giles Shepherd] It's been a few decades now since the word ‘brand' began to slowly creep out of its product box and assert itself in the corporate world. ‘Branding' was once well understood to simply mean applying a logo to something, and a brand was something you picked off a shelf. Those halcyon days when it was all so easy to understand are long gone, and the brand is the new corporate currency. It's also firmly rooted itself in countries, governments, political parties and individuals.

Is what you see what you get? - Talk2Us
[Linda Hamman] You place your order in a restaurant and when the food comes it's in an amorphous heap on the plate: does your mouth water? Will you want to eat it?


The power in purpose - Interbrand Sampson
[Nicola Suter] Those in the driver's seat of today's brands, be it branding consultants, advertisers or brand managers, need to shift their definition of brand consistency, should they wish to gain real mindshare and resulting profit.


East African brands join family of international Superbrands - Superbrands
A host of brands operating in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have been identified by a voluntary independent panel of experts in the marketing and communications fields in East Africa. The brands participating in the programme range from local home grown brands through to worldwide global giants like Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Pirelli, Shell, Smirnoff and Weetabix.

Third Africa in Motion film festival
The third Africa in Motion film festival is set to take place 23 October - 2 November 2008 at the Edinburgh Filmhouse in Scotland. AiM 2008 will be a celebration of Africa's diverse cinematic output, with a greater focus on under-represented regions and a more adventurous programme than ever before.


Four SA films to premier at international film festival
Four South African films will premier at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), being held 4 - 13 September 2008 in Canada, Toronto. Three of these films are funded by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).


Horrorfest calls for submissions
It's almost that time of the year when the fourth annual South African Horrorfest Film Festival will bleed onto the big screen over Halloween weekend in Cape Town. Visual Impact, Magus and the HD Hub will again sponsor this leg of the festival, with an HD production prize worth R20 000 going to the best locally made short movie for its next production.

Mitsubishi and CineMARK join forces - CineMARK
Mitsubishi has partnered with CineMARK and cinema advertising as a key medium for the new brand campaign, which launched in June 2008 and will run until October.

Five keys to win more deals through B2B lead conversion - Maximizer
Once a lead comes in the door, whose job is it to convert that lead to a sales opportunity: marketing or sales? The lead conversion black hole has long been cause for dispute between marketing and sales teams.

CRM magazine honours SAS yet again
For the sixth year running, CRM magazine has recognised SAS for its industry-leading analytics and marketing automation capabilities. SAS was recently announced the winner in the business intelligence category of the CRM Market Awards and a CRM Market Leader for marketing automation. "No one's surprised at SAS' strong finish this year across multiple categories, including its outright win in Business Intelligence," said Joshua Weinberger, managing editor of CRM. "Its depth and breadth is legendary, but it's SAS' commitment to innovation that really seems to have the most lasting impact on the marketplace. We inducted Dr Jim Goodnight, the company's founder, into the CRM Hall of Fame several years ago, and we'd probably induct him again if it were possible.”

Redesigning five black bins
Five Black Bins brings together five Cape Town design studios to redesign five garbage bins in Woodstock, Cape Town. The urban design project was conceptualised and curated by non-traditional agency, Cow.


Design the new Phuza Thursday logo
5FM's Gareth Cliff is challenging his listeners to create a new Phuza Thursday logo which reflects that morning-after feeling to a T. The winning logo will be featured on the second edition range of Phuza Thursday t-shirts.

Packaging always needed - downturn or not
[Carryl Harvey] In an economic downturn like we are experiencing now, when consumers are reviewing how much they can afford to spend , packaging needs to be more than usually eye-catching to get the consumer's attention.


FAD designer of the year announced
Tawny Reynolds, a final-year student at the Cape Town College of Fashion Design, has been named the Foschini Annual Design (FAD) Awards' star designer for 2008. The awards evening took place last month at the Mandela-Rhodes Place in Cape Town.

Naspers buys into Afrigator
BREAKING NEWS: Local social media aggregator startup Afrigator.com has sold a majority stake to MIH Print Africa, a division of the Naspers group, it was announced today, Friday, 5 September 2008.


Make static surfaces interactive
Media Republic is launching the iSURFACE platform, which reportedly allows for any static surface to be transformed into a responsive or interactive media platform, in southern Africa, the Johannesburg-based alternative media company announced yesterday, Tuesday, 2 September 2008.


Google Chrome: Google's own web browser
NEWSWATCH: The web browser wars are heating up with the launch sometime today, Tuesday, 2 September 2008, of the Windows version of Google Chrome, Google's new open source browser. According to various media reports, Google prematurely emailed its comic book explanation to a blogger, who promptly published it online under Creative Commons licence. The launch comes hot on the heels of the release of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8.

FLUX Quality Management System enables ACSA's field audits to take off - FLUX
The FLUX Quality Management System (QMS) Mobile application has been developed for Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), reportedly resulting in dramatic improvement in efficiency and effectiveness.

Global partner for SA experiential marketing agency
International experiential marketing agency Jack Morton Worldwide has formed a strategic partnership with the Johannesburg-based O'Mage, it was announced on Friday, 5 September 2008. Jack Morton is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies and has offices in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Assegai Awards take on international flavour - DMASA
The DMASA Assegai Awards 2008, presented by the South African Post Office, has a truly international flavour this year, with three of the world's top direct marketing specialists secured as judges, as well as automatic entry for Assegai winners into the second round of the Echo Awards.

UCT business school programme develops new managers - UCT Graduate School of Business
To help address the shortage of skilled managers in the South Africa's private and public sectors, the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) is offering a programme this September that will help organisations to accelerate the development of top-performing staff and new managers.

Personal Assistant Communications Training: the critical first line of defence - Janine Lazarus Media Consultancy
A personal assistant (PA) is the first line of contact for an organisation's management personnel and for both internal and external customers. This means that it is critical for them to have the key skills necessary to ensure that each message they portray - in essence, the messages representing management - are effective and clearly communicated to their target audience.

Business blog for business school
The UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), through its Executive Education unit, has become what it claims is the first business school in South Africa to launch a blogging platform that will enable some of the world's leading business and leadership experts at the school to interact with businesspeople online. The UCT GSB blogs are part of a broader social media strategy which will see the school also participating in various other online channels such as podcasts and video-sharing websites.

SABC partners with music conference expo
The SABC recently signed a three-year partnership agreement with Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition as part of its ongoing - and increasing - commitment to supporting the South African music industry. The expo, taking place next week in Johannesburg, has a formidable lineup of international speakers.

Microsoft Partner Summit 2008 - Collyer Lessick & Associates
New format, new venue - exciting challenges for Microsoft Partner Summit 2008, which Collyer Lessick and Associates embraced with enthusiasm and excitement!


Rod Stewart to rock SA again
Big Concerts announce earlier this week that prominent Scottish singer Rod Stewart is coming back to South Africa after 25 years. The much-anticipated tour in December 2008 is presented by 567 Cape Talk, East Coast Radio, Talk Radio 702 and M-Net. It will kick-off at Sahara Park Newlands Stadium, Cape Town on 1 December 2008, followed by a performance on 4 December at the ABSA Stadium, Durban, with the final leg at the Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg, on 6 December. For more info, go to www.bigconcerts.co.za.

VWV wins first-ever African MTV Awards
VWV has been appointed to handle the first-ever MTV music awards in Africa. Along with the awards, VWV has also won the account from MTV Base Networks to co-ordinate the preceding four concerts that will be held as part of a road-show leading up to the event. The agency has also won the MTV Africa mobile account, which includes mobile ticketing for the concerts' promotions.

Call to ‘build up', not ‘break down' the exhibition industry
The exhibition industry is at risk of being ‘broken down', not ‘built up', by the onerous time constraints many venues are imposing on stand builders. So says Ivor Allison, 3D director of operations.

EXSA leads from the front - The Exhibitions and Events Association
In a statement issued by the Exhibitions and Events Association, new member benefits are introduced according to market demand, and as dictated by experience from frequent interaction with members. Marketing initiatives cascade across the member value chain, including the supplier network and business associates of member companies.

Strong Chinese presence for INSITE 2008
Thirty seven organisations from China will be showcasing innovative technologies and solutions at INSITE 2008, the International Science, Innovation and Technology Exhibition, 15 - 17 September 2008, at the Sandton Convention Centre Pavilion, Johannesburg. Says Bruce Gu, representative of the SA China Economic and Cultural Exchange (SACEC): “INSITE 2008 provides the opportunity for China to showcase the various technological advances taking place in the country. We have 27 hi[gh]-tech companies, four Science and Technology Exchange Centres participating at INSITE 2008, which emphasises the knowledge sharing capabilities between China and South Africa. In addition to this, we have 16 Institutes of Higher Learning, and Research Institutes exhibiting.” For more, go to insitex.co.za.

New publisher for Classic Car Africa
Action Publications announced earlier this week that Cape classic car aficionado Fred Phillips has acquired Classic Car Africa magazine. The title has been part of the Action Publications stable since July 2004.

Stefania Johnson joins New Media Publishing
Stefania Johnson has joined New Media Publishing as editorial director, the publishing house announced yesterday, Tuesday, 2 September 2008. The appointment of the former ad industry woman comes at a time when the customer publishing industry is reportedly at its largest, and attracting the right talent is crucial to the competitive edge of any publishing agency.


FHM gets ahead in High Definition Television - UCM
FHM's first high definition advert, now showing on the DStv HD channel, features Eva Longoria on the cover of FHM October 2008, with the summer supplement of the FHM Collections featuring Lisa-Marie Estreaux.


woman360 guarantees wedding success - woman360
This year's editions of the wedding guides from Sarie, Fairlady and True Love are now available.


Three quick tips to help you start your own agency - Succeed
Set yourself free from creative constrictions and stifling briefs by starting your own advertising, communications or creative agency with these three tips from Succeed magazine.

Profit Partnership scoops publishing accolades - Profit Partnership Corporation
Profit Partnership Corporation celebrates an armful of awards for several of its publications entered at the 2008 SA Publication Forum's Corporate Publications Competition. The publishing house received a total of 13 certificates of merit in the categories of writing, design and best external magazine.

Magazine award for property icon

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Pam Golding, founder and life president of the Pam Golding Property group, has been presented with the award for the property category in the CEO magazine's Most Influential Women in Business & Government Awards 2008. A positive role model for women and for young South African entrepreneurs, Golding is internationally acknowledged as one of the world's leading businesswomen, having launched her career over 40 years ago from what was initially a hobby into a fully-fledged and highly successful global business.

‘Citizen journalism turns consumers into creators'
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Citizen journalism turns consumers into creators and takes media from lecture to conservation - something traditional media has not been able to do for a long time, Dan Gillmor, of Arizona State University, told over 700 media practitioners gathered in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, on Monday, 9 September 2008, for the 12th edition of Highway Africa.

‘Good old' Grahamstown welcomes Highway Africa 2008
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] It's Highway Africa time again and the little, old, and serene town of Grahamstown, 131km from Port-Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, has been ‘invaded' by more than 700 media practitioners from more than 40 African countries and other parts of the world, meeting here to discuss the burning issue of citizen journalism in today's fast-changing media environment. The conference opened today, Monday, 8 September 2008, at Rhodes University and will end on Wednesday.


Electronic Communications Services licences issued
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is finally ready to issue the converted Individual Electronic Communications Services (I-ECS) and the Electronic Communications Network Services (I-ECNS) licences, the authority announced on Friday, 5 September 2008.

The latest in the SABC circus
SABCWATCH: So what's new this week with the SABC? According to various media reports, we've got legal action over the awarding of the 2010 broadcasting equipment tender to Sony SA and not Digital Horizons; SABC news head Snuki Zikala being sued for R1 million, as well as under fire for removing reporters from political coverage (the SABC's response is that it doesn't assign work because of political allegiance); and suspended SABC group CEO contending that the SABC board couldn't fire him because he was appointed by communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri...

2008 Corporate Publication Competition winners
Two titles shared top spot as best corporate publication 2008 at the SA Publication Forum's Corporate Publication Competition's award ceremony held in Midrand last. The two - Contact, staff newspaper of the City of Cape and Sandaba, Sanlam's staff newspaper - also shared top honours for the best corporate newspaper. Mary Willemse of Toyota was named Editor-of-the-Year.

Top Women Awards 2008 announces winners from business and Government sectors - Top Companies Publishing
Individuals, companies, and Government attended the Top Women Awards ceremony, held at the Sandton Convention Centre last night to celebrate and congratulate the nominees, finalists and winners and acknowledge their achievements.

MDDA to participate in Highway Africa Conference! - MDDA
The Media Development and Diversity Agency will participate in this year's Highway Africa Conference taking place at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. Lumko Mtimde, CEO of the MDDA, will lead the team and participate in a roundtable on media funding and sustainability, as well as a panel discussion on capacitating media and citizens in Africa.

Call to enter legal journo awards
Entries close 5pm on Monday, 22 September 2008, for the Webber Wentzel Legal Journalist of the Year Award, which recognises outstanding work in the field of legal journalism. The award is open to any journalist reporting on legal issues in print or electronic media in South Africa. Prizes are R50 000 for print media and R50 000 for electronic. Download this pdf for full details and entry instructions.

Uganda: SMS marketing irks MTN subscribers
[Walter Wafula] Mobile phone communication is meant to ease life and add flavour to it, however it is also turning out to be a nuisance to Ugandans. In the past three weeks, fed-up subscribers of MTN Uganda have continuously and publicly complained of unsolicited marketing messages from the company with threats to quite its network.

2009 Global Mobile Awards open for entries
LONDON: Entries have opened for 2009 Global Mobile Awards and the penultimate round of its Mobile Innovation Global Competition, the GSMA announced yesterday, Wednesday, 3 September 2008. The GSMA's Global Mobile Awards are a platform for companies in the mobile industry to gain truly independent recognition for their work.

Sunday Times brand integrity taking a pounding
[Chris Moerdyk] Never before, in its proud 102-year history, has the integrity of the Sunday Times been under so great a threat. Once again, it has had to retract a sensational front page lead story - this time about Transnet “selling out our sea to foreigners” that appeared last week, ironically on the same day the paper had to print an apology on a story it ran on the Land Bank.

Transnet takes Sunday Times to press ombudsman
Transnet last night, Thursday, 4 September 2008, lodged a formal complaint with the press ombudsman against the Sunday Times, following the failure by the paper to retract its “false, misleading, malicious and defamatory lead” under the headline “Transnet Sold our Sea to Foreigners”, the company announced in a press statement today, Friday 5 September.

High time for ISPs, enterprises to prepare for IPv6
South African organisations and service providers must begin preparing for the shift towards Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) or risk facing significant operational and technical headaches when they're forced to implement the new protocol in two-to-three years' time. So says Rob Hunter, JINX Working Group chair at the Internet Service Providers' Association of SA (ISPA).

Unusual content licence conditions for Google Chrome
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA: With the intention of creating a better web experience for users around the world, Google launched its new open-source browser, Google Chrome, yesterday, Tuesday, 2 September 2008 [video]. However, new media lawyer Paul Jacobson of Jacobson Attorneys told Bizcommunity.com, the Google set of terms and conditions governing the new web browser are somewhat unusual.


ITNewsAfrica appoints new editor
ITNewsAfrica.com has appointed Samuel Mungadze as its new online editor. Mungadze is a qualified journalist with years of experience in the media industry.


Flying solo: but not all by myself - Freelancentral
With the large number of freelancers and soloists in South Africa (over 3200 registered on Freelancentral alone), it has made sense for Freelancentral to join forces with Pam Sykes and Walter Pike to launch the Flying Solo SA Unconferences (next one: 20 September 2008 in Johannesburg) and social networking site.

Habari Media captures the largest online audience in SA - Habari Media
Specialist online media sales house, Habari Media, has recently been appointed by the international BBC and local newspaper Sowetan to represent both companies' online sites in South Africa.


No sacrifice in website¹s growth gambit - Click2Customers
Cape Town-based international chess website, Chesscube.com, has turned to global pay-per-click specialist Clicks2Customers for a targeted campaign as it launches its interactive instruction video service.

Isenzo's digital signage tech selected by Focus Enhancements for N American distribution - Isenzo Broadcasting cc
Isenzo has secured a strategic North American distribution deal with Focus Enhancements Inc that significantly expands the availability of Isenzo's digital signage software in the US and Canada.

Barclays Bank continues to lead in African airport advertising - Alliance Media
Barclays Bank has launched a dominant airport advertising campaign in Uganda where Barclays have adopted area ownership of key sites and areas within the airport, targeting arriving and departing passengers as well as the busy meet-and-greet trade.


Clear Channel Independent flights a new face - INM Outdoor
Independent News & Media (South Africa) has acquired Clear Channel Outdoor's 50% interest in Clear Channel Independent - Africa's largest outdoor advertising company, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The transaction simplifies and takes INM's ownership interest to 100% and will allow the South Africa business to prioritise its long awaited holding company BEE deal in the near future.


Media Cube releases its Motion LED and Magic Mirrors at Shoosh, the best kept secret... - Media Cube
Media Cube will be launching its Motion LED and Magic Mirrors at Shoosh, one of Johannesburg's best kept secrets, on Saturday, 6 September 2008.


Flip-flopping into spring

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Shoppers at the Design Quarter in Fourways, Johannesburg were greeted by a novel sight on Spring Day, 1 September 2008 - a multi-coloured flip flop tree. Literally hundreds of the exclusive Havaianas rubber sandals were blooming from a tree in the centre court attracting admirers to the visual treat. Net#work BBDO senior copywriter Tim Beckering said the tree had to be almost bare of leaves to have the right visual impact. “While trees nearby were still hibernating, our tree sprung into life welcoming summer. Where normal advertising fails to speak to people, this idea has really touched passersby. One elderly lady said this display made her realise she probably only had a couple of Springs left and it was a reminder to live each year to the fullest.” The “Havaianas Tree” will be up until Sunday 7 September.

Eco-friendly board now fire-retardant
Xanita's eco-friendly board is now fire-retardant, allowing for this product to be specified for applications which require a fire-retardant classification. The board has been certified in accordance to the National Building Regulations as a component for ceiling applications (SANS 428), as well as a fire-retardant construction finishing material, in accordance with SABS 0177 Part 3 and DIN 4102. The board is fully printable and still retains all of the qualities that have made X-Board popular. For more information, go to www.xanita.com.

Good things for the SA film industry - TEC Agency
TEC Video is excited by the reduction in load shedding and the fact that we haven't had to use our generator! In fact there is much to be optimistic about - SA's magnificent beauty, our rich cultural heritage and the abundance of opportunities in our emerging market.

SAFTA judging begins
The South African Film and Television Awards judging phase began last week with the filtration phase, in which the judges “filter” through all entries per award section to a maximum of 10 and a minimum of three entries that then go through to the final judging phase set for October 2008. From the over 180 production title entries, over 80 awards will be presented for the following categories: Feature films, Documentary, Student and Short films as well as TV Dramas, Soapies, Comedies, Reality, Gameshows, Wildlife shows, Talk shows, Magazine shows and News and Actuality Programmes. Nominations for new award Best Newcomer close on 31 October 2008.

Hansa approves of this board member
The quest to find South Africa's newest Hansa Board of Approval member came to a nail-biting close on Metro FM late last week as Khayelitsha resident Khuthala was awarded the title of “Honorary Hansa Board of Approved Member”, which includes one year's salary of R600 000.

Save a tree - edit your work
[Marion Scher] Every time I give a writing course for business people in particular, I hear the same thing: “I know I'm writing too much but my client/boss insists on at least three pages, giving all the technical data with at least three quotes.”

New Marcus Brewster MD
The new MD of Marcus Brewster Publicity (MBP), effective 1 September 2008, is Hein Kaiser, the PR agency announced yesterday, Monday 1 September. Agency founder and CEO Marcus Brewster now assumes the role of executive chairman.


PR company or freelancer wanted for RAMP IT group - White Wall Web
RAMP IT Group is looking for a PR company or a freelancer to work with the group on an ongoing basis to help build brand awareness and credibility for each individual company belonging to the group, as well leverage the group brand as whole.

Quo Vadis to handle CAF Southern Africa's Conference on Sustainability - Quo Vadis Communications
CAF Southern Africa has appointed Quo Vadis Communications (QVC) to work on media liaison and public relations for its two-day conference titled Innovating for Sustainability - ‘Africans investing in Africa', to be held 17 - 18 September 2008.

Livewired's CEO wipes the dirt off rose-tinted lenses - Livewired Communications
[Janine Lloyd] August is Women's Month in South Africa and once more as business professionals we think about how we can contribute to the cause of celebrating women. Nothing new to us, but for me this year was poignantly different.

Early retirement for Anthony Duke
Radio stalwart Anthony Duke, currently station manager at Good Hope FM in Cape Town, will be taking early retirement at the end of March 2009, the SABC Commercial Radio Portfolio announced yesterday evening, Tuesday, 2 September 2008.

Technology platforms create a new radio star - East Coast Radio
East Coast Radio's pioneering drive into creating new content based on complementary technology platforms is delivering an entirely new radio star - impacting on the station's listenership profile, advertising revenues and the skills required from jocks and sales staff.

Gillman returns to 5FM - from London
5FM announced today, Friday, 5 September 2008, that as of tomorrow, its Weekend Breakfast show will now be co-hosted by Mark Gillman - broadcasting all the way from the UK. Commented co-host Elana Afrika, “Now the real fun begins! If there's anyone that knows about waking up or getting others up and going its Mark! And because my studio is just big enough for one breakfast presenter, I left him in London while I am broadcasting from South Africa.” It's been more than two years since Gillman ended his nine-year relationship with 5FM to pursue other interests.

Songwriting competition winner
Hannes de Beer from Bloemfontein is the winner of the OFM/Manwees songwriting competition. His song, Liewe Meneer, won him R50 000 worth of prizes, including a Weber braai, his & hers DKNY watches, designer footwear, fragrances and eyewear, and it will automatically be entered into the ATKV Cresendo Competition later this year. According to Nick Efstathiou, OFM's marketing manager, it was “all about the lyrics and the melody of the song - the quality of the recording was not important. We got a great response on the competition.”

The trouble with personality tests
[Peter Gilbert] Personality tests are a popular component of many organisations' hiring processes. As these tests contend to measure traits and characteristics that remain stable over time, it is intuitive to believe information regarding candidates' individual differences in these areas would be helpful when making selection decisions. Yet evidence supporting the usefulness of personality tests in the hiring process has been called into serious question.

Researching the pink rand in SA
Pink Advertising will be conducting research into the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual community (GLBT), allegedly the first such research to be undertaken in South Africa. Comments Wrapped publisher Morne Ebersohn, “This GLBT survey will not only reveal interesting facts, but will be a very useful research tool to be used by marketers.


Social networking - everyone is doing it. Or are they? - Synovate
Across 17 markets of the world, well over half of the population (58%) do not know what social networking is. This is according to Synovate's recent global survey on the subject of online communication and social networking.

Popular brand nicknames - Foshizi
Brands are building blocks of society. Hence your brand is defined by consumers' impression of what they think as well as their experience. Thus, brand names are taking on another life in the lives of the emerging market. In the townships, brand talk has and still continues to generate a new lingo so to speak - in nicknames.

Organic consumers drive the new world marketplace
[David Wolstenholme] The boom of the natural and organic industry worldwide signals a huge shift in marketing and manufacturing. Big brands - products and stores traditionally don't really embrace change; most prefer to tweak existing models with a percentage move to the left or right. They prefer to implement a new PR spin or design an “improved” package. Those days are over!


Clever Shopper competition launches: know your retailers
[ActivRetail] The Times and Sowetan daily newspapers are inviting advertisers, marketing managers and media planners to put money back in their pockets through its Clever Shopper weekly pages and competition.


New lager launch builds on premium success
Following the recent introduction of Grolsch into the South African market, South African Breweries (SAB) announced earlier this week that it will be launching a new premium brand, Dreher Premium Lager.

Shona Khona campaign helps youth 'get it'
Metcash, one of the largest distributors of consumer goods on the African continent operating in six African countries, has also become a major player in South Africa's corporate social investment landscape. The company's Shona Khona (“Go Get It”) youth sports initiative is aimed at providing life changing opportunities to South African youngsters.

Go Red and save your heart - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA
Go Red for Women is an international movement aimed at increasing awareness amongst women of the risk factors and signs of heart disease. The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA (HSFSA) will be hosting a Go Red for Women Wellness Workshop on 19 September at the Riverside Hotel in Durban, to raise funds and awareness of this campaign.

Isenzo Mediacaster selected by Moving Tactics for digital signage channels - Isenzo Broadcasting cc
Moving Tactics, a South African specialist in retail advertising, have selected Isenzo as its digital signage technology provider after a successful three-month field trial.

If you can't learn from this guy, you can't learn - SALESGURU Publishing
As one of the foremost sales writers, trainers, thinkers and speakers on the planet, Jeffrey Gitomer invests heavily in the notion that old manipulative selling techniques are fundamentally useless, and that - as much as it might be considered heresy in many sales corridors even today - customers are not actually idiots who will suck on clever sales pitches.

Last generation sponsorships - Exp
During the second African Experiential Marketing Summit held last week, Kim Skildum-Reid from Power Sponsorship in Australia gave marketers plenty of food for thought about the way in which sponsorships are run.

ACSA takes care of South African wheelchair tennis stars in Beijing - Kaelo Worldwide Media
Watch SABC2 TV series, Kaelo - Stories of Hope, on Monday 8 September 2008 at 6pm to see how South African wheelchair tennis champions, Sydwell Mathonsi and Kgothatso Montjane, live out the Olympic Dream as they compete in the Beijing Paralympics.

Vote of confidence for GTV in large investments
An additional US$35 million of external funding has been secured, bringing the total capital invested into the GTV business so far to almost US$200 million. With further investment over the coming months, this allegedly makes GTV one of the biggest investments in the history of African media.


MultiChoice acquires multi-play service provider
MultiChoice South Africa is broadening its core DStv offerings using next generation networks by acquiring a controlling stake in Smart Village, a South African multi-play service provider offering a converged multimedia service to multi-dwelling units, retail and gated communities.

e.tv turns 10 years old on 1 October - e.tv
e.tv, South Africa's first and only independent free-to-air television channel, celebrates 10 years on air on 1 October 2008. Over the past decade, e.tv has established itself against the odds to become a household name and a key player in the South African broadcasting industry.


More Paralympic Games TV coverage
SuperSport Gold (channel 206) on DStv has been dedicated to coverage of the Paralympics, with live and recorded action beginning at 3am from Sunday, 7 September 2008. The opening ceremony on Saturday, 6 September will also be broadcast live (at 2pm) on the same channel. On a daily basis there will be an hour-long highlights package of each day's action, beginning at 7.03pm. For more info, go to www.supersport.co.za.