Blog for marketers about people
A new blog that aims to refocus business attention on the importance of investing in relationships with people, as opposed to simply building brands, was recently launched by media man Herman Manson


Common creativity at work, part 3
[Paul Jacobson] In this third and final part my series, I expand upon the introduction to Creative Commons licences in my previous article and present you with a few examples of where Creative Commons licences have been used in successful commercial endeavours and why you may want to consider using them in your business.


The Google domination
[Naseem Javed] Frankly speaking, stop the guesswork and open heartedly accept that it's Google's turn now, as the next decade clearly belongs to Google. Best not to resist and go with the flow.

Blatter to tour 2010 prep in SA next week
FIFA president Joseph S Blatter will be in South Africa next week, 14 -17 September 2008, to visit facilities in Cape Town and Johannesburg to obtain a firsthand impression of the progress of the preparations for next year's FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He will be accompanied on his trip by FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke and SALOC board member Tokyo Sexwale.

Ad case study shows return of traditional masculine virtues
The success of recent Guinness campaigns in Africa validate the ‘menaissance' trend that cultural commentators predicted. This is according to Ian Young, MD of Saatchi & Saatchi.


The chainsaw consultant
[Frank Bone] I walked past the dreamboat at reception into the CD's office. Lollipops in a jar. Scatterings of pop paraphernalia. A t-shirt lying on the sofa read: ‘Does this make my penis look fat?'. Yip, this was advertising, for sure. But I wasn't here to look around, I was here for the scoop.

Enter now for Eagle Print Awards 2008
Entry deadline for the 2008 Eagle Print Awards is Friday, 26 September 2008, so it's really time to get cracking. The Eagle Awards honour the best in South African creative advertising in the print category and have been sponsored by the Independent Newspapers since they were founded in 1996.

JWT celebrates 80 years in SA
James Walter Thompson gave birth to one of the world's first advertising agencies in the late 19th century in America, heralding the enormous and dynamic global industry that followed. Now a worldwide giant, JWT recently celebrated 80 years of doing business in South Africa.


YGAward 2008 entries now open
Calling all YoungGuns! If you are young and talented, then it's time to enter the YGAward to assist you in getting recognised as seriously hot talent early in your career. Entry deadline is Friday, 21 November 2008.

Festival of Media moves to Valencia
After two years in the city of Venice, the world's first global festival for the media industry has announced that it will be moving to a new city in 2009 - Valencia, Spain. The Festival of Media 2009 continues with its well-known “F” logo and will be held 19 - 22 April 2009.


Durban agency off to a flying start for a strong 2008
TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris\Durban is midway through a very successful year, with great new clients on board and a couple of awards under its belt.

It's OK to worry about a printer, really!
If you read the sports section in Business Day on Monday this week, you probably enjoyed a quiet giggle over the topical tactical spot from OKI Printing Solutions that gave rugby fans a reason to smile after our disastrous effort on the field over the weekend.

Dates finalised for Dubai Lynx Festival 2008
The second Dubai International Advertising Festival, incorporating the Dubai Lynx Awards, will take place 15 - 17 March 2009 at The Palladium, located in Dubai Media City. The festival is a creative advertising event and awards for the Middle East and North Africa.

Joe Public tucks into Roman's Pizza - Joe Public
Full service creative agency Joe Public has been awarded the Roman's Pizza account. This comes hot on the heels of the agency bringing home 12 coveted Loerie Awards.

Vodacom ad tickles judges' funny bone - Draftfcb (South Africa)
Draftfcb Johannesburg's ‘We've been having it' television commercial for Vodacom has been named as the country's funniest ad at the 2008 South African Comedy Awards.


Penny wise, pound foolish - Lowe Bull
[Mthuli Bam] In today's tough economic climate, there's nothing wrong with saving a few rands here and there. It makes sound business sense to keep costs as low as possible, which is what many marketers are doing, with the help of cost consultants. Lowe Bull's Mthuli Bam feels however, that indiscriminate cost-cutting is having a negative impact on South African advertising.

Activate - Burning with new ideas - Activate Communication
“At Activate we love starting fires,” says Chris Chappe, Creative Director at Activate Advertising. “Don't by any means mistake me for an arsonist,” he protests, explaining their hot, new thinking as an ad agency. “It is a simple working model based on producing brilliant wildfire ideas and strategies for our clients.”

August YoungGun of the Month winners
The results of the August YGAward - YoungGun of the Month are in, as judged by Josh Lancaster from Colenso BBDO, who has also picked runners-up and provided a commentary on all the selectedwork. Professional YoungGuns of the Month are Matt Sellars and Cory Bellringer from Y&R Auckland NZ for their Microsoft - Anti Virus Campaign. Student YoungGun of the Month is Ana C Galvez from the Art Institute of California-San Diego for her Monster Posters for Monster.com idea.

Rebrand pays off
Last winter, the fictional ad agency on SABC1's soapie, Generations, pitched for and won the Pep business and presented the retail chain's new tagline: “Best prices and more.” Off air and in reality, consumers saw the new campaign played out in-store (as featured on Generations).

Bearing Man becomes BMG
To reflect its leading position as Africa's largest specialist distributor of bearings, seals, power transmission components, electric and geared motors, belting, fasteners and filtration, Bearing Man has transformed its corporate identity with a bold new name - BMG - plus a new logo and slogan.

En route for a new brand message for Cape Town
In 2003, the City of Cape Town and Provincial Government of the Western Cape spent some R6 million on a branding study. The result was the much-maligned Cape Town Routes Unlimited and "Cape Town & Western Cape" as the brand. Now moves are afoot to review the city's brand, and the public have been invited to participate and comment.

Sponsored students share thoughts on the Ex Summit - Exp
Dani du Plessis and Cyndi-Lee de Cerff, the two students sponsored by Exp Agency to attend the second African Experiential Marketing Summit, which took place recently at Montecasino, share their thoughts on the event.

Talk2Us welcomes a new face to its communications division - Talk2Us
Talk2Us welcomes Mamosa Makebe, a receptionist and junior account manager, to its existing dynamic team.


Destination devotion - Exp
Ryan Fitzsimons, CEO of The Gigunda Group, recently enthralled delegates at the second African Experiential Marketing Summit with his presentation on Destination Devotion.

Talk2Us strengthens its marketing and communications division - Talk2Us
Talk2Us ha welcomed the talented Phillip van Staden, an experienced PR Account Executive, to their existing dynamic team.


The changing face of brand communications - Exp
The following is a summary of Andy Rice, chairman of Yellowwood Future Architects' presentation from the 2nd African Experiential Marketing Summit.

November 1 flexes its branding muscle at Curves - November 1
Curves is the world's largest fitness franchise and the fastest growing - it even made it into the Guinness World Book of Records. There are 10 000 facilities in 60 countries around the world, and counting.

thirtyfour launches SA's biggest national braai campaign for Castle Lager - 34
Cape Town - One of South Africa's biggest braai promotions has been conceptualised for Castle Lager by national brand activation specialists, thirtyfour and was launched last week.

Greening your business: every little bit counts
[Roger Strain] As humans get ever more conscious of the fact that we need to change the way we work, eat, live and consume - not just for the sake of the environment but for our own survival - organisations are under increasing pressure to use energy more efficiently. But it's not just new gadgets and new design techniques that will make the difference. When you turn an energy-conscious eye on any business, there are many small changes to make that can add up to big impacts. Even customer relationship management (CRM), my own area of expertise, has a contribution to make.


4Life launches first SA ‘Life Stage Rewards Program' - LifeWorld Relationship Managment
A wise person once said, “We come fresh to the different stages of life, and in each of them we are quite inexperienced, no matter how old we are.”

Managing customer experience - Exp
Bernd Schmitt, PhD, Robert D Calkins Professor of International Business and executive director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership at Columbia Business School in New York, told delegates at the 2nd African Experiential Marketing Summit he was glad to hear that experiential marketing is alive and kicking in Africa.

Social media site speeds up media delivery
Two months after Vodacom's minority stake acquisition in Zoopy, the South African social media site Zoopy has started to roll out some of the large scale community improvements it hinted at when announcing the investment deal. "These improvements are part of a determined plan to bring the Zoopy community everything they need to manage, view and share their media in all the ways they've hoped for, and more," said Zoopy CEO Jason Elk today, Monday, 15 September 2008.

WAN up in arms over Yahoo-Google ad deal
PARIS: Competition authorities in Europe and North America have been requested to block an advertising agreement between Google and Yahoo on anti-competitive grounds by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN),today, Monday, 15 September 2008. According to WAN, the deal will have a negative impact on the ad revenues that the search giants provide to newspaper and other websites, and on the cost of paid search advertising.

GIBS goes podcasting route
The University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) is now offering a half-hour packaged podcast, known as GIBS FN, which features interviews with leading local business people and international thought leaders. The objective is to drive more traffic to the business school's website, which is its main portal of interaction with students, potential students and visitors to the campus.

New category for Construction New Media Awards
The Construction New Media Awards (CNMA) 2009 - which highlight new media design through honouring and accrediting those designers, writers, programmers and thinkers who produce challenging, imaginative, interactive work both on a creative and functional platform - has a new category this year, innovation, inspired by the constant redefinition of the digital space.

Fiftieth anniversary of integrated circuit
Tomorrow, Friday, 12 September 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of Jack Kilby's demonstration of the first working integrated circuit: the silicon chip. Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Jim Tully shares his views on this "engine of the information age".

SA vlogger takes Highway Africa Digital Journalism award
[Simone Puterman] Khaya Dlanga, YouTube vlogger, Thoughtleader blogger and MetropolitanRepublic Johannesburg creative, has scooped the SABC-Highway Africa New Media Award in the Student/Individual category, it was announced last night, Tuesday, 9 September 2007, at the awards ceremony at the 1820 Settlers' Monument in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. The other two winners were Nirmal Shah from Seychelles for Nature Seychelles (www.natureseychelles.org) in the Non-profit category and Togo's Noel Kokou Tadegnon for Sites Média (www.mediatogo.info) in the Corporate category.


Vote for Synthasite in the Industry Standard Innovation 100 Awards - SynthaSite
Just a reminder to all those Synthasite fans - only four weeks left to vote for SynthaSite in the Industry Standard Innovation 100 awards!

Stonewall+ scoops new key accounts - Stonewall+
The digital marketing agency Stonewall+ has rounded off the first half of 2008 with great success in new business gains, enjoying working with new clients across the fields of retail, financial services, professional services and risk management.

Assegai Awards call for judges; build for the future
You can be a part of the most prestigious awards wholly dedicated to SA's multibillion Rand direct industry. The DMASA Assegai Awards, presented by the South African Post Office, is calling for judges to assist in selecting South Africa's top direct marketers.

Assegai Awards and Standard Bank host national student workshops - DMASA
Standard Bank, sponsor of the student category of the Assegai Awards 2008, has teamed up with the DMASA to host national student workshops as part of an initiative to foster and mentor new direct marketing talent.

AAA uses SMS campaign to recruit students
AAA School of Advertising is currently running an SMS campaign, where one could win a bursary as part of its new student recruitment campaign. To be able to complete a bursary application in 160 characters requires some creativity, which is exactly the type of person the school wants.

Estate agents show desire to be taught ‘the science of success' - Knowledge Factory
The South African Property Transfer Guide (SAPTG) is currently sponsoring a nationwide training programme for property professionals entitled ‘The Science of Success'. Designed for SAPTG subscribers, the training focuses on how to use SAPTG data to secure sales.

First E-Tourism Conference for Southern Africa a success
Africa's first international e-tourism conference was held last week in Johannesburg. More than 250 delegates attended the E-Tourism Southern Africa conference and training seminars, including delegates from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho.


Countdown to first annual Kenya Trade Fair and Conference begins
The first annual Kenya Trade Fair and Conference, taking place 19 - 21 September 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, is a few days away. South African businesses will be able to engage with a host of Kenyan government and business stakeholders.


Soweto Wine Festival overflows
This year, 4635 wine enthusiasts flocked to the fourth annual 2008 Standard Bank Soweto Wine Festival weekend held recently at the University of Johannesburg, in what is being hailed as a major success by festival organisers, sponsors, exhibitors and visitors alike.


Soweto Festival hosts groundbreaking Joburg Jobs City initiative
The 2008 Soweto Festival promises to be bigger, better and more proudly South African than ever, and along with its strong focus on ‘edutainment' and careers for local youth, it also sees the kick-off of an ambitious and exciting initiative, the City of Johannesburg Unemployed Community Development Programme - which will be known at the festival as the Joburg Jobs City.

Awarding SA's funniest folk
The country's funniest people walked off with their well-deserved South African Comedy Awards on Monday night. This annual event which has been nicknamed ‘The Nana's', was held at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town.


Sandton Convention Centre to host Miss World 2008
The 2008 edition of the longest running beauty contest in history, the Miss World pageant, will be hosted by the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on Saturday, 13 December 2008.

Lighting up The Forum for Women's Day - Techrig Lighting
TechRig were approached by its client Collyer Lessick and Associates (CLA) to do the technical event management and supply of services at the recent Dimension Data Women's Day held at the Forum on the Dimension Data Campus.


Rejuvenated Pebo hits 360 - Pebo Productions
The communication world relies a lot on production facilities or services and this is usually outsourced from production specialists. Pebo Productions has gone full circle with its production and management service offering, with the latest boost being complete video/creative facilities and event management.


Matchmaking solutions for conference organisers - Outsmart Marketing
Outsmart Marketing, which has been running successful business matchmaking programs at trade shows for over three years, recently introduced matchmaking programmes for smaller conferences and events.

Sound Media deliver campaign for international cosmetics house - Sound Media
Leading French skincare specialist's RoC recently treated consumers to an exciting 12-week challenge and corresponding mall activation.


Arrested Development to tour SA this October
Jump Media is bringing Grammy award-winning Arrested Development to South Africa in October 2008. One of the major success stories of the '90s, the group is a progressive rap collective, fusing soul, blues, hip hop, and Sly and the Family Stone-influenced funk with political, socially conscious lyrics. Presented by Computicket and The Bassline in Johannesburg and by Computicket, Heart Radio and Club Galaxy in Cape Town, the tour kicks off at The Bassline on 10 October, followed by a performance on 11 October at Club Galaxy.

First speakers confirmed for EXSA Conference - The Exhibitions and Events Association
The Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa will host its annual conference at the NH Lord Charles Hotel in the Cape Winelands, 18 - 20 January 2009 . Themed Widening Horizons, the conference will bring the exhibition industry together for two days of networking and informative presentations by a variety of local and international speakers.

Scan shows commitment to exhibitions at Markex Cape - Scan Display
When it comes to the exhibition medium, Scan Display puts its money where its mouth is, exhibiting at eight annual shows and conferences. Over the past decade, the company has generated good business and grown its brand at local and international expos.


Oasys demonstrates corporate responsibility - Oasys Innovations
Exhibitions and events infrastructure supplier, Oasys Innovations, has produced an overview of their corporate social responsibility initiatives which reflects on the company's standing as a corporate citizen.


The Baby Expo Durban - another successful delivery - The Baby Expo
The Baby Expo Durban, held at the Durban ICC from the 29th to 31st August 2008, was a resounding success, bringing the best parenting, pregnancy and baby brands to Durbanites for the second year.

Live Out Loud teams up with Jaguar - Live Out Loud
Live Out Loud magazine has done it again! Pairing up with one of the most respected classic cars, Jaguar, Live Out Loud burst onto the scene this past Sunday and took over the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.


Cleo names first bachelor of the year
Jeremy Veasey was named Cleo magazine's bachelor of the year at the awards ceremony at Movida on Saturday, 13 September 2008. This first-time event in South Africa follows the success of Cleo Australia's bachelor of the year competition, now in its 21st year, and winners walked away with prizes including Suzuki bikes, X-Boxes, cameras and i-Pods. Veasey, a student and model from Durban, impressed judges with his good looks, wit, charisma and his "boy-next-door" personality. In second place was Stephen Friedman, pro surfer and model, followed by Tshepo "Howzer" Mosese, actor, musician and presenter, in third place.

Death of Deon Basson
NEWSWATCH: Deon Basson, a former award-winning top financial journalist, died of a heart attack this weekend, reports The Daily Dispatch. Meanwhile, the SABC held its fourth SABC News Awards at Sun City, also this weekend, according to SABCnews.com.

Gillmor on citizen media's effects on business, culture
[Sindy Peters] Fresh from presenting at the 12th Highway Africa conference last week, Dan Gillmor, director of the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship (Arizona State University, US), gave a lunch talk at the UCT Graduate School of Business on Friday, 12 September 2008. Gillmor's discussion focused on how the media landscape has evolved over the last decade or so and how media and business industries have been affected by social media tools.


Don't be digitally dozy - Guy Berger
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As the rise of digital revolution reaches a tipping point, breaking up existing business models (information gathering, editing, packaging, dissemination and loyal audience) and reshaping journalism, traditional media organisations must start a quest for new business models suitable to the new business environment, Prof Guy Berger, head of Rhodes University's School of Journalism, told delegates yesterday, Tuesday, 9 September 2008, at Highway Africa 2008 in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape.

Bridging the gap between new, ‘old' media
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Currently, there is a conflict going on in many parts of the world between traditional media (trained journalists) and what Pierre Haski, a former Agence France Presse correspondent in Johannesburg, calls a crowd of consumers who, empowered by new technologies, have decided that traditional media is no longer relevant in today's society. But Haski said that instead of arguing who is the best, there is a need to bridge the gap between the two camps for the maximisation of information.

Journalists important to Africa's digital revolution
[Professor Ndawonde] Grahamstown: Journalists should be at the frontline in advancing the digital revolution in Africa, Deputy Minister of Communications, Radhakrishna Roy Padayachie said on Monday, 8 September 2008.

Zuma to sue Zapiro
NEWSWATCH: The Times Online reports that, the ANC president Jacob Zuma has instructed his legal team to sue cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, who publishes under the pen name Zapiro, for defamation over his latest controversial cartoon.

SANEF opposes revised Films & Publications Amendment Bill
The South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) is strongly opposing the revised version of the Films and Publications Amendment Bill, which has been presented for parliamentary processing by the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, the forum said in a recent statement.

Common creativity at work, part 2
[Paul Jacobson] In the first part of this series of articles about copyright and Creative Commons licences, I wrote about copyright and how its original purpose has been distorted to stifle creativity and innovation, certainly customers' ability to manipulate and consume these creative works. In this second part of the three part series, I will introduce you to content licensing and its pitfalls as well as to Creative Commons licences, both of which are misunderstood and rarely appreciated in the commercial world.


Citizen journalism: some things will never change!
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Despite the surge of technological innovations and its sexy gadgets doing wonders in the current media environment, spoiling us for choice, one thing that has not changed is the way we practice journalism, said Jovial Rantao, chairperson of the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) during his thought-provoking intervention yesterday, Monday, 8 September 2008, at Highway Africa 2008, currently taking place in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape.

Mobile applications white paper from MMA
NEW YORK, LONDON, UK, SINGAPORE AND SAO PAULO: Earlier this week, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced the publication of its latest educational resource: a white paper on mobile applications. The paper provides an overview of the mobile applications available to advertisers and the key considerations for optimising both campaign effectiveness and the overall user experience.

Mobile leads the way through the information age
[Eddie Groenewald] Mobile technology is providing effective answers to companies and consumers trying to find their way through the information age, says CEO of Multimedia Solutions Eddie Groenewald, who also reckons that with the rise of cyberspace, companies wanting to communicate to consumers have a huge challenge in trying to do so.

2008 MMA Global Awards nominations deadline
The 2008 Mobile Marketing Association Global Awards process is underway and this year's submissions are demonstrating remarkable and successful marketing programs from across all regions. The deadline for nomination is September 15, and can be submitted by category to www.mmaglobal.com.

US financial services providers adopting mobile - SMS tip of the spear - Clickatell
Clickatell has announced that top US financial institutions and technology providers who serve the FI market, including Visa, S1 Postilion, and RSA Data Security, are trusting them to provide actionable financial alerts and notifications to millions of cell phones via SMS.

Nigeria Mobile Football Trivia game kicks off with the English Premiership - Starfish Mobile
Starfish Mobile Nigeria has teamed up with Zain, a major mobile telecommunications company, to launch the second Mobile Football Trivia Game in that region. The latest game will be based on the current English Premiership League.

2008 Mobile Search Awards recognise Clickatell's developer-friendly SMS Gateway in two categories - Clickatell
Clickatell, a global provider of mobile messaging services, has announced its nomination in two categories of the 2008 Mobile Search Awards.

Nokia brings MS Exchange ActiveSync corporate mobile email solution to 80 million mobile devices - Nokia
Nokia will be expanding its device range which enables Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to all Nokia S60 third edition devices. Forty three Nokia devices will now feature the Mail for Exchange mobile email application, making Nokia's device range the largest ever to enable the solution chosen by more businesses than any other messaging solution.

Online banking going mobile as Moneybookers brings eWallet to five million customers - Clickatell
Moneybookers, one of Europe's largest online payment systems, and Clickatell, a provider of global mobile messaging solutions, have partnered to offer mobile SMS alerts on transactions for over five million eWallet customers.

Avusa Media wins international Young Reader Prize
Avusa Media together with the Department of Education and newspaper groups Independent Newspapers, Media24 and AIP have collectively won an international newspaper award for a 2007 educational intervention project. This was announced at an awards ceremony held in Paris on 8 September 2008 on International Literacy Day.

Schibsted's Aamot to give keynote at Beyond the Printed Word 2008
DARMSTADT: Kjell Aamot, CEO of Schibsted ASA, Scandinavian media group, will give the keynote address at the IFRA 16th World Digital Publishing Conference, Beyond the Printed Word that will take place in Hunagry, Budapest on 20 and 21 November 2008.

Press regulatory body hasn't received formal complaint
NEWSWATCH: The ANC hasn't lodged a complaint with the press ombudsman against the controversial cartoon by cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro also known as Zapiro, says Raymond Louw is a member of the council of the South African National Editors Forum.

Polish newspaper wins top World Young Reader prize
The Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza has won the annual World Young Reader Newspaper of the Year award, the World Association of Newspapers announced yesterday on International Literacy Day, 8 September 2008.

Discount tickets to lifestyle festival available for limited period only - Die Burger
Die Burger will once again host its annual Kitchen & Cellar festival at the beautiful and historic Castle, 7 - 9 November 2008.

Entries now open for 2008 SA NGO Web Awards
Organised by SANGONeT, the competition aims to raise awareness about the benefits of having a web presence among South African NGOs, stimulate interest in the application of web solutions and applications, and showcase best practices and innovation in website use.

Web strategy is key to ROI - AlterSage
When it comes to marketing, the Internet has provided many distinct benefits, the main one being the ability to circulate media and information around the world at a much lower cost than more traditional forms of advertisement.


iLogic joins Worldwide Partners - iLogic
Worldwide Partners has added another partner to the world's ninth largest marketing communications network, according to Al Moffatt, President and CEO of Worldwide Partners headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

Convergence Partners expands its digital media investment base - Skillpod Media
Convergence Partners Investments, a Black Economic Empowerment investment company focusing on the Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector, has announced that it has taken a 25.55% stake in SkillPod Media (SkillPod), a pioneering South African online casual gaming company.

Street furniture overhaul begins next week
As part of its ethos of ongoing innovation, the ADreach Group of Companies will be embarking on a national overhaul that will see every piece of ADreach street furniture undergoing major upgrades for improved functionality and aesthetic appeal. Installation of the new 1m x 1.5m Street Pole Ad frames in Johannesburg marks the start of these upgrades, beginning next week, mid-September 2008, until March 2009.

Digital signage grabs, engages, and informs
A study released in 2008 by US-based SeeSaw Networks, conducted by OTX, to better understand how digital out-of-home media can be used to reach mobile consumers, shows that digital signage advertising engages people, has high awareness, and is a compelling media that advertisers can use to effectively reach people with their message.

Akin Omotoso to step into the light with Sub urban - Sub urban
Director Akin Omotoso has joined the Sub urban family. From acting in Generations and directing films and documentaries, he is now venturing into the world of commercials.


Ntswembu provides ‘cool' mobile solutions to South Africa - The Refinery
With their mix of street-smarts and an eye for a great opportunity, the dynamic team players at Ntswembu Mobile Solutions have identified and staked their claim within a niche market still embryonic in South Africa.


Congratulations to The Coconuts! - ATTV Communications
M-Net's very first sitcom, The Coconuts, scooped two major awards at the recent annual South African Comedy Awards ceremony in Cape Town. The show won the coveted prize of Best SA Television Comedy and Shaeleen Tobin won the award for Best SA Television Performance for her outstanding performance as Patience in the show.


Lights, camera and all the action as The Hyde launches in time for season - Amazing Spaces
Amazing Spaces, a locations provider, proudly introduces The Hyde, Cape Town's answer to the film industry's prayers. Nobody better understands the ethos of ‘24/7 work hard, play hard' and therefore The Hyde is equipped to deliver what you need, before you think you need it.

Speed Racer movie campaign - Grapevine Media
The latest venture between Grapevine Postcards and Nu Metro entailed the promotion of the Speed Racer movie that sped onto South African screens earlier this year.


Grapevine Media joins forces for The Salvation Army - Grapevine Media
Finally summer is upon us, and with the weather warming, so Grapevine is aiming to warm the hearts of others by continually showing its support for our community. Most non-profit organisations rely solely on the donations of others, and struggle to create awareness for their cause, as advertising usually does not fall into their already starved budget.

PRISA National Conference speakers highlighted
PRISA will be hosting a variety of speakers at the PRISA National Conference from 15-16 September 2008 with the aim of enhancing attendees general knowledge, personal development and practical skills. The line-up includes prominent people from organisations currently in the news.

Get ready to become a Radio Star! - Heart 104.9
Hot on the heels of its recently held Traffic Idols Competitions, Heart 104.9FM will once again be scouting for Cape Town's talent with its newly launched Radio Star Competition.

The future of recruitment and selection
[Shamillah Wilson] There is no doubt that organisations and companies today are in very different places to where they were 20 years ago. It is not uncommon for organisations to reorganise and consider creative ways to do more with fewer resources. This particular trend has implications for the workforce, which in many ways have had to restructure the nature of jobs to become more task-oriented with clear accountabilities.

Jobs.co.za announces partnership with National Database for Disabled Persons - Jobs.co.za
In support of the initiatives by The Presidency towards the economic empowerment of persons with disabilities, South African Job Portal and National Database for Disabled Persons announce their partnership that aims to address the fundamental crisis of unemployment amongst South Africans with disabilities.

Vuvuzelas: “Beautiful noise” or dreadful drone? - African Response
Seventy one percent of South Africans say that using vuvuzelas at the 2010 FIFA World Cup games will actually improve the atmosphere, according to market research company African Response.

New SAMRA Council for 2008/2009 elected - SAMRA
The Southern African Marketing Research Association, held its AGM last month in Ferndale, Johannesburg. At the meeting, the outgoing SAMRA Council reviewed the past year, and the new SAMRA council members assumed their portfolios.


Faster vehicles become victims of road rage - Synovate
High performance and sports car drivers are most likely to be victims of road rage, according to a recent road rage survey by Synovate. This is true of road rage behaviours including persistent flashing headlights, hooting, rude gestures and insults, as well as aggressive driving behaviour. Of those that have reported being the victim of road rage where another driver actually got out of their vehicles, most are reported by drivers of small cars.

Who are the darlings of Gauteng retail?
Avusa Media titles The Times and Sowetan will announce Gauteng's retail darlings at a gala awards celebration to be held at Constitutional Hill, Johannesburg on 30 October 2008. The awards are the grand finale to the recently-launched Clever Shopper initiative, which involves weekly pages on savvy shopping in both The Times and Sowetan and a competition.

Toys against the tide
As many retailers face hard times, Redgwoods, the toys group, is expanding and is to open eight stores in eight weeks.

Wally on the road to full recovery - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA
Waldemar Katze, affectionately known as Wally to the many South Africans who followed his story in the build-up to the world's first-ever live television broadcast of open heart surgery, is on the road to making a full recovery.


Local retail marketing group expands into Bangladesh - The Todwil Group
Todwil, a global South African-based leader in retail-marketing that provides in-store brand communications solutions, continues to expand globally through the signing of an agreement with Universal Business, a leading Bangladeshi company involved in supply and promotion of merchandising items. This follows hot-on-the-heels of Todwil's recent buy-out announcement of Cape Tech Plastics.

International cricket ace Vernon Philander driven by Hertz - Hertz Rent a Car
Hertz Rent a Car announces their sponsorship of international cricketer Vernon Darryl Philander. Vernon is currently playing South Africa, the Cape Cobras and Middlesex.

In support of Afrikaans and the Pendoring
A project with the scope and responsibility of Pendoring would be simply impossible without the financial support and valuable intellectual inputs of several sponsors and partners. That Afrikaans advertising and Pendoring are close to the hearts of the Pendoring sponsors is clear.

TV channel to ignite motoring industry
Launching in October 2008, DStv's new weekend motoring channel Ignition TV is allegedly the first dedicated TV platform for an industry that ranks as one of the largest contributors to South African GDP, the SA car industry. Ignition is the third in a stable of TV brands launched by BDFM Media, the publisher of Business Day and Financial Mail (and part of media group Avusa).


Record SuperSport viewership figures for Olympics
The South African team's disappointing Beijing Olympic Games campaign was not reflected in viewership of the spectacle on SuperSport, with a significant increase in numbers compared to Athens in 2004, the channel reports.

Nairobi to host first African Broadcast and Film Conference
The first African Broadcast, Film and Convergence Conference in Nairobi, scheduled for 23 - 25 September 2008, will bring together senior broadcast and film executives, producers, advertising agency executives, regulators and policy-makers to discuss the challenges faced by the industry over the next five years.

e.tv launches prime time Zulu, Sotho news bulletins - e.tv
On Monday, 15 September 2008, e.tv will launch Zulu and Sotho eNews bulletins at 6pm. The bulletins will be broadcast Mondays to Fridays and will include national, international, business, sports, human interest stories and weather.


Van Dam earns AMS broadcast meteorologist certification
Derek van Dam, head of weather and chief meteorologist of e.tv's eNews Channel, has been awarded the American Meteorological Society's (AMS) Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) designation, a professional recognition of the quality of his weather broadcasts. Van Dam is the first broadcast meteorologist in South Africa to earn this prestigious acknowledgement. “The Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation clearly recognises that the holders have the educational background and have been tested in their knowledge and communication of the sciences needed to be an effective broadcast meteorologist,” said AMS Executive Director Keith Seitter. “The general public can have added confidence in the quality and reliability of weather presentations made by broadcast meteorologists approved by the Society.” South Africans also recently voted Van Dam as the Country's Best Newcomer. For more information, see: Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Programme.

New children's advertising code welcomed
The new regulations governing advertising to children have finally come out and Bizcommunity.com has asked various advertising and marketing agencies for their comment and analysis. In the first in this series of articles, the overall impression, according to Draftfcb, is that the spirit of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa's code appears to be sound.

Finding opportunities in tough times
[Tshepiso Seopa] Government plans to regulate marketing and advertising campaigns targeting children in order to reduce the high number of obesity in young children; and the dismal performance by South Africa's athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games has lead to Cadbury South Africa seizing the moment to nurture the next generation of South African athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.