Specialised retail media agency bolsters marketing consultancy

Thola Phetla will head up Primedia Lifestyle's new specialist retail media planning, buying and strategy division, Media Xpress.

Doug Mayne, MD of Primedia Lifestyle explains, "Having a retail media division at our disposal ensures seamless communication planning, which drives media strategy, buying, implementation, post campaign analysis, negotiating power and benefit across the board."

He believes that the new business unit will eliminate retail marketing fragmentation across its portfolio of malls, to ensure that its strategies and campaigns are cohesive in creating experiences that consumers will not forget.

Phetla started her career in advertising client service at Ogilvy Cape Town, moving to Added Value Strategic Marketing as a market researcher and Ogilvy Africa in Johannesburg as a strategist and planner, working on above-the-line campaigns for over 26 African countries. She has also been employed by Radmark as an account manager and by SABC as a media strategist in radio sales.

"In the modern media environment, impact can only be achieved through smart solutions that go beyond strategic planning," explains Phetla. "There are many media options available to marketers locally, nationally, regionally and globally and media owners can be unscrupulous to misinformed advertisers. Therefore, the media function should no longer sit with only the marketing manager. It should sit with specialists who can evaluate and consider media options relevant for clients' business objectives."

Mayne concludes, "With the addition of this division, the design division Red Pixel and the CRM experts Source, the company is a fully integrated consultancy. It presents a one-stop marketing solution to its malls."