[Biz Takeouts Podcast] 101: Groupon SA's new CEO and Digital Edge Live

Popa shared more about what the future holds for Groupon SA, the South African e-commerce industry, as well as the challenges that lie ahead. We also touched on what Groupon International thinks of Africa and South Africa.

We then shifted our attention to the upcoming The Nedbank Digital Edge Live event, taking place on 30 September at Vodaworld in Johannesburg. Organiser, Ben Wagner (@benwagner), Head of Native VML (@native) Cape Town, touched on what to expect at the event, the speakers and ticket details. We also looked at the 2014 event theme: GO DO GOOD.

WIN WIN WIN!

We have two tickets to give away to The Nedbank Digital Edge Live event. All you need to do to enter is:
1. Tweet @bizwazza, and tell him which speaker you are looking forward to the most and use the hastag #biztakeouts. That could win you one ticket.
2. Tweet @bizwazza, and send him a photo of your best moustache, and use the hastag #biztakeouts. That could win you one ticket.

Winners will be announced on Monday, 1 Septmeber 2014.

If you missed the show, which airs every Thursday 9-10am streamed live via 2oceansVibe Radio, make sure you listen to this week's podcast. [twitterfall]

Lineup highlights

What is the first thing you will do as the new CEO of Groupon SA?

Emilian Popa: The company has grown very quickly in four years and any company that has grown to more than 100 people, the internal processes don't usually follow. My starting point is to improve customer focus, I want the customers to love us again. Customers tell us that they used to love us, but not anymore. So I will focus on growing the business and making Groupon SA a profitable and sustainable business by making it customers centric.

For more, check out Groupon SA (www.groupon.co.za) and follow @Groupon_ZA.

The 2013 event theme was ICE, what is the theme this year?

Ben Wagner: Go Do Good, or Just Good. It basically means there has a been a huge swift in the way companies position themselves, it's not just about profit anymore, it's about society as a whole, the customers and the impact on the wider community the consumer operates in. Really a huge shift and trend we have seen is that brands are looking for a purpose and how they interact with consumers. Clearly social media has become the main platform to share their views on how brands are performing and it's clear that brands need to have purpose and do purpose-driven marketing.

For more, go to www.thedigitaledge.co.za.

The news roundup covered:

• [NewsMaker:] Lauren Woolf
  
• Millennials Rising: The Next Generation
  
• South African consumer rights under threat
  
• PR 2014 - suffocating or liberating?
  
• Featured Job: A newly-created Head of Marketing opportunity in Cape Town

If you are interested in getting interviewed on Biz Takeouts, or want to suggest a show topic, email Warren Harding (@bizwazza) on moc.ytinummoczib@stuoekatzib.

Podcast

If you missed the show, download (67MB) or listen to the podcast (36:40min).

Episode 101: Groupon SA's new CEO and The Digital Edge Live event.



Date: 14 August 2014 Length: 36:40min File size: 67MB Host: Warren Harding

Bizcommunity.com's Biz Takeouts Marketing & Media Show takes South Africa's biggest online marketing, media and ad industry platform to the airwaves and gives relevant, useful and interesting insights into all aspects of marketing in SA, Africa and beyond. Each week, the show features the movers and the shakers of the industry, current media trends, upcoming events and brand activities.

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