The popularity of social networking has grown dramatically over the past few years. MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn currently offer advertisers access to over 160 million active users in total. New research based on Dynamic Logic's AdReaction 2007 study, which measures consumer perceptions of various forms of advertising in the US and across parts of Europe, suggests that these social networking Web sites present a unique platform where brands can connect with consumers. 6 Mar 2008
Pick n Pay takes top spot in the best investor relations website awards. 6 Mar 2008
In participation of the Lapdesk Challenge, a public-private partnership that provides portable desks to learners, Old Mutual SA Retail Mass Market division is donating 60 000 lapdesks worth R3 million to 74 schools in all nine provinces. 6 Mar 2008
Consumers who were duped into paying postage for Homemark products they did not order will now have protection. 6 Mar 2008
This article relates to the United States, but it has lessons too for South African website owners. 6 Mar 2008
South Africans are spending close to 60% of total household expenditure on food, housing and transport. 5 Mar 2008
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is not just a technical approach to building, integrating and delivering software systems. It's an initiative that will have impacts on IT processes (planning, project management, design, development, deployment, operations, and change management) and on the IT organization (bodies that have responsibility and authority to drive service reuse, manage quality issues and collaborate with business teams). 5 Mar 2008
In 2008, a growing number of SOA deployments will start to adopt open source, such as messaging and service enablement SOA products, and investigate one or more of the cloud-based services available. It also seems likely that SOA deployments will start to adopt some of the newer products based on the large Web site scale out techniques to increase performance, scalability and reliability. 5 Mar 2008
The results of a critical study of global FMCG company Unilever's economic footprint in South Africa is expected to create the impetus for other multinationals and large businesses to reconsider how they create and share wealth. 5 Mar 2008
Late 2005 saw the first malls in South Africa go live with Bluetooth as location-based marketing communication medium. The idea is to use Bluetooth to communicate relevant retail and mall communications to accepting customers' cellphones. 5 Mar 2008
More than 100 traders have pledged their full support for the Cape Town's plans to develop Greenmarket Square into a world class tourist and market attraction. One of the developments discussed on Monday, 3 March, was the City's request to the traders to form a Greenmarket Square Trading Association whose main purpose would be to develop the market for the benefit of all traders. 5 Mar 2008
Nampak made use of ComutaNet's media platforms to bring the Cuddler's promise to moms and moms-to-be across South Africa. The multi-level campaign used advertisements on rank TV, in-queue promotions and exterior taxi advertising. 5 Mar 2008
The world's leading entertainment brand is coming to the Rand Show 2008 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec from 21 March to 6 April 2008. 5 Mar 2008
Social media can be a powerful marketing force, but a new study from OneUpWeb finds that companies can easily make mistakes that alienate potential customers, or worse, simply fail to follow through with new content. 5 Mar 2008
Ster-Kinekor Games, the distributors of PlayStation hardware and software and PC software across South Africa again teamed up with TLC, washroom advertising experts, for the launch of various gaming titles. 5 Mar 2008
SABMiller is not supporting any political campaign in Zimbabwe and neither has this been under consideration. 4 Mar 2008
The South African Breweries (SAB) today announced it would introduce a new brand, Skelter's Straight, to the South African market. This follows the successful launch of brand variant Sarita Ruby Dry in January this year and a new peach variant of Brutal Fruit in November 2007. 4 Mar 2008
Robots are already taken for granted in Japanese factories, so much so that they are sometimes welcomed on their first day at work with Shinto religious ceremonies. Robots make sushi. Robots plant rice and tend paddies. 4 Mar 2008
IBM invites musicians to compose songs about South Africa using internet technology. 4 Mar 2008
Retail-focused Hyprop Investments reported a record 20% distributions increase for the year to December, to 270c a unit. It said yesterday that in the past 20 years it had delivered average distribution growth of 9,9% a year. 4 Mar 2008
