AMASA, MDDA education partnership

AMASA has just completed its Media Planning workshop to specifically train South African Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) beneficiaries on the basics of advertising, insights into the South African media industry and illustrate the full scope of the industry from a sales and marketing perspective, based on its annual Media Planning workshop.

Commissioned by MDDA, the partnership saw AMASA linking both small commercial and community media to available networks, training and industry opportunities.

Brad Aigner, chairman of AMASA Johannesburg says, "Our primary objective was to equip the delegates with essential skills and knowledge relating to the set up and marketing of small media businesses, right through to selling ad space more effectively to clients and agencies."

The workshop took delegates through sales and marketing material, terminology required to sell advertising space and equipped them with media planning training, processes and negotiation skills required to communicate with clients both local and abroad.

"A post-workshop analysis revealed that delegates felt that all lecturers were either very good or excellent, that all content was relevant and easily understood and that they could take the knowledge gained at the workshop and apply it within their relevant businesses. Due to the success of this first joint venture, it is envisaged that this will now become an annual workshop. We're delighted to be extending our mandate of providing education and knowledge sharing to the media advertising industry," adds Aigner.

The lecturers included Lyn Jones (AMASA vice-chairperson and marketing manager for Continental Outdoor Media), Nandi Tshabalala (strategic marketing manager, Radmark), Mervyn Naidu (direct sales manager, Radmark) and NAB personnel - Brian Letsogo (key accounts manager), Marc du Plessis (sales manager) and San Lourens (branch manager for Caxton Urban newspapers).