Lighting up the Mother City
It's that time of year when the Mother City comes alive with the celebration of the annual festive lights, with this year's theme of ‘Cape Town is fun. Soccer Is Fun.' Awarded the contract by the City of Cape Town to project manage and design the festive lights for 2007 and the years leading up to 2010 FIFA World Cup are two Cape Town-based creative agencies, Development Works and The Design Works.


moyo to take on the world with VC funding
HBD Venture Capital announced yesterday, 29 November 2007, that it had invested R25 million in the highly successful African food, art, music and retail business, moyo. With plans to open in new locations in South Africa and abroad, and to diversify into fresh business avenues, HBD and moyo will work together to grow the moyo brand significantly.

Joburg ranked among Top 50 cities in which to do business
MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index explores strategic role of cities in driving global commerce. And one African city has made it into the Top 50 rankings.

Jacob Zuma – marketer of the year 2008?
[Chris Moerdyk] Love him or loathe him, you have to admit that Jacob Zuma is a natural born marketer with a firm grasp of salesmanship, communications and branding. Just looking at his performance over the past year or so, it is clearly evident that he wittingly or unwittingly understands the basics of marketing far better than any other politician in this country, with the exception perhaps of Helen Zille.

Lucas Radebe means business with PenQuin International Group acquisition - Penquin International
Football legend Lucas Radebe has recently entered the local marketing industry by acquiring a stake in the PenQuin International Group. The group comprises the integrated marketing solutions company, PenQuin International, and SPMedia, an innovative media business.


Creativity. It isn't what it used to be. - Actuate
[Neil Clarence] Creativity will soon be the last commodity. With the advancements in technology and virtual intelligence, creative thought will be one of the only things that can't be mass produced by machines.

Ian Cockerill, CEO of Gold Fields, named SA's 2007 Leading Manager - CRF South Africa
Ian Cockerill, CEO of Gold Fields, was named South Africa's 2007 Leading Manager by international research-based publisher CRF South Africa at an intimate leadership excellence awards dinner held at moyo Zoo Lake, Johannesburg, on Thursday, 29 November 2007.

FIFA president praises football film
The world premiere of the film, More Than Just A Game kicked off the weekend of activities surrounding the Preliminary Draw of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the International Convention Centre in Durban last week. At the event, guest of honour FIFA president Joseph S Blatter presented a certificate of honorary membership of FIFA to the Robben Island football league, the Makana Football Association.

FIFA merchandise stores open doors
Soccer supporters can already begin buying their FIFA branded T-shirts, scarves, badges, pens, cups, caps and replicas of the official mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Switch behind 2010 poster
The FIFA World Cup official poster has a rich and diverse history, the first one designed in 1930 to promote ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. Last week saw the launch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa official poster, created by The Switch Group, which also designed the official logo.


Sustainability the key to success
“The opportunity is enormous; so is the risk.” These were strong words from Thabiso Tlelai, CEO of the Don Suite Hotels, at last week's Biznetwork event, which focused on business opportunities around ‘the biggest business event to hit South Africa', the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Three SA YoungGun finalists
Three South African entries have been shortlisted for the 2007 YoungGun Professional Awards. YoungGuns is the only international advertising award in the world for creatives and students under the age of 30 and is the platform for young global talent, new ideas and perspectives.

Annual ad industry showcase launches
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Despite being one of South Africa's most lucrative industries – between R18 billion to R20 billion per year – the advertising industry has never been able to tell its own story properly, Jeremy Maggs, of SAFM and Future Publishing, told Bizcommunity.com yesterday, Thursday 29 November 2007, at the launch of The Annual 2007 held at the Johannesburg Country Club in Auckland Park.

2008 Cannes Lions website launched
The Cannes Lions 2008 website recently launched with a new section, Lions+, full of inspiration and information about creativity in communications.

Getty Images celebrates the conclusion of ''Change Me'' - Gallo Images
Two years ago Getty Images launched “Change Me” to bring people together to share ideas through powerful imagery. Thousands of Getty Images users from South Africa to Brazil made a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by using the power of imagery to create positive change.

New identity for Mpumalanga province
The Mpumalanga Province launched its new brand identity last week with the view to attract increasing numbers of tourists and investments, and enhancing communication with its citizens on development and service delivery. The logo was designed by the internationally renowned artist Esther Mahlangu.


Woolworths Foods: customer champion, environmental villain?
[Patrick Carmody] We all love the convenience of a pre-prepared sandwich. However, we rarely give a second thought to the fact that our R25.99 prawn and rocket sandwich might also carry a steep environmental cost.

Brand Alive running SAGRA Awards - Brand Alive
brandalive, the brand relationship company, has designed and managed the inaugural South African Graduate Recruitment Awards programme and ceremony being held at Klevits Kroon, Pretoria, today, Thursday, 29 November 2007. Giles Shepherd, MD of brandalive, is also a judge at this year's awards.

EMI set to raise exposure with an extensive campaign with CineMARK - CineMARK
EMI Music, one of the four major record companies, is taking full advantage of the wide spectrum of cinema advertising opportunities offered by CineMARK, the cinema advertising sales company responsible for the advertising sales of 66.4% of South African cinema complexes and 66% of South African cinema audiences.

Ready your business for the ‘silly season'
[Ian Donovan] The festive season is almost upon us! Ideally a time of sharing and caring, December can quickly turn into the ‘silly season' of aggravation as consumers inevitably encounter service ‘hiccups.'

Beware of new spam tricks over festive season – free protection offer - Maximizer
New spam and virus techniques will be in full force with the holidays approaching, warns Camsoft, a local data security company and Commtouch business partner.

International colour association accepts first South African
[Tshepiso Seopa] The Colour Marketing Group (CMG), an international association of 1100 colour designers, has accepted its first member from the African continent, Lisa Taylor, as a member of the organisation. CMG members are qualified colour designers who able to interpret, create, forecast and select colour on behalf of a brand to enhance its function.

Times Online implements ACAP
NEW YORK: New, non-proprietary, open standard ACAP, which aims to put an end to publisher-search engine legal clashes, was unveiled and showcased in New York at a conference yesterday, Thursday, 29 November 2007, opened by World Association of Newspapers president Gavin O'Reilly and addressed by keynote speaker AP CEO Tom Curley. The Times Online also became the first to implement ACAP yesterday.

Highest praise for Afrigator by top global tech blog
[Simone Puterman] “The best of African social media, in real time” is how top international web technology news, reviews and analysis blog Read/WriteWeb has described the much-awaited beta version of African social media aggregator Afrigator, which was launched privately at the Johannesburg 27dinner earlier this week.


Abey Mokgwatsane new VWV Group CEO
VWV Group, one of South Africa's leading business-to-business experiential communication specialists, announced the appointment of its new CEO, Abey Mokgwatsane, at its 25th birthday last week. Mokgwatsane has been VWV Group marketing and sales director since 2005, when he and his partners Jameson Hlongwane and Wanda Shuenyane acquired a majority stake in the group.


U$50 billion global online market predicted
Worldwide president of Universal McCann and thought leader Nick Brien recently opened the ad:tech conference in New York with some key thoughts for marketers hoping to tap into the predicted US$50 billion global online market. According to Brien, we are only beginning to see the full grasp of digital in transforming all media and the business of marketing communications.

EU spotlight on future of digital publishing
Europe's publishers' annual opportunity to showcase their industry and help shape current and future EU policy affecting the creative industries takes place in Brussels on Thursday, 6 December 2007. This year's focus will be on the digital development of publishing and the impact of the digital age on creative industries.

CompuTainer enlists Low Fat in fight against AIDS - Low Fat Digital Communications
Low Fat is currently assisting CompuTainer with the promotion of its HIV and AIDS-related product and service range, providing search engine optimisation services, media placement and creative.

Digital Fire Target E Mail delivers a 33% response rate for SA clients targeting high LSM! - Digital Fire
Digital Fire, the Cape Town-based digital marketing agency and division of Spencer Boyd Associates International Media Consultancy, recently launched its “Target E mail” system in South Africa, reporting a record response rates for its clients.


The glass house that shines - Glasshouse Multimedia
With its rebranding now complete and a new website to showcase its work, Glasshouse continues to focus on producing original and award-winning results for is clients.

TEC Video showcases its stuff with a hot new website and showreel - TEC Multi-Media & Video Production
The new TecVideo website is now live and the company is running a competition to win an iPod Nano. It has also put together a new showreel showcasing just what TEC Video can do to transform brands.


ISPA elects new mancom
The new management committee (mancom) for the Internet Service Providers' Association of South Africa (ISPA) for the next year consists of joint chairs Lynne Orrock (MTN NS) and Edwin Thompson (Verizon) while committee members include Marc Furman (Internet Solutions), Richard Heath (MWeb), Rob Hunter (Neotel), William Stucke (ZANet) and Jenny King (e-Schools' Network). Co-opted ex offico members are Dave Gale (Storm Telecom), Ant Brooks (Future Foundation) and Elaine Zinn (Future Foundation). According to Orrock, "ISPA members owe a great deal to outgoing joint chair Greg Massel, in particular, who has served ISPA for many years and who will no doubt continue to provide valuable counsel through his rational and measured approach."

Centenary campaign wins another international marketing award
Sunday Times, together with Ogilvy Cape Town, recently won yet another international marketing award for its 2006 advertising campaign celebrating the newspaper's centenary. This time, it was a 2007 Direct Marketing Association (DMA) International Eecho Award for a cleverly-executed direct mail campaign to the advertising trade.

How to quadruple your productivity - CCI Coaching Academy
When you are angry, can you focus on anything other than your anger? You aren't bored, you don't daydream, and you aren't distracted from your anger easliy. Imagine it was possible to be this focused on your work. Imagine a day in the office without daydreaming, distractions... Facebook! Full of energy, full of fun, full of results!

Local chapter for Meeting Professionals International
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) yesterday, Tuesday, 27 November 2007, announced a strategic alliance with the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) to create the MPI Southern Africa Chapter. This will be the first chapter for MPI on the African continent.

SAACI focusing on skills development
The Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) is now at the forefront of skills development in the conference industry. This is according to SAACI chairman Thomas Overbeck, who says the association is participating in key local and international initiatives aimed at raising the levels of professionalism in the conference industry and extending knowledge and skills levels for the industry to grow.

A true success in aid of Little Eden - True Colour Events
As a social responsibility, True Colour Events hosts an annual golf day; this year it was on behalf of the mentally handicapped residents of Little Eden.


LiquidART raises the bar at 2007 FNB Whisky Live Festivals - LiquidChefs
The first ever LiquidART exhibitions, held at the Cape Town and Jo'burg FNB Whisky Live Festivals earlier this month, have raised a total of R22 500 for charity, proving that this concept is a winner. A collaboration between LiquidChefs and Schweppes, LiquidART saw the works of eight South African artists showcased at this year's festivals in an exhibition titled ‘The Art of Whisky'.

Taking life's naughty side to the East Coast
Following the South African debut of Sexpo in Johannesburg this year, Sexpo Durban will be taking life's naughty side to the East Coast at the beginning of February 2008. Sexpo, the world's largest sexual health and lifestyle exhibition franchise, will be at the International Convention Centre Durban 7 – 10 February.

Andry Montgomery acquires Exhibitions for Africa
Specialised Exhibitions, a subsidiary of Andry Montgomery, yesterday, Monday, 26 November 2007, announced the acquisition of B2B exhibition organisers Exhibitions for Africa (EFA). The addition of the EFA portfolio, which comprises shows such as Hostex, Markex, Securex and Computer Faire, will result in a group that runs over 40 events during a two-year period across the regions of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western and Eastern Cape.

Moses Mabhida Durban Stadium Visitor Centre - Kagiso Exhibitions & Events
Kagiso Exhibitions & Events has been appointed by Ibhola Lethu Consortium to design and fit out the interior of the Moses Mabhida Durban Stadium Visitor Centre in a way that will excite, educate and inform all visitors about the design and construction, including the challenges, involved in building the ambitious structure, which forms part of the City of Durban's 2010 communication and awareness campaign.

Less vroom vroom from Media24
Media24 will be scaling down its business interests in motoring magazines and will consolidate its remaining portfolio into a larger business unit, the Media24 Travel and Motoring Division, announced John Relihan, publisher: Media24 Family Magazines, yesterday, Wednesday, 28 November 2007.

CLASSICfeel's New Year's resolution: to become a consumer magazine - DeskLink Media
The time for resolutions and change is fast approaching. In 2008, CLASSICfeel will be embarking on anew phase as it seeks to establish itself as a national consumer magazine.

Jet Stores distributes over 1 million HIV/Aids calendars ahead of World Aids Day - The Publishing Partnership
Jet Stores is distributing 1 150 000 HIV/Aids calendars to households across South Africa via its Jet Club magazine ahead of World Aids Day on December 1 2007. Reaching over 3 million readers, the useful calendar covers a wide range of subjects relevant to those infected and affected with HIV/Aids.


Helping the Defence Force Succeed - Succeed
Succeed magazine is planning to empower ex-soldiers by contributing back issues of the magazine to the Department of Defense. Many solduers return home and find themselves quote lost, unemployed and sometimes even homeless.

New Media Publishing scoops lion's share at PICA Awards 2007 - New Media Publishing
Custom and contract publishing company New Media Publishing walked away with no less than eight PICA Awards this year. The company scooped the PICA Premier Customer Magazine of the Year Award for Hip2B², while acclaimed Visi editor Sumien Brink was awarded the Jane Raphaely Award for Editor of the Year (Consumer Publishing), as well as Editor of the Year (Customer Publishing) for the Woolworths Taste magazine.

Eat Out ‘foodie Oscars' pay tribute to SA's top 10 restaurants and culinary talent - New Media Publishing
The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek recently came out tops in this year's 2007 Eat Out Restaurant Awards, billed as the ‘Oscars' of South Africa's restaurant industry.


The sexy side of soccer

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This year, Toyota has chosen to partner with Kick Off to present the glamorous, elegant and sexy side of soccer in the annual supplement, Kick Off Soccerbabes, available in stores from today, Monday, 3 December 2007. George Dearnaley, publisher of Kick Off remarks “Five footballing hunks, four of South Africa's most beautiful women, a leading brand in Toyota and Africa's top soccer magazine, Kick Off – it's a perfect match.”


Guide to summer
The Summer Guide can be found in the December 2007 issue of House and Leisure and is an edited directory of the best things to do and places to go in the three biggest cities in South Africa – Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town – this holiday season. It also provides various cocktail recipes compiled by sponsor Tops at Spar.

Wedding title increases printrun
Wedding Inspirations' The Wedding Expo magazine will see a print run increased to 20 000 and available free through selected Galaxy and Co, Bride and Co and Eurosuit retail outlets after The Wedding Expo on 5 and 6 April 2008, where 10 000 free copies will again go to the bride-to-be visiting the show. “We are excited about these partnerships and increased distribution as this immediately offers our advertisers more value,” says Amanda Cunningham, owner and MD of The Wedding Expo and publisher and editor of the magazine.

Media is not a social animal – Mathatha Tsedu
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] In a country dealing with economic imbalances, extreme poverty, domestic violence and sexist practices, the media tends to overlook and distort issues of gender, social justice, community development and human rights at the expense of over-sensational reports with the sole purpose of boosting sales and profits. This emerged at the launch of Eugene Saldanha Memorial Fund held last week, Friday, 30 November 2007, at the Standard Bank Global Leadership Centre in Morningside, Johannesburg.

Avusa fires journalist for blogging
[Andrew Trench] The firing of Sowetan sub-editor Llewellyn Kriel yesterday, Thursday, 29 November 2007, by Avusa (formerly Johncom) is a huge talking point in the media community and has been picked up by Arthur Goldstuck's Amablogoblogo, where he has highlighted how the case illustrates the conflict of new and old media. His insights make for thought-provoking reading.

Inventing in future journalists
The National Press Club and Pretoria-based PR firm Junxion Communications each presented the journalism department of the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) with a R12 000 grant at the club's year-end networking event in Pretoria earlier this week. The grants are to be used as a contribution to an exchange programme between TUT and the Windesheim University in The Netherlands.

Avusa, The Times, bloggers and disciplinary action
[Simone Puterman] NEWSWATCH: The launch of The Times has helped increase the revenue of the media division of Avusa (formerly Johnnic Communications) by 15% to more than R1 billion, according to The Times, whose editor Ray Hartley blogs that it is now “one of this country's largest daily papers” with its first officially audited ABC figure of 126 413. Avusa will also continue to make history this afternoon, according to Arthur Goldstuck on the Mail & Guardian's Thought Leader, with the disciplinary hearing at 3pm today, Thursday, 29 November 2007, of Sowetan sub-editor Llewellyn Kriel who “has been found guilty of ‘gross misconduct' for what he has written in his blog [on Thought Leader]”.

Mixed reactions over SABC covering Polokwane
[Simone Puterman] NEWSWATCH: There have been mixed reactions over the SABC being awarded exclusive rights “to provide the feed on the African National Congress (ANC) policy conference in Polokwane next month to all other broadcasters,” according to Business Day, and Naspers has also reported on its earnings for the sixth months to September 2007.

Makeover for colourful market
Junk Mail KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the weekly classified publication dedicated exclusively to the KwaZulu-Natal region, recently underwent a makeover to hone its look and offering to the colourful culture of the niche market that it serves.


Towards Polokwane: Political and Policy Implications - STE Publishers
South Africa is watching the ANC Congress to be held in Limpopo with great interest and anticipation. Because this event has policy implications for the country as the ANC is the party in government, iKwezi Institute for Research and Development is hosting its third Skenjana Roji Seminar series, entitled ‘Towards Polokwane: Political and Policy Implications' on the 7th December 2007.


SpotCheques and balances - Ornico
Local media analysis and information provider Ornico Media Information is reminding all marketers, media buyers and agencies to make sure their Christmas campaigns are a complete success by employing a responsive media monitoring function, such as its popular SpotCheque service.

Media mag goes online
Wag the Dog Publishers, publishers of The Media, eMedia and Marketingweb, is launching themediaonline in January 2008, with Liesl Pretorius as editor. The eMedia database of 15 500 opt in subscribers will be amalgamated into the new offering, while the advertising base will be transferred to themediaonline. The site will be updated daily.

Vodacom announces social networking services
Vodacom today, Friday, 30 November 2007, introduced two personal social networking services for South African cellphone users. The first is Meep, a real-time, presence-based instant messaging (IM) service. The second is TheGRID, which allows South Africans to enter the location-based social networking space from their cellphones.

SA stands tall at US banking conference - Clickatell
South Africa has long been recognised for its culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the ability to devise practical remedies in the face of inadequate resources.

Mobilety launches first in series of mobile marketing services - Mobilety
Mobilety this week launches its website, www.smsoffice.co.za, as part of its strategy to offer a complete range of mobile marketing tools for commerce and industry.

Mondi Shanduka Newspaper awards up prize money
In partnership with the Newspaper Association of South Africa, Mondi Shanduka Newsprint announced earlier this week that the prize money for the seventh annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards has been upped to R15 000 per category. The entry fee structure has also been adjusted from R100 per entrant/team to R30 per category entered in an effort to encourage a wider range of entrants.

Newspapers must be aware of changing attitudes
DARMSTADT: A year and a half ago, Ifra's Where NEWS? project set itself the task of attempting to paint a comprehensive picture of all the factors which will influence media consumption in the coming five, 10 and 15 years through the commissioning and publication of research reports from leading European institutes. The latest report covers one of the most difficult aspects to predict: the non-technical drivers affecting society, media itself and individual preferences.

Firing up controversies
[Tshepiso Seopa] The decision by Afrikaans Sunday newspaper Rapport editor Tim Du Plessis to fire Deon Maas following a controversial column on Satanism has not gone down well with Bizcommunity.com readers. As of this morning, Tuesday, 27 November 2007, 61 % (366 votes) voted No to a poll on this matter [Should Rapport have fired columnist Deon Maas?] and 33.83% (203 votes) agree with the editor's decision to let go of Maas. About 5% (31 votes) are sitting on the fence.

Zululand Fever for Ads24
In less than two years, Ads24 has almost doubled the number of community newspaper titles in its stable from 43 in March 2006 to approximately 80 today. The latest addition is Zululand Fever – a weekly tabloid size newsprint publication with a print run of 60 000. The title joins Ads24 on Thursday, 29 of November 2007, with the first issue being distributed to a specifically targeted readership in the Greater Zululand region.

Online architecture, construction title launches
Alive2green is a new electronic architecture and construction publication launching today, Thursday 29 November 2007, that seeks to educate, inform and assist readers about the design and construction of sustainable buildings and living spaces. It is compiled by Kerry Haggard, former editor of SA Home Owner and Home Paige, together with a team of journalists with experience in both the home and green environments.

Safaricom, Google in Internet partnership
[Joyce Joan Wangui] Safaricom Kenya and Google have sealed a pact to deliver e-mail services direct to mobile phones. The partnership is expected to increase the number of internet users from the current 2.7 million to 4.4 million by virtue of Safaricom's subscriber base.

Justmoney.co.za latest – retirement worries - Habari Media
According to Justmoney.co.za's latest poll, 40% of users say that their biggest financial concern is not having enough money for retirement. The rate hikes of the past year have affected household costs, and coupled with the rising price of oil people's day to day expenditures have increased, leaving less money to put away for the future.

Realm CMS powers New Media Publishing's latest educational website, Hip2B² - Realmdigital
Realmdigital powers the latest New Media Publishing website, Hip2B², which is an educational portal for The Shuttleworth Foundation. The site is built on the Realmdigital CMS and displays interactive functionality to keep the youth informed on topics ranging from maths, science, technology and entrepreneurship.

MSN relaunches global news portals, Hotmail - Habari Media
As a result of an increasingly competitive web content arena, MSN South Africa's portal has been relaunched, as has the accompanying free email service, Windows Live Hotmail.


Online presence crucial for B2B suppliers - Clickmaven
The days of the trade show as a B2B supplier's only chance to win new customers are over. Company buyers are using the Internet to research their purchasing decisions – leaving the B2B supplier with the best online “stall” with the competitive advantage.

Exceeding clients' expectations through their websites: they'll love you for it! - Sesalos
The Internet; people worldwide use it to socialise, shop, bank, plan events, research – you name it, you can do it all on the web. So, as you can imagine, the Internet has thousands if not hundreds of thousands of websites; some good and some bad. More importantly, the Internet has now become a competitive marketing environment.

Helping make suburbs safer
Residents of the suburb of Groenkloof in Pretoria are sleeping easier, following the establishment of a safety initiative directed at displacing crime from their area aided by Pole Ads's sponsorship of signs at the entrances and exits to the suburb. Pole Ads is the Pretoria-based division of independent media owners ADreach Group, which operates a widespread national network of more than 30 000 advertising signs.


Manufacturers of indoor and outdoor branding products - Display Mania
Established in 1999, Display Mania International has since grown in size and stature to become a leader within its industry. Boasting a staff complement of 25 permanent employees and numerous contract workers, it is no surprise then that Display Mania International continues to boom within its industry.


Popimedia ensures Mango Plus is on the move - Popimedia
Mango, understanding the synergy of its Mango Plus product with the exclusive Popimedia distribution channel, has recently undertaken a Mirror Tie (leaflets hung from vehicle rear view mirrors) campaign, in the Tempest Sixt Fleet of cars around the country.


ComutaNet launches Rank Ratings - ComutaNet
Media planners and advertisers can now measure audience ratings on Rank TV, thanks to the introduction of a new planning tool by ComutaNet.

International expert joins Nampak Corrugated - Nampak Corrugated
Nampak Corrugated has recently appointed international expert David Lemmer as director South African operations, taking responsibility for world class manufacturing of the four South African operations.

Nampak Corrugated recognised for printing excellence - Nampak Corrugated
The Flexographic Technical Association of South Africa (FTASA) Print Excellence Awards, held annually, is aimed at recognising excellence in flexographic printing and converting in Africa. The awards ceremony, held at the Southern Sun JIA last week, awarded Nampak Corrugated a Gold for its Arniston Bay Wine Carton in the Corrugated, coated (process) category.

Film competition to raise hunger awareness
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is inviting filmmakers, students and other Internet users to take part in a new international competition called “Hunger Bytes”.

Turn positive into positive - raising awareness for Sparrow Rainbow Village - Velocity Films
The aim of Sparrow Rainbow Village in Roodepoort is to give the children with HIV/AIDs, who are part of the village, an opportunity to live a normal life. This is what they want more than anything in the world.


Nomakhomazi moving and shaking her Bouffant style bootie - Bouffant
Commercials director at Bouffant Nomakhomazi is as busy as Father Christmas this festive season, having recently completed direction on three spots for Vodacom through DraftFCB Johannesburg.


Bite lends a hand - Bite Animation
Bite Animation recently teamed up with Net#work BBDO to for the first locally produced commercial for iPod Nano.


Business won't succeed in a society that fails - Sub urban
Despite a busy year with exceptional growth in new business, Sub urban's directors still made time to give back to the industry and community by directing public service announcements that tackle serious societal issues that coincide with special days in the world calendar.


Keith Rose of Velocity directs Sony Bravia - Velocity Films
From 250 000 bouncing balls, 70 000 litres of exploding paint, several multi-coloured playdoh bunnies to 100 000 meters of cotton thread for the latest Sony Bravia commercial, directed by Keith Rose of Velocity Films.


Coke ''Brr'' by Erik van Wyk a Creative Circle Ad of the Year finalist - Bouffant
Bouffant director Erik van Wyk's Coke "Brr" commercial for Ogilvy was recently voted by its advertising peers as a Creative Circle Ad of the Year finalist.


A world tour for Standard Bank with Terraplane's AK and TBWA Hunt Lascaris - Terraplane
Twelve locations. Four days. Johannesburg. Cape Town. Terraplane's AK and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris kept Standard Bank Inspired. Motivated. Involved.


Milo Marcer back in the industry with Faith - Faith Creations
Super-talented, totally experienced commercials director (and tattoo artist) Milo is back.


Frieze Films, Joe Public rock for Aids charity project - Frieze Films
Jonty Fine, a director at Frieze Films, has just completed a ‘spec' project for Joe Public's annual Rock4Aids concert. This year, Joe Public has secured the talent of Just Jinjer to perform ‘unplugged'. The concert will take place in an intimate theatre environment, with Harris Tweed as support band and Marc Lottering as MC.

Tripping off to Cadbury World

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Can you imagine being called to a special assembly at school only to find out that you have been selected to go on a trip of a lifetime to every chocolate-lover's paradise? And that you can take your family with you? That's exactly what happened to 18-year old Mafikeng High School student Thato Seakamela on last month, when he was announced as the winner of a seven-day trip to Cadbury World in the UK for four people, in Cadbury's "where the magic begins…" promotion. Seakamela will be taking his mother and two sisters along with him – the first overseas trip for the family. "The Seakamela's magical experience is one of the many highlights of this hugely successful promotion and we are delighted to award the prize to such a humble and deserving young man." says Kim Tobin, Cadbury senior brand manager. "We have no doubt the Seakamela family will enjoy all the magic Cadbury World has to offer."

2008 IABC board announced
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Africa Region announced its 2008 board members earlier this week. The position of chair remains unchanged, with Sue Beaumont from the Really Useful Communication Company heading up the association.


Kevin Fine awarded prestigious Rotarian Award - Claire Gardner Consulting
Rotary South Africa recently awarded Kevin Fine, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Award. The award, which is bestowed upon those members of the club or the community who best exemplify the Rotary motto “service Above Self”, was awarded to Fine in recognition for his Bury Me In Books campaign.

Erinn Williams appointed account manager with ChatROOM - ChatROOM
Media managing expert Erinn Williams has joined integrated communications agency ChatROOM.

Ally McBeal it isn't! Legal writing for candidate attorneys and others - The Write Co.
Most lawyers graduate without knowing how to write any legal correspondence. These candidate attorneys also struggle to format their email correspondence to adequate standards. Taking note of this, The Write Co has introduced The Legal Writing Suite.


Sheryl Ozinsky speaks to PR-Net
Former head of Cape Town Tourism, marketing dynamo Sheryl Ozinsky will speak to PR-Net about the importance of content in Beyond the Spin: PR and the Future. This final meeting of the year takes place at Depasco, 8 Kloof Street, Cape Town on Tuesday, 11 December 2007, 5.30pm –7.30pm. Confirmation and payment (R90 per non-member) are required before 6 December. For more information, contact Brian Berkman on info@pr-net.co.za.

Lyric-writing competition returns
After a long absence, Lotusfm has re-launched its lyric-writing competition for aspirant South African songwriters in each of the Indian languages Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Urdu and Gujurati. Top prize for the winners in each category, to be announced on Sunday, 2 December 2007, by a group of judges representing each of the linguistic groups, is R10 000 each.

Recruitment portal improves search
CareerJunction yesterday, Tuesday, 27 November 2007, announced the imminent release of its new Google-like search functionality which is intended to make searching for a job even quicker and easier.

National Credit Act receives positive response - Synovate
Synovate recently released the results of its survey on the impact of the new National Credit Act (NCA) on ordinary South Africans. Synovate contacted 676 people in metropolitan areas to investigate perceptions of the NCA. Of those, 177 had never even heard of the law. The remaining 499 respondents had heard of it and 41% believed they had been personally affected by it.

SAMRA calls for exhibitors at the 2008 SAMRA Conference - SAMRA
The 2008 SAMRA Conference will take place at the Royal Swazi Sun & Spa, Swaziland on 27 and 28 May 2008, and the Southern African Marketing and Research Association has announced that it will once again be offering exhibition space at the conference to service providers to the marketing research industry.

Bakery launched in Soweto
[Tshepiso Seopa] Not even the bad weather and dust that was experienced on Friday 29 November 2007 could blow away the excitement of the 21 graduates who were on the Golden Clouds I Bake I Care training programme. The Sydney Maseko Learning Centre in Jabavu, Soweto, was filled with happiness as delegates from Tiger Brands, Hope Worldwide South Africa and community members witnessed the graduation ceremony and the launch of the I Bake I Care bakery and tuckshop.

Future techniques in online marketing
Senior editor in charge of Adotas Sarah Novotny summarises key future trends in online advertising as predicted by Dilip DaSilva, Exponential's founder and CEO. Excerpting from the summary, Novotny says there are six key trends identified in this release.

The price-fixing 14
NEWSWATCH: The number of companies being investigated in the bread price-fixing scandal has been increased to 14, according to Business Report, with Foodcorp joining Pioneer, Premier Foods and Tiger Brands as one of the major companies involved in the fraudulent behaviour.

Ten trends to watch in packaged goods in 2008
With the new year fast approaching, new product developments promise better health and happier taste buds in 2008, Datamonitor's Productscan Online takes a look at trends in consumer packaged goods for the coming year.

Kalahari.net best of the best again
For the second year in a row, Kalahari.net has been awarded first place prize for Best e-Commerce Store of 2007, it was announced yesterday, Tuesday, 27 November 2007. It also scooped Best Online Bookstore and Best Online Jewellery and Watch Store as well.

Sandton City promotion gets gold
Marketing Concepts and its client Sandton City won the grand prix of shopping centre marketing awards, the coveted Spectrum Award, for their innovative and creative marketing promotion of the up-market centre.

Rentokil website undergoes more than just a facelift - Rentokil
The company synonymous and best known for its role in pest control and hygiene within South Africa, Rentokil, has given their website a fresh and friendly re-design. Established more than 4 decades ago, Rentokil has become known as the leader in the industry and has expanded its influence to the local industry.

Another dream comes true
The second winner in the Dream Big SA campaign by O, The Oprah Magazine, SABC 3 and Santam is that of Kirsty Peggs. Now almost six, she is totally blind in one eye, with only partial sight in the other and her parents' biggest dream is to keep her in mainstream schools. The Dream Big Team have arranged a Clarity Desk Mate (a closed-circuit TV magnifier costing in excess of R30 000) from the US and allocated funds towards a dedicated in-class helper for her for the coming year. The team will also cover the cost of occupational therapy for the next year. To get the ball rolling, the Peggs family recently spent a pampering weekend away at Zimbali Lodge, courtesy of Sun International and Kirsty had a shopping spree from Toys R Us in Gateway, where she chose the toys she has always wanted.

Sudan joins the urban brew
Television production house Urban Brew Studios recently won a multi-million rand contract to build a public broadcaster for the semi-autonomous government of Southern Sudan.


Foreign agreements to improve NBC's service delivery
[Francis Mukuzunga] Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has signed two separate agreements to co-operate with Radio France International (RFI) and Japan Broadcasting Corporation in a bid to renew existing agreements and improve service delivery.

Successful launch of new pay TV satellite
The SES satellite that will deliver On Digital Media (ODM)'s broadcast channels to South Africa, and later to sub-Saharan Africa, has been successfully launched, ODM announced today, Wednesday, 28 November 2007.

Red Cherry's October winner - Red Cherry Television
Every month Red Cherry puts a smile on someone's face, letting them know that they are a winner. All consumers who enter one of Red Cherry's interactive competitions, namely ADS UP, WOT'Z UP and SPOT ON, in the month, go into a draw to win fantastic cash prizes.

Spotlight on Mbeki
This week 3rd Degree continues to scrutinise the ANC presidential candidates. Under the spotlight is Thabo Mbeki – should he get another shot at the ANC's top job? 3rd Degree will assess his candidacy and once again give viewers a chance to cast their vote for ANC president on Tuesday, 4 December 2007, at 8pm on e.tv.

Two million subscribers for pay TV operator
MultiChoice South Africa announced yesterday, Thursday, 29 November 2007, that its combined subscriber base in South Africa and the Africa business has reached the two million mark. The SA subscriber base alone stands at just under 1.5 million DStv subscribers. “The growth of our business has been an exciting and challenging journey, and over the years we have been working hard to enhance and refine our product offering to make DStv a world class platform for television entertainment. Our first milestone came in 2005 when we registered the 1 000 000th DStv subscriber in South Africa, and we are pleased that we have managed to doubled this number across the continent. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for the loyal and continued support from our customers,” said Nolo Letele, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa.

Local film fest for TV
SABC1 will be screening a selection of films produced by Anant Singh's Videovision Entertainment during December 2007. The Oscar-nominated Yesterday will be broadcast on Sunday 2 December at 8pm. Faith's Corner will have its TV premiere on Sunday 9 December at 8.pm and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) courtroom drama Red Dust on Sunday 16 December – the Day of Reconciliation – at 8pm. The musical Sarafina! will be broadcast on Sunday 30 December at 8pm. Comments Singh, “All these films – Yesterday, Faith's Corner, Red Dust and Sarafina! – tell unique South African stories that the television audiences will enjoy and also identify with.”