Loeries advertising judges announced
The Advertising Judging Panel for 2008 Loeries was released by the organisers this morning, Monday, 19 May 2008, headed up by Erik Vervroegen, executive creative director of TBWA\Paris.

Loeries Expo: current stop Vega
The Loeries Travelling Exhibition is currently at Vega, the Brand Communication School, Johannesburg, until 19 May 2008, before moving on to Durban, 1 -12 July, and Cape Town, 18 -27 July. Comments Gordon Cook, national school navigator at Vega, “As we are a brand communications school, the most ambitious among our students are already dreaming of winning their first Loerie Awards. This exhibition of past winners' work will doubtless inspire them to new levels of excellence. Imagination Lab students, who hail from KwaMashu, Soweto and Alex, will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition as well.”

Loeries entry deadline extended
The deadline for submitting entries to this year's Loeries has been extended until Saturday, 31 May 2008. Entries can be submitted online at www.theloerieawards.co.za, which includes entry guidelines, category descriptions, and preparation instructions.

Wits students off to international marketing competition
Students from Wits University Business School walked off with the first prize in the South African finals of L'ORÉAL Brandstorm, an international marketing competition for university students. They will now represent South Africa at the International Finals in Paris on 10 June 2008, where they will compete for the world title, new job opportunities, and a tour of the globe.

Engaging your people to turn brand strategy into action - Actuate
When it comes to brand congruency, one of the biggest challenges businesses face is how to get employees to live out what the brand promises in its adverts and external marketing campaigns. Undoubtedly, the key to this lies in effective internal communication that brings about particular behaviours in employees that actively reflect and live out the brand promise.

New tool helps marketers find out where the rich people live - Knowledge Factory
A new income prediction tool offers financial services organisations and marketers fresh insight into suburban income and wealth distributions.

Minister of Social Development to open the Business Day Kaelo CSR Conference - Kaelo Worldwide Media
Minister of Social Development Dr Zola Skweyiya will open the Business Day Kaelo Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference, 2 - 4 June 2008, at the Spier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. The conference, which is the first of its kind in South Africa, will bring together experts from the developing world to discuss the effect of CSR in the region.

Thanksgiving day for 2010 FIFA World Cup
SABC, official host broadcaster of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is throwing a thanksgiving ceremony, to be held across the country today, Thursday, 15 May 2008, in honour of the anniversary of the 2004 announcement that South Africa would host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Interactive 2010 website to update stakeholders
[Michael Appel] As part of an initiative to get 2010 FIFA World Cup stakeholders in touch and keep them as up-to-date with preparations and events as possible, South African Tourism (SAT) has launched the SAT Events Portal.

2010 transport roadshow begins
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The first leg of the 2010 transport inspection roadshow, which will let the media witness first-hand the progress made so far on transport infrastructure preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, kicked off yesterday, Tuesday, 13 May 2008, in Johannesburg.

Tourism boss for IMFSA 2010 panel
In one of his first public appearances since his appointment as acting head of the International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC), Moeketsi Mosola will be addressing questions regarding the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the upcoming International Media Forum South Africa (IMFSA) next week.

Silver Clio for BBDO Cape Town
MIAMI BEACH: BBDO Cape Town scooped a Silver Clio on Saturday night, 17 May 2008, at the conclusion of the 2008 Clio Festival, the Television/Cinema/Digital, Interactive, Technique and Radio Awards Gala at the Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater. This is the third international advertising award that this radio commercial has received this month.

DDB SA takes Gold at Clios
MIAMI BEACH: South Africa's only Gold Clio on Friday night, 16 May 2008, at the 49th Annual Clios in Miami, went to DDB SA for its Energizer ‘Pants' ad in Print. DDB SA picked up a further three Bronzes, two in Print - also for the Energizer account - and one in Print: Direct Mail for Bosch. The Content & Contact, Innovative Media, Integrated Campaign, Print and Design Awards Gala was held at the Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater.

GroupM Trading appoints global CEO
NEW YORK: Alexander Schmidt-Vogel, the founding manager and current CEO of GroupM's MediaCom Worldwide, was named Global CEO of GroupM Trading, a new position, yesterday, Thursday, 16 May 2008. GroupM is parent company to WPP media agencies including MAXUS, MediaCom, Mediaedge:cia and MindShare.

D&AD President's Award goes to design in education pioneers
LONDON: Sir John & Lady Frances Sorrell were presented with the President's Award for their outstanding contribution to creativity at the D&AD Awards Ceremony in London last night, Thursday, 15 May 2008.


Yellow Pencil for BBDO Cape Town
LONDON: Out of merely two South African nominations this year, the country's only Yellow Pencil at the 2008 D&AD Awards has been scooped by BBDO Cape Town in Radio Advertising for its Marshall Music “Drums” commercial - one of the only two Yellow Pencils in Radio. The awards ceremony, at which an unprecedented number of Black Pencils were handed out, took place last night, Thursday, 15 May 2008, at the Royal Festival Hall in London.


Yellow Pencil fever mounts
Tonight, Thursday, 15 May 2008, is the night: creative minds everywhere are now spinning in anticipation of clutching that Black or Yellow Pencil in their sweaty palms and glowing with pride in front of the 1800 guests expected at the upcoming D&AD awards ceremony and Bizcommunity.com will be there in London, courtesy of our latest guest blogger, designer Mark Forrester, who will be blogging live from Royal Festival Hall. Meanwhile, Damon Stapleton, executive creative director of TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg who is just back from judging the Digital and Direct categories, has a few words of advice on what it takes to win a coveted Pencil.


Telmar celebrates 40 years
In 2008, Telmar celebrates its 40th birthday and, in recognition of this, is offering ReSearch Guru as a no-charge add-on to all of its current TNT+ licensed users. ReSearch Guru, a simple to use, web-based keyword search tool, was introduced last year.

Sir Anthony O'Reilly named Cannes Lions Media Person of the Year
LONDON: Sir Anthony O'Reilly, chief executive of international media and communications group Independent News & Media PLC (INM), will be honoured with the Media Person of the Year Award at the 55th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, it was announced yesterday, Monday, 12 May 2008.


AMASA's third Golf Day to take place on 22 May - AMASA
AMASA's Golf Day will take place on the 22 May 2008 at the Parkview Golf course. Whilst the field has been sold out, there is still opportunity for media owners and agencies to participate as hole and prize sponsors.

Event of the year! The launch of the City of Goal - Brainstorm Projects
Advertising agencies are constantly hassled by media sales people who cold-call and ask them to book their adverts in their publications. There seems to be very little imagination in how to get advertising agencies' attention. Brainstorm Projects did it differently.


Every little page counts - Lowe Bull
It is estimated that the average South African office worker prints three wasted pages per day. That's over six hundred pages per office employee per year. And that's without considering the thousands of unnecessary pages that are printed everyday.


The spaces between - Lowe Bull
Rui Alves is a man obsessed with spaces, and the spaces in between spaces. Where the rest of us see blank space, he sees brand opportunities.

Small Agency of the Year FoxP2 scores a perfect ten - FoxP2
FoxP2 is the only one of more than 100 agencies rated at AdReview 2008 to achieve a perfect score.

Station for the nation campaign launches
National TV station SABC2 launched its new brand/advertising campaign across TV, radio, print and outdoor last week, reiterating the channel as the “Station for the Nation”. The new “It's Better Together” campaign was conceptualised by Draftfcb.

Southern Africa unveils single tourism brand
The 2010 Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) brand has been unveiled by nine Southern African countries at Durban's Tourism Indaba 2008 in a bid to encourage tourism in these countries.

Qualify with a Diploma in Communications Management - Vega School
Vega Orbit, The Continuing Professional Development division of Vega The Brand Communications School, offers various part-time offerings. The Diploma in Communications Management commences in July 2008 at Vega campuses in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

Permanent installation by 3D Deco - 3D Deco
Event décor is fast moving from draping to something more trendy and versatile and 3D Deco has taken a giant leap into permanent installations.


SA brands dominate Brand Trust survey - Affinity Brands & Branding
Twelve of the Top 20 most trusted brands identified in some recent research are homegrown, while six of these feature in the Top 10. This is according to the Brand Trust Index, developed by Affinity Publishing in conjunction with Ipsos Markinor for the 2007 Encyclopaedia of Brands & Branding.

SA's 11th trip to Cannes Film Festival
South African delegates have embarked on a trip to the 61st Cannes Film Festival, scheduled to take place from today, Wednesday, 14 May 2008, until Saturday 24 May. The SA highlight this year will be the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) conference, themed “South Africa, your co-production partner of choice” in celebration of SA's 11th year at the Cannes film festival (1997 - 2008).

Live Cannes Films broadcast by Showbiz Report
Once again, The Showbiz Report's Nicky Greenwall is travelling to the south of France this month to bring viewers exclusive coverage of the 61st annual Cannes Film Festival, 14 - 25 May 2008. She will also be spending time with the South African delegation in Cannes to find out more about our own country's involvement in the world's biggest celebration of independent cinema. The Showbiz Report's Cannes Film Festival Show will air on Saturday 24 May at 7.30pm.

eBucks members get 25% off kulula.com flights - eBucks
eBucks is offering its members an exclusive deal of 25% discount on all domestic kulula.com flights booked online during May on eBucks' unique travel booking engine for travel in May or June 2008. The discount is in the form of eBucks paid back into the member's account.

SA young designers asked to bag it
Exclusive Books is challenging young South African designers to submit fresh concepts for the its new plastic shopping bag in a nationwide competition to all design schools. “Exclusive Books believes in promoting fresh talent and innovative thinking and ideas, and that's why we are approaching design students and giving them the opportunity to showcase their talent,” explain Batya Green-Bricker, Exclusive Books marketing manager.


Do you dream of becoming a designer? Visit The Open Window Open Day on 24 May - The Open Window
Graphic designer, animator, video artist, motion graphics designer, art director, producer... These are only a few of the opportunities available to talented youngsters who dream of a career in a creative environment. The Open Window is having an open day on Saturday, 24 May 2008 to inform and inspire anyone who wants to pursue a qualification, and eventually career, in these fields.


Open Window student wins animation category for professionals, MNet EDiT online awards - The Open Window
Louis Minnaar, a third-year student at The Open Window School of Visual Communication, took the honours in the animation category at the MNet EDiT online awards ceremony last week.


International awards for local boutique design agency
This month in the US, at the seventh annual Horizon Interactive Awards, Create Design scooped a Silver award in the Self Promotion and Company Identity category for its company portfolio, as well as a Bronze award in the same category for the Sylver Films corporate website. Create Design also was awarded Gold for Raquel De Castro Maia's Illustration portfolio and Silver once again for the Sylver Films site at the 14th annual Summit Creative Awards.

Makeover for Times multimedia portal
The Times last week launched its revamped multimedia content portal. Two new sections, photos and trailers, compliment the site's established video and audio (podcast) sections, along with a fresh new look and enhanced user-friendly features.

Redline launches digital reporting
Integrated corporate and investor communications agency Redline recently launched digital reporting functionality, claiming it as a first. Managed by Redline's Financial Advertising Division, this functionality encompasses the web-enabled publication of a company's financial documents and notices, including those required to be published with ‘ink and paper' by South African legislation.

Friend Connect: knocking down the walls
[Eve Dmochowska] As the Internet's content grows at an exponential rate, the major problem of content creators is attracting eyeballs to their sites. Social networks and social media have eased the problem somewhat, by allowing a user to promote good content using Digg/Muti, StumbleUpon or even Facebook. But these methods still rely on others actually visiting Digg, or Muti, and interacting with the content. Google's latest offering, Friend Connect, attempts to offer a solution.


VoIP finally meeting early expectations in SA
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which allows Internet users to make phone calls to each other at no cost, is finally taking off among South African businesses, four years after it became legal to use it outside company networks. This is the key finding of the VoIP in South Africa 2008 study, released earlier this week by World Wide Worx.

M&G Online launches debating platform for tech experts
The Mail & Guardian Online has launched the second in its series of Leader blogs today, Wednesday, 14 May 2008. Called TechLeader.co.za, it follows upon the success of its political blog Thought Leader.

Hello Computer take home four silvers at Construction New Media Awards - HelloComputer
Digital brand agency Hello Computer was rewarded for taking the digital design arena to new heights by scooping four Silver awards at the recent Construction New Media Awards.

HelloComputer says hello to Joburg! - HelloComputer
Cape Town-founded, full service digital brand agency, HelloComputer, has recently opened offices in Johannesburg.

longtail celebrates new social media site - longtail
You might wonder what a baking tray, online friends, favourite recipes and inspiration for cooking have to do with each other. The answer is simple - it's a new niche social media website created by digital marketing and strategic consultancy agency longtail for Unilever South Africa's Stork brand called foodcrEATions.


Acquisition adds Web 2.0 to relationship strategies - Global Vision
Local software house and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Global Vision, has acquired a 40% stake in New Media Labs, a niche technology company focusing on the development of Web 2.0 applications.

Training the bedrock of an effective organisation - Acceleration
[Richard Mullins] Ongoing training is at the heart of any effective organisation's success. This is especially true in the fast-moving world of online marketing, where technology is constantly changing and where people are staying in their jobs for shorter periods of time.

Starcom turns eight, enters online space
Announced at its recent eighth birthday party, media communications agency Starcom is entering the world of online media through a new market offering which aims to present clients with a solution which will benefit from the international and global skills available within the company. "Starcom has an exciting future ahead. It's been a great eight years, but even more so, we look forward to the next decade and diving head first into the as yet unexplored opportunities South Africa's media landscape will have to offer," said MD Gordon Patterson. Recent senior staff appointments are from Europe and North America.

A new, improved Afrigator
African social media aggregator Afrigator yesterday, Wednesday, 14 May 2008, went live with version two of its public beta. Improvements concentrate on layout and usability, functionality, relevance, personalisation and stats. “We spent a lot of time simply thinking about what would make us want to use Afrigator more, and discovered some pretty basic flaws that needed changing. The site is not 100% yet but we definitely believe it's moving in the right direction. These are truly exciting times for us at Afrigator,” comments Mike Stopforth, one of the co-founders. For more, go to the Afrigator blog.

Register for XMA cross-media advertising competition
DARMSTADT, GERMANY: Registration for the IFRA XMA Cross Media Awards 2008 competition ends on 30 June 2008. Interested newspaper publishing houses can register via www.ifra.com/xma and enter their projects for this topic “Cross-media Advertising”. “The innovative combination of print and digital offers newspaper houses new possibilities to reach the target groups of their advertising customers more effectively. This year's IFRA XMA competition honours the worldwide best concepts and ideas in this still new area of activity,” says Dr Dietmar Schantin, director of IFRA Newsplex.

Learn to manage your marketing assets better with USB-ED programme - USB-ED
A programme for maximising marketing success and profitability will be offered by USB Executive Development (USB-ED) at the University of Stellenbosch Business School, 9 - 11 June 2008.

UCT GSB course teaches the art of negotiating - UCT Graduate School of Business
The UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) this June runs a short-course that teaches the art of successful negotiating.

South Africa's first coaching academy receives ICF accreditation - CCI Coaching Academy
CCI and Consciousness Coaching are now the first South African coaching academy and curriculum to be accredited by the ICF (International Coaching Federation) with its highest accreditation - ACTP (Accredited Coaching Training Program) for CCI's coach training program, “Diploma - Professional Consciousness Coaching”.

Thirst in the news - Thirst Bar Services
Sanex and Shape Magazine held their annual event at one of the hottest new venues in Cape Town, The Runway. To find the new face for the Shape Magazine cover, Thirst Bar Services was brought to the party, yet again, to provide that required 'exclusivity' that the function was all about.


Launch Factory Experiential - Launch Factory
Launch Factory Experiential was tasked with the launch of FNB's latest range of corporate wardrobe. At a function at The Theatre on the Track in Kyalami, Johannesburg, the new range of corporate ware was released.

Indaba 2008 wins World Travel Award
Indaba 2008 has not only received the World Travel Award for being Africa's best travel show, it has shattered last year's attendance record with more than 13 200 delegates (with headcount for the final day still to come in) at this year's show, compared to last year's 12 340. This reportedly confirms Indaba's status as one of the top three in the world and Africa's top travel trade show.

Discover all that is local - Kagiso Exhibitions & Events
Draw new ideas and inspiration for your home and your busy lifestyle from everything that is available in KwaZulu-Natal at the 2008 East Coast Radio House & Garden Show.

Exhibitions positively influence economic activities - The Exhibitions and Events Association
In recent years an increase in the number of trade shows has contributed considerably towards growing economic activity and has become a platform for connecting buyers in the retail sector with new products and sources of supply.

Sci-tech magazine gets down and dirty - Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics, South Africa's leading science and technology title, has just published a major article devoted to - wait for it - intimate encounters between humans and robots. As far as can be established, it's the first time in 106 years that the magazine has featured the word “sex” on its cover.


Prudential eats out - New Media Publishing
Prudential Portfolio Managers, one of the world's leading financial service groups and one of the top asset managers in South Africa, has partnered with New Media Publishing's Eat Out brand family. The sponsorship, which spans over two years, includes naming rights for the Prudential Eat Out Restaurant Awards and the Eat Out People's Choice in association with Prudential.


International hair fashion magazine publishes autumn appeal - Top Companies Publishing
The world's leading hair fashion magazine, ESTETICA, is inspiring hairstylists, beauty devotees and fashionistas alike. As the second edition hits the shelves, ESTETICA South Africa gives impetus to a growing celebration of the hair and beauty market, by providing both the professional and consumer market with a cosmopolitan mix of local and international content and inspiration.


Succeed Magazine empowers entrepreneurs in South Africa - Succeed
Backed by the most recently published ABC audited figures, Succeed Magazine continues to take the lead as South Africa's most widely read entrepreneurial magazine, reflecting a total circulation figure of 21 077.


New phase for travel mag begins next week
Mooiloop begins a new phase of its journey when the June 2008 issue arrives on newsstands next week. Formerly Wegbreek, the magazine's rebranding signals full independence from sister title Getaway and a move away from the clutter of similar-sounding titles in the marketplace. The rebranded publication will receive extensive exposure through in-store promotional display units and wobblers, plasma screens at airports and adverts in Afrikaans daily and Sunday press, as well as on KykNET's ‘Reise en Soetkeise' and Radio Sonder Grense's ‘Monitor'. An ad campaign has also been devised to run across print, radio and TV for the next months.

Xenophobic violence explodes in South Africa
NEWSWATCH: South Africans, along with the world's media, are looking on in horror as xenophobic violence flares out of control across Gauteng, targeting immigrants in townships surrounding the economic heartland of the country. New media technologies bring the terror to light in awful technicolour as The Times video of a man burning to death is forwarded around the world before one can say, “How on earth did we get here again?”

Mpofu suspension "illegal"
BREAKING NEWS: 702 Talk Radio reports that the High Court in Johannesburg has just ruled that the SABC board meeting convened to suspend SABC CEO Dali Mpofu was illegal. Mpofu has been awarded costs.

Snuki to sue SABC?
NEWSWATCH: Yesterday, Thursday, 15 May 2008, was the first day in court for suspended SABC group CEO Dali Mpofu, who has taken the SABC board to court over his suspension, and according to The Times Online, it appears that suspended SABC head of news and current affairs Snuki Zikalala is also catching suing fever. Meanwhile, the complete ANC caucus in parliament “has endorsed a vote of no confidence in the SABC board”, reports IOL.

Dailies are struggling - ABC Q1 figures
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Rising inflation and interest rates, political uncertainty, load shedding and high prices of material and tightening of credit have seriously put a strain on the print media industry during the first quarter of 2008, delegates attending the presentation of ABC Q1 circulations were told. The figures, released yesterday, Thursday, 15 May 2008, at the Sandton Sun Hotel in Johannesburg, show that daily newspapers have struggled while weeklies seem to be doing okay although affected by several anomalies.

Cameron tops Citadel Words on Money - again
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Over the years, South African financial journalists have done an outstanding job, despite various challenges, informing countless families and investors how better to manage their money and make wise financial decisions amid an inconsistent economic environment. This has emerged at the ninth Citadel Words on Money Awards held yesterday, Thursday 15 May 2008, at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, where Financial Mail scooped two awards.

CNN Multichoice African Journalist 2008 finalists
Finalists in the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2008 Competition were announced yesterday, Thursday, 15 May 2008, by Azubuike Ishiekwene, chair of the independent judging panel. This year the competition, now in its 13th year, received a record 1912 entries from 44 countries throughout the African continent, including French- and Portuguese-speaking Africa.

SABC, staff meet over shenanigans
SABC board chairperson Kanyi Mkonza and acting group CEO Gab Mampone held a meeting with staff yesterday, Wednesday, 14 May 2008, to address issues affecting the organisation lately, including the suspensions of group CEO Dali Mpofu (who will oppose his in court today, Thursday 15 May) and group executive: news Snuki Zikalala, and resumption of the wage negotiations.

ANC deputy president for Media Forum
ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe will address some of the world's most influential editors and journalists at the International Media Forum South Africa (IMFSA) conference next week, speaking on the second day of the forum.

SAB Sports Journalist of the Year winners
South Africa brought home the Rugby World Cup last year so it comes as no surprise that the sport proved to be a strong source of writing prowess and coverage for this year's SAB Sports Journalists of the Year Awards, held in Sandton, Johannesburg, late last week. Rugby writer Mark Keohane was named Sports Journalist of the Year in the print & Internet category for in-depth and thought-provoking rugby articles and reports which were published by Independent Newspapers.


The curse of cut and paste
[Marion Scher] Another title here could be “Lazy journalism at its best”. For the last 14 years of teaching journalism I've said more times than I can remember to my students that I don't want regurgitated Internet text in their work. I understand the enormous value of the Internet in terms of research and indeed use it myself constantly - BUT I'm also aware of the law of copyright and that dirty word - plagiarism.

Kagiso Trust COO resigns
The resignation of Kagiso Trust Investments COO Roger Jardine, effective 30 June 2008, was announced by Johnson Njeke, group MD of Kagiso Trust Investments (KTI), this morning, Tuesday 13 May. Jardine will, however, continue in the role of non-executive chairman of Kagiso Media.

Thumbs up for SA's first Mega Media Expo 2008! - CADEK Media
The first Mega Media Expo was successfully staged at the Cape Town International Convention Centre last week and more than 2000 people attended this trade show. Both visitor and exhibitor gave very positive feedback.

MMA names 2008 EMEA board
LONDON: The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced its 2008 Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) board of directors yesterday, Tuesday, 13 May 2008. The EMEA branch was established in April 2007 and has since launched region-specific Mobile Advertising Guidelines and conducted a survey into mobile attitude and usage in five key Western European markets.

Africa leads global SMS trends
African companies are leading the way in developing innovative uses of SMS messaging. This is the latest word from the Global Messaging 2008 conference, held in Cannes, France, on 8 - 9 May 2008. “Delegates at the conference were surprised by the number of innovative ways that SMS messaging is already being used in Africa, especially for banking services, person-to-person messaging and local economic development,” said Dr Pieter Streicher, MD of BulkSMS.com, who attended this fifth annual conference.

Mobile Entertainment Forum expands into Africa
The global voice of mobile entertainment, Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) held its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) elections and general meeting during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in earlier this year and in a first for Africa, Emma Kaye, CEO of Gate7, was elected to represent the African territory on behalf of the MEF EMEA board.

Filling the skills gaps - Cell C
The skills shortage is not an urban legend, as over 80% of companies have testified in the recent "National Remuneration Guide" by Deloitte, and as President Mbeki himself has admitted. At the heart of the shortage, according to Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, is a misalignment of the skills graduates have and those in demand.


Business implementation - How to get involved - Cell C
Cell C is celebrating the sixth year of its Take A Girl Child To Work Day with the theme: “Choice Empowers”. Complemented by a Career Choice Exhibition, aimed at boy and girl learners in rural areas and a Girl Child Bursary Fund, the campaign will not only add momentum to South Africa's biggest act of voluntarism - it will give companies various opportunities to become involved and make a difference.


Huge backing
The Huge Group has announced that its acquisition of 25% of Eyeballs Mobile Advertising, first announced on 21 March 2008, has been completed. Eyeballs Mobile delivers rich media advertising to cellular 'smart phones' using specialised and proprietary technology developed in South Africa over the last two years. This is the second transaction that the Huge Group has completed since listing on the JSE's AltX last year in August. The group's maiden results are expected to be released on 27 May.

SA newspapers face distribution veto in Zim
[Dumisani Ndlela] The distribution of South African and other international newspapers could be banned or restricted under measures meant to limit their import into Zimbabwe.

Sondag celebrates first birthday - Sondag
Carrying news, sport and entertainment, RCP Media's Sondag celebrates its first birthday in May 2008. The paper clearly caught a news wave that grabbed everyone's attention and with its appealing format made it stand out in the sought-after Sunday market.

RCP journalists take top honours at Motoring Guild's Awards - Rapport
Two RCP journalists took top honours at the South African Guild of Motoring's Motoring Journalist of the Year awards, held at the Johannesburg Country Club recently.

South Africa's Facebook specialists - Popimedia
Popimedia Innovations, a subsidiary of the Popimedia Group, has taken the Facebook phenomenon and applied its proprietary viral marketing system, PIActions, to link clients' websites and product offerings with Facebook and thus maximise their reach within the realms of the social network.


Performance through focus - Fireworkx.com
The Old Mutual Investment Group (SA) (OMIGSA) strategy of building a strong performance culture requires a holistic and integrated approach to people management and development.


The OPA restructures - Online Publishers Association
The Online Publishers Association, which recently opened its doors to advertising agencies, has now restructured to allow emerging online business a constructive role in this dynamic industry.

SA's first ‘made for the Net' music video by an SA website shot in Cape Town - 24.com
The first ‘made for the Net' music video by a South African website was shot in Cape Town, thanks to collaboration between channel24.co.za, Die Burger and fans of Afrikaans music icon Koos Kombuis.

Outdoor is not just for the city - Zmanga Media
Zmanga Media International has secured top silo sites nationwide. Most of these silo sites are on national roads and have high visibility.


Micro Dart Ad revolutionises point-of-purchase - Right Stuff
The Micro Dart Ad is the latest addition to Right Stuff's ever-growing, ever-popular Dart Ad range. Standing at around 50cm in height, the Micro Dart Ad enters the point-of-purchase sector with an impact far greater than its diminutive size suggests.


A global statement - Global Outdoor Systems
After many months of preparation, planning and high level negotiations with the government in Cameroon, Global Outdoor Systems found itself in a position to present MTN with a landmark branding opportunity in Yaoundé.

CIP4 and Messe Düsseldorf announce “free” two-week print automation conference at drupa 2008 - Printing Questions
The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organisation has announced details for the JDF Experience program at the drupa Innovation Parc powered by HP.

Renewed outbreak of spam to the printing sector - Printing Questions
It appears that there has been a new outbreak of spam from the KST mailing list ,which was apparently hijacked by spammers from either Telkom or its partner Pomoroy. The mailing list in question targets the whole printing industry in South Africa and unfortunately will include many of PIFSA's members.

SA/Hollywood Exchange succeeds again
The South African/Hollywood Exchange Programme, produced by MediaXchange and Metal Moon in Hollywood last month, had the South African delegation of media professionals hard at work during an intensive five-day schedule that included 18 back-to-back meetings in the board rooms of some of Hollywood's most powerful players. “We learnt that there is particular interest in formats and animation which offers great opportunity for aspiring animators/scribes/directors - in shorts, for starters,” says Metal Moon chief executive Dezi Rorich, who represented the SA group.

Moving from good to great photography
Big-budget marketing and advertising campaigns are generally heavy on the images, and that means calling in professional photographers. The hardest part is deciding who will do the job best. Bizcommunity.com takes a look under the covers at a professional shoot to see what Bryan Traylor of Locker 14, an American-born and Los Angeles trained photographer who settled in Cape Town four years ago, does to get that indefinable ‘specialness'.


New TVC for Wimpy from MorrisJones and Frieze Films - Frieze Films
MorrisJones and Frieze Film's Leigh Ogilvie have collaborated on a new television commercial for Wimpy.


Evo Media becomes dominant species at Mega Media Expo - Evo Media
Local new media agency Evo Media received the "Best Grand Stand Award" at last week's Mega Media Expo at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Marketing milestone for radio station
Ligwalagwala FM and BMW “SJW Motors” are running a competition on the radio station's afternoon drive show, where 14 listeners will be taken out for dinner with their favourite DJs. The competition is part of a strategy to increase usage of the Ligwalagwala FM website. It is also the first time in 26 years that BMW will be advertising on the station.

Before clicking ‘Send', read this...
[Riaan Grobler] Written communications form an integral part of many businesses' daily operations. Apart from the countless letters and emails generated daily, annual reports, newsletters, advertisements and many other documents are being distributed to clients and board members or being printed and viewed by the public. Trouble is, very few companies bother to have these documents professionally proofread to ensure that grammar and spelling are correct.


A note to interns and job seekers
[Claire Gardner] Not an hour passes by without an email from a prospective PR or events management student landing in my inbox. Occasionally I read them, but more often than not, I delete them. The ones I do read thoroughly unimpress, annoy or irritate me.

Information you need to know about journalists - Encyclomedia
In order to be really effective in your publicity campaigns, there are certain details that could be very useful to you, if you knew them before you started pitching your ideas to journalists.

Build-A-Bear Workshop invites you to spread hugs on 17 May - Alerting the Media
Build-A-Bear Workshop stores around the world are spreading the hugs on Saturday, 17 May 2008, and giving children in need extra special love in an extra special way - with a furry friend.


Lisa Harrisberg appointed director at Taryn Fritz Public Relations - Taryn Fritz Public Relations
Taryn Fritz Public Relations has announced the directorship of Lisa Kalk (Harrisberg).

PR agencies merge
National agency Eclipse Public Relations announced yesterday, Tuesday, 13 May 2008, that it had merged with Cape-based media strategy consultancy, MËMO Communications. The two agencies will now service their combined consumer and corporate portfolios under the Eclipse Public Relations banner.

Radio needs to stop being insular
[Chris Moerdyk] The more marketers I talk to these days, the more I keep getting the same sense of frustration about the mass media in South Africa, mainly because most media reps have this annoying and naive habit of trying to persuade advertisers that their medium is the one and only. The worst are radio stations.

Jacaranda 94.2 does it again! - Jacaranda 94.2
Jacaranda 94.2 has once again sealed the deal by being voted Best Radio Station by Pretoria News readers for the second consecutive year. This follows hot on the heels of recent accolades being awarded to the station's Maurice Carpede and Trevor Cramer for Most Popular Radio Personality and Best Radio Sports Insert respectively.

Heart 104.9FM finds its traffic idol - Heart 104.9
Cape Town radio station Heart 104.9FM has announced the winner of its “Traffic Idol” talent search. After three weeks of intense lobbying by the five finalists, selected from hundreds of hopefuls who attended the open auditions at the station, the listeners have resoundingly voted for Sara B.

Ask Africa awarded TGI field contract
South African marketing research company Ask Afrika has been awarded the TGI data collection contract for South Africa. TGI is an international survey conducted in 60 countries worldwide - a crucial survey for media planners, brand managers, marketers and marketing researchers.

Surprising employment equity trends in SA - BWA census
The 2008 results of the annual BWA South African Women in Corporate Leadership Census, released yesterday, Monday, 12 May 2008, proved an eye opener with the introduction of the public sector into the comparative analysis of women's upward mobility in the South African workplace. The percentage of women in government across all salary levels totals 54.76%, indicating a clear majority.

Selling duplicate content
When it comes to Internet retailers, being found in search results is often just as important as the right location is to brick-and-mortar retailers. When a big part of online success comes down to words, why settle for selling what everyone else is?

August Iwanski bids farewell to the CGCSA
August Iwanski has announced his decision to resign as the CEO of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) after five and a half years with the organisation.

Township gets big retail centre
The R520m Mdantsane City shopping centre in Mdantsane is open for business.

Men rival women on the shoe-shopping floor
Ads24s community newspaper survey, Compass24, shows that women are no longer the primary decision makers (PDMs) when it comes to consumer spending.

Nederburg wine auction to showcase 10 newcomers
No less than 10 new participants will make their debut at this year's 34th Auction of Rare Cape Wines, to be held at Nederburg in Paarl from 19 - 20 September 2008.

A new skill for the teaching Mamas - Clover
At the core of the Clover Mama Afrika Corporate Social Investment (CSI) project is the development and empowerment of people. The latest skill that the Mamas acquired is the creation of visual teaching aids. Tony Lamberti of Craft-Ed's Live & Learn programme recently taught the Mamas how to use a die-cut machine and stencils to create effective training material to teach the young ones in their centres.

Ambush the Olympics? Not even sponsors want it!
[Kim Skildum-Reid] If ever there were an indication of the desirability of a sponsorship property, it is the amount of ambush marketing going on around it. Usually, the Olympics lead the pack in ambush (although the IOC is loathe to admit it), cementing its position as the single most important sponsorship property worldwide.


What makes a philanthropist?
[Shelagh Gastrow] Is it about money or does it include time and skills that are donated for the betterment of our society? When can someone be called a philanthropist? These are some of the questions that arise out of the call for nominations for the Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards that has recently gone out.


Vodacom Challenge tickets like gold to supporters ahead of July soccer showdown - SAIL
Vodacom Challenge match tickets are worth their weight in gold, and it's the skill and passion of PSL giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs as well as the UEFA Champions League finalists and Barclays English Premiership title favourites Manchester United, that had fans queuing when ticket sales opened last week.

GTV adds new channels
[Walter Wafula] KAMPALA: Gateway Television (GTV) has increased the variety for pay-television consumers by adding three new channels to its menu: G Africa, G Series, and KidsCo.

Ads that resonate with the youth
Every year, 2500 youth vote on which ads worked for them in the annual Khuza Awards run by HDI youth marketers. The winners were announced this week. Amongst the campaigns that received the most attention this year were Axe and Chicken Licken, but with the world's favourite cola brand really getting a double thumbs up. Brrrravo Coca Cola!

Encouraging creativity from SA youth
Youth marketing company Three Ring Circus launched its “I CAN B!” creative competition beginning of the month. The three-month competition encourages South African youth to explore their creative capabilities and strengths by providing five categories from which to enter, namely a creative essay, an invention, a personally created website, a song/video/work of art and a business plan. "The purpose of the competition is to encourage pride in our nation as well as celebrate the youth of South Africa, their diversity and open-minded creativity," comments Kay Cheytanov, director of Three Ring Circus. For more info, go to www.rockingfuture.co.za.