The wisdom in not knowing
[Mike Freedman] The most astute marketer I worked with did not train as a marketer: Carol Grolman began as a secretary, became marketing director of Edgars and then Woolworths. Instead of a head cluttered with Porter, Aaker and Ogilvy, she relied on her gut and was brave enough to trust her instinct.


Marketers, get your digital shift together!
[Fred Roed] Marketing agencies can be forgiven for feeling a little insecure right now. Across the globe, scores of well-manicured fingernails are being gnawed to the quick. Friday afternoon champagne and sushi parties are being traded in for toasted sarmies; and the lines of coke have made way for lines of worry.


Your customers have evolved into a community. Have you joined?
[Jon Bishop] Yes, that is correct. Your customer stopped being your customer a few years ago when they realised that they truly do have the power, thanks to the advent of social media and price comparison sites and the like.


Born Free Festival unifies South African communities - Egg Marketing & Communications
Every year on 31 October, South Africans attempt to celebrate the American holiday of Halloween. However this year, marked the birth of the Bornfree Children's Festival - an alternative, indigenous way to celebrate this day, courtesy of Egg Marketing & Communications.

Live blogging from US blogger tour of SA
We Blog the World: South Africa - a tour of South Africa by prominent US bloggers who are being hosted by the International Marketing Council of South Africa as part of "a very exciting experiment" - kicked off this past weekend in Johannesburg. Bizcommunity.com's man on the spot is SA Rocks blogger Nic Haralambous, who is also blogging on the Bizcommunity editorial blog as well as other platforms. The official blog for the tour is www.weblogtheworld.com/category/south-africa/.

Rich Mkhondo joins 2010 LOC
Rich Mkhondo has been appointed as chief communications officer, replacing Tim Modise, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) announced on Friday, 28 November 2008. Mkhondo joins the OC from Ogilvy Public Relations (OPR) Worldwide/South Africa, where he was MD.

FIFA completes distribution of 2010 TV rights
With the awarding of the free-to-air terrestrial TV rights to the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), FIFA completed its worldwide placement and distribution structure of the 2010 media rights last week.

Confederations Cup media accreditation process
The accreditation process for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 will be launched on 5 January 2009 via the FIFA Media Channel. The deadline for accreditation applications is 6 February 2009.

African broadcasters drive 2010 HIV-prevention initiative
A new continent-wide HIV-prevention initiative, harnessing Africa's passion for soccer, will combine a sustained media campaign with community-level outreach and education programs using soccer to promote healthy living and responsible choices among African youth.

2010 hospitality package sales ‘far beyond Germany'
[Michael Appel] The amount of hospitality packages sold for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is far beyond what Germany sold in 2006, says FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke.

Global market turmoil no threat to 2010 - Jordaan
[Michael Appel] Despite the current global economic turmoil, South Africa's preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are in their final stages and will not be affected greatly said Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan at the opening of Soccerex, the world's biggest inter-business football exhibition in the world, earlier this week.

Creative Circle results for September, October 2008
The Creative Circle results for October 2008 are in, and according to chairperson Raresh Ranchod, “2008 has been a tough year, and as it draws to an end, it is evident that ‘the struggle' has crept through into the creative work. Unfortunately, this month proved to be disappointing across TV, magazine, outdoor and radio. The general consensus amongst the judges was that nothing particularly stood out.”

2008 AdFocus winners
The 2008 Financial Mail AdFocus winners were announced last night, Wednesday, 26 November 2008 at the annual awards banquet at Montecasino, Fourways, Johannesburg.

First Dubai Lynx 2009 jury presidents announced
Richard Beaven, Worldwide CEO of Initiative, and Dylan Taylor, BMF direct creative director, have been appointed media jury president and direct, sales promotion and interactive jury president respectively for the third Dubai Lynx awards, which honours creative advertising and communications in the Middle East and North Africa.

New group chief exec for McCann Worldgroup
Succeeding Martin Hummel as group chief executive of McCann Worldgroup South Africa in January 2009 will be Reinher Behrens. The announcement was made late yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, 25 November 2008.


APEX 2009 judging panel announced
The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has announced its panel of judges for the 2009 APEX Awards.

Gerry Human for Ogilvy London
Gerry Human, chief creative officer of Ogilvy South Africa, is taking up the position of executive creative director of Unilever Worldwide, based at Ogilvy London, as of January 2009. The announcement was made late yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, 25 November 2008.


Gavin Heron appointed TBWA group MD
[Tshepiso Seopa] BREAKING NEWS: Gavin Heron has been appointed group MD of TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, following the recent resignation of group CEO Muzi Kuzwayo, it was announced this morning, Tuesday, 25 November 2008.


Strategic changes at Lowe Bull
The Lowe Bull Group announced this morning, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, that as of 2009, it will be channelling its attention into two distinct communications areas - advertising and media - and has aligned its management team accordingly.

AMASA opens 2009 Roger Garlick Awards - AMASA
Media planners, strategists, creative agencies and marketers are eligible to enter their campaigns which demonstrate the most innovative use of media for the 2009 Roger Garlick Awards. The sponsor partnership between Oracle Airtime Sales and these awards continues this year and entries close on 13 February 2009.

Pabalelo - a case study in successful logo family design - Creation Station
In today's world of diversification, where so many companies and services are trying to offer more than just one service or product, designers are confronted with the challenge of designing logo families rather than just one logo that will represent the brand or service.


Hancock Blockbusters in charity drive for children - Mortimer Harvey
Blockbusters Entertainment launched a national charity drive for children to coincide with its promotion of Hancock, rated PG13, a new action comedy released on DVD with Will Smith and Charlize Theron.

bRate_IT launches TopClubs website - BrandKey
bRate_IT recently launched an online rating system and social networking website targeted at South Africa's 2.4 million, 18 - 25 year-old clubbers.

Eurobest introduces young creatives competition
LONDON: European advertising awards Eurobest, which from this year evolves into a three-day festival, had introduced the first Eurobest Young Creatives Competition, hosted and supported by the Berghs School of Communications and supported by Getty Images. “The Idea” sees 12 teams of under-28-year-olds competing to produce, in just 48 hours, an integrated campaign using three different types of media of their choice. The brief will be given by a charity or non-profitable organisation, whose name, objectives, strategies and target audience will remain secret until the competition kicks-off. Winners will be presented with gold medals at the Eurobest Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, 3 December 2008.

Genomic brands
[Prof Roger Sinclair] I have just read an extraordinary book. It is called Genome: The Autobiography of a Species (that's us). It's written by Matt Ridley, who has a PhD in zoology from Oxford University and has been a science journalist on The Economist. It is not always an easy book to read, but writers trained on that wonderful weekly newspaper know how to make complex matters accessible and Ridley does that to perfection.

Umlilo Brands scores international contract at Soccerex 2008 - Umlilo Brands
Umlilo Brands was the official company to project manage and produce all branding elements at Soccerex 2008, one of the largest exhibition brand activations to happen in South Africa.

FESPACO 2009 call for entries
The 21st edition of the Pan-African Film and TV Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) will take place 28 February - 7 March 2009 with "African cinema: tourism and cultural heritage" as the theme. The upcoming edition will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the festival and the 20th anniversary for the African Film Library of Ouagadougou.

Be entertained by Musica and CineMARK - CineMARK
Musica recently signed a new cinema advertising contract with CineMARK - the country's leading cinema advertiser. Musica is the entertainment division of New Clicks Holdings Limited and is expanding its music focus to include additional entertainment aspects as well as lifestyle accessories such as clothing, figurines and novelty items.

Popcorn Cinema Advertising has increased its cinema screens to 43 in Pretoria - Popcorn Cinema Advertising
Nu Metro has just opened a new cinema complex in Sunnypark Pretoria with five screens. This brings Popcorn, the advertising company that represents Nu Metro's cinema advertising sales, to 43 upmarket screens in Pretoria.

ANC doccie opens today on the big screen
Behind the Rainbow, a documentary on the ANC by Jihan El-Tahri, opens today, Friday, 28 November 2008 in cinemas. It explores the transition of the ANC from a liberation organisation into South Africa's ruling party, through the evolution of the relationship between two of its most prominent cadres, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Behind the Rainbow features key interviews with ANC current and former leaders including Zuma, Kgalema Motlanthe, Pallo Jordan, Mbeki and Terror Lekota. For more, go to www.bigworld.co.za/rainbow.

Quality management for call centres - Conexus
Call centre company Conexus has launched Evalu-X, a comprehensive quality management tool for call centres to reach the South African market.

Web 2.0 principles for good web design
[Alistair Thomson] Web design can be deceptively difficult, as it involves achieving a design that is both usable and pleasing, delivers information and builds brand, is technically sound and visually coherent. We are going to take you through the features of the current wave of excellent website designs, dissect the most significant features, explain why each one can be good, and show you how we use them in our own websites.


2008 Sappi Thinkahead Awards winners
The best up-and-coming communication designers were celebrated in style earlier this week as Carfax in Newtown, Johannesburg played host to the seventh annual Sappi Thinkahead Awards. The big winner of the evening was Barbara Cilliers, a fourth-year student from the University of Pretoria who was the recipient of the Gold Award for Best Portfolio, and University of Pretoria was crowned Top Institution for 2008.

Call to design Cannes Lion t-shirt
After winning the Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix in 2008, UNIQLO is to produce an official Cannes Lions t-shirt for 2009. People from all over the world are invited to design a memorable t-shirt suitable for distribution at the 2009 Cannes Lions event.

Revamped Zoopy launches TV, mobile offerings
As part of its service overhaul, Zoopy.com, an online and mobile social media community based in South Africa, yesterday, Sunday, 30 November 2008, launched Zoopy TV and Zoopy Mobile,as well as a new identity and revamped website.


Facelift for Afrigator
African social media aggregator Afrigator.com late last week launched its latest upgrade, both cosmetic and functional, in order to increase relevance to the content provided and make the service even easier to access and use.

SA Tourism launches new UGC campaign
South African Tourism is inviting YouTube users to upload their craziest impressions of South Africa to create an ad about the country in a new, interactive campaign. The aim is both to get the world talking about South Africa and to promote the many, many exciting and invigorating travel experiences the destination offers.

TV, video and advertising ‘on demand' creeps closer
[Chris Moerdyk] A look into the mass media crystal ball shows quite clearly that it is not going to be too long before consumers dictate when they want to watch TV programmes, receive information and even more importantly, advertising.

Ten priorities for digital advertising transformation
Creating effective digital advertising operations is crucial for media companies, regardless of the current adverse economic climate, according to Gartner.

Digital home, entertainment and lifestyle technologies at DigitalLife Expo 09 - DigitalLife
The many advances in digital technology on the home-front - as well as the opportunity to experience a real, walk-through digital home - will be featured at DigitalLife Expo 09, which takes place 27 - 29 March 2009, at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg.

Online marketing firms climb the value chain - Acceleration
[Richard Mullins] Companies that specialise in providing online marketing technology services are climbing up the value chain as agencies and marketers start to count on them for more of their online marketing needs.

Experience the complete digital lifestyle at DigitalLife Expo 09 - DigitalLife
Digital technology is changing the world we live in and is now a factor of everyday life. These trends and the plethora of products that facilitate them will be showcased at DigitalLife Expo 09, taking place 27 - 29 March 2009 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg.

An integrated campaign hit for six! - HelloComputer
A good working relationship has begun to develop between MetropolitanRepublic and HelloComputer, the results of which can be experienced through the many layers of the MTN Backyard Series campaign.

Sneak tidbit of SA blog survey results

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24.com will be releasing its Speak Up! blog survey results on Monday, 1 December 2008. Here's a sneak peek on answers to why did people start blogging. As a whole, the survey received over 1000 responses out of an estimated 6000 - 8000 active bloggers in South Africa.

PrimeActivation launches innovative corporate golf day solution - PrimeGolf - PRIMEDIA@HOME
PrimeActivation, PRIMEDIA@HOME's consumer interactive marketing division, has launched PrimeGolf, an holistic solution for clients seeking creative and innovative ways to implement corporate golf days.

Graduation of AMASA students
Over 40 students recently completed AMASA's intensive part-time Media Management Module at the AAA School of Advertising, with the majority having been afforded internships at various Johannesburg-based media agencies. The six-month course provides media apprentices with in-depth mechanics of creating a winning media plan, and is also effective as a refresher course for those in the know.

Cadet school delivers more community journalists
Thirteen cadets recently graduated from Caxton's Cadet School, reportedly the first educational institution specialising in community journalism in South Africa. Caxton Community Newspapers has been training journalists for the past five years, and launched the initiative when it saw the need to make its newsrooms more representative of the new SA. "Caxton saw this as an opportunity to train people with a passion for journalism, but who didn't have the means to pay for their own training through other tertiary institutions," explains Bruce Sturgeon, CEO of Caxton Community Newspapers. This year's top student was awarded a three-year scholarship to Rhodes University to study journalism, sponsored by Caxton Community Newspapers.

Special Olympics Torch to light up Joburg
The Torch for The Special Olympics World Winter Games being held in Boise, Idaho in February 2009, will be arriving in South Africa on Sunday, 7 December 2008, and making its way around Johannesburg as part of its world-wide journey sponsored by DHL.

Incredible Siemens! - Collyer Lessick & Associates
The Annual Siemens Sales Awards held last month at Vodaworld, Midrand, saw the elegant meshing of Incredible India with the glitzy razzmatazz of Bollywood.


The stars shine on Main Street with True Colour Events - True Colour Events
Anglo American South Africa recently celebrated a selection of Christmas art and sculpture at its offices on Main Street, transforming Jozi into a Christmas wonderland.


New website for Collyer Lessick - Collyer Lessick & Associates
Event management specialists Collyer Lessick and Associateshas just launched its new and improved customer-focused website.


Sunsilk Professional Ministry of Hair Awards - Activate Communication
Activate recently event-managed the Sunsilk Professional Ministry of Hair Awards, which culminated in the live judging finale at the Unilever Head Office in Durban last month.


Grind shows coffee is always in fashion - Grind Mobile Coffee
High-end fashion and luxury coffee might seem unlikely runway partners, but mobile coffee service Grind proved its gourmet coffees were an indispensable accessory at a recent fashion show organised by events company Pink Plum.


Ben Vos wins a Durban Theatre Award for Beauty and the BEE - Quirky House
Beauty Ramapelepele is making waves, or at least her alter ego Ben Vos is... or it might be the other way around. At the Mercury-sponsored Durban Theatre Awards earlier this week, Ben Vos was awarded Best Performance in a Comedy for Beauty and the BEE.


VWV prepares a feast for Hamlet Foundation - VWV Productions
As one of its CSI initiatives for the year, specialist communications agency VWV recently staged the Hamlet Foundation's annual awards ceremony and fundraising banquet at the Kyalami Castle in Midrand, Johannesburg.


Cokey Falkow nominated for a Golden Horn - Quirky House
Cokey Falkow has been nominated for a Golden Horn Award (SAFTAS) as Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film for his role as Alfonso in the comedy Big Fellas.

Soccerex - a pitch for new consortium - Oasys Innovations
The Soccerex Expo 2008 presented the first African opportunity for international venue, event management and associated services company GL Events to demonstrate its interest in expanding into the regional market.


Sandton Convention Centre wins EXSA Award for Best Exhibition Venue 2008 - SA Convention Centre
The Sandton Convention Centre received the EXSA Excellence Award for Best Exhibitions Venue 2008, marking the fourth consecutive year that the congress centre has taken this award. The EXSA 2008 Awards Evening was held at Nasrec Expo Centre earlier this month.

New title dedicated to Afrikaans music
Newly launched from Media24 Family Magazines is Huisgenoot Tempo, a quarterly magazine dedicated especially to Afrikaans music. It is edited by Esmaré Weideman, editor of Huisgenoot, You and Drum.


Title to showcase best shopping, eating spots in Joburg
Launching in May 2009 is Shopping & Eating In the City, the first in a new publication series titled ‘Jozi Places', conceived and developed by Kagiso Special Places and publishers Blue Planet Media to make shopping and eating in its key central Johannesburg management districts - and surrounding areas - a real pleasure, a memorable experience and a cinch.


New editor for The Property Magazine
Sharon Preston will be taking over the reins as editor of Media Nova's PICA award-winning flagship consumer title The Property Magazine from December 2008. She replaces Ann Ellis Brown, who is stepping down for personal reasons.

High five for New Media Publishing at the PICA Awards - New Media Publishing
New Media Publishing picked up five category wins and four highly commended accolades at the 39th annual Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa's PICA Awards for magazine and publishing excellence.


Women on a winning streak - woman360
woman360 is thrilled to announce a PICA win for women's glossy titles Sarie and Psychologies and a highly commended award for Femina.

Ryk towers above all in the heat Hot 100 - UCM
Last week Ryk Neethling was named the winner of the heat Hot 100, presented by MTN at a celeb-studded party in Joburg.


Move! still unstoppable - Media24 Family Magazines
Move! magazine is proving to be a force to be reckoned with by shattering all expectations and industry records, according to Media24.


Golfing title announces new special playing editor
Golfing legend Gary Player has joined forces with golf magazine Golf Digest to be its exclusive playing editor. Commented the Black Knight from the Gary Player Invitational at Fanourt in South Africa last week, “My memory takes me back many years with Golf Digest, so I'm very proud to now be listed on the masthead on the magazine. I look forward to contributing on many subjects from travel, to technology, to golf course design and many other interesting aspects of this global game. I've known Stuart McLean for many years and I'm thrilled to be working closely with him again.”

Cycle tour beefs up annual coffee-table keepsake title

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The re-launch of the official Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour magazine is being managed by the organisers with the support of specialist publishers The Publishing Partnership (TPP), best known for the Nedbank Challenge Guide, Obrigado, Private Edition and Jet Club. The title, which will be packed with interviews, history, cycling tips from the pros and Cycle Tour veterans and features on new products and 'perfect race' strategy, will be delivered by post to every entered cyclist two months before race day. "The glossy ‘collectors' edition' is a must-have for all Cycle Tour enthusiasts,” enthuses Paul Ingpen, director of marketing and strategy for TPP... and 17-time Cycle Tour finisher.


Promotion for food writer

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Food & Home Entertaining's Anna Montali has been promoted to deputy editor/food editor, Caxton Magazines announced yesterday, Tuesday, 25 November 2008. Galliova food writer of the year winner 2007, Montali has been cooking for 20 years. Her varied culinary career has seen her running her own restaurant, catering and working as a food writer. She has been with F&HE for nine years, where she devises recipes, cooks, bakes, styles, does demonstrations and advises readers, and has been responsible for creating many of the dishes that grace the covers of the title.

SADC media houses launch HIV/AIDS policies
[Arthur Okwemba & Dumisani Gandhi] Today, Monday, 1 December 2008, over 130 media houses in 11 countries in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) have publicly launched HIV and AIDS policies as part of commemorations to mark World Aids Day. The climax of a three-year Media Action Plan (MAP) on HIV and AIDS and Gender, simultaneous launches will take place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia.

MMP rebrands to Media Monitoring Africa
Coinciding with its 15-year anniversary, the Media Monitoring Project rebranded last week to become Media Monitoring Africa and relaunched its website. The name change represents a realignment of its corporate identity to be more in line with the work it does.


We're not pro-press, pro-complainants - press ombudsman
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] South African press ombudsman Joe Thloloe has shrugged off criticism levelled against his office by various quarters, including the ruling African National Congress (ANC), and reiterated that the Press Council is not a court of law.

Cutbacks for Naspers print ops
NEWSWATCH: No surprise here - media giant Naspers announced today, Wednesday, 26 November 2008, that it is cutting costs and staff in its print media operations, writes News24.com, but that strategic investments in Internet and pay TV operations has positioned it well for the years ahead. Meanwhile, Anton Harber, Caxton professor of journalism at Wits University and Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) chairman, discusses the issue of the gagging of employees in his column today in Business Day.

Save Our SABC Coalition on Broadcasting Amendment Bill
The Save Our SABC Coalition yesterday, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, released a statement regarding its concerns with the Broadcasting Amendment Bill.

Bizcommunity.com, AdVantage strategic partnership announced
Bizcommunity.com and Primedia Publishing's AdVantage magazine have announced a strategic partnership which will see Bizcommunity.com becoming the online partner for the print brand as Bizcommunity.com editor and editorial director, Louise Marsland, leaves to take over the reins of AdVantage.

MXit campaign for World Aids Day
Social networking platform MXit is putting its technology to work to help raise HIV/AIDS awareness this World Aids Day, Monday, 1 December 2008. The company has teamed up with South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) to launch a campaign that should simultaneously raise HIV/AIDS awareness amongst a key target group - the youth of South Africa - and raise money for future projects.

Fifteen million mobile web users forecast
The number of unique cellular users is expected to increase from approximately 35 million this year to just less than 42 million by 2013. This is according to the SA Consumer Handset Model and Cellular Activities Report, recently released by ICT market research and analysis firm BMI-TechKnowledge.

2008 Global Mobile Marketing Awards winners
NEW YORK; LONDON, UK; SINGAPORE & SAO PAULO: The winners of the Fourth Annual Global Mobile Marketing Awards were announced recently at the Annual Global Awards dinner and ceremony that marked the conclusion of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)'s Mobile Marketing Forum in San Diego.

Dating services proves popular for Daily Voice - Strike Media
An SMS dating column is one of the most popular services offered by Cape Town tabloid The Daily Voice - yet the service “runs itself”, according to senior promotions co-ordinator Shafeeqah Isaacs.

Mobile marketing builds unique customer base - Strike Media
SMS campaigns are an excellent way to build databases of interested customers and prospects, says mobile marketing specialist Russel Stromin of Strike Media - but few companies are getting the most out of the opportunity.

Eighth IFRA International Newsroom Summit for Prague
DARMSTADT, GERMANY: From 12 - 13 February 2009, newsroom experts from the expansive world of the news publishing industry will convene for IFRA's 8th International Newsroom Summit in Prague, Czech Republic.

Call to enter 2009 IFRA Asia Media Awards
DARMSTADT/SINGAPORE: Registration is now open for IFRA's eighth Annual Asia Media Awards competition, to be held in conjunction with IFRA's Publish Asia, 28 - 29 May 2009, at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Center, Thailand (www.ifra.com/asiamediaawards). The submission deadline is 30 January 2009 and the competition is open for all newspapers and magazines in Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

South Africans can now use cash to pay online - with Ukash - Expand Marketing
Ukash, a globally recognised e-commerce cash payment method, has landed on South African shores to take the country by storm - just in time for the festive season.


Branding the holidays - Eyeblaster
This holiday season, ensure powerful ROI for all your digital advertising. With a tighter grip on the purse strings, now more than ever online marketers need to make an impression.


Best of 2008's digital campaigns announced at Eyeblaster Awards - Eyeblaster
Eyeblaster celebrated the best in 2008 digital advertising campaigns, recognising six agencies with top honours at the Eyeblaster Awards bash in New York City.

Soccer mobisite explodes
Soccer Laduma's mobisite www.soccerladuma.mobi has shot up to 1.4 million page impressions four months after launch, as tracked by global mobile advertising network AdMob. This complements the rapid growth of www.soccerladuma.co.za, which carries 50 breaking news stories a day. The weekly newspaper is capitalising on the mobile explosion, coupled with the country's passion for soccer.

We go "everywhere" - our Cape Town brief - What's New Media
What's New Media's brief from Sign Africa was to run two campaigns in and around the Cape Town CBD to raise awareness for the Sign Africa Exhibition.


Wrapping luggage for brand awareness
Alternative media company Top of Mind has recently been wrapping the OUTsurance brand on air travellers' suitcases. “About 25000 pieces of luggage per month are wrapped in heavy duty plastic at Cape Town and Durban airports,” says Top of Mind CEO, Daniel Goss. “We thought it would offer our clients an excellent opportunity to place their brands on the wrapping and to increase brand awareness.” Adds Peter Cronje, head of marketing for OUTsurance, “We also realised that there was a similarity between the concept of people wrapping their bags to protect them against damage and what we do.” OUTsurance is reporting leads from day one of the three-month campaign.

SAFTAs respond to Generations' intended withdrawal
The South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) Committee earlier this week announced that it has received with great disappointment the intended withdrawal of Generations from the SAFTAs. The primary objective of the SAFTAs is to honour, celebrate and promote the creativity, quality and excellence of the talent within the industry.

2008 Commercial Producers Industry Survey results
Results of the fourth Commercial Producers Industry Survey indicate that the sector continues to produce a relatively stable number of commercials, using more shoot days, for higher budgets per commercial. The 2008 survey results were released yesterday, Tuesday, 25 November 2008, by the Commercial Producers Association of South Africa and the Gauteng Film Commission.

Telkom epic directed by Jonathan Cohen - Cinergy
Cinergy's Jonathan Cohen directed the new Telkom commercial for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Peroni event at the Durban July - award-winning - Tag Promotions
The grass is definitely greener on Tag's side! The Peroni Activation/Marquee at the Vodacom Durban July this year, conceptualised and implemented by Tag Promotions, has been entered for an international award.


Amazing Vouchers launches exciting new initiative - "Amazing Promotions" - Amazing Vouchers
Amazing Promotions encourages spend through offering consumer rewards. During tough economic times, consumers are more likely to purchase goods containing value for money - an incentive to spend. Amazing Promotions is an initiative that tailors marketing and advertising campaigns to the economic benefit of suppliers and consumers.

BEE partner for Fleishman-Hillard SA
Fleishman-Hillard South Africa (FHSA) announced yesterday, Thursday, 28 November 2008, that it has brokered a black economic empowerment (BEE) agreement with the CIDA Investment Trust. FHSA is one of 80 offices in the global network of Fleishman-Hillard, one of the world's leading PR agencies.

New IABC Africa board elected
The 2009 board of the International Association of Business Communicators Africa (IABC) Chapter was voted in at its recent AGM. With new structures in place, IABC Africa has committed itself to facilitating the opening of two new chapters - one in Bloemfontein and another in Lagos, Nigeria.

The mini-skirt guide to short, tight business writing
[Tiffany Markman] In every business writing workshop I run, the delegates cackle like crazy when I use my ‘mini-skirt analogy': make sure your writing is like a mini-skirt - short enough to warrant a glance and tight enough to have an impact. A cheeky picture, yes, but it works. Here's how to mini-skirt your business writing.


Social media - the power and the pain
[Nicole Capper] A recent fundraising campaign undertaken for Autism Western Cape, dubbed Jail4Bail, involved executive director Gerhard Pieterse jailing himself in custom-made jail cells in Bayside Mall and Canal Walk, Cape Town, with the intention of reaching a total “bail/donation” figure of R1 million. What was essentially an offline campaign lead to a social media explosion, with some interesting results and lessons.


Start a conversation with Hello World - RedCube Agency
Independent brand PR agency RedCube Porter Novelli and ideas agency Re:Act, have merged to form a "beyond-the-line" agency called Hello World.

Graphicor wins Zurich account - Tshirundu Communications
Following an already successful month for Graphicor, after three wins at the Chartered Secretaries South Africa and JSE Limited 2008 Annual Report Awards, Graphicor has announced that it has won the Zurich annual report and financial advertising account.

Graphicor shines at the Chartered Secretaries South Africa and JSE Limited 2008 Annual Report Awards - Tshirundu Communications
Graphicor had a stellar month, scooping up three wins for the Barloworld, Adcorp and IDC annual reports at the Chartered Secretaries South Africa and JSE Limited 2008 Annual Report Awards ceremony.

Amplitude Records International is Alerting the Media! - Alerting the Media
Having signed international artist, Carmen Chiles, Amplitude Records International has signed Alerting the Media! to handle its public relations and publicity as well as that of Carmen's first album, SOULution.


Samsung NextHero raises R1 million for Play Soccer South Africa - RedCube Agency
A gala dinner event held in Johannesburg saw the celebration of Samsung Mobile's inaugural corporate social responsibility programme, Samsung NextHero, with the handing over of a cheque for R1 million to Play Soccer South Africa.


2009 PRISA PRISM Awards venue announced
'Constellations of stars' in the PR and communications industry will gather at the 12th annual PRISA PRISM Awards, which will be taking place at a grand breakfast ceremony on 31 March 2009 at Silverstar Casino near Krugersdorp. Entries for the event close on 31 January 2009.

Audience changes reflect developments in society - RAMS
For the radio industry, 2008 closes with little fanfare - only one station has succeeded in growing its audience over the previous SAARF RAMS release survey. Several stations, however, as well as total radio listening, are looking better than they did a year ago in this final release for the year.

Pay Your Bills tops half a million rand mark! - Jacaranda 94.2
Now in its sixth month of operation, the Jacaranda 94.2 Pay Your Bills (PYB) campaign has exceeded initial expectations having already paid out in excess of half a million rand and raked in a whopping 21 000 online entries, with SMS entries having topped the 379 000 mark by early this month (November 2008).

Jobs.co.za becomes the first South African member of the International Association of Employment Web - Jobs.co.za
Jobs.co.za (South African Job Portal) has allegedly become the first South African member of the International Association of Employment Web Sites (IAEWS), a trade organisation established to serve the interest and promote the success of job boards and career portals from around the world.

Charlotte Jackson named new Managing Director of Synovate South Africa - Synovate
Global market research company Synovate has announced the promotion of Charlotte Jackson to MD of Synovate South Africa, effective early 2009.


2010: South Africans say that SABC has a central role - African Response
South Africans believe that the SABC has a fundamental responsibility during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, according to market research company African Response.

Eye-tracking your advertising - balance creativity with effectiveness - Prompt Research Insights
[Lindiwe Matlali] TV is the most expensive medium in which to advertise, although at the same time potentially one of the most successful... if the advertising campaign is properly noticed and understood, of course! With the aid of eye-tracking analysis, a viewer's perception of a TV commercial can be objectively measured and optimised.

The power of advertising is 65.0 - TNS Research Surveys
But it needs to be at least 70.0 in terms of a new model of overall attitudes to advertising incorporating advertising's role in society, its entertainment value, its information value, its irritation level, and its trust and credibility. The model suggests that advertising in South Africa could be more entertaining and less serious.

Armed response industry - visible, necessary, expensive, generally effective but needing regulation - TNS Research Surveys
While 85% of people feel that more visible policing “in my area” is needed by the SAPS, 77% of people feel that they often see private security firms' vehicles in their areas. However, 58% of people want even higher levels of visibility from those firms.

NCR: 60% in the black, minor regression into red
The National Credit Regulator's (NCR) Credit Bureau Monitor reported 17.17 million credit active consumers for the quarter ending June 2008, of which 10.38 million consumers were in good standing, while 6.79 million consumers had 'impaired records'.

New search site brings sales to customers online
SaleSearcher, a newly-launched online sales and specials listings site, gives South African retailers an innovative opportunity to capture additional customers during this time of economic belt-tightening.

Ackerman calls for SA optimism
Raymond Ackerman, founder and chairman of SA retail giant Pick n Pay, recently spoke out against the pessimism of South Africans in a speech at the Cape Times/Safmarine Business Breakfast. Recalling a South Africa of yesteryear, he said that the country "today is a far, far better place than it was before 1994", and asked locals to resist the urge to emigrate. Read Ackerman's speech on South Africa - The Good News here.

Who will win the "other" world cup? ...BMI reveals the early leaders - BMI Sport Info
[David Sidenberg] In the last year or so we have been inundated with 2010 World Cup Barometers. We are updated regularly on the percentage of South Africans that are confident that we can host a successful event, those who believe the stadiums will be ready and how many think that that Vuvuzelas will improve the atmosphere. However, with the 2009 Confederation Cup Draw and SoccerEx in town this week, it is perhaps time the focus shifts to the commercial side of the World Cup.

Local wine producer sponsors British film awards again
Cape winelands producer Leopard's Leap will be sponsoring the 11th annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) in London next week, where some of Britain's best-known actors have been nominated. This is the second year that Leopard's Leap, a global brand sold in over 20 countries worldwide, will be sponsoring the event. “Making a great movie is much like crafting a fine wine: equal parts science and magic. We are very pleased that the cream of British acting will again be recognised whilst enjoying fine South African wine," comments Marius Kotze, marketing and sales director at Leopard's Leap.

Hunt for SA's face of FTV is on
With South Africa fast becoming a hotbed of design talent now hosting its own annual Fashion Weeks, the expansion of the Fashion TV (FTV) empire into SA has found a loyal community of trendspotters and followers; now reaching 348 million viewers in 202 countries on five continents. Now for the first time, aspiring South African fashionistas will have the chance to join the global hunt for the esteemed FTV runway title.


Southern Africa Direct celebrates its first birthday with 3.5 million viewers! - Southern Africa Direct
Developing innovative solutions for an industry in its maturity like television is always going to be a challenge but this is the `niche' environment that attracted Southern Africa Direct CEO and founding member Pierre van der Hoven.

More Traffic over African skies - Traffic Corporate Media Communications
Traffic has announced that it now offers delivery services on two satellites, both IS7 (Intelsat 7) and G11 (Galaxy 11), a new satellite in the Intelsat fleet.


Mumbai crisis - open NDTV access on DStv
In light of last week's assaults on the Taj Hotel, Trident Oberoi and Nariman House in Mumbai, India, MultiChoice has made India's 24-hour news channel NDTV, (DStv channel 453) available to all subscribers until Friday, 5 December 2008. Says MultiChoice's GM for content, Aletta Alberts, “[Last] week's tragic events in Mumbai are of global importance and we believe NDTV will provide a unique insight into events as reported by local Indian journalists.”NDTV broadcasts in English 24 hours a day, and targets the global Indian population with news that is credible, factual and current. It is normally broadcast on MultiChoice's North and South Indian bouquet.

Youth talk show returns
Keeping It Real, South Africa's popular youth talk show, is back with a new look, a new edge and a new host on Tuesday, 2 December 2008, at 4.30pm on SABC2. Each week the new host of Keeping It Real, 22-year-old Noluthando Meje (Nolly), will tackle the hard-hitting as well as the lighter issues affecting everyday lives of young people growing up in South Africa. The show aims to go beyond merely discussing problems by giving the youth a platform to express and empower themselves.

Grow your life: sowing the seed of self-employment - HDI Youth Marketeers
We all know that education is one of South Africa's most daunting challenges. But it is not terrain that the country's marketers normally feel comfortable taking on. And the proactive development of our youth isn't only about ensuring the future of the marketing industry, but the future. Period.