Be careful what budgets you cut
[Chris Moerdyk] One of the biggest challenges facing marketers today is how to convince their CEOs and financial directors not to cut their budgets.

Talking to your target market in 2009
[Tiffany Markman] To paraphrase the Chinese curse, 2008 was ‘an interesting year' for business in general and for marketers in particular. We ran the gauntlet of swearwords, from Eskom to sub-prime; from inflation through Zuma to cholera. And then we started using the rudest word of all - the ‘R' word - due to impact enormously on how smart businesses talk to their target markets in 2009.


Creativity more important in tough times
[Andy Dippenaar] This year will be about digging deep, not only into our collective pockets, but more importantly into our left brains to find new solutions and better ideas to help us survive - or even thrive - in these tough economic times.


Call for input on amending Advertising Code
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of South Africa is calling for comments on amending the Advertising Code of Practice. Send any comments you might have on the code, accessible at www.marketingsa.co.za, directly to the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA) as the association will be preparing a detailed submission and your views will be invaluable in this process. Mark comments as follows: Comment - Code on Advertising Practice - for attention Bonny Benade - info@marketingsa.co.za. Deadline for comments is Friday, 27 February 2009.

Gearing up to mark 500 days to 2010
The countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup is on in earnest. On Monday, 26 January 2009, it will be exactly 500 days to go to the world's biggest sporting spectacle. To mark this significant milestone, a range of activities will take place on the day, to which the media are invited.

FIFA warns against 2010 lottery scams
[Simangaliso Zwane] The International Federation of Association Football - FIFA - has cautioned against illicit emails which are currently doing the rounds informing people that they had “won” 2010 FIFA World Cup “lotteries” - it's a scam.

Top Saatchi man to speak at AdReview
Saatchi & Saatchi's worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts, one of the world's leading advertising thinkers, will be the guest speaker at the seventh annual AdReview Awards gala banquet on 23 April 2009 at Kyalami, Gauteng.

2009 - the rise of creativity
[Brendan Wade and Stuart Stobbs] Emergence, convergence - 2009 will be about the rise of creativity and the further South Africanisation of brands and concepts.


Doom and gloom and the inevitable boom
[Mike Frampton] This is about trends for 2009. And boy, what a trend doom and gloom is! Amazing just how we globally and locally get sucked up into the space of paranoia. And make no mistake the world's economic situation is at risk and is under strain. But having said this, I believe the trend for 2009 should be quite different.


‘We are in for a very very tough year...'
[Virginia Hollis] Well, 2008 certainly didn't end with the traditional BIG Christmas spend that all agencies and media owners have gotten so used to. It ended with a bit of a whimper really... However, I think that most media and agencies had an okay year because the first five to six months were good and then everything fell apart. So what's coming?


SA TV ad to storm across the globe
Following completion of a recent Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa commercial originally destined for Guinness' African markets only, client Diageo soon recognised that the commercial had international merit and appeal, and decided to run it in other markets internationally. [video]

The Loeries land in Cape Town
The Loeries have landed in Cape Town, and the Mother City and the rest of the country will be treated to a year-round series of events and activities that will culminate in the spectacular awards during the weekend of 25 - 27 September 2009.


A more ‘bullish' view for 2009
[Ken Varejes] Overall, I'm very bullish about this year. I predict the first few months of 2009 will determine how long the economic crisis will last and how we move forward.


2009 APEX Awards deadline extended
The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has extended the deadline for entries to the 2009 APEX awards to Friday, 30 January 2009 at 12 noon.

Zoom lands the plum job - Zoom Advertising
CareerJunction - the largest jobs portal in South Africa - has appointed Zoom Advertising to handle all its marketing and advertising with immediate effect. Zoom is part of the Ogilvy Group, specialising in innovative marketing, retail advertising, brands at retail and branded entertainment.

Happy New Year! Lekka new website! - Globecreative Advertising & Design
In the spirit of rejuvenation, Cape Town agency Globecreative Advertising and Design launched its new website this week. The new site is long overdue and showcases some of the agency's more recent work.


Blockbusters' Hancock promotion raises more than R60 000 for charity - Mortimer Harvey
Blockbusters Entertainment raised more than R60 000 for Child Welfare South Africa (CWSA) following a national charity drive in November 2008. R4 of every rental of Hancock, an action comedy starring Will Smith and Charlize Theron, was donated to CWSA.


2009 One Show entry deadline around the corner
The countdown has begun - entry deadline for the 2009 One Show is Friday, 30 January 2009. In addition to Gold, Silver and Bronze Pencils, this year the first-ever Green Pencil will be awarded for the best non-profit/public service advertising that promotes the environment. For more, go to www.oneshow.org.

A kingly redesign for production house
A company that has won nearly every local and international advertising award for creativity and production excellence, the Velocity Films team includes some of the industry's top directorial talent and an unparalleled body of work. Bringing all of this to the fore was the challenge brand design agency Rex faced when it was recently briefed to revamp Velocity's brand.


Engage brand-conscious consumers at new style expo
[ActivRetail] Brand Xpo 2009 aims to provide brands with the opportunity to engage with consumers in a socio-economic climate that is proving a challenge for new and old marques alike, according to Vital Health Foods marketing director, André Beyers.


Engaging staff in tough economic times - The Brand Union
[Anisa du Plessis] Our daily lives are flooded with negative economic reports in the media. Conversations amongs friends and colleagues (and often even strangers) about the tough economic climate are rife. We have all been told to fasten our belts and ‘vasbyt' as it seems (that for a while at least) times are going to remain tough.


Bollywood film shot at 34 offices in Cape Town - 34
While everyone else went to the beach, Cape-based brand activation agency thirtyfour was hard at work.


Is the presenter the brand? Can the 702 brand be damaged by John Robbie's personal bias? - Brands & Branding
[Ken Preston] Primedia's Radio 702 is no stranger to controversy and John Robbie put himself on the map when he taunted the previous Minister of Health by insisting on addressing her by her first name - something hugely enjoyed by many of his listeners.

Can cheap ever be cool? A lesson in branding value in 2009 - The Fearless Executive
[Karin Botta] With all the talk about the ‘financial crisis', brands are having to understand the shifting consumer mindsets in order to innovate their business model so as to not get left behind when customers inevitably adapt their decision making processes and start to cut back on spending.

The Creative Director and like... by the mountain, bru - icandi COMMUNICATIONS
What happens when business factors are changing and office space is rearranging? You work smarter as well as harder. A 10-year creative workout puts us at the helm of ensuring that your communications do just that, with fresh strategic appointments and even a new (i)candi shop near you.

CRM marketing processes for a cost-constrained economy
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, US: Marketing budgets are most at risk during economic downturns, but Gartner last week outlined six marketing processes that can be automated to drive revenue and cut costs, maximising marketing budgets and return on investments (ROIs).

Pay online, donate your change
No doubt heeding US President Barack Obama's call for change, global voucher-based online payment solution Ukash has created a system allowing consumers to donate the 'change' generated from shopping online to The Trust, a recently launched local charitable initiative.

Jacaranda continues with CSI feature
[Tshepiso Seopa] Jacaranda 94.2's Good Morning Angels (GMA) relaunched yesterday, Monday, 19 January 2009. A regular feature on the Breakfast Show for a number of years, through it the station reaches out to listeners in need of assistance, mostly medical and, more recently with the economic meltdown, economic, through its network of clients, contacts, friends, and agencies.

SA social development innovation makes global award shortlist
GreaterGood SA's South African Social Investment Exchange (SASIX) is one of just three international finalists for the Global Development Network's Most Innovative Development Project Award. SASIX is a SA process and technology platform which connects social investors with the development world.

Wolda ‘09 open for entries
The 2009 edition of Wolda is now open for entries. The Worldwide Logo Design Annual award scheme rewards the best logos and trademarks designed throughout the world.


Charlotte Coetzee bags PnP design competition
Graphic designer Charlotte Coetzee, 24, has taken top honours in Pick n Pay's latest initiative to reduce use of plastic bags. Late last year, the retailer launched a web-based design competition inviting budding designers to submit designs for a new and stylish eco-friendly Pick n Pay bag.


Makeover for recruitment portal
Avusa Media's online recruitment portal CareerJunction yesterday, Monday, 19 January 2009, unveiled a new logo and brand promise intended to show its commitment to providing the largest selection of quality jobs.


Concept Interactive's advice on how to choose an accredited FET college for vocational training - Concept Interactive
According to an article in the Mail & Guardian of 9 January, 2009, “about 22 000 more matric candidates achieved university entrance in 2008 than in the previous year, but many cannot be absorbed into an overtaxed tertiary education system. Education Department Deputy Director General, Molapo Qhobela, conceded that the universities were full and urged matriculants to look to FET colleges, which offered ‘excellent vocational training'.”

Launch of online pilot SA heritage project
A pilot project to make South African heritage more accessible for remixing and republishing by online creators is being launched today, Friday, 23 January 2009, in collaboration with SA Rocks and the African Commons Project. OpenSA! will also be helping to coordinate outreach to South Africa's young creators to enable them to learn more about how to find open content that they are free to remix and share.


Bull bangs the drums for digital
[Sindy Peters] It seems the digital medium is still not being taken seriously by the creative industry, as evidenced by last year's Bookmark Awards. Matthew Bull, chairman of the Lowe Bull Group and worldwide creative director of Lowe Worldwide, as well as creative counsel for the Online Publishers' Association (OPA), told Bizcommunity.com, however, that digital will be everything in 10 - 20 years' time and the South African industry needs to understand and prepare for this.


Growth of virtual environments expected in 2009
[Raymond de Villiers] Throughout 2008 the corporate world was exposed to the reality of virtual worlds, which has seen a growing influence on how companies train, market, advertise and communicate. This is a trend that is expected to continue into 2009 as organisations begin to recognise the merits of incorporating gaming into their basket of communication tools.


New ad model for SA social networking site
Social networking and reuniting website SAReunited recently launched a new advertising model intended to cater for businesses whose online advertising budgets have tightened in today's credit crunch climate - making use of user-generated ads.


The year that digital marketing comes of age
[Walter Pike] Trends in marketing in 2009 will be driven by the worldwide economic crunch, technology and the election campaign of Barack Obama to become the president of the United States of America - and not only because of the political impact of that but because it provides a dramatic example of how a no-hoper, a junior senator, can make it to the White House using modern marketing methods.


New MTN-Neotel network's dramatic impact
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Once completed and operational, the multibillion rand and 5000km telecommunication network by MTN and Neotel will have a dramatic impact on end users, pricing, supply of capacity, the industry as a whole and Telkom's own priorities, industry watchers and experts told Bizcommunity.com yesterday, Monday, 19 January 2009. MTN SA and Neotel last week signed a historic agreement to build a long-distance fibre optic network, a move that will free MTN from the chains of Telkom's third party transmission provisioning.

Facebook, defamation and the law
[Paul Jacobson] It is tempting to think that using Facebook will land you in prison, especially with all the media attention on the Duane Brady case in the Kliptown Magistrates Court. The simple truth is that sticking to a few simple rules should help you avoid that unpleasant experience of receiving a strongly worded letter from an attorney or, worse, an unwelcome visit from an unsympathetic police officer keen on dragging you off to a holding cell for the weekend.


Get a planetary view on digital - Cambrient
The latest edition of new South African podcast The Digital Edge tackles South Africa's big agency perspective on the relevance and impact of digital marketing in today's market.


Facebook gamble pays off for Samsung... - Popimedia
Creative digital agency aquaonline recently launched the digital campaign for Samsung Mobile's latest handset, the versatile must-have Innov8.


Online pays - the numbers don't lie - apurimac media
The most recent AMPS (2008 A) statistics for Internet usage and product choice amongst South African consumers makes for powerful reading, and bodes well for even stronger online growth in 2009, reaffirming the appeal and preference of online over traditional media channels.

Cutting-edge courses for online marketers: January - February Britefire schedule - Britefire
The latest in a popular series of professional e-marketing courses will be run in January and February 2009 by Britefire, one of South Africa's international web marketing specialists. Godfrey Parkin, author of Doing Business Digitally, will lead many of the courses.

Get to grips with tomorrow's technology, today - DigitalLife
Digital cameras, PCs that act as home media centres, high definition media devices, home automation and the latest gaming consoles - you've got the best digital gear, but do you know your way around it? Are you looking to really understand digital technology to maximise its potential?

Cannes 2009 Direct, Promo jury presidents announced
LONDON: David Sable, vice chairman and COO of Wunderman, will lead the 2009 Cannes Direct Lions Jury; and William Rosen, chief creative officer - North America of Arc Worldwide, will head this year's Promo Lions jury, organisers of the Cannes Lions advertising festival announced earlier this week. Terry Savage, festival chairman, commented, "For 2009 Cannes Lions has improved the criteria to better reflect the disciplines and show more rigour. The appointment of David Sable and Bill Rosen will ensure we have world leaders in their field to drive and guide the jury through this process. We could not be in better hands."

Radio station, college launch bursary initiative
Good Hope FM and Rosebank College Cape Town have launched its annual bursary competition in the Western Cape, running until 30 January 2009. School learners are invited to prepare an essay to tell DJ Suga and her team why Good Hope FM should broadcast live from their school and stand to win a full year's tuition bursary at Rosebank College Cape Town.

Nomadic Marketing comes to Joburg
This year, for the first time, the UCT Graduate School of Business's Nomadic Marketing programme is coming to Johannesburg, 17 - 19 February 2009. Nomadic Marketing is targeted at media and marketing executives who need to know how to integrate social media into their current campaigns and strategies.

Higher education trends for 2009
[Johan Wasserfall] What lies ahead for higher education this year? Let's take a closer look.


Free AAA workshop for 2008 matriculants next week
The AAA School of Advertising is running an open house for one week only, 26 - 30 January 2009, for potential students interested in a career in advertising but who are still uncertain as to what they should study. Anyone with an interest in advertising should grab this free opportunity to find out if this is the career for them, at no cost.

Stand a chance of winning R10 000 worth of training for you or your company! - CBM Training
Training you can trust - in the eight years of operation, CBM has trained more than 32 000 delegates from 8200 different companies. Our reputation for quality training has earned us “Preferred Supplier” status with a number of high-profile organisations, as well as winning us the award as “Best training company In South Africa”.

DFG and the birth of creative talent - Mentoring in the creative industry - Don't Forget George
Those who watched the 2009 Golden Globe Awards will have witnessed Steven Spielberg receiving a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. A pivotal aspect of his acceptance speech dealt with the concept of mentoring.

Effective messaging during tough economic times - Janine Lazarus Media Consultancy
The current financial crisis has put many companies under a glaring public spotlight, with corporate communicators expected to engage in open and effective dialogue on thorny issues such as financial distress, tumbling sales, job losses and even business closures.

Toyota Tsusho Centre of Excellence: A global development solution provider - Toyota Tsusho Centre of Excellence (COE)
The future is now about tomorrow becoming yesterday, today; faster than ever before. Proactively responding to the future will guarantee your success. Refuse to work in an organisation where intelligence is optional; whatever you learned yesterday is the first step towards the learning you require today.

5FM shifts into ‘Top Gear'
MPH Top Gear Live - the world of extreme engines, outrageous cars and daredevil stunts - returns this year to Johannesburg, 29 January - 1 February 2009, and 5FM will be there to bring listeners the inside track on all the behind-the-scenes action, as well as crossings from the Coca-Cola dome.

Siemens opening of new auditorium - Collyer Lessick & Associates
It was with much excitement and anticipation that staff and VIP guests recently gathered at the Siemens head office for the official opening of its newly refurbished auditorium.


How conference organisers benefit from running business matchmaking at industry conferences - Outsmart Marketing
Business matchmaking has been incredibly well received by organisers, delegates, speakers and sponsors to industry events and exhibitions over the past three years.

Honouring South Africa's jazz greats... - Collyer Lessick & Associates
Dimension Data recently hosted an evening of sheer sophisticated smooth jazz to honour ‘Victor Ntoni' - one of South Africa's most formidable musicians - and also to pay tribute to the legendary ‘Johnny Dyani' who died in 1986.


ECHO launches the ECHO For Children Foundation - ECHO Events and Conferences
The ECHO For Children Foundation recently held its inaugural charity dinner at the exquisite La Colombe Restaurant in Uitsig. This, to mark its official launch and begin an annual tradition that will see the foundation raise funds for underprivileged children.

Siemens see out 2008 with Rock Circus Extravaganza - Collyer Lessick & Associates
It was a day to remember at the Broadacres Barnyard, when Siemens Medical department celebrated its success with a year-end function while recognising the efforts of the staff within that division.

Noddy Land in Sandton City! - 3D Deco
The usual hustle and bustle of the Christmas silly season came to stunning standstill at Sandton City last year when 3D Deco, together with Deligo Marketing, brought Noddy Land to life.


Siemens' role in promoting great new artistic talent - Collyer Lessick & Associates
Siemens was justifiably proud and delighted with the superb art exhibition depicting dynamic and brilliant works of art produced by students from the Funda Community College in Soweto, for its 2009 Siemens calendar.


An even better year for Kadoro and festivities aplenty in November - Kadoro Events & Communications
November 2008 was an especially festive month for Kadoro Events and Communications - in the midst of its hectic work schedule, it also celebrated its second birthday, MD Amanda Maynard's marriage to well-known businessman and entrepreneur Gavin Rogaly - as well as Maynard's own birthday!

The Baby Expo signs new PR agency - The Baby Expo
The Baby Expo has appointed PR Worx as its new public relations agency.

NBS kicks off 2009 marketing with agency appointment - Biz Events
The National Boat Show, featuring Dive Expo 2009, has once again awarded its 2009 marketing and PR campaign to long-time marketing communications and publicity partner, ITP Communications.

Associated Magazines appoints associate publisher
Associated Magazines announced yesterday, Monday, 19 January 2009, that it has appointed Andreline van Tonder as associate publisher for all titles in the group. Van Tonder will rejoin the company in February 2009, after spending over two years at Media24.

‘Mpofu's removal may bring stability to SABC'
[Issa Sikiti da Silva & Tshepiso Seopa] People come and go but institutions remain behind. This French saying could well epitomise the SABC board's unilateral decision last week to ‘part ways' with its suspended CEO Dali Mpofu. To the board's understanding, it is more of the same and life could go on in Auckland Park with or without him. But despite the veil of secrecy surrounding the dismissal, some observers believe that Mpofu's removal may bring stability to the SABC.

SABC finalises election coverage plans
Senior editorial managers in the SABC finalised the news division's coverage plans for the 2009 national and provincial elections at a workshop in Johannesburg over the weekend, the SABC announced yesterday evening, Sunday, 25 January 2009.

Mpofu gets the chop from SABC board
BREAKING NEWS: Following a SABC board meeting earlier this week, a decision has been taken “to part ways” with suspended group CEO Dali Mpofu with immediate effect. This is according to a press statement released this morning, Friday, 23 January 2009, by SABC Group Communications.

The year of cloud computing and Twitter
[Colin Daniels] This year in South Africa, broadband will become affordable to the man on the street; there'll be more print media cutbacks and closures yet new startups and product innovation; the rise of ultra-portable PCs, netbooks and cloud computing; eBooks and electronic paper will start to mature; and Twitter will becomes a household name...


2009 Tabbies call to enter
CLEVELAND,US: Trade, Association and Business Publications International (TABPI) is calling for entries to the 2009 Tabbies, its editorial and design awards programme. The Tabbies honour the best work of business-to-business publications editors, publishers and art directors around the world.

AfricaNews.com launches mobile platform
Africa Interactive, the publisher of the pan-African news website AfricaNews.com, has announced the release of its mobile news website.

New editor for newspaper biking supplement
The Citizen's weekly biking supplement, CitiBike, has so far this new year introduced a new editor, Ian Els, and a new partnership with Magnetic North Publishing.

Bank launches online prestige title
Standard Bank Prestige Banking has launched an online aspirational lifestyle magazine, it announced yesterday, Tuesday, 20 January 2009. Tin Can has been appointed to write and edit the publication.

New opportunities every day - Bizwave
Do you get fired up with the excitement of a new year? We always do, and this year we are especially excited. We've heard so much bad news in 2008 that our adrenaline should really be pumping this year.

Fresh new look for Lewis Club website - New Highway Publishing
The website for Lewis Club magazine is starting the new year with a fresh approach. Now featuring a cleaner design with better navigability, the site offers readers more insight into the magazine's editorial pillars - family, home, food and life.

Gumtree signs on Habari Media - Habari Media
Gumtree.co.za, the iconic online classifieds portal which launched in South African in 2005, has signed on Habari Media, the specialist online media sales company, to manage advertising for its local operation.


Prezence take mobile site development to the next level with Ster-Kinekor's WAP site - Prezence SA
Prezence recently developed a mobile version of the award-winning sterkinekor.com website to enable mobile phone users to access the same extensive content and functionality offered on the PC site, as well as specific mobile content.

Soccer brand teams up with photographic portal
Soccer-Laduma has partnered with social photographic portal Thunda.com to photograph South Africa soccer fans, famous for their colourful, eye-catching outfits, at the games and leading into the stadiums. Fans who are snapped are given an advertiser-branded cue card with the www.soccerladuma.co.za URL and shown how to visit the fans gallery on the web or mobisite to view their pictures. The intention is to choose the top 20 or so photos and publish them in the newspaper - and these can also be branded, so the advertiser carries the brand message across all the different Soccer-Laduma platforms - print, web and mobile.

New plasma screens for airport
Indiza Media, a subsidiary of Primedia Outdoor, recently replaced its existing scroller units at OR Tambo International Airport's (ORTIA) domestic and international arrival terminals with state-of-the-art plasma technology screens.


New crew member - Airport Media
Airport Media has announced that Daniela Tommasi will be joining the company on 2 February 2009 in the role of media manager.


Final call for entry - 2009 Street Pole Ads Cannes Award - ADreach
Word's on the street - the closing date for entry into the 2009 Street Pole Ads Cannes Award is 9 February 2009. Got what it takes to battle it out with the world's best creatives? Then get your entries in and stand in line to win a trip to attend the 2009 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in June this year.

Production trends for 2009
Bizcommunity.com recently caught up with Pam Marsh, GM of Refiner Visual Effects, and Gary King, executive producer of Picture Tree, to find out what the trends are in production and post production for 2009.


Determined to ‘bee' a shareholder! - Terraplane
Terraplane's John Barker starts the year off with a spot for Nando's and its agency Black River F.C. Produced at the end of 2008, the commercial is a mouth-watering, tongue-in-cheek look at a BEE character enjoying his ‘Idlanathi' meal.


Petar Spiljevic officially signs to the Velocity director roster - Velocity
New to Velocity is director Serbian-born Petar Spiljevic, who has been based in South Africa since 1991 and commenced his directing career in 2006. Prior to directing, Spiljevic built a name for himself as a sought-after and highly-awarded art director for commercials and music videos.


HHP, Ogilvy CPT and Frieze Films' Malo 8 making it happen with Stimorol - Frieze Films
Call him HHP, Hip Hop Pantsula, Jabulani Tsambo or just Jabba - he's the real deal, a self-made rap artist who has taken the South African music scene by storm. And he's the star of a new commercial for Stimorol.


Velocity features in the Gunn Report - Velocity
Greg Gray's commercial for MTN “Clap” and director Keith Rose's Allan Gray “Beautiful” have both been featured amongst the world's top commercials in the latest Gunn Report.

TEC Video gets your message across clearer than ever - with a new HD monitor - TEC Agency
TEC Video recently purchased a HD Panasonic LCD 17” monitor, which reportedly produces faithful colour reproduction with fast response speed, so images appear crystal clear, precise and true-to-life, even when displaying fast motion content. Clients can thus expect enhanced corporate and commercial videos.


Cullinan adds laughs to new DStv commercials - Fresh Eye Film Productions
Continuing on the success of the previous DStv Campaign of ‘Guess Who's Been Watching?' comes three new commercials directed by Bevan Cullinan from Fresh Eye Film Productions.


Keith Rose featured on cover of Shots

click to enlarge

Keith Rose has been featured on the cover of the January 2009 issue of Shots, a cutting-edge global showcase of creativity and advertising in a DVD, web and magazine format. Rose was selected by Shots for his creation of “some of the most iconic spots in the country's history”. This tops a hugely successful 2008 for Rose, which saw him direct the most-awarded commercial in South Africa for 2008 - Allan Gray “Beautiful.” For more, go to http://velocityfilms.com/news-media.

Brand experience - the true test
[Phillip van Staden] PR practitioners are often required to work in line with our communication partners - be they advertising agencies or other marketing services partners. They all have a mantra or some kind of uniquely positioned approach. So is it up to us to fit in with the philosophies and doctrines of our communication partners?


Online media room: what journalists really want
[Sally Falkow] Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group is known in the online world as the guru of usablity. Back in 2001, he wrote his first report on the usablity of online media rooms and his latest insights on how journalists use the web was released earlier this week.


Gold Quill Awards 2009 kicks off
Entries for the African Quill Awards from the African region must be submitted on 27 January 2009. Winners of African Quill Awards are automatically submitted for the international Gold Quill Awards.

Deadline nigh for PRISA PRISM awards
Public relations consultancies, practitioners and corporate public relations departments have only a week left to submit their entries for this year's PRISA PRISM Awards - the deadline is Friday, 30 January 2009, and entries will be handed over to the judges at the beginning of February.

Effective communication essential to election campaigning
[Thabani Khumalo] The general election campaign is barely underway and election fever, characterised by mudslinging, flaring tempers, panicking, promises and expectations, has just started, with more fireworks expected to come as the election date comes closer. The development of an effective communication strategy is probably the most difficult and necessary part of an election campaign process.


The untapped power of the press release
[Chima Nwankwo] When your boss calls you up in the middle of the night and says he wants an official reaction in the papers the next morning to a controversial issue concerning him directly, what's a PR practitioner supposed to do? For one thing you must understand that a lot of the world's media are primed to spot the press release and shoot it down a mile off.


Communications to pick up the pace during 2009
[Keri-Ann Clark] What's in store for communications in 2009? The publicists at Kezi Communications collectively put together this list of nine trends for a fast-paced, quickly changing world.


A course with no useless information - enrol now! - Quo Vadis Communications
Well-known marketing communications and training company, Quo Vadis Communications, has unveiled its training schedule for the 2009 year and says it is keeping fees for its courses at its 2008 levels.

Three years in a row with Three Ring Circus - Grapevine Communications
Youth marketing company, Three Ring Circus, has renewed its contract with Grapevine Communications for 2009 to conduct its third consecutive annual PR Campaign for the Standard Bank Rocking Future Roadshow, now running in its ninth year. The roadshow inspires, motivates and guides matriculants in their tertiary study making decisions.

One-day seminar to address the art of communicating in times of crisis - Knowledge Resources
Employees want to be kept in the loop about decisions that could potentially affect them instead of having to rely on rumours and speculation. Now, more than ever before, the role of the internal communicator takes on greater significance.

Radio slick and savvy in 2009
[Tshepiso Seopa] The emergence of new commercial and community radio stations in the provinces that relied only on public broadcaster stations in the past has meant that old players need to go back to the drawing board in preparation for the new battlefield. Bizcommunity.com recently caught up Mfundo Ntsibande, marketing manager for Ligwalagwala FM, for a bit of introspection and outlook.

Jacaranda 94.2 joins fight against crime
Primedia's anonymous tip-off service Crime Line has partnered with Pretoria-based radio station Jacaranda 94.2. “We have committed to support the Crime Line campaign by promoting the initiative on air and to get our staff and our 2.4 million listeners involved in this worthwhile project,” said Alan Khan, CEO of Jacaranda 94.2, earlier this week. “We understand the huge impact that crime has on our country and we are extremely proud to support this campaign because it empowers the public - many of whom have been victims of crime - to make a positive contribution in the fight against crime.” Other media partnerships include the SABC, Algoa FM, Caxton Community Newspapers and other publications.

What lifestage is your market?
USING RESEARCH BETTER: Lifestage is an often forgotten demographic which can add a valuable layer of knowledge to a market profile. In this latest installment of our series on getting the most out of your industry-funded research, SAARF looks at what the Lifestages tool can bring to the marketing table.

Maintain your brand strength in a shrinking economy - Prompt Research Insights
[Lindiwe Matlali] When the economy tightens and marketing budgets shrink, the very first thing to do would be to ensure that marketing spend becomes a lot more efficient. Marketers need to make sure that the consumer is literally keeping an eye on the ball. And they can now do that by using eye-tracking.


2009 SAMRA Conference - a call to exhibitors! - SAMRA
2009 sees SAMRA Conference Celebrate its 30th year! Reflecting back upon what we've learned, and celebrating how far we've come...

Open invitation to free SAARF RAMS presentation
The South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) will highlight the most important aspects of the latest RAMS release wave (2008 no. 6) at the SAARF RAMS February 2009 release on Thursday, 12 February 2009, at the Bryanston Country Club, Johannesburg, 1.30pm for 2pm. The fieldwork was conducted from end-August 2008 to mid-December 2008. The team will consist of SAARF's CEO, Dr Paul Haupt; SAARF's technical manager, Michelle Boehme; and SAARF's technical support executive, Claire Milne; as well as Sue Scott and Angelique Amado of Shonigani. The presentation will be made available on www.saarf.co.za after the release. Email saarf@saarf.co.za or tel +27 (0)11) 463 5340 to RSVP for the free presentation.

SA consumers gain glimmer of confidence - MasterCard survey
Following a year of slowing economic growth at home and in the face of an imminent global recession, South Africans remain optimistic about the immediate future of their national economy. This is according to the latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence.


Using Point of Sale displays to increase sales - The Todwil Group
South African brands looking to increase their sales and brand awareness should consider Point of Sale displays as part of the overall marketing mix. This is according to Todwil, which provides in-store brand communication.

Getaway enters TV arena
The Getaway brand moves to the small screen this month when the TV series "Getaway to Africa" launches on M-Net on 29 January 2009. The 13-part series will look at travel in southern Africa, taking in the people and cultures of South Africa and its neighbouring countries as it explores the game parks, forests, deserts, mountain retreats and beaches of the region.


Anant Singh's Obama doccie for e.tv
Anant Singh's hour-long documentary, Barack Obama: People's President, will be broadcast by e.tv and eNews Channel tomorrow, Tuesday, 27 January 2009, at 9.30pm. It tells the real story of Obama's journey to the White House with previously unseen footage and interviews. A number of South African activists and politicians are featured, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Ahmed Kathrada, who accompanied Obama on a visit to Robben Island. Commented Singh, “I was in the United States on election day and decided then that we would make a film on the first black and one of the youngest presidents of the United States. We are delighted to have collaborated with Danny Schechter to produce and direct this film. He documented Nelson Mandela's journey to become the first black president of South Africa in Countdown to Freedom, which tracked the ANC's election campaign, culminating with the inauguration of Mandela as president.”

SAARF TV audience measurement forum in March
Television will undergo its biggest change since its inception during the next few years. Every household in South Africa will be affected by this and will have to change from the current analogue system to digital. New and improved TV sets, personal video recorders (PVRs) and other equipment will become widely available, high definition (HD) TV will become widely used and the number of available TV channels will grow explosively. SAARF, in co-operation with the TV industry and other SAARF stakeholders, is currently investigating what the TV scene will look like in 5 - 10 years from now, as there are huge implications for the ongoing measurement of this dynamic medium. It will also be hosting a Television Audience Measurement Forum, on 4 March 2009 in Bryanston, Johannesburg, where leading international experts will be sharing their experiences and insights into the changing TV market and the future of TV audience measurement. For more, go to www.saarf.co.za.

What will the youth get up to in 2009?
[Jason Levin] The traditional media terrain is shifting completely in the Age of the Prosumer. Marketers have a big role to play when it comes to investing in the wellbeing of young South Africa, especially in 2009.