Five immutable laws of marketing measurement
[Pat LaPointe] It is gratifying to see the increasing popularity of marketing measurement. You can barely get through an article on marketing these days without seeing "ROI" or "metrics" in the copy. Google search on "Marketing ROI" and you will get 16.5 million hits.

Retail sales fall fastest in nine years
[Mariam Isa] Retail sales fell by an annual rate of 3,6% in May — its steepest fall in nine years — backing evidence that consumer spending has slowed sharply and weakening the case for another interest rate hike this year.

Building brand equity through increasing emotional connection
Following many intimate discussions and research conducted around the world, women have informed the Always brand team that they see periods as a natural part of life that CAN have an upbeat side. Based on these intriguing insights, Always has been inspired to develop a campaign with Leo Burnett that encourages women to see the brighter side of periods.


Plans for Jo'burg jewellery district well underway
Addressing the media on Wednesday, MEC for Housing Paul Mashatile announced that plans for the establishment of the Jewellery Manufacturing Precinct as part of the OR Tambo Industrial Development Zone were at advanced stages, with the business plan for the precinct have already been developed.

China's Tiens sets up shop in SA
[Edward West] Tiens Group, a Chinese group specialising in retail, tourism, finance, international trade and e-business in more than 190 countries, opened a Banner Store in Randburg in Johannesburg on Friday, its first retail store on the continent.

Former Samsung chief convicted but won't do time
[Jae-Soon Chang] Former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee saw the suspension of his prison sentence in a tax-evasion conviction on Wednesday, a move that confirmed South Koreans' view that tycoons are immune from jail.

Used car market becomes appealing
In the current economic environment, characterised primarily by rising interest rates, fuel and food prices, purchasing a new car is becoming more difficult for many hard-pressed consumers - which is why more and more car-buyers are moving into the used car market.

Retail trade sales decrease further
Retail trade sales at constant (2000) prices for May decreased year-on-year for the third consecutive month, recording a drop of 3.6% from a revised -0.1% in April (-0.3%), figures released today by Statistics South Africa show.

Unusual imports under the hammer at 34th Nederburg Charity Auction
After the close of the mainstream Nederburg Auction, the charity sale will take place on Saturday, 20 September 2008. All the funds raised will be divided equally amongst the three beneficiaries of the Nederburg Charity Trust - the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa, Organ Donor Foundation and an HIV/AIDS-support NGO, Mothers2Mothers (M2M). Wine aficionados can look forward to bidding on two special imports that will be on the block at the event.


Call to close petrol stations at night
NEWSWATCH: The Fuel Retailers' Association is turning up the heat on its call for petrol stations be closed at night, reports IOL.

Consumers can opt for different electricity tariffs
The City of Cape Town has introduced four pricing categories for domestic electricity consumers to encourage energy saving.

Stats SA defends current inflation figure
[Michael Appel] Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has defended itself from recent allegations that miscalculations it could have made, have led to an overestimated inflation figure.

SA's fiscal policies has reduced public debt, grew economy
The democratic government, which inherited economic and fiscal problems from the previous government, has managed to reduce the public debt burden and grow the economy through prudent fiscal policies. This is according to the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economic assessment report on South Africa.

Bank charges hit poor - wherever they are
[Andrew Fabricius] Does a lack of transparency exist in UK current account market, as that country's Office of Fair Trading claims?

Woolworths customers feel spending pinch
[Sure Kamhunga] The corrosive effects of spiralling inflation and food prices were confirmed on Friday when retail giant Woolworths confirmed middle-income earners had been pushed to the wall by the rising cost of living.

Sauvignon Blanc king of terroir
Kumkani added another trophy to its case recently when Lanner Hill Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2007 was named the best Sauvignon Blanc in South Africa at the SA Terroir Wine Awards.


Happy birthday, Tata!
Commuters in Rosebank, Cape Town, are being greeted with a huge colourful banner stretched across the front of 24-on-Main as the tenants Bizcommunity.com, Capefilm , Asylum, Popcorn, Orijin and the other tenants pay tribute to Madiba on his 90th birthday.


Madiba birthday special: All 90-year-olds eat free at Nando's
As the world's best loved statesman and South Africa's hero and former president turns 90 this Friday, 18 July 2008, Nando's will join in the celebrations by dishing out presents on Madiba's behalf to every citizen over the age of 90.


Heineken brewery will create 225 jobs for Gauteng — MEC
[Sibongakonke Shoba] Gauteng Finance MEC Paul Mashatile says the R3bn Heineken plant and depot which is being constructed in Sedibeng, southeast of Johannesburg, will be a catalyst for economic growth as it would inject about R7bn into the provincial economy.

Richemont first quarter sales up 13%
Swiss-based luxury goods group Richemont says its sales at actual exchange rates have grown 13% to €1.428 billion for the three months ended June. Sales at constant exchange rates grew 20% in the first quarter.

Canderel launches YouTube channel
With video online advertising experiencing a global growth of over 300%, interactive brand Canderel is exploring the expanding medium of online videos with the launch of its own channel on YouTube earlier this week.


A million iPhone 3Gs sell over opening weekend
[Chris Maxcer] The weekend of 11 July was a good one for Apple: With the worldwide launch of the iPhone 3G on Friday, the company sold a cool one million 3G models around the world and served up 10 million iTunes App Store downloads, according to the company.

New flavour for Niknaks
Snack brand Niknaks is launching a new flavour, Cheese and Sweet Chilli, and to celebrate is hitting the road and travelling around the country to get the nation jiving. The Niknaks Road show kicks off in the Mother City on Saturday, 26 July 2008, with a flavourful burst of fashion, hip-hop and good times.


Orange is back in season! - Cadbury South Africa
The winter season's hottest trend is warm, sophisticated and oh-so-sensuous. Orange, they say, is officially the new black. That's the word from Cadbury South Africa, which is upping the decadence level in the country with the return of the much loved Flake Orange this winter.


Woolies shirks sugar

click to enlarge

Woolworths is taking another step in its Good Food Journey by reducing the amount of sugar in its chilled 100% fruit juices and nectars. Woolworths' Head of Food Technology Cecil Mitchell says they've removed the equivalent of 20 million teaspoons (approximately 79 tons) of sugar from the juices. This includes the naturally occurring fruit sugars in the concentrates from which the chilled juices are made, as well as the sucrose (table sugar) which is added to nectars, and represents the amount that would have been included in these juices in a year based on average weekly sales. This move follows the reduction in sugar across their entire yoghurt range earlier this year and is in line with World Health Organisation directives as well as Woolworths own commitment to offering better food choices.

SA consumers still positive but confidence is waning
Results of the latest MasterCard Worldwide Index of Consumer Confidence for the second half of 2008 show that South African consumers remain stubbornly optimistic, despite a significant decrease over the last six months. The survey shows that Johannesburg consumers are more optimistic than those in Durban and Cape Town.

Coaching the coaches

click to enlarge

Bakers Mini Cricket recently hosted a delegation of coaches and administrators from the 16 provincial affiliates of Cricket South Africa (CSA) at their annual national seminar, held at Hunters Rest near Rustenburg. The conference was held to thank the delegates for their tireless efforts and involvement in the programme and focussed on the challenges and success that have come out of the programme over the past year, including Bakers Mini Cricket's 25 year sponsorship milestone. The delegates were shown how Bakers plans to further market the programme in schools and at upcoming festivals in order to continually grow the Bakers Mini Cricket programme. The initiative is South Africa's longest running developmental sports sponsorship to date and has given rise to some well-known South African cricketers including Makhaya Ntini, JP Duminy and Mark Boucher amongst others. For more information: www.bakersminicricket.co.za
- Activ Retail

SABMiller says InBev's coup provides opportunity in US
SABMiller says it believes that InBev's takeover of rival Anheuser Busch will give it an opportunity to build on its MillerCoors venture in the US.

Putting the deli-cious into biltong - Cape Deli
No foodstuff is more beloved of South Africans, more authentically South African, than biltong. But as a snack category it remains largely haphazard, ephemeral and commoditised. Committed to lifting biltong into the realm of the premium, branded delicacy is Cape Town-based producer, Cape Deli, and innovative packaging is key in realising its ambitions.

SA e-tailer expands product offering
Digital Mall, one of South Africa's longest standing online retailers, is set to launch a host of new stores on its site with the addition of consumer electronics and IT goods to its product offering.

Judge: Knockoff-tracking not eBay's job
[Renay San Miguel] In the case of Tiffany vs. eBay, a US district judge has presented the e-commerce giant with the best gift it could get in this litigious, digital age: a victory in a four-year-old trademark protection lawsuit.

Decorex adds Italian flair to Jo'burg
With a new international pavilion and more than 600 domestic and international exhibitors, over 50,000 people are expected to visit this year's Decorex Joburg 2008.


Good Food & Wine Show 2008 - First time for Durban - Cape Gourmet Wine Show
Following a successful six-year track record in Johannesburg and a successful ten years in Cape Town, the Good Food & Wine Show (GF&WS) comes to Durban for the very first time from 14-17 August 2008. The event is southern Africa's largest, finest food, wine, travel and lifestyle extravaganza, with a multitude of ‘mini-shows' within the main interactive show.

Intl conservation group agrees to once-off sale of ivory
[Michael Appel] The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) standing committee on Wednesday, 16 July 2008, authorised a decision taken last year for a once-off sale of ivory.

SA delegation to attract investment in the US
[Edwin Tshivhidzo] A South African delegation will be embarking on a mission to attract foreign investment in the United States.

COMESA, SADC, EAC to discuss harmonisation of trade
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) will convene a tripartite meeting in October to discuss the harmonisation of trade in the region.

Wits University empowers informal traders
[Makoena Pabale] Over a hundred informal traders recently gathered at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg to get more information about registering their businesses.

FedEx plans to acquire TNT would shake up the industry
FedEx is reported to be interested in acquiring TNT, which seems to suggest that it does not want to rely on organic growth to strengthen its position in the global express market. Although combining two of the world's leading players would put strong pressure on the other two integrators, UPS and DHL, overall, the competitiveness of the industry looks set to remain intact.

New netting becomes compost
US company Conwed Global Netting Solutions has recently launched its new environmentally-friendly Vexar Compostable Netting product - and it is environmentally friendly: it breaks down and becomes compost.

B2B customer service: The competitive edge
[Christine Laycock] Customer service is as important in the B2B space as it is in the consumer sector. It can be a differentiator for debt collection firms, which often are among several firms a customer deals with.

Home sweet call centre
More call centre operators are changing their attitudes on having customer service representatives work from home, swayed by the reduced operating costs and increased productivity associated with a home-based agent design. Plus, technological advances have enabled home-based agents to communicate more effectively with customers.

Why you should include HTML text in your emails
[Aaron Smith] I was under the impression that most email marketers were well aware of the advantages of including HTML text - also known as system text - as opposed to graphical text in their messages. However, I am still frequently surprised to see emails in my inbox from well-established players that rely almost exclusively on images to convey the main point of the message.

Music is money - creating the right customer experience
In the current gloomy economic conditions, businesses have to create the unique in-store experience to attract and retain customers and most importantly - get the biggest share of the customer's shrinking wallet, says Craig Cesman, CEO of audio branding experts DMX Music Africa.

Online bookings now open for RAC Lite
Online bookings for South Africa's first ever Retail Advertising Conference, RAC Lite, to be held at Emperor's Palace Convention Centre on 12 August 2008 and Lord Charles, Somerset West, on 14 August are now open. Dr Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, non-executive chairman of Caxton & CTP Publishers and Printers, will present the opening address at both conferences. For bookings, go to www.raclite.co.za. An early bird special of R3190.86 per delegate is currently on offer, compared to the normal rate of R3598.98 per delegate. A 10% discount is being offered to groups of 10 or more.

Tailor-made in Cape Town
Trendsetter Paul van der Spuy, winner of multiple fashion awards and the creator of the legendary Frank B. Ernest and Wylde Oscar clothing stores, has now launched bluecollarwhitecollar, a bespoke shirt shop in Cape Town.

Hardware chain acquires two new businesses
Hardware Warehouse (HWWH), a retailer of low-cost building materials, has acquired two new stores, bringing the chain's total to 16. The two new stores are in Queenstown and Gonubie.

BannerStore to open in Johannesburg
Chinese billionaire Li Jinyuan will open a BannerStore in Johannesburg on Friday, Thabang Mokopanele reports. The chain, which specialises in health products, combines direct selling and retailing. Kevin Hou, GM of parent company Tiens Southern Africa, said it planned to open two more stores in SA this year. - I-Net Bridge - Business Day

LG sponsors crime line
Consumer goods manufacturer LG Electronics South Africa has partnered with Primedia's Crime Line, an anti-crime campaign endorsed by the South African Police Service, to support the fight against crime in South Africa. The Crime Line road show is aimed at educating high school children that life's good without crime, with Primedia's Talk Radio 702 and 94.7 Highveld Stereo inviting high schools in Gauteng to participate in the road show campaign.

Over 50% of emerging, small businesses targeted by criminals
[Bathandwa Mbola] Over 50% of emerging and small businesses in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban experienced one or more incidents of crime in the past year.

Strengthening links through real-time connections
Business process flexibility versus the cost of technology in the supply chain is an ongoing debate within many companies. Jane Thomson, MD of Softworx, an EOH company and distributor of Infor in Sub-Saharan Africa, says savvy manufacturers have recognised the effectiveness of an integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in enabling effective response to change and, reducing long-term IT costs.

DNA - made in the lab
[Ruchi Mallya] Will artificial DNA be the future of computers and ‘green IT' after a team in Japan creates artificial DNA, furthering hopes in DNA computing?

Software for retail: show the value
The rising interest rates and credit squeeze mean significant things for retailers. With less disposable income to spend, customers are becoming that much more selective. As such, retailers need to start using their IT software that much more effectively.


Please stop talking
[David Koretz] Being "connected" sucks. It is highly overrated and getting old fast.

Smart appliances: too smart for their own good?
Not too long ago, it seemed as if "smart appliances" would be everywhere by now. The technology certainly is there, but the desire - on the part of both manufacturers and customers - simply isn't. Too bad, because the customer relationship is suffering as a result, experts say.

Gamers get a handle on the Wii's future features
Nintendo continues to innovate with its motion-sensing Wii controller, displaying a few new options at E3 this year. With WiiMotion Plus, the controller more accurately reflects the user's movement for functions like swordplay. 'Wii Music' allows gamers to play virtual instruments, though the results can be a little rough on the ears.

Listen to the radio, buy it via mobile
[Tshepiso Seopa] Listeners of 94.7 Highveld Stereo can now purchase the music they hear on the airwaves through a partnership with eXactmobile called 94.7 Music Shop. The partnership is part of Primedia Broadcasting's digital strategy to take advantage of new interactive media platforms.

PlayStation gets its own movie store
[Paul Hartsock] At its E3 press event, Sony Computer Entertainment of America opened up a new platform for its PlayStation Store on the PlayStation Network - a movie and TV show download service.

New tech sharpens video games' wits
[Barbara Ortutay] Cutting down baddies in video games used to be a lot easier - they'd just stand there, or they'd try moves that experienced players had seen time and time again. Now, however, new technology is making video game characters' artificial intelligence a little smarter.