Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. Mediamark kicks off West African expansion strategy with office in Ghana. EXSA inducts Conrad Kullmann into Hall of Fame. Top DJ and producer Euphonik signs with CSA. SPARK Media adds Instagram to its arsenal of social media solutions. SA first: Catch. Click. Convert extending ad-reach through USSD. Gumtree focuses on delivering advertiser value by teaming up with Acceleration. CANAL+ GROUP and iROKO launch the first SVOD mobile Android App made for French Speaking Africa viewers. Going mobile and global – KRS partners with award-winning enterprise mobility company, Winjit Technologies.
This week’s BIG move: Mediamark kicks off West African expansion strategy with office in Ghana
Mediamark has taken an important step forward in its strategy to become the media partner of choice in Africa by opening a sales office in Ghana. The move gives brands in Ghana access to multichannel media and marketing solutions that will empower them to reach consumers with powerful, integrated campaigns.
In Ghana, Mediamark will be the sales representative for a range of major radio, television, digital and eventing media channels. These include e.tv Ghana, a free-to-air terrestrial television network; YFM, a youth-based radio brand with separate broadcasts in Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi; and Happy FM, a popular, sports-focused talk radio station.
“We’re excited to enter Ghana as our first step towards becoming a major player in the media sales environment across sub Saharan Africa. We’ll offer brands in Ghana the same efficiencies, personal service, and quality as we offer our clients in South Africa,” said Talib Sadik, managing director at Mediamark.
“With a global buying platform spanning all the media brands we represent, we can today offer brands efficient media buys in Ghana and South Africa. In future, we’ll offer a reach into other parts of the continent too, enabling new levels of convenience, reach, and flexibility for marketers across Africa.”
Who’s moved where
EXSA inducts Conrad Kullmann into Hall of Fame
3D Group sales and marketing director, Conrad Kullmann, has been inducted into the Exhibition & Event Association of Southern Africa’s Hall of Fame, in recognition of his long and positive association with the industry, including several years on EXSA’s committee.
Kullmann and his brother, John, have since 1995 built 3D from a stand design and construction business into a group of strategic business units specialising in the supply of a comprehensive range of products and services for exhibitors and exhibition and event organisers alike.
With a staff compliment exceeding 275 and an office in Cape Town, the group has the capacity to execute up to 400 events, exhibitions or exhibits a year addressing all aspects from design and project management to electrics, Octanorm/modular stand design and construction, custom stand design and construction, shop fitting, furniture hire, large format digital printing and shell scheme design and construction, and eventing.
Also inducted into the EXSA Hall of Fame on the same evening was Dawn Olivier of Dzines.
Who’s won what
Phoenix Distribution wins Kaspersky East-Africa distribution rights
Phoenix Distribution, Africa’s broad based distributor of software, has won the distribution rights to security giant Kaspersky Lab’s full range of security solutions in the East Africa region.
Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix Distribution says the partnership will expand Kaspersky Lab’s reach across the continent. “Phoenix has branches in several regions in Africa and is ideally placed to grow the Kaspersky brand. We are delighted to expand our relations with Kaspersky beyond South Africa, and are sure we will have a similar success in East Africa that we have enjoyed in South Africa,” he says.
He adds that the partnership with Kaspersky Lab will help African organisations address the complex security challenges faced by these businesses, by offering them a comprehensive and best-in-class portfolio of security solutions. “A top priority will be extending our channel reach, and sharing knowledge about Kaspersky’s solutions to our partners in the region.”
Top DJ and producer Euphonik signs with CSA
As part of the expansion of its talent management division, communications, events and talent agency Celebrity Services Africa (CSA) has announced their partnership with DJ, music producer and radio presenter Euphonik.
“At CSA we have a passion for working with and promoting African talent across the continent and around the world. Welcoming Euphonik to the family is another step in our mission to create wide-reaching impact in the realms of entertainment and celebrity endorsement,” said Davin Phillips, executive director of CSA.
The partnership will see CSA working closely with Euphonik to increase his presence across the African continent as well as extending his global network.
“Working with CSA was the next natural step in my career as they offer me a personal service, while keeping a greater vision in mind,” said Euphonik.
SPARK Media adds Instagram to its arsenal of social media solutions
Caxton’s newest sales power house SPARK Media grants advertisers access to global social media giant, Instagram
“SPARK Media is one of the first advertising solutions partners to offer bespoke opportunities for Instagram; and we’re excited to share our learnings on the platform,” says SPARK Media’s commercial director, Marius Greeff. “Visual platforms like Instagram are the fastest growing social media outlets in South Africa, and businesses are realising their value.
“With 2.1 million monthly active Instagram accounts in South Africa (Facebook Internal Data, September 2015), and a 65% increase in users this year alone, it’s clear that this platform is crucial for brands to build authentic consumer relationships, especially considering that it has a three times higher engagement than the industry standard,” said Greeff.
Instagram advertising offers a brand, photo link and video ads with several call to actions available, including: book now, download now, shop now, install app, learn more etc. “Our expert campaign managers are intimately familiar with the platform and are ready to optimise brand campaigns,” says Greeff.
Who’s making moves
SA first: Catch. Click. Convert – extending ad-reach through USSD
Dialling into the power of the majority, local mobile marketing agency, MobiMedia (a division of the Ole! Media Group), has created a South African first, with the launch of ‘three-C’, its new USSD ad serving platform.
By first catching mobile phone users’ attention, then encouraging them to click through to the next menu and ultimately converting the user to the brand’s desired objective/outcome, brands can now access users who don’t have smartphones or online ability, but who are nevertheless, on mobile every day, and who deserve to be served.
“Considering that the vast majority of South Africans are still feature phone based and reliant on USSD to keep them informed (news and market offerings), we believe that ‘three-c’ (catch. click. convert.) is an all round winning solution for each party in the chain – brands, publishers and consumers,” commented Tim Legg, Director of MobiMedia and CEO of the Ole! Media Group.
In creating this, MobiMedia has opened up the market to brands looking to engage with literally millions of ‘connected’ people who are not necessarily smartphone users, as USSD is a device agnostic technology that is very popular with consumers across Africa.
Gumtree focuses on delivering advertiser value by teaming up with Acceleration
Gumtree has grown advertising revenues and enhanced the value it is able to offer its advertisers by drawing on marketing technology consulting and outsourcing services from Acceleration.
Gumtree is now better able to help its advertisers target its growing user base with contextually relevant advertising based on rich behavioural data. It has also increased monthly revenues across direct and programmatic advertising by 200% since it engaged Acceleration in April 2015.
With more than five million unique site visits a month, 20 ads posted every minute, and over 700 000 classified listings on its site, Gumtree is one of South Africa’s busiest online classifieds platforms. It identified an opportunity to offer an even more compelling value proposition to its advertisers and asked Acceleration to help leverage and streamline its advertising operations.
Acceleration began its engagement by auditing Gumtree’s ad-server implementation, analysing its yield across platforms and partners, and providing consulting around improving yield management. Acceleration recommended a quick-win action plan as well as broader strategic initiatives.
Acceleration worked with Gumtree to optimise its Google Ad Exchange account and re-implemented DFP tags to improve targeting capabilities. This helped spur increases of between 25% and 70% increase in Ad Exchange revenue across six regions. In addition, Gumtree outsourced ad operations services to gain access to top-tier DFP skills while allowing its internal teams to focus on sales and the user experiences.
CANAL+ GROUP and iROKO launch the first SVOD mobile Android App made for French Speaking Africa viewers
Announced today as part of a multi-million Euro deal, this mobile-first Android app with download functionality is set to launch in the coming months. Designed to optimise data consumption, the service will be aimed at building a new mobile-only subscriber base across Francophone Africa.
Canal + Group now owns and broadcasts the largest catalogue of African content, including Nollywood films and TV series, African homemade series and shows and South-American TV Novelas, for French-speaking Africa.
CANAL+ GROUP and iROKO have previously worked together through content distribution deals for linear TV channels such as Nollywood TV, and are now consolidating their partnership to launch this standalone Android app.
With over 250 million French-speakers across 23 countries in Africa, and as mobile Internet penetration continues to spread across the continent, the iROKO Android app will cater for a significant growth market, with 165 million smartphones estimated to be in circulation before 2020. Understanding the need for localisation, as language is the first step in bringing content closer to viewers, the app will be translated fully into French and all content will be in French.
Going mobile and global – KRS partners with award-winning enterprise mobility company, Winjit Technologies
Cape Town-based South African software development firm, Khanyisa Real Systems (KRS), has announced a partnership with enterprise mobility leaders, Winjit Technologies out of India.
Through this new partnership, KRS immediately increases its mobile solution capabilities and capacity. Winjit have delivered more than 4000 innovative and customisable apps to organisations worldwide, so they bring extensive experience to the South African market. The partnership agreement offers local and international expertise, operability and designer creativity, all at affordable rates.
Of the agreement, Lorraine Steyn, Simplifier-in-Chief of KRS said, “We are delighted to partner with Ashwin and his team at Winjit. After a long search to locate an organisation that can offer leading design and technology coupled with fast turnarounds and personalised and responsive relationships, we believe we have found the right partner that can amply satisfy the flourishing African digital ecosystem.”
