MediaHeads 360 offers bursaries to empower next generation media professionals. New leadership will take Vuma Reputation Management to next stage of growth. EurAfrican Forum appoints Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard to its Advisory Board. Good Things Guy Brent Lindeque named fourth most influential South African. DAZN Media becomes new force in sport advertising. GoDaddy expands its presence in South Africa to empower small businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive online. Tribeca PR lights the way for Eaton SA. Lufthansa Group and Amadeus agree to renew their 30-year technology partnership. YouTube Music launches in SA. US-based Rocket Insights becomes part of European digital agency, Dept
This week’s BIG move: MediaHeads 360 offers bursaries to empower next generation media professionals… but deadline is Friday
Newly rebranded, MediaHeads 360 is making five bursaries available to upskill young people in the media industry.
“I see incredible potential in our industry, and I am very passionate about developing this potential. Our aim with these bursaries is to facilitate the empowerment of talented people to enable them to thrive in their careers and grow the industry,” Candy Dempers, MediaHeads 360 Managing Director said.
The MediaHeads 360 bursaries are offered to individuals currently employed in the media industry who are seeking career growth.
The bursaries, valued at R10 000 each, will give successful applicants the opportunity to further their studies in their choice of Brand Management, Digital Marketing or Social Media Marketing through the Digital School of Marketing. “The Digital School of Marketing is accredited through the Media Information and Communication Technology (MICT) Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA). Some of our own young talent have completed courses through the institution and are successfully applying their newly acquired skills in their positions at MediaHeads 360; adding fantastic value to our organisation,” Dempers added.
To apply for the bursary interested parties are encouraged to submit a 100-word motivation to talent@mediaheads360.co.za by Friday morning, 15 March 2019. Bursary recipients will be announced on Monday, 18 March 2019.
People moves
New leadership will take Vuma Reputation Management to next stage of growth
Founder and chief executive officer of Vuma Reputation Management, Janine Hills, will step aside as CEO of the company on 1 June 2019, in a move that highlights the success of the company’s transformation drive.
Palesa Madumo, executive director of strategy, and Tshepo Sefotlhelo, executive director of operations, will succeed Hills as joint CEOs, and the new company structure will be ratified by the board at the end of a three-month transition period. In the meantime, Hills will work closely with the Directors to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
In 2017, a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) transaction was concluded with the company’s executive team, and the latest move is the next step in leadership development and empowerment at Vuma Reputation Management.
Hills will remain on the Vuma Reputation Management board and will continue to have an active role in the organisation, with a focus on crisis management, reputation management, business development and finance. The deal, which sees Hills stay on as a shareholder, means that the company will be majority black- and women-owned.
Publicis Machine strengthens creatively-led positioning with new MD appointment
Publicis Machine has appointed Gareth McPherson as managing director, a dual role he takes on in addition to being appointed chief creative officer.
“Gareth’s creative expertise and insight has been instrumental in positioning Publicis Machine as one of the country’s leading integrated communications agencies, making this an easy decision. I am confident that he is the right man, at the right time, to take this agency to the next level,” said CEO of Publicis Groupe Africa, John Dixon.
McPherson has been an integral part of the Publicis Machine creative team since the agency formed as Machine in 2012. He has effectively led the agency creatively since its inception, guiding it through the ranks, from initial recognition as AdReview’s Breakthrough Agency of the Year 2013, to currently ranking in the Top 10 Creative agencies in South Africa, and recently being placed in the top EMA agencies at Cannes. Over this time, the agency has delivered some of the industry’s best work.
Good Things Guy Brent Lindeque named fourth most influential South African
Hot on the heels of winning Best South African Blog of the Year, founder of South Africa’s Good Things Guy has been named the category winner of ‘Social Enterprise and Philanthropy’ and the fourth most influential South African in the ‘100 Most Influential Young South Africans’ poll.
The survey, conducted by leading international PR and ratings agency Avance Media, recognises remarkable contributions made by individuals towards their respective fields which have impacted other young South Africans and beyond.
“It’s moments like these that remind me that I am on the right path,” said Lindeque. “Good Things Guy feels like a gift that was given to me to help South Africans see our beautiful country with new eyes and I am thankful for each and every one of our readers!”
EurAfrican Forum appoints Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard to its Advisory Board
EurAfrican Forum, an action-oriented platform that aims to foster stronger collaboration between Europe and Africa, has announced the appointment of Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard to its Advisory Board.
Pompigne-Mognard is the founder and chairman of APO Group the media relations consultancy and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East. He will use his expertise in business and media relations to support the forum in its initiatives to uncover new commercial and social impact investment opportunities.
A former journalist for online Gabonese media Gabonews, Pompigne-Mognard created APO Group from nothing in 2007, using his own savings. The company now works with more than 300 prestigious clients, including 57 of the biggest Public Relations agencies operating in Africa.
The move has allowed Pompigne-Mognard to focus on the development of an investment fund dedicated to Africa.
Business moves
DAZN Media becomes new force in sport advertising
DAZN Group, which has rebranded from Perform Group, has announced that DAZN Media is to be the new entity responsible for global media partnerships, as the new name for Perform Media.
As part of the initiative, DAZN Media has launched an innovative off-platform network called DAZN+, aggregating the reach from owned media platforms including Goal, weekly football show Yalla Goal, and DAZN Player (formerly ePlayer), social channels, influencers, talent, rights and in-stadia to offer brands a truly unique data-driven platform to engage fans.
Stefano D’Anna, EVP Media at DAZN Media said: “DAZN has set out to change the way the world sees sport and we now feel that we are in a position to change the way brands engage with sports fans. With the introduction of media placements on DAZN’s OTT platform, we are providing brands with the impact of TV, complemented by the targeting and insights of digital. Add in DAZN+ and we can reach fans across any platform with personalised communications that are relevant and engaging.”
GoDaddy expands its presence in South Africa to empower small businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive online
GoDaddy has announced it is expanding its presence in South Africa. By formally entering the market, GoDaddy will engage more closely with small business owners and entrepreneurs in South Africa, and offer more tools and support to help them build a powerful online presence and grow their business.
“As small businesses fuel the South African economy, our official launch here signals our commitment to supporting this vibrant entrepreneurial landscape, which plays a critical role in helping to drive prosperity and creating jobs,” said Stefano Maruzzi, GoDaddy VP for EMEA Region. “South Africa is an important market for GoDaddy with our customer base in the region growing 25% year-on-year in 2018. Our integrated suite of online tools makes it easier for small business owners and entrepreneurs to leverage the power of the internet to help their business become more visible,” added Maruzzi.
GoDaddy’s South African website offers products and services targeted for South African customers in local ZAR currency, and includes 24/7 customer care with local telephone numbers and online chat options available.
Tribeca PR lights the way for Eaton SA
Eaton Electric South Africa (Eaton SA) has renewed its contract with Tribeca Public Relations to support the multinational power management company in achieving its business objectives on the African continent.
Reporting into Eaton’s EMEA agency in Dubai, the Tribeca team works closely with executives at the company’s Wadeville facility in Johannesburg to maximise opportunities for market commentary and insight, profiling its executive leadership, and sharing news about product launches and case studies.
“Tribeca’s consistent approach to telling the Eaton story to the people important to our business yielded great results during our initial six-month contract in 2018. We see value in extending our contract for a further 12 months as we grow our business into African markets,” says Unity Kgongoana, digital marketing and communications specialist for Africa Region at Eaton Electric SA.
YouTube Music launches in SA
Broadening the scope of its offerings, video-sharing website YouTube has introduced a new music streaming service to the South African market.YouTube Music offers music videos, official albums, singles, remixes, live performances, covers and hard-to-find music that can only be found on YouTube.An ad-supported version of YouTube Music is free for users, but there is also a paid-for option, YouTube Music Premium. This service provides an ad-free experience along with the ability to download music, for R59.99 a month.
Read the full story on The Media Online here.
Lufthansa Group and Amadeus agree to renew their 30-year technology partnership
The Lufthansa Group and Amadeus have announced an agreement to renew their longstanding technology partnership.
Through the deal, Amadeus’ Altéa Passenger Service System (PSS) will continue to provide Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines with their IT systems for reservation, inventory and departure control. In addition, the Lufthansa Group and Amadeus are also expanding their partnership to add further areas of collaboration. Areas in which Amadeus technology is supporting the Lufthansa Group range from operations and merchandising and shopping to disruptions management.
“Amadeus and the Lufthansa Group are two companies, founded in Europe, driving growth and digitalization across the world,” said Dr. Roland Schütz, executive VP information management and Lufthansa Group CIO.
US-based Rocket Insights becomes part of European digital agency, Dept
Dept, the leading digital agency in Europe has acquired Rocket Insights, the fastest growing product agency in the United States. Rocket has an extensive track record of delivering innovative products and services to clients like Foundation Medicine and Fox and was responsible for the award-winning Virgin Pulse Apple Watch app.
Founded in 2015, Rocket Insights was built to bring a fresh approach to product design and development, specialising in the entire design and development lifecycle. Having spent years at product companies, the Rocket team started the type of agency they always wanted to hire: one that fully aligns with clients and accelerates their business.
“We were determined to keep Rocket independent. That is until we met Dept,” said Jesse Streb, partner at Rocket Insights. “Dept has had rapid growth across Europe, an incredible depth of data, creativity and technology services and a ‘cool’ factor that we admire. Adding our product expertise to Dept’s one-stop shop strategy is a real opportunity to create a new kind of agency for our clients.”
Making moves
Ads24’s Kuier community: Friends, who read together, stay together
The literal translation of the word kuier is “to visit”, but the actual meaning carries far more weight and is a versatile Afrikaans word, meaning getting together for meaningful conversations over coffee, a meal, a braai or perhaps a few drinks. It’s a word that carries the notion of warmth, family and friendship that endures over the years.
For brands, Kuier’s strong sense of community provides an opportunity for close engagement with its readers across its print, social and TV platforms. Interestingly, when it comes to Kuier, print is an incredibly strong platform for longer term engagement.
“This market wants something tangible to call their own and they also believe in collectables (which is hard to do with digital) so they can show everybody how many issues they have,” said Karriem.
This tactile approach worked well for Robertson’s Spices recent drive to reach the Western Cape market. Kuier came up with a multi-platform campaign that included an advertorial series about the product to educate readers about the origin and quality of the spices.
This was followed up by a collectable recipe card series as well as a number of cooking demonstrations.
“The key differentiator was that we were able to find the perfect personality to headline the campaign – Cass Abrahams,” said Karriem. “This is a proven example of how we were able to use our in-depth knowledge of the market and influence to put together a winning campaign. As a result, Robertson sales in the Western Cape increased significantly.”