Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. JWT makes impressive moves. New DRAFTFCB team in Durban. Talk2Us appoints Heather Robinson. NXT\Digital Innovation takes on two more. Carat SA wins prized Woolworths account. Owlhurst scores Emerald Resort and Casino. Watts gets two more tech accounts. Mondia Media expands. triVector partners with OpenText South Africa. All the moves in media.
Who’s moved where
This week’s BIG move: JWT: Jim Faulds promoted to COO and Ashley Bacon appointed ECD
Modise Makhene, CEO for JWT South Africa, has announced the appointment of Jim Faulds as chief operating officer, JWT South Africa and Ashley Bacon as executive creative director of JWT South Africa.
JWT South Africa has been moving away from an office-centric operating model, working more and more in virtual teams that cut across geographies and disciplines. Faulds’s and Bacon’s new positions will help leverage existing capabilities across offices for JWT South Africa’s clients and assist Makhene in driving the group’s aggressive growth agenda for South Africa.
“Jim has been with the group for more than 10 years now. He successfully built the JWT Cape Town Office, tripled it in size, and launched celebrated through-the-line campaigns for brands like Smirnoff, Shell and many more,” says Makhene.
The appointment of South Africa’s first ever Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner, Ashley Bacon, to ECD for JWT South Africa, complements the group’s focus on being industry leaders. “Globally, JWT is solidifying its position as the only agency that can deliver creative excellence with digital significance, generating cultural relevance and momentum throughout the work.” added Makhene.
New DRAFTFCB team in Durban
Durban ad agencies might be small, compared to those in Johannesburg and Cape Town, but that doesn’t mean they’re not competitive. Clive McMurray, chairman of DraftFCB in Durban, says the agency found itself in the position of having to rediscover its entrepreneurial skills after a major restructure transformed it from a large national player to a smaller company operating under licence to its multi-national parent.
Faced with the choice of opening his own agency or continuing with the DRAFTFCB name under an affiliation agreement, McMurray opted for the latter, both because the company/brand was well known and because he had an opportunity to handpick an experienced creative team to continue. “I chose staff with three ‘c’s’ in mind– character, competence and the chemistry to work as a family. We are a close-knit team. The whole staff sits in on weekly status meetings so everyone can give their input.”
DRAFTFCB Durban is on track if recent recognition from the Creative Circle – the only recognised body that ranks creative agencies in South Africa – is anything to go by. Having been ranked as joint fourth in the small agency category nationally, DRAFTFCB Durban is currently the number one creative agency in KZN.
Talk2Us appoints Heather Robinson
Talk2Us has announced the appointment of Heather Robinson to the role of communications development specialist. Her core function will be working with clients on various projects that deliver the Talk2Us consulting services, as well as helping to develop the company’s product offering.
Robinson has spent more than 18 years working in multiple sectors that rely heavily on sound communication and strategic engagement. Highlights of her career include working as corporate affairs manager of Nestle South Africa, followed by general manager of Reputation Institute in South Africa, and more recently in the conservation sector as head of business development for WWF South Africa.
In brief
NXT\Digital Innovation takes on two more
Digital marketing guru, Louis van Wyngaard, joins the NXT\ Digital Innovation client service team as the newly appointed Account Director. Wyngaard will oversee the integration of digital marketing strategies for client portfolios, including interactive social media campaigns and digital applications.
Anthony Bila has been appointed as its new digital copywriter.
Who’s won what
Carat SA wins prized Woolworths account
Continuing its streak of luring SA’s top blue chip companies to its client base, media agency Carat SA has announced its latest win – the coveted Woolworths account. In charge of Woolworths buying for the past three years, Carat has now been entrusted with the full Woolworths media strategy.
“Woolworths represents the pinnacle of SA retail, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to take this exciting brand to the next level. We are honoured that they chose us as their full-spectrum media partner, and look forward to showcasing our award-winning abilities to create exciting new campaigns for the client,” says Carat MD Quinton Jones.
He says the account win is “a fantastic opportunity to make a difference for a brand for which we have huge respect. The client has incredibly high standards, and we are proud of the trust shown in Carat and its track record by being chosen as the Woollies partner of choice”.
Watt Communications welcomes technology firms to the fold
Integrated marketing and communications agency, Watt Communications, closed off April with two big wins: global application delivery networking leader F5 and South Africa’s first provider of vendor neutral data centres, Teraco Data Environments. Samantha Watt, owner and managing director of Watt Communications says that both accounts have kicked off with great momentum, and she looks forward to working closely with both teams.
“The addition of such well-known and prestigious technology brands to our portfolio is a credit to our senior consultants offering deep expertise and knowledge to our clients. As the founder of the business some nine years ago, it’s a labour of love for me, and it’s so exciting to see how far we have come,” she says.
Owlhurst wins Emerald Resort & Casino
Owlhurst Communications has been confirmed as the communications partner for Emerald Resort & Casino. Owlhurst will handle all public and media relations activities as well as social media and online reputation management for the company.
Who’s making moves
triVector partners with OpenText South Africa
triVector has announced its partnership with OpenText South Africa. This partnership combines the expertise and skills of two leading brands in the business process management space, providing customers with the most comprehensive view of organisation available to date. From strategy to day-to-day systems, processes and people to detailed content, organisations are now able to make best and effective business decisions.
“Our partnership with triVector is a step towards improved customer services for both organisations,” says Dawn Wood, regional director Africa and Middle East, OpenText. “The combination of our best of breed tools and triVector’s specialist skills is powerful. This allows us to offer complete solutions to customers – from architecting the enterprise, process analysis and design, to the definition of functional specifications for process automation, improving visibility and transparency of processes which enables better decision-making.”
Mondi Media expands global footprint
Hamburg/Madrid: The digital entertainment provider Mondia Media continues on its global expansion course with another strategic partnership in Europe: the company has teamed up with the Spanish PS Móviles to deliver ad-financed services for mobile content distributors. In the just-announced pilot project with PS Móviles, a server automatically integrates third-party ad banners via Mondia Media’s content management system. Professional affiliate models handle the revenue sharing.
Mondia Media COO Volker Glaeser is very happy with the successful collaboration: “By entering into this strategic cooperation with PS Móviles, we are further enlarging our extensive portfolio by amending ad-funded services that provide additional value to our customers.” Borja Calvet, CEO of PS Móviles, adds: “We’re very excited to have Mondia Media at our side as a strong partner whose premium inventory is perfectly suited for our demanding advertisement customers.”
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