Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. New head of digital for John Brown Media. (MA)SA appoints CEO. Crystal Birch joins fhm as fashion editor. AAA to run account manager course. VWV pulls off mega SAB Miller conference.
Who’s moved where
This week’s BIG move: John Brown appoints new head of digital for SA.
John Brown Media, which publishes custom titles such as Pick n Pay’s Fresh Living, Discovery and the Edgars Club magazine, among others, has appointed a new head of digital in its South African operation. John Gardner has over 15 years experience in digital marketing, in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
- What are the digital challenges at John Brown Media?
Finding quality digital people to add to our super-star teams, so that we can keep exceeding clients’ expectations on the abundance of vital projects that we’re being awarded.
- What, for you, is the next big thing in digital?
Content that’s crafted with real UX (user experience) in mind: understanding when (morning, noon or evening), how (via Facebook, E-newsletter or a website), why (to find information or to transact) and on what device (smartphone or iPad) the audience will access content, while understanding who the targeted user is. The aim, ultimately, is to ensure good engagement and excellent message delivery/retention.
- Is South Africa’s digital landscape on a par with that of the UK?
In some areas we’re behind (e.g. e-commerce) and in other areas we’re trail blazing (e.g. mobi site development). The landscape is continually shifting as 3G and 4G (soon) data rates come down, speeds go up, coverage increases and internet-enabled devices become more available to the market. As such, mobi internet usage in South Africa is growing at a very exciting rate. This, in turn, is encouraging agencies to find new and innovative ways to engage with this multifaceted market. It truly is a great time to be in mobi marketing.
- Why did you choose to no longer run your own digital business, and take on a job with an international company?
Hmm… to sum it up in one word, “boredom”. There’s only so much you can do in one industry. When heading up a digital department you get to move with the ebb and flow of the ever-changing digital landscape, across a variety of industries. Where better to do that than with an award-winning international company that understands the value of digital and how it can meet their clients’ challenges?
- Where do you see yourself in five years time?
In a hammock on a deserted island, cocktail in hand… on a well deserved holiday!
MA(SA) announces the appointment of its new CEO
The Board of the Marketing Association of South Africa MA(SA) has announced that it has appointed Lovemore Mushyanyama as its new CEO. He will take up the position from the middle of July this year
Mushyanyama replaces Sarel du Plessis, who during his tenure, played an integral role in heightening the role which MA(SA) plays in the marketing industry.
“We were very pleased with the quantity and quality of applicants we received for this important position and can state that Lovemore was confidently selected as the ideal candidate for the role of CEO,” says MA(SA) chairperson Brenda Koornneef.
“Lovemore brings with him personal and professional qualities that will stand the marketing organisation in very good stead, and a vision and ambition for MA(SA) that will take the association to new levels of success.”
“It is with sincere regret that we lose Sarel du Plessis, the current MA(SA) CEO, who wishes to pursue personal interests. We thank him for the significant contribution he has made to MA(SA) and the marketing industry during his period in office and we wish him well in the future,” Koornneef concludes.
New staffer at November 1
November 1 has welcomed Ann Brits to its sales team. Brits has come from within the industry and is ready to take on the new challenge.
Industry heavyweight Crystal Birch now fhm fashion editor
Popular men’s magazine FHM announced the appointment of Crystal Birch as fashion editor. A stylist and milliner, Birch has lived and worked in New York, London, Los Angeles, Germany and now back home in South Africa. From being featured in some of the world’s top fashion and design publications to travelling with the circus (creating sequin-covered unitards for Mongolian mouth contortionists), Birch brings with her a wide range of experience.
She’s been profiled in Wallpaper magazine as one of 20 reasons to visit South Africa, has assisted established milliners like Piers Atkinson, learned from Noel Stewart and has been the right hand to editor Jackie Burger as well as Jan Malan, Face of Africa founder.
FHM editor Brendan Cooper says he is delighted to welcome Birch to the team. “With her extensive experience, unparalleled creativity and vision, and the ideal eye on fashion for the FHM man, we’re very excited to see her talent displayed in FHM. She will no doubt be a phenomenal asset to our team.”
Commenting on her vision for FHM, Birch says she’d like to give the FHM man a bit of a style makeover, with a fresh take on loads of accessible brands, both local and international. “I would like the Pretoria jock, the Bloemfontein farmer, the Jeffrey’s Bay dude and the Cape Town hipster to look at beautiful pages and all be able to relate to them. I see a more modern and fashion-conscious FHM man, with a subtle and cool style. I simply want to show readers how to wear new trends and not intimidate them with runway looks,” she says. “Styling men is simple, but it’s the small things that make the big differences. Things can easily look camp, and the FHM guy is a metro man,” she adds.
What’s out there
AAA School of Advertising – 2012 Jo’burg account management course
The AAA School of Advertising has announced the launch of its 2012 part time account management course in Jo’burg. In a bid to offer young talent and enquiring minds in the advertising, media and communications profession an opportunity to be up skilled, the courses take place in the evenings and weekends, making attendance complimentary to those already employed.
The key to success for any agency operating in today’s robust economy is outstanding account management. The general view held by the advertising profession is that there is an increasing shortage of good quality account managers. The AAA School of Advertising has recognised the need to reverse this trend and is offering a training course in the fundamentals of Account Management.
The account management course is designed by the ad industry, for the ad industry and is presented by a team of experts.
The course covers vital topics such as:
· Why account management matters
· What makes a great account management person
· The life of an account management person
Lectures take place on Wednesday evenings and Saturdays mornings at the AAA Randburg Campus, starting on 18 July until 20 October.
The cost of the course is R 9950-00, members of the ACA qualify for a 10% discount. For registration of further details, contact Leigh Nooy – leighn@aaaschooljhb.co.za or (011) 781 2772
Who’s making moves
VWV produces SAB Miller conference
For the fourth consecutive year, South Africa’s award winning brand experience agency, the VWV Group, was appointed to produce the SABMiller Africa MS&D conference. Held in Cape Town, the event hosted 270 sales, marketing and distribution management delegates who flew in from 17 different African countries, many of whom were first time visitors to the Mother City.
With the three previous year’s conferences held in Johannesburg, VWV took the opportunity to showcase the city of Cape Town by staging the conference at multiple venues. These included The Grand Beach, a private beach adjacent the V&A Waterfront, and the iconic 70 000 seater Cape Town soccer stadium.
The session at the stadium in Greenpoint was a hit with the delegates, who relived a piece of the 2010 World Cup. Hosted in a VIP box, the delegates were treated to comedian Ndumiso Lindi who had guests entertained with a lighter side of life. Interviews with brand managers culminated in a video montage of all products in the SABMiller Africa stable projected onto the seats of the stadium, choreographed to a funky piece of music.
Chairman of the VWV Group, Mark Steinhobel explained, “It is always a challenge to incrementally improve on the previous year’s best work, yet every year we manage to take the conference up a notch. Undoubtedly our biggest challenge is trying to ensure that each moment is an experience, and it comes down to defining and pinpointing the x-factor that elevates the event into a different league each year.”
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