Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. Havas demonstrates commitment to Africa with new start-up. Rangaka steps up at O&M Cape Town as Gotz heads for US. Primedia Unlimited’s Mall Division appoints MD for integrated role. New COO for Eduloan. Mortimer Harvey wins digital account in Egypt for the Sofitel Winter Palace and the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract. Switch awarded Botswana Life advertising business. Cell C partners with Facebook to launch two innovative services.
This week’s BIG move: Havas demonstrates commitment to Africa with new start-up
Havas Southern Africa has announced it has joined forces with long-term communications industry icon, Ivan Moroke, in a new business venture to be named Co-Currency.
“Co-Currency is a brand strategy consulting firm with a significant difference,” says Moroke. “We intend to go past communication into all the consumer touchpoints, focusing on how the customer views the business from the outside in, rather than how the business views the customer from the inside out.”
While the business is part owned by Havas, it will be run independently of the Havas Group in Southern Africa. “The advice that Co-Currency will give to its clients, will be media and channel agnostic and totally neutral,” says Lynn Madeley, Group CEO of Havas Southern Africa. “The only way to ensure this outcome is for the firm to have its independence.”
In his role as CEO at Co-Currency, Moroke will be responsible for building the business in South Africa and across the Continent and part of his mission will be to ensure skills transfer to the clients his team works for.
“I’ve always enjoyed a collaborative approach to work and this is will be at the cornerstone of Co-Currency’s approach,” continues Moroke. “This is an exciting time for us and we are ready, eager and hungry for what the future brings.”
Who’s moved where
Rangaka steps up at O&M Cape Town as Gotz heads for US
Tseliso Rangaka will become executive creative director of Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town when Chris Gotz takes up a senior position with O&M North America in September. Pete Case, who is currently co-chief creative officer at O&M South Africa with Gotz, will assume sole responsibility for the output of creative work across the national agency group.
Gotz departs after 16 years with O&M and with a string of awards to his name.
“We are delighted Chris is staying in the Ogilvy family and wish him well in his new role,” said Abey Mokgwatsane, CEO of O&M South Africa. “His contribution to the company and the SA industry has been incalculable because he is one of the true legends of the business who had an undeniable vision and determination to ensure that work for clients was both creative and effective.”
O&M Cape Town MD Luca Gallarelli said, “Chris was responsible for an astonishing creative era for us but his departure presents a great opportunity for Tseliso, who encompasses an exceptional blend of talent, sheer determination and leadership skills. I am excited by the prospect of partnering with him in taking the agency to fresh new heights”.
Rangaka first worked for O&M in Johannesburg for five years before moving to Cape Town eighteen months ago. He has had responsibility for Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Metropolitan and several major SAB accounts among others.
Primedia Unlimited’s Mall Division appoints MD for integrated role
Molefi Moloantoa, CEO of Primedia Unlimited’s Mall Division has confirmed the promotion of Doug Mayne to managing director: marketing, rights and non GLA revenue for the Mall Division, with immediate effect.
“As an entrepreneurial organisation, we identified that there was a need to align our offering to provide an integrated retail solution for our clients. This will further drive excellence and elevate our offering to mall owners and mall management,” says Molefi. “Doug is the natural choice to lead and drive this initiative due to his enormous understanding of the mall environment both locally and internationally.”
As previous group MD of the Primedia Lifestyle Group, Mayne is no stranger to the retail industry. “He has established relationships with both mall owners and managers at all levels. I believe his pioneering and benchmarking spirit will translate in creating a new integrated solutions based platform for our business and the industry at large,” says Molefi.
Mayne will continue to over-see and manage the Primedia Lifestyle Group and its subsidiaries. His additional responsibilities will include managing the rights, maintenance and acquisitions for Primall Media and Mallworx and to grow all non-GLA revenue streams within the Mall Division.
The Mall Division is also in the process of procuring a general manager for The Primedia Lifestyle Group.
Eduloan Appoints new COO
Eduloan, the leading education finance specialist in Southern Africa, has named Amasi Mwela as its new chief operating officer. Mwela is an MBA graduate from Milpark Business School and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Bond University. He has more than 12 years’ experience in the banking, travel services and insurance sectors.
Most recently, Amasi was Operations Manager as well as Acting Head of Operations at Old Mutual iWYZE and played an integral role in building the operational capability of the organisation.
Prior to this position Amasi was Divisional Client General Manager at American Express Travel Services where he oversaw the organisation’s strategic customer and other stakeholder relationships.
In the earlier stages of his career, Amasi occupied Financial Manager roles at First National Bank and Standard Bank respectively.
Amasi Mwela is passionate about leadership development and education and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Eduloan’s fold.
Who’s won what
Mortimer Harvey wins digital account in Egypt for the Sofitel Winter Palace and the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract
Mortimer Harvey Africa Middle East has been appointed as digital agency in Egypt for the Sofitel Winter Palace in Luxor and the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract in Aswan.
Thibaud Weick, CEO of Mortimer Harvey Africa Middle East, says he and his team in Cairo are delighted to have two of the most iconic luxury hotels in the world on board as a client. “It is an exciting challenge for us to further enhance these global brands and to build a strong and lasting relationship with our new client. We will also be promoting the Nile Valley as a unique destination offered by Sofitel. This will contribute positively to the re-launch of international tourism in Upper Egypt and support the Egyptian government’s efforts in revitalizing this part of the country.”
Andrew Fradd, Group Managing Director of Mortimer Harvey, says winning the digital account for the two Sofitel hotels is a special honour and a significant milestone for Mortimer Harvey as a Group. “The win also demonstrates the level of expertise and competence of our digital team in Africa and the Middle East.”
Switch awarded Botswana Life advertising business
Switch has been awarded the opportunity to create a new above the line advertising campaign for Botswana Life, a life insurance provider and the fourth largest listed company on the Botswana Stock Exchange.
Rainer Pabst, general manager at Switch, says, “Botswana Insurance Holdings has been a branding and design client of ours for the past four years, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them on their new advertising campaign for Botswana Life.”
For their part, Botswana Life is delighted to be expanding their relationship with Switch. “Over the years, they have offered us strategic partnership from a design and branding perspective, and we are delighted that this insight will now be supporting our advertising campaigns as well,” says Kelly Loeto Marketing and Communications Manager from Botswana Life Insurance Limited.
Who’s making moves
Mediamark scoops four international awards for digital creativity and efficiency
Mediamark, the media sales house jointly owned by Kagiso Media and French media group Lagardère, has won four awards in Microsoft’s EMy Creativity Awards, a competition that celebrates creativity and efficiency in sales, product and marketing programs within emerging and growth markets.
The company is the media sales house representing Microsoft digital media properties such as Skype, MSN, and Outlook.com in South Africa.
Mediamark competed against Microsoft partners across 47 countries in Central Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa. The awards recognise Mediamark’s excellence in creating consumer-focused, multiscreen campaigns that deliver superior results to clients and other stakeholders. Mediamark won:
- Silver award for More Moments, More Mindsets: This category celebrates cross-platform campaigns that use more than one of the Microsoft online products, including MSN, Outlook.com, Windows Phone, and Skype.
- Platinum award for Show Me, Tell Me, Impress Me: This recognises achievement in trade marketing activity among Microsoft’s partners.
- Gold award for Making it Human: An award given for excellence in providing audience-based solutions to clients. In this case, Mediamark helped Nedbank to segment its online audience in a sophisticated manner
- Platinum award for Pinpoint Accuracy: An award that Mediamark won for driving a high level of accountability and excellence in pipeline management, forecast accuracy and reporting rigour in its relationship with Microsoft.
Says Ian Drummond, Mediamark’s digital sales manager, “We are pleased to have earned this recognition from Microsoft, since it highlights our success as one of the country’s most innovative converged media sales houses. It also highlights how we are able to help our clients use multiple channels to efficiently market their brands and get a good ROI from converged campaigns.”
Cell C partners with Facebook to launch two innovative services
Cell C has announced the launch of a partnership with social media giant, Facebook, bringing zero-rated access to the service for all Cell C customers and access to Facebook’s initiative, Internet.org free basic services.
“Facebook is one of the most popular services used by our customers to stay in touch with friends and family globally where Facebook is available and this offering will make it more affordable for them to connect with those closest to them,” says Cell C CEO, Jose Dos Santos.
From 1 July, Facebook usage will be free to all existing and new postpaid, top up and prepaid customers and will continue until 31 August 2015.
All postpaid and top up customers will automatically get free access to Facebook and Internet.org free basic services while prepaid customers need to ensure they recharge once every 30 days to show they are active on the network.
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