Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. TBWA\Digital Arts Network (DAN) appoints Hilton Veldsman as client service director. NATIVE VML appointed as lead agency for Absolut Vodka SA. Butter Knife PR to manage MoonBean’s communications. International win for SA PR agency. 25AM crowned as Google’s Rock the World Champion.
Who’s moved where
TBWA\Digital Arts Network (DAN) appoints Hilton Veldsman as client service director
Digital Arts Network, TBWA’s comprehensive digital offering, has welcomed Hilton Veldsman as client service director in its Johannesburg office. Veldsman, who holds a Master’s in Public and Development Management from Wits University along with marketing and business management qualifications from leading local and international institutions, has an outstanding track record for his senior and executive roles, where the most recent was client service director at NATIVE VML.
Veldsman will be accountable for managing the DAN client service team as well as providing support on new business development.
“We are constantly seeking the best talent to work with. Hilton brings a level of experience and knowledge that I believe will serve our team and clients well,” says Eunene Levine, managing director of TBWA\Digital Arts Network South Africa.
Veldsman has worked on brands like General Motors, JSE, Nestle, Loreal, kulula Airlines, Momentum, Standard Bank, SA Tourism, Nedbank, Liberty, Glenrand MIB, KCFS, Hollard, Peugeot and EWT to name but a few.
Who’s won what
NATIVE VML appointed as lead agency for Absolut Vodka SA
After three years of working with Absolut Vodka SA, NATIVE VML has expanded its role from a niche digital supplier to the brand’s lead agency.
“From the beginning NATIVE VML has prided itself on being strategically and creatively led. The agency’s new role on Absolut is testament to this positioning,” says Jason Xenopoulos, CEO and chief creative officer of NATIVE VML.
The appointment is on the back of a successful MTV Africa Music Awards campaign that NATIVE VML developed and managed on behalf of Absolut. “Africa is Absolut is an integrated pan-Africa campaign leveraging Absolut’s sponsorship of the MTV Africa Music Awards,” explains Xenopoulos. “As the lead agency, we were tasked with increasing the brand’s relevance in Africa. Africa is undergoing unprecedented transformation so we harnessed the vibrancy and dynamism of contemporary African pop culture and used it as a metaphor to communicate the brand’s core positioning, Transform Today.”
Butter Knife PR to manage MoonBean communications
The MoonBean account has been awarded to the Cape Town based agency, Butter Knife PR. The agency has been appointed to manage the communications for the brand, showcasing the wholesome goodness and nutritional benefits of their products.
Butter Knife PR was formed in March 2013 and has since secured clients such as Glenfiddich, Grant’s, Hendrick’s Gin, James Bensen Eyewear, Cointreau, Piper-Heidsieck and iFix.
Butter Knife PR Director, Marisa Logan, comments, “We are looking forward to working closely together with the MoonBean family and creating publicity for their raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, cane-sugar free, egg free and vegan products”.
MoonBean was founded by partners Dean Blignaut and Antoinette Visser in 2013, thanks to their deep love for not only each other but for healthy food.
Who’s making moves
25AM crowned as Google’s Rock the World Champion
Google Certified Partner, 25AM, has beaten off strong competition from other South African agencies to win the Google Partners competition, Rock the World. 25AM won the competition by achieving the highest amount of non-promotional spending from new client accounts during the challenge period of 2 April to 24 June 2015.
The prize will see 25AM’s Bianca Quinn-Diavastos, head of business solutions and strategy, and Bianca Wessels, search campaign manager, travel to Google HQ in California for a tour of the Googleplex and an opportunity to meet with Silicon Valley thought leaders. With a strong team of Google Certified professionals and its Certified Partner status, 25AM offers its clients strong expertise and industry best practices across Google’s search, advertising and analytics solutions.
Says Andre Steenekamp, CEO at 25AM, “We have invested heavily in building skills to help our clients leverage Google’s offerings to engage more effectively with their customers and get the most from their marketing budgets. As such, we are thrilled to have won this competition and thank our clients for their support.”
International win for SA PR agency
Integrated Communications and PR consultancy marcusbrewster has been named Best PR Agency South Africa at the 2015 Acquisition International Awards in London.
Now in its fourth year, the Acquisition International M&A Awards has followed and documented “some of the industry’s most exciting and significant developments of recent times” according to David Keenan of AI Global Media. “With the global appetite for acquisitions continuing to increase, professionals and individuals from around the world have risen to the occasion to ensure the success of the many landmark and game-changing deals taking place”.
marcusbrewster was one of eight South African professional services firms recognised in the 2015 awards including Nortons (Best Competition Law Firm) and Eversheds (Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year).
“It’s been a sterling year for the agency” comments founder and executive chairman Marcus Brewster highlighting the acclaimed work marking the integration of digital and social communication in both the firm’s corporate and consumer practice areas. Earlier this year, marcusbrewster won a gold PRISM award in the Event Management category for the Robertson’s #SkyDine campaign delivered for client Unilever in collaboration with The Hardy Boys and Liquorice.
Life with KJ launches on Deen TV
Life with KJ, a weekly lifestyle show hosted by radio and TV presenter Kia Johnson, is premiering on Deen TV (Channel 152 on OpenviewHD and Channel 365 on StarSat) on Friday, 14 August 2015 at 20:30 (CAT).
Life with KJ will be showcasing local community heroes that are affecting positive change, focusing on stories in the news and the stories South African’s often don’t hear about. The show hopes to inspire by featuring heroes from all walks of life. Every week the audience will be invited to nominate people that are creating positive change in their community.
“This show is enabling me to combine all the things I love – generating content ideas, producing content, presenting and showcasing showcasing people that are making a difference in my neck of the woods,” says Johnson. She also co-hosts the Morning Breakfast Show ‘Planet Haaibo’ on Radio 2000 and produces and presents her own show called ‘Saturday Night Live on 2000’.
Talk show host and Deen TV CEO, Faizal Sayed says: “We are excited to have Kia Johnson on board and believe her show is a good fit and in line with the lifestyle content required by the channel and network. Kia adds an array of diverse thought and has a very real approach to and interest in her content.”
Deen TV (www.deentv.co.za) air on Channel 152 (OVHD) and Channel 365 (StarSat) and currently has around 1.2 million viewers in South Africa alone.
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