Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. BBDO announces dynamic new leadership team, a new net#work group CEO and MD. Taryn Copeman joins the Mark1 Media team as director of strategy. Amanda Louw joins AdJoin as head of publisher relations. Ireland/Davenport’s MD set to return ‘to her roots’. Fossil Group appoints marcusbrewster for Skagen. Planit Media awarded RE/MAX of Southern Africa business. Media Monitoring: Much more than hashtags, words and clips. Red Carpet Concepts wins Iris Warriors account. Mark1 launches design division: Mark1 Labs. Mortimer Harvey gravitates towards content-creation. Mortimer Harvey gravitates towards content-creation. Mobile Mike dreams up Imaginatrix. From Russia, to Zimbabwe, with love.
Who’s moved where
BBDO announces dynamic new leadership team, a new net#work group CEO and MD
BBDO SA has announced the promotion of Net#work BBDO’s managing director, Boniswa Pezisa, to group CEO. Stepping into her sizable shoes is current deputy managing director, Gau Narayanan, who will assume the role of MD of Net#work BBDO as of this month.
BBDO SA executive chairman, Keith Shipley, says Pezisa has been with the agency for just short of 21 years. “Mike Schalit and I have worked alongside Boniswa since the beginning and it’s been under her leadership that Net#work has enjoyed its recent surge of success. Her unrelenting approach to a challenge, incredible skill with people and general joie de vivre are all elements that helped build the foundation of the agency,” says Shipley.
Pezisa is an active and well-respected icon of the industry, says Shipley. In addition to the BBDO responsibilities she is the deputy chairperson of the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA), sits on the Advertising Standards Consumer Complaints Committee of the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa [ASASA] and is the past chairperson of the Loeries Awards Company.
The promotion of Narayanan to managing director heralds a new era for the agency. “We’re incredibly fortunate to have someone of Gau’s calibre leading our team in Johannesburg. Not only does he boast a wealth of experience internationally, but he’s known for his ability to shake up creative and strategic thinking – a skill that’s delivered time and again over his tenure in South Africa to date.”
Taryn Copeman joins the Mark1 Media team as director of strategy
Digital media specialists, Mark1, have welcomed Taryn Copeman to their team. As director of strategy she will be heavily involved in growing the Mark1 brand by evaluating industry trends, competitive threats and possible business opportunities.
With over 12 years’ experience in media and advertising, Copeman is excited for the challenge that Mark1 presents. “Strategy is my absolute passion, I would say my excitement levels are through the roof! There is nothing better than a challenge and our industry definitely provides plenty of those. I look forward to working with the team at Mark1 and taking the business to new heights!”
Established in 2012, Mark1 has grown exponentially and continues to expand. Mark1 is known for their cutting edge digital media solutions, offering clients everything from data management and programmatic buying to user-centric, technology driven design. With a renewed drive towards strategy, Mark1 is on track to become one of the big players in the industry.
Amanda Louw joins AdJoin as head of publisher relations
Amanda Louw is a thought leader for digital advertising and publisher monetisation in Africa with a keen focus on mobile. She has spent several years in the digital marketing industry, most recently Ad Click Africa where she worked with leading brands alongside agencies, publishers, ad networks and ad-serving technologies.
Louw focuses her skill-set on a strategic solutions approach, a passion for client service and a keen interest in the ever-growing dynamic industry of digital media. Occasionally consulting, running workshops and sharing market-related research, Louw’s knowledge and insight into the digital media landscape in Africa is constantly evolving.
“Having worked with Amanda previously, we’re excited to have her join the AdJoin team. She has an unparalleled knowledge of the SA publisher space and will be invaluable in heading up publisher relations” says Daniel Courtenay, managing director of AdJoin.
The AdJoin Publisher co-op provides one single programmatic solution, allowing advertisers access to a combination or first and 3rd-party audience data along with the most creative, engaging advertising formats available.
Ireland/Davenport’s MD set to return ‘to her roots’
After more than a decade in the position of MD of Ireland / Davenport, Susan Napier, who joined Founding Partners Philip Ireland and John Davenport in 2005, has made a decision to return to her roots. Napier will be moving her young family back to Durban where she grew up, to take on the next chapter in her career, outside of the advertising industry.
“The decision to leave has without doubt been one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. Having been a part of the team that won and worked on iconic brands including BMW, Investec, South African Tourism and Vodacom to name just a few, has made the past 10 years the best of my life both professionally and personally. However, a career change and an amazing opportunity presented itself to me which has made my long-anticipated wish to return to Durban, to be closer to my family, a reality.”
Who’s won what
Fossil Group appoints marcusbrewster for Skagen
marcusbrewster has been appointed to launch Fossil Group’s new lifestyle brand, Skagen, to the South African market. The strategic communications firm will manage all media relations services as well as assist with content compilation and digital media.
Sold in 80 countries worldwide, Skagen is a global watch and jewellery business from Denmark that exemplifies the country’s pared-down yet sophisticated way of living. The brand brings with it a rich history of design, architecture, art, fashion and ‘Hygge’, a Danish term emobodying the enjoyment of the simple things of life.
“We were introduced to Skagen through an Instagram campaign we handled last year. As a result of the success of that assignment, we were delighted to be appointed to take the brand forward in other PR channels. Skagen is a renowned and established brand that is all about timeless sophistication and clean design principles,” says Andre Fourie, marcusbrewster MD.
Earlier this month, marcusbrewster was announced as Best Offshore PR Agency: South Africa in the 2016 Offshore Excellence Awards in London.
Planit Media awarded RE/MAX of Southern Africa business
Global real estate company RE/MAX, has chosen Planit Media as its media partner.
“We are excited at the opportunity of working with Planit Media. They and their specialist partners, provide us with a composite business servicing solution driven around data. It’s great working with senior people who can make a meaningful contribution to our business,” says Adrian Goslett, regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
Says Planit Media: “RE/MAX is a very successful global brand. With an increasing amount of their consumer connection happening online, we see a fantastic opportunity through digital to drive the future lead generation of the business. This is a great addition to our client base.”
Planit Media will partner with 3Verse creative agency and TMI – The Media Image on the business.
Red Carpet Concepts wins Iris Warriors account
Boutique PR, marketing, social media and events agency, Red Carpet Concepts, has been appointed as the official public relations and events partner for the very exciting Iris Warriors project – an original story told through dance and shared through film.
Written by Don Macnab-Stark and directed by Roydon Turner, Iris Warriors is currently being filmed in Cape Town by Donroy Entertainment Limited. This groundbreaking production will certainly entrance both the local and international markets. Iris Warriors tells the story of the birth of colour. It captivates the audience with both classical and modern ballet, and is enhanced by cutting edge CGI and an original score.
Who’s making moves
Media Monitoring: Much more than hashtags, words and clips
Media monitoring agency, Roi Africa, has launched an app. “The days where media monitoring was considered as a simple manual exercise consi sting of newspaper cuttings (measured per centimetre), words and a hashtag or two is long gone. Today’s media monitoring is a science and ROi Africa is at the forefront of this technology, with an all-in-one system encompassing all forms of media,” says Tonya Khoury, the MD of ROi Africa.
“We never have enough time in our industry, so in a world where mobile is turning into our preferred method of communication for all platforms, an app is the natural progression for our offering,” says Khoury.
“This app offers you flexibility in the form of access to your preferred ground-breaking online setup from which you can monitor your media remotely,” she adds. “South African people will have media monitoring work for them – all on their smartphones,” Khoury adds, “offering them immediate insight and big content management, fast this is so far removed from manual clippings and a few odd hashtags.”
The company offers all forms of media on one platform, customised according to the client’s needs. The app is available for Android and iPhone.
Mark1 launches design division, Mark1 Labs
Mark1 is thrilled to announce the launch of their independent design department, Mark1 Labs. To mark this auspicious occasion, Mark1 Labs unveiled their new website on the 17 May.
The brain child of creative director, Brendan Sterley, Mark1 Labs came about when he saw the need for an in-house design department within Mark 1. “Being able to service clients with all their campaign design needs, means that we can build and flight rich media ads from source to completion with a rapid turnaround time. Our clients deserve only the best and we feel that this will ensure exactly that,” he says.
The ever-expanding team of Mark1 labs are design all-rounders. Everything from HTML5 ad design to rich media and web/app design, these talented individuals aren’t afraid to tackle any challenge. Having worked on brands such as Opel (General Motors), Red Bull, Woolworths, Adidas, Santam and Nandos to name just a few, the Mark1 Labs team have substantial experience working on top flight brands.
Finalists at the IAB Bookmark awards 2015 and 2016, Mark1 Labs
Mortimer Harvey gravitates towards content creation
The Mortimer Harvey Group has geared itself for original content-creation with the launch of Gravitate, an innovative multi-video content-generation and production company that has all platforms covered, from broadcast to mobile.
“It’s another point of differentiation for the Mortimer Harvey Group’s Omni-Channel offering, allowing us to help our clients build unique and relevant brand narratives for a new generation of consumers,” says Andrew Fradd, Mortimer Harvey group MD.
Gravitate’s core team includes seasoned industry experts, Denys Webb, Frederick Louw and Quintin Jones, boasting 28, 20 and 10 years’ experience, respectively. It’s a collection of award-winning, free-spirited creatives who have made it their business to master the dynamics of local and global techniques, trends and formats, while maintaining the hunger to experiment and evolve.
Specialising in bringing brands to life, Gravitate creates original content and programming at an optimum cost-to-quality ratio, deliverable to any platform, including television, cinema and connected devices. Significantly, Gravitate is establishing itself as one of the leading developers and producers of advertiser-funded programming (AFP) – one of the most powerful and least intrusive brand-building tools available to marketers.
Salt – adding flavour to the brand activation industry
Less than three years ago, Cas Dreijer left his position heading up the brand activation arm of a major international media agency to start up a business of his own. And so Be Salt was born.
In a very short space of time, Salt has attracted an impressive list of clients including KFC, Mercedes-Benz, Kellogg’s and Canon; as well as a dynamic leadership team, which brings expertise from a range of industries, including retail, PR, sales and production. The agency believes that this combined experience complements its in-depth understanding of the marketing landscape immensely, to truly add value to clients.
“We say that we’re solution driven, accountable and transparent, but these really aren’t just empty words on a piece of paper. We live and breathe this. Our whole business is based on being and doing things a bit differently. We believe that we have already started to shake up the way that this industry operates,” says Dreijer.
Mobile Mike dreams up Imaginatrix
South Africa is estimated to be in the top 25 countries for smartphone user growth worldwide*. Combine that with plummeting data prices and the local mobile marketing sector starts looking particularly interesting.
“Mining output is down 8.7 percent. Manufacturing production is down 2 percent. Mobile subscribers are up 11.8 million**,” says Mike Laws, longtime mobile industry veteran and founder of new mobile marketing start-up, Imaginatrix, which joins a growing tally of mobile consultancies. Imaginatrix Mobile Solutions is a specialist consultancy dedicated to the design and implementation of commercialised mobile marketing solutions.
“It’s a good time to get into mobile but so was last year, and the year before that,” explains Laws, who over a decade ago was instrumental in setting up Vodacom’s mobile advertising division and was a key role player in commercialising Vodacom’s Please Call Me service, as well as the award-winning ADME mobile opt-in service.
From Russia, to Zimbabwe, with love
3D Design recently travelled to Zimbabwe to build a 198m2 ‘full on’ custom stand for the Russian Federation at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
Despite border delays, the build went smoothly and impressed both client and Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe.
The team of 13 – including audio visual specialists, electricians, carpenters and graphic applications – was managed by 3D director Ivor Allison and Nick Brand – travelled in a convoy of three 8-ton trucks and one 5-ton truck, but was delayed at the border for three days because of a public holiday in Zimbabwe.
Allison picks up the story. “The three days lost at the border put the team under tremendous pressure but – as usual – the guys delivered on time with a smile. When I arrived just over 36 hours into the build, it looked as if they’d been at it for days, not hours. And, when the client arrived 12 hours later, all that remained to complete was the audio-visual hook up.
“Graphics applicator, AV technician or carpenter, the guys worked like a well-oiled machine; I can’t tell you how proud I was when the client walked around the stand purposefully looking for flaws and couldn’t find a single one.
“The cherry on the top was that President Mugabe and the Russian Minister met in the boardroom on the stand and, when the President exclaimed how impressed he was with it, the Minister said he could have it!
“Who knows, given that the 3D team is a pro at assembling it, this could mean that we sign up Zimbabwe as our newest client soon!”
