Media Moves… SPARK Media launches programmatic advertising offering. Food Network star Paul Hollywood to film in South Africa. MTN SA appoints new chief technology and information officer. A bespoke team of digital natives to make digital the core of all Pernod Ricard activity. Aksel van der Wal to lead Turner’s Digital Ventures and Innovation Division for International. Craig Atherfold joins Edelman. Irvine Partners wins Turkish Airlines account. Industry leaders choose Edelman to lead communications marketing strategy in South Africa. Labstore South Africa gets Kraft-y with triple pitch win. Alliance Media awarded superbrand status (again). [ED] no longer available on DStv. Quirk is now Mirum.
This week’s BIG move: SPARK Media launches programmatic advertising offering
SPARK ignition BUY. SELL. TARGET is a private market place (PMP) tool incorporating premium South African websites that are part of, or affiliated to, the Caxton CTP Group of Publishers.
This PMP is unique to the South African digital advertising market not only because it has access to inventory that is hyper-local (owing to the local newspaper websites), but it also has access to inventory that covers a broad range of interests such as breaking news, female lifestyle interests, sports, business and many more.
“This is a very important step taken by SPARK Media in allowing advertisers to target relevant audience segments across our Group’s sites as an alternative to buying site specific impressions,” says Marc du Plessis, SPARK Media’s joint CEO.
“We know that more advertisers are starting to allocate increasing budgets to programmatic advertising buys, but often are not certain of the quality of the inventory they’re buying, or where their brand actually ends up. This is where a PMP comes in, eliminating transparency and brand safety issues.”
Publishers that form part of this offering include The Citizen, Woman and Home magazine, Caxton’s Local News Network (LNN) (+76 local news websites), All4Women and many more premium publishers.
ignition TARGET. is an offering run off an internationally recognised DMP (data management platform). It is a programmatic and direct audience (IO buys) solution providing advertisers with the opportunity to target unique audiences across a network of premium, news and lifestyle focused publisher websites. Advertisers have the option to target audiences based on their browsing behaviour as well as demographic targeting.
Who’s moved where
MTN SA appoints new chief technology and information officer
MTN South Africa has appointed Giovanni Chiarelli as the new chief technology and information officer. Chiarellli steps in the shoes of Babak Fouladi, who was the interim CTO for MTN SA in addition to his role as MTN group executive for technology and information systems.
Chiarelli is a seasoned professional with over 17 years of experience in the fields of information and technology gleaned from a number of multi-national corporations, including Infostrada, Accenture, Telecom Italia and Vodafone Group.
As MTN SA’s new CTIO, Chiarelli is expected to build on the network improvement milestones that have been achieved in the last eighteen months, and will be tasked with shaping and driving technology and information strategies for MTN SA. Before he joined MTN SA, Chiarelli was the chief technology officer of Vodafone Romania.
Food Network star Paul Hollywood to film in South Africa
Food Network announced that it will feature Cape Town in the second series of award-winning Paul Hollywood City Bakes. Produced by Reef Television, filming in Cape Town is scheduled for February 2017, with the show set to premiere on Food Network, DStv Channel 175 in May 2017.
In the second series of Paul Hollywood City Bakes the renowned British baker explores the baking heritage of cities around the world, uncovering family recipes, hotel delicacies and local favourites, before creating his own city bake inspired by the place. As well as Cape Town, Paul will also visit Oslo, Antwerp, Reykjavik, Palermo, Nicosia, Amman, Dublin, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The first series premiered on Food Network in September 2016, and to accommodate the audience demand for all things Paul Hollywood, the new series has been extended from 30 to 60 minutes.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Food Network for what promises to be another great series of Paul Hollywood City Bakes,” said Paul Hollywood. “When asked if I wanted to visit South Africa it was a very easy yes! There are many bakes on my list to try, but I am particularly looking forward to sampling mosbolletjies, soetkoekies and traditional koeksister.”
A bespoke team of digital natives to make digital the core of all Pernod Ricard activity
They are among some of the finest social media talent in the country and are all influencers in their own right. They come with individual track records of great work within the social media space. Meet Nalisha Lalloo – digital marketing manager, Kyle Lord – content producer, Nosipho Tisani – community manager of white spirits and rums, Hayden Manuel – community manager of social portfolio and Leila Osato – community manager of the Pernod Ricard corporate brand and Inner Circle, the dynamic new faces at the fast growing provider of premium spirit brands
The South African Social Distillery team is a group of individuals that have been hand-picked to manage Pernod Ricard’s social media presence. The team will handle both Pernod Ricard as a corporate brand as well as the portfolio of product brands that include market leaders Jameson and Absolut as well as Mumm champagne, Chivas Regal and Olmeca tequila.
The team is a centre of excellence for Pernod Ricard South Africa bringing skills in content creation and community management to the brand portfolio teams. Their aim? To use augmented intelligence to drive their decision making for campaigns, using a combination of data and creativity to do great work that is relatable to the consumer.
“Social media platforms are no longer an afterthought. In In order to stay at the forefront of this changing world and embrace it, Pernod Ricard has identified the need for a dedicated team to give this fast paced space the attention it deserves,” says Lalloo.
Aksel van der Wal to lead Turner’s Digital Ventures and Innovation Division for International
Global media company Turner has announced a new division to lead its digital innovation internationally. Aksel van der Wal, currently senior vice president and chief financial officer, is promoted to the new role of executive vice president, digital ventures and innovation, for Turner’s international operations, effective 1 January 2017.
Under his leadership the new division will focus on driving profitable growth through international consumer-centric initiatives, including all of Turner’s international multi-platform suite of digital properties and its direct-to-consumer product strategy. He remains responsible for the company’s international technology & operations (T&O) organisation.
“As our industry undergoes huge evolution, the impact of digital disruption and changing consumer behaviour continues to put audience insight right at the heart of our business strategy,” said Gerhard Zeiler, president, Turner International, to whom Van der Wal will report. “This new division will ensure that we assess new opportunities for innovation, development and acquisition through the lens of relevant, robust consumer data and through a realigned, agile organisational structure. Aksel’s experience in transformative management, his first-class understanding of both the linear and digital media landscapes, and his detailed knowledge of Turner’s international operation, all combine to make him a superb fit for this new role.”
In his role as chief financial officer for Turner International, Van der Wal will be succeeded by Trey Turner, currently senior vice president, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, who takes up his new role on 1January 2017 as well.
Craig Atherfold joins Edelman
Edelman South Africa has also hired Craig Atherfold, who joins from Hill+Knowlton Strategies, as group account director to support the office’s growth.
Prior to joining Edelman, Atherfold served in the financial services practice at Hill+Knowlton Strategies. In his new role as group account director, Atherfold will support the growth of Edelman South Africa’s financial services capabilities.
“… the addition of Craig to our team further solidify our position as a market leader while helping us expand our footprint across Africa,” said Jordan Rittenberry, managing director of Edelman South Africa.
Who’s won what
Irvine Partners wins Turkish Airlines account
Irvine Partners has won the Turkish Airlines account following a competitive pitch process. This further consolidates the agency’s reputation as frontrunners in public relations for the tourism, lifestyle and travel sector.
“We’re honoured to have been chosen from a highly-qualified group of agencies for this project. Turkish Airlines is a major carrier, flying to more countries and more international destinations than any other airline, voted the Best Airline in Europe for the past six years by Skytrax, and we look forward to working on expanding that reputation in Africa,” said Irvine Partners managing director, Jeanine Cameron.
“Irvine Partners has demonstrated an ability to develop incredibly innovative and effective campaigns with high profile clients, and that is what makes working with them exciting for us,” said Turkish Airlines General Manager, Cape Town, Kenan Ince. “We are very confident that Irvine Partners is the right agency to help us achieve our vision for Turkish Airlines in Africa.”
Turkish Airlines joins Cape Town Tourism, Protea Hotels (a proud member of Marriott International), Thebe Tourism Group, and Travel Lifestyle Network as tourism and travel sector clients of Irvine Partners.
Industry leaders choose Edelman to lead communications marketing strategy in South Africa
Edelman, a global communications marketing firm, has announced the addition of Deloitte, Huawei and M-Net to its list of clients in South Africa.
“We’re proud to partner with the best in the business,” said Jordan Rittenberry, managing director of Edelman South Africa. “Deloitte, Huawei and M-Net have proven track records of success in the market and we look forward to delivering on Edelman’s communications marketing vision with these partnerships.
Edelman will support Deloitte, a leading professional services firm, in its PR outreach across all industries and service lines in Africa. Huawei Consumer Business Group, which develops smartphones, tablets and wearable technology, has asked Edelman to provide media and influencer engagement, thought leadership, product launches, events and more. Edelman will support M-Net as it celebrates 30 years of industry leadership through traditional and social media engagement, thought leadership and content development.
Labstore South Africa gets Kraft-y with triple pitch win
Labstore South Africa, shopper marketing business unit of Y&R South Africa, recently added a trio of Kraft Heinz brands to their ever-blossoming client stable following three successful individual pitch efforts.
Planters Peanuts, Wellington’s sauces, condiments and flavourings and Mama’s Pies are the first Cape Town-based clients for the Johannesburg-based shopper unit, who recently celebrated their second anniversary in South Africa.
Work on Planters Peanuts and Wellington’s commenced in August and Mama’s Pies early in October, and will encapsulate TTL services, including the creation and extension of social and digital footprints. A focus area in the coming year will be the expansion of the brands in key African markets.
According to Morné Fourie, Head of Marketing & Innovation Africa: Kraft Heinz Company, it was the rich consumer insights, excellent articulation of the retail landscape and channels, and unique strategic platforms that fuel category growth, that truly set Labstore South Africa apart in the pitch processes.
Alliance Media awarded Superbrand status (again)
KENYA: Superbrands East Africa hosted a distinguished awards ceremony at the Villa Rosa Kempinski. The evening was dedicated to the celebration of exceptional brands in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
Her Excellency, The First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, graced the evening as the guest of honour. Top executives across ten industries were in attendance including Alliance Media’s Edgar Mabhiza. The evening saw mentalist, Larry Soffer presenting the new edition of the Superbrands EA book, Volume IV.
“Superbrands is excited to pay tribute to the most valued brands in East Africa at this our tribute awards ceremony, each one, be it internationally known or home-grown has connected their story to consumers through hard work and determination to provide quality. We are honoured to celebrate all the outstanding brands in the region” said Jawad Jaffer, the Project Director and Associate Publisher Superbrands East Africa.
Alliance Media sees the recognition received by Superbrands East Africa for the past six years as a true accolade because it underpins the fact that Alliance Media fully understands the importance of creating a strong brand. Alliance Media’s clients’ use outdoor and airport advertising to build their brands across the African continent and this Superbrands Award shows that Alliance Media is a partner who knows how to grow brands.
Who’s making moves
Irvine Bartlett rebrands as Irvine Partners, launches education trust
Leading public relations agency Irvine Bartlett has rebranded as Irvine Partners, and expanded to offer integrated marketing services. “The changes, which take effect from today, reflect growing client demand for the agency’s services and its guiding ethos of partnership,” said Irvine CEO, Rachel Irvine.
“Building profitable, fast-growing and sustainable partnerships with clients, staff, suppliers, journalists, media houses and others in our value chain has seen Irvine Partners grow to become a high-impact agency in six short years. Our new name speaks to what we see as a critical success factor in our business today and into the future,” Irvine said.
Irvine Partners has also announced a partnership with Collective Media, a black-owned media technology co-operative. The partnership sees the co-op, a start-up that is one of Irvine Partners’ suppliers of content, named as the first beneficiary of the newly-established Irvine Partners Education Trust.
Irvine said the partnership with Collective Media is a demonstration of the agency’s commitment to growing high-potential small, medium and micro enterprises within its value chain into profitable, sustainable businesses.
Collective Media will be using the distributions from the Irvine Partners Education Trust to grow the skills, earnings and equity stake of young, black content producers, with a particular focus on young black women.
[ED] no longer available on DStv
As from 1 December 2016, [ED] will no longer be available on DStv. The channel, which is currently on DStv Channel 190 and GOtv channel 65.
Station Manager for [ED], Roberto Carletti says, “Thanks to our loyal [ED] valued viewers and advertisers for their continued support over the years. Through our content, our viewers have remained curious and been inspired.”
[ED], which is managed and produced by Urban Brew Studios, will stop airing on both DStv and GOtv at midnight on Wednesday 30 November, 2016.
Quirk is now Mirum
Quirk is now Mirum after the company joined the New York-based J. Walter Thompson Company chain, alongside Lebanese agency Cleartag and UK agency HeathWallace. These three companies will form the base of Mirum’s Middle East and African operations, Memeburn reports.
The rebrand also sees a shuffle in management. Quirk founder and long-term CEO Rob Stokes takes on a role as chairperson in the newly-branded agency. Current Quirk MD James McKay will operate as Mirum’s local CEO, while Andrew Bloom takes up the role of Mirum CCO.
