Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. Atos and Forscene create new opportunity for media work experience in SA. Tribeca PR appoints Shaun Demmer as account manager. Dark Fibre Africa appoints new chief sales and marketing officer. Brewster signs Italian luxury label Ermenegildo Zegna. FCB Africa celebrates 90 years of iconic South African advertising. South African Hyperli launches new online deal marketplace. Ogilvy & Mather’s Tham Khai Meng named advertising jury chair for ADC 96th Annual Awards.
This week’s BIG move: Atos and Forscene create new opportunity for media work experience in South Africa
London: Forbidden Technologies has been commissioned by Atos Origin South Africa (Pty) Ltd. to provide a media work experience project aimed at addressing the demand for video editing staff for the South African public broadcast sector. The project is an extension of an existing contract where the cloud video platform, Forscene, is being used to train students in video editing.
Atos first contracted Forbidden for a paid pilot in March 2016 in which 150 South African students used the Atos implementation of the Forscene platform to be trained in video editing. Based on the success of this pilot, Atos – a local authority in South Africa – will now expand this training initiative to include another 500 students. In addition, at the end of the training programme, Atos will select 50 students who will be awarded six-week, paid work experience contracts with Forbidden Technologies.
The work experience with Forbidden will capitalise on Forscene’s strength as a cloud video platform that enables remote workflows – the software allows video teams to access centralised material from a web browser or app on any device and to collaborate from anywhere in the world using a full range of post-production tools. At the end of the contract Forbidden will invite one student to attend an in-depth post-production course in the UK and will also endeavour to secure permanent employment for that student in the South African video industry.
“Cloud technologies like Forscene have had an enormous impact on the way that video content is produced, making previously impossible workflows a reality, and it’s only natural that this should extend to industry training,” said Aziz Musa, CEO of Forbidden. “The cloud has the capability of completely transforming our approach to industry education – giving students anywhere in the world access to the same resources and opportunities. We’re proud to be working with Atos to give South African students this opportunity.”
Who’s moved where
Tribeca PR appoints Shaun Demmer as account manager
Shaun Demmer has joined Tribeca Public Relations as an account manager, working with the team that provides public relations services to Respublica, Consulta, fastjet, Saab and JA South Africa.
With four years PR experience, Demmer has previously worked in sectors as diverse as FMCG, natural sciences, cause-related campaigns, the travel industry, and business incubators. His skills across traditional public relations and social media platforms equip him well to adapt to the evolving needs of his new clients.
“I joined Tribeca because of its great reputation, and its award-winning culture,” Shaun says. “I wanted to be a part of its unique company culture that focuses on achieving work-life balance, while having the scope to do really exciting things for our clients.”
“Shaun brings diverse experience and communication skills to our team. His creativity and a strong commitment to his clients is already achieving great results for them,” says Nicky James, director, Tribeca Public Relations. “We always look out for PR consultants who are as passionate about PR as our team is, and he certainly fits this bill.”
Demmer holds a BCom (Hons) Communication Management from the University of Pretoria, achieved Cum Laude.
Dark Fibre Africa appoints new chief sales and marketing officer
Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) has appointed a new chief sales and marketing officer, Praveen Govender. Govender will lead the formulation and execution of DFA’s sales strategy, as well as the company’s customer engagement strategy.
“Praveen Govender’s diverse experience in developing and implementing customer relationship management plans, along with the wide network he has cultivated across this sector of business, makes him an excellent addition to DFA’s executive team,” notes Thinus Mulder, CEO of DFA. “His focus on building long-term relationships and evolving interactions with customers into partnerships that enable growth for both parties particularly resonates with DFA.”
Govender has 15 years of extensive ICT experience, spanning telecommunication networks, networking, software, hardware, consulting and professional services.
“It is an exhilarating time for the industry at the moment, as more and more South Africans get connected to fast and efficient high speed connectivity,” says Govender. “DFA is leading the way in open-access connectivity in our country and is committed to powering our cities smartly and cost-effectively. The company is at an exciting stage in its growth right now, and I look forward to being a part of that evolution.”
Who’s won what
Brewster signs Italian luxury label Ermenegildo Zegna
Luxury menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna has appointed award-winning publicist Marcus Brewster to handle PR and media liaison duties.
The first fruits of the collaboration air this week on Top Billing where Brewster facilitated presenter Nico Panagio and crew’s visit to London to attend the opening of Zegna’s global flagship store in New Bond Street. The occasion was also significant as a specially commissioned William Kentridge mohair tapestry showcasing four generations of Zegna family history, was unveiled.
No stranger to the specialist PR requirements of global luxury brands, Brewster was previously responsible for launching Louis Vuitton in South Africa. Last month, Brewster announced a strategic alliance with Level 1-accredited marketing communications agency Media Revolution to be his implementation partner for South African and Africa.
Ermenegildo Zegna opened its first South African store in 2015 in Sandton City’s Diamond Walk.
Top Billing’s Zegna show airs on Thursday 8 December at 20h00 and on Sunday 11 December at 12h30 on SABC3.
Who’s making moves
FCB Africa celebrates 90 years of iconic South African advertising
FCB Africa – having opened doors in 1926 as E Lindsay Smithers Advertising Agent with the Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company as its first client – is celebrating 90 years of iconic South African advertising this month.
To mark the milestone, eNCA is paying tribute to FCB with a microsite featuring favourite ads and best memories of several dozen of the agency’s most well-known alumni as well some of the current FCB employees.
A few of the ads you’ll get to see include the iconic South African Airways ‘Cost Cutters’ from 1988, Sasol Super 100 ‘Glug Glug’ and Toyota ‘Go-Kart’ both from 1991, Gill Anti-Dandruff Shampoo ‘Bikers’ from 1995, Beechies ‘Icebreaker – Nipple Stand’ from 1998, Vodacom 4U ‘Bungee Jumping Baby’ and ‘Baby Astronaut’ from the early 2000s, First National Bank’s ‘How can we help you – Pale toe’ and more recent favourites such as Klipdrift ‘Friendly Frikkie – Met Eish’ and Savanna’s ‘It’s dry but you can drink it’.
Celebrating with current FCB employees in Cape Town and in Johannesburg, Morris said it was humbling to follow in the footsteps of such giants, and a tribute to the FCB Family that it has remained at the forefront of South African advertising.
South African Hyperli launches new online deal marketplace
Fast on the heels of Groupon’s exit from the South African market, newly formed Hyperli is set to take the online deal marketplace by storm. Hyperli has honed its offering and today launches a newly curated online marketplace focused on delivering relevant deals to South African consumers.
Collective online buying has been part of the South African psyche since 2009. South African consumers are increasingly motivated to shop online with reasons cited as saving time, access to product reviews, special offers and price comparisons being the top four according to research from Effective Measure, sponsored by VISA and iaB South Africa (source: E-Commerce Industry Report June 2016). Further, the findings show that of those South Africans already shopping online 42% are looking for special offers.
“Times are tough for South African consumers and business alike, so being able to deliver well-priced, immediate deals makes great business sense,” says Hyperli CEO and founder, Wayne Gosling. “Hyperli connects businesses to consumers, it provides an effective marketing tool for brands and services providers looking to expand their customer base and to profitably grow their businesses.”
Funded by Team Africa Ventures and backed by the senior team that brought Groupon to South Africa, the Hyperli platform has been developed by some of the best tech specialists in the country.
Zenzele formalises the brand activation sector with new SETA accredited course
To meet a demand in the brand activation and client service industry for highly skilled brand ambassadors, Michelle Combrinck, CEO and founder of Zinto Marketing Group (Zinto), recently launched Zenzele Educational Doorway (Zenzele), a brand ambassador training and incubation centre for future brand ambassadors and client service professionals.
Zenzele means ‘Do it for yourself’ in isiXhosa, and is indicative of the need for youth to become active job seekers and opportunity creators as youth unemployment remains a crisis. By launching Zenzele, Zinto is addressing the need for education and youth self-employment and this is achieved by instilling self-confidence, promoting self-esteem and self-discipline to help them adapt and meet the expectations of the working world as entrepreneurs or as employees.
“The youth can no longer sit back and wait for government to create much-needed work, but instead with some self-confidence and the support to identify their own skills and creative ability, they can go out and make opportunities work for themselves in a variety of industry sectors where good client services and sales are always a valued skill (and in short supply),” Combrinck comments.
In South Africa, there are no advertising and marketing institutions offering certified and dedicated courses with a specialisation in brand activation and experiential marketing and there is limited access to industry-specific training and workbooks relevant to the local market.
Ogilvy & Mather’s Tham Khai Meng named advertising jury chair for Art Directors Club ADC 96th Annual Awards
New York: The Art Directors Club, one of the world’s first non-profit organisations to champion commercial creativity and part of The One Club for Creativity, today announced the Advertising and Motion jury chairs for the ADC 96th Annual Awards.
Tham Khai Meng, co-chairman and worldwide chief creative officer, Ogilvy & Mather, was selected to chair the Advertising jury. One of the world’s most awarded creative directors, Khai is based in New York as worldwide chief creative officer and chairman of the Worldwide Creative Council, a role that has him overseeing the work of the agency’s entire global network.
The Motion Jury will be chaired by Karin Fong, director and founding member of Imaginary Forces, Los Angeles, CA. Throughout her career, the Emmy Award-winning designer and director has helmed iconic projects in film, television, gaming, and advertising, with work that expresses a love of compelling storytelling, strong concepts and striking imagery.
The pair join Chloe Gottlieb, EVP, executive creative director, North America, R/GA, New York and Robynne Raye, cofounder, Modern Dog Design Co., Seattle, WA, who were announced last week as jury chairs for the Digital and Design juries, respectively.
The ADC 96th Annual Awards intensifies its long-standing commitment to honoring work that exemplifies the very best in craft, design and innovation. This year’s juries will include top designers, creatives and directors from around the world, and its enhanced awards format features upgraded Advertising, Design, Digital, Integrated and Motion categories.
Entries should be submitted at https://www.adcawards.org, with an early bird deadline of December 23 2016 and final deadline for all categories on January 31 2017. Full juries will be announced shortly, with judging taking place in March 2017.
