The Media Online’s weekly round up of moves in media. The SpaceStation becomes first African publisher to offer programmatic page takeovers. Primedia Outdoor scores a Level 1 BBBEE Rating. Brand Union Africa set to change the professional branding industry across Africa. Hidetoshi Kaneko is appointed new MD of Panasonic South Africa. Respublica appoints Relativ Media. Jellyfish extends its innovative digital marketing services to Gauteng. Ecobank renews partnership with APO Group. Credence adds Infocyte to its stable. You definitely haven’t seen this video before… Internet Solutions’ Parklands Data Centre joins Prestigious Nexcenter network. Seven Colors Communications appointed to manage PR for the Rand Show 2018. OMC to announce updated Roadside Outdoor Audience Data. Disney Channel added to DStv Compact Plus and Compact packages
This week’s BIG move: The SpaceStation becomes first African publisher to offer programmatic page takeovers
The SpaceStation is the first publisher in Africa to offer page takeovers and transitional ads (between the page ads) programmatically.
The ability to execute programmatic page takeovers and transitional ad buying is an enhancement of existing technology, which will make it a lot more efficient for buyers and sellers to transact these premium ad units. Traditionally, there has been a perception that programmatic inventory is cheaper and less valuable than inventory bought through a direct insertion order (IO); partially because the technology did not initially support more sophisticated media executions.
Paula Raubenheimer, head of programmatic at The SpaceStation (left), says: “We want to make premium programmatic buying more fluid and competitive in terms of the type of real estate one can buy. Agencies and marketers have wanted to buy background branding and transitional ads programmatically, but nobody could offer it until now.
“Being first to market in Africa with this innovative technology solidifies our aim of being the market leader in technology solutions. Our buyers can now execute their entire buy programmatically if they wish, instead of utilising direct buys for background branding and the remainder through programmatic buys”.
Farah Thompson, GM of Ad Operations at The SpaceStation, said the company approached DoubleClick a few months ago to “discuss how we can make our page takeovers available programmatically; and when they began testing Programmatic Guaranteed with Custom Creatives, The SpaceStation became one of their selected global test partners”.
The SpaceStation will be offering takeovers and transitional ads to their preferred partners and are working closely with the DoubleClick support team in the final testing phase. The SpaceStation was selected as a beta partner due to their proactive interest, they already accommodated the formats on their properties and they had the ability to execute the coding changes quickly.
People moves
Brand Union Africa set to change the professional branding industry across Africa
Brand Union Africa is bringing Doug de Villiers, currently CEO of Brand Science, and his team into Brand Union to form a dynamic new market offer.
De Villiers – who will assume the vice-chairmanship of the business – is one of Africa’s leading brand professionals who previously helped build Interbrand Africa into one of the continent’s pre-eminent branding consultancies.
“We’ve made this decision to better respond to the needs of our clients. The capability that Doug and his team brings will help us connect with the evolving needs of our clients in Africa in wider and deeper ways,” said MD of Brand Union Africa, Mathew Weiss.
At point of going to press, Brand Union has announced that it is to converge with 4 other WPP Brand Consulting agencies: Addison Group, Lambie-Nairn, The Partners and VBAT, forming a network of 750 employees across 20 locations.
Hidetoshi Kaneko is appointed new MD of Panasonic South Africa
Hidetoshi ‘Hide’ Kaneko was recently appointed managing director of Panasonic South Africa. As the former VP for Panasonic Corporation of North America, located in New Jersey, US, this appointment draws on his considerable experience in logistics, manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, sales, marketing, after service and retail.
It is this breadth and diversity of experience that has given Kaneko the uniquely holistic perspective which distinguishes his ability to grasp issues, develop strategies, and effect end-to-end solutions applied to the South African context.
Kaneko’s three month tenure thus far has been nothing short of a shake-up. Kaneko has restructured Panasonic’s internal departments to maximise efficiency, implemented a membership programme and revised Panasonic’s marketing strategy. Most prominently, his tenure has seen the implementation of Panasonic’s Finance initiative in order to make Panasonic’s innovative products available to everyone.
Business moves
Primedia Outdoor scores a Level 1 BBBEE Rating
A recent audit by Honeycomb revealed that Primedia Outdoor has been rated as a Level 1 BBBEE Contributor, the highest level attainable on the BBBEE Scorecard. It also achieved a 135% BBBEE Procurement Recognition Level.
With black ownership standing at 37.4% and 19.5% black women ownership, Primedia Outdoor scored an overall ownership total of 25. Ownership refers to the effective ownership of the company by African people particularly when it relates to their voting rights and economic interests in a company.
But as Dave Roberts, CEO of Primedia Outdoor points out: “We take our BBBEE credentials extremely seriously. For Primedia Outdoor transformation is not just about ticking a particular box, we’ve made a concerted effort to improve our scores across all of the BBBEE elements.
The BBBEE scorecard is made up of seven elements namely: Ownership, Management Control, Skills Development, Preferential Procurement, Supplier Development and Enterprise Development as well as Responsible Social Marketing and Communication.
Meanwhile, Primedia Outdoor scored 17 for skills development, which looks at training programmes that have been implemented to improve the competency of previously disadvantaged employees and unemployed learners.
“The audit has been valuable in terms of identifying which areas we are doing well in and which areas we need to apply more effort,” said Roberts.
Respublica appoints Relativ Media
Respublica Student Living, South Africa’s leading student accommodation provider, has appointed out of home specialists Relativ Media to connect brands with the 7 500 students living in its purpose-built residences across Gauteng.
Relativ Media’s solution will bring relevant, non-invasive brand advertising to all Respublica students, ensuring the hottest products are top of mind to this captive audience. Relativ Media finds ways to communicate advertiser messages with their target markets, building brand awareness, starting conversations, and ultimately, matching consumers with the products they need.
“Respublica students are the perfect market who, as emerging consumers, are open to being exposed to new brands,” says Craig McMurray, CEO of Respublica. “Relativ Media will identify the best ways to communicate with our students, giving relevant brands the opportunity to engage with them as they are establishing their purchasing patterns and behaviour outside of their parental homes for the first time.”
Jellyfish extends its innovative digital marketing services to Gauteng
The world’s biggest boutique agency, Jellyfish, has just expanded its footprint in South Africa following the recent acquisition of ClickMaven. With its roots in Durban since 2005, this strategic step is in line with Jellyfish’s plans to bring quality digital services to the whole South African market.
ClickMaven, an award-winning digital marketing leader established in 2007, has been seamlessly integrated into Jellyfish with the 14 new staff members set to continue the top-level work from their Milpark offices.
“This is really a perfect fit,” said Tim Lombard (left), South African MD. “We felt there were a few pieces missing from the Jellyfish puzzle and this integration has made us complete. Culturally, our organisations are very much aligned. Both are research-based and focus on constantly upskilling staff members. This has allowed us to remain at the forefront of new technologies, developing cutting edge marketing campaigns which we are excited to be bringing to Johannesburg.”
Jellyfish has a network of offices in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe and the US. The full-service digital offerings of Jellyfish include analytics, brand analysis and re-structuring; targeted digital marketing across all platforms; conversion optimisation; as well as website development and management; among many others.
Ecobank renews partnership with APO Group
APO Group has announced a new contract with the biggest independent Pan-African banking group, Ecobank
The new deal will support Ecobank and Ecobank Foundation in optimising the awareness of their activities across Africa which are: providing vital support to Global Fund malaria programs both through financial contributions and by catalyzing engagement from like-minded organisations; strengthening financial management capacity programmes; offering innovative solutions to financial challenges: Ecobank advocates for the mission of its implementing partners by engaging the bank’s customers and employees in awareness campaigns on, for example, World AIDS Day, World Malaria Day and World TB Day.
The Ecobank Group has a presence in 36 African countries, and employs over 20 000 people in more than 1 200 offices. Effective immediately, APO will be responsible for all Ecobank’s press release and corporate content distribution.
Credence adds Infocyte to its stable
Credence Security, a specialist distribution company focusing on information security and risk management, has won the distribution rights to Infocyte’s threat detection solutions. Infocyte’s threat hunting technology was developed by former US Air Force cybersecurity officers, and fills a gap left by the real-time detection solutions on the market today.
“Infocyte has a unique approach, says Lauren Wain (left), GM at Credence. “The solution focuses on the post-compromise activity of persistent attackers and insider threats, helping organisations defend their networks and sensitive data.”
According to Wain, the number of breaches has soared in the last few years, resulting in multiple financial loses of millions of rand, as has the theft of intellectual property, and sensitive customer information being exposed. “At the same time, the attackers responsible are getting more sophisticated and organised, and are
Internet Solutions’ Parklands Data Centre joins Prestigious Nexcenter network
Internet Solutions has announced that its Parklands data centre has joined the prestigious Nexcenter network.
Parklands is now one of 140+ Nexcenter™ data centres worldwide to offer consistently excellent facilities and operations, as well as international scale and cost efficiency.
“Our Nexcenter™ accreditation is significant for local enterprises considering global expansion, and for multinational corporations entering the region,” says Matthew Ashe, executive: data centres at Internet Solutions. “We are proud that this validation of our world-class data centre expertise offers peace of mind to clients trusting us with their valuable data.”
Internet Solutions has set its sights on expanding its share of the South African colocation market with an average growth forecast of 12% per year as a result of increasing demand by government agencies and content service providers.
You definitely haven’t seen this video before…
Not satisfied with releasing a “me too” video product? Location-based mobile network Vicinity Media have worked hard to release a truly first-to-market location-focused video solution and are proud to announce the product includes some global innovations.
The new product has four key components: Firstly, advertisers get access to Vicinity’s industry leading location targeting that harnesses proprietary technology to target down to street level. Secondly, Vicinity’s location based video product gives brands and agencies access to Vicinity’s Premium Network, a network that has now become one of South Africa’s biggest and includes publishers like IOL, TimesLive, eNCA, Soccer Laduma and close to 100 others.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, Vicinity’s new video product publishes the distance/travel time from the viewer to the point of purchase within the video. The ability to publish location within video is a global first, pioneered right here in South Africa. Fourthly, users can be directed to our now familiar Location Landing Page allowing users to Drive, Walk, Show Map, and engage further. Vicinity’s store by store analytics are also included in the new video product and combined with visitability reporting allows brands to increase user engagement, drive footfall, and gain insights into consumer behaviour.
Seven Colors Communications appointed to manage PR for the Rand Show 2018
Dogan Exhibitions & Events, the custodian of the Rand Show brand, has appointed Seven Colors Communications to manage the Rand Show 2018 Public Relations account with immediate effect. The PR agency will handle public relations, media partnerships, activations, integrated digital campaigns and to drive the promotion of the brand across the country.
The Rand Show is a truly South African brand that has been part of the fabric of the lives of generations of South Africans making family memories for 123 years. The Rand Show is more than an exhibition, it is a multi-faceted event offering something for every family member and this includes but not limited to; home living, science, technology, sports, SANDF feature and live entertainment.
“We are delighted to work on yet another compelling platform that bring South Africans under one roof,” said Eugene Mametse (left), co-director at Seven Colors Communications. The Rand Show is a truly South African brand and we look forward to partner with the Rand Show team in taking the brand to new heights.”
The Rand Show will be staged at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec from Friday 30 March to Sunday 8 April 2018.
Making moves
OMC to announce updated Roadside Outdoor Audience Data
The Out of Home Measurement Council (OMC) is announcing its much anticipated measurement update of the Roadside Outdoor Audience Data, popularly known as ROAD over the next few days.
The announcement will take place over three events in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg over the next week. A panel of out of home (OOH) specialists will provide an overview of the ground-breaking research and unpack the methodology, field work efficiencies and innovation, insights and benchmarks; as well as the benefits to planners, strategist and advertisers. The presentation will be introduced by media strategy expert Trish Guilford, MD of Tradigital Consulting.
Ruchelle Mouton, Marketing Intelligence Manager at Primedia Outdoor and member of the OMC touches on the aim of the ROAD measurement, “The measurement update takes place annually and provides ratings for the OOH industry comparable to other media currencies like television and radio. We are committed to producing an OOH currency which will contribute to building the credibility and stature of the OOH industry.
Disney Channel added to DStv Compact Plus and Compact packages
Disney Channel (DStv Channel 303) will be added to the DStv Compact Plus and Compact packages from Friday, 1 December 2017. Encapsulating storytelling, friendship, music and laughter, Disney Channel is the home of award-winning hit live-action and animation series, specials and movies.
“We’re delighted to offer our DStv Compact Plus and Compact customers more entertainment for the kids, especially in the form of the ever-popular Disney Channel. Now families have got so much more to look forward to these December holidays – and the entertainment won’t stop as Disney Channel is now part of our Compact Plus and Compact packages,” said Aletta Alberts, GM for content for MultiChoice.
To mark the expansion of the channel, fans and new viewers can look forward to a feast of festive fun with the launch of the very latest and greatest programming from Disney Channel.
