Media moves: Mediamark scores TURNER account, Ringier signs pan-African deal with New York Times, Toyota & FCB renew vows

The Media Online’s weekly round up of moves in media. New editor for OnRoute magazine. Van Onselen joins the IRR. TURNER chooses Mediamark as media sales representative for its key TV channels in SA. Toyota South Africa, FCB Africa ‘renew vows’. VIA and Landbouweekblad join forces with new TV programme. Ringier Africa signs pan-African content agreement with New York Times. The Wire kicks of new era for content collaborations. GLOBALHealthPR partners with F/NE in SA. Verizon Digital Media Services announces international expansion plans for its Edgecast Content Delivery Network. FEPE Launches its 2018 Awards with new Rising Star category. Etiket struts its stuff at the Midas Awards. Free data journalism courses at StoryLab. IAB Bookmarks jury announced. Writing courses at Writers Write. HeavyChef: 2018 is upon us and it’s already krrrazy 

People moves

New editor for OnRoute magazine

After years of exponential growth and support from both the industry and its readers, Contact Media & Communications’ OnRoute magazine has appointed Angie Snyman as the new editor on the title. OnRoute has been a travel companion to South African families and road users for the past five.

“I’m looking forward to working with the passionate and dynamic team that makes up Contact Media,” says Snyman. “OnRoute is a wonderful magazine to be associated with. As a proudly South African wife and mother of two who are keen travellers, I look forward to contributing positively and authentically to the growth of the title.”

Van Onselen joins the IRR

Acclaimed political commentator and columnist, Gareth van Onselen, will be joining the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) as its new head of politics and governance from 22 January.

He will be responsible for political analysis and communicating the IRR’s position on current affairs.

Van Onselen studied at Wits University, obtaining a master’s degree in sociology before entering the world of politics. For the next 12 years he worked for the Democratic Alliance in various different capacities, most of which involved communications and political analysis.

Subsequently he worked for BDlive and Sunday Times as a journalist. He currently is a columnist for the Business Day and Financial Mail.

Business moves

TURNER chooses Mediamark as media sales representative for its key TV channels in SA

Mediamark has formed an exciting new partnership with TURNER in South Africa, which will offer Mediamark clients access to advertising solutions on the iconic, high-quality channels: TCM – Powered by Movies, Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

“We are extremely excited to work with TURNER and its prestigious brands” says Werner Lindemann, managing director of Mediamark. “This partnership furthers the multi-channel vision of Mediamark, where we can provide advertisers with desirable audiences over multiple platforms. The implication is that we will make it possible to greatly amplify advertising campaigns and brands alike, working closely with the brands to drive better ROI and reach for clients”.

The agreement expands the reach of the Mediamark TV sales division into new genres being blockbusters movies (such as the epic ‘I am Legend’ with Will Smith) and highly desirable kid’s programming as well as into new audiences across the SEM spectrum. Mediamark offers TURNER dedicated television and integrated sales and a back-end team with the experience to produce cost-effective, high-impact advertising, content and sponsorship solutions on the TURNER channels.

Toyota South Africa, FCB Africa ‘renew vows’

Toyota South Africa and FCB Africa have ‘renewed their vows’ meaning that one of the longest-standing relationships in the local advertising and marketing industry will continue uninterrupted.

FCB Africa, then Lindsay Smithers, was awarded Toyota SA’s advertising and marketing business in 1961 and helped launch the first Toyota vehicle in South Africa, the Toyopet Stout, in 1962. Today, the manufacturer leads the local market with many legendary South African vehicles such as the Hilux Bakkie, Rav4, Fortuner, Land Cruiser and the Corolla in its stable.

The Toyota business was put out to pitch in August 2017 as part of a business-wide process to review all major suppliers to align with procurement requirements, as well as broader transformation goals.

For FCB Africa Group CEO Brett Morris (left) and the more than 30-people strong team the group currently employs to look after the account, the renewal of the contract validated the time, experience and loyalty they have invested in Brand Toyota.

Toyota SVP sales and marketing, Calvyn Hamman, said: “Our relationship with FCB Africa has always been exceptionally good, and one that has always been regularly measured. “During this most recent review, we had the opportunity to evaluate and benchmark the cream of the industry, and we elected to remain with the best.”

VIA and Landbouweekblad join forces with new TV programme

VIA’s new programme, Landbouweekliks, will not only shed light on the technical aspects of agriculture but also on the farmers’ vision and life journey. Experts will also share advice and information weekly and Landbouweekblad’s editor and a few journalists will also make an appearance. This TV show is a partnership between VIA and Landbouweekblad, South Africa’s biggest agriculture magazine. Landbouweekliks started on 9 January 2018 at 19:30, exclusively on the Afrikaans lifestyle channel VIA (DStv channel 147).

In every episode, the beloved radio-and-TV personality Ivor Price will travel to farms across South Africa. He will meet remarkable farmers with tonnes of enthusiasm for the agricultural industry as well as the team of people who work together to take the farm forward. As the Lowveld farmer Milaan Thalwitzer explains in the first episode, “You cannot run a business and industry if you don’t have good workers. Therefore, we go out of our way to give our workers as many advantages as possible.”

Ringier Africa signs pan-African content agreement with New York Times

Ringier Africa Digital Publishing has further expanded its news and media portfolio by entering into a digital content license agreement with The New York Times News Service and Syndicate, the licensing and syndicate division of The New York Times. RADP will publish New York Times journalism under its new media brand Pulse in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. Pulse informs and entertains Africa’s mass and mobile population with a reach of 100 million people every month.

The launch of New York Times journalism on Pulse will bring award-winning reporting and storytelling to Africa’s informed readership. The New York Times is a globally renowned media outlet for news and opinion, which will complement Pulse’s news coverage. Pulse readers will now have access to The New York Times’ top news of the day as well as a selection of other digital articles addressing key social, political and economic issues as well as videos, photos and graphics.

“Publishing content from The New York Times will be setting new standards in the regional media space, offering up-to-date information at any time of the day, directly to Africa’s media consumption tool of choice, the mobile phone, via the Pulse website and our newly launched mobile app,” said sTim Kollmann, managing director of RADP.

The Wire kicks of new era for content collaborations

Talent and communications agency Celebrity Services Africa (C.S.A) has announced a content partnership between its online entertainment portal The Wire (CSA.Global/TheWire) and South African multi-content companies, Independent Media.

In this content-sharing partnership, an on-going series of articles from The Wire will be published in Independent Media’s print publications including Cape Times and Cape Argus as well as IOL online. In 2017, readers enjoyed a number of interviews from The Wire, which also included features on some of Africa’s next generation influencers, selected from C.S.A.’s quarterly influencer report, On The Radar.

“We live in a period marked by collaboration. Never before have we seen such a dynamic interaction in the creation, sharing and marketing of content and products. Integrated partnerships such as this are the future for any successful business in the digital landscape,” says C.S.A. director Davin Phillips.

GLOBALHealthPR partners with F/NE in SA

GLOBALHealthPR, the largest independent health and science communications agency partnership worldwide, has welcomed Johannesburg-based F/NE to its rapidly expanding global network. Founded more than 18 years ago, F/NE has built an impressive reputation as the leading independent healthcare communications consultancy in South Africa, with an extended reach into Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

With the addition of F/NE, GLOBALHealthPR adds a strong strategic presence in South Africa and across Africa, helping to address increased client demand for deep insights and seamless execution across the diverse markets in the region. The need for and investment in healthcare services in Africa remain at an all-time high, while successful communications programs require local knowledge and an ability to work across disciplines to reach a broad range of stakeholders.

“F/NE is thrilled to add our name to GLOBALHealthPR’s roster of best-in-market healthcare communications agencies as they continue to redefine the industry’s approach to building a collaborative global network focused on client needs,” said Mandi Fine, Founder and CEO of F/NE. “Our clients will now benefit from access to the top health communications consultancies internationally, in addition to our best-in-class capabilities in South Africa and across the continent.”

Verizon Digital Media Services announces international expansion plans for its Edgecast Content Delivery Network

Verizon Digital Media Services has announced international expansion plans for its award-winning Edgecast Content Delivery Network (CDN). The company has launched network points of presence (PoPs) in Mexico and in South Africa, with plans to open an additional Super PoP in France in Q1 2018.

“In a world that’s more plugged into mobile devices than ever before, there is a critical need for digital media delivery to be secure, fast and of the highest quality – especially in fast-growing, mobile-centric markets,” said Kyle Okamoto, chief network officer for Verizon Digital Media Services. “Through continued automation, essential network and data center partnerships and finely tuned operations, we have exceeded expectations in scaling our network to meet today’s and tomorrow’s digital media delivery demands. We are wholly committed to continuing to invest and build out our CDN to ensure the best quality experience across gaming, application acceleration, e-commerce, media and entertainment and more.”

In November 2017, the company launched a PoP in Johannesburg, South Africa, establishing network presence on the continent. With submarine cable routes from APAC and Europe previously serving the region, the new PoP has created a positive decompression effect, increasing network traffic exponentially.

FEPE Launches its 2018 Awards with new Rising Star category

FEPE International is inviting nominations for its Annual Awards – to be presented at its Annual Congress in Sorrento from 6-8 June, and is adding an important new category, the Rising Star Award.

This will be awarded to someone aged 30 or under who has made an outstanding contribution to the Out of Home industry. Nominated individuals should be directly employed in the OOH industry, working for a media owner, specialist or technology company.

Last year’s Creative Awards marked the first time the Award had been divided into Classic and Digital. The Classic winner was Twitter in the US for an in-house campaign showing how the major conversations of the day, in politics and elsewhere, are united by hashtags (below) while the Digital Award went Universal Pictures’ ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ featuring a captivating creative treatment from MediaCom and Ocean Outdoor.

FEPE International President Tom Goddard says: “As well as celebrating leaders in our industry and outstanding creative executions we should also look forward. The new Rising Star Award is an appropriate way to honour the young talent that is transforming our industry and leading Out of Home to an even brighter future.”

Nominations can be made by any FEPE Member or recognised National OOH Association. Closing Date for all Nominations is March 15th 2018. For a nominations form see www.fepe.com   For further details contact Richard Saturley richard@fepe.com

Making moves

Etiket struts its stuff at the Midas Awards

“To have been shortlisted in the prestigious international Midas Awards for excellence in financial advertising, was the cherry on top of a most rewarding year for us. It is acknowledgement that the work we do, is on par with that of internationally recognised agencies.”

So says an elated Ricardo Rocha, executive creative director of the brand design agency, Etiket.

The Midas Awards® for excellence in financial advertising announced the shortlist for its 2017 competition towards the end of December 2017.

Etiket’s shortlisted work titled Harmonograph, was created to market the FNB Franchise Leadership Summit with the theme ‘Disruption’.

IAB SA announces 2018 Bookmarks Jury President & Jury Chairs

Jerry Mpufane will serve as Jury President as this year’s Bookmarks Awards. Mpufane is chairman of the M&C Saatchi Abel JHB Group and has more than 20 years’ experience in brand marketing. He takes over from John Dixon who served as Jury President for four years.

Chairing the marketers jury panel is Tseliso Rangaka, executive creative director of Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town. The publishers jury panel will be chaired by SABC stalwart Izak Minnaar, and the new gamers jury panel is headed by Danielle Mascher of Liquorice. Lorraine Landon, head of agencies at Google SA is chairing the performers jury panel while Luke Judeikin, co-founder and co-CEO of Superbalist.com is chairing the builders jury panel. The Innovative Engineers jury panel will be chaired by Native VML’s integrated art director, Jade Amic.

Each jury panel oversees a number of judging categories. Bookmarks 2018 judging features two rounds – remote and onsite. The finalists will be announced on 8 February, in advance of the onsite judging weekend. This year’s judges will evaluate well over 600 entries across 74 categories.

Ticket sales for the event, being held on 1 March, are available now here.

Upcoming events, courses, workshops to note

Free data journalism courses at StoryLab

The StoryLab Academy is designed to address the skills gap with free courses in Data Journalism, Verification, Security, Geo Journalism, Multimedia and Investigative Reporting. Each course is broken down into short lessons of no more than 15 minutes in length and can be completed at journalist’s own pace.

According to the recently published report by the International Center for Journalists, The State of Technology in Global Newsrooms, around 70% of newsrooms in Sub-Saharan Africa describe themselves as digital only or a hybrid of new and old technology but only around half of the new hires have experience with digital publishing tools.

The StoryLab Academy operates in four key ways:

• By partnering with newsrooms and universities, we take classroom materials to working journalists and students as part of their organization’s training and development programmes in 12 African Cities.
• Through the network of Hacks/Hackers chapters, we are hosting regular events using the same training materials for audiences of journalists, activists, and technologists who don’t have organizational access to our courses.
• At the end of this month, we will be launching our Massively Open Online Course (MOOC). These course materials will be free for all to access and will supplement the taught courses and provide training for journalists not able to take part in physical sessions.

Be sure to Register here today for unlimited access to resources to take your career to the next level.

HeavyChef: 2018 is upon us and it’s already krrrazy 

Blockchain in its various forms is set to dazzle us even further. Crypto is still compelling, despite what Warren has to say. Artificial intelligence is scary as bejezus, but staggering in its utility and scope. Drones are getting smarter, AR is getting even weirder and some rich humans are planning to live forever.

And frikken robots everywhere – seriously tho, how cool?

If we learned anything from 2017 it’s that the world is increasingly becoming “VUCA”.

What the hell is “VUCA”, I hear you say – ?

It stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. If you like, you can shout it loud, like “vukaaaaaa!” (this will impress your colleagues and neighbours).

2018 will undoubtedly continue on the same trajectory. That’s both awesomely exciting and decidedly terrifying. So what should you be thinking about as we embark on a new year full of change, unpredictability and, yes, even opportunity?

In true Heavy Chef style, we’ve invited two peeps who have been getting stuck into these fascinating topics to share their knowledge with us.

Craig Wing is the ex-Head of Small Business Marketing at Google South Africa. Craig is also a serial entrepreneur who has worked in Africa, Europe and San Francisco – and currently travels the world advising smart people on current trends in technology.

Mike Perk is the founder of WWC, the digital transformation firm that he started with yours truly, moi, woop! Mike is one of the finest facilitators and consultants working on the African continent – and by far one of the smartest peeps that I’ve ever worked with.

Craig and Mike will present “The Future & How To Apply It” in Johannesburg on Thursday 25th January at the gleaming OPEN Workspace in Sandton. And in Cape Town on 30 January at 17 Dock road.

Writing courses at Writers Write

Johannesburg Timetable:

Mail news@writerswrite.co.za for information.