Tiso Blackstar’s Lisa MacLeod elected vice president of WAN-IFRA. Katopodis to leave EWN. Vizeum SA strengthens its leadership team. Tribeca welcomes three interns to its 2018 internship programme. Cartoon Network looking for new animation talent in Africa. Die Burger changes frequency and format of Eastern Cape edition. Fox Sports partners with Sun International on WBA Africa Boxing Tournaments in SA. Publicis shifting promotional budget away from events and awards. HOSTRIVER launches innovative professional DIY Website Building services for SMEs. GALA releases second edition of Global Social Media Advertising Guide. WWF South Africa and People’s Weather get Down2Earth. New events council created.
This week’s BIG move: Tiso Blackstar’s Lisa MacLeod elected vice president of WAN-IFRA.
Lisa MacLeod, head of Digital at Tiso Blackstar Group, was elected vice-president of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers at the 70th WAN-IFRA annual congress in Estoril, Portugal. Seven executives from leading news media companies were also elected to new terms on the board of WAN-IFRA.
”I am very honoured to be appointed to the board of WAN-IFRA, and grateful for the opportunity to serve this respected organisation at this time. The media industry is undergoing enormous change, primarily through digital transformation and the decline of print, and I hope to bring some of my experience in this area to WAN-IFRA, as an industry body that is trusted and relied on worldwide to lead and educate through such challenge,” said MacLeod.
MacLeod, together with Michael Golden (President), Paul Verwilt (Mediahuis, Belgium), David Callaway (The Street, US), make up the new presidency of WAN-IFRA.
The new board members of WAN-IFRA are:
- Alexander Mitteräcker, Publisher of Der Standard (Austria)
- Stoyana Georgieva, Founder and Editor in Chief of the online news site mediapool.bg (Bulgaria)
- Juan Guillermo Amaya Salcedo, CEO, El Tiempo (Colombia)
- Fatemah Farag, CEO Welad Elbalad Media (Egypt)
- Shailesh Gupta, CEO Jagran Prakashan (India)
- Karin Pettersson, Director Public Policy, Schibsted (Sweden)
- Yildirim Demiroren, CEO, Demiroren Holding (Turkey)
People moves
Katopodis to leave EWN
Eyewitness News editor in chief Katy Katopodis is leaving Primedia Broadcasting at the end of July after 20 years with the company. She will be starting her own media company “with two exceptional women with enormous professional integrity in the industry and who share my values and vision for the future of media in South Africa”.
Katopodis started her career at the broadcaster as a field reporting before co-hosting Talk at 9. She anchored the morning news before being appointed news editor in Johannesburg, and then editor in chief of EWN.
“Primedia Broadcasting has been a huge part of my life. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had and am immensely proud of what we have achieved at EWN. I leave behind a passionate team of people, who I have come to adore, and who have dedicated their careers to getting Inside the Truth with EWN. It has been my honour and privilege to lead this astounding team and to watch them shine year after year – story after story,” she said.
Primedia CEO Omar Essack said the company was grateful to her for her extraordinary contribution to EWN and to journalism in South Africa.
“We will miss her but are comforted that she leaves a strong team behind her, to continue the great work, and we wish her every success with her new venture.”
Vizeum SA strengthens its leadership team
Sthanda Manciya and Marvin Kgasoane have joined Vizeum as the new business unit heads for Vizeum South Africa. They will be responsible for managing core clients.
They equally boast over 20 years of media experience having worked with clients such as Unilever, DStv, MTN, McDonald’s and the Brandhouse. Manciya and Kgasoane will be reporting directly to Kelvin Storie (group MD for Vizeum SA). Kgasoane and Manciya hold a National Diploma in Advertising and a BA in Communications Science degree respectively.
On these new appointments, K Storie said, “I’m very pleased to welcome Sthanda and Marvin to the senior leadership team at Vizeum Johannesburg. Vizeum has experienced a great amount of growth over the past few years and now is the time to build up the leadership team to support staff and myself in helping drive the evolution of Vizeum. Both new joiners come with a wealth of knowledge and respective learnings, which will complement the team. Our value as an agency is people, and I’m looking forward in having their contribution towards the Vizeum culture. Vizeum’s position in the market is ‘Accelerating Business Growth Through Media’ – the need for strong, self-starters is even more prevalent and I have no doubt that both Sthanda and Marvin will delight our client base.
Tribeca welcomes three interns to its 2018 internship programme
Tribeca Public Relations has welcomed Crystelle Laljith, Lerato Mokoena and Minkateko Babane to its 2018 internship programme. Tribeca’s six-month internship programme includes full-time, on-the-job training with a dedicated, multi-skilled consultant team, combined with SETA-accredited NQF Level 5 training that covers leadership and emotional intelligence in the workplace.
“Tribeca believes that internships should afford workplace learners a comprehensive overview of every aspect that is required to work in a strategic public relations agency,” said Cian Mac Eochaidh, director at Tribeca. “Each intern is fully-integrated into one of our PR consultant teams and is given a full range of tasks to complete for that team’s clients, becoming an integral team member responsible for client service, event assistance, and participating in new business pitches.”
Mac Eochaidh said the company’s on-the-job leadership training, combined with the recognition of the important role that Emotional Intelligence plays in an individual’s success in the workplace, means interns are equipped and skilled to enter the public relations industry with a clearly defined career path ahead of them.
Cartoon Network looking for new animation talent in Africa
Cartoon Network has invited African creators to submit their short-form comedy project in the first ever Cartoon Network creative venture run in Africa.
Taking advantage of Africans’ humorous streak, and incredible storytelling abilities, Cartoon Network Africa has announced the launch of their brand new initiative, Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab, an African venture designed to bring innovative, local short form content to the channel, and its digital platforms, while reinforcing the local relevance of the brand.
In this ground-breaking move, Cartoon Network is addressing the gap in locally relevant content which offers a viewing experience that resonates with its African audience. The initiative will encourage African talents: creators, writers, graphic artists, animation students to explore their creative, animation and production talents and have the chance to produce a short-form animated comedy to make Cartoon Network viewers across Africa laugh out loud.
Entries for the Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab will be open from until 31st August 2018 across the continent. African residents, aged 18 and over, or any African-based company, can submit their one-minute to three-minute creative short project which must fall in the comedy genre and fit with Cartoon Network’s values of random, irreverent, smart and contemporary humour. Editorial guidelines can be found here.
Business moves
Die Burger changes frequency and format of Eastern Cape edition
From 20 July 2018, Die Burger’s Eastern Cape edition will only be published in print format on Fridays, Media24 has announced. On the other weekdays, the full edition will be available as e-publications on Netwerk24, digital home of Media24’s Afrikaans publications.
Esmaré Weideman, CEO of Media24, said most of Media24’s newspapers are performing well, but in the Eastern Cape – where advertisers increasingly prefer the wider reach of the company’s strong portfolio of community newspapers – it was unfortunately no longer sustainable to publish Die Burger with its relatively low circulation in its current paper format and to distribute it across such a large region.
She emphasised that there were no plans to stop publishing Die Burger in the Eastern Cape. “Our connection with the region goes back eight decades to 1937 and we are determined to continue our presence – also in the interest of retaining high-quality Afrikaans journalism to the benefit of the province.” According to Weideman, the changes are in line with the company’s strategy to strengthen its position as Africa’s leading digital publisher while continuing to run a highly successful print media business.
Die Burger in the Western Cape, published since 1915 and Media24’s longest-running daily newspaper, is financially sound and not affected by the change in frequency at its sister paper.
Fox Sports partners with Sun International on WBA Africa Boxing Tournaments in SA
FOX Sports and Sun International have partnered on a multiyear agreement which will see a series of WBA (World Boxing Association) boxing events take place at Sun International venues throughout South Africa. The events will attract some of Africa’s most talented boxers who will compete for the various WBA Pan African titles.
In February of 2017, FOX Sports, the global leader in premium sports broadcasting, launched the Africa Boxing series staging its first tournament in Nairobi, Kenya, and the momentum has not stopped. With four tournaments in 2017 and several planned for 2018 and beyond, Africa Boxing events will give African boxers the opportunity to showcase their skills to a global audience. Over the course of 2017, 12 WBA Pan-African champions were crowned at FOX Sports Africa boxing events in Kenya and Botswana.
The partnership between Fox Sports and Sun International will commence with an event at Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom on the 27 of June. Carnival City is set to host the next event on 20 July.
Publicis shifting promotional budget away from events and awards
Publicis Groupe is shifting its promotional budget away from industry events and awards shows until 1 July 2018 in order to focus on the development of its Marcel platform. The Groupe’s policy has been scrupulously followed throughout the year.
For the sake of clarity and because this initiative began on the Croisette at last year’s festival, Publicis Groupe would like to share the detail of its involvement in the 2018 Cannes Lions Festival.
Publicis Groupe has kept to its own strict rules concerning awards submissions and has not entered any work in this year’s Cannes Lions festival on its own behalf, bar one exception. In support of creative excellence and out of respect for this awards submission pause, some of the Groupe’s clients and partners have taken on the cost of entering what they consider to be award-worthy campaigns developed by Publicis Groupe agencies. This represents 399 campaigns as of 9 June.
The only exception to this is BBH London’s ‘3 Billboards’ campaign for Justice4Grenfell, the organisation trying to get justice for the victims of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster in London. Publicis Groupe is proud to support this cause and creativity for good at the Cannes Lions.
At the invitation of the Festival, Publicis Groupe will present Marcel on Tuesday 19 June at 3:00 PM CET on the main stage of the Palais des Festivals.
HOSTRIVER launches innovative professional DIY Website Building services for SMEs.
South African Internet solutions company, HOSTRIVER, has launched its website builder service aimed at the small to medium enterprise (SME) sector. The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) website building platform affords SMEs the opportunity to take control of their online presence with an affordable and easy to implement professional online web building service.
Founder and CEO of HOSTRIVER, Madoda Khuzwayo, a perennial entrepreneur, understands the power of a professional online presence, hence his commitment to assisting fellow Africans get their foot on the digital ladder.
“From the get go, businesses should be able to create and own their own digital architecture presenting it to their audiences with as much professionalism as possible – website, email and all that comes with being operational in a digital world. A website is a digital shop window and possibly the most powerful tool any business has to create that first impression and start trading, so it needs to be easy to implement and maintain,” he said.
Khuzwayo also believes that what sets HOSTRIVER apart is that the company retains its own entrepreneurial spirit and approach. Consequently, it understands what start-ups and small businesses need, and what it takes to grow with them.
Making moves
WWF South Africa and People°s Weather get Down2Earth
WWF South Africa and People°s Weather have teamed up to create a fresh new programme on the popular DStv channel (180) to look at some of the most important environmental issues of the day and to help consumers make more sustainable choices.
Titled Down2Earth, the show finds presenter YFM DJ Da Kruk (aka Kutloano Nhlapo) on a quest to educate himself about his place on Planet Earth and what he can do for the environment.
To find out more, he travels to iconic spaces like the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and Braamfontein in Johannesburg to chat to WWF experts about everything from plastic pollution to public transport. Part of his mission is to help consumers understand how their everyday actions can bring about change for the better.
The first programme in the series was aired on World Environment Day on 5 June on WWF-SA’s YouTube channel. Filmed at the V&A Waterfront, it features John Duncan, senior manager of WWF-SA’s marine programme, talking about plastic pollution and what ordinary people can do to stop single-use plastics ending up in our oceans. You can watch this episode again on the WWF YouTube channel.
Down2Earth airs at 6.30pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
SA’s biggest restaurant directory now more powerful, portable and practical
Eat Out, SA’s best guide to SA’s best food, officially launched its new app on Monday. Owned by New Media, the Eat Out app represents the company’s largest investment in technology to date.
The free app provides consumers with access to South Africa’s largest directory of restaurants to browse, review and book, and is now available via the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Alongside the app, Eat Out has built a bookings platform, designed with the needs of local restaurants in mind.
“As the biggest restaurant listings site in the country, this was an opportunity to guide our audience along every step of the eating out process,” said Aileen Lamb, managing director of New Media. “It is a tool that South Africa needed and, as such a defining brand in the restaurant industry, Eat Out had to fill this gap. By putting the ability to make bookings straight into our users’ hands, we hope to make this process smoother and less stressful than ever before.”
The Eat Out app means putting over 6 000 restaurants – South Africa’s largest restaurant directory – right into the hands of potential diners.
The app and bookings system are a collaboration between Naspers and New Media, a division of Media24, a Naspers subsidiary. It was developed by a team of senior software developers at Naspers led by Product Specialist Evan Person.
New events council created
In a bid to elevate careers in the event industry, promote excellence and professionalism, the Council of Event Professionals Africa (CEPA) has been created.
The brainchild of the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI), the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) Africa, and the Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa, CEPA aims to fulfil the need to create recognised standards of competency and experience within the industry.
Magnetic Storm CEO, Glenn van Eck has been appointed as the chairperson of CEPA. “There is a wealth of experience in the event industry, but a skills gap will soon exist. Young professionals are entering the industry with predominantly academic and theoretical knowledge, and the elders of the industry with decades of experience will soon be stepping out and retiring,” he said. “Our aim is to give young professionals a solid career path and to upgrade industry certifications.”
GALA releases second edition of Global Social Media Advertising Guide
The Global Advertising Lawyers Alliance (GALA) has released the second edition of Social Media: A Global Legal Perspective. The book summarises the laws and self-regulatory guidance governing advertising in social media in more than 65 countries, from Argentina to Zimbabwe. The book is available on Amazon and directly from GALA .
“We are very pleased to release the second edition of Social Media: A Global Legal Perspective,” said Jeffrey A. Greenbaum, chairman of GALA and managing partner of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz in New York. “This revised and expanded edition should be a useful resource to marketers who are using social media to connect with consumers around the world.”
GALA’s Social Media book is part of a series of advertising law guides published by GALA, which also includes Advertising Law, Alcohol Advertising, Ambush Marketing, Green Marketing, and Sweepstakes & Contests. These books are also available on Amazon and directly from GALA.
