Biko chosen to chair board in new Ogilvy appointments. Bongani Mtolo retracts resignation from ECR. Lesego Kotane moves into MD role at King James The Second. Duke appoints Gareth Cohen as creative director. Turkish Airlines embarks on exclusive sponsorship with CNN in global brand campaign. Private audience marketplace AdJoin migrates to Real-Time DMP. New on-demand service offers administration to individuals, SMEs. Workforce Holdings acquires the Dyna Training Group. Publicis Groupe Africa moves to East City Precinct in CT. JT Comms calls for the stories of SA’s entrepreneurs. Merrell sponsors NFB Great Zuurberg Trail Run. Universal Music Group expands into Nigeria.JT Comms calls for the stories of SA’s entrepreneurs. ITWeb Brainstorm CIO Directory out now
This week’s BIG move: Biko chosen to chair board in new Ogilvy appointments
Ogilvy South Africa has announed the appointments of Nkosinathi Biko and Nozukiso Siyotula to its board of directors. The appointments will expand and deepen the skills and experience at the agency.
Biko has been appointed as the new chairman of the board. He is the former CEO of the Steve Biko Foundation and a founder member of the board of trustees, having chaired the Foundation for its first five years.
Nonzukiso ‘Zukie’ Siyotula joins the board as a non-executive director. Siyotula was CEO of Thebe Capital, having also worked at Barclays Africa Group, Old Mutual Retail Mass, Royal Bafokeng Holdings and South African Breweries.
“Zukie and I both bring fresh perspectives, as well as experience to the board,” said Biko. “We look forward to being part of Ogilvy’s exciting new strategic direction following our recent re-founding as a fully integrated global creative network.”
“We will continue to make brands matter by embracing the innovations of the digital revolution, through our new organisational design, through partnerships and through new offerings in the consulting space,” said Biko.
“We will amplify our client-centric philosophy to ensure our client brands remain culturally relevant and make a difference in our society.”
People moves
Bongani Mtolo retracts resignation from ECR
Following the press release issued by East Coast Radio on Friday, 20 July announcing the departure of drive time presenter Bongani Mtolo, East Coast Radio has announced Mtolo has retracted it, and subsequently signed a two year contract with the station.
“After much consideration regarding my resignation from East Coast Radio and weighing up the other opportunities available to me, I decided that it was not the right time for me to leave the station,” Mtolo said.
He added that he had worked extremely hard to be appointed as the drive presenter and that the show is on an upward trajectory and he still has a lot he wants to achieve at the station.
Zane Derbyshire, programming manager for East Coast Radio said, “I am thrilled that Bongani has decided to stay with us. He is a talent, someone who is loved by our listeners, great to work with and most importantly puts our brand first.”
Listen to East Coast Drive with Bongani and Mags, weekdays from 3-6pm.
Lesego Kotane moves into MD role at King James The Second
Since joining the King James Group as strategic planning partner five years ago, just four months after King James the Second opened its doors, Lesego Kotane has been instrumental in establishing the group’s presence in Johannesburg as part of the senior leadership team. In his new role as managing director, effective 1 August 2018, he will steer the agency through its next phase of growth, while further entrenching its integrated communications offering and channel-neutral approach in the region.
“Lesego came in with an energy that was immediately felt across the group. His depth of insight and absolute passion for the creative product has made him an invaluable member of the senior team and Alistair and I have had our eye on him for some time now as a key future leader in the business. We’re pleased to announce that that future is now,” commented James Barty, CEO at the King James Group.
Kotane says that having come in at a partner level, his focus has always been broader than his strategy role, “I have always been fully invested in the agency, its people and the clients who entrust us with their brands. And I am truly excited by the enormous opportunity (and responsibility) that this new position creates.”
He will be supported by Charles Matterson who will now focus on client service and operations.
Duke appoints Gareth Cohen as creative director
Ad industry heavyweight Gareth Cohen has recently been appointed as creative director at DUKE. Cohen has over 15 years of creative experience to his name, having honed his skills at the likes of Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDO and most recently as creative director at Y&R Cape Town. He has won numerous local and international awards in a myriad of different mediums.
Cohen is the second senior staff member to join DUKE’s team of high-ranking creative talent in recent months. DUKE CEO. Wayne Naidoo said of his appointment: “Gareth is renowned for his expertise as a conceptual thinker and creative problem solver. We are thrilled to be able to benefit from his excellent integrative approach to the business, across all our client brands, budgets and media.”
Added Cohen, “At present, the ad industry as a whole is in a strange place and traditional and conventional business models are not changing quickly enough. So I’m excited that at DUKE we have the flexibility to try things differently. We won’t always get it right, but we will be able to adapt quicker than the competition.”
FitLikeMummy makes Natasha Kisten-Skuce ambassador for FIBO Global Fitness Africa
FIBO Global Fitness Africa has welcomed the fitness influencer, Natasha Kisten-Skuce aka FitLikeMummy, as the face and body ambassador of the lifestyle and fitness show which takes place from 26 October to 28 October 2018 at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg.
Kisten-Skuce is an unadulterated, no-holds-barred blogger who has chosen to write about her journey from fat to fit. Her honest approach to fitness, health and wellness has meant that she has been able to connect and inspire a variety of people who are on their own fitness journeys.
Passionate about helping like-minded fitness enthusiasts, Kisten-Skuce is going to record her holistic nutrition and exercise programme, dedicated to helping women get back in shape slowly, safely and sustainably. Part of this ambassadorship will be her big reveal, which will take place at the FIBO Festival on 27 October. Natasha will also be hosting her Seven Meals Prep Show at the FitFood Zone on 28 October 2018.
Business moves
Turkish Airlines embarks on exclusive sponsorship with CNN in global brand campaign
Turkish Airlines is the exclusive sponsor of CNN International’s newest show – Quest’s World of Wonder – in a TV and digital campaign to raise awareness among business and leisure travellers that the airline is a leading global player flying to more countries and international destinations than any other airline.
Through a partnership with CNN International Commercial (CNNIC), the sponsorship of Quest’s World of Wonder sees Turkish Airlines billboards around every TV episode of the new immersive travel show. Each month the 30-minute show produced by CNN Vision follows the inimitable Richard Quest as he visits a different destination to dig deep into its DNA, exploring what drives a city and the people who live in it. The sponsorship also features a ground-breaking and stylish product placement that seamlessly integrates Turkish Airlines into the title sequence of each show, uniting CNN and Turkish Airlines in their shared passion for travel.
On digital, Turkish Airlines has exclusive advertising on a dedicated online destination within CNN Travel for the show and additional content about the cities that Quest explores. In addition, a Turkish Airlines brand campaign will run across various CNN TV and digital platforms later this year.
“This partnership is a compelling combination of first-rate content, innovative creative solutions and clever use of CNN’s various TV and digital platforms,” said Rani Raad, President, CNN International Commercial. “Turkish Airlines has an impressive story to tell about its ever-expanding customer offering, and with this project we’re delighted to provide them the opportunity to share this story with the world through the various CNN channels. As CNN continues to set the standard for the industry we relish working with partners such as Turkish Airlines who are willing to experiment with new ideas and go beyond traditional advertising solutions.”
Introducing Opinion Solutions, a mobile conversation-starter for brands, businesses, academics and everyone in-between
With a background in business management and marketing, Tanya van Tonder recognised that often when products and services fall flat it’s because the people making the decisions have failed to find out exactly what their targeted consumers really want.
In response to a very basic need to start a relationship and generate conversations between these parties she founded Opinion Solutions, a business that harnesses the power and reach of social media technology to build engaged communities. Van Tonder holds the exclusive African license to the powerful mobile platform, Upinion, an app that allows real-time responses and builds conversations between a company and its consumers.
“It’s like having hundreds of consumers in your boardroom every day. You can ask them exactly what you want, when you want and receive immediate, direct feedback,” says Van Tonder. “Consumers no longer want to be passive recipients, businesses that allow customers to feel like they have a say in the products and services they consume, build loyal and endearing relationships.”
e so many ways in which Upinion can be beneficial, be it grassroots, brand awareness, academic, in-house, corporate or anything you can think of,” says Van Tonder. “And we love a challenge. Let us know what information you need and we can craft the perfect solution.”
Private audience marketplace AdJoin migrates to world first, real time DMP
AdJoin Media has migrated to Real-Time data management platform (DMP) Permutive.
The new Real-Time DMP targeting functionality significantly increases the amount of monetiseable inventory by making users targetable in session. This is compelling as we continue to see increasing traffic coming off social platforms and these are not always repeat users.
The partnership also means the ability to target iOS users, AMP and Instant Pages, something other cookie based DMPs are unable to do by default.
“The decision to move is already having a significant impact on the business and the way it continues to scale. We’ve done extensive testing over the past months and with the real-time, ‘fingerprint’ technology, we are able to scale nearly 7X, meaning far better results for publishers and advertisers,” said MD Daniel Courtenay.
AdJoin currently works with more than 50 publishers across Africa.
Universal Music Group expands into Nigeria
Universal Music Group (UMG), the global music-based entertainment company, has announced a significant expansion of operations within Western Africa, with the launch of Universal Music Nigeria.
This new strategic division will operate from a new office in Lagos, under the leadership of seasoned music executive Ezegozie Eze Jr., who has been named general manager of Universal Music Nigeria.
Eze and his team will support artists from Nigeria, Ghana, and Gambia throughout the continent and beyond, utilising Universal Music Group’s global networks for wider discovery, marketing, promotion and distribution.
Eze, has previously held roles at Channel O Television, Empire Mates Entertainment (Banky W & WizKid) and was a founder of Pan-African creative companies, Republic 54, Alore Group, and Duma Collective, brings vital experience in the Nigerian music market. He will report to Sipho Dlamini, MD, Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Universal Music Group operates two successful live music companies within Africa, both of which will also have divisions within Universal Music Nigeria. Launched in 2017 in Johannesburg, UMG Live Africa has quickly become one of the leading talent booking agencies within the continent.
New on-demand service offers administration to individuals, SMEs
Boboyi Business Administrators is a new service company offering business administration services to individuals, small and medium companies around Gauteng where you can book a casual secretary, PA or administrator
“Our vision is to partner with unemployed youth and graduates in chasing this dream where we give you the support you need without having to worry about employing fulltime Office Assistant. You just visit our website and choose the hours you going to need (minimum is 3 hours per day) and book yourself an Administrator,” said founder Phumza Baboyi.
The company offers services such as general admin and clerical work, electronic and hard copy filing, data entry and scanning, research, producing presentations, client and staff liaison, customer queries, scheduling, invoicing and quotations and even co-ordinating events.
“If you are running a business and carrying all the load all because you think your business can’t afford an administrator, now you will have access to full time services without having to worry about paying a permanent staff member even when you don’t require their services,” said Baboyi.
Workforce Holdings acquires The Dyna Training Group
Workforce Holdings Limited has acquired The Dyna Group, comprising of a number of training businesses, with effect from 1 June 2018. The maximum purchase consideration is R79 million, depending on profits achieved over a three year period.
The Dyna Group is an award-winning provider of leadership, management and supervisory training courses. It boasts branches in Cape Town and Windhoek, as well as franchises in Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth. Its training programmes consist of proprietary accredited and non-accredited courses that are positioned just below formal business qualifications offered by tertiary educational institutions.
As a highly regarded training provider in its particular niche, this acquisition allows Workforce to further expand its training offering. Workforce is growing its training cluster both organically and by acquisition in order to further diversify the group’s earnings and revenue base.
Merrell sponsors NFB Great Zuurberg Trail Run
Merrell understands how word of mouth marketing is the best form of social media, and it’s this understanding that has driven the brand’s decision to be the support sponsor for the NFB Great Zuurberg Trail Run (GZTRun) for the second year.
Merrell sees the GZTRun as a key event in the South African trail running calendar and has committed to partnering with GZTRun by providing each entrant with a pair of trail-running shoes. “Getting local influencers onboard with us, and turning them into Merrell brand ambassadors is one of our focusses within the brand’s marketing,” remarked David Palmer from Medicus Shoes, the authorised distributor of Merrell brand footwear.
Word of mouth marketing means finding contemporary efforts to create experiences worthy of being passed from person-to-person. “For us, this means creating Merrell experiences at key events by putting our shoes on adventure seekers,” added Palmer.
Making moves
Publicis Groupe Africa moves to East City Precinct in CT
Publicis Groupe’s Cape-based agencies have chosen the East City Precinct as their new home. The agencies and the nearly 500 creative souls that staff them are migrating under one roof with the aim of encouraging collaboration and open source thinking.
The new building is now home to the fourteen specialist agencies including Arc, Digitas Liquorice, Incentiv, Leo Burnett, MSL, Nurun, Performics, Prodigious, Publicis Machine, Narrative, Saatchi & Saatchi, Moon Walk, Starcom and Zenith.
“The move to The Harrington on Harrington Street comes after the reinvention of the group from a holding company to an open, connecting platform,” says John Dixon, CEO at Publicis Groupe Africa.
According to Dixon, there are 14 individual cultures within the building that give clients unlimited access to industry experts. “Our approach is to encourage specialisation and to liberate each brand to have its own distinct culture,” he added. “While collapsing all our brands into a single, multi-skilled agency would have been the easy thing to do, we believe strongly in the benefit of retaining discipline specialists instead of a single, generalist brand.”
JT Comms calls for the stories of SA’s entrepreneurs
In another step to create purpose for entrepreneurs and market access, championing the underdog is at the core of a call to action to profile 100 Entrepreneurs in 100 Days.
“The business show Entrepreneur Connect Africa seeks to profile and tell entrepreneurial stories and inspire business dialogues around trade and calls for entrepreneurs to apply,” said Vanessa Perumal, MD of JT Comms on heeding the call on all South Africans and civil society to play a part in celebrating Nelson Mandela’s centenary.
Entrepreneur Connect Dialogues (ECD), a digital TV platform that addresses and helps to solve some of the countries problems in entrepreneurship through content, wants to share knowledge and business intelligence by using technology and data to make a difference in society.
The show is calling for one hundred entrepreneurs who would like to be profiled on the programme and share their business stories to send in applications to appear on new episodes that will air throughout the next year.
“We want to show though the programme, how humanity can co-exist with technology and delve more into how we can use these tools to alter models to grow our businesses. Evidently, this has to be done as the future relevance of data and technology now plays a huge role in business intelligence,” Perumel said.
For media queries and interview requests please email media@jtcomms.co.za or contact 011 788 7632.
ITWeb Brainstorm CIO Directory out now
The ninth edition of the annual ITWeb Brainstorm CIO Directory profiles over 200 of Africa’s top ICT decision-makers, providing a handy guide to the executives responsible for making the technology decisions at South Africa’s leading organisations, in both the public and private sectors.
In addition to 204 CIO profiles, this invaluable compendium provides professional focus articles examining how the CIO’s role is evolving in the era of digitalisation and business transformation.
“Every year, we endeavour to bring something fresh to the Directory. It is the picture we build, painted through the profiles, of the local landscape, where technology and business intersect that keeps evolving,” said Simon Foulds, editor of the Directory:
“We’ve also added a section to the profiles asking CIOs to single out the biggest issues affecting ICT.”
Ranka Jovanovic, editorial director of the ITWeb Group, says the Directory had become an eagerly anticipated `Who’s Who’ of the people who drive technology strategy in South Africa.
“Through Brainstorm’s prestigious monthly CIO roundtables, our long-standing partnership with the CIO Council of South Africa, and the recently introduced Public Sector ICT Forum, we are in constant conversation with the country’s top public- and private-sector CIOs.
“We are privileged to have their continued participation as we keep evolving the CIO Directory each year.”
