The Media Online’s weekly round up of moves in media. Ornico data now available on Telmar. DHL SA looks to the future with appointment of new MD. Takealot new sponsor for Berge & Dale road race. LaLiga signs as official Davis Cup sponsor. Facebook to open its first content review centre in Sub-Saharan Africa. South African AI tech start-up, Cortex Logic, secures investment to grow business beyond Africa. #iGiveBack – an initiative that aims at making a difference. Players’ Fund Project Hero sponsored by Canon SA
This week’s BIG move: Ornico data now available on Telmar
Ornico’s radio advertising event data in South Africa is now being made available through software provider, Telmar.
Telmar, long a staple of the advertising media planning landscape, will introduce additional software for radio post campaign data. The Ornico audited data will be available in this new online software.
“We are excited about making this data available for two reasons. Firstly, because agencies will be able to see the creatives and allow them to compare between categories accurately. Secondly, it will allow us to also include TV and print in the near future,” said Ornico’s Oresti Patricios.
The data, based on broadcast schedules, will now be supplemented by the Ornico data which is human verified, making it much more accurate. The platform will also allow users to select custom packaged categories based on various industries and sub-categories within those industries for further insights and intelligence.
Media planners, buyers, advertising agencies and brands will be able to search for radio advertisements in a much more granular fashion.
A great new addition is that the creative of the radio event is now also available and both creative and data can be easily exported for further analysis.
“We, at Telmar, are delighted to have a new database to provide to our many clients,” said Jennifer Daniel, Telmar’s managing director for Africa/Asia/Pacific. “Providing all our subscribers the opportunity to access an additional layer of intelligence – insights to not only advertising investment and station usage but the added ability to hear and see what the market has been exposed to.”
People moves
Who is Naledi Sibisi? New editor of The Throne
I am a blogger and writer when I narrow it down. I always lean on the title “creative” because of that and also, I have always considered myself a visual artist first. I didn’t feel comfortable to pursue my passion for visual art at the time I needed to register for my studies; so I leaned onto my writing and ended up loving that more. I always struggle to define myself. I change my vibe as often as I change my mind. I like to call myself a collection of contradictions.
Where did your passion for language stem from?
I think my background and general demeanour had a strong influence on my love for language and writing or rather, how much I leaned on it. I am more comfortable to express myself over a lengthy text than explain how I feel out loud. I have always written because I am not as vocal in person; I articulate myself better when I write. It went from a point of communication to something that I wanted to hone into and pursue professionally. When I studied English Literature, it made me fall more in love with the craft and technicality of the language. After graduating; majoring in English Literature, Media & Writing and Gender Studies – I launched my self-titled personal and lifestyle website to pursue these passions and focus on written content as well as content centred on beauty, fashion and entertainment in a more professional capacity. My primary focus has always been on the growth and development of women. I eventually decided that I wanted to be a recognizable and authoritative voice.
You’ve just been appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of The Throne magazine. What is your vision for the publication and what changes or expansions can we expect?
I want to place such a strong and deliberate focus on the youth. General conversations with my younger siblings expose me to so much every day in terms of how they think and operate’ so I really want to shine a light on the younger generation. I also want to redefine how we view media as public and how we consume it. I want the work to be appealing enough to overpower the attention spans of the readers. I really want to focus on more exciting and dynamic content by shining a spotlight on new and fresh faces while also paying homage to the pioneers in the industry.
Why is it important for publications to have young, culturally immersed Editors within today’s global climate?
Because young, culturally immersed Editors have the answers. I always consider it like this: I have young parents who have had to adjust and tolerate a lot because they understand the difference between how they were raised and the era in which they are raising us. Similarly, I think we always need to be cognizant of shifting times, dynamics, cultures and ideas in our everyday lives and especially in our professional lives. I always consider what I can learn from someone so I can only hope to be on the receiving end of that same energy. It is simply a different time so we need to adapt or die.
What can we expect from you over the next 5 years?
More young leaders of colour as a priority. I want to carry and take everyone with me on this journey. I really believe that we have important stories to tell and leave out in the world. I want cultivate a culture of authentic and respected voices in the media in Africa first and then internationally. I hope that is the legacy I can cultivate and leave behind.
DHL SA looks to the future with appointment of new MD
DHL has appointed Jed Michaletos as managing director of DHL Express South Africa, effective from 14 January 2019. Michaletos is responsible for driving business growth for the company in South Africa, with a strong focus on enhancing customer experience, employee engagement and service quality.
Michaletos joins DHL Express from the South African Revenue Service (SARS), where he held the position of chief officer of customs and excise for two years.
Prior to his role at SARS, Michaletos spent 18 years at Deloitte & Touche, where he held a number of positions – most notably Partner / Director from 2009 to 2015. He believes that this role greatly contributed to his ability to provide strategic leadership and oversight, whilst directing large teams to achieve excellent results.
Business moves
Takealot new sponsor for Berge & Dale road race
The Berge & Dale road cycling race will celebrate its 20th anniversary in style next month, with Takealot.com coming on board as naming sponsor for one of the country’s most popular events.
The annual race takes place in Krugersdorp on the West Rand on 23 February, starting and finishing at the Silverstar Casino. The feature distance will be over 108km, while there is also an offering of 60km.
A premier seeding event for the Cape Town Cycle Tour, it presents another chance for race organisers ASG Events and Takealot, the country’s biggest online store, to cement their growing partnership.
Having already sponsored one of the country’s premier road stage tours in the Tour of Good Hope, Takealot chief marketing officer Julie-Anne Walsh said the Berge & Dale formed part of their long-term strategy. “Thanks to our close relationship with ASG, this is more than just adding immediate value,” she said. “Takealot’s aim is to establish itself as a cycling destination so anything that can help us achieve that, such as visibility at events like this, is key.”
LaLiga signs as official Davis Cup sponsor
The International Tennis Federation and Kosmos Tennishave announced an agreement with LaLiga to become an official sponsor of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Finals for the next four years.
LaLiga will promote the Davis Cup Finals through their international broadcasts in Europe, Asia, Africa, United States and Latin America. Thanks to this agreement, LaLiga and its clubs will increase their global visibility and reach a new audience through tennis fans across the world.
LaLiga is a global reference as a sports and entertainment brand with a reach of 2.7 billion viewers across nearly 200 countries worldwide. Through this deal, the Davis Cup, the largest annual international men’s team tournament, will increase its global audience reaching millions of tennis fans and new audiences of sports enthusiasts.
Facebook to open its first content review centre in Sub-Saharan Africa
As part of its continued investment across Sub-Saharan Africa and commitment to safety and security on our platform, Facebook is opening a new content review centre in Nairobi, Kenya. In partnership with Samasource – one of the largest digital employers in East Africa and a leading social enterprise — the site in Nairobi will be Facebook’s first content review centre in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will employ approximately 100 reviewers by the end of the year, who will support a number of languages, including Somali, Oromo, Swahili and Hausa.
Commenting on the forthcoming opening of the centre, Ebele Okobi, Facebook’s public policy director, Africa said: “This further highlights our commitment to serving the community of people using our platforms across Africa, as well as our commitment to continuing to invest and partner locally across the continent. I am delighted that through our partnership with Samasource we will be opening our first content review centre here in Africa.”
South African AI tech start-up, Cortex Logic, secures investment to grow business beyond Africa
Cortex Logic is an African Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and solutions company that helps businesses solve complex business problems using the power of AI.
Cortex Logic Founder and CEO Dr Jacques Ludik said of an investment into the business that it was “a great endorsement not only of our team, products and growth strategy but also an acknowledgement the reality that enterprises around the world are now deploying artificial intelligence powered solutions to secure a competitive advantage – this cannot the ignored”.
Ludik said Cortex Logic was already established in South Africa and expansion plans not only encompassed Africa but also UK and USA. “We have a range of artificial intelligence based business technologies, platforms and services,” he said. “We are consulting with and supporting some of the most prominent brands in SA of which a number are JSE listed and global businesses in a range of sectors, from mining to banking, health to insurance and communications to retail. Every sector of commerce will be impacted by AI and we are now attracting interest from Europe and USA, so this is just a natural step in our growth plan.”
Making moves
#iGiveBack – an initiative that aims at making a difference
SchoolMedia has launched the #iGiveBack – an initiative aimed at helping youth in need. The donation drive focuses on supplying underprivileged schools with necessities such as stationery, laptops, tablets, school shoes, food and other necessities.
This initiative sees SchoolMedia partnering with local celebrities such as Gemini Major – a South Africa rapper and producer, Sam Lehoko – a radio presenter and TV personality as well as other prominent figures and key speakers, giving motivational talks to school children.
SchoolMedia has put up a pledge wall at each of the chosen schools, for people to sign once they have made their contributions. “Giving back is important as it strengthens communities and creates unity amongst people from different sectors in the name of a common cause,” said MD, Khethi Ngwenya.
Players’ Fund Project Hero sponsored by Canon SA
Since 1980, the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund has been Rugby’s Caring Hands in South Africa. When rugby injury changes a life, the Fund steps in to offer help and hope by ensuring that the injured players retain their dignity and lead fulfilled and as far as possible – independent lives.
It is the Players’ Fund’s belief that South African rugby players and supporters need to see, understand and feel these heroic stories which will inspire and pose the question – How do they do it?
This will be achieved with Project Hero, a visual narrative using photography and videos to tell the stories of five rugby players all from very different backgrounds, whose lives were altered by a debilitating injury. Each of them volunteered to open a small window into their lives, giving photographer Nardus Engelbrecht and videographer Halden Krog the rare opportunity of capturing moments in their day that most viewers would never have been exposed to. Images range from the very early morning routine of Captain Quenton Steele, ensuring that he gets to work at the SA Navy in Simonstown on time, to the 25minute motorised wheelchair ride home from work for Amos Mzimeli, along rutted dirt tracks in his village in the Eastern Cape. These images evoke strong emotions and will move anyone who sees them.
