The Media Online’s weekly round up of moves in media. New ROOTS 2019 has grown. Ellah Ndlovu joins the In Touch Media team. Avatar Agency appoints Mzamo Xala as head of strategy. Jason Zellie joins Mark 1 Media. Leigh Bremdridge joins bad-ass internet radio station, The Eye. South African AI start-up expands team. Clickatell helps MTN South Africa become the first telco to launch chat commerce on WhatsApp. NMPi in SA-first partnership with global product feeds specialist, Feedonomics. NBA and YouTube partner to launch live fames on League’s first channel dedicated to fans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Social enterprise experts recruiting 120 creative entrepreneurs. Mobiclicks clients go cruising. Details on the April Joburg Podmeet
This week’s BIG move: New ROOTS 2019 has grown
ROOTS 2019, the largest, most robust, quantitative community survey of urban South Africa, will launch its latest set of results in June
The ROOTS survey provides single source information from over 27 000 randomly selected face-to-face interviews across many South African urban communities, using a proven, credible methodology.
“Along with the inclusion of new industry metrics like SEMs plus LSMs, we’ve added new areas across the country, included more categories and even added questions on game-changers like Uber and Gautrain,” said Debbie McIntyre, marketing services and research director at SPARK Media.
“ROOTS 2019 insights, will enable marketers and advertisers to understand who their market is, how they’ve changed, where they live and shop, how they behave and how to reach them.”
As well as the traditional categories like Food and Groceries, Auto, Appliances, Home Accessories, Clothing, Shopping Centres, DIY, Travel, Finance and Insurance, more detail has been added on Health and Wellbeing, Buying/Renting a Home, Loyalty Cards, Mobility including ‘how’ and ‘how far’ consumers are willing to travel to shop. Other additions include connectivity, entertainment (yes, even Streaming) and even data on some life milestones too.
The real win for users is that this trendable big data set can be analysed at a combined big, broad picture level or distilled down to community by community detail providing opportunities for marketers looking for changes, differences and gaps.
“As digital technology integrates itself in all parts of life, we have included these options as they relate to peoples search, shopping, entertainment and reading behaviour too,” McIntyre said.
People moves
Ellah Ndlovu joins the In Touch Media team
In Touch Media has announced the appointment of Ellah Ndlovu to the business.
Prior to joining In Touch Media, Ndlovu held the position of account director at Posterscope. She began her career in the industry with Nu-Venture Media, thereafter spending time with MMAP as a brand manager.
“Ellah has very strong and solid experience within the Out of Home industry and will complement and strengthen the business in Gauteng. Her strategic foundation and insight into the needs of marketers, as well as her exceptional relationships with media-owners, will ensure we continue to offer a turn-key and professional service to clients, whilst we continue to grow our client base,” said managing director, Margie Carr.
In Touch Media is a specialist Out of Home advertising media agency providing a full boutique of services from strategy, planning, management and completion of OOH campaigns throughout the campaign duration.
Avatar Agency appoints Mzamo Xala as head of strategy
Avatar has appointed Mzamo Xala as head of strategy. Xala is an experienced strategist who has been in the industry for over 20 years.
Xala started his career in early 1999 as a strategic analyst for international advertising agency TBWA, this position was then followed by several other management inclined roles at companies like Diageo where he was the innovation manager, Unilever where he served as marketing insights manager and Virgin Mobile South Africa where he was the head of brand experience.
Xala then headed for the sports industry and assumed the role of marketing manager at the South African Rugby Union also known as SA Rugby.
Xala joins the Avatar family straight from his role at Vodacom as the Executive Head of Department, focusing on Insight and Analytics.
“Xala has built a solid reputation and a formidable track record in the marketing and advertising industry, his expertise and in-depth knowledge of the industry are what attracted us to him, said Veli Ngubane Group MD of Avatar.” He has worked in various sectors and with a diverse range of clients and brands which makes him very sought-after.
Jason Zellie joins Mark 1 Media
Mark1 has welcomed Jason Zellie in his role as head of search. Zellie will be responsible for mentoring and leading the existing team of paid search specialists and growing the search portfolio.
“I am incredibly excited to join a prestigious agency like Mark1,” Zellie said. “I plan to maintain and improve the excellent work the team already delivers”
He brings an array of skills with 10 years’ experience in the digital marketing space, cutting his teeth in performance marketing while working closely with Rocket Internet (Zando.co.za). “My favourite task and the top of my to-do list is to audit all search accounts, absorbing the data and optimising to achieve the best performance according to client KPI’s.”
Zellie has experience across a wide range of e-commerce retail clients and well as in the financial industry.
“We are very honoured and excited at the prospect of Jason joining our team!” said Joe Steyn-Begley, director at Mark1 “He is an extremely knowledgeable and well-respected search specialist and will definitely bolster our Paid Media offering even further”
Leigh Bremdridge joins bad-ass internet radio station, The Eye
Actress Leigh Bremridge (known for her roles in Natalee Holloway, SAF3, Blood Driveand the upcoming Sunu Gonera directed film, Riding with Sugar, has joined the highly popular and oh so bad-ass internet radio station, The Eye – the brainchild of radio royalty Jon Savage and Cath Grenfell.
“I actually started an online radio show last year on Hashtag Radio, but after it was sold, I met Cath Grenfell, in the hopes of interviewing her on my show. We just clicked and she invited me to join them at The Eye, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to work with her and Jon Savage. One of the two new shows I’ve created is with Bertie Erasmus and it’s called ‘Xposed’ with our tagline: ‘it’s gluten and gender free’. It runs the gamut of the masculine vs feminine perspective on mating, dating and relating in the world today. I’m also doing my own interview-style monthly special, called ‘Bareback Stories’ and that carries the tagline: ‘No condom on the conversation’, which speaks for itself. So lots of exciting things are happening.”
South African AI Tech Start-Up, Cortex Logic, Expands Team at New Office HQ
South African based Artificial Intelligence Software & Solutions provider Cortex Logic is joined by Chief Operating Officer Mr Jacques De Kock as the company expands its team at new HQ Offices in Cape Town.
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 leverage their unique AI Engine for Business that solves strategic and operationally relevant problems by mobilizing Data Science, Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data & Analytics.
Cortex Logic Founder and CEO Dr Jacques Ludik who recently was awarded African AI Leader of the Year 2019 said, “We are on an aggressive growth strategy as the World gears up for the deployment and operationalization of real-world Artificial Intelligence in the Enterprise, we needed to bring on Executives who could not only hit the ground running but who have a solid understanding of how to grow a business that is leveraging cutting edge, IR4.0 technologies”.
Business moves
Clickatell helps MTN South Africa become the first telco to launch chat commerce on WhatsApp
MTN South Africa has partnered with global customer engagement company, Clickatell, to launch MTN Chat, enabling its customers to engage with the telco over WhatsApp.
MTN Chat will enable customers to initiate the purchase of airtime and data bundles within their WhatsApp chat session. Over time, clients will also be able to access customer support and self-service options, including performing upgrades, managing their accounts, and receiving low balance alerts. MTN Chat forms part of MTN’s vision to significantly enhance its digital business offering to boost its customer base through advanced services.
“Clickatell understands that mobile operators are under increasing pressure to deliver excellent customer service over the digital channels their customers prefer,” said Pieter de Villiers, Clickatell Founder & CEO. “By offering convenient services over a secure, convenient channel, MNOs can both increase their transactional volume and attract and retain customers – something that is paramount in an age of continuous digital transformation and growing competition.”
NMPi in SA-first partnership with global product feeds specialist, Feedonomics
IncuBeta Group, through its specialist digital marketing agency, NMPi, has launched a shopping feeds optimisation service together with global product feeds platform specialist, Feedonomics. The partnership, the first of its kind in the South African market, will allow NMPi to offer both its local and global clients an optimisation service to create dynamically responsive digital marketing campaigns that deliver significantly better returns.
“Feed optimisation is one of the more complex aspects of setting up and managing a digital sales campaign. This is especially true for e-commerce organisations that offer sizeable inventories, like retailers, travel companies and even real estate agencies,” said Andrew Smit, NMPi’s head of data solutions. “Working closely with Feedonomics has already delivered exceptional results to our international clients and we are seeing solid interest from our South African clients as well.”
Auditpro appoints Hook, Line & Sinker (HLS) Communications
Auditpro has appointed content specialists Hook, Line & Sinker (HLS) as its communications agency of choice. Commencing in April, HLS will strategically drive and implement all PR and marketing activities to support the specialist assurance, advisory, accounting and tax services firm to heighten brand awareness and increase stakeholder engagement.
Established in 1984, Audipro has firmly established itself over the last 35 years catering to the nation’s small and medium sized businesses. MD Nestene Botha said, “We felt it was time to change our marketing and communications game and what better way than appointing a new agency with refreshing ideas. We were instantly captivated with Hook, Line & Sinker’s award winning services that incorporate traditional and digital platforms. Auditpro required strong financial PR experience, local and Pan-African media reach, and heaps of enthusiasm, and HLS showcased exactly that.”
NBA and YouTube partner to launch live fames on League’s first channel dedicated to fans in Sub-Saharan Africa
The National Basketball Association and YouTube have announced the launch of the NBA’s first YouTube channel dedicated to fans in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to featuring two live games per week in primetime for the rest of the 2018-19 season, including the Playoffs, Conference Finals and The Finals, the NBA Africa YouTube channel will celebrate the impact of African players in the NBA. The channel will also showcase the league’s long history of growing basketball at all levels across the continent and using the game as a platform to inspire and empower African youth.
The channel will feature original and archived programming, including a collaboration with Africa-based YouTube creators on original content, a customized weekly magazine show and NBA documentaries featuring current and former African players and legends.
Making moves
Social enterprise experts recruiting 120 creative entrepreneurs
The British Council in partnership with Seed Academy and the Social Enterprise Academy are recruiting 120 creative social entrepreneurs in Cape Town and Johannesburg to take part in a fully-funded, high impact business accelerator programme.
This four-month business development programme will include in-depth, bespoke coaching from international and local social enterprise experts designed to support creative social enterprises that are at the ideation and growth stages to build or enhance their business models and bring social impact to the forefront of their work. The programme aims to help these creative social enterprises to become funding ready and/or access new market opportunities.
Participants for this selective programme will be recruited through a competitive online application process and can include enterprises operating in the performing arts, creative arts, fashion and textile design through to stage and set design, graphic design and film and television. The four-month programme will be running consecutively in three groups of 20 entrepreneurs each in both Cape Town and Johannesburg – putting 120 entrepreneurs through the programme between May to December 2019.
The accelerator is being delivered as part of the British Council’s Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE) Programme which supports the growth of creative and social enterprises at systemic, institutional and individual levels as a means of addressing entrenched social problems and supporting youth employment, gender equality and greater opportunities for people with disabilities and members of marginalised communities.
Mobiclicks clients go cruising
Mobile advertising specialist Mobiclicks recently spent four days cruising the waters off Durban as part of its strategy around building meaningful relationships with clients while keeping them abreast of the many mobile marketing opportunities on the horizon.
Clients aboard the MSC Musica were briefed on the latest mobile, location-based and digital ad-syncing technologies by experts on these high-return technologies such as Mobiclicks’ Chris Wilson, the firm’s Advertising & Partnerships Director.
He spoke about the opportunities inherent technologies that sync traditional television and radio campaigns with social media advertising, as well as trigger moments such as finance, weather, sport and other key instances. He also evangelised the mobile marketing technology of geofencing and how to build audiences for brands that can be re-targeted at key moments.
Mobiclicks is the exclusive African partner for Silverpush & Blis. Blis has received funding from various VCs’, including Unilever and has emerged as the global pioneer in advanced location data technology.
For the Diary
Details on the April Joburg Podmeet
It’s almost time for another one of our podcaster’s meetups. This time Duncan McLeod from TechCentral joins us to share his experiences and answer your questions. RSVP today and let your friends and colleagues know.
Date: 3 April 2019
Time: 15.30 for 16.00 pm
Place: 12th Floor, Wits Art Museum, Braamfontein
Please RSVP here.
Contact: podmeet@journalism.co.za.
If you’re in Cape Town or have podcasting friends there, note that the Cape Town Podmeet will take place on 2 April. Please email for more info.