The Media Online’s weekly round up of moves in media. People and account moves, moves in media business and dates to diarise.
This week’s BIG move: CCO Pete Case is leaving Ogilvy SA
Ogilvy SA’s chief creative officer, Pete Case, is leaving the agency at the end of 2019. After five years at the helm, Case is taking a break from the industry, having previously grown his own market-leading agency, Gloo, and then merging it with Ogilvy in 2014.
“There’s never a right time to leave Ogilvy,” said Case. “It’s a great place to work – with amazing people and a wonderful spread of clients. But after 30 years in advertising, I’ve decided it’s time to take a break and get involved in something new. I leave the creative product in the hugely capable hands of Tseliso Rangaka and Matt Barnes, alongside a deeply talented management team – so I have no doubt that the foundations that we’ve created together will stay strong.
Case has successfully helped Ogilvy evolve its creative product in line with the growth of today’s digitally enabled consumer. As part of this transformation, the business has restructured into a single P&L, allowing Ogilvy to create truly media-agnostic responses to business problems briefed by clients. Case, who is part of Ogilvy’s global, 15-member Worldwide Creative Council, has led Ogilvy SA during one of its brightest periods. His tenure has seen the agency win 4 Grand Prix at Cannes, 5 consecutive Grand Prix at Loeries and an avalanche of over 600 awards for both creativity and effectiveness around the globe.
“Pete will be sorely missed across all the Ogilvy teams,” said Ogilvy SA CEO Alistair Mokoena. “He brought passion, energy and oodles of creativity to his role. Not only is he a great thinker but Pete’s also an incredible doer and finisher.”
People moves
Ads24 welcomes the appointment of a new content head
Ads24 has welcomed the appointment of Gayle Edmunds as the strategic projects editor of its new Content Hub. Edmunds brings her enthusiasm and broad experience in the journalism industry to this exciting position, having worked most recently at City Press, a publication she served for more than 14 years. Edmund’s started out on the subs desk before moving to the position of Managing Editor, a position she held for more than seven years.
Speaking about her expectations for the new role, Edmund’s said: “I expect to expand on an existing portfolio of work to include those Ads24s clients who want to try something new and exciting to reach end consumers. I hope to reinforce the power of well-crafted content and how it can change the world if it is created for that purpose. I believe that moving to this role enhances that ability as it opens up the possibilities of more and more powerful partnerships across platforms, formats and audiences.”
Edmunds graduated with a Master’s degree in journalism from Rhodes University and began her career in journalism in 1999.
Zoleka Lisa is the new vice president corporate affairs at SAB
SAB has appointed Zoleka Lisa as vice president of corporate affairs for South Africa. As part of her new role, Lisa will, lead the organisation’s public policy, transformation, entrepreneurship and sustainability strategy. She will also represent the company on the boards of the SAB Foundation, AWARE.org and Beer Association for SA.
Her aspiration is to drive collaborations that will to continue to elevate the SAB corporate affairs agenda, ensuring the company’s initiatives are always impactful and relevant to the communities in which it operates. She leads a team of passionate change agents that are stepping up the organisation’s corporate reputation and ultimately, contributing to the African growth ambitions.
She first joined SAB in 2014, where she was appointed as regional strategic programmes manager for Africa and has worked across the business over the past five years.
Prior to joining SAB, Lisa spent nine years as a senior manager at Accenture, a global professional services company that provides services in strategy, consulting, digital and technology.
She holds a BSc. in Environmental Science and Economics from the University of Cape Town and a Honours degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Lifestyle, fashion, and wellness have a new home at Modern Maps
Media personality, entrepreneur and innovator, Maps Maponyane, has launched Modern Maps, a dynamic WhatsApp channel that fuses artificial intelligence, media and a personal touch to create a unique experience designed to help you live an optimal life. Modern Maps is Maps’ space where he shares the things that inspire him and help him on his journey to health, wellness and success.
Business moves
Out There Media launches Out There Impact division to support global philanthropic campaigns
Out There Media (OTM), a global mobile advertising and data monetisation company, has created a new division to help deliver humanitarian campaigns worldwide via its platform Mobucks, which is connected to mobile network operators globally.
Out There Impact’s mission is to improve people’s lives via mobile technologies. It will do this by facilitating and fostering mobile technology partnerships with development agencies, governments, NGOs, charitable enterprises and foundations.
Out There Impact’s inaugural project is championing the Mandela Mile with its telco partners MTN and Vodacom reaching out to hundreds of thousands of users inviting them via their mobile phones to walk the “Mandela Mile.”
“Out There Impact is the perfect vehicle to help serve the greater good and improve people’s lives via mobile technologies,” said Daphne Loukas, CEO, Out There Impact.
Interested parties are asked via various media, among others OTM’s mobile network, to “Share a Mile” or “Lead a Mile” and tag #mandelamile and #forKofi on social media on the 18th July 2019.
Sir Fruit appoints HelloFCB+
Sir Fruit, the national juicing and distribution company well known for its quirky take on everything, has appointed HelloFCB+ as its through-the-line agency.
Started in 2005 by three brothers, the company produces and distributes everything from cold-pressed juices to smoothies, made spectacular as a result of their partnership with tastemakers during the production process.
Commenting on the new business, HelloFCB+ managing director, Robyn Campbell, said the agency would be responsible for developing and executing Sir Fruit’s new strategy, and is thrilled to be working with this rich, vibrant brand. “Here’s to more of the good stuff, with more human connections,” she quipped.
Toughees appoints King James Group JHB
King James Group JHB is the new lead creative agency for iconic school shoe brand, Toughees, following a three-way pitch.
“We felt an immediate connection with the agency and our brand,” says Swastika Juggernath, national marketing manager for Bata South Africa. “Their insight into our market and understanding of our ambitions was impressive. They far exceeded our expectations during the pitch process, which made our decision a very easy one.”
For Lesego Kotane, MD at King James JHB, the opportunity to work on this proudly South African brand is an exciting one. “Toughees has been taking generations of kids to school for over 65 years. There is just so much power in their story, just waiting to be told. And we’re looking forward to partnering with them on their next chapter of growth.”
King James Group JHB will be responsible for driving through-the-line strategic and creative brand communication for Toughees, with an immediate focus on digital communications.
HaveYouHeard launches activations division
In a bid to deliver high-quality consumer interactions that don’t blow its clients’ budgets, HaveYouHeard has established an activations division.
Headed by Victoria Gabler, the division is able to deliver on a brand’s promotional staffing, in-store and on- and off-trade activation, shopper marketing, sampling, tasting and conference needs. It currently works with HaveYouHeard clients Pernod Ricard, Pepsi and Boiler Room, and employs nine permanent staff and has a database of over 2 000 activation specialists to draw on.
“At HaveYouHeard there’s constant alignment between the various divisions and specialities,” she said, “We don’t work in isolation. This is very relevant in today’s world of marketing and media where the ‘lines’ have been rubbed out. They’ve been replaced by a fast and fluid cultural wave of information, entertainment, marketing, media, news, fact and opinion, ridden by an audience who choose how and when they interact with it. And, if you’re not obsessed with culture – understanding it, commenting on it, being a part of it and ultimately creating it – you’re going to get left behind.”
Ackermans launches Lion King app
As a result of the ongoing digital revolution, emerging technologies such as augmented reality have presented the retail industry with new ways to enhance the way they engage with their customers.
“Augmented reality has become a disruptor in the retail industry, allowing retailers to connect with their customers like they have never before,” says Lané Mong, advertising manager at Ackermans.
It is with this in mind that value retailer Ackermans, in collaboration with Disney, has launched its first augmented reality app in celebration of one of the year’s most anticipated films – Disney’s The Lion King’, in cinemas nationwide from 19 July.
Users can download the free Ackermans Live app via the iOS app Store or Android Google Play Store. Once the app is opened, users simply point their phone at the selected merchandise from the Lion King character range, and the image on the t-shirt will trigger the characters to come to life on the screen of the phone.
Boomtown wins Lafarge Zambia account
Following on from its work with Lafarge South Africa and Maluti Mountain Cement in Lesotho, Lafarge Zambia has appointed Boomtown to launch a campaign in Zambia, celebrating their 70-year heritage.
Starting with a referral and requests for credentials from the Lafarge South Africa team, Lafarge Zambia was impressed by the work Boomtown had produced for the South African market, resulting in Lafarge Zambia asking Boomtown to assist with reclaiming their story as a market leader.
Boomtown director, Glen Meier says, “Our strategy is to leverage the global Lafarge brand reputation within the local market heritage.” Using insights gained from immersing itself in the market, the team at Boomtown will have a tactical approach to the brief that leverages its meaningful insights.”
Talon acquires Grand Visual Agency and QDOT ad tech provider
As part of its continued international growth, Talon has extended its global independent OOH offering, with the addition of market leading digital OOH creative services specialist Grand Visual, and its digital OOH Ad tech provider QDOT.
The strategic acquisition enables Talon to further enhance its abilities across the US and to manage the increased demand for dynamic utilization of the digital landscape as the OOH industry evolves. Through this extension of services and abilities, Talon will continue to develop new ways to better serve clients and contribute to making the industry ‘Smarter as Standard’.
The purchase follows Talon’s acquisition of US independent OOH media agency Grandesign earlier this year, along with the launch of international network Plexus, connected traveller offering Latitude and proprietary Ad tech platforms Plato and Ada.
For the Diary
World Out of Home Organisation confirms Toronto for inaugural congress
The World Out of Home Organisation (formerly FEPE International) has confirmed Toronto in Canada as the venue for its 2020 Congress. The Congress will be held from 3 – 5 June.
WOO represents out of home media owners, specialist agencies and suppliers worldwide. Toronto will be the latest in a sequence stemming back to 1959, as FEPE. The 2019 Congress in Dubai attracted a record 450-plus delegates from all parts of the world, including the biggest representations to date from South America, China and India.
Toronto will be the first time Congress has returned to North America since being held in Montreal in the ‘90s.
WOO President Tom Goddard said: “Dubai in 2019 was a step change for the organisation, not just because much-loved FEPE became WOO to reflect its global stature.We had more delegates than ever and feedback from the Congress showed clearly that delegates valued the presentations as well as the opportunity to network with colleagues from across the world.”
For investors, by investors
Venture Capital for Africa and African Business Angel Network have announced the 6th edition of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (#AESIS2019), taking place from the 13-15 November in Cape Town
The conference brings together leading investors from Africa and beyond to network, exchange insights, create partnerships and make deals. This event is designed ‘for investors, by investors’.
Naspers Foundry will be sponsoring the Summit’s main cocktail reception on 14 November, and will be contributing to the Summit’s program development. Naspers Foundry is a R1.4 billion start-up funding initiative aimed at boosting the South African technology sector.
“At Naspers, we believe in backing local entrepreneurs in growth markets and helping them by leveraging our global scale and experience. The Africa Early Stage Investor Summit provides an unique opportunity for Naspers to engage with like-minded investors and ecosystem partners from across the continent as we build out Naspers Foundry, and our broader investment ambitions,” said Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, CEO South Africa, Naspers.
The Summit’s speakers and guests hail from the leading angel networks, venture capital (VC) funds, impact investors, accelerators, corporate venture divisions, industry associations, and the public sector.
