The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: Steve Harvey the keynote speaker at inaugural Advertising Week Africa
Advertising Week has announced TV personality and comedian Steve Harvey will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural Advertising Week Africa in Johannesburg in May. Harvey will take the main stage in South Africa alongside Laugh Out Loud President Jeff Clanagan. Steve Harvey Global is also bringing Family Feud to Africa.
“We can’t wait to welcome Kevin Hart and Steve Harvey, two of the biggest comedy superstars on the planet, to the Advertising Week stages,” said AW Global CEO Matt Scheckner in a statement.
Advertising Week has teamed up with Laugh Out Loud, the entertainment company founded by comedian Kevin Hart, to create a global partnership that will include a new b-to-b podcast, the launch of a LOL-branded content studio and more.
“Comedy has always been on our front burner. We’re excited to partner with LOL on this global alliance in 2020 to expand our comedy footprint and extend what we are doing to advance the ball on diversity and inclusion from top to bottom across our industry,” said Scheckner.
As part of the multi-year collaboration, which will expand LOL’s Comedy in Colour standup and content program to markets outside of North America, Hart will serve as the keynote speaker for Advertising Week New York this October. The alliance also will put LOL talent on Advertising Week stages around the world, with the partnership extending to London and Sydney this year.
People moves
Gerald Naidoo appointed Technologiks CEO
Technologiks, a specialist service provider offering solutions ranging from digital identity and analytics, to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), has announced the appointment of Gerald Naidoo as CEO. An experienced chief executive with 25 years’ experience, Naidoo will be responsible for growing the business locally, and across the continent.
Having held top management positions at international leaders such as Unisys, CSC and HP, Naidoo holds a number of qualifications, including an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education.
With an extensive history of successful pan-African technology initiatives, Naidoo said he was looking forward to growing the Technologiks brand.
Charlene Ludick appointed regional GM at Peermont Global Botswana
Peermont Hotels, Casinos and Resorts has appointed of Charlene Ludick to the position of regional general manager of Peermont Global Botswana. In her new role, Ludick will be responsible for providing leadership management and strategic guidance in all facets of the business. She will focus on Peermont’s Botswanan based properties and casinos, including The Grand Palm Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort, a gem of the African continent.
Business moves
PRC opens up access to the SEMs to allow planners ‘under the hood’
The Publisher Research Council (PRC) and Broadcast Research Council (BRC) have opened up access to their Socio Economic Measure (SEM) to allow media planners to give clients a stable picture of a household’s status.
Until now, planners haven’t been able to access the actual scorecard or calculators needed to “get under the hood and really understand the SEM’s workings”, says Peter Langschmidt, lead consultant to the PRC.
Prior to this, the PRC would deliver a presentation, remove the score sheet and slide, then send users a 19-page contract to sign first. The unwieldy process could take weeks to finalise, thus leading to a loss of momentum.
“This is a great step forward in ensuring the take-up and ease of use of the SEM,” says the PRC’s CEO, Josephine Buys.
Because the score sheet is no longer secret, and the SEM open source, the PRC has already added tools such as the SEM calculator to its website. It indicates how South Africans live based on what they have access to in and near their homes. The addition of tools such as this form part of a more extensive plan to educate and share learnings with users.
The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa now hosts a dropdown menu featuring a downloadable SEM user guide, while the PRC itself has created a series of infographics to enable further understanding of the SEM.
SEM provides marketers with a balanced and real targeting tool when it comes to income, lifestyle, race, geography and much more. Ensuring increased access will allow marketers to re-orientate and reboot their thinking around South Africa’s population.
Purchase journey approach wins Wavemaker a portfolio of new clients
Wavemaker celebrated a series of successes in 2019, winning big brands such as TymeBank, Edcon, Puma Energy and Huawei across multiple markets. The agency is a next generation marketing services agency formed in 2018 by WPP and GroupM, two agencies with a depth of experience in years and work within various sectors, with the sole purpose of offering clients’ expertise in media, content and technology.
‘‘In a business environment where terms such as ‘big data’ are used interchangeably within the creative industry especially, it is necessary to understand that Wavemaker recognises that the market in which it operates in, clients need an agency that understands how connected media, content and technology can work together to create transformational business results. We are obsessed with the customer’s purchase journey and this is what connects our mission directly to our client’s business challenges,” said Lwandile Qokweni, CEO SSA HUB.
Out with the old and in with the blue: Apple Premium Reseller Digicape’s striking rebrand
Digicape, one of only two Apple Premium Resellers in South Africa, has just launched its rebrand, sporting a fresh look and feel that reflects the brand’s journey over the past 18 years.
The rebrand follows Digicape’s recent change in leadership; in 2018, MD Robin Olivier relocated to New Zealand and was succeeded by co-founder and former sales director Gaynor MacArthur, who took over the reins as head of the Apple Premium Reseller and total solutions provider.
The rebrand includes a new CI and logo, foregoing its signature green in favour of a sleek, contemporary sky blue. Said MacArthur, “The process began with reassessing our company values to ascertain whether they were still relevant. We realised that our core values remained unchanged; however, our company culture felt internally-led. Our goal was to clearly define and project our values externally, so that they would resonate not only with our staff, but also our customers.”
Facebook’s Community Accelerator programme opens applications to South African community leaders
In line with its mission to give people the power to build community around the world and its commitment to supporting the community leaders who drive change, Facebook has announced the Community Accelerator programme for South Africa.
The six-month accelerator programme provides training, mentorship and funding to help community leaders grow their communities. Up to $3 million in total will be awarded to up to 80 programme participants worldwide.
Selected community leaders will spend three months learning from experts, coaches and a customised curriculum to create a plan to grow their communities. They will spend the next three months iterating and executing on their plans, with funding and support from their networks.
“We are deeply committed to investing in and empowering leaders to start, grow and sustain meaningful communities that positively impact people’s lives,” said Nunu Ntshingila, regional director Facebook Africa.
“That’s why we are not only investing in creating new tools for community leaders on our platforms, but also in connecting with them, learning from them, and using our resources to open new opportunities for their communities.”
The Community Accelerator programme is one of the many investments Facebook is making in community leaders. The Facebook Community Learning Labs brings Group admins with similar goals together into a collaborative digital classroom for structured learning, a dedicated Facebook team with experience helps group admins achieve their goals.
SAFCOIN launches Africa’s first blockchain-powered freelance jobs marketplace
SAFCOIN, an African cryptocurrency, has launched Africa’s first blockchain-powered micro jobs platform, aimed at connecting businesses and gig economy workers across Africa, for free.
MobiJobs.Africa lets start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses list jobs, search freelancer profiles, and establish an online presence without set-up, hosting, or development costs. It also lets freelancers market their skills, build their experience, and ‘buy’ listed jobs, even if they don’t have a bank account. There are no joining, account, or transaction fees, and jobs are paid for in SAFCOIN cryptocurrency.
“Our goal with MobiJobs is to help individuals in Africa to take their skills and talents global, and to empower small businesses to tap into a global skills pool, as and when they need to,” said Neil Ferreira, CEO of SAFCOIN. “Through the platform, users can gain experience, build their internship hours while studying, ask for testimonials from businesses they’ve completed tasks for, and build relationships with companies across Africa. All this via a free cryptocurrency payment gateway that ensures they get paid quickly and securely, with zero transaction charges.”
Technology is enabling the growth of the freelance, or ‘gig’ economy, with more people taking on short-term, flexible tasks to make money. In South Africa, 3.9 million people were in temporary employment in 2018, up from 2.6 million in 2017. In Africa, nearly 86% of employment is informal.
Through the MobiJobs Workdesk, freelancers can manage their jobs, advertise their skills, communicate with clients, and rate their experience.
M-Net Movies presents a pop-up channel with Hollywood’s ‘top gun’ Tom Cruise!
M-Net’s second pop-up channel for the year, M-Net Movies Presents Tom Cruise, is taking over channel 109 from 20 March 2020. As a special celebration to a magnificent cinematic career that has spanned four decades, DStv Premium audiences can enjoy almost every Tom Cruise film ever made – with 38 movies featuring the Golden Globe winning mega star as a leading man or supporting actor.
The earliest film in this Tom Cruise movie anthology curated by M-Net Movies is Taps from 1981 and the freshest addition is 2018’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
The M-Net Movies Presents Tom Cruise Pop-Up Channel will start at 12:00 noon on weekends and will close around midnight. During the week, however, the Cruise films will be scheduled between 14:00 and midnight. With a variety of films on the channel, viewers can look forward to seeing the different types of Tom Cruise: Sporty Tom, Action Tom, Serious Tom, Sci-fi/Fantasy Tom and Sexy Tom.
Making moves
SANEF alert to members and the media industry on coronavirus
The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) held a productive teleconference on Tuesday with the GCIS and department of health on reporting on the coronavirus. SANEF said it was committed to assisting government to communicate information pertaining to the spread and containment of the virus.
Post the meeting, SANEF would like to clarify its role in terms of what it will be assisting with – but also what its role does not include.
To start with the latter – SANEF will not be distributing news alerts. This will remain a GCIS and Department of Health function.
However, where it will assist in:
- Encouraging responsible journalism to prevent panic and stigmatism.
- Assisting with news events where appropriate.
- Alerting media houses to credible sources of information such as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
- Alerting media houses to important messages that need to be conveyed – such as prevention messages and risks.
- Calling groups of editors together to discuss all new and important developments.
- Communication around the details of correct government spokespeople.
SANEF believes that the media can play a critical role in the prevention of the spread of this disease.
Business Day Focus 4.0 conference and exhibition – it’s a wrap for 2020!
The inaugural Business Day Focus 4.0 delivered valuable insights on what the Fourth Industrial Revolution would mean for South Africa and the 1.2 billion people living on the African continent.
Presented on behalf of Business Day by Arena Events – a division of Arena Holdings, and Cold Press Media, the conference gave delegates an opportunity to engage on 4IR technologies through panel discussions and presentations from South Africa’s leading minds, as well as experiential activations at the exhibition.
Taryn Westoby, head of Arena Events, said the support Business Day Focus 4.0 received meant that a larger venue to accommodate delegates and exhibitors had to be arranged as soon as the event was publicised in September 2019.
“The credibility of the Business Day title ensured that the highest calibre speakers were drawn to participate, which attracted partners and exhibitors who would reach a captive, highly-engaged audience of delegates. We were overwhelmed by how well the 4IR programme was received, but also privileged to bring the industry an event with quality content that is in such high demand by business leaders in SA,” said Westoby.
Nompilo Morafo, group executive for corporate affairs at MTN – the headline partner for the event – said: “MTN is proud to have supported the Business Day Focus 4.0 conference, an essential and significant platform for organisations that understand the shared value that these discussions create as an enabler for digital progression across Africa…Therefore, MTN will continue to support engagement opportunities such as the Business Day 4.0 conference that reinforce our ambition to ensure that everyone in the markets that we operate enjoys the benefits of a modern connected life.”
SLAY Festival Joburg brings out 1200 young women for day of learning and networking
More than 1200 entrepreneurs and professionals attended SLAY Festival Johannesburg, a one-day learning and networking experience for young professional women in Africa.
Co-organised by She Leads Africa and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), attendees enjoyed mainstage panel discussions, networking sessions, masterclasses, mogul talk sessions, shopping from local vendors and loads of fun.
Attendees had direct access to some of Africa’s biggest and brightest innovators including celebrity chef and entrepreneur Mogau Seshoene, youth activist Zulaikha Patel, TV presenter and model Kim Jayde, Africa Director for Global Citizen Chebet Chikumbu, doctor and mental health advocate Dr. Khanya Khanyile, Managing Director for TRACE Southern Africa Valentine Gaudin, actress Ayanda Thebethe, author and personal finance coach Mapalo Makhu, Head of Marketing for Google South Africa Asha Patel, Swiitch Beauty CEO Rabia Ghoor and many more.
Keynote Speaker Bonang Matheba electrified a packed crowd as she shared her lessons on growing her brand and making money moves in 2020. Bonang encouraged young African women to pursue their goals with intention and purpose and ensure that they build their financial management skills to prepare them for the future.
Locarno Film Festival African/Afro Filmmakers Outreach
Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland is reaching out to African/Afro filmmakers in a bid to further diversify the festival programming and selection. Opportunities are offered to submit content without fees and join the festival competition.
If you are not too familiar with Locarno Film Festival, please refer to this link to get the history, dates and other relevant information.
You can directly email Ms. Charlotte Corchete on charlotte.corchete@locarnofestival.ch, Head of the Pardi Di Domani Committee at Locarno Film Festival for more information, she is copied to this communication.
2020 Night of A Thousand Drawings Festival of Art biggest, most creative and exciting yet
In 2006 Felix Falkenberger and David Quan Chong, who served as volunteers at the time for the Paballo Ya Batho NPO, came up with the concept of Night of a 1000 Drawings to raise funds to replace a delivery vehicle that was stolen. While in the planning phases, a bakkie was donated but everybody agreed to continue with 1000 Drawings as the project started gaining momentum.
Since then Night of a Thousand Drawings has become a popular feature in the creative and arts calendars, attracting the creative industries, students and tourists.
The 2020 event has grown from an evening affair to a three-day festival of art. This year also sees the launch of ArtBattle, a global art-event that involves live painting, music, and on-the-spot curatorship, until ultimately, one artist is left ‘standing’. Some of the artists to have signed-up include Ryan Shava and Jessica Michelle Le Roux.
“We have seen over the last 13 years that we can only make this happen with the help of the community. There is an incredible collective of people, that touch this project from the beginning of the campaign to the final event, where all the months of hard work are displayed, ready to make a difference. From the nursery school kids’ handprints to the exceptional artist that donates their time and creativity to help. It all makes a difference,” said Kelly McGillavray, MD of theSquad Creative Events
This year’s sponsors include McCann 1886, Darling Films, Wunderman, and Grid whilst, Curators, which have just been announced are a mix of well-known artists, agency creatives, photographers and designers such as Stu Stobbs, Aysha Waja and Thembalethu Msibi to name a few.
For the Diary
Join us for the next Podmeet at Jamfest!
We’re excited for next week’s next podcasters’ meetup Melissa Mbugua from Africa Podfest in Kenya. Join us as part of the media festival Jamfest and let’s chat all things podcasting. Date: Wednesday 18 March 2020
Time: 16.00 – 18.00
Venue: Tshimologong Precinct,
Braamfontein
RSVP: Through Jamfest registration
