The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: The Forge by Machine_ unlocks a world of opportunities for young creative talent
Machine_ has launched The Forge, an initiative that will find, nurture and empower young creative talent and equip them with all the tools necessary for a career in advertising and communications, including a full bursary to a top creative school.
The Forge will also continue driving important conversations and initiatives in the industry throughout 2021. For PJ Eales, Machine’s executive creative director and Forge co-founder, this is essential for addressing youth unemployment, representation and related issues in the industry.
“Machine_ recognises that when it comes to diversity and representation our agency, and the industry at large, needs to do more,” said Eales. “It’s our collective responsibility to ensure that we have the right voices in the room, and that those voices are being heard. That’s why The Forge aims to find and nurture those voices from early on.”
During the initial phase of The Forge, in partnership with the Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, the candidate will receive a full bursary sponsored by Machine_ to study an Advanced Diploma in Copywriting in 2021. Machine_ will then work closely with the selected student during the course of the year, with a guaranteed paid internship in 2022 once they’ve graduated.
Do you have the right brain for copywriting, or know someone who does? All interested candidates can apply for The Forge bursary to study the Advanced Diploma in Copywriting in 2021 by simply emailing their details to fulltime@redandyellow.co.za
People moves
Primedia Broadcasting appoints Muhammad Cajee as Chief Digital Officer
Primedia Broadcasting has appointed Muhammad Cajee, a seasoned strategist with experience operationalising a range of digital initiatives for broadcast organisations globally, as chief digital officer, effective 1 March 2021.
Primedia Broadcasting Interim CEO, Geraint Crwys-Williams said, “Muhammad’s appointment represents an important investment in our new direction as a broadcaster, with a strong focus on seeking out and amplifying multi-platform, digital opportunities for ourselves and our clients. We believe that the optimisation and expansion of our digital value propositions, and the development of new channels for growth on mobile and online, will deliver an era of enhanced engagement.”
Cajee brings with him vast local and international experience leading, or co-leading, many strategic projects during his career including the Al Jazeera Renewal Project in Doha, Qatar and the AJ+ Project, in San Francisco, USA. He has served as the Interim Bureau Chief, as well as the Head of Operations of Al Jazeera International USA Inc. in Washington DC.
“As the CDO, I will endeavour to work closely with all my colleagues across Primedia Broadcasting, to build a shared vision for us to leverage the next wave of digital innovation and audience growth in the industry,” Cajee said. “My goal will be to provide the support, information, insights, as well as new and refreshed platforms, to create value through innovative digital tools, technologies, services, and processes”.
Andrew Shaw joins Hoorah Digital to head up Nestle in-house agency
It’s tempting to call Andrew Shaw a jack of all trades, with his dynamic and varied professional background which spans everything from interaction design, animation direction, strategic consulting and more. But ‘master of none’ he is certainly not.
Shaw is the latest talent to join the impressive cast of industry heavyweights Hoorah Digital have managed to attract in their two-and-half-year existence. While his official title is creative director as he heads up the Nestle in-house agency, Shaw in fact wears a far more versatile hat as he gets involved in every aspect of the day-to-day running of the agency.
“This approach really appeals to me and I wanted to be a part of the action, so I got in touch with them,” Shaw said. He said the in-house model allows for far stronger working relationships with the brand partner, ultimately setting the stage for more relevant and more engaging work, the latter being tantamount to achieving brand marketing success in 2021.
King Committee appoints new chairman
Following the resignation of Suresh Kana as chair of the King committee on corporate governance, effective from 31 January 2021, the King Committee embarked on a process for the nomination and election of a new Chair to lead the Committee and its important work.
Ansie Ramalho assumed the position of chairman of the King Committee effective from 16 February 2021.
Ramalho is a professional non-executive director, with the Chartered Director SA designation. She is considered a leading authority on corporate governance and directorship, having served as a member of the King Committee for more than 12 years, two of which she served as King IV project lead. She has also served on numerous other technical committees, including the Integrated Reporting Committee and the CRISA Committee. Her prior positions include being the Chief Executive of the IoDSA from 2010 to 2014.
According to Mervyn King, Chair Emeritus of the King Committee, “With her years of experience as a corporate lawyer, and a member of the King Committee, Ansie was a natural choice to Chair the Committee.”
Business moves
Mediamark launches Guaranteed Target Segment Solutions
Trend indicators for 2021 show that that the insatiable appetite for all things data is on the rise.
Through extensive conversation in market, Mediamark has found that advertisers and media professionals alike are on the lookout for data driven, time and cost-efficient ways to achieve audience uplift and deliver audience KPI’s.
In response, Mediamark has launched its Guaranteed Target Segments (GTS) solutions to advertisers. These will deliver guaranteed audiences against sought after, pre-defined segments. These segments represent the economically active middle and high socio-economic markets.
Itumeleng Lethoko, Mediamark head of analytics and insights, said: “The Mediamark stations’ deliver highly competitive reach among its competitor set across the various segments within different regions. This delivery includes low duplication with minimal wastage”.
The GTS Solutions offer advertisers quality brand exposure as spots are placed in premium environments and quarter hour time slots, for the best audience delivery and cost-effective campaigns.
Mediamark have partnered with third party providers which will guarantee solutions, provide advertisers with efficient spot buying, campaign monitoring and post campaign analysis. Real time campaign tracking provides assurance against under-delivery and spots not being flighted.
Cindy Diamond, Group Sales Director of Mediamark said after the recent launch of the Data Survey Products, which allows advertisers to tap into rich first party, Mediamark wanted to continue the innovation by finding a way to give advertisers cost effective campaign options that include guaranteed performance ratings.
Conversation LAB wins global marine insurance account out of London
Independent creative agency Conversation LAB has increased its penetration into the UK market with the new account win of UK P&I, one of the largest marine insurers in the world.
Conversation LAB has been appointed by UK P&I in London and will be responsible for its search engine optimisation strategy and execution. Critical to the engagement is ongoing conversion optimisation of the website, data analytics and reporting. The account will be run out of Conversation LAB’s UK office and supported by the agency’s performance and development hub in South Africa.
The UK P&I Club is one of the oldest P&I clubs in the world protecting shipping globally since 1869. They are also one of the largest mutual marine protection and indemnity organisations in the world, insuring over 240 million tonnes of owned and chartered ships from more than fifty countries across the globe.
Kevin Power, group MD Conversation LAB, said: “This win means a lot to us. We get to work with a truly remarkable business such as UK P&I, with a size and scale that dwarfs anything else we do. It fascinates me that the team in Durban and Cape Town can look out of the office and count up to 30 ships waiting to enter the harbour and know that most of them are insured by our client! Insurance is a highly competitive sector which makes our job that much more challenging but equally rewarding when delivering results. This win also underlines our B2B capabilities both in SA and globally!”
The BRC announces interim data for RAMS
To alleviate the pressure of no radio data being available as a result of Covid-19 and lockdown, and to get a comprehensive update on the industry the BRC has commissioned research experts, Ask Afrika, to implement an interim radio data study.
As the pandemic hit and Level 5 lockdown ensued there was no doubt that radio stations in South Africa would see fluctuations in audience data. Consumers were no longer commuting to and from work, working hours were altered by home schooling, family life, restrictions on movement, social interactions and the like.
“These shifts in routines and habits have led to massive changes in media consumption, mainly, increases in listening and viewing habits,” said Gary Whitaker, CEO at the Broadcast Research Council (BRC) of South Africa.
Another implication is that the radio research currency was negatively impacted. “As the makeup of the current underlying research methodology involves face-to-face interaction, namely, interviewing respondents for RAMS (Radio Audience Measurement), we were unable to provide data in Q2, Q3 and Q4 of 2020 to demonstrate these irregular times and differences in listenership audiences,” said Whitaker.
According to Sarina de Beer, MD at Ask Afrika, the focus of the interim measure will be to “support the industry to gain a deeper understanding of just how radio consumption has changed over time. As an essential asset we need to leverage the opportunity as one of the most trusted media sources over time”.
The only RAMS data currently available to the industry is Q1 2020 data and the world has gone through immense changes since then. To supplement this data, two interim sets of radio data will be released at the end of March and May 2021.
SpaceMatch launches online marketplace for rental of retail, event, pop-up and exhibition space
SpaceMatch, a fresh new face on the South African retail landscape, has launched an online portal that allows landlords with available space to list their properties for prospective tenants to view and secure for rental.
“Think about it as a matchmaking service for landlords and tenants that offers the convenience of Airbnb,” said SpaceMatch CEO Kevin Singer. “Retail is an industry in flux and SpaceMatch is entering the market to provide a new platform for landlords to find tenants and vice versa.”
Retail markets worldwide are reeling from the effects of Covid-related lockdowns that have significantly impacted the buying behaviour of consumers and the sales strategies of retailers. Traditional models have been disrupted and SpaceMatch meets the need this has created, offering a model that is online and almost instant.
The platform –– allows landlords (or space owners) to list their sites for free while potential tenants (or space users) register on the site and apply to rent spaces that suit their needs and budget.
Space Owners control when and how their spaces can be used and can accept or reject any enquiries. The whole transaction, including legal contracts and FICA verifications can be done online (or offline if you prefer) and can be concluded in a matter of days.
Telephonic payment solution helps companies deal with Covid-19 challenges
The novel Coronavirus has necessitated the need for a sharp step change across nearly every facet of daily life which has, in turn, rendered the payments landscape ripe for innovation.
“The pandemic has forced us all to do business in new ways, and not all companies have the means – or inclination – to go completely online. Many consumers still prefer dealing with a person, as opposed to solely an app or website,” said Dana Buys, CEO of VerPay Pty Ltd, a Cape fintech company that specialises in cloud-based payment.
VerPay, allows merchants to do business while speaking to a customer, making it ideal for the hospitality, retail, lifestyle, travel, health and financial services industries.
Buys said there has always been a need to do business over the phone, yet completing transactions telephonically has been difficult due to the high risk of fraud and the potential for dispute around terms and conditions.
“We wanted to introduce a highly-secure solution that would facilitate speedy, convenient over-the-phone payment for orders, deliveries, reservations, deposits, call-out fees, debt collection and more, he said. VerPay is also ideal for businesses that make use of a tele-sales or field sales force.
By supporting trusted mobile payment methods such as Stripe™, MasterPass™, NetCash™, Snapscan™ and Zapper™, VerPay is immediately available to millions of merchants in 47 countries. More payment methods will be added weekly.
Hot reception for Castle Lite’s Cold Tracker
Sometimes delivering great results for a client demands that an agency takes a proactive stance and puts an opportunity to innovate on the table. This was the case with Castle Lite’s award-winning Cold Tracker campaign in Tanzania.
As the sixth-largest market for beer consumption in Africa, Tanzania is an attractive and lucrative market for both African and global brewers.
Castle Lite’s differentiator in this competitive market was its ‘Extra Cold’ positioning. But ensuring the brand promise could live up to this hype was proving a challenge in a country where electricity is expensive and often erratic. Conceptualising a campaign that was sensitive to these considerations fell to Promise Agency, which arrived at a solution using technology developed by Informed Decisions and installed by Thinking Cap Productions, headed by Niel Mostert.
“Castle Lite has always been about Extra Cold, however, due to electricity costs, a lot of retailers were turning their fridges off. This wasn’t working for the brand, so we needed to incentivise outlets to keep fridges on and ensure that Castle Lite was Extra Cold,” explains Marc Watson, Promise Agency co-founder and executive creative director.
Ultimately the Cold Tracker campaign saw a 26% increase in Castle Lite sales across Tanzania.
Making moves
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals a strong mandate for business to be a force for good in South Africa
The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer has revealed that South Africans now trust business more than any other institution, and are looking to CEOs to solve societal challenges that have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis.
“As the pandemic puts trust to the test, business has a clear mandate to help society navigate the Covid-19 storm and take the lead on driving positive change, with private sector organisations expected to fill the void left by government,” said Jordan Rittenberry, CEO of Edelman Africa.
Over the past year, trust in all four major institutions – business, NGOs, the media and government – has edged slightly higher as societal leaders take extraordinary steps to address the crisis, sometimes in collaboration with one another.
The 21st annual Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures trust as a function of competence and ethics, is based on a nationally representative survey conducted through October and November 2020.
According to the survey, business has overtaken NGOs as the most trusted institution in South Africa. This comes after many private organisations took unprecedented steps to protect their employees and local communities. Numerous firms put people before short-term profits as they provided customers with relief, donated towards pandemic response efforts, and launched community initiatives.
However, despite modest gains in their trust scores, the media and government are both still seen as distrusted, unethical and incompetent.
The most critical items on the agenda, according to the survey results, are the need to improve the country’s healthcare and education systems, and to address poverty.
Meanwhile, as is the case in other markets, trust in all information sources – search engines, traditional media, owned media and social media – has significantly declined as misinformation spreads. News organisations are seen as biased and most South Africans believe that journalists are intentionally trying to mislead them.
Nespresso partners with Baba Tjeko for its first artist collaboration in SA
Nespresso South Africa has announced an exciting collaboration with local artist, Baba Tjeko, for its new World Explorations coffee range. Introducing Cape Town Envivo Lungo, the partnership is a major move forward for the world leader in portioned coffee, which has paid tribute to South Africa by including the Mother City in the line-up of Nespresso World Explorations Lungo coffees.
The Nespresso World Explorations collection invites coffee lovers to discover the world’s diverse coffee tastes and traditions. For Cape Town Envivo Lungo, Nespresso wanted to encapsulate the city’s boldness, vibrancy and colour. As such, the brand partnered with local artist, Baba Tjeko, to bring the soul of this coffee-loving city to life.
Tjeko, who regards coffee making and coffee drinking as an art form, said, “With World Explorations, Nespresso is celebrating coffee culture in different cities. In the context of Cape Town, it is really a vibrant, colourful city with exciting jazz culture. I took these elements, along with iconic landmarks like Table Mountain and the Ferris wheel, the symbolism of a coffee cup, as well as Nespresso’s Cape Town Envivo Lungo packaging design, and integrated them into my visual language called Ditema, to come up with a design that reflects the beautiful energy of the Mother City through African designs, ideas and perspectives.”
Tjeko’s artwork is featured in the Nespresso boutique windows at the V&A Waterfront and Canal Walk, in some kiosks across the country.
Diary
Hollard presents Big Ads for Small Business
Over the next six months, Hollard will be sharing its advertising space with 12 small businesses. The aim is to give them marketing support and business tools to help them thrive – investing in better futures and a better economy for all.
Hollard has created an interactive virtual world to launch Big Ads for Small Business and would love you to join us on this futuristic platform to learn more.
Date and time: Tuesday 2 March 2021, 10am to 11.30am
Speakers:
- Heidi Brauer, chief marketing officer, Hollard
- Andile Khumalo,cChartered accountant and entrepreneur
- Fred Roed, founder and CEO of the Heavy Chef learning platform for entrepreneurs
- Mo Flava, radio show host, influencer and small business advocate
How to join: Simply click here to RSVP by 26 February 2021
For more information, please email edwin@flowsa.com.
Gaming webinar: Take your brand to the next level
Through its ad solutions, Verizon Media can reach over 92 million players in EMEA. With less access to physical events and entertainment many people turned to online gaming. Now a $155 billion industry worldwide, gaming has become more diverse, more popular, and more innovative than ever. How can your brand get in on the action? Join industry leaders in our latest webinar to learn where gaming is going and what moves you should make to reach your audience at the other end of the controller.
Join Verizon’s webinar as they share the latest insights and strategies to create next-level brand content and connect with casuals and competitors across the gaming landscape.
Date: 25 February
Time: 10am GMT/11am CET
Location: Webinar, register here