The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: CWDi partners with creative consultant Ahmed Tilly
Marketing and brand experience experts, CWDi, have joined forces with creative consultant Ahmed Tilly, as they reposition the agency to offer a full through the line service.
Ahmed Tilly is an established creative problem solver with 25 years of experience in advertising agencies, often referred to in the industry as ‘Mr Nando’s’, due to the award-winning Nando’s campaigns he created in 14 countries around the world. He has judged the Loeries for close to two decades and has also served on international award panels including both the Cannes Lions and New York festivals.
“The repositioning of CWDi was a natural progression for us. We have built a reputable foundation in the brand agency space, with amazing long-standing clients. So, the question we asked ourselves was, ‘how can we be better for our clients and their customers?’ The answer was simple: increase our service offerings and ensure that we continue to place our clients and their customers at the centre of our creative solutions,” said Craig Naicker, group managing director at CWDi. “Ahmed is an industry heavyweight; well-known and well respected in his craft. He shares the same vision as us. And that is to create work that changes lives for the better”.
People moves
New appointments to the BRC board
Algoa FM managing director, Alfie Jay, has been elected to the board of the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC). This follows an election process by the BRC’s Radio members to fill two vacancies on the board of directors.
Four nominees had been proposed, of which Jay and Primedia’s Melissa McNally garnered the majority of the votes.
The goal of the BRC, a non-profit industry body, is to provide objective, transparent data, which caters to the audience measurement needs of the radio, television, marketing and advertising industries in South Africa.
“What an exciting time to be appointed to the board. “We’re about to launch into a whole new era of data gathering and analyses, and I can’t wait to measure its impact;” said Jay, who joins the Board with thirty-one years of experience in broadcasting, almost half of which was at Board level.
McNally is a seasoned research consultant of 15 years with an MA in research psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand. “I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to secure a seat on the BRC board. “2021 promises to be an exciting year for radio research and I am delighted to be a part of this journey.”
The full board consists of: Monde Twala (chairperson), Antonio Lee, Angie Hammond and Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee from television; with Tracy Stafford; Johan Van Rooyen, Jay and McNally from radio.
Joe Public Cape Town welcomes Lizanne Peters
Lizanne Peters has recently been appointed as business unit director at Joe Public Cape Town. Peters has over 16 years’ industry experience across various sectors such as FMCG, insurance, investment, banking, healthcare and retail as well as four years’ experience as the Brand Manager at Distell and WWF.
Joe Public United – a leading brand and communications group launched its Cape Town agency in 2020 as the newest addition to the family! It has enabled the group to expand its capabilities and extend its unique offering to markets outside of Johannesburg.
“We are really pleased to welcome Lizanne to the team, we know she will bring great value to both our business as well as to our clients,” said Brendan Hoffmann, executive creative director, Joe Public Cape Town.
Grant Flynn joins Rapid Blue as creative development head
Rapid Blue has welcomed Grant Flynn as head of creative development. He joins Rapid Blue at the end of February, and will be responsible for building on the impressive pipe line of unscripted formats and shows and also exploring and developing new opportunities, IP and hit series for Rapid Blue for audiences both here in Africa and globally.
Flynn joins a recently bolstered team of industry leading creatives at Rapid Blue which will see Ziyanda Mngomezulu promoted to MD in April alongside Kim Thwaites, who becomes head of television, Tsubi Mapiyeye, who becomes supervising producer and Adi de Lancey, who recently joined Rapid Blue as a senior executive producer.
Flynn said “I’m excited to be joining a powerhouse production company like Rapid Blue and to be working alongside such incredibly well-respected industry professionals. Rapid Blue is synonymous with creating world-class content and I can’t wait to be part of that journey.”
Duncan Irvine, CEO of Rapid Blue, said, “Rapid Blue is well known for being a production company made up of passionate, innovative creatives who together have a great track record of localising the world’s leading formats along with driving inventive content to meet local and global audiences’ evolving tastes. Having Grant join the team, will help us to build on this legacy of bringing audiences more of what they love but also exploring new ideas and productions to keep things fresh, exciting and above all entertaining for all. Welcome to the team Grant, we are thrilled to have you.”
Business moves
HaveYouHeard adds fourth office to its network
HaveYouHeard, the full-service brand and strategic agency, has added a fourth office to its network that already spans Cape Town, Johannesburg and London.
The agency has merged with KwaZulu-Natal digital hotshop STIR, started by Kirsty Bisset nine years ago and will trade as HaveYouHeard Durban.
STIR has grown year-on-year working with the likes of Edcon, SA Natural Products, Ultra Liquors, Serta, Accenture, Lodestone and Toys R Us and more. In July 2016, it launched its first US-based client into the digital space and in 2018 expanded to the UAE.
Bisset will continue to lead HaveYouHeard Durban as managing director and is looking to the ‘mother’ agency to give her the ability to further extend her international footprint from an office with a view of the Indian Ocean.
Samsung and Moving Tactics confirm Africa partnership
With business challenges under the spotlight as a result of COVID-19, Samsung and Moving Tactics, a digital signage solutions company in South Africa, have announced the renewal of their partnership in Africa, which initially kicked off in 2011. Digital signage solutions have come to the fore and its applications have never been more important. It has become an impactful way to provide crucial information to the end-user quickly, accurately and in a socially-distanced format.
For almost a decade, the partnership has allowed both companies to solidify their position as true industry innovators and resulted in digital signage installations being implemented for major brands such as McDonald’s, MTN, Edgars, and Clicks Pharmacy, with a CAPEX value exceeding R100m.
Google launches second Google News Initiative in Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey
Google has announced the second Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge in Africa, the Middle East and Turkey with an open call for projects that increase reader engagement and explore new business models for media.
The first GNI Innovation Challenge saw 21 projects in 13 countries receive funding last year. Awardees were from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Turkey, and the UAE.
Applications must be made via the website and are open until Monday, 12 April at 23:59 GMT. There will be an online town hall on 3 March at 13.00 GMTwith a live presentation on how to apply, with an opportunity to ask questions to the GNI team.
Just Exists, a new agency with a difference
The South African landscape of creativity is one that can best be described as a melting pot, bubbling over with ideas and insights unique to our heritage, our experiences and our potential. The country and continent at large is naturally a hub filled with opportunity but in reality, these opportunities do not always trickle through the cracks of bureaucracy and status quo- a challenge that has remained constant for years. This was something the founding members sought to address in a real way, when Just Exists was born.
Made up of four creatives from various disciplines in the marketing and advertising industries, Just Exists is not playing by any of the long established industry rules that have long governed advertising. These young black go getters are unapologetically pushing the passion that drives them, and plan to shake things up in a positive way for Africans at large.
Nomkhosi Mkhalipi, Ashley ‘Shimza’ Raphala, Hoosain Van Roos and Malenah Bapela form the leadership of the agency and come with invaluable experience in strategy, ideation and through the line marketing. The collective has experience with a sizeable number of collaborations with global brands and are committed to breathing new life in the creative marketing space in a way that tells authentic stories through uniquely African eyes.
CWDi appointed as Ontec YOUtility’s TTL agency
Ontec YOUtility has awarded CWDi its through-the-line marketing work. Seen as an extension of Ontec YOUtility’s own Marketing team, CWDi will use its creativity to bring reach and connections together while delivering on ROI.
“CWDi is honoured to welcome the Ontec YOUtility brand to its stable of clients. Ontec YOUtility is a challenger brand that believes in purpose led plans that build long term connections with its customers. We love working with clients that have the same shared values as us. We are excited to be part of the team that helps move Ontec YOUtility into the future and definitely see this relationship as a partnership. A big thank you goes out to the team who worked tirelessly during the pitch process, this is really not a bad way to start 2021,” said Craig Naicker, group MD.
Ontec YOUtility is a specialist utility management (electricity, water and gas) solutions provider.
Idea Hive partners with Deep Learning Cafe
Idea Hive, the specialist digital marketing and brand storytelling agency, has partnered with the renowned Deep Learning Café, an AI solutions specialist that builds high valued engineered solutions that actively assist businesses to better understand their data, optimise time, resources and increase profits.
Idea Hive has been telling heartfelt brand stories for a variety of blue-chip organisations for years and understands the significance of the science of consumer behaviour, which is fundamentally important to any marketing intervention.
“It stands to reason then, that we join forces with an AI specialist like Deep Learning Café, which will give us the competitive edge with our clients. Digital marketing analytics has given rise to a superpower that data holds, which can assist a brand in gaining access to who (will buy), what (will it serve) and where (will it sell) in your potential market. These three critical inputs strategically place a product or service into an ideal market, avoiding the shoot-in-the dark tactic, mitigating unnecessary risk,” said Yaw Dwomoh, CEO of Idea Hive.
BBC Studios produced series The Watch gathers global audience
BBC Studios has announced at its Showcase 2021 event that The Watch has secured a raft of sales across the globe. Melding fantasy, comedy and crime, the high-concept drama series inspired by the characters of Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, has secured a raft of sales across the globe. A BBC Studios Production, The Watch is a modern and inclusive series with broad appeal, originally commissioned for BBC America.
The Watch has been sold to M-Net across sub-Saharan Africa, TVNZ in New Zealand, yes in Israel, Cosmote TV in Greece, Telefonica in Spain, and to Viasat World across Russia and CIS. Airline passengers will also be able to view the series on Emirates.
A critically praised series, featuring a bold cast of characters, The Watch resonates with audiences worldwide as buyers snap up the star-studded series which has already been sold to and premiered in Australia (Stan), China (Bilibili), and Russia (Kinopoisk). BBC First has also started to air the series in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Primedia Outdoor celebrates Valentine’s Day once again with their outstanding #PrimediaBigLove campaign
For the third consecutive year, Primedia Outdoor celebrated Valentine’s day in the most extraordinary way with their renowned #PrimediaBigLove campaign. The campaign invites the public to send their loved ones a personalised message via their social media platforms Twitter and Facebook and then have their message displayed across Primedia Outdoors’ digital screens on roadside and in mall environments.
This fully-automated digital campaign is a true testament of the synergistic application between Digital Out-of-Home and Social Media, and serves to prove the immediacy and interactive capability of DOOH.
“Digital out of home can be used as a strategic platform to connect with audiences on a personalised level and to generate direct consumer responses,” said Jorja Wilkins, marketing and marketing services executive at Primedia Outdoor.
DUKE and Copysmith partner for AI writing services
DUKE has recently signed up as the first South African enterprise to partner with Copysmith, the AI copywriting and content generation platform. The unique conceptualisation tool will be utilised by the agency to explore creative concepts, help with brand essence generation and speed up the copywriting and ideation process.
While some agencies might shy away from the technology, DUKE has embraced the idea with a view to enhancing and accelerating the creative process.
Commented DUKE ECD, Suhana Gordhan: “The initial reaction to this could easily be fear and dread. Is AI about to take away our jobs? But the more you get into it, the more you realise that this tool is made more powerful by the human who helps teach it. And I love that – it’s not about fear but rather meeting the future and making fast friends with it. Copysmith is a powerful tool that we believe will boost our capacity and help us to create faster. Our creative and strategic teams are able to generate a multitude of ideas and explore creative territory really quickly. There has huge potential to enhance so many areas of creativity in our business.”
Quest Chooses DataGroupIT as African Distribution Partner
Quest, a leader in new generation data protection solutions for physical, virtual and cloud environments, has named DataGroupIT as its distribution partner for Quest and One Identity across Africa.
This strategic partnership is set to strengthen Quest’s delivery model across the continent. With its security focus, DataGroupIT brings expertise in the sale and distribution of premiere security products in Africa. According to Andrew Voges, Africa Director at Quest, this new partnership will strengthen growth markets and enlarge Quest’s footprint, effectively bringing technology to all markets throughout Africa.
New campaigns
Kfm ‘Music Saves The Day’ drives daytime listening
Kfm 94.5 is bringing to life its positioning of ‘The most music. Feel great’ through its latest workplace-listening marketing campaign.
The new campaign celebrates the positive role music plays during the time of staying at, and working from, home. Kfm’s ‘Music Saves The Day’ gives daytime the opportunity to win their share of R20 000 cash. To do this, they need to identify the song of the day as played in the station’s popular 7-in-a-row feature. The Kfm Mornings team is also getting in on the fun as they announce the song of the day at 08:40 every morning. The competition runs until Wednesday 3 March with the winners’ announcement on Friday 5 March.
Research shows that currently 79% of radio listening in the Western Cape happens from home. The use of apps for radio listening is also increasing, with 43% of listeners in the Western Cape stating that they have used an app to listen to the radio. In general, music dominates when it comes to preferred content, with the Western Cape experiencing an increase in music consumption and listenership between the hours of 09:00 and 15:00*.
Cell C, Joe Public – an invitation to change your world
The ink was barely dry on the news of Cell C’s appointment of brand and communications group Joe Public United as their lead agency, when the new partners sprang into an action plan to launch the mobile operator’s next step into growth.
The result is Cell C’s latest integrated campaign, repositioning the value mobile brand with the bold new pay-off line of ‘Change Your World’.
The Cell C Change Your World campaign launched with a 90-second TV film, revealing the growth journey of a football-mad young girl who, in the shadow of her two brothers, has to go above and beyond to fight for her passion and make her mark in the world.
Here’s to the people! MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet salutes its everyday heroes with new campaign
MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet’s new Here’s to the People Campaign celebrates the ‘everyday heroes’ who have supported the community loyalty programme, a leader in the South African community upliftment, to the tune of R760 million over the last 23 years. The campaign puts all the ‘faceless’ supporters front and centre, encouraging new ‘supporters’ to also become everyday heroes by joining the movement that does so much good for those who need it most across South Africa.
Since its inception, MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet has contributed to thousands of schools and charitable organisations around the country, with their work recently recognised at the 2020 South African Loyalty Awards, where the brand took home the titles of both Best Loyalty Programme of the Year – Open Category and the Best Community or Environmental Initiative of the Year.
Now MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet is turning its attention to its supporters who make all this possible, those everyday heroes who always remember to swipe their MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet cards every time they shop at any of programme’s retail partners.
“This campaign may be one of the most important we have done so far. To show our millions of everyday heroes that we see and appreciate the contribution they have made, and continue to make, is something that we hope will inspire other people across the country to also become MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet supporters,” said Pieter Twine, GM of the community loyalty programme.
OFyt creates new visual language for Jack & Coke
Jack Daniel’s and Coca-Cola are two globally renowned American brands that when combined, make a smooth and refreshing beverage for any occasion. For the first time, these two iconic brands will partner with the launch of a unifying visual language created by Cape Town based agency, Old Friends Young Talent (OFyt).
The work encapsulates the number one on premise bar call in the world, ‘Jack & Coke’. The partnership between the two brands dates back as early as 1907 with the delicious duo featuring as the mix of choice across stage and screen and even the pages of popular novels.
Brandt Botes, head of design at OFyt, said: “These two brands are undeniably rich in history and celebrated around the world. It’s this cultural understanding that gave us permission to create a unifying visual language where these two icons meet, in our smooth and refreshing perfect serve.”
Consumers often refer to Jack & Coke as ‘old friends’ and new campaign is built on the smooth and refreshing taste of the classic pairing and its versatility to be mixed and enjoyed no matter the occasion and place.
Eskort celebrates Mzansi with new visual language
Eskort has taken on a bold and colourful new look inspired by the country’s unique trading environments from the padstal on a lonely road winding past an isolated farm to the spaza squeezed in-between a cellphone repair shop and a hairdresser on a bustling square alongside a taxi rank.
Under-pinning the heritage brand’s new look and feel is its desire to speak to the people of Mzansi in their native tongue using both a visual language and the written word while walking that fine line between remaining true to the brand’s 103-year history and ensuring it resonates with the tapestry that is modern-day South African culture.
MetropolitanRepublic’s design team, led by Liam Longland, relied on classic design principles and proven techniques to navigate the brand refresh journey, opening their hearts and minds to understand the relationship between Eskort and the people of Mzansi, and reflect it in the new corporate identity.
For the new positioning, they created bespoke typefaces and iconography and illustrations to build an entirely new visual system for the brand. The result is a vibrant, energetic, instantly-recognisable-as-Mzansi personality that is proudly South African, rooted in both the brand’s history and the modern culture of the country.
Pepsi launches a bold new world of fizz
At a time when the world could use a little more fizz, Pepsi has delivere in a highly entertaining new campaign that will cut across cultural playgrounds with the uncontainable fizz of the brand.
From thumb-stopping social content to its latest UEFA Champions League Football campaign, FIZZ brings together the delicious taste of Pepsi with the passions of those who love drinking it.
This year’s global football campaign in support of the UEFA Champions League partnership across Men’s and Women’s keeps the fizz going with energetic entertainment for fans around the world. Once again, Pepsi brings together an impressive lineup of the world’s best footballers, expanding its roster led by reigning GOAT Leo Messi and world champion Paul Pogba, with two new additions to the squad: Borussia Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho, and UEFA Women’s Champions League winner Shanice van de Sanden.
Messi commented: “I am excited to once again be a part of the Pepsi football squad. This year has been so much fun to film; I know fans are going to love it.”
Making moves
A cover of firsts for GQ SA in March
The March/April 2021 edition of GQ magazine celebrates a number of firsts. Firstly, it is Molife Kumona’s first issue as GQ SA’s editor. The former head of online at the publication, has undoubtedly arrived in the hallowed editors realm, with a publication that he describes as a “bucket list” issue, packed with a punch.
Gracing the magazine’s cover for the first time is award winning, stand-up comic, Loyiso Gola. Gola, who after two decades in the comedy business, with sold out shows and two Emmy nominations, is still making waves. In fact, it is Gola who heads yet another first – Netflix’s debut African Original Special – Unlearning by Loyiso Gola – that was also shot in Africa.
Also, a beginning for this collector’s issue, is creative director and Stylist Boogy Maboi, who worked with GQ SA for the first time – and certainly not the last.
Kumona remarked: “Stewarding South Africa’s pre-eminent men’s magazine is quite a responsibility and would have been incredibly daunting were it not for the exceptional team I get to work with every day and the fun we and the contributors to this issue, had, in putting it all together.
“We shot the cover at the Zeitz Mocaa in Cape Town, the largest art museum in Africa, and which is also where Loyiso shot his special. Incidentally, and you guessed it, was also a first for the museum. We cemented that history by shooting the cover there, which is also a first.”
Ground-breaking speaker line-up announced for 6th FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit
In the wake of a tumultuous period in history, many are reflecting on lessons learnt in 2020 while seeking guidance on how to navigate this new reality going forward. Bringing together the continent’s most powerful female voices, the FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit (LWS) will take on a guiding role, hinging the conversation on this year’s dynamic theme – Africa Reloaded: The Power of The Collective. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the 6th #LeadingWomanSummit, presented by Mastercard, will run from 8 to 9 March 2021, boasting an impactful speaker line-up for this free-to-attend virtual platform.
Roberta Naicker, MD of the ABN Group, said the event was a ‘solutions-driven platform’ for women seeking a change in the global narrative: “We have seen that people don’t just want to talk about their problems, they really want to understand how they can actually roll up their sleeves and solve them. We’re looking forward to great conversations this year that tackle global challenges.”
#LWS2021 speaker line-up
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, newly-elected Director-General of the WTO (Please place her image first)
- Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe 2019
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw, British actress and UNHCR high-profile supporter
- Alek Wek, British-Sudanese supermodel and designer
- Piwo Nyanda, South African rugby player (Mastercard)
- Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General
- Sheikha Hend Faisal Al Qassimi, Emirati businesswoman, author and artist; UAE
- Folorunso Alakija, Nigerian entrepreneur and Vice-Chair of Famfa Oil
- Bisila Bokoko, Spanish-African-American businesswoman; USA
- Vanessa Nakate, climate activist; Uganda
- Natasha Muhoza, poet/storyteller and lawyer; Rwanda
- Ilwad Elman, Somali-Canadian activist, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize nominee; Director, Elman Peace Centre; Mogadishu
M-Net Movies to launch pop-up channel dedicated to kickass women in March
Don’t be blinded by their beauty. They are smart, strong, certainly not to be messed with. These are the leading action ladies that will command your screens when M-Net launches its pop-up channel dedicated to the powerful women in action movies in March.
Dubbed the M-Net Movies Pretty Deadly Pop-up Channel starring Leading Ladies of Action, this thrilling pop-up channel, which will be available to DStv Premium customers, will air on DStv Channel 111 from Friday, 19 March, at 10:30 and end on Sunday, 4 April, shortly after midnight.
The launch of the channel coincides with the celebration of women’s contributions throughout history and in contemporary society, as March is proclaimed Women’s History Month.
The pop-up channel consists of an incredible collection of heroine action movies that pack a punch. Among the gems are the most acclaimed butt-kicking films. These include Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel, Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde, Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy, Zoe Saldana’s Colombiana, and Angelina Jolie’s Salt.
Crime Watch – persistently raising awareness about crime
As the men and women in blue continue their tireless effort to put criminals behind bars, Crime Watch is right by their side highlighting crime and their policing.
Crime Watch, a popular current-affairs show, was re-introduced in November last year and covers issues including amongst others kidnappings, cash-in-transit heists, car hijackings, the illicit tobacco trade and courier van robberies.
In an exclusive interview to be aired on Tuesday, 2 March 2021, Yusuf Abramjee sits down with National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sithole. South Africa’s top cop will answer questions on a range of issues, including the latest crime statistics, corruption, alcohol abuse and poor service at many police stations.
“Crime statistics show that criminals continue to run rampant. We need to all join hands and fight crime at every turn,” Abramjee said.
Crime Watch airs on Tuesday nights at 9.30pm on eNCA DStv channel 403.
