The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: Community media stands firm amid print media carnage, report shows
If you want to reach mass audiences through print media, community media should be at the core of your strategy. That’s one of the main takeaways from a newly-released report on the African Print Media Landscape, by media monitoring company Novus Group.
While Taxi Times and PE Express may not be top of mind for most media and PR agencies, they have a combined circulation of 266 000, which dwarfs most of their more illustrious mainstream counterparts. Together, they lead a sector which remains buoyant, and actually showed marginal growth in the first quarter of 2021, said Novus Group director Joe Hamman.
“The number of print publications continues to decrease, in spite of a return from certain titles, and the re-addition of some business, motoring and lifestyle supplements. This underlines the ongoing trend of the broader print sector consolidating and increasingly transitioning to digital channels. This is already having significant ramifications for the way that we approach marketing, advertising and PR going forward,” said Hamman.
Even the best-selling daily newspaper for the first quarter of 2021, Daily Sun, saw sales drop by nearly 11% from the previous quarter, to 51 342. Media24 dailies saw a slight quarter-on-quarter decline at Beeld, Burger and Son.
Among the weekend newspapers, Arena’s Sunday Times remains the best-selling weekend publication for the first quarter of 2021, increasing sales by just over 3% to 115,209, while City Press recorded the highest decline of 7.72% to fall below 27 000 copies a week.
Huisgenoot remains by far the most popular consumer publication in South Africa, which sells 140 000 copies a week, while the leading business consumer magazine is Business Brief, with a circulation staying stable at around 52 000. The magazine sector has been among the hardest hit in recent months, with numerous titles closing or changing their frequency.
“What the report shows is that more than ever, PR practitioners and agencies require a carefully planned and well-executed strategy, underpinned by a deep understanding of the audiences they want to reach. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to digital success, and media analytics are increasingly becoming a key tool in shaping content and channel strategy,” said Hamman.
The full report is available for download at Novus Group: ‘South African Print Media Landscape’.
People moves
Broll Property Group appoints Andile Rapiya as COO for Human Capital & Communications
Pan-African professional real-estate services provider Broll Property Group has appointed Andile Rapiya as COO for human capital and communications. Rapiya brings over 17 years’ extensive experience in marketing, branding and corporate affairs to her new role.
A dynamic marketing leader, Rapiya joined Broll in 2017 as national marketing manager in the property management division, and has since grown to focus on her passion for transforming team and growing brands, businesses and people. Prior to joining Broll, she achieved success across multiple industries, including media, transport and retail, and has won numerous awards in her field.
Business moves
Openview achieves record breaking 2.5M activations
Openview passed the 2.5 million mark in decoder activations across South Africa in July 2021. More and more households are choosing Openview for viewing and entertainment with a record 44 665 decoders sold in July alone – a record month for the eMedia group.
Openview first launched on 15 October 2013 and now offers 20 TV Channels + 28 Radio Channels in the bouquet which caters to all ages, races and genders across South Africa. Some of the popular choices is an Afrikaans offering on eExtra with over one million viewers daily, and eKasi – a dedicated local content block on weekends between 7PM – 8PM on eReality.
Catering to Mzansi – Openview offers a wide variety for all audiences and since April this year added an additional radio station in every one of the official languages which brings the total to 28 radio channels. Soul Music and SA Music has become extremely popular with month on month growth. April also saw the launch of a 24/7 Sports Channel which provides our sport loving enthusiasts with more than enough adrenaline and excitement.
The choice for entertainment does not end there – Openview currently offers some of the top movie channels in the country. eMovies and eMovies Extra recently ranked in the Top 10 Prime Time audience ratings and is proof that we exceed viewer expectations.
Ultimate Braai Master is returning for Season 7
South Africans enjoy getting together with their Bra (brah) or bru for a “chop n dop” in fact it’s a traditional pastime in this country. So, all avid braaiers will be glad to hear that the Ultimate Braai Master is back for a seventh season in September.
Equally exciting is that host Justin Bonello and judges, Pete Goffe-Wood and Benny Masekwameng are all back, and ready to challenge a whole new group of contestants!
The incredibly successful Ultimate Braai Master, a South African born reality TV series, is being shot in the Nelson Mandela Bay area in August and September featuring contestants who have been selected from across South Africa. Little do they know that the braai motto ‘rain, wind or shine – we braai’ is going to literally test their will to stay in the competition.
This season’s Ultimate Braai Master will be brought to you by Takealot in association with Castle Lager, coordinated by marketing integration specialists G2 Connection.
“The last 18 months have been a trying time for all South Africans, so I was delighted by the high standard of talent that applied to be a part of UBM – so much so that making the final teams’ decision was really tough,” said Bonello. “We also spent time identifying great locations in the Nelson Mandela Bay area. We wanted locations that are going to test both the contestant’s resilience and cooking ability. It will be a very exciting series.”
The return of Benny and Pete completes the trio. “What I most enjoy about Ultimate Braai Master is how the show’s diversity unites everyone around one fire. I really enjoy the innovation and creativity that this diverse group brings to the show. The camaraderie that is built during the shoot endures long after the show has aired,” says Benny.
It is going to be great viewing from the get-go, and this year’s theme is “Under Fire” because contestants are going to find it very hot all the time. Be sure to catch e.tv every Saturday night from the 25th of September at 18h00 to find out.
Nedbank repositions its business ignite programme to give more South African small businesses a hand
Nedbank, in collaboration with Primedia Broadcasting’s radio stations 702 and CapeTalk, has repositioned the highly successful Nedbank Business Ignite sponsorship to align it the current challenges SMEs are facing.
The repositioned campaign is called #HandsUpForSmallBusiness, powered by Nedbank, and according to Alan Shannon, executive for client engagement, professional banking and small-business services at Nedbank, it aligns with the bank’s far-reaching commitment to respond meaningfully to the massive impact that Covid-19, the national lockdown responses, and the recent unrest have had on small businesses.
While the repositioned campaign still includes a call for entry as in previous years, Shannon explained that this is no longer the primary focus of the #HandsUpForSmallBusiness initiative. “Rather than identifying a small number of SME finalists and a grand prize winner to receive vital business support, we are casting the net wider this year, and will provide 20 businesses across the regions with financial, marketing, mentorship and technical support. These 20 businesses will be selected based on their ability to show that they are committed to rising from the challenges of the past two years and rebuilding their operations into successful, sustainable and resilient businesses,” he said.
Go to HandsUp.co.za to enter.
Standard Bank appoints internal communications agency
Lobengula Advertising has been appointed as the new lead internal communications agency for the Standard Bank Group.
The 100% black female owned agency has expertise in marketing and communications in the telco, FMCG, banking and the broader financial services sector as well as the fast foods, steel industry and IT sectors.
“The pandemic has driven us to develop even better ways of communicating with each other. Team members working across cities and even countries need to have open communication channels and access to all the relevant information. Hence, the importance to invest in internal communications. We’re excited to partner Lobengula as we improve communication with our people,” said Thulani Sibeko, chief brand and marketing officer at Standard Bank.
“We believe that in order to rebuild the economy, brands and businesses will need to water the seeds of homegrown companies and Standard Bank is a shining example of that. This partnership presents the opportunity to create value by driving engagement opportunities that will win over the hearts and minds of Standard Bank employees.,” said Brenda Khumalo, co-founder and managing director at Lobengula Advertising.
NFVF announces launch of Thuthuka Fund in collaboration with the Netherlands Film Fund
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has announced the launch of the Thuthuka Co-Development Fund valued at over R1.4 million per year in collaboration with the Netherlands Film Fund. In total four projects will be supported each year, which will consist of two films from South Africa and the Netherlands respectively.
Following a Co-production Treaty signed with the Netherlands in December 2015, and subsequent various collaborations, the Thuthuka Co-Development Fund will finance fiction and non-fiction feature films, which will include documentaries and animation. South Africa and the Netherlands will each contribute over R700 000 to the fund, respectively, annually. The co-development fund will be yet another opportunity that will enable the NFVF to deliver on its mandate to promote the South African Film industry locally and internationally.
The NFVF is constantly on the lookout for opportunities that contribute to the growth of the film industry and create an enabling environment for South African producers.
Ogilvy PR on a winning streak despite market turbulence
Ogilvy PR – the strategic communications division of Ogilvy South Africa – is on a winning streak, landing several pieces of local and international new business in recent months. These wins include Telkom Corporate, PepsiCo Salty Snacks, Dettol, Kotex, United Nations Women, FoodForward SA, MSD for Mothers and a range of assignments for MultiChoice Africa.
“Coming off the back of Ogilvy Worldwide’s new strategy and an enhanced agile operating model, our PR business has seen a massive take-up in the South African and global markets for our bespoke Corporate and Consumer strategic communications offerings. These include strategy design and implementation focused on Stakeholder engagement; Reputation and Crisis management; Employee communications; Public affairs and advocacy; and Consumer and Influencer marketing,” said Enver Groenewald, Group CEO of Ogilvy South Africa.
Brands join forces for community upliftment
The recently launched Superiate Upliftment Programme (SUP) drives the upliftment of youth and communities in South Africa and encompasses skills and personal development initiatives to those that sign up. The launch phase is to over 500 000 learners in 500 high schools and surrounding households and communities.
The initiative enables brands to give back to communities by sharing skills and products that will enrich lives. In exchange, participating brands will gain valuable market research and insight relevant to their industries.
Brad Stern, founder of Superiate Marketing, said: “Working with brand partners and the Department of Basic Education, and while coming out of Covid-19 and remaining Covid conscious, we asked the question, ‘How can we still have relevant conversations with school learners and their families?’ The objective is for SUP to be the connector between brands and the youth and their communities in aiding learners’ social upliftment and education.”
Some big-name brand partners on board giving and rewarding include: Google, McDonalds’ McCafe, RSAWeb, Score Energy, Yenza, Presto and Splashlearn, Scoot, Global Citizen. Give back partners are tears.co.za, Operation Smile, Menstruation Foundation.
To find out more about the SUP and Superiate, or to sign up to SUP, visit www.superiate.com, and follow @superiate on Instagram or facebook.com/superiate, or email info@superiate.com
Canon South Africa and RARI Partner to Preserve Africa’s Rich Heritage
There’s an African proverb that says: “Blessings of ancestors are greater than those of a living human being.” Our ancestors communicate with us in different ways, but their past messages still resonate today through the gift of rock art.
The Rock Art Research Institute (RARI) – a part of the University of the Witwatersrand – hosts a digital repository of all rock art images across the continent – the African Rock Art Digital Archive. Featuring over three decades’ worth of research and insight, the Institute has established itself as a premier organisation to discover more about our country and continent’s rich heritage.
Due to funding constraints, RARI’s digitisation laboratory experienced difficulties over the years, with its technology being heavily outdated and their operations short-staffed. Change was necessary for it to maintain its status and prestige as the archival specialist on the African continent. This required assistance from Canon on two fronts.
First, Canon analysed the digilab and identified immediate areas of improvement, both in terms of technology and solutions. This continues to be an ongoing process as both Canon and RARI work towards the best process to capture, store, and print these archives.
Second, the digilab needed additional resources to cope with the mounting requests, archival tasks, and everyday admin. At the same time, it was critical to build an inclusive environment for previously disadvantaged South Africans to have the opportunity to advance in the fields of research, heritage conservation and archaeology.
According to Canon South Africa HR Director, Christine Masinga, part of showcasing its commitment to the partnership and advancing the skills talented black graduates and future teachers, Canon sponsored the three Transformation posts for the period of a year, with an option to extend for a further 12-months. The sponsorship includes the salaries of two Archival interns and one Digital Archive Specialist/Manager. The Digital Archive Manager will mentor the archival interns to become fully-fledged, successful technicians.
GLHF is growing internationally through a partnership with Computer – Bild
GLHF Entertainment is accelerating their growth signing content and sales partnerships with Computer-BILD, the most popular tech platform in the DACH region, allowing GLHF Entertainment to reach over 2.5 million additional readers.
GLHF Entertainment provides a content platform for media partners around the world to reach and monetise gamers through a 360 service of content, reach, partnership with the best esports teams in the world and access to GLHF’s international brand partnerships.
“With this first step in our growth plan we are happy to exponentially grow our reach and copy the success we have had with Bonnier in Sweden throughout Europe,” said GLHF Entertainment CEO Niklas Grawé.
“We are delighted to further strengthen our gaming content on computerbild.de by starting this partnership. “We are responding to the growing relevance of the topics gaming and eSports by making this tangible to everyone in all its aspects” – says Chief editor Dirk General-Kuchel, COMPUTER BILD
2Africa Consortium announces new cable branches
The 2Africa consortium, comprising China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and WIOCC, has announced the addition of four new branches to the 2Africa cable. The branches will extend 2Africa’s connectivity to the Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, and Angola, and bring a new landing to south-east Nigeria. The new branches join the recently announced extension to the Canary Islands.
2Africa, which will be the largest subsea cable project in the world, will deliver faster, more reliable internet service to each country where it lands.
Making moves
Invitation to submit proposals for short documentary and narrative films: Shining a spotlight on unsung community heroes
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) in collaboration with the Department of Sports Arts and Culture (DSAC) is inviting ALL filmmakers to submit proposals for short documentary and fiction films that highlight stories of contributions both past and present made by individuals to a non-discriminatory, non-racial, non-sexist, non-violent, democratic and prosperous society as envisaged in our constitution.
The films will be packaged under the anthology: Not All Heroes Wear Capes,we are seeking documentary and fictional films that will shine a light on an unsung hero from your community, whether dead or alive. This short film will be a personal narrative highlighting their contributions from a liberation, heritage or cultural perspective. The NFVF intends to support 10 films in total, due to the national importance of the topic, it is our intent to select a film from each of the 9 provinces or predominantly underserviced regions. A total of R470 000.00 will be awarded to each successful project, whether fiction or non-fiction.
The show goes on for local films as Park-In Experience returns
As South Africa bolsters efforts towards economic recovery, the Park-In Experience will resume with its focus on reversing the adverse effects of the global coronavirus pandemic on the local film industry.
The Park-In Experience was founded by two female entrepreneurs, Lerato Maunatlala and Nikiwe Ndaba, with not only the objective of promoting local film talent but also assisting productions to derive revenue from their work especially amidst the economic devastation of the current global pandemic.
“We hosted our first viewing events after the first hard lockdown in 2020 to address the critical need for local films to be showcased. Unfortunately, we had to pause and observe the series of lockdowns that followed periodically thereafter,” said Maunatlala. “We are excited to be live again starting with a showcase on the 20th and 21st of August 2021 at our venue partner, Mall of Africa. We implore entertainment-loving South Africans to come in large numbers to support the local film industry.”
For more information follow Park-in Experience on all social media platforms. Patrons can also visit its website www.parkinexp.co.za to book tickets. Picnic blankets are available for sale with R10 for each sale going to charity.
Mobile in Africa brand refresh
Launched in 2015, Mobile in Africa (MIA) has now repositioned its brand CI to be more distinctive and communicate its extension as an ecommerce brand that provides affordable automated technology that’s accessible to all.
With new key retail partners associated with the brand, it was important to ensure MIA did not limit itself to product offerings but allow for co-branded opportunities.
Mark Goott, MIA’s CEO, said, “The world and our consumers have changed drastically in the past six years. Technology has advanced significantly, too. Being seen as a contemporary brand in this space is essential to remaining competitive and ensures we continue to resonate with our customers.”
SAMRO celebrates 60th year in business and marks more than R7bn disbursed in royalties
The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), which is celebrating its 60th birthday this year, is also marking the fact that it has disbursed more than R7 billion in royalties in the six decades since its inception.
SAMRO’s primary role is to administer performing rights on behalf of its members, which it does by licensing music users through the collection of licence fees, which are then distributed as royalties.
“As we celebrate 60 years since the establishment of SAMRO in December 1961, we must also reflect on the significant milestone of successfully collecting and distributing R7 billion in royalties to our members,” said SAMRO chairperson Nicholas Maweni.
“If nothing else, this figure should demonstrate that SAMRO has consistently created value for South African artists over the years. We pride ourselves as being a progressive and innovative organisation that always strives to maximise value for our members.”
Maweni notes that SAMRO has ambitious goals for the future, aiming to position itself as a technology-savvy, innovative and creative organisation that will create even more value for its members and the South African music industry as a whole.
