The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: YFM reveals brand evolution
YFM has undergone an official evolution. The station, synonymous with youth culture in South Africa, will now also be visually identified as Y.
“It has been an exhilarating journey to this point, and I am confident that this natural next step will strengthen our connection with our listeners and propel Y to new heights,” said Haseena Cassim, MD of YFM.
In keeping with its digitally native young adult audiences – who don’t just play in the space of traditional media but create and develop digital spaces – it became apparent that the iconic YFM logo required an evolutionary step to mirror this dynamic.
“Y is at the pulse of youth culture and as a content brand we create with our audience. The brand’s fluidity is a mirror of their mindset. We tried to capture this in our new CI and campaign, making sure the essence of what Y represents, to young people, continues to resonate with them. It was a task that we didn’t take lightly, understanding that we are responsible for an iconic South African brand. Involving our talent in the TVC was so important as they are the voices and faces of our platforms. We are very proud of what we have produced,” said Natasha Wadvalla, Marketing and Communications Manager at YFM.
In addition to launching a refreshed logo, Y launches its new campaign ‘Y _NOT’ using a bold digital and on-air campaign coupled with a television commercial.
‘Y _NOT’ promotes and heroes individualism and supports young adults embodying their greatness. Y believes that the most powerful catalyst for progress is when young people have an enabling space to pursue their ambitions and seeks to ensure that its platforms promote creation through collaboration.
The station has also relocated to its new studios in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, where it occupies space along with its sister brands eTV, OpenviewHD and eNCA.
People moves
Mastercard appoints Gabriel Swanepoel as the new country manager for South Africa
Mastercard has appointed Gabriel Swanepoel as the new country manager for Mastercard in South Africa. This serves as a promotion from his current role as the vice president of Business Integration for Mastercard, Southern Africa.
As country manager, Swanepoel is responsible for further driving the company’s strategic vision, innovation and growth agenda and building on its successful purpose-driven culture in South Africa.
Swanepoel’s ‘digital-first’ business acumen and two-decades-long career in the South Africa payments industry will further support Mastercard accelerate the uptake of digital payments and strengthen its multi-rail capabilities in cards, real-time payments, and support for digital currencies.
“Gabriel has been an invaluable member of our leadership team in South Africa for years. His local knowledge, and deep experience are substantial assets for our local business. Leading a dynamic team, Gabriel will support Mastercard in doubling down on efforts to build an inclusive and digitalised economy in South Africa, while enabling our customers and partners to better prepare for economic recovery and growth,” said Mark Elliott, Division President at Mastercard, Southern Africa.
He takes over from Suzanne Morel, who returns to Mastercard’s New York office after two years of leading the local business.
Business moves
Sign up and catch the digital audio revolution in Africa
A series of online conferences demystifying the digital audio revolution and how to use it to build brands in Africa has just launched.
in_Broadcasting, a broadcast innovation business from HaveYouHeard Group, is curating the series which will explore new mediums and innovative ways to reach the digital-first audience.
The first conference, in_Podcast, will offer an inside view into podcasting trends and production, the rise of branded digital radio and how to use both to unlock new audiences in South Africa and Africa.
Speakers who’ll be covering different aspects of the subject include Gareth Cliff from Cliff Central, podcaster Simmi Areff from ‘Lesser Known Somebodies’, MacG from Podcast & Chill with MacG, Chris Borain from United Stations and Jon Savage, founder and head of content and platform from in_Broadcasting.
The two-hour livestream will also include recent, real-world campaign case studies that offer insight into the medium, production challenges and hacks, lessons in building communities and how to tune in to what the audience really cares about.
Directly after the conference, delegates can join the speakers on Clubhouse for a lively Q&A session.
“If you work in marketing, run a brand, want to find more meaningful and affordable ways to connect with audiences, or want to get the jump on the next trend in media and production, this conference is going to offer you a lot of value,” said Savage.
The in_Podcast conference will take place online on 25November. For the full agenda and to book tickets visit www.inconference.live or Quicket.
Pitch for passion: National informal traders alliance looking for marketing agency
The South African Informal Traders Alliance (SAITA), the official voice of over two million informal traders in South Africa, is looking for a marketing agency to help drive Project204, its ambitious programme to create over one million jobs and transition informal traders across to the formal economy.
Louise Silver, communications manager for SAITA, said: “We are calling this a Pitch for Passion! We are passionate about creating jobs and assisting informal traders to create employment and formalise their businesses. We need a passionate partner who cares about and is interested in the informal sector and can help us do this. It’s the perfect opportunity for an agency or corporate who wants to commit time and resources to a critical CSI initiative which will have a profound and measurable impact on our economy, by creating jobs and uplifting families and communities.”
SAITA is looking for a marketing partner who can provide general marketing expertise including development and implementation of a marketing strategy, design expertise, digital and traditional advertising, and media buying.
SAITA is a registered NPC and has an NPO number, which means being aligned with SAITA is even more beneficial for BBBEE points.
Interested parties can contact Louise Silver from SAITA on 081 362 2941 / louise@saita.org.za.
