The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: SAB launches new outcomes-based responsible consumption platform with focused key interventions
SAB has committed to the nation to use its scale, reach and expertise to accelerate responsible alcoholconsumption through the launch of a new evidence-based platform.
The new platform is called SAB Sharp, a play on words communicating SAB’s leadership in championing responsible consumption of alcohol through a rallying call to South Africa to be sharp – to make better decisions when it comes to alcohol.
SAB VP for Corporate Affairs, Zoleka Lisa, says SAB is moving to actively driving change through partnerships with government, key stakeholders, communities, and tavern owners. This call is encapsulated in the SA Be Sharp Charter, a manifesto of SAB’s commitment to championing responsibility which includes a citizen’s commitment that South Africans can sign up to on the SAB website.
The new SAB Sharp platform, will enable SAB to run interventions that can accelerate the curbing of irresponsible consumption of alcohol at scale and with pace, leveraging partnerships with government, communities, civil society retailers, tavern owners and media agencies.
“In order to create the kind of country we want to live in, we acknowledge the societal ills caused by irresponsible consumption of alcohol, and we are committed to be at the forefront of changing the way the nation behaves when they are selling, buying our enjoying our beers,” said Lisa
The launch of SAB Sharp is part of the company’s five-year plan to create a safer and smarter drinking culture. The SAB Sharp platform will drive tangible results in SAB’s delivery of programmes aimed in 4 specific pillars of responsibility: responsible communities, responsible driving, responsible marketing, and responsible trading. SAB has put in place tangible goals that will serve to focus its efforts to address the abovementioned societal ills.
People moves
Merissa Himraj appointed CEO of Wavemaker SSA
Merissa Himraj will assume the top position at Wavemaker South Africa, the South African division of the world’s fifth largest media company, on 1 February 2022. She takes over as CEO SSA (Sub-Saharan Africa) from Lwandile Qokweni, who is stepping down from a role he has held since March 2018 to pursue other interests.
A pioneering strategist and exceptional leader, Himraj first joined Wavemaker in August 2014 as a business unit manager, before taking on the role of CSO in January 2019. In 2020, she was appointed to the executive committee of Wavemaker’s parent company, GroupM, and in 2021 she became Wavemaker South Africa’s Managing Director.
Her CSO appointment brought with it the provision of strategic and solutions-driven oversight both internally at Wavemaker and among its many clients. In her role at GroupM, she was actively involved in projects that take place at a broader, sector-wide level, including retail, FMCG and ICT.
Read more here.
Kaya 959 introduces new talent as part of it’s training and development initiative
Popular Gauteng radio station Kaya 959 has introduced two new training presenters to it’s line-up. Tyroline Franks and Xola Dlwati are both new talents joining the station’s new training and development initiative.
The two new radio stars moved in behind the microphone on their respective new shows from 1 December 2021:
- Xola Dlwati 2am-5am Mon-Friday
- Tyroline Franks – 3am-6am Sat and Sun
“Discovering and nurturing new talent is, for me, one of the cornerstones of radio programming,” said Kaya 959 commercial programming manager, Maekanya Morotoba. “We should always be looking for fresh voices. With that comes different perspectives, fresh story-telling and new opportunities for aspirant presenters”.
Franks has always had a love for broadcasting. With a background in community radio at Eldos FM in Eldorado Park in Johannesburg, she comes to Kaya 959 as a graduate from the Wits Radio Academy.
Similarly, Dlwati also hails from Eldos FM. A former sports editor and presenter at community radio, he joins the Kaya 959 team as a qualified engineer as well as a graduate from the Wits Radio Academy.
Netstar appoints Nicky Sheridan as new sales executive
Vehicle-recovery and fleet-intelligence company Netstar, a subsidiary of Altron, has appointed Nicky Sheridan to head up its sales division as the organisation’s new Sales Executive.
Sheridan will join Netstar in January 2022 and his immediate priorities will be to support the Netstar strategic goals around subscriber growth and improved customer intimacy.
Business moves
The largest television broadcaster in South Africa celebrates its success
From a single channel whose existence was doubted some 23 years ago, to the biggest television broadcaster in South Africa in the last three months. That is a success story to be celebrated.
Having started with e.tv and having evolved into the eMedia Group -encompassing e.tv and seven other entertainment channels such as eExtra, eMovies, eReality, Openview, eNCA – and a range of supporting subsidiaries, the Group is now the leading television broadcaster in South Africa.
With a market share of 32.1% in all day viewing – up from 26.9% in the prior period, and with its nearest competitors being at 29.2% and 27.9% respectively – the position of the leading broadcaster in audience measures in South Africa, is a tremendous achievement.
In addition, the Group posted an excellent set of results compared to both the prior year, and the year before the pandemic. The resurgence in the television and radio advertising market, and the Group’s concentrated effort to improve its market share, and thereby its audience, has contributed to the profitability of the eMedia Group.
The growth of 54% year-on-year in advertising revenue, has had the biggest impact on the results with the revenue ending the period (6 months) on R1 057.9 billion, compared to the prior year of R687.2 million, an increase of R370.7 million.
Khalik Sherrif, CEO of eMedia Investments, said, “The challenge now is to maintain our leadership position and continue in this trajectory for the foreseeable future. I believe we have the right team in place with years of experience, the know-how, the commitment, and the passion to ensure that we do not become the victims of our own success. Our entire team is geared to deliver. I am proud of each one of them. They each have the eDNA. I look forward to the future.”
MultiChoice secures magical Disney programming
The Walt Disney Company Africa and MultiChoice Group have signed a multi-year distribution deal for Disney’s factual and family channels that air on DStv until 2024.
National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Disney Channel, Disney Junior as well as ESPN and ESPN2, which debuted on the DStv platform in 2020, will continue to be carried by DStv for the next two years, taking the total of Disney-run linear channels on DStv to six.
The channels will be available on the following DStv packages:
- National Geographic: Compact and up
- National Geographic Wild: Access and up
- Disney Channel: Compact and up
- Disney Junior: Access and up
- ESPN: Compact and up
- ESPN2: Compact+ and up
Christine Service, SVP and GM of The Walt Disney Company Africa, said: “This distribution renewal with the MultiChoice Group marks another proud milestone in our long-term relationship. Through this deal, our six 24-hour channels will continue to reach viewers of all ages across the continent, bringing them the very latest in premium, high-quality entertainment content from The Walt Disney Company’s portfolio of globally connected, locally relevant kids, family, factual and sports brands.”
FNB empowers SMEs in the Digital Media industry by extending relations with digital agency, Sprout Performance Partners
With the rise in the usage of digital platforms to access content and solutions, FNB has ramped up its efforts to empower SMEs leading change in the digital marketing industry.
Recently awarded the Most Valuable Brand in SA, FNB has extended its supplier relationship with one of South Africa’s rising digital marketing agencies, Sprout Performance Partners (SPP).
Faye Mfikwe, chief marketing officer at FNB, says: “As a leading digital platform innovator, we are proud to partner with like-minded small businesses that are pioneers of change in the digital marketing space. Sprout Performance Partners is one of the agencies that continue to foster innovation through their unique approach, delivery of data-driven strategy and media buying. Their digital consultancy, working closely with FNB marketing teams, have assisted in driving digital marketing maturity through the organisation. Over the years, our relationship with the agency has enabled us to be more contextual and cutting-edge in our execution, hence we’re excited to continue our journey.”
In addition to working with FNB, Sprout will also support WesBank, MotoVantage and DirectAxis in their digital marketing endeavours.
Hubble beats Dentsu Aegis/Merkel to win the £6m Condeco Software account
What’s Possible Group-owned, Hubble, the agency that provides a single solution for international marketers working in centralised teams, has won the media business for workspace scheduling experts, Condeco, across the US, UK and Europe.
This win will see Hubble support Condeco as it launches its scheduling software – a smart, simple-to-use workspace booking platform which will transform the world of work.
The campaign started with a soft launch in the US and will be extended to a larger launch in 2022. Targeting C-Suite decision makers and employees of progressive knowledge-based companies wanting to invest in flexible working solutions, the campaign will launch across channels including social, connected TV, audio, and digital display.
Sanlam appoints Incubeta as digital media planning and buying partner
Incubeta has been appointed as digital media planning and buying partner for the Sanlam Group, retaining the business for a further three years. The appointment enables the global performance marketer to build on its existing relationship as the group’s trusted digital marketing partner, as well as to focus on helping Sanlam achieve its growth objectives.
“Retaining the Sanlam business after an already successful five-year relationship is a huge win for Incubeta. We have worked closely with their teams during their digital marketing transformation journey and we are honoured that they have put their trust in us to continue the journey with them,” said Daleen Spence, business unit director at Incubeta and Sanlam account lead.
The three-year contract will see the Incubeta team building on their previous success including digital media, technology enablement and everything related to the Google Marketing Platform, from technical implementation, to consultancy, as well as training. The team will also be designing and delivering scalable digital marketing solutions, across data, technology, media, creative and conversion optimisation.
Realness Institute opens submissions for 2022 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship in partnership with Netflix
Realness Institute, a non-profit organisation which aims to empower Africans to tell their stories from an unapologetically African point of view, has announced opened submissions for the 2022 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship (DET) in partnership with Netflix.
This follows the overwhelming interest in the inaugural editions, having received 425 submissions for the 2021 Episodic Lab and 79 applications for the 2021 DET.
The Episodic Lab is a development programme that gives screenwriters from South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria an opportunity to develop their original story ideas, in any genre. The participants have the opportunity of pitching these incubated stories to Netflix executives at the end of the programme.
The DET, which is open to applicants from across Africa and the Diaspora, is aimed at mid-career industry professionals who are looking to enhance their skills as story consultants. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the story development process, and will be exposed to a more nuanced approach in the support of writers whilst simultaneously holding writers accountable for their creative work.
Innovocean wins bid for V&A Waterfront outdoor media
A new joint venture between media owners Tractor Outdoor & Reveel is set to change the face of the V&A, while opening doors for big and small business alike
Innovocean is a joint venture between two of South Africas leading OOH media owners – Tractor Media Holdings and Reveel (a subsidiary of the Nfinity Group of Companies) – has been awarded the exclusive advertising rights for the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa.
This win sees the newly-established company take on all of the internal and external out-of-home (OOH) and digital OOH retail advertising for South Africa’s largest and most popular ocean-side shopping and entertainment destination, which sees an annual foot count of over 26 million people (pre-COVID).
The Innovocean roll-out will begin on 1 April 2022, and was born from a conversation between Tractor CEO Simon Wall and Nfinity CEO Ken Varejes in 2019, when both realised that the synergies between their respective companies and their collective experience would make for a powerful collaboration in offering clients an unsurpassed product, skillset and service.
Alex Kabalin, Retail Executive at the V&A, said, “We’ve used the Covid lockdowns period to continue with investments in our retail clothing, food, as well as our attractions offerings that visitors can look forward to. Consolidating our indoor and outdoor portfolio allows advertisers to better access the full customer journey across our neighbourhood, while delivering innovation and growing our network of digital media platforms.”
ERW My Flight Pack: Official Travel-aid Partner of the DHL Stormers
My Flight Pack™, a market-leader in eliminating the negative impact of air travel, has announced the signing of a partnership deal that will see them support the DHL Stormers as the official travel-aid partner for the next 12 months.
Before facing elite competitors on the rugby field, travelling can take its toll on even the most formidable athlete. ERW My Flight Pack™ is a three-step powdered solution boasting body-boosting minerals and nutrients that are scientifically designed to prevent fatigue and fight the effects of jet lag, including disrupted sleep and dehydration that many sportspeople experience.
The result of thousands of hours of research from accomplished chef, Hannah Grant, and environmental exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist, Dr Stacy Sims, the duo designed the three-step all-natural formula to work with the body’s physiology while providing essential vitamins and minerals designed to improve recovery and boost immune health during travelling.
Making moves
Algoa FM celebrates 10 years of broadcasting in the Garden Route
Algoa FM brought the first dedicated commercial radio show to the Garden Route a decade ago at the request of businesses and listeners.
This started a mutually beneficial relationship, which dates back to the first day of broadcasting, according to sales manager Dennis Karantges.
“We still have some original advertisers on air with us, from when we first went ‘live’ 10 years ago. Three of our original Garden Route advertisers – Kloppers, Watsons Meat and Van Rensburgs Foods – have all expanded their footprint in partnership with us.”
The company has deepened its business relationships through its involvement with the Mossel Bay and George chambers of business.
It also works closely with Plettenberg Bay and Knysna Tourism to help promote the many festivals and events that have historically been held in the Garden Route.
Hot 102.7FM Teddython Raises R7 million in 12.5 hours
In just 12.5 hours, the HOT 102.7FM Teddython raised in excess of R 7 321 000 for HOT CARES. Broadcasting from Papachinos restaurant in Broadacres from the commencement of Joburg’s Hottest Breakfast through to the conclusion of The Big Joburg Drive, donations and pledges came in from corporate donors and individuals.
“We had set our sights on raising R 7 million,” said Lloyd Madurai, managing director of HOT 102.7FM, “and Joburgers sure didn’t let us down. Our business partners, listeners and friends in this City of Gold showed their hearts of gold, and we are absolutely thrilled with the success of the Teddythong. The generosity of the spirit of HOT 102.7FM fans ensures that HOT CARES has much-needed funds and resources to continue the excellent work for which they have become known.”
Amendment to the latest RAMS Amplify™ dataset
The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) has announced that a minor amendment to the latest RAMS Amplify™ dataset was made on 3 November 2021.
The issue was identified by Ipsos as a duplication of certain respondents in the data. All duplicates have been removed while the software bureaus updated the dataset on the 3rd of November 2021.
The affected stations include:
Yesterday listenership (000’s):
- Ukhozi FM, from 4 352 to 4 351 (-0.02%)
- 99.2 YFM, from 398 to 401 (+1%)
P7D listenership (000’s):
- Ukhozi FM, from 7 980 to 7 979 (-0.1%)
- Thobela FM, from 3 049 to 3 045 (-0.1%)
- Gagasi FM, from 1 626 to 1 624 (-0.1%)
- Ikwekwezi FM, from 1 421 to 1416 (-0.4%)
- KFM, from 1 118 to 1 116 (-0.2%)
- 99.2 YFM, from 1 017 to 1 014 (-0.3%)
- Nongoma FM 88.3, from 102 to 99 (-3%)
All relevant documents on the BRC website have been updated accordingly.
SAMIP expands media innovation support to three more Southern African countries
The South Africa Media Innovation Programme (SAMIP) has welcomed four new regional media ventures to be part of its pioneering independent media development program.
The new cohort includes media organisations from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Lesotho that were selected for inclusion in the multi-year program.
SAMIP is a program of the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), a not-for-profit investment fund for independent media in countries where access to free media is under threat, with objectives to diversify, strengthen and support innovation among independent media initiatives.
The new regional cohort includes established online news organisation 263chat, Zimbabwe’s hyperlocal digital news outlet The Citizen Bulletin, Lesotho’s weekly newspaper Newsday and the non-profit Namibia Media Trust. They will be exploring innovative ways to empower marginalised communities, particularly those living with disabilities, to tell their own stories in the media.
