The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: The Home Channel and Deutsche Welle launch Afrimaxx
The Home Channel and Deutsche Welle have launched a weekly TV show focusing on modern lifestyle for a young, pan-African audience.
Hosted by Ayanda Thabethe, Afrimaxx seeks out the continent’s finest design innovation across the spectrum – from design and architecture to fashion, arts and gastronomy. It showcases the sleek, the sophisticated and the startling. Design that makes a difference, buildings that make a statement.
“For us, Afrimaxx is a breakthrough moment, a powerful antidote to the usual narrative of war, coups and famine. It’s a showcase of the amazing richness of African creativity – across design, decor, fashion, art, music and food. And a celebration of the young men and women who are starting to take their rightful place on the world stage,” says Vernon Matzopoulos, head of Arena Broadcast.
Afrimaxx aims to get to the heart of the African design philosophy and find out what makes these creatives tick. From what inspires them, to the materials that are available and the traditional influences that are being brought into the modern age.
Afrimaxx is jointly produced by German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle and Arena Broadcast in South Africa. For the production, the South African media company uses its existing network of reporters in various sub-Sahara countries. DW also produces its own contributions to the programme.
Gerda Meuer, managing director of programming at DW, says: “With Afrimaxx, we are focusing very clearly on a young target group that we want to pick up with topics that interest them. The result is a different view of Africa: a continent that also has a lot to offer regarding lifestyle, trends, fashion and modernity. The exclusive and intensive format Afrimaxx will inspire us all.”
Afrimaxx broadcasts on The Home Channel, DStv channel 176 and The Home Channel +, Openview channel 113.
People moves
Tribeca promotes Nicola Tarr and Davina Malan to managing partners
Tribeca Public Relations has promoted executive committee (exco) members, Nicola Tarr and Davina Malan to managing partners of the agency. Both Tarr and Malan are Tribeca shareholders and have been a part of the Tribeca story for 13 and nine years respectively.
In their new roles they will continue to support Nicky James, managing director, in leading the agency and upholding its people-first culture that remains at the agency’s core. They will also be responsible for guiding Tribeca’s strategic direction, identifying and implementing new agency services, and managing, monitoring and reviewing the company’s business processes and operations.
The promotions follow Tarr and Malan’s appointments from senior account directors to business unit directors in 2018, which expanded Tribeca’s executive leadership team and formalised the agency’s growth and development strategy.
“Nicola and Davina are so deserving of these promotions that celebrate and acknowledge the invaluable contributions they have made and continue to make to Tribeca, our team and our clients,” said James. “While the managing partner roles are new to Tribeca, the introduction of these positions serve to formalise and reward their strategic input and insights, acute business acumen and operational efficiencies that they bring to the agency.”
Tribeca Public Relations promotes Refuwe Makhubo to account director
Tribeca Public Relations has promoted Refuwe Makhubo to the role of an account director. Makhubo joined the agency in July 2019 as a junior account manager, and has been promoted in recognition of her exemplary client service and team management.
Her growing confidence in providing strategic consultancy has resulted in her building long-standing relationships with clients to deliver on integrated internal and external PR campaigns, ultimately providing support, value and return on investment.
“Refuwe, who goes by the nickname Fifi in the office, is an invaluable asset to Tribeca and we respect and appreciate her determination to excel in her career. She has very strong values and ethics, which serves her well in both her personal and professional capacity,” said Nicola Tarr, business unit director at Tribeca Public Relations.
Nicole Capper joins Humanz as VP of Sales for Africa
Pharmacist, communications and marketing strategist and public figure, Nicole Capper, has joined Humanz South Africa as its vice president of sales for the African market. Capper will be responsible for spearheading the growth efforts of the business to further expand the adoption of its platform by e-commerce sites, marketing agencies and talent managers.
Having obtained her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Wits in 2006 along with a qualification in operations management from UCT in 2017, and strategic communications from the University of George Washington in 2021, Capper wanted to pursue new avenues and challenges that would “fill the creative void” in her life. As such, Capper’s professional and personal journey over the years has been diverse and far-reaching.
Her new role on the Humanz team gives her the opportunity to bring the skills and experience she’s honed across a wide spectrum of industries to support the company’s strategic objectives across various markets in Africa.
Capper began exploring the world of marketing around the same time as her journey with the Mrs South Africa pageant in 2018, successfully bringing a global luxury lifestyle magazine to South Africa. After her many mountain climbs around the world, and claiming runner-up on Survivor S7, she founded her full-service marketing agency. She considers these all as fundamental steps of growth along her journey and considers her wealth of knowledge gained from her agency background a significant advantage.
Brand Inc. appoints new head of sponsorships
Brand Inc., the creative sponsorship strategy and implementation agency within the HaveYouHeard Group of specialist creative communications businesses, has appointed Izak van der Walt as its head of sponsorships.
Before joining the HaveYouHeard Group, Van der Walt started his career in sponsorships on world-renowned properties such as Absa Cape Epic, Absa Currie Cup and Klein Karoo Kunstefees. Most recently, as Business Unit Director at HaveYouHeard, he has managed sponsorship campaigns for Old Mutual and Toyota, as well as through-the-line campaigns for Campari, Jeep Clothing and Distell.
“Effective sponsorships are built on innovative ideas, meaningful contributions and authentic reasons for partnerships to exist. Brand Inc. is a creative sponsorship agency that puts the ‘Why?’ back into brand sponsorships by leading with the creative and strategic approach before negotiating rights. This ensures media roll-out never eclipses strategic intent and ROI is maximised for both parties,” Van der Walt said.
Business moves
INX Prime, a fresh approach to Islamic TV
INX Prime is a new channel on DStv (channel 345)comprising a host of shows with an Islamic ethos at its core. Content on the channel is set to be vibrant, entertaining, informative and spiritually uplifting.
The channel featurse fresh shows that bring both Muslims and non-Muslims of all ages together with topics ranging from current affairs and community upliftment, to cooking and comedy. Shows to look out for on INX Prime include the flagship show, Prime Live, as well as The Muslim Gallery, Prime Culture, You Are Not Alone and one for the children: INX Kids.
Speaking on behalf of MultiChoice, Georginah Machiridza, executive head of content strategy and third party channels at MultiChoice, said, “as part of our commitment to showcase a diverse content offering, we are proud to be launching INX Prime, a channel designed to cater for our customers that are interested in programming that is both entertaining and informative whilst rooted in the Islamic religion”.
Personalities joining the channel include the highly acclaimed Nasreen Chamdar who will be hosting Finding Halaal, an exploration of South Africa’s best halaal cuisine; Anne Cabot-Alletzhauser, co-founder of the Responsible Finance Initiative (RFI); presenter, actor and author of “Mama I sold you”, Thaamir Moerat; to name just a few.
Dialogue announces joining PRCA Africa
South African PR industry leader Tracy Jones’ award-winning agency Dialogue is joining the prestigious Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) Africa, with Jones taking up a seat on the international industry body’s African board of directors, and two senior team members joining the organisation’s newly established PRCA Africa NextGen as founding committee members.
PRCA is the world’s largest and most influential PR professional body, and exists to challenge, support, and raise standards within the global PR industry. The organisation has established a number of important industry charters and standards and has more than 400 agencies and 500 in-house teams as members around the world.
PRCA Africa recently announced the establishment of its NextGen Africa panel to “empower and support young and emerging talent in the region by giving them the right tools and support to help them progress their careers”.
Jacaranda FM to empower female entrepreneurs by perfecting their elevator pitch in 94.2 seconds
In the spirit on Women’s Month, Jacaranda FM continues to champion the women of Mzansi by giving them the tools and resources to break boundaries. In a bid to elevate female entrepreneurs within the Jacaranda FM community, the station has launched their new initiative ‘HER Perfect Pitch’ – a campaign to help female entrepreneurs perfect their elevator pitch and take their business to the next level by winning a prize package worth over R500 000.
The station is calling on female entrepreneurs earning less than R10 million per annum to send through a video pitch no longer than 94.2 seconds to herperfectpitch@jacarandafm.com that explains what their business is about, why their business is important, how it gives back to the community, and what help they think their business needs to take it to the next level. Alongside the video, a complete company profile including more detail about the business, the staff compliment, a business plan, and a five-year growth plan should also be included in the submission.
Each panellist will share varying yet business-critical advice with these women. Deirdre King will unpack the business model from a leadership and marketing point of view, Jane Ruinard will share insight into the commercial aspects of their business, Rozanne McKenzie will share her knowledge on how give to ace a presentation, Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp will advise each woman on the importance of creating connection when delivering ‘HER Perfect Pitch’ speech with an audience.
“As a family-centric radio station, we know just how pivotal women and mothers are to their families’ success. ‘HER Perfect Pitch’ was created to support the strong female entrepreneurs within our community and grow their business. The best way to support women in business is to share our knowledge and experience to elevate the women around us,” King said.
Entries officially close on 26 August 2022.
VPASA joins joins ARB as a member
The Advertising Regulatory Board has welcomed the Vapour Products Association of South Africa (VPASA) as its newest member. The ARB is the self-regulatory body that administers the industry-owned Code of Advertising Practice around the content of advertising. The VPASA represents manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of smoke-free vapour products in South Africa and is committed to ensuring quality and safety in all its members’ products and marketing.
“Vapour products are currently falling into a lacuna in regulation in South Africa, so we are excited that the industry is pro-actively seeking to commit itself to responsible advertising through its membership of the ARB,” said Gail Schimmel, CEO of the ARB. “We think that by working together we will ensure the protection of the consumer and responsible communication.”
Asanda Gcoyi, CEO of VPASA, said: “One of our core principles is providing an alternative to combustible tobacco products for adult consumers. VPASA has developed self-regulating guidelines for its members which include standards aimed at preventing youth access to the products. We work with the government and other stakeholders such as the ARB to develop processes, legal regulations and standards for our industry and ensure that consumers have access to all available information about vapour products, and that minors are protected. Our membership of the ARB will ensure that we have enforceable standards around this shared vision.”
The ARB and VPASA are working on Code inclusions for the Vapour industry, which will focus on youth protection, and clear, truthful claims.
Provider of essential discount funding within the personal injury space launches new brand identity
A service provider in the personal injury space has unveiled its new brand identity. This move will help better position the firm and its business model which aims to come to the aid of personal injury claimants and their legal representatives.
“For the past five years, we have been assisting attorneys and their clients with advances on their settled claims while they wait for payment from various institutions,” said Andre de Ridder, CEO of the newly named Christopher Discounting Solutions (CDS), previously known as WeDiscount.
De Ridder said CDS’s new brand identity will better differentiate them from other players in the field while underscoring the CDS business model.
The Christopher Group was founded by director and owner Stoffel van Zyl. Having operated as personal injury attorneys with more than 20 000 successfully finalised cases, Van Zyl and his team of experts used their in-depth knowledge of the industry to create products well-suited for this need.
Fifteen major SA financial institutions migrate to Africa’s top data centre without a hitch
Fifteen major South African financial institutions have successfully migrated all their sensitive business data and hosted systems to Teraco, Africa’s leader in data centre infrastructure. The migration was coordinated in a single move described as a major technical feat and a step forward for the SA financial ecosystem.
The move involved ten of South Africa’s small- to medium-sized banks and five other major financial institutions. Six of these institutions are within the top 15 banking institutions in the country. All 15 institutions are customers of Direct Transact, South Africa’s largest outsourced banking and payments service provider.
Making moves
New dialogues event launches: The Maggs on Media Breakfast Show
Show up, meet up and pick up all the latest views and ideas at the first in a regular new dialogues series on pertinent issues relating to the brand and communication industries.
The concept is a 70-minute high-energy panel discussion that offers the opportunity to engage with local experts and once again network with industry colleagues after a long hiatus.
The first topic is “Does Technology Terrify Marketers?” and will be presented by Jeremy Maggs who is joined on the panel by Heidi Brauer, Hollard chief marketing and corporate affairs officer, Musa Kalenga, group CEO of the Brave Group and founder of its digital agency Motherboard, and Haydn Townsend, Accenture managing director.
Venue: The Music Room at Villa Arcadia, 22 Oxford Rd, Parktown, Johannesburg
Date: 13 September 2022
Time: 7.30 for 8am – preceded by breakfast snacks and coffee; arrive early to take advantage of the wifi and expansive view while you prep for the day.
Cost: R520 per ticket – Please book here
25 On the Air with Kaya 959
Kaya 959 celebrates a milestone this August – 25 years on the air. 1997 was a watershed year when Kaya FM 95.9, as it was known then, disrupted the airwaves as the first privately owned commercial radio station to be licensed by ICASA. The station has been an icon of music entertainment and talkback radio for a diverse audience ever since.
This year, the journey continues on the street and on the air when Kaya 959 celebrates its rich legacy on Saturday, 3 September 2022 at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium with a massive family entertainment event.
25 On the Air is a celebratory experience that will honour the forerunners of 1997, the die-hards that have stayed the course, the explorers that have found resonance with the station by chance, and the newcomers who have been pleasantly surprised by their experience.
The Kaya 959 25 On the Air event will take revellers back to the nostalgic days of kwaito with performances by Trompies, Kabelo Mr Bouga 2 Shoes, and Thebe Lenyora; moving on to hip hop, Afro soul and Afro tech performances from today’s biggest stars in the form of Zakes Bantwini, Khuli Chana, Ami Faku, Vusi Nova, and Nomfundo Moh.
Kaya 959’s very own DJ Keyez, Sol Phenduka, Tbose, Dineo Ranaka, and the legendary Nicky B, who has been with Kaya 959 since inception, will be on the decks.
“We are excited to be connecting physically with the Kaya 959 audience again. The Kaya 959 25 On the Air event comes after a long period of isolation and uncertainty for most people, and they cannot wait to experience life as it is meant to be. The station has not only survived but has thrived for 25 years in a challenging space. This event is an opportunity to acknowledge the power of the human spirit, and to celebrate the collective will that has led us to find one another on this journey,” said MD Sibongile Mtyali.
Tickets for the Kaya 20 On the Air event are sold at Tickepro.co.za and performances start from 10am ending at 6pm.
Ticket Info:
Family Package: R350 (2 adults & 2 Kids)
Kids: R100
Adults: R150
VIP Tickets: R500
Note: Kids’ age from 1 – 12 years old.
