The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: Africa-focused PR & Communications survey addresses inclusion & diversity issues within the continent
BHM Research and Intelligence through its Africa PR & Communications Report, has released a new survey asking critical questions about equity, diversity and inclusion in the field of public relations and communications.
Diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) remain significant global challenges, with the representation and proper recognition of women in the workplace as one of the main issues. It will take Sub-Saharan Africa 95 years and 140 years for the Middle East and North Africa compared with Western Europe at 54 years, to achieve parity based on a study of 153 countries as reported by the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap report.
Although there has been significant progress in gender equality and diversity, there is a massive opportunity to include marginalised and diverse individuals, differently-abled persons, neurodivergent persons, and persons from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds in the PR and communications industry.
Professionals across multiple fields will be encouraged to weigh in on these issues and propose solutions that can help build structures for the rapidly growing industry.
The survey will gather responses from 54 countries, enabling the report to foster a more comprehensive understanding of the wider industry and the African PR and communications landscape. The APCR will also highlight opportunities and challenges in the market, assess the impact of social media and digital channels, and predict the industry’s future. Also considered in crafting the survey instrument will be insights into the African market for businesses looking to expand or enter the African market.
“In business generally, and particularly in the practice of public relations and communications in Africa, it is important that we address critical issues like diversity, equity and inclusion. We live on a continent with a female population of roughly 50%, yet we are not yet fully represented across senior management and boards. Now more than ever, we should be aware and appreciate the different biases that exist and the critical role that communications will play in bridging the existing gaps,” said Moliehi Molekoa, MD of Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants and APCR Adviser.
People moves
Zayd Abrahams announced as chief marketing and strategy officer at Tiger Brands
Tiger Brands has announced Zayd Abrahams as its chief marketing and strategy officer. He joins the consumer goods manufacturer’s executive leadership team on 1 January 2023, reporting to company CEO Noel Doyle.
Abrahams currently leads the marketing function and team at FNB across the personal banking and private banking segments.
He has extensive experience in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, and brings to Tiger Brands broad commercial, marketing, strategy and business leadership experience, amassed through roles in companies including Tiger Brands, Unilever, L’Oréal, Coca-Cola and MTN Group, in global, local, and regional roles across Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the UK and Turkey.
“Zayd has a proven track record for delivering results, driving business, brand and category growth, developing strategy from insights to execution and getting teams behind implementation through collaboration with others and purpose-driven leadership.
“We look forward to the diverse set of capabilities and outlook that Zayd will bring to help re-energise and grow our portfolio of iconic brands, as well as his broader contribution to the development and execution of the Tiger Brands group-wide business strategy,” said Doyle.
The MediaShop empowers from within
One of South Africa’s biggest media agency’s The MediaShop, has looked within its ranks to build up its mid to senior management teams. With three recent business unit manager promotions, the agency is securing its future management and leadership teams.
Ofentse Ikaneng, Natasha Miller and Lukanyo Bushwana have all been promoted to business unit managers at The MediaShop, each heading their own client portfolio and dedicated team.
“We believe that offering our teams the best opportunities for personal and business growth offers maximum benefit for our staff and ultimately, for the agency,” said Dashni Vilakazi, managing director of The MediaShop Johannesburg. “One of the dire issues in our industry at the moment is the lack of upcoming talent within the middle to senior ranks and we firmly believe in empowering, educating and growing our teams to the betterment of the company and industry as a whole.”
947’s Msizi and Matt cycle for charity
The 26th instalment of the Virgin Active 947 Ride Joburg cycle challenge took place on Sunday. The 947 duo of Msizi James, host of the Msizi James on 947 Show, and Matt Flax, the 947 Drive with Thando co-host, participated in the 35km and 97km race, respectively.
With Msizi taking part in the race for the first time, and Matt returning after four years, the two men who are regular voices on the airwaves were swapping their microphones for bicycles to ride for a commendable purpose.
The Africa Foundation intends on building a creche in rural KwaZulu-Natal, and Msizi and Matt, who were both kitted in the NPO’s swag on Sunday, rode their bikes for the charitable cause of making a dream come true for the foundation.
Business moves
Game is the first South African Retailer to launch on Roblox
As part of its annual Black Friday promotion, mass retailer Game becomes the first retailer of its kind in South Africa to join the metaverse – through a Game-branded Roblox game.
The game, which is unlike anything consumers have seen from the retailer before, launched on 21 November, and will give gamers the opportunity to win their share of over R70 000 in vouchers leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“We are so excited about this launch, as we open up our brand to a new audience,” explains Katherine Madley, Game’s Vice President of Marketing. “We have seen the incredible growth of the gaming sector globally and heard the call from consumers for brands to be more innovative in their approach.”
The Black Friday Game game mixes South African culture and the fantastical in a challenge to race around a downtown city neighbourhood. Players will use potholes as portals, party at rooftop DJ gigs and dodge goo from exploding pigeons as they compete to get to the top of the leaderboard.
Players entering the world will be tasked with finding eight comet fragments (inspired by the retailer’s Black Friday ad campaign) around the city block – and those who are able to do this in the quickest time will win real-world prizes.
Outdoor Network’s high-definition rotating digital site a first in Cape Town
Outdoor Network is a step ahead of its competitors, boasting its first digitised billboard in the Western Cape. The new, high-definition, rotating digital site is strategically located on Koeberg Road in Milnerton – a key traffic location. According to Outdoor Network’s general manager, Thulani Dumakude, this cements the company’s position as a digital leader in both metro and secondary town markets nationally.
Complementing Outdoor Network’s existing 15-footprint strong 3×6 digital billboard network, this site delivers an upmarket audience with a unique reach of between one hundred thousand and up to one million impressions (ROAD2017/18/19). This premium digital site, located in close proximity to key destinations in Milnerton impacts local audiences on the daily commute, travelling North and South between Plattekloof and the Koeberg Interchange.
As an added benefit, the digital boards are built with technology that uniquely enables it to rotate twice a day to achieve the optimal reach during peak traffic times. This allows advertisers to get double the exposure, a unique attribute exclusive to Outdoor Network.
The digital expansion in Cape Town follows a strategic large format full motion digital along main arterial Beyers Naude Drive in Gauteng and the newly constructed digital rotator in Rustenburg clearly reflecting Outdoor Network’s ongoing commitment to providing advertisers with more engaging ways to reach audiences across the country.
PR leaders predict increased profitability in face of global challenges
PR agency leaders in every region of the world expect increased profitability over the next 12 months, according to the new ICCO World PR Report 2022-2023. The expected profitability score was 7.0 out of 10, up from 6.7 in 2021.
PR leaders, directors, and agency owners who took part in the survey indicated a growing demand from clients for a range of services beyond traditional PR, with a score of 6.5, up from 6.1 in 2021.
Francis Ingham, chief executive, ICCO said: “We have seen an elevation in the importance of the PR and communications role. Our members are assuming increasingly important responsibilities in advising, guiding, often stewarding, and executing complex programmes for their organisations. But to meet the challenges ahead, we must continue upskilling, embracing the latest tech and analytics, and measuring our work in a sophisticated way”.
The findings point to increasingly more companies paying closer attention to corporate purpose (7.2 up from 6.9) and CEOs taking corporate reputation more seriously. Notably, ESG is in the top two investment areas for every region of the world, with the most important social issue this year being sustainability and environment.
Retaining key talent is the number one challenge as it was in 2021, with this issue especially pronounced in APAC and Africa regions, followed by motivating younger staff and developing junior staff.
The report reveals that just 30% of the respondents believe the industry reflects the ethnic demographics of the countries they serve. 79% of agencies globally now having an inclusion and diversity policy, compared to 55% in 2021.
Making moves
Sunday Times GenNext takes place in June 2023 … but good deals now
What do businesses and brands need to understand about the youth in order to drive business growth? Through the Sunday Times GenNext campaign, you will find out!
Taking place in June 2023 for the 19th year, the Sunday Times GenNext campaign promises to deliver all key insights into youth marketing around what’s hot and what’s not.
Our campaign elements include the youth marketing conference, interactive showcase and Awards, all taking place on one jam packed, fun-filled day.
Up until the 7th December we are offering brands who would like to partner with the 2023 GenNext campaign 25% off of all our partnership opportunities!
Looking to connect with the youth of SA as well as key marketers through our extensive national marketing campaign? Then this is the opportunity for you!
For more information on how you can get on board please contact Cortney Hoyland on 082 442 0624 or hoylandc@arena.africa
The FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit returns
The 8th instalment of the much-anticipated FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit will return on 8 March 2023, honouring International Women’s Day, as an in-person event at the Sun Bet Arena, Time Square in Pretoria, South Africa.
Themed Women 3.0: The Icons and Ideas Shaping Africa, this ground-breaking annual summit will welcome African and international visionaries drawn from business, technology, government, arts, entertainment, sports and civil society to address some of the biggest opportunities and challenges facing female leadership today.
“After two years of the event being held as a virtual summit, the 2023 edition will be the reincarnation of the summit as a one-day, in-person event bringing life to the stage through thought-provoking discourse centred on technology and why a new Africa needs a new rulebook for leadership,” commented Roberta Naicker, managing director of the ABN Group. “From the artists and storytellers to financial titans, entrepreneurs and history-makers, we’re looking forward to welcoming Africa’s most radical innovators who are leading the next generation.”
The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit, which has gained a reputation as a prestigious calendar event for high-profile women on the African continent and beyond, will feature insightful panel discussions, talks, fireside chats and one-on-one interviews with sector-specific barrier-breakers and powerhouses from Africa and beyond.
After a full day engaging on critical issues and unlocking new opportunities, the summit will culminate in the prestigious 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Awards, a glittering ceremony where the most accomplished leaders and luminaries will be honoured for their impactful work. The award categories will include:
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Young Achievers Award
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Social Impact Award
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Technology & Innovation Award
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Academic Excellence Award
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Sports Award
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Entertainer Award
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Businesswoman Award
- The 2023 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Lifetime Achievement Award
New venue: Children & Xenophobia Workshop
One of the media’s responsibilities, as a duty bearer, is to ensure that children’s rights, dignity, privacy, access to information and freedom of speech are realised, promoted and protected. When it comes to covering sensitive but important topics like xenophobia, the media still faces great challenges in helping its audience better understand how xenophobia impacts children as well as finding creative ways to include children’s voices while upholding journalistic best practices.
Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) together with UNICEF want to bring journalists, experts, and children into one room to unpack the challenges around media coverage of children and xenophobia. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to share tips and resources that will empower the media to tell children’s stories in a way that will promote their human rights.
- 10:00 AM SAST
- Venue:SABC, Cnr Henley & Artillery Roads, Auckland Park, Johannesburg – Ground Floor Auditorium
- To register, click here.
Discover the 2023 Media Trends in our new webinar on December 14th
With 2022 coming to an end, it’s time to point towards what the next twelve months will bring. VSN will review the Media Trends that will shape the 2023 of the Broadcast & Media industry in an exclusive webinar on 14 December. In this virtual event, the company will take the pulse of the industry with the must-have innovations for the next year.
In order to discover them, VSN invites you to register in this webinar that will have two different sessions: the first one in English at 09:30h CET and the second one in Spanish at 16:30h CET. We are looking forward to see you at the webinar!
