The Media Online’s weekly round-up of media business moves, all in one place.
The BIG move: Clockwork formalises new operating model as marketing complexity grows
South African independent agency Clockwork has formalised a new operating model, Marketing. Orchestrated., in response to growing complexity across marketing channels, audiences, markets and technology.
The repositioning reflects mounting pressure on marketing teams to produce more content, faster and with greater personalisation, often without corresponding increases in budgets or resources.
Adobe research among more than 1,600 marketers found that 96% had seen content demand at least double over the previous two years, while 71% expected it to grow more than fivefold by 2027.
Clockwork CEO Tom Manners says the gap between creative ideas and the systems needed to execute them at scale has become a commercial challenge for brands.
“Marketing output has scaled dramatically, but the operating infrastructure behind it often hasn’t,” says Manners. “Clients are dealing with increasing demand for volume while budgets remain under pressure. The result is duplication, inconsistency, slower execution and ideas that lose impact as they travel.”
Under its new positioning, Clockwork is focusing on how strategy, creative, technology, operations and specialist marketing capabilities work together towards shared commercial objectives.
“Integration tells you what sits together. Orchestration is about how it actually works together,” says Manners. “You can have every capability under one roof and still have them operating in silos.”
The agency is also using data, artificial intelligence and automation through its Technology & Innovation capability to streamline workflows, including production, localisation, publishing, reporting and creator management. It says the aim is to improve speed, cost, quality and decision-making while retaining human judgement and creativity.
The repositioning comes as Clockwork continues to expand. The agency has grown from approximately 120 to 230 employees in three years, an increase of more than 90%, while extending its South African and international client base.
Manners says better systems should support, rather than constrain, creative work.
“The point is to protect the idea as it moves through increasing complexity and to stop skilled people spending their time managing avoidable friction,” he says.
People moves
APO Group appoints former ICC spokesperson to lead crisis communications division
APO Group has appointed former International Criminal Court (ICC) spokesperson and head of public affairs Fadi El Abdallah as chief strategic advisor for reputation and crisis communications, alongside the launch of a new division focused on the discipline.
El Abdallah spent 15 years as the ICC’s spokesperson and head of public affairs, managing media relations, responding to disinformation campaigns and advising senior leadership during high-profile institutional crises.
In his new role, he will lead APO Group’s Strategic Reputation & Crisis Communications division, which will advise multinational companies, financial institutions, African governments, corporates and other organisations on preparing for, managing and recovering from reputational crises.
The division’s services include crisis response, executive counsel, crisis preparedness, reputation recovery and ongoing crisis intelligence.
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, founder and chairman of APO Group, said reputation and crisis communications remained under-served disciplines in Africa, despite their importance to organisations operating in the region.
Eskort appoints Herman Janse van Rensburg as Group CEO, effective March 2027
The board of First Food Brands is pleased to announce the appointment of Herman Janse van Rensburg as Group Chief Executive Officer of Eskort, South Africa’s leading antibiotic-free pork producer, effective 1 March 2027.
Janse van Rensburg, currently the General Manager of dairy company Lactalis South Africa, will join Eskort’s management team on 1 January 2027, allowing for a structured two-month induction period before he officially assumes the Group CEO role. Retiring Group CEO Arnold Prinsloo will be involved in the handover process.
“We are delighted to welcome Herman to Eskort,” says Board Chair Gerard Braak. “He brings exactly the combination of financial acumen, operational depth and executive leadership that Eskort needs as it continues to grow its manufacturing capability, retail footprint and product innovation.
From first job to future leader: KFC Streetwise Academy celebrates 101 new graduates
For thousands of South Africans, a job is the first step towards financial independence. But at KFC Africa, the ambition is to ensure that a first job can become the foundation for a lasting career.
That ambition is being brought to life through KFC’s Streetwise Academy, which has just celebrated the graduation of 101 team members in its Class of 2026, bringing the programme’s total number of graduates to 303.
More significantly, 84% of this year’s graduates have remained with KFC, reinforcing the value of giving employees opportunities to learn, develop and build their futures within the business.
As Africa’s first accredited skills development programme in the quick-service restaurant sector, Streetwise Academy provides eligible team members with access to fully funded qualifications, combining formal education with practical workplace experience.
For KFC Africa’s Chief People, Culture and Purpose Officer, Nolo Thobejane, the programme is about much more than qualifications.
“We often say that at KFC, we don’t just offer jobs, we feed people’s potential. Streetwise Academy is a powerful example of what that means in practice,” says Thobejane.
“When we invest in our people, we’re investing in their futures. We’re giving them the skills, confidence and qualifications to take the next step in their careers, whether that’s leading a restaurant, managing teams or taking on greater responsibility within the business.”
The Class of 2026 achieved qualifications across NQF levels 3, 4 and 5, developing skills in restaurant operations, management and leadership.
Importantly, these are qualifications that team members can apply directly in their working environments, strengthening both their individual career prospects and the operational capabilities of the business.
Business moves
Meta and DCDT launch AI Academy South Africa
Meta and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) have launched AI Academy South Africa, a free programme offering practical artificial intelligence training and startup support.
The initiative has two tracks: an AI startup pitch competition and an eight-week virtual masterclass for students, developers and early-career professionals.
The AI Academy Pitchathon is open to early-stage South African startups using Meta’s AI technologies. Ten shortlisted teams will pitch in Johannesburg on 30 October, with two winners each receiving R82,293.15 in equity-free funding and an all-expenses-paid trip to Meta’s AI Summit in Istanbul on 24 and 25 November.
The masterclass covers AI fundamentals, generative AI, prompt engineering and application development using Meta’s AI models. Enrolment is open until January 2027.
Thabo Makenete, Meta’s head of public policy for Southern Africa, said the programme aims to equip local innovators with the skills and tools to develop solutions with economic value.
Craig Meyer, acting chief director of emerging technologies and digital innovation at DCDT, said the partnership supports efforts to build an inclusive digital economy in which South Africans develop AI solutions rather than simply consume the technology.
Applications are available at AI Academy South Africa. Startup pitch competition applications close on 20 October 2026.
Mayibuye Doc Lab opens call for South African documentary projects
Mayibuye Doc Lab has opened applications for its 2026/27 edition, inviting South African filmmakers to develop documentary projects for local and international audiences.
The second edition of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) PESP-funded initiative will select six projects in development or early production. Hosted by Ehozini Retreat in Durban, the four-month programme aims to help filmmaking teams turn concepts into investment-ready projects.
Participants will develop narrative treatments and draft scripts, production and financing plans, and distribution, marketing and impact strategies through online workshops, a writing residency and group sessions, supported by local and international mentors.
The programme is aimed at filmmakers with some experience or training, including first-time documentary makers with backgrounds in fiction, advertising or episodic production. Each project should ideally have a writer-director, producer and impact producer available for the full programme.
The Post-Lab Alumni Programme will provide further networking opportunities and connections to international documentary markets in 2027.
Applications close at 23:59 SAST on 13 November 2026. Online workshops are scheduled for 1–11 December, followed by a writing residency in KwaZulu-Natal in January 2027 and online group sessions in January and February. Mayibuye Doc Lab will cover participants’ travel, accommodation and meals for the residency.
Applications can be submitted via the online application form.
Brandtech+ Partners with SA Creative Schools to Prepare Talent for AI-First Industry
The agency is deepening its relationships with Red & Yellow Creative School of Business and The Animation School, bringing industry exposure, Gen AI insight and real-world creative experience closer to students as they prepare to enter a rapidly evolving industry.
The creative industry’s AI skills gap may start long before young creatives arrive in the workplace. As generative AI changes how advertising, design, animation and content are produced, students are preparing for careers that could look significantly different by the time they graduate.
Brandtech+ EMEA general manager, Andre van der Merwe, says the pace of change makes closer collaboration between industry and education increasingly important. “AI isn’t removing the need for talented designers, animators, strategists or creatives. It is changing how those skills are applied. If industry waits until graduates arrive at our doors before exposing them to that reality, we have waited too long.”
“That thinking is behind growing relationships with Red & Yellow Creative School of Business and The Animation School, spanning career exposure, curriculum input, workshops and workplace experience,” he says. “During the year, we have participated in career initiatives at both institutions, introducing students to the changing creative landscape and opportunities emerging around AI.”
“The collaborations extend beyond career exposure, with industry input into curricula and workshops focused on how generative AI is being integrated into real creative environments,” van der Merwe explains. “We believe that the industry has a responsibility to work alongside educational institutions to help prepare emerging talent for the realities and opportunities of AI-first creative work.”
“At The Animation School, we focus consistently on teaching solid creative foundations, theory, and practical craft, but we also place a lot of emphasis on supporting our students in developing artistic judgement, creative instincts, and their own voices,” says Kelly Walker, Academic Director at The Animation School.
South Africans gain access to Free-to-Air Sports Channel, as SportsCast Africa launches on Hisense Smart TVs
SportsCast Africa, the 24/7 free-to-air sports channel operated by Broadsmart (Pty) Ltd, is now available on Hisense Smart TVs directly through the TV Channels solution on the VIDAA operating system. The channel carries premium continental and global sports news, highlights, and live events and is free to watch with no subscription, no sign-in, and no additional app to download.
Millions of viewers across sub-Saharan Africa with a VIDAA-enabled Hisense television can find SportsCast Africa in the Hisense Channels line-up, at channel 5208. The channel appears in the on-screen guide alongside the platform’s other free channels, with full programme metadata and artwork. There is no need to download any application or complicated setup. The channel is automatically available on any device connected to the internet.
SportsCast Africa delivers round the clock sport, every day. Its schedule covers African and international football, motorsport, basketball, rugby, tennis and multi-sport action, built around popular daily shows: Football Daily, Soccer Highlights and SportsWrap for football fans, Pole Position for motorsport, Slam Dunk for basketball and Cross Court for tennis. Live matches and events are added to the line-up throughout the year, so there is always something worth tuning in for.
The Hisense launch extends the channel’s connected-television footprint in its core market. Hisense devices already account for the majority of SportsCast Africa’s connected-TV viewing, making native carriage on the platform a natural next step.
COMRIC launches video series for Cybersecurity Awareness Month
COMRiC releases a six-part video series for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, showing South Africans the scams now reaching their inboxes, phones and family WhatsApp groups.
The email has no spelling mistakes. The caller already knows your name, your bank and your card number. The voice note sounds exactly like your CEO. The fraud of 2026 doesn’t look like fraud and that is the point.
To help consumers recognise it, the Communications Risk and Information Centre (COMRiC), the not-for-profit body that brings South Africa’s major telecommunications operators together to tackle shared crime and security risks, has released a six-part video series for Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Each episode runs about a minute, follows one real-world scam from first contact to the moment it lands and ends with the few simple steps that would have stopped it.
The series comes as COMRiC’s Telecommunications Sector Report 2026 shows subscription fraud rising 307% in a year, to 14 897 cases, alongside 8.72 billion spam calls in the first quarter of 2026 alone.
COMRiC CEO Advocate Thokozani Mvelase says: “Criminals are reaching more people, more often and they are doing it through channels that consumers know and trust. Technology alone cannot solve a problem where human trust itself has become the attack surface.”
The full series is available here: https://comric.co.za/think-before-you-click/
Roman’s Pizza launches streetwear label RP KNEAD
Roman’s Pizza has entered online fashion retail with the launch of RP KNEAD, a limited-edition streetwear label aimed at South African youth.
Created by Roman’s Pizza Head of Studio Jarred Wade and the in-house design team, the collection reinterprets familiar brand elements, including the “Running Man” delivery driver and “Stack A Friend” pizza boxes, through hand-drawn graphics.
The debut range comprises oversized T-shirts priced at R399 and hoodies at R899, in unisex sizes S to XXL. Corduroy caps, priced at R199, are scheduled to follow in mid-November.
The T-shirts and hoodies are manufactured in Cape Town by apparel partner Soli, using locally sourced fabrics and working with artisans from a Bo-Kaap studio. The caps are also sourced through Soli but manufactured in France.
Roman’s Pizza describes RP KNEAD as a standalone fashion proposition rather than branded merchandise, with the tagline “Not merch. A movement.”
The first release, Drop 001, will not be restocked. Future collections will feature new designs rather than repeat the debut range.
BBC World Service launches Hausa edition of Dars
Dars Hausa is a TV, radio and digital learning programme, with content available across BBC News Hausa’s social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok
BBC World Service is bringing its educational programme Dars to West Africa. Launched by BBC News Hausa, Dars Hausa addresses the urgent educational need in the region by sharing lessons for 11–16-year-olds based on the best of the BBC’s teaching content.
Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world. The UN estimates that nearly 19 million children are missing out on education. The threat posed by armed groups and risk of abduction are among the factors keeping children out of the classroom.
In the north, years of conflict, displacement, and insecurity has forced millions of people from their homes, including large numbers of children whose education has been disrupted or cut short entirely. For many displaced children, access to regular schooling remains limited, creating an urgent need for alternative sources of learning.
Dars, or “lesson”, shares English, maths, and science lessons in Hausa, with additional learning on mental health and inspirational stories.
Campaign moves
WWF South Africa brings ‘Nature Is Our Home’ campaign to V&A Waterfront
WWF South Africa has launched its “Nature Is Our Home” campaign at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, using an interactive installation to highlight the connection between nature and everyday life.
Running from 15 October to 15 November, the This Is Where We Live campaign centres on a six-metre shipping container at The Pierhead, transformed into a living room and kitchen. Visitors can explore the installation, discover how household items connect to nature and access additional information through QR codes and digital displays.
Pedzi Gozo, head of strategic communications at WWF South Africa, said the campaign aims to make the links between daily life and the natural world more visible, encouraging people to care for nature as they do their homes.
The installation also highlights the V&A Waterfront’s sustainability initiatives. Donald Kau, executive manager of PR and communications at the precinct, said the Waterfront has 30 green-rated buildings and is working towards carbon neutrality.
The installation is open daily from 9am to 6pm, with free admission. More information is available at WWF South Africa.
Coronation campaign explores changing attitudes to trust
Coronation has launched a new brand campaign exploring how technology, misinformation and changing attitudes are reshaping South Africans’ relationship with trust.
The campaign builds on the investment manager’s long-standing positioning, “Trust is earned”, using familiar everyday situations to examine why people are increasingly questioning what they see and hear.
According to the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2026, 50% of South Africans trust the news they see online, down from 61% four years ago.
“People are questioning more of what they see and hear, so there’s real value in finding a new way to express that message for this moment,” says Pieter Koekemoer, Coronation’s head of personal investments.
Developed with Ogilvy South Africa, the campaign moves away from financial-services messaging towards relatable experiences, including misleading online profiles and unreliable navigation, to show how trust is tested in everyday life.
Wisahl Ganief, Coronation’s group head of marketing, says trust must be continually earned through the company’s actions and its management of clients’ money across market cycles.
The campaign is also aimed at reaching first-time investors and a broader audience, while reinforcing the principles Coronation says have guided its business over more than three decades.
Absa celebrates life’s defining moments with new brand campaign and Eliud Kipchoge partnership
Absa has launched its new South African brand campaign, built around the promise, “When that moment comes, you have us,” and announced a landmark partnership with global marathon icon Eliud Kipchoge, who joins the bank as its Official World Tour Financial Partner.
The campaign recognises that behind every significant achievement lies a journey shaped by ambition, resilience, support and opportunity. Inspired by Kipchoge’s belief that “No human is limited”, the campaign celebrates the people, partnerships and experiences that help make success possible.
Candice Thurston, chief marketing and corporate affairs officer for Absa’s Personal and Private Banking Pan Africa business unit, said: “We recognise that every financial decision is connected to a deeply personal moment. Behind every home purchase, wedding, new business venture, growing family or unexpected life challenge is a person looking for confidence, support and a trusted partner. Our promise, ‘When that moment comes, you have us’ reflects our commitment to showing up for customers when they need us most.”
Hyundai campaign explores the people behind IONIQ 3 design
Hyundai Motor Europe has launched “Points of Inspiration”, an interview series integrated into its “This is more than freedom” campaign, exploring the creative thinking behind the new IONIQ 3.
The series follows the designers across Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Rüsselsheim, where Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center is based, examining how architecture, culture, materials, technology and everyday experiences influence their work.
Developed with INNOCEAN Europe, the series positions design as a personal process, connecting the people behind the vehicle with the audiences who will experience it.
Hugo Moura, creative director social at INNOCEAN Europe, said the series aimed to reveal the observations, experiences and places that inspire individual design decisions.
Andrea Razeto, head of integrated marketing campaign at Hyundai Motor Europe, said the interviews offer European audiences a personal perspective on the people and ideas behind the IONIQ 3.
Making moves
Kantar to share research on creator content effectiveness
Kantar will present findings from its report, The Creator Game Plan: The CMO’s Guide to Creator Effectiveness, on 30 October, examining how brands can measure creator content beyond engagement metrics.
The study analysed more than 15,000 pieces of content across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, finding that creator content can deliver stronger brand awareness and consideration than other forms of digital advertising. It also challenges the assumption that the most engaging content is necessarily the most effective.
Kantar’s Saiesh Ajudhiya and Ketalya Naicker will lead the session, joined by Sadika Fakir from Absa and Lorraine Landon from Google. The discussion will cover cross-platform performance measurement, the limitations of engagement metrics and briefing practices that can improve creator effectiveness.
Register here.
KZN AI Summit to explore artificial intelligence and future-ready skills
The KZN AI Summit 2026 takes place in Umhlanga on 22 October, bringing together business, government, academia and technology leaders to discuss artificial intelligence and its potential to drive economic growth in KwaZulu-Natal.
Organised by the KZN AI Foundation NPC, with the Alpvest Institute for FutureTech (AIFT) as host and anchor sponsor, the full-day event is themed “Connecting the Brightest Minds of AI in KZN”.
Discussions will include the role of education in preparing people for an AI-enabled economy and the development of skills needed to use emerging technologies.
Jay Ramnundlall, group CEO of AIFT, said KwaZulu-Natal had an opportunity to connect local talent and innovation with global opportunities.
He said AIFT aimed to equip school leavers, unemployed young people and working professionals with practical technology skills to meet employer needs and build their own enterprises.
DGSA to host Directors Summit in May 2027
The Directors Guild of South Africa (DGSA) will host a two-day Directors Summit in May 2027, bringing filmmakers together with commissioners, financiers, producers and distributors to improve access to funding and industry opportunities.
The director-led event will focus on moving projects from development to production and distribution through pitching sessions, masterclasses, first-look screenings and curated meetings.
Andile Sinqoto, executive director of DGSA, said the summit aimed to connect filmmakers with the decision-makers who could help finance and commission their projects.
Four dedicated spaces will focus on different stages of the process: the Pitch Stage for project presentations, the Finance Room for funding discussions, the Distribution Room for audience and market access, and the First Look Room for selected filmmakers to screen their work to industry decision-makers.
The summit will also feature a New Voices Programme for emerging directors, including a showcase, mentorship and portfolio reviews. DGSA is working to bring international filmmakers and industry experts to the event to encourage knowledge-sharing, co-production opportunities and collaboration across Africa.
Further details on the programme and ticket sales will be announced through DGSA’s official channels. Organisations interested in partnering with the summit can visit the DGSA website.
