The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media. As South Africa entered lockdown, businesses closed across the country. But the media will continue to do its job, and The Media Online will continue to report on the sector. #StaySafe.
This week’s BIG move: SABC appoints Merlin Naicker as group executive for television
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has appointed Merlin Naicker as the GE: Television from 1 April 2020.
Naicker brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the SABC and he holds various qualifications including an MBA (Oxford Brookes), BSC Hons – Digital Technology, Design & Innovation (DIT) and a Certificate in Advanced Broadcast Law (Wits Law).
His career spans over 25 years of practical and demonstrable experience as the CEO of Wizard Media Consulting, chief content officer for Southtel VOD, head Satellite Television for Telkom Media and has served on various other strategic positions at MultiChoice.
Naicker was instrumental in the delivery of media solutions and projects such as the 2018 FIFA Russia broadcast, implementation of broadcast scheduling solutions for various companies, SABC biometric access and CCTV monitoring projects and Parliament TV broadcasts infrastructure upgrades.
People moves
Danielle Sneiders to head HelloFCB+
HelloFCB+ has appointed Danielle Sneiders, a seasoned industry executive with 20 years’ management and operational experience, to head the agency.
Results-driven and dynamic, Sneiders’ industry-specific skills set includes launch and extension, re-brand, strategy, product promotion, analytics, campaign development, implementation and integration.
She started her career at Ogilvy Johannesburg in 1999 before moving to Net#Work BBDO Johannesburg, where she helped launch Cell C, then joined MorrisJones & Co, where she assisted on the Virgin Mobile launch. She then moved to South Africa’s largest independent agency group, The Jupiter Drawing Room (TJDR), to establish its affiliate agency, Metropolitan Republic.
“Danielle has an impressive career history and an extremely attractive set of skills, which she has honed running one of the largest pieces of business in the South African industry,” said Nahana Communications Group CEO, Brett Morris. “Throughout her career she’s worked at some of the most respected agencies with some of South Africa’s most iconic brands, and we look forward to seeing what she can do at HelloFCB+.”
New managing director for Jacaranda FM
Deirdre King is the new managing director of Jacaranda FM. She joins the station from Nando’s South Africa, where she served as General Manager of Brand Experience IMEA (India, Middle East, Africa).
King has an impressive resume and has helmed key projects for some of South Africa’s biggest brands. Before joining Nando’s, King worked as Head of Marketing and Communications (Africa) for The Walt Disney Company.
She oversaw the marketing of the company’s motion picture business, three TV channels, digital content delivery, and media distribution.
For more, click here.
Lizelle McConnell appointed head for sales for Tractor Outdoor
Lizelle McConnell is no stranger to the OOH industry, with her in depth experience including servicing some of the biggest media agencies and clients across Johannesburg and Cape Town. She has been pivotal to the growth of Tractor Outdoor.
Lizelle previously worked in the airport advertising space as an experienced sales and media executive specialising in digital, airport advertising and media planning across different sectors.
Simon Wall, CEO of Tractor said, “During these past few months with Lizelle joining Tractor, she has increased knowledge of our operations as well as build a great relationship with our sales team. Her experience coupled with her commitment and passion towards the entire team showed us that this was the best and natural position for her. On behalf of the Tractor group, I would like to congratulate Lizelle and wish her all the best in this new role.”
For more, click here.
Business moves
BMW and CNN join forces to explore the Art of Leadership
In times of uncertainty, inspiring people play an even more important role in sustaining society. The BMW Group and CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) have teamed up to portray the stories and attitude of some of the most remarkable creatives, artists and leaders of our time through two unique series comprising a total of 11 short films exploring The Art of Leadership.
“All the best partnerships are based on common values, and I am delighted that this is the case with this exciting new project with BMW,” said Cathy Ibal, Senior Vice President, EMEA, CNN International Commercial. “As leaders in our respective fields, we honor and value those talents and characters that are portrayed in the films as they change our society for the better. Powerful, emotional storytelling from Create and Great Big Story will have a prominent stage as we distribute these films in smart ways across all platforms to reach a truly global audience that values leadership and the stories behind it.”
On Thursday, CNN kicked off a six-part branded content series by launching the first brand film produced by CNNIC’s award-winning in-house studio Create.
Mobax signs key agreement with Radwin as South Africa looks towards the gig economy
Mobax recently signed a key partnership agreement with Radwin to roll out Radwin’s comprehensive portfolio of Point-to-Multipoint and Point-to-Point wireless broadband solutions to its extensive base of telecommunication network operators and corporate clients.
Gerhard Bezuidenhout, managing director of Mobax, said: “Radwin has an exciting portfolio of solutions that will enable us to implement fibre-like broadband connectivity to deliver high-value services to our extensive customer-base. This partnership leverages upon RADWIN’s wireless broadband technology and the professionalism and high-quality engineering capabilities of Mobax to deliver advanced fixed wireless solutions to existing network operators and corporate clients as well as a broad scope of new potential customers.”
Magna Carta turns to animation to educate Africans on Covid-19
As the terrifying prospects of a lockdown turned into reality at midnight, one of Africa’s largest reputation management consultancies, Magna Carta has turned to animation to educate people on the symptoms and remind them to practice social distancing to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
The animated short video is a collaborative effort with its offices on the continent and will be translated into some South African and African languages.
“When the outbreak was limited to China, everyone was disconnected. But now that it is here, there is an overflow of information however most of it is in English. Africa is a continent with high linguistic diversity, and we wanted to make the lifesaving information more accessible in a language of choice,” saidMoliehi Molekoa, managing director, Magna Carta.
CWDi Introduces A Covid-19 support video training solution with Fuel
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that the nation is currently faced with, CWDi is determined to continue solving the challenges that businesses encounter, with creative solutions that inspire connections.
CWDihas partnered with FUEL, to help companies support their staff by educating them and raising the awareness of the prevention and safety protocols necessary for combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. To do this, CWDi presents FUEL’s COVID-19 ‘Care-iculum’. This e-learning content proposal will effectively assist in meeting the goals of creating awareness around health and prevention protocols which will reach all the staff in an organisation.
The COVID-19 ‘Care-iculum’ is video content that has been developed using factual information that has been supplied by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). This information will be translated into Xhosa, Zulu and English
The NFVF to offer immediate relief to film practitioners amid COVID-19 lockdown
South Africa’s local film and television industry has been severely impacted by Covid-19 and a number of productions have been haltered not to mention scores of live events cancelled. The NFVF will be prioritising making payments to beneficiaries that have submitted milestones in the past two weeks. Beneficiaries who have yet to submit milestones over the next three months will also be consulted during this period to determine how best they can be assisted. This extends only to individuals that have current contracts with the NFVF.
“We stand in solidarity with the practitioners of the TV and Film industry and we hope that these relief measures we have put in place speak to the level of our commitment,” said NFVF CEO Makhosazana Khanyile
In line with the NFVF’s strategic objective of creating an enabling environment for young filmmakers to develop the technological skills to thrive in an ever-changing world, the NFVF is currently engaging with potential partners to provide virtual training solutions during this downtime.
Out of home associations across the world join to fight the virus and plot course for the return to normality.
The World Out of Home Organisation has held its inaugural global conference call for national out of home associations that included reports on the harrowing effect the Covid-19 virus is having on societies across the world and business – plus welcome news of inspiring social initiatives from various members and evidence of an upturn in China.
Further weekly calls are scheduled.
Different countries are at different stages with the containment of the virus but, across the board, there has been welcome support from governments for companies and employees although, inevitably, Out of Home has to fight its corner. Support will vary country by country: Dave Roberts of South Africa’s Primedia observed that his hard-pressed government was unlikely to be able to help significantly.
Reductions in business rates have supported retailers in some countries but Out of Home, an important factor on high streets – still has to see a benefit. Landlords, generally, appear to have responded with more flexible terms.
More lobbying is required and Anna Bager, President and CEO of the OAAA in the United States, described her association’s determined efforts to find a sympathetic ear in Washington. Government support can take a number of forms, not least government agencies choosing out of home as part of their antivirus media programmes.
SA trade publisher adopts ‘pay-what-you-can’ ad model during crisis
MarkLives.com, the trade news site that covers the South African advertising and marketing industry, has changed its advertising model from fixed fees to “pay what you can”.
“The world is focused on the grim toll this pandemic is having on human lives and livelihoods,” notes publisher and editor Herman Manson. “On the first, there’s no words for the horror emerging out of countries at the frontline of this crisis. China, Iran, Italy and others hold a dire warning for us to protect the most-vulnerable members of our society and our healthcare professionals.
“Equally, we understand the economic impact will be severe — on the livelihoods of millions, on our economy and fiscus, on our industry, our clients, your clients, on you, on us. With this in mind, we’re introducing several changes to our commercial operations.”
As a business-to-business publisher, MarkLives.com believes in the value offered by our industry — not only in a time of crisis — of contributing to the wheels of commerce and enterprise. “And continue to turn they must,” said Manson. “Marketing, media and communication are all critical aspects in ensuring commercial operations, and the jobs they help create and maintain endure. At the same time, we believe — as we always have — in the importance of an independent, journalism-driven trade media, and we’ll have to find a way to fund this into the future.”
FIVESTAR PR to represent ‘In Residence’ luxury villa rentals
FIVESTAR PR has been appointed to represent In Residence luxury villa rentals. The Cape Town based PR consultancy specialises in luxury travel and hospitality PR and is preparing a communications strategy to roll out in the much-anticipated return of local and international travel post the current COVID-19 crisis.
Following global trends, the luxury villa rental market is expecting a boom in South Africa too, as more and more affluent travellers opt out of hotel stays, to choose the exclusivity, privacy and convenience of spending their vacation in a private villa, exclusive apartment or an exceptional private home.
Says Janie van der Spuy, founder of FIVESTAR PR: ‘During this time of crisis and disruption, it is essential for the travel industry to continue with marketing activities. History has shown that during crisis times those businesses that continue to develop and adapt their business strategy by introducing creative PR and marketing campaigns, are invariably best positioned to thrive when they come out the other side.’
HP Inc. launches BeOnline programme
HP Inc. announced the launch of BeOnline programme in collaboration with Classera, the leader in Learning Management Systems, and Mirai, a learning innovations group focusing on learning strategy and digital pedagogy.
In line with the most recent regional governments’ directives for distance learning, the programme aims to support schools and universities in establishing a fully-fledged virtual learning environment, by providing expertise and tools at no cost.
BeOnline is part of HP’s commitment to improving the learning outcomes for 100 million people globally by 2025 and run focused pedagogy-oriented programs to deliver on its education and sustainability goals – Classroom of the Future, HP Learning Studios, Digital School Awards, HP LIFE and HP Teaching Fellows.
Making moves
BBC to release special My World: Coronavirus content for global young audiences with Angelina Jolie
The BBC World Service, supported by Angelina Jolie, is extending the My World series with special digital content about the Coronavirus pandemic, aimed specifically at a young teen audience.
Angelina Jolie has made a statement in her role as Executive Producer of BBC My World: “Children have not been out of school on this scale since the Second World War. This is something that throughout their lifetimes, they will remember. It is something that older generations, for all their other reference points, have not experienced. The way children go through this time – from the tools and information they can access to the ways they can communicate to and help each other – will be unique to their generation,” she said.
The new content will be released over the coming weeks on the BBC My World YouTube channel. It will also be distributed across the BBC’s global platforms including our 42 language services. This follows on from a Coronavirus Special episode which aired at the weekend.
The BBC will be sharing this content with UNESCO’S Global Education Coalition, a new website providing remote educational content to kids in lockdown around the world.
The BBC My World: Corona Virus Special is also still available to watch on the BBC My World YouTube channel, BBC iPlayer (UK only), and BBC Reel.
This follows the announcements made recently by BBC Director General Tony Hall about the BBC’s plans to continue to inform, educate, and entertain during unprecedented times.
Radio stations broadcasting the National Anthem on Friday 3 April at 13H00
To mark the first day of the national lockdown, many of South Africa’s radio stations who form part of the NAB, broadcast the National Anthem on Friday, 27 March 2020 at 13h00 and will be doing so again on Friday 3 April.
Executive director Nadia Bulbulia said the initiative was borne out of the programming teams of many of its members. “It’s really encouraging to see radio stations collaborating in this way in our collective fight against the pandemic. The next 21 days gives us an opportunity to contain the virus and flatten the curve. Broadcasters are playing a vital role in social cohesion and keeping us connected during this unprecedented time,” she said.
Staying at home can be an isolating experience, but radio has the unique and powerful ability to lift spirits and encourage unity. The medium will no doubt continue to create meaningful connections with communities. Listen to your favourite station at 1PM on Friday 3 April and encourage your “lockdown partners/family” to join you.
DA launches WhatsApp line to report Police and Army abuse and advise the public
The Democratic Alliance has launched a dedicated WhatsApp number (067 977 9324) and email address (reportpoliceabuse@da.org.za) where members of the public can report any acts of assault, abuse or bribery by law enforcement officers.
They can also send the DA their questions regarding their legal rights during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The WhatsApp number and email address will be monitored by a task team of DA MPs that form part of the security and justice clusters in Parliament. They are experts in their fields and will be able to provide expert advice to the South African public.
The nation is only six days into this lockdown and we have already seen increased violence at the hands of those who were tasked with protecting and serving us. On Tuesday, reports indicated that the police shot two nurses at the Bongani Regional Hospital in Welkom, and on Monday, an Ekurhuleni Metro police officer was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a Vosloorus man while enforcing the lockdown.
Ukhozi FM extends programming on Term 1 matric revision content
The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) biggest radio station, Ukhozi FM has extended its Term 1 matric revision classes from one slot to three slots. The original 21h00 – 22h00 slot will now be supported by two new slots between 09h00 – 09h30 and 15h00 – 15h30. This initiative forms part of Ukhozi FM’s efforts to intensify the broadcast of educational programmes in response to the lockdown which has resulted in students not being able to attend their normal classes.
Ukhozi FM’s acting station manager, Sbongi Ngcobo, said the station was hopeful that the addition of the revision programmes would assist the students to keep up with the curriculum, as well as ensuring that there is minimal disruption to this year’s matric class program. “We urge other provinces and departments to come on board and join hands to assist the station in delivering quality content that will help us flatten the curve as a country.”
Earn Your Share Of 100 000 MeBucks, By Watching Videos Online During The Lock Down
Over the next few weeks, South Africans are going to have a lot more free time on their hands, with many needing a little bit of extra cash.
So, from Friday 27 March to 15 April, Brand Hubb is rewarding consumers with ‘MeBucks’ for watching fun, educational and high-quality content.
MeBucks is the Brand Hubb currency that consumers can use to buy goods in our e-commerce store. 1MeBuck=1Rand.
Rob Anderson, CEO of Brand Hubb, said: “We are seeing the glass as half full and we believe that with the country in self-isolation, consumers are likely to be at home browsing the internet and social media for interesting and uplifting content, and we want to provide it to them, while rewarding them too.”
To get involved all consumers need to do is:
- Register here: //brandhubb.com/Register
- Start engaging with our branded content
- Use their MeBucks to purchase things they might need in our online store (delivery will be made after lock down)
