The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: New Google-IFC report estimates Africa’s Internet economy could be worth $180 billion by 2025
e-Conomy Africa 2020, a new report released by Google and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), estimates that Africa’s Internet economy has the potential to reach 5.2% of the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, contributing nearly $180 billion to its economy. The projected potential contribution could reach $712 billion by 2050.
Driving this growth is a combination of increased access to faster and better quality internet connectivity, a rapidly expanding urban population, a growing tech talent pool, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and Africa’s commitment to creating the world’s largest single market under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“Google and IFC have created this report to highlight the role the digital startup sector is playing and other factors driving the continent’s growth, in order to showcase and support the opportunities the continent presents,” said Google Africa director Nitin Gajria.
Currently, Africa is home to 700 000 developers and venture capital funding for startups has increased year-on-year for the past five years, with a record $2.02 billion in equity funding raised in 2019, according to Partech Ventures Africa.
Digital startups in Africa are driving innovation in fast-growing sectors, including fintech, healthtech, media and entertainment, e-commerce, e-mobility, and e-logistics, contributing to Africa’s growing Internet gross domestic product (iGDP) — defined as the Internet’s contribution to the GDP.
An analysis within the report, conducted by Accenture, found that in 2020, the continent’s iGDP may contribute approximately $115 billion to Africa’s $2.554 trillion GDP (4.5% of total GDP). This is up from $99.7 billion (3.9% of total GDP) in 2019, with the potential to grow as the continent’s economies develop.
The report is available for review and download here.
People moves
Total Exposure appoints Thuso Sekhaolelo as COO
Total Exposure has appointed Thuso Sekhaolelo as its chief operating officer to lead the PR agency on its growth journey as the company recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Sekhaolelo, who has been with the business for seven years having joined as a publicist, will oversee the day to day operations function and be responsible for implementing the agency’s new operating model, the PESO model, -which uniquely positions public relations at the centre of integrated digital communications.
Additionally, Sekhaolelo will bed down the working processes for the agency which has moved permanently to remote working with its staff based across the country.
“Thuso is an astonishingly capable and safe pair of hands who will drive Total Exposure to new heights. For us Covid 19 forced a paradigm shift which has been insightful. It enabled us to review everything about the business and we used the time to train our whole team on the accredited Syracuse University PESO model; bed down working remotely permanently and expand our practice areas,” said CEO Jeremy Briar
Total Exposure’s client portfolio covers entertainment, consumer, tech, and healthcare and clients include Ballantine’s Whisky, NBC Universal, OPPO, DStv Delicious Festival, Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, Vivo Nation amongst others.
Nina Morris Lee takes over the reins at Moonyeenn Lee & Associates (MLA)
Internationally acclaimed South African agent and casting director, Moonyeenn Lee, passed away in July of this year and left her 46-year-old business to her daughter-in-law Nina Morris Lee and her daughter, Cindy Lee. MLA has earned the reputation of representing the best of South African acting talent. Morris Lee will lead the talent agency as CEO and Manager.
While Morris Lee may be considered a new player in the film and television industry, she is certainly not new to business leadership. Morris Lee comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience from her background as a leading player and change-maker in the advertising and marketing industry. Her strong creative and strategic skills will benefit the business on every level.
With over three decades in the advertising industry and running her own agency, she was instrumental in building some of South Africa’s most successful brands. Amongst them Discovery, Wimpy, Southern Sun, Debonairs Pizza and launching kulula.com (South Africa’s first low fare airline) to name but a few.
Veteran actor Terry Pheto said of Morris Lee, “I cannot think of a more qualified and suitable person to take over from where Moonyeenn Lee left off. Nina brings a wealth of knowledge and heart to MLA, her vision for the agency makes me excited to be one of MLA’s talents. It’s also comforting to know that Moonyeenn’s legacy of cultivating and nurturing talent will live on.”
Clear Channel’s Martin Corke to succeed Philippe Baudillon on World Out of Home Organization global board
Clear Channel UK chief marketing officer and European marketing and communications lead Martin Corke is to succeed Clear Channel colleague Philippe Baudillon on the World Out of Home Organisation global board.
Baudillon was regional CEO, Clear Channel (France, Belgium, Netherlands.) Corke is a member of Clear Channel’s European executive committee.
Corke has held his current position for four years and heads a Clear Channel marketing team of team of 30. Before joining Clear Channel he was Director of Digital Integration at News UK.
Corke said: “I’m delighted to be invited to take over from Philippe on the WOO board. I have been closely involved with WOO on a number of projects in this most difficult of years and have seen at first hand the way the Organization helps to bring the worldwide out of home industry together to move the medium forward.”
Business moves
Alkemy Investments partners with marketing agency
The non-traditional investment firm, Alkemy Investments, has partnered with integrated marketing agency, Penquin. This partnership is set to create even more award-winning work in the advertising industry.
The firm is known for consciously partnering with companies that share their vision for building sustainable businesses that hold relationships and meaningful work at its core. A two-year search for the perfect partner in the advertising industry led Alkemy Investments to Penquin.
Penquin already boasts a range of impressive clients and offers a 360-degree solution to brands which includes design, strategy, traditional and digital media buying, social media management, inbound marketing, event management and production. Alkemy will provide strategic guidance and scaling the agency to work towards not only growing the agency and its footprint, but also its people.
Zodwa Mlangeni, chief alkemist at Alkemy Investments, started the firm through her desire to combine the best of what she enjoyed in the investment and marketing industries. “Penquin already has a solid foundation to build on, cares about its employees, does great work and we have good chemistry. Alkemy’s intention, as with all our partnerships, is to create a business that’s sustainable and add tangible value to the future,” she said.
WPP merges AKQA and Grey to form AKQA Group
In international news, Campaign reports that the Grey agency brand is to be dropped after 103 years as part of merger to create brand experience agency that combines digital and creative. Read the full story here.
Huawei Video partners with Ginkgo to bring Beautiful News to its video streaming platform
The old cliché says that bad news sells, which is why you will find most online and print media publications crammed full of stories about crime, corruption, deaths, salacious scandals and other such news.
But most of the time people need good news to brighten up their days, lighten their moods, and sometimes restore their faith in humanity. HUAWEI VIDEO has recognised this, partnering with Ginkgo Agency, to bring all of its viewers Beautiful News
Launched in 2016, Beautiful News publishes one positive short film every day of the year. It describes itself as “dedicated to unearthing inspiring, uplifting, and authentic voices that reflect the good in humanity, as well as the beauty of global destinations and our natural world.”
Beautiful News releases their video daily at 4:14pm, in recognition of the moment that Nelson Mandela was released from prison. This is Beautiful News’ philosophy, with them saying, “In honour of his legacy, we are reframing our world for the betterment of nature and humankind.”
paus Collaborates with Magine Pro to accelerate growth
paus, the streaming app for independent films, is collaborating with Magine Pro to expand paus in a secure and scalable way leveraging Magine Pro’s OTT platform. Working with Magine Pro will support the growth of paus, bringing a greater library of quality independent film to many more Android or iOS devices.
“Since we introduced the paus app earlier this year, the response has been both encouraging and exciting and our community is growing quickly, especially with the recent launch of our crowdfund campaign. As a result, we’re looking to accelerate our growth plans and bring paus to more users, as quickly as we can,” said Rishi Kapoor, CEO and founder of paus. “Partnering with Magine Pro means we can focus on curating more incredible content and supporting filmmakers, in the knowledge that we have a proven OTT tech partner to help ramp up our platform. We look forward to working with the Magine Pro team to bring paus to a greater audience of people that share our passion for independent film.”
Independent Media: Non-submission of Q3 circulation figures
In full and open disclosure, Independent Media (Pty) Limited has advised the market that it has informed the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) that it will not be submitting any circulation figures for the period July-September 2020.
Like its print media counterparts, Independent Media’s business has come under some challenge as a result of the lockdowns enforced on the country to avert the rapid spread of Covid-19.
The pandemic has forced a radical re-think of how legacy businesses, such as media, function in the future. Yet, as difficult as this time has been, it has also provisioned the opportunity for Independent Media to radically overhaul and restructure its operations.
Independent Media will therefore not be submitting its circulation figures at this time.
Fueling the economy through marketing for SMME’s with Callo
Hiring a resource is risky, managing staff is tricky and paying salaries at the end of the month is scary under the economic circumstances we find ourselves in and moving into the new year. It was for this reason that Callo was born. A flat-rate marketing business centred around the growth of small to medium enterprises – the heart of the South African economy.
“By charging R500 an hour, businesses are receiving experienced marketing resources at a comfortable price point. Ensuring that their marketing needs are looked after so that they can focus on their business, and ultimately help to grow the economy again,” said Kerry Ferreira, managing director of Callo.
A formidable and passionate serial entrepreneur, Ferreira knows the importance of women-owned business and how this can help South African’s focus on the future, with an outlook of optimism.
“Callo aims to fill the gap of a marketing resource, aiding the client by giving them the peace of mind that they’re still in front of the customer, but don’t have to pay a full salary, yet. Because we still want these businesses to grow and employ more South Africans,” Ferreira added.
Oracle helps communications industry drive better customer experiences
Oracle has announced a new cloud-based customer experience (CX) management solution for the communications industry. Oracle Digital Experience for Communications is a suite of industry-specific applications that capture and analyse customer-interaction data from front and back-office operations. This helps service providers better understand their customers’ unique buying behaviours and preferences so the providers can quickly launch compelling new offers and products, provide better service, and increase sales.
Making moves
MultiChoice Talent Factory and CBS Justice announce True Crime Masterclass Series
The MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) and thematic TV channel CBS Justice, owned by AMC Networks International – UK and ViacomCBS, have announced their first partnership, offering four true crime masterclasses to MTF students and industry professionals across Africa through the MTF online portal.
The true crime genre is hugely popular and the masterclasses will cover aspects of developing series with critically acclaimed facilitators. The four one-hour masterclasses will be offered live online on Tuesday 17 and 24 November as well as Tuesday 1 and 8 December at 13:00 CAT / 11:00 GMT and will subsequently be made available via the MTF portal.
Facilitated by David Howard and Rik Hall of UK-based production company Monster Films, participants will gain first-hand insights across a range of topics, from developing and pitching ideas, to filming, working with talent, on-set best practices, approaches to post-production, sales and marketing.
The true crime masterclasses are the latest in a diverse range of masterclasses and workshops offered by the MTF Academy and tie in with its philosophy of upskilling and training industry professionals in the telling of authentic African stories.
Latest Teacha! Magazine set to inspire and empower teachers
Since its launch in 2018, Teacha! Magazinehas inspired and informed thousands of teachers in South Africa and around the world. As we embark on the final school term of 2020, after what has been a largely turbulent time for both educators and students, what is clearer than ever is that teachers are resourceful; teachers have strong voices that they use to support both each other and their learners; and teachers are invested in the future of our youth. It is against this backdrop that teacher hub Teacha! has launched the 10th edition of its magazine.
During the countrywide lockdown earlier in 2020, teachers came together to provide advice and insight into teaching remotely in Teacha! Magazine’s ‘Remote Learning’ edition. In the third term, teacher contributors poured interesting and relevant information into the ‘Safe Schools’ edition, exploring what it means to teach during a pandemic and amidst the Black Lives Matter movement. How do we create safe spaces (physically and emotionally) for students, and facilitate inclusion in schools?
In the fourth-term issue, teachers share their best practices around teaching strategies. This ‘Bringing Purpose Back to the Classroom’ edition reflects on the effects that Covid-19 has had on education.
Africa No Filter’s Academic Fellows programme
As part of a broader research agenda to make its work on shifting African narratives evidence based, Africa No Filter is launching an Emerging Scholars Fellowship program for African academics. This will help us better understand prevailing stories and resulting narratives within, and about Africa. The research, co-funded by Facebook, will be conducted across mainstream media, social media, popular culture, the arts, donor publications, and educational materials.
The Fellows programme is aimed at producing rigorous data that explores how Africans see themselves by tracking the platforms where Africans are engaging. As part of the programme, scholars will have access to training, networking opportunities and mentorship. Applications must be submitted by Friday 13 November 2020. The Fellowship will be granted in December 2020, to be completed by 31 July 2021.
More information is available here:
For the Diary
Business Day Dialogue’s next event: Hybrid Cloud investment: Taking your business to the next digital horizon
As companies are forced to accelerate their digital transformation strategies, easy to deploy hybrid cloud solutions have become imperative!
If 2020 has highlighted anything in this space, it’s been that hybrid cloud is gathering momentum as enterprises seek to leverage the best from multiple cloud providers.
Join the Business Day Dialogues online discussion in partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprises SA as industry thought leaders give practical insights on how hybrid cloud can enhance the agility and flexibility of an organisation to meet the needs of their customers, how this will ensure business continuity and what having a multi-cloud strategy can mean for your business
Speakers include Aki Anastasiou, Presenter of TecHub & Host of WhatsNext; Sarel Naude, Solutions Architect, Hewlett Packard Enterprise SA.
- Topic: Hybrid Cloud investment: Taking your business to the next digital horizon
- Date: 19 November 2020
- Time: 9am
Registration link.
Join us for the next Podmeet!
We’re so excited to announce that the last Podmeet of the year will be with Deon Wiggett and Alison Pope, the team behind My Only Story. The four-part true-crime podcast created waves last year and has now been turned into a book and won bronze at the New York Festivals Radio Awards.
Join us with your questions for Deon and Alison for an hour-long virtual event.
- Date: Wednesday 18 November 2020
- Time: 18.00 – 19.00 SAST
- RSVP here for the Zoom video call link to be sent to you in the days before the event.
