The Media Online’s weekly round up of people, account and business moves in media.
This week’s BIG move: Brewer of brand brilliance Sphe Vundla assumes new corporate brand role at SAB
South African Breweries (SAB) raises a glass to its new corporate brand director, Sphe Vundla.
“It is an exciting opportunity to be able to integrate cross-functionality at a regional and national level to tell our stories with impact. I want to elevate the SAB brand and work closely with the SAB Foundation to ensure that everyone knows and engages with our programmes which are making a difference and serving our communities across the nation,” said Vundla.
As a self-confessed provoker of purpose and passionate communicator, this high-performance leader is looking to brew a particular brand of excellence in everything he pursues. He joined the SAB in 2018 after a stint at Nedbank as their group digital manager with the Nedbank Group Marketing Communication and Corporate Affairs division.
As a marketer, Vundla’s experience across numerous marketing disciplines and industries has given him the power of adaptability. This at a time when agility has become the corporate world’s most potent superpower.
Over the last three and a half years, he has been intricately involved in some of SAB’s most iconic beer brands including Castle Lager, Castle Free, Carling Black Label, Lion Lager and Hansa leading the digital and integrated media functions for these brands.
People moves
Zimkhita Buwa appointed CEO of Quintica South Africa
Female representation in senior management and executive roles in companies around the world remains low, however in South Africa it is stagnant[i]. Worse still, women make up a mere 10% of CEOs at the world’s biggest tech firms[ii], so one can only imagine how low the number is in South Africa.
This is according to Zimkhita Buwa, the newly appointed CEO of Quintica South Africa, the market leader in service experience management, enabling businesses across the Middle East and Africa to evolve digitally.
For almost 20 years, Buwa has been a trailblazer in the innovation and digital space, working her way up from SAP business intelligence analyst at an African-based energy group, to chief operating officer at a well-known software development house, and later becoming Head of Intelligent Business Applications Core Practice at a global systems integrator and managed services provider for hybrid IT.
Since 2016, she has served on the board of Silicon Cape, a non-profit organisation that promotes technology entrepreneurship in the Western Cape, Africa’s Tech Capital. Her numerous accolades include winning the Techwomen Emerging Leader and MTN Outstanding Women in ICT awards, as well as being nominated for the Digital Female Awards in the category of Global Hero, representing women who follow diverse global goals and shape the world around them with their digital mindset. Now, she will be leading a local tech business focused on automation in a digital-first business world.
The new CEO believes that it is crucial for organisations, particularly tech companies, to have women in leadership roles both from a business perspective and to accelerate gender equality. “After all, it is 2021 and businesses need to move with the times if they want to succeed.”
Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey teams up with Stephen Colbert in new Comedy Central show
Comedy Central Africa has revealed that multi-media mogul, Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey, is teaming up with late-night virtuoso Stephen Colbert – making his epic return to Comedy Central – to create and produce Tha God’s Honest Truth with Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey.
This weekly half-hour late-night series features Charlamagne’s culturally fluent take on social issues in a variety of deep dives, sketches, and social experiments that deftly unpacks the most pressing topics permeating politics and culture. Redemptively comedic, refreshingly unfiltered, and unapologetically Black, nothing is off-limits. Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey is bringing his influential, opinionated, thought-provoking perspective to late night. Tha God’s Honest Truth with Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ will premiere exclusively on Comedy Central Africa (DStv Channel 122) Monday, 20 September at 22:30 CAT.
Business moves
Happy Friday reinvents the advertising agency model – aiming to fix a broken sector
A four-and-a-half-day work week, 25 days annual leave, no emails or WhatsApps after 6pm, side hustles supported by the agency, work from anywhere and a counsellor on call – meet the through-the-line advertising agency of the future. Formerly CWDi, Happy Friday is reinventing the agency model – for staff and clients alike.
As of 13 September 2021, CWDi will be overhauling the traditional agency model – setting a trend that other agencies may want to follow. Enter “Happy Friday”.
Happy Friday’s Group Managing Director, Craig Naicker, said, “You are only able to grow a sustainable business when you take care of the people within it”.
This is the thinking that frames the “Happy Friday” concept, because for Happy Friday, change begins on the inside. Creative consultant Ahmed Tilly expands, “Our new agency concept was a convergence of three things: business success, agency structure and people.
“COVID acted as a catalyst for the change, but it has been a long time coming. Thinking about how we would survive and even thrive beyond the pandemic helped us see that the industry is broken. People are adversely affected by this. Agencies need a future focus beyond face value with empathy for the people that help the agency survive”.
Naicker adds, “In a time when everyone is financially stretched, retainers need to be fair, not fat. As an agency, we must be financially invested in the client’s business and connect with them. This way, we can create more beneficial fee structures and keep internal stakeholders happy, as they will not have to put in wasted hours. We should be delivering the best commercial value, even on tighter budgets, and we are not a sausage factory”.
“I feel that, in an overwhelming number of instances, leadership styles in the advertising business are outdated. In fact, you might even dare to say they are almost colonial in their ways. It is time for a hard refresh of the way we do things in our industry. And COVID has dramatically accelerated change”.
News24 in partnership with Adcock Ingram OTC launches season 4 of Sponsors of Brave: Be Brave Mzansi
News24 in partnership with Adcock Ingram OTC is spearheading Season 4 of the Sponsors of Brave campaign – this time calling on all South African residents to Be Brave, Mzansi and to do the Dance of Brave.
It is time to rise up as we continue the fight against the spread of Covid-19. Whether it’s following social distancing protocol or getting the vaccination, now is the time to show Mzansi how much you care – and let our resilience as a nation shine.
To celebrate and commemorate just how far we have come as a country, the Be Brave Mzansicampaign is asking everyone to get up and dance, as we rise together to beat the virus. It’s time for all South African residents young and old to share in the joy as we embark on the journey to rebuilding our nation.
Nicole Austin, Adcock Ingram OTC Sponsors of Brave ambassador encourages everyone to get involved. “Our country has weathered so many storms, and we continue to rise, mostly because of our spirit of gratitude. We express this in many ways, but there is no more impactful way to show our courageous South African spirit than through song and dance. It unites us, it fuels us, and it is central to this brand new season of Sponsors of Brave – Be Brave, Mzansi. So get up, be brave, and move, Mzansi!”
A weekly cash prize to the tune of R5 000 is up for grabs when you submit your dance video. Three video entries will be selected as overall winners: one by a nationwide public vote who will win R20 000 and two chosen by the panel of judges and The Ndlovu Youth Choir who will win R10 000 each – one for the best individual or family and one for the best school or organisation.
YouTube reinforces commitment to creators with YouTube NextUp Programme
YouTube has announced that the YouTube NextUp programme will be available in Nigeria and South Africa. The programme is an opportunity for local creators to take their content creation to the next level.
Twenty creators with eligible channels will be selected to win a production stipend of $1,000 to be used for the acquisition of production equipment to advance their YouTube careers. The selected creators will also have the opportunity to attend a week-long intensive ‘Creator Camp’, learn new skills and access support by the YouTube partnerships team. The YouTube NextUp programme is available to creators who are committed to advancing their YouTube careers and producing fresh and compelling content.
Eligible channels for selection into the YouTube NextUp programme should have 10,000 to 100,000 subscribers and at least 3 pieces of original and native video content uploaded in the past 3 months. Channel accounts must be compliant with the YouTube community guidelines and have no strikes. Participation in other YouTube creator masterclasses is also a basis for acceptance.
“We believe that the next generation of successful creators are already honing their skills on YouTube. We are excited that the YouTube NextUp programme will help take creators to the next level in their YouTube careers, enabling them to develop whole new genres and online experiences for audiences around the world”, said Addy Awofisayo, YouTube Content Partnership in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In Nigeria, over 500 channels now have over 100 000 subscribers while in South Africa over 250 channels now have over 100 000 subscribers. This is an increase of over 60% percent, year on year. As of June this year, the percentage of YouTube channels in Nigeria making 7 figures or more revenue in Naira has now increased by 100%, year on year. South Africa also now has an increase of 70% in channels making 6 figures or more in revenue in Rands, year on year in the period under review.
“YouTube creators are already doing what they are passionate about and making money from it. YouTube NextUp aims to take them to the next level in terms of income generation and professionalism”, Awofisayo concludes.
Clickatell and Visa’s Cybersource deliver Chat 2 Pay contactless checkout
Clickatell and Visa’s global payment and fraud management platform, Cybersource, have announced a partnership to make it easier for businesses to deliver chat commerce and contact-free checkouts with Clickatell’s newly announced Chat 2 Pay solution. Chat 2 Pay is a simple and comprehensive way for businesses to offer payments and transactions to consumers in chat.
This partnership will allow Cybersource to deploy Chat 2 Pay with a pay-by-link capability that allows businesses to provide consumers the convenience of effortless, contact-free payments via text messaging and chat channels on mobile phones, including widely used chat apps.
“Partnering with Clickatell allows us to expand our ability to offer new contactless, interactive technology to our ecosystem,” said Carleigh Jaques, senior vice president and general manager, Cybersource. “Chat 2 Pay complements our own capabilities and makes it easier for our clients to serve their customers in the places where they are already messaging and chatting, quickly and securely.”
Ourlives, a proudly South African marketplace showcasing SA brands
Ourlives Marketplace, founded by Thabang Moye, is not just any online platform. It’s a well thought out service provider whose niche is to help local brands connect with their targeted audience by giving them the attention and the added value it needs to succeed. This B2C marketplace is made for professions, stylish intellectuals and brand-conscious individuals who want to plough back and support local businesses as well as learn and be inspired by other local entrepreneurs.
With various categories, such as fashion, streetwear, sneakers, appliances, sports, electronics, groceries, health & beauty and entrepreneur hub, visitors are spoilt for choice. And all these are proudly mzansi brands, with 80% of its visitors being between the ages of 18 and 40, 77% live in metropolitan cities like Gauteng, Durban or Cape Town and the numbers growing daily, entrepreneurs are urged to join this marketplace that puts them in front of thousands of customers who are actively searching for local brands.
Local brands can register their brand/s on our Ourlives Marketplace and the team will create a landing page that will link to their website or social media page/s. alternatively, they can also sell their products on the Ourlives Marketplace platform, if they do not have a website or active social media pages. Entrepreneur who provide services will also have an opportunity to be showcased under the entrepreneur hub section of the platform.
For Moye, the vision is to highlight the talent South Africa has and to get the public excited about local brands whether be product or service and as well as encourage visitors to support them so that they can more create jobs.
The MavericKids Annual Activity Book
Maverick451 is launching a MavericKids Annual Activity Book, a collection of the very best MavericKids has to offer – with the bonus that you can get involved to help children throughout South Africa.
What began as a dedicated section in the Daily Maverick 168 newspaper has evolved into an activity book that covers a range of topics such as entrepreneurship, the human body, cultures and climate change. All selected and designed to engage curious young minds in the world around them. Each topic is followed by fun activities such as crossword puzzles, sudoku, word searches and various creative projects that children can do alone or with loved ones.
We all want a world full of smart, curious children who are independent thinkers. But the past 18 months of periodic school attendance and virtual classes have been different for all families. While some children (and their caregivers) may have found their feet and taken charge of their learning, many have lost confidence in learning or are still struggling to keep up with their peers.
For every MavericKids Annual Activity Book pre-ordered from the Daily Maverick Shop, the company will donate one book to organisations that support child literacy. This will be done in conjuction with distribution parthers, Gift of The Givers. So consider it a gift for the children in your life, while also gifting other South African children a chance to explore new and different approaches to learning.
The MavericKids Annual Activity Book is now available for pre-order* in the Daily Maverick Shop, for delivery mid-November 2021.
Anzu and HUMAN partner to safeguard the in-game advertising space
Anzu, the in-game advertising platform, and HUMAN Security, Inc. (formerly White Ops), the global leader in collective protection against sophisticated bot attacks and fraud, have announced a partnership that will safeguard the in-game advertising space by detecting invalid traffic (IVT), general invalid traffic (GIVT), and sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) among Anzu’s programmatic gaming inventory across mobile and PC.
At this stage, IVT is less likely within in-game advertising environments than other advertising channels, and this new partnership will help safeguard the space to keep it that way. The initial data protected by HUMAN showed that out of 23.5 million events, Anzu’s IVT averaged out at 0.16% on mobile and 0.47% on PC.
Itamar Benedy, Co-Founder and CEO, Anzu, said: “We’re committed to making advertising in games better and putting ad quality at the heart of everything we do, bringing digital standards in-game and partnering with the industry leaders that advertisers know and trust. We continue to partner with the world’s brand safety, transparency, measurement, and data privacy leaders to ensure our clients can measure media value across channels and build their media strategy accordingly. This new partnership with HUMAN will take our commitment to create a brand-safe, fraud-free ecosystem to the next level. ”
Making moves
The resurgence of single source data
After a few years of relying on individual media currencies provided by separate media owners because of the lack of an independent products and brands survey, single-source data is once again flexing its muscle and reflecting the totality and complexity of the South African society. Having already shown the strength of its data in quarterly releases, in October 2021, the Marketing Research Foundation (MRF) will be presenting the first full-year data of Marketing All Product Survey (MAPSTM).
In the past South Africa was at the forefront of data collection and SAARF’s AMPS survey was the general go-to for all media planners and strategists. However, the unfortunate demise of this single-source data led to a void in the media planning process, and many agencies were forced to use old data to try and track an increasingly changing, segmented and fragmented market. The current scenario where there are individual JICs reporting on their own media currencies have further complicated this process.
“The MRF was born as an independent, non-profit company, acting as the custodian and repository of research expertise for the marketing industry and their advertising industry partners,” said MRF’s CEO, Johann Koster. “The MAPS survey has been introduced to fill the void that marketers have been clamouring for.”
The Foundation’s main objectives are to establish, commission and manage comprehensive, valid, reliable, and continuous consumer behaviour research, surveys, investigations and reports, that provide data for targeting and segmentation, as well as multi-product/brand usage and multi-media information that reflects the totality and complexity of the South African society.
“MAPS offers the familiarity and comfort of AMPS but is modernised, updated and greatly enhanced,” comments Koster. “MAPS is designed to be independent of any commercial interest and to be the heart of an organisations consumer data and insights strategy. MAPS should form the focal point for developing marketing strategies including market sizing and segmentation, constomer profiles, brand profiles, media profiles, etc. Once these elements have been compiled, the media currencies should be used for detailed media planning and purchasing.”
Next month will see the validation of years of work that has been put into MAPS when the full-year dataset is released to subscribers.
This large-scale sample and single source data will enable the MRF, in collaboration with MASA and other industry partners, to develop a much needed Segmentation Model, which will replace the old LSM segmentation. This model will be shaped in partnership with industry stakeholders and fellow JICs. The industry urgently requires one segmentation model that everyone believes in and that can be used for years to come by the entire marketing and advertising industry.
Countdown to PAMROs 22nd annual conference
It’s six weeks until The Pan African Media Research Organisation (PAMRO’s) 22nd Annual Conference. PAMRO’s aim this year is to offer a bigger, better, bolder conference, within the virtual space. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and another uncharacteristic year leading to the second virtual conference; the organisation has recognised the need for adapting to change while still ensuring that the industries zest for knowledge be accommodated.
PAMRO’s virtual conference will take place from Tuesday 26 October to Thursday 28 October. Meetings will commence from 11h00 to 14h00 SA time (GMT+2). Delegates will have front screen seats to presentations from global brands operating in Africa, real life case studies from the continent, and Q&A sessions where a lot of the learning takes place.
“We believe PAMRO’S annual conference is the gold standard in the latest Africa and international media trends and industry information. Last year over 700 delegates joined our conference. This year, so far, we’ve had over 100 registrations. There’s still time, and we urge you to join the brightest minds in media and get a fresh perspective on communicating with your audience, implementing content, marketing, distribution and digital strategy. Our theme this year is ‘Finding certainty in uncertain times through measurement’ and I look forward to hosting you there,” said Sifiso Falala, president of PAMRO.
If you are a media research professional, or if you represent a brand that seeks to learn more about refining your Africa business strategy, this is one conference not to be missed.
Made possible by sponsors: Nielsen, Borderless Access, DSTV Media Sales, Ornico, and Telmar. To book your place click //bit.ly/PAMRO2021 or to enquire about membership email us on pamro@pamro.org
Covid-19 crisis demands renewed collaboration between African marketing professionals
The Covid-19 crisis has changed consumer behaviour now and probably forever, presenting both challenges and opportunities for marketing professionals. According to Helen R. McIntee, President of the African Marketing Confederation (AMC), the marketing profession’s most pressing imperative today is “to kick start a new conversation on how best to address a radically changed business environment as the world slowly emerges from the COVID-19 chaos”.
To this end, the AMC has announced its relaunch, with an updated vision and goals, she says. Launched in 2011, the AMC is a Pan-African body of marketing professionals that has so far brought together the national marketing bodies and associations of nine countries. Members are committed to the ongoing development of the marketing profession, to ensure the highest possible standards. The Confederation provides a platform for networking opportunities, the exchange of knowledge and expertise and the continuous development of professional marketing skills.
The AMC consists of member bodies that include the Institute of Marketing Management South Africa (IMM), Marketers Association of Zimbabwe, The Zambia Institute of Marketing, The Marketing Society of Kenya, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG), The National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, the Institute of Marketing and Management, Mauritius, Institute of Marketing in Malawi (IMM) and The Moroccan Association of Marketing and Communications (AMMC).
“We are more committed than ever to growing and developing the profession and to ensuring that African marketing specialists have the support needed to survive and thrive today and in a post-COVID new normal. The AMC’s vision of connecting marketers across Africa will provide the best platform to allow us to engage, share and find new solutions,” McIntee said.
Magnette Event Management launches Magnette Academy & tech-driven event management course
Magnette Event Management, a strategic event management agency, have announced the launch of Magnette Academy and their new 12 week, online multimedia based event management course.
Building on 10 years of innovative event experience servicing local and international Blue Chip companies, Magnette has pulled together its resources to develop the Event Management Course for the Digital Age, a digitally focused course specially developed to support event planners and organisers.
The new future-forward course is the first of its kind to be launched in the world, teaching students about progressive event design and management as well as Artificial Reality, Virtual Reality, Event Tech and best practice for Hybrid and Virtual Event Management.
What makes this progressive event management course so unique is that it is taught by a suite of industry experts, who are leaders in their fields on various subjects, so you are always learning from the best of the best.
The robust new course will serve as an excellent stepping stone for event planners struggling to navigate the challenges, disruption and changes facing the industry. If you are involved with the strategic planning, management or coordination of events, this course is your essential guide on how to confidently execute events, meetings and conferences successfully in 2021 and beyond.
The Event Management Course for the Digital Age will be the first course to be developed by Magnette with a number of smaller short courses being launched on the platform from March 2022.
Blooming great news as BritBox brings the RHS Chelsea Flower Show fresh from the UK for Heritage Weekend
Spring has arrived, and where better to find some gardening inspiration than the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show 2021? South Africans can enjoy the world’s greatest floral event fresh from the UK from 22 to 26 September 2021, exclusively on BritBox.
Just in time for the Heritage Day long weekend – the perfect opportunity to get gardens springing back to life – viewers will be treated to daily episodes from Wednesday 22 September or binge-watch all five from Sunday 26 September. South Africa’s Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden has previously bagged gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – which stunning designs will take home the laurels this year?
Ensuring BritBox subscribers have lots of new and exclusive lifestyle content to enjoy over the long holiday weekend, you can also sit back and savour season one of The Secret History of the British Garden presented by Monty Don, exploring the fascinating evolution of the UK’s famously beautiful green spaces; or take a break from horticulture to enjoy a tour of unmissable global food experiences, from risotto in Venice to tortillas in San Sebastian, in season one of Remarkable Places to Eat, both available from Thursday, 23 September.
BritBox is available to stream via the web, on Android and Apple mobile/tablets, FireTV, AppleTV, Samsung Smart TV and LG Smart TV. Enjoy one week’s free trial, sign up at R99,99 per month or R999,99 for 12 months, and register for email updates at www.britbox.com.
Follow BritBox on Twitter and Instagram @BritBox_ZA and on Facebook @BritBoxZA.
Diary
Safrea members and Non-members in the Communications and Media Industry
Tiffany Markman believes that we can’t depend on clients to brief us on their projects because they often don’t know what they want.
The secret is to know how to take a proper brief – i.e., which set of questions will elicit all the information you need to deliver the product that will make your client happy.
After all, the last thing any freelancer wants is a client asking for one thing and then wanting another when most of the work is done!
Markham is a corporate writer and trainer in the communications and media industry. Over the last 16 years, she has delivered keynote addresses, conference presentations and masterclasses on an assortment of topics for a diverse range of companies and professionals in 14 countries.
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Deadline for INMA Elevate Scholarship a week away
The deadline to apply for or nominate someone for the INMA Elevate Scholarship is next Friday, September 24.
The programme, supported by the Google News Initiative, will reward 50 recipients with three free registrations for INMA Master Classes and continuing education opportunities.
The scholarship is aimed at professionals from under-represented groups who are committed to growing the news business and aspire to global best practices.
For a full list of benefits and qualifications, click here.