Month: September 2017

Partnering with an entrepreneurial Black-Owned Agency

25 years ago, there very few – if any – black owned and run agencies.  Probably the only one at that time was Herdbuoys.  They represented the start of a new era in South Africa where black advertising professionals were taken far more seriously than in previous times.

Today in 2017 the Independent Agency Search & Selection company has identified more than 100 black owned entrepreneurial agencies across the full spectrum of 13 marketing communications disciplines.  This is in addition to those agencies that have transformed in the past few years through BEE and various black ownership trusts and other vehicles.

Finding and getting to know these independent agencies has become an important part of our ongoing work in order to increase agency choice for marketers.  Marketers and procurement have an important role to play in helping transformation to happen in the marketing communications industry and in agencies.  We are seeing quite clearly that while among government entities procurement of black owned agencies has been an imperative for some time, it is becoming increasingly important – and more frequent –  across large corporates and multinationals who want to ensure their own growth in this country.

We estimate that there are in excess of 2500 agencies of all different types – creative, media, design, PR and digital – as well as printers, research companies, activation companies and event or conferencing companies – across South Africa. So, 100 of these being black owned is quite a small percentage.

Over the past 25 years we have also seen more and more black graduates coming into the marketing and advertising workplace – this can only be good news for the future of the industry and for the growth of more black owned agencies in the future.

We believe that the entrepreneurial spirit, that is often an integral part of a building an agency, is alive and well in these agencies who are keen to be known for their abilities rather than just being selected because they are black owned and because they will “tick all of the boxes” on the Procurement list of criteria.

One of the other reasons that we started to keep this list of black owned agencies was to assist more traditional and long established agencies to find suitable partners.  And we have been able to do that for a few of those agencies already who wish to actively transform and grow their businesses.  With black ownership now being a business imperative as part of the MAC Charter and an imminent deadline of April 2018, we believe that the need for such partnerships will continue to increase, thereby encouraging the growth of the industry.

Far sighted agencies will know for sure that taking a minority stake in a black owned agency is the key to a successful future.  Some have already grasped the concept and are enjoying partnerships that might not have been possible 30 years ago.

Leading Dutch eLearning specialist launches South African business

aNewSpring, a dutch-based learning technology company has announced the opening of its Johannesburg-based office with exclusive distributor, New Leaf Technologies.  Announced at the recently held E-learning Insights 2017 conference in Johannesburg and Cape Town, aNewSpring co-owner, Rene Persoon, said that it was the ideal platform to unveil plans to launch aNewSpring Africa.

“We have been working with New Leaf Technologies for over a year. The company has been instrumental in the success of aNewSpring in Africa and we thought the timing was perfect to open a local office,” says Persoon.

aNewSpring is a market leading provider of online learning platforms with a ranking in the world’s top 50 learning platforms. Since it launched in 2003, aNewSpring has successfully focused on offering training providers tools to create inspiring learning journeys within the cloud.

Paul Hanly, newly appointed Managing Director of aNewSpring Africa

“This is really good news for the South African industry,” said Paul Hanly, newly appointed Managing Director of aNewSpring Africa: “aNewSpring is an innovative company with a really inspiring product and I am delighted that they have the confidence to invest in the African market. We can now build long lasting relationships with clients as we’re able to provide local support, local onboarding as well as localised pricing. We’re not just another faceless cloud-based software solution. We are on the ground with a really good understanding of the African market.”

Persoon, who spent two weeks in both Cape Town and Johannesburg, is excited about the possibilities that Africa has to offer: “Africa is such an interesting place. I have met a vast number of people and there is so much potential. Our learning platform is ideal for this market where low bandwidth and high data costs are a reality. We deliver training providers and corporate academies in Africa the technology to build inspiring and effective learning journeys without having to use data-intensive solutions. We look forward to our clients using our platform to reach more people to upskill and cross skill. There is a definite need and with cutting edge functionality like adaptivity, personalisation, collaborative and blended learning with knowledge retention, aNewSpring can really make a difference.”

The aNewSpring learning platform has already been fully integrated with Sage X3 People, a leading HR management tool. The open Application Programme Interface (API) makes integration across a wide range of other HR and ERP systems very practical and relatively simple.

For more information on the learning technologies aNewSpring offers, visit www.anewspring.com 

McCain South Africa takes the number two spot in the Kantar Millward Brown Best Liked Ads for Q1

McCain South Africa is excited to announce that their, “Jessi advert” has been voted into the number two spot, for Q1, in the Kantar Millward Brown Best Liked Ads 2017 survey.

The Kantar Millward Brown’s Best Liked Ads list celebrates South Africa’s favourite TV commercials. These are the ads that have been rated as the best liked by South African audiences.

This advert was launched earlier this year as part of McCain South Africa’s “It’s the little things that mean everything” campaign. The campaign focused on thanking moms for the little things that they do for us that mean everything.

In the advert, Jessi surprises her mom on national television with the help of McCain. She cooked her mom a delicious McCain inspired meal which was served on a special one of a kind plate that McCain helped her make. The plate had a special message printed on it and as Jessi’s mom ate, the message was revealed, “Mommy, thank you for giving me this life. You are Amaze-a-licious. I love you. Jessi”.

“We are extremely proud to be on this list. This advert was the last advert released for this campaign and the tone and focus was very different to the other two adverts. We really wanted to connect with our consumers and encourage them to thank their moms of all the little things that they do. Being on this list is such an achievement, and it makes us feel like we really did resonate with our consumers.” says Deolinda Da Costa, Marketing Manager of McCain South Africa.

We hope that this ad inspired people across the country to do something small to thank their moms for all the little things that they do that mean everything.

 

Reaching decision makers with your message using data activation

There are some marketing messages that are perfectly suited to influencing the thinking and purchases of high-powered decision makers. But how can marketing and sales teams make sure that those messages reach the right people? Amorphous Stride’s recently launched BusinessDirectors.Network has access to 133 000 Business directors and is designed to do just that.  

BusinessDirectors.Network is part of Amorphous Stride’s Dot Network platform, which features a number of segmented audience data groups that allow you to gain a deep understanding of your audience and build effective campaigns based on those insights.

Creating audiences with common touchpoints means that marketers who use Dot Network already have a refined audience and their messages are guaranteed to reach the best people for them, which makes BusinessDirectors.Network a hugely valuable tool for reaching high-net worth individuals.

Using BusinessDirectors.Network allows advertisers to reach 133 000 Companies and Intellectual Property Commission-verified business leaders with information about premium products and business-to-business solutions.

Dot Network uses sophisticated software to help companies target specific individuals with the right message at the right time. Audiences are defined by demographics, interest areas, online behaviour and legal and live location. These defining parameters mean that messages sent through Dot Network are relevant to audiences and cut through the noise of other advertising. This is particularly important for business directors who have little time for irrelevant or uninteresting messaging that doesn’t appeal to their interests or reach them on a convenient platform.

Understanding an audience is critical for the success of any campaign. With BusinessDirectors.Network, marketing teams get valuable insights about their target audience, like the fact that while they are still predominantly online on mobile devices, business directors tend to have a much higher usage rate of desktop computers than other market segments. This kind of information influences the decisions around where and at what time of day to place digital adverts.

All the Dot Network platforms, including BusinessDirectors.Network, are software based, allowing companies buy space on the most efficient media platform at the optimal price. Media space is bought with real-time bidding, which means that advertisers can get the best rate for their campaigns. Every cent of the media budget works as hard as it can and campaigns are measurable, so they can be refined based on performance.

B2B telecoms case study

In one case study, BusinessDirectors.Network found and targeted an audience of South African business directors with a campaign for a mobile broadband service. It was so successful that from 231 477 impressions, there were 16 264 engagements. The aim of the campaign was to generate awareness of the new broadband products, and this was certainly achieved by targeting business decision makers with influence over the choice of broadband service providers used by their companies.

To reach the right audience with a message, marketers need to be able to understand and apply available consumer data well. BusinessDirectors. Network offers a unique way to reach a very particular and highly influential audience of potential customers that can be engaged with through systematically adapted media buying based on their online location and habits throughout the day.

South Africa’s ZAlebs announces new leadership and continuing growth

ZAlebs Is Proud To Announce The Appointment Of Managing Director Mauro Black As The Fastest-Growing Site In The Country Enters Its Next Phase Of Growth

Effective immediately, Mauro Black is the new Managing Director of ZAlebs, responsible for not only its continued growth in South Africa but also heading up the company as it seeks to expand throughout Southern and Sub-Saharan Africa. ZAlebs’ total monthly engagement continues to be in excess of 10 million young black South Africans.

“I am very happy to join such a young and dynamic website that enjoys impressive popularity, and I know I can contribute to making ZAlebs an even stronger, more modern and diverse brand focused on giving our audience what it wants,” says Mauro Black, Managing Director of ZAlebs.

He continued by saying “This is one of very few sites that is able to actively capture the attention of a hard-to-tap-into audience. The ZAlebs audience is 90% in South Africa, over 90% black and between the ages of 18 and 35 years old – there is a huge potential for advertisers who want to collaborate with us and engage with our audience. This is one of the largest sites in South Africa and growth will continue.”

Mauro joins the company after a successful career at several media companies, including most recently CNBC Africa as well as Provantage Media Group and Times Media. His work has been awarded multiple times, and he brings a diverse portfolio to the forefront that promises interesting new paths for ZAlebs. Plans to expand content to include music and more video, become active in event design and organization, and syndication are all on Mauro’s plate to help assess and launch.

“Our evolution has been impressive, and this is the right moment to bring Mauro into the ring as he has the work experience and attitude we need to take ZAlebs to the next level. With the engagement rates and reach we are seeing across our website and social media channels, there is so much more potential for us as a brand to get involved in the topics of most interest to our audience – video, fashion, music and events.” tells Zibuyile Dladla, Executive Editor for ZAlebs.

“At the core of our success is our amazing content team tapping into what young, black South Africans want, and fostering a close relationship with our followers. It is the popularity of our content that have made us a successful partner for MSN, and we are approached almost daily by other content networks, advertisers and media agencies about how we can connect our hyper-engaged followers to their brands and products.” adds James Cannon Boyce, one of the primary partners in ZAlebs.

Gisele Wertheim Aymes, an additional partner in the company, explains: “We are very excited about the phase ZAlebs is in right now, and the excitement and experience Mauro is bringing to the team. The South African media landscape has shifted dramatically in recent times, and traditional marketing and sales strategies have to be combined with more dynamic content and experience offerings. This is where ZAlebs is and will be strong.”

 

 

 

Bayeza: turning interns into future leaders

As an Eastern Cape agency with a national client base, Boomtown found it challenging to find the talent it needed. As a solution it created an intern programme, Bayeza. In its fifth year, the agency is looking to hire its next intake of graduates to become part of the team and become moulded into outstanding, employable resources.

Bayeza started in 2012 with one graphic design intern in 2012, Pola Maneli. A talented individual who won two gold Loeries went on to work for one of the best advertising agencies in South Africa. Over time, the programme has grown and grown, with Boomtown now able to offer five Bayeza spots, and is looking for new young talent to enrol in various disciplines, including graphic design, copywriting, client service, HR, digital, production and strategy.

How Bayeza works

Rather than running an internship program where individuals are seen as junior staff, Boomtown runs a specific year-long program with each intern having month by month modules specific to their area of expertise and study. “In this way, we fast track the interns, and they learn more in one year than most junior employees learn in two,” adds Boomtown MD, Andrew MacKenzie.

This specific training also makes the interns highly sort after from an employment perspective and Boomtown is tremendously proud that to date it has achieved a 100% success rate in employment once the interns graduate from Bayeza. “We have employed the majority of these individuals as part of our growth strategy, and others have gone on to be part of reputable companies across South Africa,” says MacKenzie. “The program is also differentiated in that it is not a “free from pay” internship. Each is salaried over and above the dedicated and specific training they receive.”

The Bayeza program not only answers to the needs of our business and a concerted effort to build on our employment equity but also responds to the drive around skills development and more importantly, is changing the lives of the individuals who complete the program immeasurably.

Seeking the next generation

Boomtown is looking for its next team of creative graduates to join the agency from January 2018. Applications are open to candidates in marketing, graphic design, copywriting, brand strategy, digital, production and social media. Candidates can email their CVs through to careers@boomtown.co.za until November 1st, 2017.

 

 

5 reasons why Ads24’s Mass Market is the top team to back your brand

By tapping into Ads24’s Mass Market ̶ Soccer Laduma, Daily Sun, Die Son and Kick Off ̶ media buyers, advertisers and marketers are connecting with a culturally rich, diverse, trend-savvy and future forward market that also holds enormous spending power in South Africa.

Ads24’s recently kicked off a dynamic series of activations in Johannesburg and Cape Town aimed at showcasing the many opportunities provided by these key players in the mass-market. Here are just five of the ways Ads24’s Mass Market can back your brand.

  • The Mass Market lives for sport

Ads24’s Mass Market readership loves sport,3.8-million stay up to date with sport and 5.5-million like to go to sports events. Altogether 70% of Daily Sun readers support brands that sponsor sport and there are enough of them to pack Orlando Stadium 93.5X.

Similarly, 116,000 Soccer Laduma readers use the internet daily and could fill Moses Mabhida Stadium 35.3X and Die Son readers could fill the Cape Stadium 13.4X.

There is enormous potential for brands to reach this segment by finding relevant ways to tap into their passion for sport.

  • Mass market lifestyle is something all South Africans can relate to

According to Ask Afrika, South Africa’s largest independent market research house and the local licence holders for TGI, Kasi culture is a way of life that all South Africans can relate to. Think of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, marketers and advertisers used the township lifestyle as a friendly and accessible way to promote the country.Key to connecting with the Kazi market is to appeal to its sense of community, sharing and caring.

  • The Mass Market is the future

Mass Market Millennials are shaping the future by defining news, trends, beliefs and politics.

  • Millennial Ads24 Mass Market readers are 1.3 times more likely to be in full-time education (TGI).
  • Millennial Ads24 Mass Market readers are 1.5 times more likely to use apps on their phones every day (TGI).
  • The youth market aged 15 to 34 has 55% of the mass market spending power. More than previous generations at the same age (TGI).
  • About 20% of youth aged 25 to 34 are heading households and making purchasing decisions (TGI).

Despite the massive influence these Millennials have on purchase power, Ask Afrika reports that only 20% of ad spend is directed at them.

  • The Mass Market has spending power and are brand loyal

Ads24 Mass Market readers are more likely to pay a higher price for a meal offering when eating out/ordering a take-away meal as long as the quality is high (TGI).

Daily Sun Readers read the newspaper most days and Son readers are more likely to be tempted to buy products they’ve seen advertised (TGI).  This market is loyal to a repertoire of brands and will pay for products that are perceived to be of excellent quality and value for money.

  • Ads24 Mass Market titles have huge appeal

Collectively, Daily Sun, Die Son and Soccer Laduma are seen by 8.9-million readers across print, digital and social media platforms. Ads24 has developed three packages ̶  Starter Pack, Booster and Premium  ̶  to highlight the multiplatform ability of Soccer Laduma, Daily Sun and Die Son to reach this highly sought after market.

“The packages offer a mix of digital, print, advertorials, social media, banner ads, sponsored sections strip ads and mobi, which we can tailor to innovative multi-platform solutions for our clients,”said Ads24 Brand Manager, Marise van der Lith.

Activations will roll out in and Durban over the rest of September. For more information on how to make the most of Starter, Booster or Premium Pack contact your Ads24 representative.

Multiple reading occasions halves print’s CPT

Peter Langschmidt, consultant to the PRC (Publisher Research Council), investigates how print’s OTS (Opportunity to See) of around two per reader effectively halves the medium’s Cost per Thousand (CPT).

 Print is the only medium where rate cards are based on one OTS (Opportunity to See) per reader, however new research consistently proves that the same issue of publications have multiple reading occasions by the same reader. This results in additional opportunities to see an advert, which is usually around two. These multiple OTS effectively halve print’s Cost per Thousand (CPT) compared to broadcast and other media.

As seen in the table below, this thoroughness/multiple reads translates into advert OTS which increases amongst the older, more affluent, more influential consumer.

TABLE 1. OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ADVERT BY SEGMENT

The research allows us to apply the OTS data to planning principles to get to a more accurate CPT for print versions of newspapers and magazines. By understanding this multiple OTS occurrence by segment and type of publication it can now be applied to media planning principles.

An advertising budget divided by each medium’s CPT will deliver that medium’s GRP’s (Gross Rating Points), a media weight measure (reach x frequency). According to IBIS media manager the CPT for newspapers is R117 and R103 for magazines, when we take these multiple OTS into account it effectively halves the CPT as shown in the table below:

TABLE 2. MULTIPLE OTS REDUCE PRINT CPT

Let’s take a budget figure of say R100,000 and see how many ratings we could achieve with each medium based on its CPT. Outdoor, having the lowest CPT, delivers the most ratings (GRP’s) for the same budget.

We also have to take into account the inherent strengths and communication ability of each medium relative to one another. We summarise this in terms of a simple impact figure. All media types are rated relative to the most impactful medium – cinema, which has a captive front facing audience in a dark cinema with a 30m screen and Dolby stereo sound.

TABLE 3. FROM CPT TO GRP’S TO ERP’S

Once this impact factor is applied we’re able to, more effectively, compare each medium’s Effective Rating Points or ERP’s. Television emerges as the most powerful medium while magazines and newspapers take the other two podium positions and deliver almost twice the effective audience numbers compared to radio and outdoor.

The dominance of print over radio is even more pronounced in the upper SEM/LSM 8-10 market and the perfect information foil to pin down and complement the transitory TV message.

The Media Comparison Calculator attempts to go beyond the numbers and PRC members are supplying the calculator to all clients and agencies so that they can apply it to any target market.

For additional information and research on reading, visit www.prc.za.com.

Ken Varejes talks tenacity and growing businesses

Ken Varejes, Group CEO of media innovation hub Nfinity, says that many business owners reach a point in their life cycle where growth stagnates and they’re not sure how to progress.  

Tenacity is defined in the dictionary as “persistent determination”. This aptly describes the central ethos of the businesses that Ken has taken a vested interest in within Nfinity. “It ties into quality and work ethic which are both critical for success,” he says.

It’s the age old story of being like a bulldog and never giving up. I use the example often of a youngster looking for work – don’t expect to walk into a job. If you want to work for a particular company don’t take no for an answer, camp out on their doorstep, research everything about that company and be prepared to work just for free if you have to get a foot in the door! And importantly, make yourself invaluable! Soon enough they will find a salary for you.”

This is the type of tenacity that makes for entrepreneurial excellence.

An innovator and salesman at heart, Ken believes in elevating his businesses within the media space. “Our businesses offer their intended audiences unique ways to communicate, to engage and that ultimately make a difference to that company’s bottom line.”

“I’ve always said that it’s crucial to have good people around you, and that includes a solid infrastructure of people that perhaps know more than you do in key areas of the business.”

Nfinity offers their existing businesses a solid management backing that includes assistance on financial management, client retention, increasing sales and finding market gaps that need to be filled. “It’s all about having the correct networking contacts and tapping into each other’s networks of people,” comments Ken. “The shared business knowledge, intellectual property and even shared moral support are crucial for any business taking the next step up.”

“We work with people who are passionate about their business, who have the tenacity to achieve, a never say die attitude and who will not give up at the first hiccup along the way. Right now Nfinity has an incredible group of innovative media businesses that are thriving and it’s because each and every MD and member of our team believe in what their business stands for and work 24/7 to achieve the end goal,” he says.

“I believe there’s a ton of opportunity for businesses in South Africa provided you have an offering that will fill a gap in the market and you have complete belief in what you’re selling. Because ultimately if you don’t believe in your own product or service you’ve failed before you’ve begun.

To sum it all up: “Be a bulldog, don’t let go, be persistent and finally, know when to lean on someone for some assistance.”

 

Coca-Cola back in the Mass Market

Coca-Cola has been reestablishing its OOH presence in the metro township and rural arena on an impressive scale this year. A national holding has been built up and promotes the brand’s iconic nature to strengthen Coca-Cola’s connection with South Africa’s LSM B & C consumers. This article takes a closer look at what Coca-Cola has been doing right on mass market OOH in 2017.

“Coca-Cola is effectively harnessing the power of those stalwart mass market OOH media types that have traditionally delivered excellent value”, says Peter Lindstrom, Executive: Sales, Marketing and Marketing Services at Primedia Outdoor. “An informed decision to invest in cost effective mass market media types is giving the brand maximum bang for its buck.”

The FMCG business has always been and still remains a volume-driven industry, and experienced marketers will guard market share jealously in a challenging economic climate. Hard-pressed consumers cannot afford to waste money on products that are pitched as being almost as good as the real McCoy, but end up not making the grade.Hence the importance of brand stature to reassure consumers that they are investing their hard-earned cash wisely.

Judging by the data, Coca-Cola has taken a “back-to-basics” angle with its OOH strategy and its grassroots approach on the OOH front shows that it takes the mass market segment seriously. The latest Outdoor Auditors’ report confirms that Coca-Cola enjoys a substantial presence across LSM B & C markets and according to the figures, Coca-Cola features as the leading soft drinks advertiser on OOH in South Africa.  “Not only has Coca-Cola always been a key and strategic player in the OOH market, but we have seen a substantial shift in dominance from our previous audit” says Erik Warburg, Director Outdoor Auditors.

“Coca-Cola is an iconic brand and it deserves the status of category leader in the soft drinks market segment,”according to Jacques Olivier of OTS Media, the independent OOH specialist responsible for Coca-Cola’s OOH campaign. “Working on a brand of this stature is a big responsibility, and naturally requires that the best solutions are found to achieve the communications objectives.”

“Given prevailing market conditions, every media owner out there is fighting for a slice of the advertising budget. Marketers are currently spoilt for choice when it comes to OOH media options, and good value can be found if you know what to look for,” says Olivier.

Obtaining best value has been a central consideration not only for Coca-Cola, but also for brands such as Sprite and Fanta that needed to communicate effectively despite tighter budgetary parameters.

“Fanta’s usage of smaller formats like Store Fascias and Consumer Ads has given the brand a truly national footprint at a very reasonable investment level. In fact, Fanta now has 100% share of voice on our store fascia holding comprising several hundred sites.This lets Fanta dominate at the consumer coalface and close to point of purchase”, Lindstrom says.

So what would the right OOH opportunities be to effectively reach the mass market? Olivier believes it is important to separate the wheat from the chaff“because a number of media owners may think they have a good proposition for delivering a mass market audience but often the value for money relationship simply isn’t there.”

“Probably the single most important aspect in determining value is having an intimate knowledge of the marketplace. This is a skill that is becoming a lost art on agency side because there is simply no substitute for hitting the road and selecting sites from behind the steering wheel, and not many OOH media planners nowadays follow this approach,” Olivier added.Lindstrom is bullish about the prospects of the traditional OOH mass market media types, despite the growth of digital OOH.“High construction costs may hamper large-scale new development of traditional mass market billboards, but Primedia already has a vast existing holding that offers advertisers a comprehensive national footprint and this puts us firmly ahead of new market entrants.”

“Campaign outdoor isn’t always perceived as a sexy medium by marketers and digital is certainly a growth area within OOH. But traditional static billboards remain a reliable workhorse that delivers unbeatable value time and again. It’s a testimony to the intrinsic value of these formats when I see a brand like Coca-Cola embracing this medium again and making it work for them”, says Lindstrom.

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