Some communications agencies are still finding that crucial bit of sun, even within a very gloomy market context. Idea Engineers’ Shauneen Procter discusses the dynamics of a shifting local communications landscape…

Local communications agencies are running for cover at the moment. Some major brands have elected to take their advertising in-house, and others are simply slashing budgets in a stark reflection of global trading conditions.

Across a contracting global economy, austerity is the watch word. And yet, it isn’t all bad news. Communications agency Idea Engineers has just signed a string of new business, including major wins like the Tsogo Sun and Southern Sun advertising accounts (which is shared with two other marketing agencies). Shauneen Procter, a partner at the company, says good business can still be done in these challenging conditions, with the right fundamentals.

“It’s an exceptionally tough trading environment at the moment, and there are no clear signs of resolution,” she says. “In this kind of economy there’s a natural migration by clients towards service and value. Simply put, sustainability is everything at the moment, and will be for some time. Brands are looking to partner with agencies who have a strong track record in terms of length of tenure and performance.”

Idea Engineers’ Tsogo Sun and Southern Sun deals have taken place within the context of the agency’s management of advertising and public relations for Gold Reef City for the past fourteen years, affirming Procter’s view of the importance of long term, high value partnerships. In addition, Idea Engineers was recently awarded the Kagiso New Media corporate PR account (including Howzit MSN – the South African version of Microsoft’s MSN portal) on the back of a nine year relationship with Kagiso New Media company, Acceleration Media. Other new accounts for the agency include Cellfind – a member of Blue Label Mobile, and Bayer Healthcare’s new blockbuster oral anticoagulant drug Xarelto.

“In this kind of gloomy economic context brands are looking to work very cost effectively. They need to be nimble and dexterous to meet their aims, whereas a few years ago budgets allowed for a different kind of approach,” adds Procter.

“We’re certainly not operating in a context where communications agencies can’t sign new business. Rather the assessment criteria for contracts have shifted. The key focus points are value, service and partnership. Agencies able to demonstrate credentials in these areas should still be in good shape.”

ENDS

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS

1. JSE resumes trade after glitch

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has resumed equity trade, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, after network trouble forced it to halt trading for just under an hour on Tuesday.

2. Gauteng relieved at e-toll delay

Gauteng drivers are breathing sighs of relief since the postponement of e-tolling signifies a victory for those opposing the controversial system.

3. Post Bank hacked for R42m

The SA Postbank, part of the SA Post Office, became the target of cyber crime this month, losing R42 million.

LOCAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

4. Countdown to Design Indaba Expo

Design Indaba Expo 2012, South Africa’s showcase of home grown, high-end design, will have an additional 1000 square metres of floor space this year at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 2-4 March 2012.

5. Shop at Woolies through Facebook

Woolworths has launched what is describes as a world class e-commerce experience within the Facebook environment, with its F-commerce application, which allows customers to shop for women’s, men’s and kids’ clothing, on Facebook.

6. New SABC CEO appointed

Lulama Mokhobo has been appointed the SABC’s new group CEO, the communications ministry said on Monday.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

7. Audit firms cleared of Olympus blame

An unofficial panel of experts cleared global accounting groups KPMG and Ernst & Young of any responsibility for a $1.7 billion accounting fraud at Japan’s Olympus Corp on Tuesday, though the role of the firms remained under official review.

8. Global leaders urge swift action on EU crisis

Global leaders and businessmen urged Europe to take fresh steps to resolve its deepening debt crisis, with a top executive of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning the continent will see a “downward spiral of collapsing confidence” if no further action is taken.

9. Google feels heat over Kenya accusations

Google lost its status as the darling of the Internet following an uproar over changes to its search results. Now the search engine and online advertising giant faces a fresh PR disaster after Kenyan mobile start-up Mocality, accused the company of fraudulent practices and knowingly undermining its business efforts.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

10. Diet Coke sees fashionable benefit to co-branding

Returning with their “Love it Light” campaign, Diet Coke is releasing 3 new can designs in Europe and the UK while partnering with Benefit Cosmetics, the American beauty products brand. As show above, the cans will feature floral, zebra and houndstooth prints in female face profiles.

11. Can Facebook control 5% of online advertising by end of 2012?

While many of the top Internet companies faced a volatile ad market in the fourth quarter of last year, Facebook saw its share of the overall online advertising market increase to 2.7 percent during the period. In fact, by the time 2012 is over, the social network could control up to 5 percent of online ads.

12. Reebok highlights crossfit connection in new campaign

Reebok is bringing CrossFit, the latest fitness phenomenon, to the masses. The brand’s new campaign, “The Sport of Fitness Has Arrived,” highlights CrossFit, a strength and conditioning program that combines weightlifting and gymnastics, sprints and rowing, kettlebells and jump ropes.

BRAND NEWS

13. Playboy wins with social media strategy

Playboy South Africa’s and innovative social media strategy is paying off with Facebook’s new audience engagement metrics just available showing that Playboy has a higher connection with its audience than Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, FHM and GQ all added together.

14. Cadbury unveils new chocolate bar on Google+

British confectioner Cadbury unveiled its latest candy bar on social network Google+. “Remember this moment: the first time Cadbury revealed a new product on Google+,” the candy maker wrote on its page. “The delicious new Dairy Milk Bubbly, available with milk or white bubbles, will be the first of many we hope!”

15. Rupert Murdoch attacks Obama on Twitter

Media baron Rupert Murdoch used his new Twitter account this weekend to attack the Obama administration’s opposition to parts of proposed legislation designed to combat Internet piracy.

SURVEYS, TRENDS & OPINIONS

16. What’s up in media for 2012?

Ever since I read Faith Popcorn’s Clicking in 1998 (and I can’t believe you haven’t read it – really?) I’ve been hooked on trends and how important it is not only to pay attention to what’s affecting people right now but what could happen around the corner. Because you need to be around that corner, armed with what you need to reach your market.

17. Brand leaders predict little benefit from London 2012 Olympics

The majority of UK brand leaders do not believe the London 2012 Games will have a positive impact on their business, according to a survey.

18. Exciting period for marketing research in SA

We are in the middle of an exciting period in the marketing research industry, with a number of major shifts taking place that affect how research is done. The web in particular has led to multiple developments which threaten to topple the cherished technologies and techniques that have dominated the last two decades.

Doing great work in boom times is one thing, but it’s the downswing that really tests a brand’s mettle. 2011 featured a range of notable brand performances, and a predictably lengthy list of failures. The basic rule of brand success remained in place throughout the year, however – those who kept the hype to a minimum and focused on delivering a quality experience, inevitably came out on top.

Brand Winners 2011

Coca Cola

125 years on and the Coke brand is still rock solid. In May 2011 Coca-Cola South Africa invited employees, customers and business partners to share in 125 years of making a meaningful difference in communities. The brand funded community grants totalling R1.25-million for initiatives that align with its Live for A Difference sustainability priorities: water stewardship, recycling, entrepreneurship, HIV/AIDs and nutrition and well being. Coke remains the definitive global power brand, and the evidence of its success is, as usual, found in a powerful local presence.

FNB

FNB have excelled in their communication throughout 2011. From their radio ads through to the banking functionality they offer customers through to their nimble social media presence, they appear at all times to be on top and in charge. The FNB message was clear and delivered very well, through word and deed. FNB say that they improve the banking experience. There aren’t too many people arguing with them at this stage.

SARS

SARS have added a new word to the South African tax lexicon. Yes, a whiskey brand may have played with eish first, but it’s SARS who have really made it stick. Tax payers have been delighted to find out that they can take the “eish” out of tax-eish-ion. This nifty piece of communication reinforces SARS’ long term drive to eliminate the frustration tax payers experience when filing their annual income tax returns.

MTN Golden Lions

Last year the Golden Lions were no hopers who couldn’t get 5000 people into Ellis Park. In 2011 they packed the stadium as they won the Absa Currie Currie Cup final for their first home final win in 61 years. They could teach a few other South African sporting brands a thing or two.

Santam – The real McCoy

Santam has found a simple and clever way to demystify insurance with a clear message: insurance brands can look like the real thing, but that might not be enough. The big reveal has left consumers feeling strangely satisfied and rewarded. As long as they don’t force Ben Kingsley onto local screens for too long, Santam should be congratulated for achieving where many other insurance brands have failed.

Brand Losers 2011

Brand Malema

Julius Malema has become one of most notorious political figures of our time. Newspapers, websites and TV stations display his face daily, and while he generates a great deal of buzz and frequently emerges with sound bite classics – like his desire to retire and take up cattle farming – the lack of substance in his approach to policy and his tendency toward hand-grenade politics have seen him come out on the losing side. His youth league empire is crumbling, and 2012 could be a long year for a man facing multiple investigations on multiple fronts.

City of Joburg

The City of Joburg is reported to be deeply in debt, and it comes as no surprise that most residents are perennially up in arms. The 2011 billing crisis was a complete and definitive catastrophe. With so many operational and fiscal issues at hand, the City of Joburg has a long way to go before it can even think about improving its reputation.

EasyPay

EasyPay’s massive fraud scandal seriously damaged the brand’s credibility. Does anyone believe this is secure and easy way to pay any more? A lot of catch up work is required.

Durex

Posting sexist / misogynist tweets is one thing, but following them up with shockingly constructed apologies was the real death knell for Durex. The brand clearly needs to go back to Social Media 101 classes. Possibly they should begin with the Never Leave the Intern In Charge module.

SA Sport

When the highlight of the sporting year is a quarter final exit from the Rugby World Cup, things are clearly not right. None of our soccer teams can qualify for tournaments, cricket is in the midst of a never ending governance scandal and rugby is making all the right noises, but not going anywhere. Sports fans will be praying 2012 brings better things.

Ends

National sports brands are fundamentally different from commercial brands. Loyalty to the national sports teams is threaded into the national psyche, as is the public backlash when too many failures stack up against each other. Nonetheless, the basic rule of brand management still applies in sport: brands that achieve genuine alignment between the promotional hype and the behind-the-scenes reality prosper.

2011 was a tragi-comic year for South Africa’s big three sports brands, and the comedy on offer has, sadly, been of the farcical kind. Yet a close examination reveals that many of the year’s disasters have been influenced by the failure of the organisations concerned to deal with the basic tenets of brand management.

Communication

Peter de Villiers’ appointment as Springbok coach four years ago offers a stark case in point when it comes to the dangers of bad external communication. His metaphorical ramblings instantly became the source of mirth across the global sporting media, and days after his appointment it was quite clear that his employers had paid scant attention to the communication part of the job description when they hired him.

This was a bad – some would say catastrophic – oversight. It took the better part of two years for SA Rugby to train De Villiers up to a state where his words were perceived as quirky rather than bizarre, and to ensure that he had the support necessary (from players and support staff) to create a balanced media front line for the Springbok brand. These were the two years immediately following the Springbok’s 2007 world cup success – a time when the Bok brand should have been at its highest powers.

Bafana Bafana’s recent Afcon qualifying farce offers an equally compelling case study in failed internal communication. Technical teams and coaches were in place, well defined plans and structures were followed… and yet the organisation as a whole failed completely to interpret a basic set of tournament rules. These kinds of basic mistakes only happen when communication inside an organisation is not formalised and structured. The result was catastrophic for a brand that had done good work in maintaining the positive momentum of the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

Overnight Bafana Bafana went from being perceived as a re-merging African football power to being laughed at by the continent and derided and mocked by its own fans. In addition to the identity challenge created by the qualification failure, Bafana Bafana now face the challenge of building fan support without competing in major tournaments. SAFA can count themselves exceptionally lucky that the 2013 Afcon event, originally scheduled to be held in Libya, will now be hosted on our shores. As hosts, Bafana Bafana qualifies automatically and will get one more chance to make the country believe again.

The lesson:

While it can seem overly pedantic or unnecessary during quiet times, there are significant rewards on offer for organisations willing to take the time to structure a methodology to guide internal and external communications. Such a methodology should define desired outputs as well as mechanisms to ensure those outputs are met, regardless of who occupies key positions.

Leadership

In the world of sport, the coach and captain combination effectively constitutes the brand leader. Both parties in the combination need to possess a myriad important skills, including man management, public relations, crisis management, corporate governance, politics and, well, all the other stuff to do with the game itself.

The Proteas suffered from a leadership vacuum since Mickey Arthur jumped ship on the back of a deteriorating relationship with captain Graham Smith, who was described by leading cricket commentator Peter Roebuck as someone who seemed “to regard his coaches with the affection Greeks reserve for tax men.” The lack of a full time coach, combined with a clear distance between stand-in coach and captain, has been one of the reasons why the Proteas have seemed – despite the issuing of well rehearsed catch phrases at press conferences – to be slightly on the drift in recent years. The appointment of global celebrity coach Gary Kirsten and the arrival of AB de Villiers as one day captain should make a big difference to the brand over a short period of time. Kirsten has been notable for his willingness to honestly address the Proteas’ notorious choking problem head on, rather than denying its existence. This could be the first crucial step to finally swallowing the pressure and bringing a trophy home.

Bafana Bafana had its biggest leadership crisis when Joel Santana took over from Carlos Alberto Parreira in the run up to the World Cup. The Bafana Bafana unit sagged noticeably under Santana’s watch, and lacked any sign of a clear vision and / or intent, off the pitch and on it. As soon as Parreira took the helm again a sense of purpose and vision returned to the squad, and current coach Pitso Mosimane was an integral part of that process. Since the World Cup Mosimane kept the sense of unity and purpose clear within the squad – until the 8th of October that is. Now all that hard work has been undone. A lot of rebuilding will be required for the nation to regain trust in the leadership team.

The Springboks’ challenge in the next four years will be to find the right coach and captain combination. If they get it right, the sky is the limit. If the balance between the two leaders isn’t perfect, the team’s raw potential may not come to fruition.

The lesson:

You can’t take any chances when it comes to your organisation’s leadership set up. You also can’t leave anything to hope, fate or the winds of chance. Even a temporary slip in the leadership knot that holds a team together can have devastating consequences. Pay attention to every warning sign before you appoint a leader for an organisation, and don’t fool yourself into thinking certain things will eventually ‘come right’ with enough time, or luck. They won’t.

Transparency

While Twitter and Facebook feeds are now a regular part of our national sports broadcasts, the governing bodies running the sports concerned have clearly not yet come to terms with the social dynamics driving our communication evolution.

Social media has brought brand and public into direct contact and has ended the communication one way street, whereby the brand controls the nature and terms of the conversation. Now consumers can define the conversation, and they feel empowered to call brands to account for their actions, and to be granted clear information as to exactly what is happening behind the scenes. The ongoing global recession and the bail-outs provided to a banking sector that was profiting off dodgy (to put it kindly) financial products, have reinforced the notion that large corporations and / or organisations simply cannot be trusted.

Within this context, the ongoing boardroom fiasco at Cricket South Africa is highly alarming. Things have got so bad that the sport has failed to find sponsors, SABMiller aside, for the Australian series and the Sri Lankan series. While President Mtutuzeli Nyoka’s head has finally rolled, Cricket SA still refuses to release a governance report by auditors, is facing a governmental level inquiry concerning bonus payments and has to address media reports of a convicted fraudster being elected to run the sport in the Eastern Cape. These kinds of failures not only destroy sponsorship opportunities, they also undermine trust between fans and the sport, the foundation on which the national team must operate.

Rugby and soccer have also endured savage boardroom battles over the last decade, and have displayed a similar reluctance to reveal the details of boardroom machinations to media or public.

This murky approach to governance creates an operational context in which vested interests and competing power alliances make it difficult to get anything done. It also means that fans are less trusting and tolerant when the hard times hit. And in the world of sport, where no side can keep winning forever, the hard times define the power of a brand as much as the triumphs.

The lesson:

It has become much harder for executives to carry out traditional boardroom back stabbings without seriously damaging brand equity and the quality of relationships with stakeholders. Executives need to start operating according to a completely transparent mind-set, not due to morality, but because this is the most effective and healthy approach for the brand itself.

Conclusion

South Africa vs. Australia is one of the cricket world’s great rivalries, and yet the event has what can only be described as a nominal sponsor presence. Such has been the chaos at Cricket South Africa over the last two years that no brands are willing to risk their reputations sponsoring an epic, high profile clash between international giants. Cricket’s current troubles should teach everyone involved in brand management – sporting or otherwise – a lesson: get lazy with the basics, and the elements of your business you’ve always taken for granted could suddenly disappear completely.

ENDS

]]> http://ideaengineers.co.za/867/feed/ 0 http://ideaengineers.co.za/862/ http://ideaengineers.co.za/862/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:06:49 +0000 leratomnguni http://ideaengineers.co.za/?p=862

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS

1. Telkom loses R1bn on Multi-Links

Telkom’s sale of Multi-Links will result in a net loss of R1 billion, which will affect the second half of the financial year, says the JSE-listed fixed-line operator.

2. Microsoft extends equity equivalence programme

Microsoft SA has added two more small, black-owned software development firms to its “equity equivalence” support programme, bringing the total to six.

3. E-tolling inevitable

The contentious issue of e-tolling continues to be met with unabated opposition, but it appears the institution of the project is on track for the near future.

LOCAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

4. Chivas Regal “Time to Lead” Facebook campaign selected as a finalist in the Bookmarks Awards 2011

The exciting Chivas Regal “Time to Lead” Facebook campaign, created by Hello Computer, one of South Africa’s leading digital agencies, has been chosen as a finalist in the annual Bookmarks Awards.

5. Money Root of all Evil

With global retrenchments, bank failures, bailouts, and sovereign debt crises, the time has come for a shift in the way we think about money.

6. Puma launches new Bafana kit in London

Global sportlifestyle brand PUMA® today unveiled the new South African national team football kit at the opening of a month-long exhibition, Interpretations of Africa: Football, Art and Design, at the Design Museum in London

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

7. Adobe feeling the pinch, cutting jobs

Adobe announced that it is cutting 750 jobs, nearly eight percent of the workforce at the US software maker.

8. Cisco Q2 beats cautious predictions

Cisco Systems forecast revenue and earnings above Wall Street expectations as demand from government and enterprises for its network equipment remained resilient despite global economic troubles.

9. Obama to China: Behave like “grownup” economy

President Barack Obama told China that the United States was fed up with its trade and currency practices, as he turned up the heat on America’s biggest economic rival at an Asia Pacific summit.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

10. PCCW to launch up to $1.4bln trust IPO

Hong Kong’s PCCW Ltd plans to launch on Wednesday an up to $1.4 billion IPO for its telecoms business, two sources said, braving volatile global markets as the deal’s novelty and fixed-income like structure aim to lure yield-hungry investors.

11. Mercedes targets younger audience with ‘bold’ online film

Mercedes-Benz is launching a new UK marketing campaign to better target younger consumers.

12. Groupon plans bigger holiday push

Groupon is trying to grab a much larger share of consumers’ holiday spending this year following the biggest daily deal company’s initial public offering.

BRAND NEWS

13. ANCYL brand: organisation or person in crisis

The suspension of Julius Malema raises some interesting questions. Sure, let’s leave the politics of it all to those who manage politics and focus our thinking about what this means if, as communicators, we were charged with managing the reputation of the ANCYL. But which brand is in crisis…? The organisation or the person?

14. Starbucks enters juice market with $30m acquisition

Starbucks is paying $30m to acquire US juice business Evolution Fresh as it looks to tap into the growing demand for healthy food and drink.

15. Beatbullying signs up global brands for internet march

Global brands including Facebook, Universal Music and Stardoll are supporting a virtual march across the internet in aid of the children’s charity Beatbullying.

SURVEYS, TRENDS & OPINIONS

16. Flash in the pan

Something momentous happened on Wednesday — something most people will never even hear about. Adobe, a software firm, announced that it is ceasing development on the mobile version of its Flash platform.

17. Trend report: Is the industry ready for mobile

Since 2007 the media industry has been proclaiming it as the “year of mobile”, however it looks like 2012 might finally prove to be the “year”.

18. How objective is the media?

The media continues to be under the spotlight, not just locally but also in the US where questions about objectivity are moving to the forefront. Perhaps if there is anywhere in the world where these questions must be asked it’s in the US where, in my opinion, so much of the media has become immature, sensationalist and polarising.

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS

1. E-tolling to aid economic fallout

E-tolling will increase the odds of an economic fallout in SA, especially in light of the ongoing crisis in Europe. Finance union Sasbo, formerly the South African Society of Bank Officials, warns that e-tolling could lead to an economic crisis. It cautions against the multiplying effect of the Gauteng tolling system on inflation, job losses and the broader economy.

2. Ludicrous, above inflationary price increases could be doomed

Consumer Commission wants to curb price increases on electricity and petrol. The days of ludicrous and above-inflationary price increases on regulated items and services could be doomed, according to National Consumer Commissioner.

3. Telecoms giant eager to enlarge footprint in mining

Telecommunications company MTN Business intends to increase its operations in the mining sector as the industry continues to use more electronic applications and is gradually increasing its demand for modern methods that simplify mining procedures.

LOCAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

4. Cell C, Google launch business incubator

CELL C and Google opened an innovation centre called Umbono in Cape Town to assist technology entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into commercial products.

5. Celebration of beer brewing

Cape Town’s Festival of Beer 2011 is a celebration of brewing heritage and craft from around the world. Featuring almost 100 brands; this is the premier celebration of all things beer!

6. “Marketing in China’s lower tier cities”

Most multinational marketers in China have mastered marketing in China’s most sophisticated cities Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou known as tier one markets as well as provincial capitals, or tier two cities. Now they are trying to move into China’s smaller cities and towns, known as tier three and four markets.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

7. Kodak’s financial woes prevail

Eastman Kodak spooked investors on Thursday by warning it may need to raise new debt or complete a multibillion-dollar patent sale to survive the next 12 months, sinking shares by as much as 11.7%.

8. US blames China, Russia

China and Russia are using cyber espionage to steal US trade and technology secrets to bolster their own economic development, which poses a threat to US prosperity and security, a US intelligence report said.

9. Alcatel-Lucent revival doubtful

Alcatel-Lucent scaled back its profitability goal for the year, raising new doubts about chief executive Ben Verwaayen’s ability to turn around the long struggling telecoms equipment maker. The Franco-America group, like rivals Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Network, is suffering as telecoms operators cut spending on their networks in reaction to macroeconomics uncertainty, especially in Europe.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

10. Facebook, social networks get greater share of online ad spend

More marketers than ever believe their brands should be engaging with consumers on social networks—and advertising is an increasingly successful tool for doing so. As a result, worldwide social network ad revenues will surpass $8 billion in 2012 and approach $10 billion by 2013.

11. Groupon marketing spending works almost too well

As the Groupon roadshow wears on toward Friday’s planned IPO, the company’s open kimono looks almost like a case study in effective online marketing: spend boatloads online, get more paying customers.

12. Marketing chiefs battle with deluge of digital, social data

Moses couldn’t part the sea of data threatening to drown today’s marketers, many of whom claim they simply can’t analyze and react to the glut of information. The onslaught of digital and social media signals have saturated brands’ data collection processes to the point that many are struggling to wade through what’s essentially become white noise.

BRAND NEWS

13. PepsiCo sells China bottling assets to Tingyi

PepsiCo Inc agreed to sell its interest in 24 soft drink bottlers in China to Hong Kong-listed Tingyi Holdings Corp, an acknowledgment that its strategy in China was not working.

14. Standard Bank facilitates Namibian

Standard Bank has partnered the Namibian government in the issue of its debut $500-million, 10-year Eurobond, as Sub-Saharan sovereigns increasingly tap into international capital markets.

15. How Korea’s Hyundai gamble hit jackpot

So when the financial meltdown of 2008 engulfed the motor industry, it was Yang’s decision to send his men to every Hyundai dealership throughout the world to try to turn a potentially crippling situation into a positive.

SURVEYS, TRENDS & OPINIONS

16. How little brands land big bang for their buck

Brands built with little or no media support were once relatively rare, but they’ve begun to proliferate in recent years. From Ben & Jerry’s and Starbucks in their early days to Zappos, Terracycle, Orabrush, Method, Honest Tea and Lululemon more recently, they fascinate the many marketers who must shell out millions to get noticed.

17. Social media ground zero for crises in reputation

Many marketing managers barely pay attention to social media until a real crisis hits their brands. At that point, they’ll rush into action with no real plan or strategy behind the frantic tweets and Facebook posts they send out in response to the rapid spread of untrue rumours or angry complaints across social networks.

18. Digital fitness is latest craze in building up your marketing ranks

Mr. Bough, director-digital and social media at PepsiCo, is a believer in digital fitness, and like any athlete running a competitive race, wants his team to be prepared by training with and understanding the tools of their craft. He’s emblematic of an era when consumers have better technology in their pocket than the average executive has in their office, and marketers such as Pepsi’s Mr. Bough and Adobe’s Ann Lewnes are becoming increasingly responsible for getting their organizations up to speed.

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS

1. Banks to access government system

Cabinet announced its support for the collaboration between the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the banking industry regarding fingerprint verification.

2. Top TV opens airwaves to advertisers

Relative newcomer to the digital satellite television market TopTV announced the launch of airtime sales for advertisers on its platform.

3. ‘Content is King’ for digital TV to work in SA

Global satellite solutions provider SES, which has been involved in the digital migration process in a number of countries, has warned that the greatest threat to the viability of the SABC’s 17 digital terrestrial channels will be their content.

LOCAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

4. Multimillion-rand Motorola RAZR marketing campaign

Motorola Mobility South Africa will initially spend about R20 million to aggressively market its newly launched Razr smartphone, Dorothy Matemba, Motorola sub-Saharan Africa head of marketing, told Bizcommunity.com on the sidelines of the launch of the Android-powered device in Sandton.

5. The asinine axing of Axe

The debate marketers, and particularly advertisers, need to be having right now is not whether the Axe “Angels” commercial should be banned but rather whether a horrendously expensive and one-sided system of adjudication should be allowed to continue.

6. McDonalds’s gets sweets on mini cabs

Road users in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town may have spotted some delicious dessert offerings travelling alongside them in the traffic in recent weeks. That’s because McDonald’s™ has once again opted to utilise branded mini cabs as its preferred outdoor advertising medium to showcase its current dessert offerings.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

7. Yahoo sale halted

Despite all the rumoured interest in Yahoo, progress on a deal has hit a brick wall, mainly due to the company’s lack of strategy and restrictive confidentiality agreement, people familiar with the situation said.

8. “Brazil cost” dims iPad dreams

The nondescript stretch of asphalt is an unlikely symbol of Brazil’s attempt to lift its economy into a new hi-tech era. If officials in the industrial town of Jundiai get their way, it will soon be named Steve Jobs road, in homage to the late Apple co-founder and a nod to the expected windfall that producing iPads and iPhones here will bring.

9. Samsung partners ESPN for ad-funded sports series

Sports channel ESPN is partnering Samsung to launch a global ad-funded online sports series called ‘Project Teamwork’. The branded content series will also feature product placement for Samsung products and an advertising deal that will see Samsung buying a range of ad space on ESPN’s global media offering.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

10. Coke extends PlayStation partnership with on-pack promotion

Coke Zero, the zero-calorie Coca-Cola variant, is extending its partnership with Sony PlayStation with an on-pack and in-store gaming promotion, supported through the Coke Zone site.

11. Groupon launches TV ads ahead of IPO

Groupon, the online group buying service, has ramped up its marketing efforts ahead of its initial public offering by launching its first UK TV ad campaign amid heightened competition in the daily deals space.

12. Unilever outlines ‘more magic, less logic’ fresh marketing philosophy

Unilever is to undertake a fundamental change in approach to its marketing through the implementation of a fresh ‘More magic, less logic’ company philosophy.

BRAND NEWS

13. Interbrand Sampson wins Wits art museum branding

Interbrand Sampson is delighted to announce their partnership with the soon-to-be-opened Wits Art Museum (WAM). This revolutionary museum is set to change the face of art museums in South Africa and they are excited to be part of this process.

14. Everything Everywhere boss labels brand name ‘silly’

Olaf Swantee, Everything Everywhere’s new chief executive, has labelled the Everything Everywhere brand, which was formed out of the merger of T-mobile and Orange as “silly”, but the company has no plans to ditch it. Swantee’s comments come after the completion of a major review of the three brands – T-Mobile, Orange and Everything Everywhere.

15. FNB extends helpfulness campaign even further

The new “lost dog” television commercial from FNB is the second brand advert that demonstrates FNB’s ethos of helpfulness.

SURVEYS, TRENDS & OPINIONS

16. African Markets hold pitfalls for unwary SA firms

Talk to South African companies that have actually done business on the rest of the continent and their experiences are mixed, with some successes that you hear a lot about, and some big failures that you hear very little about.

17. Samsung surpasses Apple in smartphones

Samsung Electronics surpassed Apple as the world’s top smartphone maker with more than 40% shipment growth, and forecast strong sales in the fourth quarter, as it aims to consolidate its lead against rivals.

18. How to ge Africa on the content bandwagon

The business challenge of today is no longer the astute acquisition of technology but finding the best way to innovate with technology to differentiate your organisation in the market.

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS

1. Shell boosts Nigerian gas output

Royal Dutch Shell, operator of Nigeria’s largest oilfields, plans to more than double its natural-gas production in Nigeria as it starts a new facility and cuts flaring, or the burning of fuel at fields.

2. FNB drives discounted devices

In light of the rapidly increasing use of smartphones and tablets, First National Bank (FNB) announced that it would provide its customers with the devices at reduced rates.

3. Vodacom partners seeks to block sale of DRC unit stake

Vodacom’s joint venture partner in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had filed court papers to block the cellular operator from selling its majority stake in the unit, a spokesman for Vodacom said.

LOCAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

4. Cape Town reveals new international marketing campaign

“You don’t need a holiday, you need Cape Town” is the tagline of Cape Town Tourism’s new marketing campaign that will be launched internationally at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London next month.

5. DHL Express launches campaign across Africa

The words, “Aint no mountain high enough” from the popular song has become the anthem to 100 000 employees at DHL Express as they launch their latest global advertising campaign, The International Specialists, across markets in Africa.

6. Moving, colourful ads, gifts grab attention

New ads capture South Africa’s sense of humour and community spirit with Capitec Bank capitalising on the recent bike/buck incident and the Dulux dog leading the community in renovations, while KFC handed out umbrellas to surprised commuters caught in the first Highveld rains.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

7. Yahoo vexed by weak sales

As Yahoo Inc. shops itself to potential buyers, its core advertising business is weakening. That trend is evident through Craig Atkinson’s ad agency.

8. Google considers Yahoo bid

Google has spoken to at least two private equity firms about possibly helping them finance a deal to buy Yahoo’s core business, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

9. Oracle to buy Endeca

Oracle Corp. announced today that it plans to buy Endeca Technologies Inc., a major provider of site search and online marketing technology to Top 500 online retailers. The acquisition puts Oracle into direct competition with IBM Corp.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

10. Facebook offers awards for top creative ads on network

How does Facebook get agencies to ramp up advertising beyond targeted banners? Create an awards program. Earlier this year, the social networking giant launched Facebook Studio, a hub showcasing examples of high-impact campaigns on the site and providing resources for advertisers to build out their Facebook strategies.

11. Chevy’s mobile scavenger hunt

Hoping to seize on the mobile gaming craze, Chevrolet is rolling out its second physical-digital treasure hunt this year. The prize? One of twenty-seven sedans that dealers will give away in twenty-seven American cities.

12. Ambushing Apple

Seoul/Singapore Just a few doors down from the Apple store in Sydney, where a long line of fans eagerly awaited the sale of the new iPhone 4S, another throng was gathering at a Samsung store.

BRAND NEWS

13. BMW aims to keep rivals in rear view mirror

For 2011, BMW has an 8,000-car lead on Mercedes-Benz for the privilege of supplanting Lexus as the best-selling luxury brand in the United States. And now its executives are expressing confidence not only about this year’s race but also about getting off to a fast start in the 2012 upscale-sales derby.

14. Toyota still the World’s number one automotive brand

Toyota has retained its position as the world’s top-rated automotive brand in the latest global brand value report from Interbrand. Improving its performance by six percentage points on 2010, it commands 11th place overall in the annual study.

15. Panasonic to slash chip output

Japanese electronics maker Panasonic will scale back domestic semiconductor output by the end of March 2012 and cut about 1 000 jobs, reflecting its recent move to reduce TV panel production, the Nikkei business daily said on Sunday.

SURVEYS, TRENDS & OPINIONS

16. Trends: Digital advertising

vast array of technologies and trends are transforming online marketing. Because it’s hard to wade through the changes, we’ve whittled them down to six that are significant.

17. Can smartphones and tablet features be combined?

There’s been substantial growth in smartphone use worldwide. The International Data Corporation (IDC) indicated that 305 million devices were shipped in 2010 and projected that this year’s shipments will hit 472 million – a growth rate of 55%.

18. The 10 Trends shaping the future of your brand

This is the opinion of anthropologist and Added Value’s cultural insights specialist, Dr Inka Crosswaite. Added Value is a global brand development and marketing insight consultancy solving clients’ central marketing questions about their market, equity, positioning, innovation and communications in over 150 countries worldwide.

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS

1. JSE ignited by G20 pledge

The JSE made early gains in morning trade on Monday, spurred by positive intent shown by European ministers to address the debt crisis in the eurozone at a G20 meeting in Paris over the weekend.

2. Government wants electricity pricing rethink

The Department of Energy wants to change “radically” the method used by the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) to determine electricity tariffs for Eskom, because high prices have reached a “tipping point”.

3. Standard bank commits to Nigeria

Standard Bank’s global board has made an unprecedented declaration of its commitment to investing in Nigeria as part of a planned aggressive organic and acquisitive expansion into Africa.

LOCAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

4. Primedia Face 2 Face to help South African’s get counted

Having been awarded the tender by Statistics South Africa for the Schools Engagement Activation, Primedia Face 2 Face embarked on a National Campaign targeting over 1,400 Schools throughout South Africa.

5. Is your digital strategy ready for the mobile customer?

Smartphone adoption is accelerating in South Africa and the rest of the world. This is good news for digital marketers since it will bring more of our customers online in the next few years and give us more ways to reach and interact with those who are already online with Internet-connected PCs.

6. Top Shops

Now in its fourth year, the 2011 The Times Sowetan Retail Awards celebrate the distinctive mark South African retailers make on the local landscape. The ceremony, which took place on Thursday, 13 October 2011 at Shine Studios in Braamfontein, was a showcase of not only South Africa’s retail top brass but also a who’s who of TV and radio personalities, musicians and actors.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

7. Sony Ericsson turnaround expected

Reports that Sony could take control of Sony Ericsson are likely to overshadow the handset maker’s third-quarter results today, when it is expected to show that a beefed-up smartphone line helped it to make a small profit.

8. Xbox closes dashboard beta sign-up

Less than a day after Xbox’s Major Nelson announced that Microsoft will be accepting applications for the Xbox Live dashboard test program, the beta sign-up has been closed.

9. Piracy casts shadow on ebook world

With electronic books growing in popularity, the publishing world focuses on fighting the threat of digital book pirates, much as the music industry once did with illegal downloading.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

10. For data Geeks, the gift of search

Imagine a Google search that returns a spreadsheet of compartmentalized factoids, rather than a list of links. Sounds complicated to the average Google searcher, but to data junkies, especially direct marketers, it may be extremely helpful.

11. Live social media campaigns generate buzz

Running real-time “live” social media campaigns is one way marketers can effectively use social networking to generate positive buzz for their brands, according to a new report from WaveMetrix.

12. The Perils of confusing consumers with 4G

Few consumers understand the technology underpinning and defining the use of 4G. This is great for carriers, as it gives them leeway to market their services as “faster than” , “twice as fast” and so on.

BRAND NEWS

13. Interbrand release 12th annual best global brands report

Coca-Cola claims the number one spot, luxury brands make a comeback, Biggest-riser Apple enters the Top 10 for the first time.

14. Hyundai gets top ranks as a green brand

Interbrand, a global brand consultancy, ranked Hyundai as one of the world’s greenest brands, citing the automaker’s Blue Drive eco-friendly strategy and its industry leadership in zero-emissions hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle development, as two key contributing areas.

15. Thumbs up for Joe Public, 8ta, Twinsaver ads

Joe Public released a tactical ad in Business Day, celebrating the 10 000th arrest by Tracker, with an eye-catching design; 8ta increases its brand equity and awareness by rebranding the iconic Telkom Hillbrow Tower; and Twinsaver Stylepack tower design billboard is creating a fun driving situation for many in Johannesburg.

SURVEYS, TRENDS & OPINIONS

16. The future business is ‘Everything as a Service

It’s no secret that any successful company has the ability to respond quickly to changes in the business environment. While a significant portion of this agility comes down to effective management structures, an equally large segment can be attributed to the technology capabilities that underpin the organisation, says MTN Business.

17. Five ideas to reach consumers successfully in ‘unbranded’ Africa

In an ‘unbranded’ continent such as Africa – the new branding frontier where masses of people gather every day to get services and goods, brands that can deliver on experience, emotion and social responsibility will gain trust, love and loyalty among communities.

18. The 10 trends shaping the future of your brand

10 phrases that South African brand owners should pay serious attention to as they hold the key to current shifts in consumer attitudes and behaviours.

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS

1. Nationalisation scary, so drop the word

THE debate about the future of the South African mining industry is scaring investors and mining companies, which are delaying investment decisions, AngloGold Ashanti CEO Mark Cutifani has said.

2. SABMiller a takeover target

Given the brewer’s exposure to emerging markets and the long-term growth opportunities in Asia and Africa, the report said SABMiller was an “attractive target”.

3. FNB will no longer fight Zambia over bank

First National Bank (FNB) will not fight Zambia’s decision to reverse its planned purchase of Finance Bank of Zambia preventing a potentially bruising and politically damaging legal battle in the copper-rich country.

LOCAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

4. Mxit used to connect to SA music fans

David Guetta, multi-Grammy Award winning star, who will be in South Africa for performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town this month, will harness the power of Africa’s largest mobile social network, Mxit, to connect to local fans during his visit.

5. Clover to rebrand

Clover Industries has embarked on a rebranding initiative that entrenches the “Way Better” theme across its product line and throughout all its operations, from the ” All You Need” pay-off line used previously.

6. Our mobile planet launched at MMA forum

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)’s flagship EMEA event, the MMA Forum London, saw the launch of a new mobile consumer data resource, Our Mobile Planet, by Google. The Our Mobile Planet website provides users with free access to the full set of data from the “Global Mobile Research: The Smartphone User & The Mobile Marketer” initiative conducted on behalf of Google by Ipsos GmbH in collaboration with the MMA.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

7. Microsoft sells out of Blue Label

Software giant Microsoft has sold its 12% stake in Blue Label Telecoms, bringing to an end a relationship that dated back to 2007 when the telecoms company listed.

8. Recession officially over, U.S incomes kept falling

In a grim sign of the enduring nature of the economic slump, household income declined more in the two years after the recession ended than it did during the recession itself, new research has found.

9. Sony is said to buy film rights to Jobs biography

Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio that the produced high-speed and high-profile movies “This Is It,” with Michael Jackson, and “The Social Network,” about Mark Zuckerberg, could do it again with the Apple co-founder Steven P. Jobs.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING & MEDIA NEWS

10. Rihanna for Armani short films debuts

Trending on YouTube, and probably in the minds of most guys, is the newest short film by Armani. The unlisted video (teased on Twitter, Facebook and the just relaunched Armani.com) features Rihanna.

11. What do Facebook user’s expect from brands

Companies are often on the hunt for more “likes” for their Facebook pages, hoping to get more brand advocates and social media fans. However only 42% of US Facebook users think marketers should interpret a “like” in that way.

12. What role will mobile play this holiday season?

For the past few years, retailers have been fine-tuning their mobile offerings in advance of the holiday season. Keeping up with consumer demand has meant providing pricing information, product specifications and customer reviews to mobile users all leading reasons why last year’s holiday shoppers turned to mobile, according to a survey conducted by ForeSee Results at the end of 2010.

BRAND NEWS

13. Ads take on classic 80’s song, rename a town

The hippo from Hippo Insurance has taken on a new persona as an 80’s neon rock star, and Carling Black Label is running a campaign to rename Darling to Carling for the duration of the annual music festival, Rocking The Daisies.

14. Stirred but not shaken

Toyota has retained its position as the world’s top-rated automotive brand in the latest global brand value report from branding consultancy Interbrand. Improving its performance by six percentage points on 2010, it commands 11th place overall in the annual study.

15. Amazon on fire

There are few things that can upstage an Apple product launch, and New York discovered one last week. The launch of an Amazon product that can do more than compete with the Apple equivalent.

SURVEYS, TRENDS & OPINIONS

16. How to deal with dark side of Technology

Although using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and MXit can be a convenient and cheap way of communication, parents and others should take care as they also have a dark side.

17. How to successfully position your brand

Positioning a brand, or a portfolio of brands, in today’s turbulent and constantly evolving marketplace is crucial to a successful brand strategy. Join Knowledge Resources and Patrick Collings from Sagacite for an exciting workshop on this important aspect.

18. Stop using varsity degrees as barricades to advertising, media

A couple of days ago on Bizcommunity.com, one of South Africa’s leading admen, Mike Abel, reflected on all the TV commercials that were entered into this year’s Loerie Awards and said that nothing stood out for him.