Adfocus – Financial Mail

A quirky decision – Fran Luckin

Fran Luckin is leaving  Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) Johannesburg to join the Quirk digital marketing agency. She will leave O&M, where she is joint executive creative director (ECD), at the end of June. Read more »

More than just Mickey Mouse – Jupiter Drawing Room

The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg’s turnaround plan is gaining  momentum, says CEO Jerry Mpufane. The agency recently won the full-service account for Walt Disney Company Africa and is beginning to make significant appointments. Read more »

MTN moves up but Apple rules BrandZ ranking

MTN has cemented its place among the world’s 100 most valuable brands, moving up to 79th place in the latest BrandZ ranking by international research house MillwardBrown. It has also cracked the top 10 most valuable telecoms brands. Read more »

Family Values – Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg

The trouble with consistent success is that the moment you have an off day, everyone starts to ask if you’re past your prime. You’re taken for granted. Read more »

Plenty still to be done – Print Media

Major publishing groups must address underperformance in their black economic empowerment (BEE) activities, says Ingrid Louw, CEO of industry umbrella body Print & Digital Media SA. Read more »

Taking it indoors – Media buying

Major brands are moving their media activities in-house to save costs. Advertising Media Forum chair Kim Weissensee says the trend is becoming a threat to specialist media agencies. Read more »

Bringing home the child abuse message

A Spanish organisation that fights child abuse has created an outdoor ad that only children — or very short adults — can see using lenticular printing technology. Read more »

Protecting Turf – Publishing

Has online readership of newspapers and magazines finally caught up with print versions? Internet and print groups, each anxious to project its credibility and advertising revenue, take differing views of new research. Read more »

Don’t try too hard – Digital Awards

Advertising agencies hoping to  end SA’s underachievement in digital categories at international awards shows should keep it simple, say judges. Read more »

African Expansion – M&C Saatchi

M&C Saatchi Africa hopes to establish a presence in Lagos and Nairobi by mid-year. The latest division in the M&C Saatchi Abel group is headed by Rick de Kock, former director of African operations for TBWA\SA. Read more »

Figuring it out – Television audiences

Doubts over claimed television  audience figures threaten industry credibility, says Kim Weissensee, new chair of the Advertising Media Forum (AMF), which represents SA’s leading media-buying agencies. Read more »

Keeping counsel – The Creative Counsel

It may not have the profile of some agencies but Creative Counsel is quietly becoming a significant player in below-the-line marketing. A new Johannesburg headquarters, able to house 250 people, is an indicator of its progress. Read more »

Looking north – Magna Carta

Public relations agency Magna Carta is preparing to enter the East African market, says CEO Vincent Magwenya. Read more »

Mather City – 2012 Creative Circle Rankings

Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) SA dominates the Creative Circle’s final 2012 creative rankings. Its Cape Town and Johannesburg agencies came first and third respectively in the individual agency rankings, and O&M SA was the runaway winner in the group standings. Read more »

PRISM Awards need to be taken more seriously

Public relations practitioners need to take their own awards show more seriously in order to improve the industry’s credibility.  Read more »

On the rebound

Alistair Mokoena has been Draftfcb Johannesburg MD for only five months but admits it feels like much longer. Read more »

PRISM Awards 2013 winners

The winner of the 2013 overall PRISM Gold Award is Ogilvy Public Relations Johannesburg for its ‘Add Hope: Journey of Hope’ campaign on behalf of KFC/Yum South Africa (YUM! Restaurants International). Read more »

Rebellious nature of African advertising

Marketers and their agencies operating in Africa should not overreact to the continent’s coups and rebellions, says Lynn Madeley, head of African operations for French-owned communications group Havas. Read more »

Nervous Smiles at new station

By Larry Claasen
There was no shortage of tension nerves at the launch of Cape Town’s latest radio station, Smile 90.4fm, last week. The small studio was crowded with nervous presenters and controllers ready for the first show. Read more »

Brain wave brainwave

Developments in neuroscience are helping marketers understand the precise impact of their advertising on consumers. Read more »

Jupiter wins Galderma

Initially requested to pitch on the relaunch of a single product in the Galderma pharmaceutical range, The Jupiter Drawing Room (Johannesburg) has since been awarded the full stable of Galderma self-medication products. Galderma SA MD Jenny Wright says: “We weren’t just looking for an advertising agency, we were looking for a partner in our business, one that would think out of the box and provide fresh ideas that would stand out from the clutter. When the team at TJDR presented the campaign, we knew right then we had found the partner we were looking for.”

8ta brand gets a big brother

The rebranding of Telkom’s mobile telephony business under a new umbrella name reflects its difficulty in creating a brand that appeals to all market sectors. Read more »

Middleton proves he has Soul

Ebony & Ivory ad agency MD Paul Middleton is taking a break from his industry responsibilities to concentrate on creating a new agency. Read more »

Spending a fast buck

By Shaun Harris

News that UK-based mobile company Vodafone is ending its annual US$75m sponsorship of the McLaren Formula One motor-racing team has again highlighted the enormous cost of involvement in the sport. Read more »

Hardy Boys create a disturbance

Durban’s two leading creative agencies, The Hardy Boys and disturbance, have joined forces. Read more »

Google slips but still leads “Cultural” ranking

Brand development and marketing insight consultancy Added Value has named the world’s most culturally relevant brands after polling more than 62 000 respondents in 10 countries in the latter quarter of 2013. Read more »

Out in the cold – small publishers

Small publications are battling to attract advertising spend from media buyers and courting advertising agencies is proving to be a waste of time. Read more »

Open for business – FoxP2

FoxP2 has launched its Johannesburg office, a startup headed by former DDB SA executive creative director (ECD) Grant Jacobsen and Charl Thom, FoxP2 Group MD, who will divide his time between the Cape Town and Johannesburg offices. Read more »

Owning up – Transformation Charter

Pending transformation rules that will require agencies to be 45% black-owned by 2016 are “a positive development for the communications industry”, says Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg CEO Jerry Mpufane. They are “a welcome boost for the national goal to transform the SA economy”. Read more »

Rich pickings -Government communications tenders

by Johanna McDowell MD of independent agency search and selection company IAS

Governments around the world are massive spenders on advertising and communications. It makes sense for agencies to learn how to work with  government and parastatal organisations. Though the nature of these contracts is quite different from the private sector, the potential income  cannot be ignored. Read more »

Ads torment phone users

For many consumers, the  idea of receiving advertising on their mobile phones is about as attractive as root-canal treatment. An international study by research house Millward Brown shows that while advertisers may lick their lips at the prospect of 24-hour access to consumers, the feeling isn’t mutual. Read more »

JWT appoints Willem van der Merwe as managing partner

JWT South Africa announced today the hire of Willem van der Merwe, formerly managing director at Trigger Isobar, as Managing Partner JWT Cape Town.  Van der Merwe, 33, will report to Jim Faulds, COO JWT S.A.  Read more »

Changing tastes – Popular Advertising

Are South Africans obsessed with their stomachs? Nearly half the nation’s favourite TV commercials in 2012 were for quick-service restaurant and fast-food chains. Read more »

King James II – Agency’s net again

King James cofounder Alistair King believes it will be second time lucky in Johannesburg, following the hire of former Net#work BBDO creative kingpins Rob McLennan and Graeme Jenner. Read more »

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Jhb scores Appletiser

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris has won the account for Appletiser, which was previously held by Morrisjones. Read more »

Morrisjones and 76 MotherRussia in merger

Morrisjones announced today that it has merged with independent agency 76 MotherRussia. The new agency will be known as Mojo MotherRussia. Read more »

FoxP2, Hardy Boys honoured by Brandhouse

SA advertising agencies FoxP2 and Hardy Boys have been honoured as global winners at multinational beverage group Diageo’s Marketing Brilliance Awards in London on February 27. Read more »

Print Media – Not dead yet

Ownership changes among SA  media groups are creating unnecessary  uncertainty about the future of print, say media bosses. Despite recent industry upheaval, they say the future of print remains intact for now. Read more »

Out on its own – House of the Brave

Barely a year after launch, advertising agency House of Brave has bought itself out of private equity investment specialist Marc Group. Read more »

Reihner Behrens – Looking ahead

Former McCann Worldgroup CEO Reinher Behrens is in no rush to get back into agency life. Since resigning from the communications group last April, he has built a network of clients as an independent marketing consultant. Read more »

Net#work’s new creative leadership

Net#work BBDO has announced its new creative leadership team. Group chief creative officer Mike Schalit has appointed Jenny Glover and Brent Singer as joint executive creative directors. They have numerous local and international awards between them, including two Cannes Grands Prix.

Net#work recently announced the departure of former ECD Rob McLennan and his deputy, Graeme Jenner, to set up a new Johannesburg agency for Cape Town-based King James. A previous King James attempt to set up a Johannesburg creative hub didn’t work out as planned. McLennan and Jenner have extensive experience and local and international creative success.

Measuring up – Public Relations

Companies trusting public relations (PR) agencies to burnish their corporate image and promote brands risk being misled over the return on their investment. Read more »

Ready for action – Trasnformation Charter

The communication industry’s empowerment charter could become law by June, says Nkwenkwe Nkomo, chairman of the marketing, advertising & communication (MAC) transformation charter. Read more »

FM Editor resigns

FINANCIAL Mail editor Barney Mthombothi has resigned from the weekly magazine after an eight-year career as head of the publication. Read more »

Luck of the Irish – Vodacom Account

Ad agency Ireland/Davenport (ID) is “thrilled beyond words” after stealing the Vodacom mobile communications account from Draftfcb Johannesburg, which had held it for 19 years. Read more »

Nissan boots up – Sponsorship

It may have signed up too late to gain much marketing value from its sponsorship of the just-completed Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in SA, but Japanese carmaker Nissan hopes the experience will create real benefits for the next event, in Morocco in 2015. Read more »

Paper chase ends – Loerie Awards

The Loeries Annual is going digital. The traditional heavy-bound publication will move to an entirely digital platform, under the guidance of digital marketing agency Aqua. Read more »

Neo Mashigo returns to Ogilvy

Ogilvy & Mather South Africa has appointed Neo Mashigo as the co-Executive Creative Director for Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg. Read more »

Ireland/Davenport wins Vodacom account

Ireland/Davenport has taken over as Vodacom’s advertising agency from Draftfcb SA, which held the account over the past 19 years. Read more »

Vodacom splits from Draftfcb

SA mobile telecommunications giant Vodacom has ended its relationship with advertising agency Draftfcb after 19 years. Read more »

Unsilenced Lamb – McCann Worldgroup SA

Fraser Lamb is coming out. Not from the closet but from the shadows. After a year of repairing McCann Worldgroup SA behind closed doors, its CEO is finally revealing his plans for the communications group. Read more »

Cannes we do it?

The SA ad industry will do well to match last year’s performance at the 2013 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, says Creative Circle chairman Chris Gotz. Read more »

Phylicia Oppelt to edit the Sunday Times

Times Media has announced that as from March 1, Phylicia Oppelt is taking over the reins as editor of the Sunday Times, South Africa’s best-selling weekly newspaper. Read more »

Making it work – Effective Advertising

The days of big ad campaigns for their own sake are over. Clients are demanding campaigns with measurable business results for their brands and products. Read more »

Healthy potential – Business Wellness

Brands that fail to create a niche for themselves in the fast-growing wellness market probably aren’t trying hard enough, says Dallas Glover, regional head of McCann Truth Central, the global intelligence unit of international advertising group McCann Erickson. Read more »

Nedbank boosts HKLM

A trebling of business from Nedbank will help branding agency HKLM increase revenue by 50% in the current financial year, says CE Sean McCoy. Read more »

Potted History – Y&R

Kingsley Potter had  already  resigned as CEO of events and experiential agency VWV before winning the job of MD at ad agency Young & Rubicam Johannesburg, he says. Read more »

Market Forces – TBWA

The TBWA group wants  to grow its various marketing services to create a more integrated business and attract additional income in what is expected to be another difficult year for the SA communications industry. Read more »

Will Afcon kick in?

Motor company Nissan’s  sponsorship of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) soccer tournament in SA is proving to be a challenge for its communications partner, TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris. Read more »

PR – Seismic Shift

Conventional public relations is becoming obsolete as practitioners start to offer a variety of other services. Read more »

Community newspapers on the rise

The growth of the community  press has not done much to shield the publishing business from declining  advertising revenue. Read more »

MTN spends less in Africa

MTN’s recently launched continent-wide marketing campaign will cost less than those of its competitors. Read more »

Kingsley Potter appointed as new MD at Y&R Jhb

Y&R Johannesburg has appointed Kingsley Potter as its Managing Director effective 14 January 2013. The appointment follows the departure of Melanie Behan, who left the agency late last year to pursue a new career path outside of advertising. Read more »

2013 Outlook – More Pain

Tough times in the  marketing and communications industry are set to continue into 2013 but smaller, independent agencies may benefit. Read more »

Power blackout – Saatchi & Saatchi SA

Saatchi & Saatchi SA’s loss of Eskom’s 49M power-saving advertising account has highlighted again the challenges of doing business with BEE-driven government departments and parastatals. Read more »

Catch ‘em young

Public Coup – Nedbank

DDB’s Jacobsen to join FoxP2

DDB SA executive creative director Grant Jacobsen is leaving to join Cape Town-based FoxP2’s new Johannesburg agency. Staff at the two agencies have been told of the move, at the end of January, and an official announcement is due closer to the time.

Corporate Rebranding – More than just words

Companies that  think a  new logo and corporate message will fix their brand image are in for a surprise, says Alison Tucker, a senior consultant at brand development and marketing insight specialist Added Value. Read more »

76MotherRussia – Mother of all battles

When Festus Masekwameng  launched MotherRussia nearly three years ago, great things were expected of the new advertising agency. Read more »

OwenKessel – Two into one does go

OwenKessel’s launch of a Cape Town office in January will be the first stepping stone into the rest of Africa, says CEO Felix Kessel. Read more »

New board of directors at ACA

The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) held its 65th Annual General Meeting this week at the Emoyeni Conference Centre – a heritage site in Parktown. Read more »

Ntshingila heads winners at FM’s stellar annual awards show

Johannesburg agency Joe Public was rewarded for its phenomenal progress last week when it was named the 2012 AdFocus Advertising Agency of the Year. Cofounders Gareth Leck and Pepe Marais led their jubilant team onto the stage at Kyalami’s Theatre On The Track, in Midrand, to receive their award from FM E editor Barney Mthombothi and AdFocus jury chairman Michelle Meyjes. Read more »

Black mark for agencies

Public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba has promised to support struggling black-owned advertising agencies. He She made the pledge last week in response to a plea by the Association of Black Communications Practitioners (ABCoP). Read more »

M&C Saatchi poaches TBWA’s De Kock for Africa

M&C Saatchi has appointed Rick de Kock to lead its charge into Africa. He will join in January after six years at TBWA\Africa, where he was director of African operations. Read more »

Reilly leaves Jupiter

Brad Reilly has resigned as chief creative officer of The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg. New CEO Jerry Mpufane, who took charge on October 1 with a brief to turn around the fortunes of the agency, with a special emphasis on its creative output, says Reilly will leave at the end of December “to pursue new challenges and an experimental model of idea creation outside the advertising agency business”.

Reilly has been with agency for over two years. Mpufane says incumbent executive creative director Tom Cullinan will keep his role and “drive the creative energy of the agency going forward”.

Mutual benefit – The Jupiter Drawing Room

Don’t bother telling  Denford Magora  that two into one won’t go. Until a year ago, he led medium-sized Harare ad agency Jericho. Now, following a deal with SA industry leader Graham Warsop, he heads Zimbabwe’s biggest advertising group. Read more »

Moray on the march – M&C Saatchi

London-based advertising group M&C Saatchi plans to use SA as its launch pad into East and West Africa, says worldwide CEO Moray Maclennan. Read more »

Zuma ad banned by SABC

The SABC has banned a fish and chip commercial depicting President Jacob Zuma and his family having dinner, according to a report on Tuesday. Read more »

Marketing in Africa – Humility needed

Marketers and their agencies admit they are still coming to come to terms with the demands of doing business in Africa beyond SA. Read more »

Mediamark – Lab testing

Media solutions group Mediamark has launched Lab42, an in-house creative agency. The group has four divisions — radio, digital, events and TV — but most of its revenue comes from radio, which comprises Jacaranda FM, East Coast Radio, Gagasi FM and Heart. Read more »

Kagiso’s cure-all

Kagiso Media has launched an online advertising network pulling together its 50 online properties. Read more »

Aegis pulled from Cell C account

Cell C has consolidated  its media and digital business with Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) Johannesburg, which already manages its advertising account. The change will be effective from January. Read more »

Machine gunning

Nine months after creating a new agency, Machine, Habari Group CEO Adrian Hewlett is anxious to start realising its potential. Read more »

Hard nuts to crack – Advertising in Africa

Tanzania, Kenya, French-speaking West Africa and Angola are among the hardest African markets to crack for the advertising industry, says Chris Harrison, head of Young & Rubicam’s African operations. Read more »

Top Bookmarks nod for Gloo

Gloo was named top agency at the Bookmark Awards for digital communications. The multi-award-winning agency beat off the challenge of Quirk which was, however, presented with the award for greatest company contribution to digital. Read more »

The silent service – Publicis SA

Advertising agency Publicis SA is preparing to emerge from a period of self-imposed silence during which it has shrunk to a quarter of its previous size. Read more »

Scared to life – Client-Agency relationships

Paul Phillips has a simple question for marketing directors preparing to sit down to talk to potential advertising agencies: “When you look across the table, do you want to see carbon copies of yourself, or people who are a bit scary?” Read more »

Fine-tune messages – Marketing in Africa

Marketers must not assume they can use the same advertising message across Africa, says Carol Abade, CEO of the Exp experiential marketing group. Cultures, customs and religions are often too diverse to permit even a common image. Read more »

Sporting change for M&C Saatchi

The inexorable rise of the M&C Saatchi communications group in SA continued this week with the launch of a sponsorship agency. The arrival of M&C Saatchi Sports & Entertainment comes only a few weeks after the local introduction of M&C Saatchi Mobile, intended to integrate mobile communications into clients’ digital marketing. Read more »

Advertisers starting to take Africa seriously

Africa is no longer “on the end of the advertising and marketing food chain”, says Mike Walsh, one of the pioneers of multinational advertising in Africa. Read more »

Europe can learn from SA PR

Ogilvy SA’s public relations agency is ranked among the top two in the global Ogilvy & Mather network, says Stuart Smith, regional CEO of Ogilvy PR Europe, Africa & Middle East. Read more »

Black River FC more than the Nando’s agency

New Loeries chairman takes charge

Sounds of success

Jerry Given the reins at Jupiter

The opportunity not only to turn around the fortunes of a former creative powerhouse but also to have a direct investment in the business was too good to turn down, says Jerry Mpufane, new CEO of The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg. Read more »

Best of all worlds

As the marketing world becomes more digitally driven, advertising bosses envision a new type of industry neither digital nor traditional. Read more »

No more free news

The changing advertising environment was highlighted by two speakers at last week’s BDFM-sponsored AdNext conference in Johannesburg. Read more »

Nappy Run kicks off

The online campaign for the annual Nappy Run campaign is supported by a conceptually concise and clever video viral. With the tag line ‘NAPPY RUN – Run for the thousands of children with disabilities, who can’t!’, the video is a one-take 30-second piece of bold visual storytelling.  Read more »

Mokoena to head Draftfcb Joburg?

Draftfcb Johannesburg is expected to name Alistair Mokoena – Absa head of marketing: retail & business bank – to replace Jerru Mpufane as MD. Mpufane, who had been with the agency for four years, joined The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg on October 1. Draftfcb insiders say Mokoena is expected to take over on November 1.

VWV – Marking time

For an agency whose attention to detail has created events to thrill billions of people, VWV’s rise to prominence over the past 30 years seems remarkably haphazard. Read more »

Exp trio go it alone

The former sports sponsorship management team from the Exp experiential marketing agency has set up its own agency, Levergy. Read more »

Coke shaken to the core

Is Coca-Cola about to be swept from its perch as the world’s most valuable brand? After years as outright leader, the soft-drinks brand has only a wafer-thin advantage atop the latest 2012 Interbrand Best Global Brands ranking. Read more »

One for the future

Tim Culley doesn’t want much — just for TBWA Cape Town to be the Mother City’s leading advertising agency within two years. Whether it’s top in revenue or creative awards doesn’t matter. “If you achieve one, the other will probably follow,” says the agency’s MD. Read more »

Booming out of the east

Boomtown’s recent opening of a Cape Town office is another step in the Port Elizabeth-based advertising agency’s quest to spread beyond its Eastern Cape heartland. Read more »

More real than the real thing

Growth in overseas demand for digital animation in advertising is driving interest in SA specialist studios like Luma. Read more »

Mzi Malunga named Urban Brew CEO

Mzi Malunga has been appointed chief executive officer of Urban Brew Studios (UBS), the TV content provider and flagship production brand within the Kagiso Media Group. Read more »

Goodbye Euro, hello Havas

Euro RSCG has disappeared from the SA communications scene and been replaced by Havas. As of this week, Euro RSCG SA is Havas Worldwide Johannesburg, Euro RSCG 4D SA is Havas Worldwide Digital Johannesburg, and Euro RSCG Worldwide PR has become Havas PR. Read more »

Ogilvy, Joe shine at Pendorings

Ogilvy Johannesburg’s campaign for pay-TV channel MK took top honours at this year’s Pendoring advertising awards, and Joe Public once again demonstrated its depth in Afrikaans advertising, with five gold and three silver Pendorings. Read more »

Loerie Awards – Coach class

With one grand prix and seven golds, Ogilvy Cape Town could claim to be the star of the 34th Loerie Awards in Cape Town at the weekend. Read more »

Fine hosts healthcare awards judging

Johannesburg-based Fine Healthcare will host the first SA judging session of the Global Awards for healthcare communications. Read more »

Room to move for Deeb

After a difficult 18 months during which The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg lost one of its major accounts and appeared, from the outside at least, to be uncertain about its direction, Alison Deeb says the time is right for her and the agency to part ways. Read more »

Mike Rossi is so happy to be stoned

He was the man behind Castrol’s Boet ’n Swaer and M-Net’s singing animals, two of the most iconic campaigns in SA advertising industry. But these days you won’t find Mike Rossi offering marketing advice to brand managers. Instead, he’s likely to be crouched behind his camera in the middle of nowhere, taking photographs of stone formations beneath threatening clouds. Read more »

Digital ignorance is not bliss

Digital advertising is becoming a bigger part of brand marketing — but that doesn’t mean it is well understood. This was one of the concerns voiced at the Internet Show digital marketing conference in Johannesburg last week. Read more »

Getting fizz-ical

What was an Australian street artist, whose skills include making music with everyday objects, doing in a downtown Johannesburg district recently? Read more »

Going strong

When Jeremy Sampson returned to SA in September 1992, he had ideas of being a one-man show. Having just spent five years back in his native UK, he’d had enough of the constraints of corporate life. Read more »

Time to connect

The Marketing Association of SA’s (Masa) new CEO says it’s time to re-engage the body’s members. Lovemore Mushayanyama, former marketing director in the Eastern Cape premier’s office, has been at Masa’s helm for just over a month following the departure of Sarel du Plessis in June. Du Plessis had been in the job for only a few months, since his appointment in November 2011. Read more »

Net loss for Nedbank

Net#work BBDO is to lose the Nedbank advertising account after seven years. Read more »

ACA announces resignation of chairman Wayne Naidoo

Following the recent resignation of Wayne Naidoo from Lowe and Partners SA as well as the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), the ACA announced that Nina Morris – CEO of morrisjones was elected interim Chairperson of the ACA Board. Read more »

It’s the Jerry and Jupiter show

The Jupiter Drawing Room (Johannesburg) has appointed Jerry Mpufane as its CEO, effective October 1. Mpufane has been MD of DraftFCB Johannesburg since 2008. He takes over at Jupiter from Alison Deeb, who is joining MetropolitanRepublic. Read more »

Acceleration ready to reap WPP benefits

Digital marketing specialist Acceleration is preparing to embark on its first projects as part of the WPP global advertising and marketing services group. Read more »

Mum’s the word for P&G

A recent campaign using the parents of SA Olympic athletes is an example of conglomerates trying to promote their corporate brands alongside individual products. Read more »

Naidoo: why I’m no longer travelling the Lowe road

Wayne Naidoo says the career opportunity that persuaded him to leave advertising group Lowe & Partners SA after 15 years was as sudden as it was unexpected. Naidoo, who joined the group as a 24-year-old account manager, was appointed CEO in 2009. He oversaw the launch of the local group’s new identity this year, from Lowe Bull. Read more »

Cleaning up – shopper marketing

Marketers who believe shoppers make purchase decisions based exclusively on slick advertising and in-store promotions are heading for a fall — if they aren’t already flat on their faces. Read more »

Do it our way – African advertising

African advertising agencies need their own style if they are to compete with larger competitors in the US and Europe, says John Hunt, global chief creative officer for TBWA Worldwide. Read more »

Frankly different

Radio advertisers must invest much more time and money in radio advertising if they want to consistently attract SA consumers. Read more »

Lowe SA announces departure of CEO Wayne Naidoo

After 15 years of service with Lowe SA, Wayne Naidoo is leaving to join a newly formed financial services group that will be rolling out in several markets throughout Africa. In his new position as Chief Marketing Officer, he has a brief to launch and develop the brand across these regions. Read more »

Record-breaking number of Pendoring finalists

First a bumper crop of entries, followed by a record number of finalists – no fewer than 92 compared to last year’s 74. This is the proud achievement of the Pendoring Advertising Awards on the eve of its very first awards evening in Cape Town. Read more »

Deeb to join Warner at MetRep

The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg CEO Alison Deeb has been named as MetropolitanRepublic group CEO from October 1. She will join Metropolitan founder and strategic creative director Paul Warner, with whom she has shared a home for some years. Read more »

Ad of the Month July 2012 results

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg dominated the Creative Circle’s Ad of the Month rankings for July 2010, taking the top spot in radio and television. Read more »

Information overlead?

Traditional methods of gathering marketing data from consumers are outmoded as more and more people are communicating using new media such as social network sites and accessing the Internet through smartphones. Read more »

It’s a Wunderful life for Aqua

Digital marketing specialist Aqua hopes to increase its social media expertise through its partnership with the Wunderman Interactive group. Read more »

A Mann for all reasons

Mann Made Media says its use of corporate theatre at live events is the driving force behind the experiential agency’s growth. Read more »

Matseba’s PR evolution

The evolving nature of the public relations (PR) industry has forced the Public Relations Institute of SA (Prisa) to embark on its first major rebranding exercise in recent years. Read more »

TLC awash with expectations

Washroom media operator Targeted Lifestyle Communication (TLC) has begun an expansion that includes the launch of four new businesses. MD Brett Tucker says the company has reached a critical mass that allows it to branch into different activities. Read more »

Pendoring takes gold with record entries

Like South Africa’s ‘golden’ Olympic stars recently did in London, Pendoring performed excellently on own soil by setting a new record with the biggest crop of entries over the last 15 years! Read more »

Back to Black

Branding consultancy Black has taught some of SA’s leading companies how to develop their brand equity and image. Now it will find out at first hand how effective its teachings are. Read more »

Inking the deal

Sports advertising agency Brand inc, whose clients include Orlando Pirates, the SA Rugby Union (Saru) and Vodacom, is about to sell a 49% stake to a major media-agency group, says MD Chris Heaton. Read more »

Late-night ambitions

Young advertising agency 12 Past Midnight wants to become more independent of its parent, but without cutting the apron strings. Read more »

Alcohol Advertising – Stealth fighters

Any crackdown on liquor advertising will be undermined by the Internet and social media, says Yoav Tchelet, of dotJWT, the digital division of advertising agency JWT. Read more »

Entries rebound

Entries for this year’s Loerie Awards are back to previous high levels, says CEO Andrew Human. He says it’s the first significant increase since the start of the global economic recession in 2008. Read more »

Saatch a smart idea

Marketing through mobile telephones and tablet computers requires unique skills not always found in digital marketing, says Zeyad Davids, MD of a new specialist agency. M&C Saatchi Mobile will work alongside two-year-old advertising agency M&C Saatchi Abel. Read more »

Edcon appoints M&C Saatchi Abel

Edcon, South Africa’s leading clothing, footwear and textiles retailer, today announced the appointment of M&C Saatchi Abel as its  new financial services and loyalty programme communications partner.  Read more »

June Ad of the Month

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris won two categories in the Ad of the Month for June. Read more »

Ogilvy & Mather – Dead wrong

Those who claim digital communications will replace traditional advertising are talking nonsense, says Miles Young, global chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather (O&M). Read more »

A new voice

The branding and design industry is underestimated and underused in SA, says the head of a new body that hopes to raise the industry’s profile. Read more »

Cultural barriers

This year’s Loerie Awards juries may need cultural interpreters to help them judge entries coming out of the Middle East and Africa. Read more »

Advertising doomsayers “dead wrong”, says O&M’s Young

Those who claim digital communications will replace traditional advertising are talking nonsense, says Miles Young, global chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather (O&M). (A full transcript of the interview is at the bottom of this article.) Read more »

Branding the brand

The branding and design industry is under-estimated and under-used in SA, says the head of a new body that hopes to raise the industry’s profile. Read more »

Avoiding a culture clash at Loeries

This year’s Loerie Awards juries may need cultural interpreters to help them judge entries coming out of the Middle East and Africa. David Nobay, creative chairman of advertising agency Droga5 Sydney and chairman of the 2012 Loeries print and outdoor categories, says judging advertising that’s aimed at different cultures can be tricky. Read more »

MA(SA) appoints new board members

With the appointment of two new board members  the Marketing Association of South Africa [MA(SA)] is well positioned to continue its role as an objective voice of the country’s marketers.  Read more »

WPP buys Acceleration

WPP Digital has bought a majority stake in Acceleration, the marketing technology services and solutions company. Founded in 1999, Acceleration has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, London, New York, Dubai and Buenos Aires. Acceleration will operate as a standalone business within WPP Digital. Read more »

Kicking around – Ignitive

After three years away from the advertising industry, former TBWA\ Hunt\Lascaris CEO Muzi Kuzwayo is now building for the black market what he calls the “Motown of SA’s communications industry”, referring to the Detroit record label that spawned dozens of mostly black music acts. Read more »

Kind to pets

Increased demand for brand development has persuaded advertising agency Human.kind to form a specialist branding unit. The agency recently won the accounts for vehicle-tracking firm Cartrack and Montego Classic pet food. Read more »

Bear-ly believable

After five months of working “undercover”, consumer insights specialist Pondering Panda believes it is ready to challenge more established researchers. Read more »

Morris minor

Having shed nearly half its staff in the past two years, CEO Nina Morris says advertising agency Morrisjones is ready to meet the changing SA business climate. Read more »

Leading question

Judy van Dam is preparing to embark on her fourth career. After 25 years in the advertising industry, the MD of Johannesburg-based agency JWT SA will leave at the end of July to explore leadership development. Read more »

Sheltered development

Having just signed a R35m deal to build 1400 advertising-driven bus shelters around Johannesburg over the next 12 years, the Provantage agency believes out-of-home advertising in SA has the impetus to match international trends. Read more »

Shopper Marketing – Direct approach

Shopper marketing agencies are a “bloody nuisance” in the eyes of traditional advertising agencies because they siphon off budgets that could otherwise be spent on high-cost creative work, says Craig Melling-Williams, head of the Buchanan marketing group in SA. Read more »

Telling the troops

Marketing consultancy Actuate’s recent acquisition of the MultiChoice internal communication account is an affirmation of the growing value of marketing aimed at employees. Read more »

Out of the limelight

Dale Hefer, founder and CEO of advertising agency Chillibush, is preparing to publish a follow-up to her 2010 book From Witblits to Vuvuzelas: Marketing in the New SA. Read more »

Cannes Awards – Pride of Lions

Net#work BBDO and DDB SA each won two golds at last week’s Cannes Lions international creative festival in France but Ogilvy Cape Town could claim to be the biggest winner among SA agencies. Read more »

Union leader

Simon Bolton is less than impressed with Johannesburg’s hotel sector. “I travel a lot and I find the hotel experience here very poor. Read more »

Cars lead

Motor companies continue to dominate Interbrand’s annual international ranking of green brands. They fill four of the top 10 places and seven of the top 20. Read more »

Draft says Hello

Advertising and marketing group Draftfcb SA is in advanced discussions to buy Cape Town-based digital marketing agency HelloComputer. Read more »

SA Cannes winners

Net#work BBDO, won two Gold Radio Lions for its ‘Mercedes-Benz – Attention Assist’ radio campaign at the 59th annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity held at the Palais de Festivals in Cannes, France this week. Read more »

Branding home truths

SA brands have a lot of growing up to do if they are to succeed in an increasingly competitive market. Interbrand Sampson chairman Jeremy Sampson says while directors of large companies are starting to take marketing more seriously, most fail to understand the value of their brands. Read more »

Fight four places at Ogilvy

More than 200 students are fighting for four places on Ogilvy SA’s graduate programme. Late last year the communications group approached tertiary institutions in Johannesburg and Cape Town to identify candidates. Read more »

Dutch double value

Joe Public CEO Gareth Leck may be regretting the profit model of his advertising agency’s international expansion. The plan is for every agency in the Joe Public United network to retain all its earnings. But having seen the profitability of its first network offshoot, in the Netherlands, Leck can’t help but feel a bit jealous. Read more »

Stake houses – Advertising in Africa

After more than two decades of operating through independent affiliates, advertising group TBWA is preparing to buy equity stakes in East and West Africa. Read more »

Shifting balance

Mediamark’s recent acquisition of Skype’s digital platforms in SA and Africa is the latest in the media sales company’s diversification from its traditional radio market. Read more »

Stop laughing!

Where have all the sad people gone? asks Rita Larisma. Most great stories, including those for children, explore a dark side before breaking into the light. So Draftfcb SA’s group strategy director wants to know why advertising’s fantasy land is inhabited by “shiny, happy people”. Read more »

TBWA’s African stake-out

After more than two  decades of operating through independent affiliates, advertising group TBWA is preparing to buy equity stakes in East and West Africa. Read more »

Mediamark branches out

Mediamark’s recent acquisition of Skype’s digital platforms in SA and Africa is the latest in the media sales company’s diversification from its traditional radio market. Read more »

Stop laughing!

Where have all the sad people gone? asks Rita Larisma. Most of the world’s great stories, including those for children, explore a dark side before breaking into the light. So Draftfcb SA’s group strategy director wants to know why advertising’s fantasy land is inhabited by “shiny, happy people”. Read more »

Ice cream ad tops UK jingle charts

“Just One Cornetto” – a Walls Ice Cream ad sung to the tune of opera classic O Sole Mio – has been voted Britain’s catchiest TV jingle of all time, reports the London Daily Telegraph. It says 45% of British adults claim the tune often pops into their heads. Read more »

Undue process followed in banning Nando’s advert

The Marketing Association of South Africa [MA(SA)], has voiced its concerns and objections in letters addressed to the CEOs of  the SABC, ETV, MNET and Multichoice questioning their decisions to ban Nando’s controversial advertisement that shines the spotlight on xenophobia and intolerance in South Africa. Read more »

140 BBDO Short and sharp

A change of name and emphasis have turned around the agency’s fortunes

There was a time when some wondered if Eric D’Oliveira and his team at Net#work BBDO Cape Town would last the distance. Read more »

African values

Richard Prévost, the new business director at branding agency Added Value, hopes to use his African experience to expand the agency across the continent. Read more »

Apex Awards – Boosting sales

Last week’s 2012 Apex Awards were dominated by 140 BBDO and FoxP2, as both agencies walked away with multiple trophies. Only 10 awards were handed out, and one category (Change) failed to produce a gold winner. Read more »

Communications Audits

The vast majority of communications professionals fail to measure the effectiveness of messages they have sent or intend to send. Read more »

2012 Apex Awards winners

This year, the best of breed of the advertising and communications profession were awarded – the winners of the 2012 APEX awards are: Read more »

VWV – New priorities

New VWV CEO Kingsley Potter wants the brand experience agency to grow its international presence, particularly in Africa. Read more »

Outdoor outdated

Official spending figures for outdoor advertising do not accurately reflect the size of the SA out-of-home market, says Primedia Unlimited group CEO Ken Varejes. Read more »

MTN breaks into top 100 global brands

MTN has become the first African company to crack the list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands. The Johannesburg-based mobile telecommunications giant is ranked 88th in the 2012 version of the annual BrandZ global brands study, commissioned by the multinational WPP communications group and conducted by research company Millward Brown Optimor. Read more »

O’Neil heads SAARF

The SA Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) has a new chair. Clare O’Neil, the first woman to hold this position, replaces Sarel du Plessis, CEO of the Marketing Association of SA and chairman of SAARF since 2007. Read more »

Saatchi & Saatchi SA – Gail force winds

The sale of a majority stake to a multinational group has, paradoxically, allowed Saatchi & Saatchi SA to concentrate more on the local market, says CEO Gail Curtis. Read more »

Red flag ignored?

Did agencies pitching for the Cell C advertising account suggest early on that the pitch should be postponed until after incoming CEO Alan Knott-Craig took up his post on April 1? Read more »

Ogilvy goes coach class

Ogilvy Cape Town has won a Gold Pencil at the One Show Interactive awards in New York. It won for its “Be The Coach” campaign for Carling Black Label, which had previously been recognised internationally at the Clios and D&AD awards. Read more »

Little to shout about

The miniature stars of Draftfcb’s campaign for Vodacom mobile movies helped it stand tall and win the Creative Circle’s TV Ad of the Month for March. Read more »

Apex Awards – Fresh elements

The awarding of the 2012 Apex Awards is expected to show a dramatic shift in both the type of campaigns and the agencies that will be winning top accolades. Read more »

Hitting the target

The growth of shopper marketing is expected to outpace other segments in the marketing mix over the next several years. Read more »

SA is key

New York based media group Bloomberg is looking to expand in Africa and is using SA as a launching pad. Read more »

March Ad of the Month

Comment by March Ad of the Month chairman Neo Mashigo

March Ad of the month was a mix of very good and some okay work especially in Print and Outdoor. As a judging panel we looked for the International awards entries but there were none, except for a couple of exceptional winners. Read more »

VWV Group names new CEO

Kingsley Potter has been named the new chief executive officer of the VWV Group, South Africa’s leading brand experience agency. Read more »

Cell C Account – KC’s cell-out

Cell C’s decision to cancel the appointment of new advertising agencies, following the arrival of CEO Alan Knott-Craig, has alarmed the advertising industry. Read more »

Bruise cruise – Alcohol advertising

The health department is promising the liquor and advertising industries an “aggressive” stance on marketing. Read more »

SA to the four

Ogilvy Johannesburg was SA’s top performer at the annual D&AD Yellow Pencil Awards in London last week. Read more »

Behrens out

Reinher Behrens’ three-year tenure as CEO of McCann WorldGroup SA officially ends this weekend after he turned down the option of redeployment within the group. Read more »

MWEB appoints M&C Saatchi Abel as above the line agency partner

After a thorough pitch process amongst Cape Town’s top based agencies, MWEB announced today that they have awarded their ATL account to M&C Saatchi Abel. Read more »

Kristina Couzyn to join M&C Saatchi Abel

Ogilvy Brand Activation MD Kristina Couzyn is joining M&C Saatchi Abel as Managing Partner, Jhb. Read more »

Ogilvy named agency for Cell C

Cell C has re-appointed Ogilvy Johannesburg as its agency for marketing and advertising services. Read more »

SA Agencies score at D&AD Yellow Pencils

Ogilvy Johannesburg was the leading SA agency at this year’s D&AD Yellow Pencil Awards recognising  excellence in design and advertising held in London recently. Read more »

Figuring it out

Digital marketing’s share of SA’s total advertising bill could be more than five times higher than previously estimated, says a new study. Read more »

Join the club

Media agency executives have launched a new body that will allow them to debate industry issues. Read more »

Ed of the class at ID

Winning two Edcon accounts, Boardmans and Red Square, was the realisation of a long-term ambition, says Ireland-Davenport (ID) MD Susan Napier. Read more »

MASA bids farewell to CEO

The CEO of the Marketing Association of South Africa [MA(SA)], Sarel du Plessis will step down from his current position at the end of June 2012 in order to pursue  personal  entrepreneurial ventures.   Read more »

Y&R wins Telkom account

Y&R South Africa has won a three-year, through-the-line contract for Telkom. This is one of the biggest advertising pitches in the industry. Read more »

RAB appoints new GM

The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) has appointed Matona Sakupwanya as its new general manager. Read more »

Media spending out of the abyss

Analysts and agencies say the market is picking up. But is it really as good as the figures suggest?
Read more »

Rob fits the Bill

Rob McLennan, executive creative director of Johannesburg-based Net#work BBDO, has been named as part of an exclusive group of international admen tasked with persuading First-World economies to maintain and increase Third-World aid. Read more »

Advertising not so smart

Mobile marketing is expected to grow at a rapid rate but smartphones aren’t necessarily where the real opportunities lie in SA. Read more »

Saatchi & Saatchi appoints Wielopolski as ECD

Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed award winning creative Liam Wielopolski as its new Regional Executive Creative Director for Johannesburg and Africa. Read more »

Mind the draft

Draftfcb Johannesburg is showing its creative drive with campaigns for major brands such as Toyota and Vodacom and new additions Coca-Cola and Wimpy as well as for existing major brands. Read more »

Soccer scores big

The introduction of DStv’s Compact bouquet in 2005, aimed at lower-income earners, has changed the face of TV sports audiences. This is according to a recent report published by brand analysis and research agency Repucom SA. Read more »

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr appoints Y&R

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, one of the largest and leading corporate and commercial law firms in South Africa has appointed Y&R Johannesburg as its above-the-line (ATL) agency.  Read more »

Raising the bar

The public relations and communications industry is talking to government about creating a national council to regulate the profession. Read more »

In the Black

It may have irritated Robert Mugabe’s cronies — and consequently been pulled from screens after barely a week on air — but Black River FC’s “Last Dictator Standing” ad for the Nando’s restaurant group was named SA’s 2011 TV ad of the year at last week’s Creative Circle awards. Read more »

Online dilemma

Declining rates for display advertising are causing a drop in profits for online media owners. Marketers, on the other hand, are investing more in the field. Read more »

SA Young Lions jet off to Cannes

After deliberating over more than 60 entries to identify the best local talent worthy of the honour to represent South Africa in the International Cannes Young Lions competition, the panel of Creative Circle judges managed to select a winning team – pity there could be only one.  Read more »

New creative group head for Y&R CT

This month Y&R Cape Town announced the promotion of Nkanyezi Masango, also known as Star, to Creative Group Head. Read more »

Boardmans and Red Square appoint Ireland / Davenport as communications agency

Boardmans and Red Square today confirmed that Ireland / Davenport has been appointed as the new communications and advertising partner for both brands. Read more »

Dumb and dumber for copywriting students

The advertising industry faces an imminent shortage of one of its most valuable skills: copywriting. So few SA students have the desire or language aptitude to pursue the career that some  advertising schools have dropped it from their curriculum. Read more »

Mother of all decisions for Loeries

Are organisers of the  Loerie Awards ready to make Cape Town the event’s long-term home? SA’s premier creative communications awards will take place in the Mother City for the fourth time this year. Having beaten off counter-bids from Johannesburg, Sun City and Ballito to retain the Loeries, Cape Town is assured of the event until at least 2014. Read more »

Playboy’s bare facts

One shows a young man  reading a report, “Crack Addiction”, whose pages barely cover the naked bottom of a girl leaning on a piano. In a second, a girl’s breasts are blocked by a paper marked “Silicon Valley”. And in the third, it’s a “Deforestation” document hiding the pubic region. Read more »

Edcon appoints Promise as communications agency for cellular operations

Edcon recently appointed Promise as the through-the-line communications partner for the group’s cellular operations. Edcon Group Cellular operates through Edgars, CNA and Jet. Read more »

Warring McCann declares truce

Management and black economic empowerment (BEE) partners at McCann Worldgroup SA have declared a truce after a series of damaging claims that threatened to undermine the advertising and communications company. Read more »

Marketing must change to remain relevant

In the modern,  interconnected marketing environment, where every consumer is a critic and every personal brand experience resonates immediately around the Internet and blogosphere, companies that follow the old marketing rules are doomed to eventual failure. Read more »

Telkom postpones 8.ta account bids

Telkom has postponed its March 15 bidders conference for the 8.ta mobile through-the-line advertising account. It says in a statement: “Telkom has granted an extension of the period in which agencies have to prepare their submissions.  Details of the new date and time of the bidder’s conference, as well as the new submission date, will be published on the Telkom website shortly.”

Telkom puts 8.ta account out to tender

Telkom is inviting advertising agencies to tender for through-the-line advertising services for its 8.ta mobile brand. Read more »

Boniswa’s net profit

Boniswa Pezisa says she will take a “thorough, critical look” at the operations of advertising agency Net#work BBDO before deciding on possible changes. Read more »

More of the same, but different

It takes a very special marketing campaign to make the taxman appear consumer-friendly. Having done just that for the past two years, advertising agency Young & Rubicam (Y&R) will not be part of the next stage of the image makeover for the SA Revenue Service (Sars). Read more »

Hunts’ ambitious two-timers

Their predecessor presided over the most-awarded campaign in international advertising history. They have little chance of matching that so Matthew Brink and Adam Livesey have set themselves a more realistic target: creating great campaigns that make a business difference for corporate clients. Read more »

Donnelly to head Carat Jo’burg

Media agency Carat SA has appointed Sean Donnelly as MD of its Johannesburg office from April 1. Donnelly joins from digital marketing agency aquaonline.

Read more »

Ad of the Month hat-trick for ID

Ireland/Davenport won the Creative Circle’s January Ad of the Month in three categories – television, print and radio. The Walking Dead Season 2 campaign for Fox International came out tops in the TV category. Adcock Ingram topped the radio ratings, while the agency’s work for National Geographic Channel’s The Dog Whisperer, with Cesar Millan, was first and second in print. Read more »

Boniswa Pezisa appointed Net#work’s group MD

BBDO SA Group CEO, Keith Shipley, announced the new leader of Net#work BBDO today. Boniswa Pezisa will fill a newly established executive position as Group Managing Director. Read more »

Edgars appoints M&C Saatchi Abel as communications agency

Edgars Department Stores today confirmed that M&C Saatchi Abel has been appointed as the full communications and advertising partner for Edgars with effect from 1 April 2012. Read more »

Radio sounding off

Boring content and reduced listening are forcing radio stations to seek out new ideas for holding audiences’ attention. Read more »

French revolution

French carmaker Peugeot hopes a new marketing and advertising campaign will finally improve its SA brand image. Read more »

The direct brand touch

Live shopping promotions are enjoying budget increases as brands seek new ways to engage consumers. Read more »

Barloworld digital now with JWT South Africa

The Barloworld digital account has been awarded to JWT South Africa. Read more »

Lowe Bull now Lowe and Partners SA after sale

Lowe and Partners Worldwide  has acquired a majority stake in local advertising agency Lowe Bull, in which it had previously been a minority shareholder. Read more »

Brian Mdluli steps down as DMASA’s CEO

Brian Mdluli will be leaving the DMASA after five years as CEO to pursue his career in business. Read more »

ABF Vital Support Fund will close without industry support

This year the ABF Vital Support Fund is 43 years old. The organisation exists to look after those in the communications, media and advertising fields when they fall on hard times. Read more »

Young Gun – Abey Mokgwatsane

He may be only 34 but Abey Mokgwatsane insists he is not intimidated by his new role as CEO of advertising and communications group Ogilvy SA. Read more »

Reclaimed rights

Advertising agencies are starting to take back some of the powers eroded by client dominance in recent years, says Wayne Naidoo, chairman of the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA). Read more »

Buying in – Community Media

Government wants to secure more advertising revenue for struggling community media owners by creating a public media buying system. Read more »

Habari to launch Machine

The Habari Group will launch its integrated Below-The-Line agency called Machine in March. Read more »

Ogilvy Launches New Cross-Discipline Social Media Practice

Ogilvy South Africa announced today the launch of Social@Ogilvy, a worldwide practice connecting all of the agency’s social media experts to deliver solutions across all areas of business. Read more »

Strong South African Jury Presence At Dubai Lynx

 This year the Dubai Lynx International Advertising Festival will have a healthy dose of our avant-garde perspective with three South Africans selected as jurors over four festival categories, the most South Africans to be selected for the Dubai Lynx since its inception in 2008.  Read more »

Dutch Courage – Joe Public

Advertising agency Joe Public has opened an office in Amsterdam, as the first step in its global expansion strategy. CEO Gareth Leck says the Johannesburg-based agency wants to open in at least four more international centres in the next four years. Read more »

Waiting for word

Young & Rubicam (Y&R) Johannesburg is waiting to hear if it has won the Telkom advertising account. Some in the industry say it is a done deal but agency MD Melanie Behan says Y&R has heard nothing officially. Read more »

Try time

Car rental company Avis is inviting customers to share their experiences of its service for a new advertising campaign. The campaign, conceived by ad agency Ireland/Davenport (ID), plays on Avis’s “We Try Harder” slogan. Read more »

Toyota’s Buddy in the dog box

Buddy the talking boxer dog, at the heart of Toyota SA’s advertising for the past three years, is about to disappear from SA’s TV screens. Read more »

JWT SA – Made to order

JWT SA wants to become one of SA’s top five creative agencies this year on the strength of a new international creative strategy. Read more »

Dancing queens

Amy Allais likes “cool” brands. So it’s fitting that her film company should share its name with an ice cream. Read more »

Kicking ahead

By Larry Classen

Strika Entertainment, the company behind the popular soccer comic strip and animated show Supa Strikas, is trying to get into European TV markets. Read more »

Chartered Marketer intake 2012

The Marketing Association of South Africa [MA(SA)], the industry association which provides a representative voice for organisations and individuals in the marketing industry, is calling on all senior marketers in South Africa to register for the Chartered Marketers SA (CMSA) designation. Read more »

Cannes Lions to launch creative academy with Bob Isherwood

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is introducing a brand new academy at the 2012 Festival, taking place from 17-23 June in Cannes, France. Read more »

December Ad of the Month

A slim month saw low numbers of entries from the Creative Circle’s December Ad of Month making into the Ad of the Year. Read more »

New radio stations get going

Newly licensed radio stations are confident they will be up and running in around six months. Read more »

Spot the Label – Branded Entertainment

As technology makes it possible for viewers to bypass television commercials, advertisers are turning to branded entertainment to recapture their attention. Read more »

Move with the times – Social Media

The rapid growth of social media in SA should be embraced by communications experts, says Stuart Anderson, MD of the Creative Engagement Group. Read more »

Tribute to marketing legend John Farquhar

“The passing of John Farquhar it is a great loss to the advertising and media industry,” Odette van der Haar, CEO of the Association for Communication and Advertising expressed.   

 “He was a legendary adman whose contribution to the advertising profession will forever be remembered, valued and respected.   Our deepest condolences go to his bereaved family and friends.” 

 A short Autobiography by John Farquhar Read more »

MARKETING LEVIES Murky pool

There has been wrangling for some time in the marketing community over which organisation should collect media and advertising levies and what the rate of contributions should be. Read more »

Soldiering on

McCann Erickson SA has hit the ground running in 2012 and hopes to introduce several important changes as it moves to grow its client base. Read more »

The bigger picture

The SA Advertising Research Foundation (Saarf) has a new method of researching television viewing. Read more »

Last call for Apex 2012 entries

The Association for Communication and Advertising’s annual APEX Awards represent the synergetic relationship between creative communication and business strategy. 

Winning an APEX is the ultimate testament to the vital role that effective advertising and marketing communications play in business success – so if you have met your target, prove it and avoid becoming one! Read more »

PRISM Awards 2012

Open to all public relations practitioners, consultants, corporations and government departments, the deadline for entries for this year’s PRISMs is Friday, January 20. Read more »

KZN executives to promote the city as a design centre

Durban advertising agencies have been lagging behind their counterparts in SA’s two other commercial centres, Johannesburg and Cape Town. But some executives say this is changing, and that the city is beginning to sell itself as a design centre in its own right.

Read more »

Con-sternation

Poor monitoring of imported products by government means counterfeiting of consumer goods is increasing rapidly, with more products than ever being convincingly replicated.

Read more »

Clicking into place

Brands with tight online advertising budgets are looking to affiliate marketing as a tool for reaching their customers.

Read more »

MediaShop wins Famous Brands

The full service media agency MediaShop will handle all strategy, buying and planning for brands such as Steers, Wimpy, Debonairs Pizza, Mugg & Bean, Milky Lane, Fishaways, House of Coffees and KEG restaurants and pubs.

Read more »

Cape Town orders billboards down

The Western Cape High Court has ordered Independent Outdoor Media (IOM) to remove nine billboards promoting liquor, fast food outlets, financial institutions and in one case, the signage company itself, the City of Cape Town said on Wednesday.

Read more »

Advertising Standards Authority in funding crisis

One of its challenges is that even if only one person complains about an advertisement, the whole ASA body swings into action. Every complaint is fully investigated. This has led frequently to the situation that a single killjoy can cause the withdrawal of an advertising campaign enjoyed by millions of others. Read more »

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris fills creative gap

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris has appointed Matthew Brink and Adam Livesey as joint executive creative directors. They replace Damon Stapleton, who left recently to join Saatchi & Saatchi Australia.

Read more »

Budget cuts counter-productive

Companies that cut their 2012 advertising and marketing budgets in response to continued recessionary pressures will eventually regret it, says Odette van der Haar, CEO of the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA). Read more »

Marketers look closer at social media

The growth of social media is forcing marketing strategists to look closely at their approach to the often misunderstood digital platform. Read more »

All for one and one for all in marketing

New CEO Sarel du Plessis wants to make big changes at the Marketing Association of SA (Masa). Du Plessis, who replaced Chris de Villiers last month, also chairs the SA Advertising Research Foundation (Saarf) and SA Press Association (Sapa), and sits on the board of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Read more »

Foreign climbs for Stapleton, Koller

Join the FM AdFocus jury and see the world! Two of SA’s brightest advertising and branding talents — who have served as judges for the last two years — are about to leave SA to pursue their careers elsewhere. Damon Stapleton has resigned as executive creative director (ECD) at TBWA\ Hunt\Lascaris to take up the same role at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, based in Sydney. And Chris Koller, who recently stepped down as group MD of brand specialist Interbrand Sampson, is joining the parent company, Interbrand, in New York. Read more »

Trigger-happy Rooke considers his options

Trigger/Isobar cofounder  Gavin Rooke, who resigned from the SA digital agency last week, is considering a global role within the international group that bought his business. Read more »

Media inflation keeps rising

Media-rate inflation has grown faster than the delivery of advertising audiences over the past year. According to the latest Ibis Media Inflation Watch (MIW) index, the average price of  advertising media increased by 8,7% in the first six months of 2011 compared to the same period last year. Read more »

Abey to succeed Nunu at Ogilvy

Abey Mokgwatsane has been appointed the new CEO of Ogilvy SA and will take office in January 2012. Nunu Ntshingila, the incumbent CEO of seven years, has been appointed Chairman. She will also continue to serve on the Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide board as the only representative from Africa. Read more »

Threats force Nando’s to drop Mugabe ad

Fast-food chain Nando’s has dropped its “Last Dictator Standing” TV commercial, making fun of Zimbabwean despot Robert Mugabe, for fear of attacks on outlets and staff in Zimbabwe. Read more »

Small agencies can win big, says Yardstick

Ignorance of the advertising tender process is preventing small agencies from competing on equal terms for accounts, says Yardstick MD Johan van der Westhuizen. Read more »

All the pictures from the 2011 AdFocus Awards

For pictures from the November 23 AdFocus Awards in Fourways, click on “AdFocus 2011 Gallery” at the top of this page.

Grid, Yellowwood join forces

Branding and design Grid has announced a formal partnership with strategy and research specialist Yellowwood. Omnicom’s marketing services group, which already owns most of Yellowwood, has bought 51% of Grid. The global Omnicom group’s  interests in SA include TBWA\Hunt Lascaris, DDB SA and media agency OMD.  Read more »

Boom time for Boomtown at Assegais

Port Elizabeth-based advertising agency Boomtown took home the top prize at this year’s Assegai integrated marketing awards recognising excellence in direct marketing. The awards are run by the Direct Marketing Association of SA (DMASA). Read more »

Life goes on at McCann, says Behrens

The departure of three senior McCann Erickson SA executives to form their own agency is a blow but one McCann will overcome, says McCann Worldgroup SA CE Reinher Behrens. Read more »

Mpasa name change reflects new environment

The recent decision by the Magazine Publishers Association of SA (Mpasa) to adopt a new identity highlights changes taking place in the publishing industry. Mpasa this month became the Association of Magazine Media (AMM). GM Melony Boucher says the change recognises  that print is losing its place as the dominant mode of publication. Read more »

Quirk, Xenopoulos take Bookmarks honours

Quirk was voted SA’s top digital agency and Native CEO Jason Xenopoulos the industry’s leading achiever at the annual Bookmarks Awards run by the Digital Media & Marketing Association (DMMA). Read more »

SABC leaves agencies in the lurch

The SA Broadcasting Corp (SABC) has cancelled its advertising tender, after agencies spent tens of thousands of rand on pitches. It is the second parastatal to leave agencies in the lurch, after SA Airways (SAA) also recently abandoned its tender process at the last minute. Read more »

Unilever Surfs the adspend wave

Unilever has reinforced its status as SA’s biggest advertiser with a huge  jump in spending this year. In the first eight months, to August, its advertising budget leapt 48,5% to R808,5m, compared to R544,3m in the corresponding 2010 period. Read more »

Alves crosses to Y&R

Lowe Bull Johannesburg executive creative director Rui Alves is leaving to take up the same role at Young & Rubicam (Y&R) Johannesburg. He will start his new job in January. Read more »

Erica is gunning for Carat

Erica Gunning has been appointed joint MD of media agency Carat SA, to join Quinton Jones. The appointment follows a period of sustained growth over the past three years. Gunning became MD of the Johannesburg office, following its establishment in August 2009. Read more »

De Abreu named to design body

Gaby de Abreu, executive creative director of Switch, is Africa’s new representative on the Icograda (International Council of Communication Design) executive board. He was nominated in his capacity as representative of the Brand Design Council of SA and was elected at Icograda’s general assembly last week in Taiwan. Read more »

Growth is “lecker” for Joe Public

 A new market positioning, intended to help clients grow their business, appears to have given advertising agency Joe Public growth aspirations of its own. Read more »

Local TV production far from perfect

Not only is the number of local productions being commissioned for SA television decreasing, but so are the  budgets. Read more »

Apex entries open, jury named

The jury for the 2012 Apex awards for effective advertising has been announced, with Yellowwood chairman Andy Rice once again chairing a strong team. Read more »

Time for vernacular advertising to have separate awards?

The growing impact of African-language advertising in SA is fuelling calls for this segment of the industry to have its own, dedicated awards. Read more »

No divine right for SA in Africa

SA can no longer take  for granted its status as Africa’s biggest advertising market, say experts. Read more »

Change of address for Ireland-Davenport

Advertising agency Ireland-Davenport (ID) is moving its Johannesburg headquarters from Bryanston to Illovo on November 1. Read more »

The sponsorship game is changing

Evolving marketing needs mean the role of creative director is no longer restricted to advertising agencies. Jeremy Doveton-Helps, creative director for sports sponsorship agency Matchworld, says: “Creativity is playing a bigger role in the sports market. It’s not like the old days when you would buy a sponsorship property, stick up a billboard and buy some TV airtime.” Read more »

TV production industry Discovers new hope

The launch of two new Discovery Networks television channels in SA could be a much-needed stimulus to the struggling local production industry. Read more »

Comic relef for Adene

By Ruan Jooste

Karen Kettie takes nonsense from no-one.  She fights injustice, stands up for what is right and never misses a shot. Armed only with courage and her trusty kettie (catapult), Karen takes down corporations and governments that are corrupt, greedy or just plain evil. Read more »

Sites should go mobile

Owners of commercial websites should convert them into cellphone-friendly formats to take advantage of the growing mobile market in Africa. Isis Nyong’o, African divisional MD of global mobile digital marketing firm InMobi, says mobile sets now account for 77% of telephones around the world. Read more »

Cabinet to discuss booze ads ban

Television viewers may not see many more of the creative liquor commercials flighted in recent months. Government has unofficially started debating possible restrictions on alcohol advertising. In November, social development minister Bathabile Dlamini will be tabling restrictions to cabinet. Read more »

Adult websites get cross

Companies have been given an  opportunity to prevent their brands being hijacked by adult websites before the launch of a new Internet porn domain. Read more »

Miya to leave Net#work

Abdulla Miya has resigned as MD of advertising agency Net#work BBDO SA. Group CEO Keith Shipley says Miya will leave the agency on December 31 to open his own strategic consultancy. Read more »

Radio makes us happy, says study

New research suggests that the simple pleasure of listening to radio makes people happy. Ilsa Grabe, business unit head at media agency Carat, says: “Rather than the peaks and troughs that people have claimed to experience with TV and the Internet, radio provides a consistent environment themed and shaped to suit the listener’s needs at any given time of day, and one that is generally upbeat in tone.”.

Read more »

Chevy, glorious Chevy

Remember when SA life (for the privileged minority) was defined by the phrase “blue skies, braaivleis and Chevrolet”? A series of billboards around Detroit, the US home of Chevy manufacturer General Motors, reminds locals of the US history of this iconic brand. If you want a visual trip down memory lane… Read more »

Global PR group buys Arcay control

Burson-Marsteller, the global public relations and communications firm, has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Arcay Communications, the SA consultancy with headquarters in Johannesburg and an affiliate network across Africa. Read more »

SAA halts advertising tender

SA Airways (SAA) has shelved its 15-month search for a new advertising agency. The national carrier blames changed business needs for its decision to abandon the process, on which some agencies say they have spent hundreds of thousands of rand. Read more »

Whitehouse US deal “won’t change FoxP2″

There are no plans for international communications group MDC Holdings to buy into multi award-winning Cape Town advertising agency FoxP2 “for the foreseeable future”, says agency MD Charl Thom. Read more »

Coke brand still fizzing ahead … just

Coca-Cola is the world’s  most valuable brand for the 12th consecutive year, according to the 2011 version of Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report. The cold soft drink company grew its value by 2%, to US$71,9bn. Read more »

August Ad of the Month

Net#work BBDO’s second installment of the Chicken Licken commercial, featuring a rapidly growing monkey that represents a young man’s craving for the restaurant’s hot wings, won the August Ad of the Month in the TV/Film section.

Read more »

Scanning the African horizon

African marketing services group Scangroup, an associate of global media group WPP, has announced the launch of two advertising firms in Ghana. The move – in association with Ogilvy, also part of WPP – is aimed at expanding Scangroup and Ogilvy operations in the continent and serving existing demand for marketing and communication services. Read more »

FoxP2’s Whitehouse teams up with Bull

FoxP2 founding partner and creative director Andrew Whitehouse will start a sister agency to FoxP2 in New York. He will team up with Matthew Bull, ex-Lowe Global CEOd to form the new agency – Bull Whitehouse. Read more »

The Koll of the open road

Chris Koller, group MD of brand specialist Interbrand Sampson, is about to embark on a solo Harley-Davidson road-trip that will take him through five Southern African countries in pursuit of the regional brand experience. Read more »

In it for the long haul

A long-term partnership is always a tricky affair but in the advertising industry it is even more so, given changing trends and attitudes. Fickle clients often change creative agencies in the hope that a fresh perspective will boost sales or increase brand equity. Read more »

Hello to the next big thing

When a small digital  agency wins one of only three  Loerie Grand Prix awards, it is an indication that the advertising industry is  experiencing change, with digital advertising  playing a greater role. Read more »

Pendorings promise “celebration without equal”

Organisers of the Pendoring Awards are promising an “advertising celebration and feast without equal” on October 21 when the country’s premier awards for Afrikaans advertising are presented at Vodaworld, Midrand. Read more »

Three agencies grab top Loeries honours

New AdFocus panel for media

Four names have been added to the panel judging the media agency category of the 2011 FM AdFocus Awards. Read more »

Africa’s mobile influence

Ogilvy SA is beating the performance of some Ogilvy operations in the developed world, says Ogilvy Group vice-chairman Rory Sutherland. Read more »

Continental shift for McCann

McCann Worldgroup is working to build its African  business after it previously “dropped the ball”. Read more »

Loeries back in the black

Loerie Awards organisers are  promising a new experience at next week’s event in Cape Town. Besides shifting the event from the Good Hope Centre to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Loeries CEO Andrew Human says the event format will be quite different. Read more »

Sounding off about radio

Is the local radio advertising community being too critical about the state of its sector? Read more »

Class action over kids claim

By Shannon Sherry

A radio advertising campaign  claiming a nutritional product will improve children’s classroom performance has been referred to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Read more »

History of brands and branding

Imagine an advertising campaign today promising “skinny gawky girls” that they can gain up to 10kg in no time by taking a yeast additive, or telling them they should be ashamed of their “thin, ugly figure”. Read more »

Transports of delight

Advertising in public transport vehicles like buses and taxis has begun to incorporate mobile technology targeting, allowing advertising by specific locations and their businesses. Read more »

34’s food for thought

Shrinking budgets are pushing  marketers inexorably towards nontraditional forms of advertising, says Morne Fourie, MD of Cape Town-based below-the-line agency 34. Read more »

Brewster’s late, late show

Public relations company Marcusbrewster has a reputation for representing anything that moves. Now it’s signed up a client whose clients don’t: a cemetery. Read more »

Have your say on AdFocus winners

Who is the rising star in the SA communications industry? Its lifetime achiever? The newsmaker? The agency leader?
With the September 2 entry deadline for this year’s AdFocus Awards only a few days away, we are inviting readers to add their nominations for awards to individuals. Read more »

Publishers padding up for change

Rising print and distribution costs will drive publishers towards electronic devices, according to media specialists. They say the growing popularity of touch-screen products like the iPad (Apple), Galaxy Tab (Samsung), Kindle (Amazon) and PlayBook (BlackBerry) is a sure sign of the way things are going. Read more »

Ana! Sinclair to the rescue

SA branding expert Roger Sinclair has been commissioned by the US Association of National Advertisers (ANA) to create a set of standards for brand valuation. Read more »

Shop and change

Legal issues around outdoor  advertising are helping to drive out-of-home advertisers into shopping malls. Read more »

M&F drops the mountain in brand refresher

Mutual & Federal has refreshed its brand to reflect the evolution of the company and the insurance market. The company says its brand rejuvenation is, in part, a response to research into public perceptions of the company’s corporate identity. Read more »

Cricket’s new spin doctor

Net#work BBDO has won the  Cricket SA advertising account. The Johannesurg-based agency, one of five major agencies to pitch, will be anxious to bring the focus back to cricket and away from negative recent headlines about commission payments for senior CSA officials. Read more »

Pick of the bunch

Pick n Pay is SA’s  most engaging brand — the one with which consumers feel most affinity. It is one of three local retail chains to make it into the top 10 of a ground-breaking new study by marketing consultancy Yellowwood. Read more »

Hunts, Zille deny newspaper impropriety claim

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris has rubbished a Sunday Times report at the weekend claiming impropriety in thr awarding of the communications account of the Province of the Western Cape. Read more »

Visual plague of the “media sluts”

Africa’s landscape is being  blighted by “media sluts” who plaster billboards and advertisements everywhere without a thought for the environment. Read more »

Advertisers take a tee break

A round of golf is  meant to be an escape from the stresses of business. But now advertisers are pursuing golfers between tee and green. Read more »

Don’t even joke about CPA

Advertisers could face penalties of up to 10% of annual turnover if they breach the new Consumer Protection Act (CPA). Read more »

Toyota gets Interbrand’s “green” nod

Toyota, 3M and Siemens lead Interbrand’s new global report, “Best Global Green Brands.” In its first global report to focus exclusively on green, the brand consultancy combines public perception of environmental sustainability with a demonstration of that performance based on publicly available information and data. Read more »

Net#work up and running

There was a time when some thought Johannesburg advertising agency Net#work BBDO MD had lost its “mojo”. After a period in which the agency consistently turned out award-winning campaigns, the decision by founders Keith Shipley and Mike Schalit to base themselves in Cape Town raised questions about the agency’s ability to prosper without them. Read more »

Dead but still breathing

Who says print is dead or that TV is approaching its sell-by date as an advertising medium? A new study on behalf of media agency Carat SA suggests both retain a strong influence on consumer decisions. Read more »

New rules pack a punch

Imminent changes to the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics & Disinfectants Act will heap millions of extra rand on the packaging and branding costs of retail manufacturers. Read more »

All for one

Clients can no longer enjoy the company of Angel Jones and Nina Morris. As part of a strategy revamp of their 10-year-old advertising agency, the pair have shortened its name. Instead of morrisjones&co, it’s now simply morrisjones. Read more »

Loeries finalists named

The full list of finalists for the Loerie Awards has been announced. Winners will be announced at the Loeries Festival in Cape Town on September 17-18. For the names of all finalists, go to the Loeries website – www.theloerieawards.co.za.

Car branding “heavies” join forces on Geely

The local distributor of Chinese car brand Geely has signed up M&C Saatchi Abel as its advertising agency. Chinese brands have so far failed to make a significant impact on the SA car market but this deal brings together two of the most experienced names in local automotive marketing. Read more »

Speaking in tongues

The use of indigenous SA languages in advertising is increasing but there is still some way to go before these languages are used in the advertising of premium brands. Read more »

Mbnga named No 2 at Saatchi

Eighteen years after first joining the group from university as a copywriter, Ayanda Mbanga has been appointed group deputy CEO at Saatchi & Saatchi. CEO Gail Curtis says Mbanga will be responsible for new business development, talent management and group client relations. Read more »

Reddy, steady, go at marcusbrewster

Veteran TV newscaster and corporate communications specialist San Reddy is the new MD of PR firm marcusbrewster. Reddy, who will take up his post on August 1, was formerly communications manager for corporate and regulatory affairs at British American Tobacco. Read more »

All abuzz about digital

Digital advertising is expected to grow exponentially this year as marketers begin to appreciate the strength of online media. Read more »

The Loerie barometer

Growing optimism over the outlook for the advertising industry is reflected in the higher number of entries for the industry’s Loerie awards this year. Read more »

Nedbank goes for entry level market in new campaign

July, which is National Savings Month, saw the launch of the Nedbank ‘Ke Yona’ marketing campaign, aimed at the entry level banking market, building on the success of the recently held Nedbank Cup.

Read more »

DDB SA bridges the divide

DDB SA and its digital affiliate agency, Tribal DDB, are merging to form a single, multi-disciplinary, creative and strategic agency. By so doing, they hope to bridge the “digital divide” that has forced many clients to separate traditional communications from new-media strategies. Read more »

Getting the advertising show on the road

Advertising clutter is driving media planners and advertisers to look for fresh ideas to give their campaigns extra mileage. One of these is mobile TV. Read more »

Carat is no longer the outsider

Quinton Jones may need to  change his marketing strategy at Carat, the media strategy agency of which he is MD. Carat, he says, owes much of its growth to “stealth” and to being “unknown”. When it comes to pitching for new business, “we like to be the outsider”. Read more »

Pepsi hijacks Coke’s Santa

Pepsi Cola has struck at the heart of Coca Cola’s advertising in the US by hijacking Santa Claus. Santa has been one of Coke’s advertising symbols since 1931 and its advertising has been credited with fixing his image as a jolly, bearded, fat man in a red-and-white suit.

But in its latest US campaign, Pepsi shows Santa wearing a red Hawaiian shirt and dancing on the beach. When he goes to the soft-drinks stall for a cold drink, the attendant has two Cokes ready. But Santa shakes his head and says “Make it Pepsi.” The surprised attendant says “But Mr Claus, I thought you had a deal with … you know.” To which Santa replies: “I’m on vacation. Gonna have a little fun!”

Mobile operators push new advertising model

By Larry Claasen

The rise of the mobile Internet could change the Internet advertising model. This, at least, is the hope of mobile phone operators. Read more »

Cannes grand prix for Net#work

South Africa is king of the 2011 radio castle at Cannes after Net#work BBDO won a radio grand prix for its Mercedes-Benz accident avoidance campaign, as well as two golds – one for the Merc campaign and the other for Benzac acne treatment.. There were also radio Lions for Lowe Bull Cape Town, Grey SA, DDB SA and FoxP2. Read more »

Journalist succeeds Anderson at Magna Carta

Former Avusa public editor Thabo Leshilo made a career leap this week when he took the top job at one of SA’s biggest PR agencies. He replaces Magna Carta’s founding MD Michele Anderson, who left SA for the US last week to join  communications group Ketchum.

Read more »

Materialism starts young

In spite of high levels of  unemployment among the young, spending decisions in SA households are driven largely by this often overlooked  sector. Read more »

RAB(bit) out of the hat

After less than a month at the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), GM Gilda de Araujo feels ready to start the ambitious task of revitalising the  radio advertising industry. Read more »

Gautrain campaign snares international transport prize

An SA marketing campaign has taken top honours in the first international awards dedicated to the air-rail market. Read more »

Apex judges play hardball

No grands prix, no golds. The Apex awards for effective advertising, organised by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), doesn’t give its awards lightly. How tough its standards are, became clear at the 2011 awards on June 2, when a record number of agencies submitted a record number of entries but no one got the top awards. Read more »

brandhouse Responsible Drinking Awards winners

News Desk

The winners of the 2011 brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards were announced at a cocktail reception ceremony at the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg on Wednesday (1 June) evening. Read more »

IMC calls for support

News Desk

The International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC) held the first of nine provincial summits this week in an effort to raise support for Brand South Africa, which the council is responsible for.  Read more »

New CEO for Primedia Sport

News Desk

Primedia Sport, the holding company of five subsidiary brands active in sponsorship, entertainment and sport marketing, today announced two appointments; Lyndon Barends as Group CEO, effective 1 July 2011 and Suren Maharaj (CA) as CFO, effective immediately.

Read more »

Counting Costs

The challenge of balancing effectiveness and creativity in advertising is probably as old as the industry itself. It has always been the case that advertising that is successful may not be creative, and that a creative campaign may not be successful.

Read more »

Youth sets the tone on cool brands

If it wasn’t for the front row full of screaming children it would be almost impossible to recoginse Sunday Times’ Generation Next Award show as one dedicated to children.

The coolest brands chosen by 7000 South Africans aged 8-22 yrs for seventh edition of the awards featured banks, mobile operators and newspaper brands.

Read more »

Cape of Gold Hope at Clios

Cape Town agencies FoxP2 and Ogilvy Cape Town were the big SA winners at the Clios advertising festival, while Ogilvy Johannesburg and The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town collected the main plaudits at The One Show. Read more »

Ubuntu Award recognises the good in brands

Entries are open for the Loeries Ubuntu Award, which recognises the positive influence of brands on the social and physical environment.  All submissions should be received by the extended Loeries entry deadline, May 31. Read more »

Change of name for Brewster

Public relations agency Marcus Brewster Publicity has changed its name to marcusbrewster. Chairman and founder Brewster says: “Our old name had become a misnomer in terms of our service offering. Additionally, we want to signal new opportunities and directions for the business.” Read more »

Kit Kat gets the breaks at OH! awards

Nestlé won the overall award, as well as the street-furniture category prize, for its Kit Kat “bench” advert at the annual OH! Awards in Johannesburg on May 19. The MediaShop (Johannesburg) won the inaugural award for best media agency. Read more »

How branding defines beer market

When SABMiller bought into the  Peru market a few years ago, it inherited a local beer produced only in the small city of Arequipa, high in the country’s mountains.

Read more »

morrisjones&co Mugging up on history

Legend has it that the original Mugg & Bean partnership began in the US after two men who had fought on opposing sides in the American Civil War met up in San Francisco years later and realised they had much in common. Mugg & Bean General Merchants was born. Read more »

Don’t be a beastly drunk-driver

Do you turn into a bad-tempered gorilla, an amorous rabbit or some other beast when you’ve had too much to drink? Whichever it is, Good Fellas, a members-only chauffeur service, will get you home safely in your own car. Read more »

No half-measures for Boschetto at Draftfcb

Laurence Boschetto doesn’t do things by halves. Last year the president and CEO of the global Draftfcb advertising and communications group told the SA subsidiary he wanted it to double in size within three years. That would be a tall order for a small, up-and-coming agency. But for a group that is already among SA’s biggest, it’s a big ask. Read more »

Loeries entry deadline extended

The entry deadline for the 33rd Annual Loerie Awards has been extended until May 31. But there will be a 5% entry-fee surcharge for entries submitted after the original deadline of May 13. Loeries CEO Andrew Human says no further extensions will be given. Read more »

Apple at bay keeps the opposition away

Registering an 84% increase in value over the past year, Apple has emerged as the most valuable brand in the world, ending the four-year reign of Google. The sixth annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study shows that Apple, as calculated by Millward Brown Optimor, has increased in value by 859% since 2006 and now stands at $153,3bn. Read more »

The Strawberry that turned into a Zoo

For an agency whose success depends on raising the visibility of its clients, Studio Zoo seems remarkably unconcerned about its own.  There are no nameplates or identifying signs outside the Randburg, Johannesburg headquarters and the company’s website has been down for some time, pending relaunch. Read more »

Hunts tops creative table

To no one’s surprise, the Creative Circle has confirmed that TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris was the top-ranked SA advertising agency on its 2010 creative table. Thanks mainly to the phenomenal success of its Trillion Dollar Campaign on behalf of The Zimbabwean newspaper, Hunts pushed Ogilvy into second place, with the rest of the industry some way back. Read more »

Apex tickets still available

The Apex awards for effective advertising will be presented on June 2 at a new venue: St Stithian’s College, in Randburg. Tony Wright, of Lowe Worldwide, will deliver the keynote address. Read more »

Time for innovation, says new Grey head

A seven-year absence from advertising hasn’t dulled Sizakele Marutlulle’s keen sense of the industry. Less than three months into her new job, the new CEO of Grey SA is already ready talking of innovations at the agency as well as in the broader industry.

Read more »

Hunt is on for new Steer burger

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg has launched its new “Hoohah” campaign for Steers, introducing the new signature range of King Steer burgers. The campaign, which includes TV, digital, radio instore and tactical elements, kicked off on April 19 with a new TV commercial giving consumers their first peek at the new Steers branding. Read more »

Loeries bookings open

Bookings have opened for the Loeries festival Weekend in Cape Town on September 16-18. Tickets can be booked through the Loeries website – www.theloerieawards.co.za – which has details of prices and seating. Read more »

Confused rules hinder outdoor advertising

The legal tangle associated with traditional outdoor marketing is driving companies to seek new ways to inhabit the public advertising space. Read more »

New agency Abel to smile after tough start

If Mike Abel thought 20  years of successful advertising relationships would persuade former clients to beat a path to his door when he returned to SA last year, he was sorely disappointed. Read more »

Renee Silverstone quits Jupiter

After weeks of denial, The Jupiter Drawing ROom has confirmed what many people in the advertising industry knew was imminent: Renee Silverstone is leaving The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg. The founding partner and CEO, who has been at the agency since 1989, leaves on March 31. Read more »

Interbrand, Black merger “gives critical mass”

South African branding and design group Interbrand Sampson (IS) has merged with local competitor Black in a move chairman Jeremy Sampson says will have major benefits for the enlarged business in the rest of Africa.

Read more »

Fox leads the hunt at Ad of the Year

Cape Town agency FoxP2 was the only two-time winner at the Creative Circle 2010 Ad of the Year awards on March 24. It snapped up first place in the magazine category with its “Aliens” campaign on behalf of National Geographic Kids Magazine, then teamed up with Gloo Digital Design to win the inaugural Digital award for Brandhouse’s viral “Drive Dry” campaign warning of the dangers of drinking and driving. Read more »

Kulula campaign wins top Prism for Atmosphere

Atmosphere Communications scooped overall gold but Ogilvy PR Cape Town and Marcus Brewster Publicity were among other agencies with multiple reasons to cheer at the Prism PR awards in Cape Town on March 24. Read more »

PR seeks to raise the bar

The public relations (PR) industry is working to improve the quality of what it offers, as it expects spending on its services to increase.

Read more »

Welch named to head Y&R

UK branding specialist Andrew Welch  has been appointed CEO of communications group Young & Rubicam (Y&R) Brands SA. He will take over on May 2 — almost six months to the day after his predecessor, Fraser Lamb, suddenly quit.

Read more »

Draft, Zoo have that best-liked feeling

Draftfcb and local production house Studio Zoo had most to smile about following release of the Millward Brown rankings for the best-liked TV commercials in SA during 2010. Read more »

Air of uncertainty for traditional radio

Lack of innovation in  the commercial radio market is leading to stagnation and a gradual loss of market share to new technologies and channels. Read more »

The Nest best thing

Gareth Lessing and Niki Cinnamon, formerly of DDB SA, have set up their own ad agency, The Nest. Lessing, rated one of SA’s top 10 creative talents, has also previously worked for TBWA Hunt Lascaris and Lowe Bull. Awards to which he has contributed include a Cannes grand prix and five golds, two gold Clios, a gold pencil, black eagle, 10 gold eagles, three Loerie grands prix and a gold Apex. Read more »

Design’s time has come

It’s no coincidence that some  of the best-looking websites and office spaces belong to communications agencies. What might have been considered excessive self-indulgence in the past has now become a crucial element in keeping clients and staff happy.

Read more »

Groovin gets the ANC’s election vote

The African National Congress (ANC) has appointed Blueprint Strategic Marketing Communications to handle all its advertising and communications for the 2011 local government elections campaign. The party says Blueprint – chaired by Groovin Nchabeleng – was selected after a three-month pitch process involving eight other agencies.

ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu says Blueprint was chosen after it “unequivocally demonstrated its insight into the ANC brand, its target audiences and its revolutionary and important leadership role in our society and the world in general”.

2011 in Advertising

Traditional advertising will be fighting to stay relevant this year as technology and sceptical advertisers put pressure on the industry.

Advertising executives are predicting fundamental changes following the recession and the emergence of ubiquitous social networking portals.

Read more »

aquaonline and Wunderman join forces

Digital agency, aquaonline and Wunderman, a specialist in CRM/direct marketing have joined this month to form a new truly integrated digital, direct agency.  Read more »

Botha gets that “Mbeki” feeling

The Media Shop’s new MD seems unfazed by the enormous task awaiting him this year. At 33, Chris Botha feels ready to take over from Harry Herber, who will move into a strategic role. Read more »

Nunu named to global Ogilvy board

Ogilvy SA CEO Nunu Ntshingila has been appointed to the board of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, as the sole African representative among 30 international advertising and marketing executives.

Read more »

Apex 2011 entries open

Entries have opened for the 2011 Apex awards for effective advertising. Members of the Association for Communication and Advertising, (ACA), which organises Apex, have until February 14 – Valentine’s Day – to submit their entries. Read more »

Hollard campaign goes national

Hollard’s “We Get You” billboard campaign, which started as a Gauteng-only strategy, has gone national. The insurer has also added a radio element. Read more »

Sponsors ditch sport for music

The rising cost of sports sponsorship is forcing big brand marketers to turn elsewhere to promote their brands.

Read more »

Harry gives way to Chris

Harry Herber, long-time group MD at The MediaShop, will move “upstairs” on January 1 to undertake a more strategic role at the media agency. As a result, Johannesburg joint MD Chris Botha will move up to group MD, while Virginina Hollis will remain MD of the main Johannesburg operation. Read more »

A brighter shade of Grey

Visitors to the global Grey Group website are met by a banner proudly proclaiming that the advertising and marketing group has been “famously effective since 1917”. Some might call that wishful thinking. There’s no disputing Grey’s longevity. But famously effective for all its 93 years? Read more »

Sampson wins AdFocus Lifetime Achievement plaudit

Jeremy Sampson won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the FM AdFocus awards on November 24. It was reward for decades of leadership in SA’s branding and design sector, and marked the first time the award has been won by someone outside the advertising mainstream. Read more »

New WPP posting for Lamb?

Young & Rubicam Brands SA chairman  Yossi Schwartz says he hopes to find a position within the parent group for former CEO Fraser Lamb, who quit unexpectedly on November 4. Read more »

M-Net Vuka! semi-finalists named

Organisers of the M-Net Vuka! awards for social and charity TV commercials have announced their semi-finalists for the 2010 awards, which will be presented at the Theatre On The Track, Kyalami, on November 30. The semi-finalists will be flighted free on M-Net and certain DStv channels. Read more »

Lesoba looks sharp at Assegais

Lesoba Difference was the big winner at the Direct Marketing Association of SA’s Assegai Awards on November 10. In addition to a series of gold awards, the agency was also named supplier of the year. Read more »

Claire to head Jupiter CT

Claire Cobbledick has been appointed MD of The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town. Long-time MD Kevan Aspoas becomes CEO. Cobbledick first joined the agency as an account executive over 13 years ago. She returned in 2005 as head of strategy. She has worked in agencies in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and had a spell in marketing as national brand manager for Red Bull. “Her extensive knowledge of the communications industry and the agency’s inner workings make her the most fitting person to lead the agency into the future,” says Aspoas.
Read more »

“Selinah” wins London grand prix

Ogilvy Johannesburg has won the TV grand prix at the 25th London International Awards for its “Selinah” commercial highlighting the effectiveness of HIV/Aids anti-retrovirals. Read more »

Fraser Lamb quits Y&R

Fraser Lamb has resigned as CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands SA after three years in charge. Staff say Lamb, who cites personal reasons for his decision, left the company on Thursday November 4. Read more »

Public approval at Pendorings

Joe Public led the way at the Pendoring Afrikaans advertising awards on October 29, with a haul of four gold and three silver awards. Three golds were for its work on last year’s Pendorings – a poster campaign, Advent calendar and mixed-media, below-the-line campaign. There was also gold for its “Hannelie, Melanie, Bettie” campaign on behalf of kalahari.net.

Read more »

Euro RSCG lands top Eagle

Euro RSCG snared top prize – a Black Eagle – at the Eagles print advertising awards on October 27. The agency won black and gold for different aspects of its Jelly Camera campaign, which had previously won a print bronze at the Loeries. Read more »

SA agencies shine at Midas in New York

SA agencies and studios won six gold ingots at the 2010 Midas Awards, the international competition  for financial services communications. The Jupiter Drawing Room SA received more awards than any other agency at the New York event. Read more »

Bouwer’s creative thinking for TBWA

New TBWA Group CEO Derek Bouwer has the task of decreasing the dominance of advertising in the group without sacrificing creativity. The group gets 60% of its revenue from advertising and the balance from other marketing services. This split will reverse over the next five years. Read more »

A new digital beast stirs

The rapid escalation in online advertising has seen the emergence of several large digital agencies in SA, with the newest contender claiming to be the biggest. Read more »

Ear today, gone tomorrow

By Carol Paton

Radio listeners are voting with their dials and switching off the SABC’s current affairs programmes. Read more »

Cell C must drop “ambiguous” campaign

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered mobile phone operator Cell C to withdraw its “ambiguous” 4GS advertising campaign. Read more »

Advertising discounts hole SABC

By Carol Paton

The SABC’s annual results show a business that has got deeper into trouble over the past year. On the face of it, things don’t look so bad: compared with last year, losses were halved to R486m and operating costs cut by R451m.

Read more »

No half measures for Cadbury

UK-based confectioner Cadbury has  done away with its “glass and a half full” advertising slogan, following what it says was pressure from European regulators. The slogan, first used in 1928, has earned millions in brand value over the years, helping the group generate £5,8bn in revenue annually.

Read more »

Draftfcb CT snares Engen account

Draftfcb Cape Town has won the above-the-line advertising account for local oil major Engen. The account, thought to be worth about R60m annually in billings, had been held for 15 years by Saatchi & Saatchi Cape Town. Read more »

Loeries’ cup runneth over

The glory of the 2010 Fifa World Cup was triumphantly recalled at the Loerie Awards in Cape Town at the weekend when two of the four Grands Prixs awarded were soccer-related. Experiential agency VWV claimed the top prize in the Live Events category for the the World Cup closing ceremony, and architectural firm Boogterman & Partners matched it in the Architecture and Interior Design category for its work on the National Stadium. Click here for all the winners Read more »

Not-so-friendly competition

Paarl Media, a subsidiary of  Naspers, is making an aggressive play for Caxton’s lucrative retail advertising revenue stream with a new product, Shopper’s Friend. Read more »

Coke brand value leads the way

Coca-Cola, at US$70,54bn, is rated the world’s most valuable brand in the 2010 version of Best Global Brands. The report, by international branding agency Interbrand, adds 2% to Coke’s 2009 value. With 11m fans on Facebook and over 96000 followers on Twitter in August 2010, the soft-drinks brand continues to set an example to the rest of the market.

Read more »

Musical chairs at Classic FM

By David Williams

The music has played on,  but behind the scenes at Johannesburg-based Classic FM radio station there have been substantial changes, with more to come.
Read more »

Investors quit not-so-Super 5

Investors in Super 5 Media  (formerly Telkom Media) are bailing out of the ailing pay TV operator amid rumours that the business is under liquidation.
Read more »

Government ads flood raises questions

During the recent public service strike, government departments placed advertisements in newspapers at huge cost to taxpayers, raising concerns that their communicators were going unheard.

Read more »

Entries open for Bookmarks digital awards

Entries have opened for The Bookmarks, SA’s annual digital media and marketing awards. The Bookmarks – endorsed by the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA) – will offer awards in 43 categories. That’s nearly three times the 15 on offer in 2009. Read more »

Seeds not taking root

The AAA School of Advertising is taking 42000 matriculants to 14 Ster-Kinekor cinemas over the next three months for a presentation on opportunities in advertising.

Read more »

Interbrand helps Kenya image

Interbrand Sampson East Africa has been commissioned to develop a brand masterplan for Kenya. The agency is required to develop a brand strategy that will positively position the country in general, as well as key sectors such as agriculture, culture and goods & services. Read more »

Let the show begin

SA’s film industry is starting to gain traction, with an increase in the number of projects taking shape this year compared to recent years. Danie Bester, producer of the upcoming Afrikaans film Bakgat 2, says government incentives are fuelling the rapid growth of the industry. Read more »

No more average Joe

The danger of being a small advertising agency with a big client is that the latter will dominate your business. The history of advertising is littered with examples of agencies forced to lay off most of their staff after losing a mega-client. Read more »

Digital threesome go native

Three SA online agencies plan to merge into what they describe as Africa’s largest full-service digital agency. On October 1, Cambrient, Stonewall+ and Brandsh will merge to launch Native. Read more »

“Y we R suddenly winning”

The sudden rise to creative  glory by advertising agency Young and Rubicam (Y&R) SA is no one-hit wonder, insists group CEO Fraser Lamb. Though he admits he is surprised at the pace of the turnaround, he says it is the result of a long-term plan that will keep Y&R near the top of the creative tree. Read more »

SABC ad rates: promises, promises

A recent meeting between the SABC and advertisers has yielded more promises than results following a three-year dispute over TV advertising rates. Advertising industry executives met the national broadcaster last week  to address what they felt were excessively high rates.
Read more »

AdFocus jury adds more muscle

 We’ve added three more top names to the jury that will judge this year’s AdFocus awards. Serame Taukobong, chief marketing officer at MTN, brings with him years of marketing experience not just at MTN, but also at SA Breweries and MNet. On the creative side, we are joined by Damon Stapleton, executive creative director at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, and his counterpart at MetropolitanRepublic, Peter Khoury. Peter replaces his agency’s founder and chief creative officer, Paul Warner. Read more »

Ostrich carries Cadbury hopes

Most advertisements are produced with high  expectations but few have as much to live up to as Cadbury’s latest 90sec TV commercial, called “Ostrich”. It’s a follow-up to the hugely successful Dairy Milk “Gorilla” campaign. The ad, produced in the UK over three years ago, featured a lifelike gorilla playing drums to the Phil Collins song “In the Air Tonight”.  Read more »

Saatchi, Engen part ways

Saatchi & Saatchi Cape Town has declined an invitation to participate in the mandatory three-year procurement tender for the Engen advertising account. Read more »

Zweli, Tammy join AdFocus team

For those of you who hadn’t noticed yet, the Financial Mail has a new, full-time writer on media, advertising and communications. Zweli Mokgata joined us this month from Business Times, where he was a senior reporter. Zweli will be writing for the weekly FM magazine, for this website and for the AdFocus annual, which will be published in November. You can contact him on 011-280-5969, or mokgataz@fm.co.za.

Tammy Brown – or Tammy Pather, as you knew her last year – has rejoined AdFocus as administrative assistant for the 2010 AdFocus annual. Her phone number is 011-280-5881, and e-mail fmadfocus@fm.co.za.

Direct line to Assegai Awards

Entries have opened for the 2010 Assegai Awards for direct marketing. Deadline for entries is September 24 and awards will be presented on November 10. Read more »

Keeping patriotism alive

By Zweli Mokgata

SA’s post-World Cup depression won’t be felt as acutely as in other former host countries, thanks to the Keep the Flag Flying media campaign. Read more »

Ubuntu Award attracts strong entry

Twenty-seven companies and organisations have entered for the inaugural Loeries Ubuntu Award, which recognises the positive influence of brands on SA’s social and physical environment. Read more »

Casting the social responsibility Net wider

Advertising agency group Net#work BBDO hopes competitors will support its new venture, to create a non profit agency dedicated to socially responsible marketing projects. Read more »

Advertising survives Unilever SA cuts

By Sharda Naidoo
Unilever SA chair Gail Klintworth saw the recession coming . In January 2007, she took a knife to the Anglo-Dutch group’s local operations . Read more »

Chillibush wins IDC account.

Johannesburg agency Chillibush has won the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) advertising  account, confirms founding director Dale Hefer. The account is worth an estimated R20m annually. The IDC says about 100 agencies expressed interest and 37 pitched. Chillibush, founded in 1998, takes over the account from fellow Jo’burg agency Ebony+Ivory. The account was previously held by Draftfcb.

When experience counts

Whether it’s creating an African experience for 1,5bn international TV viewers or recreating foreign city centres in downtown Johannesburg for a few hundred local guests, experiential marketing has come of age in SA, says VWV agency MD Abey Mokgwatsane.

Read more »

Topsy tops for Ogilvy

Selinah, the Aids patient filmed in a TV advertisement being rescued from the brink of death through the use of antiretrovirals, is not the only one to benefit from her remarkable experience. Read more »

Publicis consolidates in SA

The French-based Publicis media and communications group has restructured its SA operations under the banner of MMS Communications. The new structure will include media agencies Starcom, MediaVest and ZenithOptimedia, plus MS&L, Leo Burnett and Publicis advertising. Read more »

Ogilvy, Y&R, Hunts win Cannes gold

Ogilvy Johannesburg, Young & Rubicam (Y&R) SA and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg led the SA charge at the 2010 Cannes international advertising festival. Ogilvy’s Gold Lion for its Aids awareness campaign on behalf of the Topsy Foundation was one of only three film awards for SA agencies. It was SA’s first film gold for 11 years. Read more »

Winning mentalities

When you’ve been gathering  awards for years, it’s easy to say they don’t matter. When there’s nothing in the trophy cupboard, they mean everything. Read more »

Dogged Blatter takes up kulula offer

Sepp Blatter, a young Boston Terrier from Cape Town, will receive free flights from budget airline kulula until July following an offer to fly Fifa’s president of the same name, around SA.

Read more »

No camouflaging JWT’s ambition

It’s called a hidey-cover-thingy-majingy, it camouflages ice-cream, and advertising agency JWT thinks it could be a big hit. Read more »

Pendoring entries open

There’s more than prestige and a trophy awaiting the big winner at this year’s Pendoring awards for Afrikaans advertising. The recipient of the overall prize will also win R2,5m in free advertising space and airtime.

Read more »

Paws for applause

The SA-produced, 3D version of Jock of the Bushveld has made a successful international debut at a leading animated film festival, says Andy Rice, who is handling the film’s marketing. Read more »

New Loerie rewards social and environmental programmes

Companies whose activities contribute to social and environmental change in SA — either in the course of their business or through corporate social responsibility programmes — can now win a Loerie award for their efforts. Read more »

Creative Circle launches digital awards

The Creative Circle is to launch a quarterly digital awards series, in association with the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA). Read more »

The past is past, says D’Oliveira

The time for excuses is over, says Net#work BBDO Cape Town MD Eric d’Oliveira. Just over two years after he took over what was then called simply BBDO, he says the agency must look forward and stop blaming the past.
Read more »

Why agencies must resist lazy marketers

Marketers must stop “sucking the life” from their agencies and instead provide them with the direction and freedom they require to provide great advertising, Geoff Whyte, Africa and Middle East commercial director of Cadbury, told the Apex effective advertising awards in his keynote speech. Read more »

Ogilvy top of the pops at Apex

Ogilvy Johannesburg was the big winner at the Apex effective advertising awards at the Vodadome, in Midrand, on May 27. Read more »

SA agencies win more Clios

Another grand prix and gold for TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris for its Million Dollar Campaign on behalf of the Zimbabwean newspaper; another gold for Net#work BBDO’s Virgin Atlantic radio work; gold for Y&R SA’s Unicef Toy Soldiers; and recognition for Joe Public, Draftfcb Johannesburg and Ogilvy Johannesburg.

Read more »

Change of identity for digital body

The Online Publishing Association has changed its name, to the Digital Media and Marketing Association. Read more »

King of the Cape castle

King James’ decision to centralise above-the-line advertising in Cape Town is driven by the US industry model in which group creative development and strategy are routinely sourced from one base, says group MD James Barty. “It’s a smarter way of working”.

Read more »

The grand-daddy of agencies

A new consumer insights agency, Let’s Eat Grandpa – no, that’s not a misprint – has been launched as a division of the Hello World advertising agency. Read more »

Lead in SA pencils at One Show

Y&R SA won two Silver Pencils and one Bronze at last week’s 35th Annual One Show advertising awards in New York – an important step towards the creative turnaround promised by group CEO Fraser Lamb and chief creative officer Mick Blore. Read more »

Is SA’s history being forgotten?

What do you do about a celebrity-obsessed generation that’s forgetting its history? Read more »

Squirrel takes the honours

Taste is unpredictable. When I was shown the new Halls “Squirrel” commercial at Ogilvy Cape Town recently, I got the impression MD Gavin Levinsohn and creative director Chris Gotz half-expected me not to like it. Read more »

Soccer red card for advertising

By Sharda Naidoo

As the nation prepares for the soccer World Cup kickoff in less than a month, some big companies have blown the whistle on advertising spending. Read more »

Loeries introduces official rankings

The Loeries, SA’s annual creative advertising awards, are to introduce an official ranking of winners, to avoid the different and confusing claims of the past. Read more »

Morley back in the saddle

Former Draftfcb SA group MD  Godfrey Morley is returning to the advertising group to run its restructured Cape Town agency. He will take over on June 1 from Brian Stockdale, who is leaving after 10 years to launch an independent marketing company with friends. Read more »

Ogilvy CT on the rebound

International work for Castrol and  Schweppes, plus  significant local account gains, have turned around the fortunes around of advertising agency Ogilvy Cape Town, which appeared to be on a downward spiral 18 months ago following the loss of several major clients. Read more »

Retsol cuts to the Quick

Franchise and management investment company Retsol Stores has signed with Engen for its Corner Bakery brand to become the exclusive bakery franchise in Engen Quick Shop outlets in SA.  There are over 530 Quick Shops, of which about 250 have unbranded bakeries and pie shops. The rest are Corner Bakery/Snack Zone outlets. Read more »

Flying fish land Garlick award

Ogilvy Johannesburg has won the overall 2010 Roger Garlick Award for media innovation, for its Flying Fish campaign on behalf of Greenpeace. The campaign, developed by Mike Martin, ran in the build-up to last year’s climate change conference in Copenhagen. Read more »

A call to (dis) arms

Advertising agency Y&R Cape Town has published an open letter to President Jacob Zuma on the issue of “struggle” songs. The letter, on behalf of Art SA, Gun Free SA and the people of SA, wants the songs turned into a call to disarm. Read more »

Ogilvy’s breath of fresh air

You love your garlic. You love your onions. But there comes a time when you need to leave them – or, rather, their aroma – behind. That’s where Clorets comes in, according to the new commercial from Ogilvy Cape Town. Read more »

IDC account up for grabs

Thirty-seven agencies have pitched for the Industrial Development Corp (IDC) advertising account. The account is currently held by Ebony & Ivory, a small, independent Johannesburg agency headed by Paul Middleton. Read more »

Quote of the day/week/year/century

I know it’s nothing to do with advertising, but the following quote deserves to be read by everyone. It comes from the London Daily Telegraph, as an example of how not to lose gracefully at sport. Read more »

Marketers’ food for thought

New draft regulations on food labelling will change the way food products are marketed and advertised, says Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) adviser Piet Delport. Read more »

Jupiter makes the grade

The Jupiter Drawing Room is among agencies featured in the 2010 edition of “The World’s Leading Independent Agencies”, published by Thenetworkone in association with Campaign magazine in London, and launched this week. Read more »

Not black enough, says ACA

 Better but not good enough. That’s the empowerment message coming out of the latest annual employment survey by the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA). Read more »

Seven in line for Garlick awards

 Seven campaigns have made it to the final shortlist for this year’s Roger Garlick Awards. The awards were launched in 1999 to recognise innovation and outstanding performance in media strategy. Read more »

Publicis wants SA control

Publicis Group, the Paris-based media and communications giant, wants a majority stake in its SA Starcom MediaVest media subsidiary. Read more »

Joe Public’s fishy tales

A tropical fish called Doug is the star of a new TV and in-store advertising campaign by Joe Public for seafood restaurant franchise Ocean Basket. With his pals Bernie the salmon and Frank the hake, Frank inhabits a seaworld that is also home to a gang of Lebanese prawns. Read more »

Loeries category split

Loerie advertising awards organisers have split one of the categories for this year’s awards. Adi Leech, head of the judging panel for the TV Promotion, Video and Live Events category says TV Identity and Content Promos has become two separate categories: TV Channel Branding & Identity, which uses originally produced or shot materials; and TV Content & Station Promos, using existing content from shows being promoted. Read more »

Ogilvy, Atmosphere shine at Prisms

Ogilvy PR Cape Town won overall Gold at the annual Prism awards of the Public Relations Institute of SA (Prisa) on March 31, for its Goodbye Citi campaign bidding farewell to the iconic VW CitiGolf after more than 30 years of sales in SA. It also won gold in the NGO category for its campaign highlighting Violence against women. Read more »

No boundaries for Loeries

Loeries advertising awards organisers are anxious to increase the number of entries this year from Africa and the Middle East. Awards CEO Andrew Human says: “Work produced in these regions is eligible for entry into the Loeries. However, in previous years we have predominantly received entries from within SA. The main reason is the misconception that the awards are open only to work produced by SA companies. We want to change these perceptions by communicating our goal – to recognise, reward and foster creative excellence – to the entire region.” Read more »

Adspend rising

It may have been a recession but 2009 saw a surprise increase in advertising spendng over previous years, according It may have been a recession but 2009 saw a surprise increase in advertising spendng over previous years, according to figures from The MediaShop. As the tables show, adspend rose 25% in 2007, 11% in 2008 and 6% in 2009. There has been a shift in adspend away from print, radio, cinema and outdoor, towards TV, direct mail and Internet. And the total number of ads last year rose to over 6m.

Tromp blitzes Publicis

Publicis Worldwide has named Kevin Tromp to succeed Francis Blitz as head of its SA advertising subsidiary. Blitz is retiring after 20 years in charge. His title of chairman falls away and Tromp becomes CEO. Marc Spriestersbach remains MD. Read more »

Little hope for Net#work

Could Verne Troyer – the 0,81 m actor who played Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies – really be the next big thing? Mike Schalit and Rob McLennan, of the Net#work BBDO advertising agency, believe so. Read more »

Sport sponsorship – Just wide of the posts

By Thebe Mabanga

Media and marketing group Primedia appears to have lost interest in its 40% shareholding in Kaizer Chiefs. The company is publishing no value for the stake and has relegated the investment to its corporate social investment, rather than reflecting it as a financial investment. Read more »

Waggener wheels into SA

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, one of the world’s largest independent public relations and communications agencies, has appointed Marcus Sorour to head its first SA operation, which opened for business on March 1. Read more »

Tribute to Robyn Putter from Ogilvy

By Rob Hill, Group Managing Partner Ogilvy South Africa
Cape Town, March 1, 2010 – It is with deep regret and much sadness that Ogilvy announces the passing away of Robyn Putter, former Ogilvy South Africa CEO and Ogilvy Worldwide Board Director. Read more »

For the love of the game

Relative newcomer Ninety9cents is proving that it’s more than just a retail specialist agency.
Launched a year and a half ago by Berry Bush (now BBDO Cape Town) co-founder Lewin de Villiers and ex-Berry Bush creative director Andrew Brand, the agency shook the industry in 2008 when it won the R330m Shoprite account. This was barely a month after its formation. Read more »

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris does it again

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris’s “Trillion Dollar” outdoor campaign designed for The Zimbabwean newspaper has done it again. Read more »

Commercial fishing

You’ve probably heard of horse wranglers – traditionally, American cowboys who take care of saddle-horses. Or even cattle wranglers. But fish wranglers? Read more »

Taxing coup for Y&R

As the SA taxman threatens to tighten the noose around car allowances and to pick on individual taxpayers, one agency has the job of making us love our persecutor. Y&R Johannesburg has won the SA Revenue Service (Sars) communications portfolio account from an original entry of 29 agencies that was whittled down to a shortlist of four. Read more »

Omo’s dirty lesson

In the third film of its campaign to celebrate “Dirt’s biggest lessons”, Lowe Bull Johannesburg and laundry product Omo have created what they describe as a proudly SA picture of community and the power of teamwork. The commercial features a group of children gathering bits and pieces from the streets of Johannesburg. Read more »

Loeries annual out

The 31st Loerie printed annual and DVD set is out. The package contains all the print and electronic versions of work that won 2009 Loerie awards in Cape Town in September. The 313-page annual was designed by MetropolitanRepublic. To order your set for R605 (excl. vat), visit the Loeries online store at www.theloerieawards.co.za . Copies are also available at Biblioteq and selected Exclusive Books stores.

Everything’s changed, says Lowe boss

Marketing and advertising are likely to be changed for ever by recession, says Lowe Worldwide CEO Michael Wall. Having learned thrift when times got tough, marketers don’t want to return to the excesses of the pre-recessionary period. Read more »

Brotherly advice on HIV

Brothers for Life, a men’s campaign that seeks to draw on the supposed spirit of brotherhood among SA men and encourage them to positively influence each other, hopes its new TV campaign will stem the continuing tode is HIV-Aids. Read more »

Brussels support sprouts

SA’s Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has come out in support of Belgian communications agencies taking part in a “virtual” protest against unfair pitch processes. Read more »

Beer is best, says Adtrack

Heineken’s walk-in closet ad, featuring screaming men overcome by the sight of a closet full of beer, was the TV commercial best liked by consumers in 2009, according to the latest Millward Brown Adtrack survey,
At a special awards ceremony marking 25 years of Millward Brown’s Adtrack survey in SA, Draftfcb Johannesburg’s “Glug Glug” TV commercial for Sasol was named best-liked consumer ad in the last 25 years. Read more »

Furnace fully stoked

McCann Worldgroup SA has filled the final places in The Kiln, an enterprise development initiative to support and mentor young communications companies. The last two spots have gone to Bright Space Media and Crushed ICE Marketing Communications. “Both these companies are bringing something fresh and forward-thinking to The Kiln,” says McCann group CEO Reinher Behrens. “Having demonstrated a willingness to take risks and think out of the box, we believe they are uniquely positioned to make an impact in the industry.” Read more »

Apex deadline extension

The deadline for entries to the Apex effective advertising awards has been extended to February 10. However, agencies missing the original February 1 deadline must pay a R750 penalty on top of the R1650 entry fee. Both figures exclude VAT. Read more »

Digital Lab launch for 4332

Creative agency Studio4332 will base its new season of limited-edition products on the global trend towards consumers demanding personalisation of products and services. The collection will be launched on February 25 at 4332’s first Digital Lab, which will provide marketers with an idea of how digital techniques can build brands and solve business problems. Read more »

Cougars rile Kiwis

A promotional commercial that portrays single, middle-aged women as cougars prowling bars looking for sex with young men has landed Air New Zealand in hot water, reports The Sun newspaper in England. Read more »

Marketing strategy hits the spot

Two years on, has Pick n Pay’s R110m gamble – hailed as its biggest rebranding exercise to date – paid off?

To answer this, you will have to look at more than just market share. This is because the issue of who is bigger is hotly contested between Pick n Pay and fellow retail giant Shoprite. Both claim to be market leaders. Read more »

McCann’s new BEE partner

McCann Worldgroup SA has sold its 49% black economic empowerment stake formerly held by Zwelakhe Sisulu, to a consortium that includes Yfm radio station CEO Kanthan Pillay and former government spokesman Stephan Laufer. Read more »

ACA names new board

The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has named its 2010 board of directors. Reinher Behrens, group CE of McCann Worldgroup SA, was re-elected chairman at the ACA’s annual meeting at the beginning of December. Read more »

Executives for sale

What started off as light-hearted fun at media agency Starcom MediaVest Group’s annual year-end bash turned out to be an important earner for the Advertising Benevolent Fund (ABF), which assists financially distressed industry practitioners. In an initiative conceived by Starcom consumer context planner Eve Pennington, the agency held a management auction at its annual party, raising over R600 000 for the ABF. Read more »

Direct benefits

The Direct Marketing Association of SA has opened its doors to individual direct marketers. The organisation has launched the 121Club, which aims to give individual direct marketers access to some of the best minds in the industry. Read more »

Universal seals the deal

Media agency Universal McCann SA has pledged to donate strategic media planning and buying services for the United Nations Environment Programme’s “Seal the Deal” campaign. The campaign seeks to galvanise political will and public support for a fair, balanced and effective climate agreement among governments. Read more »

Checkers signs with Beeb

BBC Worldwide Channels has agreed a 10-week partnership deal with supermarket chain Checkers in SA. Checkers will sponsor BBC Lifestyle’s ‘Full on Food’ programme, featuring popular chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal. Read more »

Image is everything

It’s not who you are that counts in business, but who people think you are, says British entrepreneur BJ Cunningham. Read more »

Check these ads

Ever wonder how SA print ads differ from those in the rest of the world? Have a look at these. (Please note this is a Powerpoint presentation. ) Click for slide show

Read more »

Bookmark winners

Gloo Digital Design was the big winner at this year’s Bookmark Awards for digital publishing and marketing, at an event marked by the absence of gold or grand prix awards. Gloo scored two silvers and three bronzes in the digital marketing category. Read more »

Little heads new consultancy

John Little, the former head of Leo Burnett SA and Ogilvy Johannesburg, has been appointed SA partner of The Observatory International, a London-based consultancy which manages relationships between advertising agencies and their clients. Read more »

Rat ad upsets viewers

Advertising watchdogs in the UK are investigating calls for a ban on a TV commercial that shows a man coughing up a dead rat, reports the London Daily Telegraph. The age-restricted commercial shows a man pulling a huge rodent from his mouth after taking fake medication bought online. Read more »

Chabane wields the axe

Government has purged the board of the International Marketing Council of SA (IMC), the body responsible for developing SA’s international marketing and communications strategy. Read more »

Apex entries open

Entries are open for the 2010 Apec awards for effective advertising. The awards honour campaigns that have had a measurable impact on brands and clients. The objective is to demonstrate a campaign’s commercial worth over and above its creative clout. Read more »

Jupiter names Cullinan

Tom Cullinan has been appointed executive creative director of The Jupiter Drawing Room. Cullinan has won a number of awards, including a Loerie Grand Prix, Cannes Lions, Clio Statues and New York Festivals Medals, He has been a judge for the Loerie Awards and the New York Festivals and was recently responsible for the award winning ‘Chairs vs Champs’ and ‘Bonded by Blonde’ campaigns for Sasol, as well as the successful Inzalo campaign. Read more »

Jupiter soars at Eagles

 The Jupiter Drawing Room Johannesburg secured a rare Black Eagle at the annual awards for SA print advertising on October 28. It scooped the award for its “Famous People” campaign on behalf of CNA. Read more »

Transformation – Media on the MAT

The contentious “T” word – transformation – has reared its head again in the media sector and this time it’s civil society pushing for progress. Read more »

Page Three goes digital

Page Three Media has launched Home Page, an in-house, specialist digital media planning division. MD Anne Dearnaley says: “We see Home Page as an extension of our approach to offer clients integrated solutions that are always client-centric.” Read more »

Caples call for SA duo

South African creatives Glynn Venter and Nina Daniel-Gruber have been invited to judge the 32nd John Caples Awards in New York in November. Venter, executive creative director at Draftfcb Cape Town, has judged direct marketing awards before. He has also been a judge at the Cannes Lions, (France), D&AD (London) and Loeries (South Africa). Read more »

Saatchi names Wittert

Saatchi & Saatchi Johannesburg has appointed Adam Wittert as its new executive creative director. He was previously with Draftfcb for five years, and prior to that spent several years at Lowe Bull and TBWA Gavin Reddy as a senior copywriter. Before that he was a senior copywriter at Ogilvy for six years. Read more »

Vanilla Ice lites up SA

Ogilvy Cape Town has brought in US rap star Vanilla Ice and his 1990s hit song “Ice Ice Baby” to highlight the new extra-cold focus on SAB’s Castle Lite beer. Read more »

Female focus for 34

Brand activation agency thirtyfour has announced the launch of a new division, 34woman. Headed by Judy During, the new division is designed to assist brand owners better understand and access the female market. Read more »

No teazing Caster

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has given the thumbs down to strip club Teazers’ “No need for gender testing” billboard in Johannesburg. It says the billboard is an offence to the dignity of athlete Caster Semenya, and too sexually explicit, reports Sapa. Read more »

Apple bites at Woolies logo

Australian supermarket chain Woolworths says it was being challenged by US-based technology giant Apple over the use of a logo the computer company claims resembles its own, reports Sapa-AFP. “They have lodged an objection but they have not made a case,” Woolworths spokeswoman Clare Buchanan said. Read more »

Buddy, can you spare a ride?

Toyota hopes a brindle boxer named Buddy will win the affection of consumers and warm them further to the top-selling Corolla. In the first of a series of ads which has started flighting, Buddy tries to behave with sophistication and grace to match the refined Corolla . Strategists at ad agency Draftfcb Johannesburg suggest this is the first of many appearances for Buddy. Read more »

Ronaldo scores with Ogilvy

Ogilvy Cape Town has used Portuguese and Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo to create a Castrol Edge commercial about to be flighted around the world.  The commercial, on behalf of BP Lubricants UK, follows the agency’s previous “superstar” catch when it used Oscar winner Charlize Theron for a Sun International ad. Read more »

Capital time for Jacaranda

Jacaranda 94.2 radio has increased its coverage of the capital city to the point that “we can now officially say we own the Pretoria area,” says content & programming head Lloyd Madurai. He says Jacaranda’s Pretoria audience share has jumped from 24% to 34,3% over the last three Rams media research periods. Read more »

The lure of the Loeries

Loerie creative advertising awards MD Andrew Human has a lifelong ambition: to wean young male ad industry personnel out of their jeans. It’s unlikely to happen but he’d like to see them all dressing up to match what is billed as a black-tie event. Read more »

Showing initiative

Recessionary pressures and a loss of trust in traditional sources of information are creating permanent changes in consumer behaviour and forcing companies to rethink the way they market their brands, says a new report. Read more »