The Association of Communications and Advertising (ACA), the self-regulatory body of the South African advertising and communications sector, has imposed severe penalties on MetropolitanRepublic following its disqualification from the Loeries 2013. This includes the suspension, with immediate effect, of its membership of the ACA for a period of twelve months.
Monthly archives: October 2013
Shelf Life: Did KFC miss the global obesity memo?
Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s pick of new product, packaging and design launches this week: Sea Harvest launches a whole new food category in SA; vote for your favourite Russian Bear designer vodka bottle; KFC dispels Hope with this press release; and, as if we didn’t have enough advertising clutter, we now have billboards on top of cabs!
Media Future: Console gaming is having a healthy second career. So is Nintendo.
by Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) Far from mobile gaming killing the console, the fun has just begun as the Nintendo 2DS enters the South African market.
Green Sky Thinking: Movement marketing
by Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) Creating a consumer movement, as opposed to an ad campaign, is not new to the world of marketing but has certainly gained momentum over the past decade. The most obvious reason for this is the growth of social media, but I believe there is more to it than this.
The word ‘campaign’ describes an operation intended to achieve a particular objective. In our industry, this usually means trying to convince a group of people to choose your brand over another. It’s planned, targeted and, most often, involves an element of persuasion.
A ‘movement’ is more organic, albeit equally premeditated. Movements tend to take on a life of their own, and people join a brand movement because of like-mindedness and shared personal values. In other words, you stand for something and people choose to be a part of it; they’re buying into what the brand represents and not just buying the brand.
Ad of the Week: The wealth of Allan Gray’s “Oh Sinner Man”
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Concentration is a challenge for most people. The latest ad from Allan Gray, “Distraction is the Enemy”, is a refreshing departure in style from previous ads from the financial services company and was produced by ad agency KingJames.
Design Annotator: Self(ie) Obsessed
by Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal) This week’s roundup: best places to work from when out-of-office; J&B’s new Made Different TVC with DJ Sbu; Bonolo Moeng and Keith Ngcongo’s StyleTribe SA; freelance designer and illustrator Annika de Korte; Samsung design initiative #AmazeAfrica; Flux Trends Zeitgeist of 2014; “Self(ie) Obsessed” Jade Paton; and Night of 1000 Drawings exhibition.
YouTube Views: How to create a magnetic content strategy
by Jerome Mouton. Your YouTube channel needs the REV factor to stand out and engage your unique audience: Relevant + Entertaining + Valuable.
Tech Law: Digital strategists’ glaring blindspot
by Paul Jacobson (@pauljacobson) Strategy in the digital marketing space fascinates me and what I’ve noticed is that digital marketing strategists have a glaring blindspot — they don’t factor structured legal and compliance risks into their planning and modelling. I imagine there are many reasons for this, which likely include strategists’ ignorance of what these risks are and that they may even find the frameworks designed to address them intimidating or downright inscrutable.
Waytag — the location service that solves real-world business problems
by Herman Manson (@marklives) Waytag aims to solve several modern business problems in one go. For businesses set up in a bricks-and-mortar environment (that would be shops and offices), moving from one premises to another remains a major headache. If you move shop, will waytagyour customers be able to find you? Will they climb onto Google to find you, then onto your website, then navigate to your contact page with your location information, just to climb back onto Google maps to find your new store? Didn’t think so.
Waytag offers a location tag linked to a person, business, object, place or event. You update your Waytag, and clients will be able to find you on a mobile- or PC-friendly map.
It also offers a solution to those mobile warriors setting up office in coffee shop after coffee shop. Clients can now find you wherever your coffee urges take you, if they have permission from you to do so. Since Waytags are owner-managed the location is precise (well, accurate to one metre), much more so than, for example, Google Maps.
Bookmarks 2013 shortlist announced
The shortlist for the 2013 Bookmarks Awards have been announced. The final winners will be announced 14 November at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town.