by MediaSlut (@mediaslut) The best international and local magazine covers in MagLove this week: Catalog, V (Lady Gaga), TOP Destinos, High Live South Africa and Elle South Africa.
Monthly archives: August 2013
Media Future: cellphones still at very early stage of their evolution
Measure cellphone evolution in automobile years, and you realise we still have a long way to go, writes Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee).
We all know about dog years (7 for every human year) and Internet years (the time it takes for online technology to evolve as much as other technology evolves in a year – typically a few months).
Cellphones and their rapid evolution supposedly obey the calendar of Internet time.
But what if we all have it wrong? What if cellphones are in fact still at a very early stage of their evolution? That sounds counter-intuitive, because they inspire such fear and bafflement.
That, however, is exactly how we can see we are still at an early stage in cellular history. See what happens when we look at the cellphone according to automobile years.
Shelf Life: New digital media network for forecourt stores
Louise Marsland’s (@Louise_Marsland) pick of new product, packaging and design launches.
Graffiti gives forecourt screen advertising a go;Amarula has a full harvest for Spring; the bygone era of the ‘gentleman’s club’ revitalised by the new McCullagh & Bothwell designs; and Huggies gets a dose of reality.
The Ad Contrarian: Four reasons for advertising’s radical remake
by Bob Hoffman (@adcontrarian) Marketers’ immoderate obsession with dubious metrics is having a profound influence on the nature of advertising. More than any other trend, this may be the one that has the longest, largest and most detrimental effect on the ad business.
NAB/SAARF fight will force more realistic readership measures for print
by Gill Moodie (@GrubstreetSA) What an illuminating morning I spent today at the joint South African Audience Research Foundation (Saarf)/National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) presentation on the way forward for TV research now that the NAB has given notice of its resignation from Saarf (effective 31 December 2014). Last month I wrote a piece about what lies behind the Saarf/NAB fight and after today’s frank question-and-answer time (the most interesting were the questions from media planners), I’m sticking with what I wrote earlier but can a bit more.
What struck me at their recent presentation in Cape Town is that:
1. The broadcasters are relishing their role of rocking the boat;
2. That they are genuinely pleased that TV market research is now going to be more comprehensive and more credible; and
3. That there’s a general smugness about that fact that it’s maybe time for print to get its comeuppance (though this was never stated).
Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios – Ummm… me, beautiful?
The fashion industry has long been criticised for creating a false set of standards for beauty. Then again, in its defence, one only has to look at ancient statues and paintings – Greece’s Athena, Rome’s Venus – to realise that the appreciation of human beauty is something that is inherent in human nature. Nonetheless, the fashion industry stands accused of creating standards that the vast majority of women are unable to attain; using graphics software to soften every flaw, and even improve physical aspects such as lifted cheekbones, narrowed waistlines and plumped-up lips.
Psychologists say that this has caused many women to have a self-critical outlook on themselves, resulting in a loss of self-confidence and poor self-esteem.
In 2004, after market research indicated that only 4% of women consider themselves beautiful, Dove launched its Campaign for Real Beauty, originally produced by Ogilvy & Mather Brazil. It started off as a billboard campaign that featured ‘regular’ women photographed by Annie Liebowitz: the public were invited to vote on whether a particular model was “fat or fab” or “wrinkled or wonderful”… the votes being updated in real-time and displayed on the billboards.
Unilever, the owner of Dove, also published a study into women’s sense of self and identity. The study was aimed at creating “a new definition of beauty [which] will free women from self-doubt and encourage them to embrace their real beauty.”
Fair Exchange: Loyalty smoyalty
by Erna George. Brands partner consumers in many ways and finding ways to keep what should be a two-way partnership exciting is a challenge given all the many distractions around. One device employed seemingly at the drop of a hat in South Africa is the loyalty programme.
Design Annotator: Sunglasses, Arcade Machines and Creative Women
This past week has seen two very popular, heated discussions on 10and5. The first being the CLEAR Claw Machine by Cow Africa. Some of readers seem to feel fatigued by the number of Arduino/Kinect projects that have popped up, but we find that it’s an interesting medium that has entered advertising and will continue to feature the best work we see from that field, just as we’ll do the same for the TV ads. Which brings me to our second most discussed piece of work – a TV ad for Yellow Pages. The funny piece produced by 360eight and Velocity Films proves that the traditional 30 second spot is still a credible force in creating word of mouth.
In our illustration features we’ve started our 2013 series on Creative Women. Be sure to read about Kim Longhurst and her amazing work that she produces from Durban. We also chat to artist Paul Senyol about his process and way of working.
Finally – if you are a Capetonian visiting Johannesburg or a local Joburger looking for creative co-working space, your prayers have been answered. We’ve rounded up the 5 best co-working spaces in Johannesburg for creatives. No more sitting in coffee shops trying to concentrate. Read through our best collection below and be sure to follow 10and5 on Facebook or Twitter if you’d like more regular updates.
The Dissident Spin Doctor: Collaborative economy not ‘marketing bollocks’
by Emma King (@EmmainSA) ‘Collaborative economy’, as bollocksy as it sounds, is interesting and also very relevant to the modern marketplace.
TREND. report: The PR evolution
Public relations agencies and communication strategists need to reengineer themselves as social businesses to meet client communication needs.
This is a key finding to emerge from a report on the evolution of the public relations industry by trendwatching site, TREND. at www.TRENDlives.info, called ‘Social Communications’.
The public relations industry has reengineered itself in recent years to focus on acquiring digital skills to compete with digital agencies in the social media realm, as well as repositioned as reputation management specialists – a core skill needed by communication firms today.
In South Africa, steps to “professionalise” the industry are seen as hugely positive in setting professional standards for PR in the country. A green paper is ready to go before parliament.
“This is the most significant time to be a communication practitioner in South Africa,” says Louise Marsland, Publishing Editor of TREND. and the author of the PR report.