Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches: Robertsons adds fizz to a Sauvignon Blanc launch; Webtickets and Pick n Pay partner; Russian Bear’s new festive season launch; and Rooibos capitalises on geographic protection.
Author archives: Simone Puterman
#AdoftheYear: Top 10 Best South African Ads of 2014 [ads 10–6]
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) The Christmas decorations are out in the malls, the newspapers are full of brochures and seasonal specials, and the promise of a well-earned break is just around the corner. With two weeks to go until Marklives.com closes shop for the holidays, it’s time to do a countdown of the #Top10 Best South African Ads for 2014.
The Business of Business: Getting paid well — the holy grail
by Jerry Mpufane (@JerryMpufane) Let me start this month’s column by sharing the good news: The optics have shifted to Brand. More and more, company executives are asking questions about the opportunity to leverage Brand in order to create stakeholder value.
The Sell: Are consumers killing advertising?
by Mimi Nicklin (@MimiNicklin) Is it really the consumers who are killing advertising? Is it their fragmented attention spans and fickle loyalty that is killing the specialism as we know it? Can we blame these pencil-portrait segmentation models that disguise normal people as distant ‘consumers’ for responding less to our work?
The Real McCoy: Making strategy happen
by Sean McCoy (@TheRealMcCoyTRM) In a guest lecture to a strategic marketing honours group recently, I was preceded by a speaker who discussed the role of reputation and corporate communication. She made a clear distinction between brand and reputation.
The Word: Influence — the double-edged sword
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) A little influence goes a long way in building traction for campaigns, and it’s that, and the possibility of going viral, that can be beneficial for charity initiatives. Influence, however, may be a double-edged sword, not always eliciting the response you desire.
Brand Culture: Ray Bans on the promenade
by DK Badenhorst. Ray Ban Wayfarers (especially on the Cape Town promenade) have become a proxy for middle/upper-income Cape Town. And, instead of the art installation being seen for the bridge it’s trying to be, it’s been crucified for the gap that currently exists.
Heroes & Zeros: Mazda & City of Joburg — best & worst brands of the week
This week during The Ad Feature on 702, Andy Rice (@ricecommaandy) and Jenny Crwys-Williams (@jcwLIFE) commend Mazda for its risky, yet brave, new campaign, while the City of Joburg is slammed for the shambles regarding the regulations for the outdoor advertising industry.
Africa Style: No-one needs your brand
by Masingita Mazibuko. Wake up and smell the coffee, marketers; no-one really, truly, honestly, genuinely, absolutely needs your brand. That’s why the brand’s relationship with the intended consumer, as well as its product intrinsics, is such a crucial element of the marketing mix.
#Top40TVratings: 10–16 November 2014
by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) See who made it to the top of our National and DStv charts for the week of 10–16 November 2014! This collaboration is a weekly roundup of South Africa’s TV audience viewership, revealing the best-watched shows of the week before, where they ran and how many South Africans tuned in to watch.