a The Africa Annual feature From the ‘shack chic’ of Soweto to the bright and bold prints of Nigeria’s Ankara and Lace, fashion design is breaking out in Africa. In this extract from his new book, “Connect with the Continent”, Terry Behan looks at how brands can connect with Afro-chic’s advance.
Category archives: Columns
Indy Ad Exec: Extended payment terms are crushing adland
by Tom Fels (@thomasfels) As ad agencies, we stand up and pitch against one another every day, scour award rankings and make comparisons. But there is one cause that needs to be addressed with the solidarity of a single voice — extended payment terms.
#Top40TVratings: Mfolozi Street now the no. 2 show on TV
by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) Mfolozi Street retains the no. 2 slot on our SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings national chart — the slot it debuted in last week.
Ad of the Week: It’s hip, Jim. But not as we know it
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) What happens when you look around you and almost everyone’s a hipster, except you? As with all cultural phenomena, hipsterism has hit full stride and is now the source of many a meme, and has broken into the commercial mainstream. So no surprise *drumroll* that hipsterism is the focus of this week’s wickedly clever advertising campaign from FoxP2 for Garagista.
Influencers: Liquor advertisers running out of time
by Jason Stewart (@HaveYouHeard_SA) A ban on liquor advertising in South Africa (which has, for the past five years, been mooted as two years around the corner) will herald an era of dark marketing for the industry. Some brands will clear the hurdle without breaking their stride; others will falter predominantly because of what they are not doing now. Time is not on their side.
The ‘peculiar’ radio habits of Kenyans
a The Africa Annual feature by Carole Kimutai (@CaroleKimutai) Radio is one of the most powerful media in Africa — it is relatively inexpensive to set up, it can be customised for regions in terms of language, and it is ubiquitous.
#Top40TVratings: There’s a Schuster on my stoep!
by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) So, the 2014 FIFA World Cup is done and dusted, and has vanished off our SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings national and DStv charts, but Leon Schuster’s There’s a Zulu on My Stoep (1993) is still tickling the rainbow nation’s funny bones more than 20 years on, having made it to no. 16 nationally and no. 26 on DStv for the week of July 14–20!
Ad of the Week: When you hear the beep…
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Obviously, it’s in a cellphone company’s best interests to maximise airtime spent; so, when Cell-C recently noted an increasing trend for people to drop calls instead of leaving messages, it wanted to sell the idea that leaving and listening to voicemail is something special. Hence the charming new TVC,”Don’t hang up — it’s more than a message”, by 1886 FCB Johannesburg.
Nollywood drives growth in Nigeria
The Nigerian film industry has finally been recognised as a key economic driver in what is now Africa’s largest economy. Jon Pienaar takes a look at Nollywood in this The Africa Annual feature.
SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings: Laduma!!! Germany vs Argentina within Top 5
by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) The 2014 FIFA World Cup peaked at its highest position so far on our SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings national chart for the week of July 7–14, what with the Germany vs Argentina finally making it to no. 5 in our Top 10. On our DStv chart, Germany vs Argentina made it to no. 4 via Supersport, and no. 10 via SABC 1.