by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) For the week of 10 February — 16 February 2014, the top five shows from last week remained in place on the SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings Chart, with SABC 1 retaining the top five slots. The State of the Nation address, as broadcast on SABC 2, made it onto the Top 40 this week.
Category archives: Columns
Ad of the Week: I see a different Brand Soweto
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Three Soweto residents named Vuyo Mpanthsa, Justice Mukheli and his twin brother Innocent, decided to do something about the unfair image Soweto has accrued with a project they call, “I See a Different You”. This isn’t, strictly speaking, an advertising campaign, but it has so much to teach marketers that it is worth looking at.
Fair Exchange: Why predictability is a critical brand characteristic
by Erna George. A level of predictability is what makes others feel safe; it is something they can depend on. This is exactly what a brand does; otherwise, we might as well pack products in a white cardboard box and identify its contents in black Arial font.
SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings: SABC 1 claims top five slots
by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) For the week of 3 February — 9 February 2014, Generations topped our National SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings Chart, while Ngempelah jumped to the no. 2 slot. Muvhango was the top-watched show on SABC 2 and sixth on the national list.
Ad of the Week: Give those ad makers a Bell’s!
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Yes, the Bell’s Whisky TVC “The Reader” is a sentimental advert, but it is so astutely crafted by King James and Greg Gray of Velocity Films that it comes across as completely authentic and heart-warming. And, considering the problem of adult illiteracy in the country, the Bell’s commercial proffers an inspiring message.
SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings: Generations rules the roost
MarkLives and the South African Audience Research Foundation are collaborating to publish a weekly round up of South Africa’s TV audience viewership. The SAARF/MarkLives Top40 TV Ratings Chart reveals the best watched shows of the week before, where it ran and how many South Africans tuned in to watch.
Ad of the Week: Bewitching MWEB radio ad brews up trouble
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Everything your average person knows about witches (or warlocks) comes from plays such as Macbeth, or from fables and stereotypes that are perpetuated by society. Which is why it was fun to stumble across the new MWEB radio ad by M&C Saatchi Abel, in which traditional Xhosa occultists are the protagonists of the commercial.
Hermaneutics: What adland should learn in 2014 from 2013 #trendMARK
by Herman Manson (@marklives) What lessons can South Africa’s advertising agencies learn from the year that was? We offer a few. This feature first ran in trendMark. Read or download the full magazine via Issuu.
Fair Exchange: Equal benefits
by Erna George. January is usually when we all consider how we’d like to do things differently in 2014. But, before we start planning the year ahead, evaluating the year behind us is key.
Ad of the Week: Pop-up Street Store for the homeless shows real heart
by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Don’t you love it when intelligent people apply smart thinking to innovate solutions to social problems? If you’re like me, you’ll love what the team of clever clogs at M&C Saatchi Abel have come up with to try and help Cape Town’s needy — a pop-up Street Store for the homeless!