by Tom Fels (@thomasfels) You’re on a journey, not the fast track, to a destination and, no matter where you find yourself, chances are you’ll do just fine — relatively, of course. This is what I learnt recently from meeting Seth Godin.
Category archives: Adland
Gail Curtis leaves Saatchi & Saatchi
by Herman Manson (@marklives) Gail Curtis has left advertising and her position as group CEO at Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa, after nine years with the agency. She departed in May 2014 but is committed to advising the agency through July. Her plans are to establish a new consultancy focused on mentoring women in senior management positions.
Letter from NY: The truth about Cannes
by Matthew Bull (@StixBull) I have just completed my 13th Cannes Lions in 15 years and the change from my first one in 1999 has been remarkable. The truth is that it’s now a media event, where the powerful new media and digital companies of our era jostle for the front page — and the downside of all this is the relegation in standing of the creative awards.
Motive: Mike Abel — How to train your awards judge
by Mike Abel. So much time is spent in our industry developing brilliant work, yet how much time is spent on training creatives (and strategists and suits) on how best to evaluate it?
Beyond Borders: The media prize north of our borders
by Craig Page-Lee (@cpl_ignite) As the South African economy experiences further contraction and Nigeria continues to grow as the leading economy on the continent, it is obvious that global brands and investment portfolios will look outside of the borders of South Africa in the quest to find new markets to sustain shareholder growth expectations.
FoxP2 skips award shows, finds new inspiration
by Herman Manson (@marklives) FoxP2 isn’t entering any award shows this year. Instead it is investing that budget in sending staff members around the world to a series of conferences and events the agency hopes will inspire them, and their work, and align it with new ideas and international best practice.
Creation: An honest letter to a younger creative me
by Artwell Nwaila (@artwelln) Over the past couple of years, I’ve given many talks and lectures at tertiary institutions at which I am asked the same question over and over, regardless of the discussion topic: “What advice would you give young creatives who are about to enter the industry?” So, today, I offer an arty-farty letter to a younger, skinnier, prettier me.
Cannes Lions 2014: SA gets three Promo & Activation Lions bronzes
The International Festival of Creativity, Cannes Lions, has held the first of its four awards nights, announcing this year’s winners in the Creative Effectiveness, Direct, Promo & Activation and PR categories. Two bronzes went to FCB South Africa (Johannesburg) for Coca-Cola and the third bronze to TBWA Hunt Lascaris for Tiger Brands.
WPP buys The Hardy Boys
WPP operating company JWT has acquired a majority stake in Durban-based The Hardy Boys, whose clients include Unilever, Diageo, SA Home Loans, ADvTECH and RCL Foods, among others.
The Word: Conversion more important than going viral
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) “Can you make us go viral?” That’s what some clients still ask whenever we talk about social media and interacting with brand evangelists. It’s a popular buzzword and every brand wants a piece of it. However, going viral, though great for the ego, is often short-lived and may not cause a long-term impact and organise your customers into a community.