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A case for creative technology and technological creativity

Team Derrick, Myles Hoppe, Mark Stead and Livio Tronchin, asks how innovation, technology,
creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit can come together to build a creative economy for Cape Town that is more than skin deep.

Building the proposition of Creative Cape Town is imperative to the city’s survival in business. The city is still fundamentally a fishing village/holiday destination and does lack the hard-working business, although the hard-working mentality certainly exists. In fact, from many people we know, we’ve heard that they work far harder and longer hours here than in Jo’burg.

The perils of the online discounting culture for your brands and business

I’m fascinated by the growth and proliferation of the on-line couponeers and discounters like Groupon, Catch of the Day and the like. “Everyone loves a deal” this we know, but what does it mean to brands, margin, customer trust and sustaining pricing models? Asks M&C Saatchi Abel boss Mike Abel.

San Reddy to lead PR firm marcusbrewster

The communication industry is rapidly evolving, thanks to the rise of social media, and Reddy identifies its influence as a major challenge for PR firms to respond to and engage with. Communication strategies no longer solely rely on traditional media and firms in his sector need to understand the value of digital media in communicating with consumers. Reddy admits that, while strides have been made in this direction, a lot of work still waits.

Why RICA can’t work

Tens of millions of South Africans registered their SIM cards before the RICA deadline to help fight crime. But the system is fatally flawed, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.

Homelessness On the Up and Up in Fast Food Advertising

Industry rumour has it that emerging fast food chain, Smaaklik, is set to launch a new ad campaign that pushes the use of the homeless in fast food advertising to new levels. Capitalising on the success of a Debonairs campaign a few years back, which cunningly leveraged iconic imagery of homeless people to sell pizzas, the Smaaklik campaign will feature happy consumers scoffing hamburgers and chips in a park full of starving homeless people.

Brianna Graves’ global (ad)venture

Brianna Graves has set out to discover the true state of global advertising by packing her bags, taking her savings, and getting on a plane. Travelling to six top ad agencies in six countries, including so far South Africa (where she spent a month with Hunts at its Jozi, Cape Town and Durban offices) and Canada (where she joined TAXI), Graves is documenting her experiences online at The Saturn Return Project.

Small Screen ‘Sextravaganza’ set to replace Teleshopping

Commercial TV has announced a new focus for 2011. John Doe reports.

“Our growth has been phenomenal over the past year,” says Brent Doss, Commercial TV MD. “Our hard hitting news, socially focused documentaries and the pick of old US sitcoms and movies have clearly delivered what the public wants, and now we’re looking to build on this growth. Consequently, our programming will be moving heavily towards smut as the year progress.”

SA races for RICA deadline; 3.6m still outside net

Around 3.6-million South African mobile accounts have not yet been registered as the RICA deadline arrives. ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK sums up the state of play.

Lewd, crude, screwed

Cameron Platter is a relatively young (read 32) artist who lives and works in Ballito, the little holiday town just north of Durban that is equal parts Bible belt and surfers’ paradise. Platter has worked steadily at his art for over a decade and his dedication and effort are starting to pay big dividends. His …

Continue reading “Lewd, crude, screwed”

The ultimate social media strategy is not having one

by Dave Duarte. On Sunday 1st May 2011, Barack Obama announced that Osama Bin-Laden had been killed. The strike against his compound in Pakistan was not televised, but it was tweeted. The thing is, Al-Qaida was already looking irrelevant after the “Arab Spring” – the social-media enabled revolutions that occurred throughout the Middle-East in early 2011.