by Alistair Mokoena (@AlistairMokoena) The marketing function has evolved so much in the last 10 years that what used to be taken as gospel is no longer applicable. Let’s take a look at some of the conventional marketing “truths” that have since become fallacies.
Category archives: Marketing
The Word: Exploding Kittens and the unbroken internet
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) Unlike the bold claims of attempting to ‘break the internet’, the co-creators of Exploding Kittens set out to rally their existing community members towards what seemed an achievable goal — by Kickstarter standards.
Fair Exchange: SA brands and SA consumers — deuce
by Erna George. Do you remember, years ago, that sense of embarrassment when a brand or experience in South Africa did not deliver? The dread that many came to expect — that SA products, service or experiences would not match up to global. I love the fact that this is declining (at least in some areas).
Brand Politics: The power of a gesture
by Alistair Mackay (@almackay) Western Cape Premier Helen Zille created quite a social media stir recently when she took to the street outside of her official residence and started directing traffic. It makes you realise the power of gestures, grand and small, to tell a story and shift perceptions.
Green Sky Thinking: Investing in green growth
by Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) 110% Green is a Western Cape Government initiative that calls up organisations to commit to the Green Economy. Launched in 2012 as a priority platform, it has two grand ambitions: for the Western Cape to become the lowest carbon province in South Africa, and to be the leading green economic hub on the African continent.
The Real McCoy: The power of detail
by Sean McCoy (@TheRealMcCoyTRM) My recent immersion in the hospitality industry has brought the notion of internal branding sharply into focus. Notwithstanding that it was at the premium end of the industry, or even extreme premium, the commitment to the role of people in delivering the brand experience was visibly on display and something to digest.
#3D: Make data your New Year resolution
by Prakash Patel (@prakashpatel_1) I would like to conclude the Five Steps to Data-Driven Marketing (DDM) by combining the final two steps, 4 and 5, as one as they are so closely connected — data management and marketing, and closing the loop from ‘cradle to grave’.
Tuned: Wanderlust of the Millennial explorers
by Thabang Leshilo (@Thabang_Leshilo) ‘Experiences’ are the be-all and end-all for us millennials, that generation of earth’s inhabitants fast defining themselves as global citizens. As such, our preferences and behaviours will dramatically change the travel industry as we — well, as you non-millennials — know it.
Brand Culture: A new reason for an old New Year’s Resolution
by DK Badenhorst. Language can’t stretch forever. It either has to move (ie healthy must mean sexy) or it snaps back (healthy means healthy again and sexy means sexy). Health can’t move; it has family and a job in the health environment. Brands such as Vital and categories such as ‘organic food’ require that it hangs on to its conventional meaning. So what now?
The Word: Proceed with caution — customer ahead
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) More often than not, when brands launch new products, they tend to want to reach out to the ‘influential’, to the people with a large following. In my less-than-humble opinion, the general perception is still the notion that megaphones increase market share.