Fair Exchange: Matching retail value and brands

by Erna George. How are retailers engaging with consumers to deliver a great package deal (value, optimal shopping experience etc) so that — in exchange for patronage — consumers are assured of truly getting something better? Has there been a step change or is it just more of the same?

Dissident Spin Doctor: Demystifing PR jargon

by Emma King (@EmmainSA) I have little patience for PR agencies and consultants who bamboozle their clients into paying for complex services and offerings by confusing the hell out of them. Your PR agency should be a partner — and what is a partnership, if not a meeting of mutual respect and understanding?

Shelf Life: Tashas takes Dubai

Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches: Tashas opens first international store in Dubai; Premium Cruz Vintage Black Vodka available in South Africa; James Malone Fabrics now at Hertex; and Magnum Cream Liqueur a keepsake.

Interview: Shopper marketing — it’s all about “me”

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Michelle van Trotsenburg, Y&R’s former business unit director: shopper conversion marketing, presented a talk at the POPAI Marketing at Retail Conference in Cape Town (held in June 2014), focused on what brands, retailers and shoppers need to do to capture influential trend-setting consumer segments.

Tuned: When Jozi meets Soweto

by Thabang Leshilo (@Thabang_Leshilo) My birthplace is a melting pot of opportunities, a contrast between an enduring dream and the unapologetic realities of life. Yet, to a large degree, it is a city ignored by marketers and advertisers, who often deliver project stereotypes.

Shelf Life: Distinctive Black Bottle whisky back in black

Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches: distinctive Black Bottle whisky back in black; Sea Harvest’s new product fishing expedition; SA product Snuza impresses US parents; and Samsung ‘owns’ the smart home of the future.

Brand Culture: Cultural language vs cultural meaning

by DK Badenhorst. Advertising can choose to build either on the simpler, on-the-surface language or leverage a deeper understanding of trends and culture. I don’t believe that there is necessarily a right or wrong when it comes to focus. Instead of right or wrong, I tend to ask: “Does it work, or does it not work?”

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