Three important digital and mobile agencies are merging to create what they hope will be a major new player in the South African advertising world. Cambrient, Stonewall+ and Brandsh will merge under the leadership of new CEO Jason Xenopoulos to create what they term a “full service digital agency” called Native.
Category archives: Tech
Feedback re: Andrew Human
Andrew Human, MD of the Loerie Awards, disagreed with my article titled Fall in entries for Digital Loeries points to adoption issues published on BizCommunity.com.
Fall in entries for Digital Loeries points to adoption issues
Wading through the near endless amount of PR on the digital transformation and seamless integration of digital into the advertising world, it must be a little disconcerting for Clint Bryce, chairman of both the Digital and Online Advertising judging panels of the 2010 Loerie awards, to see entries in these categories decline this year in spite of steady growth in online ad spend.
If only Cell C had hired Alex Hunter…
For online interaction with consumers to be successful, brands are required to undertake a transparent, truthful and open approach to communication. “You need to keep it real,” says Alex Hunter, independent brand consultant and a speaker at the Tech4Africa* conference being held in Johannesburg, 12-13 August 2010.
What WikiLeaks means for the SA govt’s assault on media freedom
The South African government has announced a triple play to clamp down on media freedom in South Africa, a move which might force journalists to adopt the WikiLeaks model when it comes to publishing sensitive information.
Redesigning the web so consumers benefit
Broadly speaking, consumers find the online experience disappointing – embarrassingly so, according to Andy Budd, a founding partner and MD of UK-based user experience agency Clearleft. In fact, we only take the treatment we receive online as we do because we have come to expect so little, says Budd, who’ll be a speaker at the Tech4Africa conference being held in Johannesburg, 12-13 August 2010.
Paywalls an act of desperation
A move by Rupert Murdoch to stash the content of his global media empire behind a paywall*, and the rather unseemly rush with which any number of publishers desperate for new revenue sources followed him, serves as but another indication that all is not well in the world of media.
When tweeting an opinion is a fireable offence, media loses
The debate sparked by CNN’s firing of Nasr can be found all over the web with some big-name journalists venturing an opinion. Lucky for them, they don’t work for CNN. Many journalism schools still don’t encourage students to form or express opinions. It’s because journalists need to be objective, not takes sides, thus offering the complete story to readers so they can form their own opinion rather than have yours crammed down their throat.
Mobile app providers rethink industry image
Consumer sites such as HelloPeter and investigative magazines such as Noseweek are regularly filled with stories of consumers billed outrageous amounts on their cellphone contracts by mobile content operators. Pensioners with bills running into the thousands, kids subscribing behind the back of their parents who are then forced to ‘pay-off’ the bills; there is no lack of horror stories about this industry doing the rounds.
The future of mobile app development lies in simplicity
With the move of computing power away from the desktop to cellphones and other mobile devices, computing is becoming increasingly intimate and integrated into daily life. In his latest book, “Mobile Mania”, Simon Silvester (EVP Head of Planning at Young and Rubicam and Executive Planning Director, Wunderman Europe Middle East and Africa), argues that computings’ new intimacy, driving as it does aspects of our social, shopping, travel and personal communication, offers amazing opportunities for mobile app developers and entrepreneurs.