Fair Exchange: Tough times for brands — stop the panic

by Erna George (@edgeo23) A homerun or striking out happens not only on the baseball field but in markets, too. The equivalent brand scenario is you’ve just lost market leadership, your volume is down 10% and your competitor’s just launched a winning range at a discount… What do you do? Panic, persevere or prevail?

Panic is one of a marketer’s worst enemies and it’s very real, as businesses demand positive performance within a few cycles and, even after one cycle of missed targets, the business will demand a view on the plan to correct. I know this panic and can’t say I’ve always responded well. From my lessons and those of colleagues and brands I’ve worked on, below are a few watch-out areas to keep in mind when the chips are down.

The good ol’ price drop…

…And hope there is no roll of profits out the door. A quick reaction on price is one of the worst responses. If you continue, and consumers learn a new price point, you’ve lost. The trade is unlikely to let you off the hook from that low price and you’ve essentially restated your price strategy in the market. Pricing is definitely a key lever but it must be a well-appraised approach that doesn’t alter the brand positioning in the marketplace, unless by design. If you’re using price elasticity studies, please ensure it includes all context as I’ve seen too many shallow studies in my time. If you don’t have the context to explain competitor response or you own business decisions over the peaks and troughs, use the study as a benchmark and not as a fait accompli. Determine what price relativity or level of discounting for what time period and in which channel — you do have choices and different levers may be used for different impact.

In addition, beyond price and discounting, consider other value offers such as bulk or 3-for-2 that shift away from pure price comparison. Work with your sales teams and finance teams to model impact before moving. An ill-conceived move may cost millions but the right shift may yield growth and keep competitors guessing.

The quick launch to hold volume or block someone

Now, I’ve seen some amazingly successful quick launches off big ideas with a real consumer need and human truth behind them. But a rash and ill-prepared launch as a hope to change futures often costs more than it’s worth.

There’s the launch that doesn’t fit your brand strategy. The sales team come to you saying that, as this variant is really driving the competitors’ sales growth, we should launch one, too Press pause, consider and then ask for time to review. Imagine you are a health offer in your market and this new variant doesn’t have a link to better-for-you platform… what are you doing to how the brand is perceived.

Another is the low-margin or low-impact launch…Product X should be rationalised, given poor performance, but we need to keep facings on shelf, so let’s relaunch. Or we don’t have a finalised view on consumer proposition on a new product but it tastes good. so let’s launch. If it’s at a lower margin than core and isn’t positioned in a distinct position in terms of benefit or placement in store to steal from a different base, you’ll reduce your total brand profitability and you could even have a negative impact on the total market’s profits — reducing future size of prize for you and competitors. Rather consider limited-edition packs or new elements consumers can engage with on social media to create conversations and interest; look at listing in a new channel with a smaller or larger pack format — once again, there are options.

Forget the long-term brand-build for the short-term win

Many will try to save on advertising or brand building activities and rather invest in tactical elements that yield instant results. Let’s find a comparison. Imagine your job is at risk due to downsizing. Do you respond by taking your LinkedIn profile off the web, not talking to recruiters and putting your phone on silent? Does this sound like a good plan? So why would you remove your brand’s voice from the marketplace, going dark when times are tough? Why would you stop telling people about how they can benefit from your offer as a reminder amid the clutter? All this yields is a lower spend base, which makes justifying budget in the year to come harder, a brand with a weak consumer-brand relationship that struggles to convert off this weak foundation, or your consumers feeling bereft at your silence — disappointment becomes irritation and they move on.

Absolutely re-weight between long-term brand-building and short-term growth, but disinvesting in brand-build when it’s a key pillar of your growth strategy, or in markets where brand is critical to decisions, is a recipe for long-term decline and losses.

Stop the panic

Stop the panic. Strategy is critical. Brands are crafted over years but may be killed in a second. Strategy shouldn’t be inflexible but it can’t change as the wind blows. Many will have an opinion or some will try to keep you to tactical wins. You know what must be maintained; find alternate ways to articulate or express your strategy — that’s your job and where your creative prowess, strategic skill and staying power will be tested the most.

  • Plan tactical approaches within your existing strategy or reformulate the long game so that you aren’t led by reaction but well-considered actions
  • Use your teams to source ideas for cost-saving with procurement, shifting deals with sales and other mechanics, rather than disinvesting in brand-building or investing in ill-conceived knee-jerk reactions
  • Reformulate your plan, present it internally to gain alignment and, once aligned, get going and maintain some flexibility within your strategic play

Play to stay in the game, not just exist.

 

Erna GeorgeAfter starting at Unilever in a classical marketing role, Erna George (@edgeo23) explored the agency side of life, first as a partner at Fountainhead Design, followed by the manic and inspiring world of consultancy at Added Value. She has returned to client-side, leading the marketing team in the Cereals, Accompaniments & Baking Division at Pioneer Foods. Her monthly “Fair Exchange” column on MarkLives concerns business relationships and partnerships in marketing and brandland.

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Cover Stories: Art Africa, Cabaret Voltaire, Emergence, ESPN & TIME

Shane de Lange (@shanenilfunct)’s weekly analysis of media design — both past and present, print and online — from South Africa and around the world:

  • Local/print: Art Africa finds a fresh new face depicting contemporary masks using the visual language of emojis
  • Iconic: Cabaret Voltaire contributed to experimental tendencies in art during the early 20th century, forming part of the bedrock of modernism, thanks to the invention of dadaism
  • Online: Emergence proves that businesses can use visual communication in a tasteful and aesthetically pleasing way
  • Miscellaneous: ESPN Body 2018 showcases striking portraits and profiles about some of the world’s most-influential sports women and men
  • International/print: TIME highlights the question of ‘truth’ today, believing that democracy will prevail over the forces that work to destroy it

Find a cover we should know about? Tweet us at @Marklives and @shanenilfunct.
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Print

¯\_(ツ)_/¯    Art Africa (South Africa), issue 12, June 2018

Art Africa Magazine, issue 12, June 2018A few weeks ago, while featuring Adjective magazine, mention was made about the scarcity of any relevant narratives or formal engagements within the South African art world, much of it driven by pure image and various market related factors. The cover to latest issue of Art Africa magazine delivers some optimism in this regard. Themed “Destination Happiness”, the magazine introduces a new artistic name, that of Namibian-based photographer, Toufic Beyhum. His work is fresh for a variety of reasons, notably for its internationalist undertones, global in scope; his ability to migrate across varying fields and trades from commercial art forms to fine art (originally working as an art director for multinational advertising agencies); and the hyperbolic nature of his narrative (a mashup of differing, hybridised cultural signifiers).

The cover image is a work titled “Amoji Mask Grimace with Snake” (2017–2018), taken from his series “Amoji Masks”. In this series, Beyhum appropriates the visual language of emojis and merges it with recycled African (Namibian) subject matter, motivated by traditions surrounding African masks. Thus, the artist confronts his audiences, coercing them to reconsider how they interact with culturally significant constructs, iconography and symbolism. His work may also be interpreted as a metaphor for Africa’s fractured, almost-schizophrenic place in the world, where new forms of representation are being negotiated, new cultural territories are being explored, and new approaches to identity are being constructed.

 

Heart-Love-Polygon-Geometric-Flat-Design-Icon-Illustration by lekkyjustdoit courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos   TIME (US), 23 July 2018

TIME, 23 July 2018, and The Guardian Review, 14 July 2018It should go without saying that democracy is important, based on a few very simple ideas such as placing the power to rule in the hands of the people through dynamic negotiations and public debate. The thing is, governments across the globe are increasingly losing sight of notions such as liberty, free thought, human dignity, equality and citizenship among a plethora of other important pillars of democracy, and are swift to make life-altering decisions for the people whom they are meant to serve. Governments must be held accountable to the people but, instead, transparency gives way to corruption, and liberty is replaced by fraternity, and the inverse becomes a reality where governments manipulate the masses.

Today, the foundations of democracy are under attack from contemporary leaders, such as Donald Trump, who are challenging humanism, ‘truth’, and the like at every turn. This is evidenced by the recent separation of migrant children from their parents based on a simple decision that the president of America made without debating the matter. This is perhaps, as last Saturday’s issue of The Guardian’s Review suggests, “the end of truth”. The headline to the latest issue of TIME shares this sentiment: “will it [democracy] prevail”. The illustration, done by Sean Freeman, resembles the iconic pillars of ancient Greek architecture, symbolising the bedrock of democracy, now fractured and seemingly crumbling.

 

Heart-Love-Polygon-Geometric-Flat-Design-Icon-Illustration by lekkyjustdoit courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos   ESPN Body 2018 (US), July 2018

ESPN Body Issue 2018 collageThe annual Body Issue of ESPN magazine has become a much-anticipated calendar event. First published in 2009, it’s meant to be a competitor to the annual Swimsuit Edition of Sports Illustrated magazine. The 2018 edition of ESPN Body features 15 athletes in all. Photographed as nude or semi-nude portraits, 10 athletes are showcased on their own individual covers and with all 15 athletes featured on the website — which is surprisingly interactive, has excellent layout, and engaging photographic and video content.

The 10 printed covers are of baseball stars, Dallas Keuchel and Yasiel Puig; basketball stars, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Karl-Anthony Towns; figure skater, Adam Rippon; American football stars, Saquon Barkley and Jerry Rice; golf legend, Greg Norman; footballers, Crystal Dunn, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Megan Rapinoe; softball player, Lauren Chamberlain; cross-country skier, Jessie Diggins; sprinter, Tori Bowie; and WWE wrestler, Charlotte Flair. The issue is art-directed by Rami Moghadam, with the help of DOP, Karen Frank, and photographed by Marcus Eriksson.

 

Online

Heart-Love-Polygon-Geometric-Flat-Design-Icon-Illustration by lekkyjustdoit courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos   Emergence (US), July 2018

Emergence, online and mobile, July 2018Who said that corporations have no appreciation for great design, and that corporates working for these brands have no sense of taste or aesthetic sensibility? Emergence Capital is a brand that certainly disproves all such assumptions, injecting textbook design into what could so easily be just another stale and sterile website that barely stands up against a PowerPoint presentation. I could go through the entire list of dos and don’ts for great web design but let’s just mention a few in relation to Capital’s website:

  • The site has a clear purpose: “We invest in people who change the way the world works”
  • Tone of voice, related visual communication and copywriting are accessible, approachable, easy to understand, and palatable
  • Typographic parings are excellent, and easy on the eye
  • Colours are balanced and in harmony, with a varied swatch and working contrasts
  • All images are beautifully illustrated and tastefully executed
  • Navigation is clear, simple and intuitive
  • Layout and grid usage rivals print, responsive and mobile friendly, working seamlessly across all platforms and devices
  • Despite all the above, the site load time is quick

The list could easily go on and on; if only all such brands had the same level of awareness and consideration.

 

Iconic

¯\_(ツ)_/¯   Cabaret Voltaire (Switzerland), 1916

Cabaret Voltaire, issue 1, 1917On 5 March 1916, during World War I in neutral Switzerland, a cabaret focused on unorthodox happenings, writing and art was founded by avant-garde writer, Hugo Ball. Based in Zurich, the Cabaret Voltaire, named after the French Enlightenment writer and philosopher, was a collaborative, eclectic and experimental space. During its infancy, to promote the space, Cabaret Voltaire was accompanied by a printed review carrying the same name. The physical space was the site where the first adaist Manifesto was performed by Ball himself. The publication was the earliest Dadaist journal, to be followed by the prolific “Dada” reviews.

As Cabaret Voltaire grew, Ball was accompanied by Tristan Tzara (who would later become the self-proclaimed leader of the Dadaist movement), Hans Arp, Marcel Janco and Richard Huelsenbeck; all would become important Dada exponents, pioneering the avant-garde in Europe during the inter-world-war period. The space was more like a club-come-gallery, with artworks on the walls accompanied by poetry readings and other performances each night. As such, the Cabaret Voltaire crafted a new spirit, a state of mind, that somehow cohered outside mainstream mindsets and revolted against the status quo. Often unprompted and improvised, the Cabaret Voltaire, and Dada which resulted from it, caused an explosion that could neither be contained nor easily categorised, vehemently negating any form of establishment or institutionalisation.

Dadaist content did not dominate Cabaret Voltaire, though; there were also important contributions from futurists such as Filippo Marinetti, and cubists such as Pablo Picasso, among others. This cross-pollination, an early form of modernist internationalism, was a trend that continued in the following issues of Cabaret Voltaire’s successor, the Dada journal. Notably, Filippo Marinetti’s “Parole in Libertà” (words in freedom) featured in Cabaret Voltaire, which experimented with the visual and phonetic qualities of the written word, and would go on to influence Dada phonetic poetry. Other content included collages, prints, and drawings by Janco, Arp, Pablo Picasso, and Amedeo Modigliani, to name a few. The cover to this sole issue was designed by Arp.

The emergence of a new artistic movement, and the foundation of Dadaism, was not Ball’s original intent; he simply wanted to create a creative space with substance that was sorely lacking at the time. Resultantly, Hugo and his artistic counterparts created their own history, invented an authentic literary tradition and avant-garde movement that drew the attention of experimental, even anarchic creative minds across Europe, cementing Dadaism into the bedrock of modernist, and postmodernist, tradition.

References

 

 

Shane de LangeShane de Lange (@shanenilfunct) is a designer, writer, and educator currently based in Cape Town, South Africa, working in the fields of communication design and digital media. He works from Gilgamesh, a small design studio, and is a senior lecturer in graphic design at Vega School in Cape Town. Connect on Pinterest and Instagram.

Cover Stories, formerly MagLove, is a regular slot deconstructing media cover design, both past and present.

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

SA TV Ratings: e.tv — primetime top 20 for Jun 2018

by MarkLives (@marklives) The hottest primetime shows on e.tv in South Africa revealed: TV ratings for June 2018.

e.tv June 2018

BRCSA TV Ratings June 2018 primetime e.tv
Click to enlarge to view clearly

Source: BRCSA June 2018

In 2016, the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA) changed its policy about giving away TAMS and now only monthly reports, highlighting the top 20 or 30 primetime shows on several popular channels, are available.

 

Broadcast Research Council of South AfricaThe Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (the BRC) is a non-profit, industry body that was incorporated in 2015 to cater to the audience research needs of the radio and television industry in South Africa.

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Adnalysis: Brand strategists, don’t blink

by Bogosi Motshegwa (@Thinkerneur) In a world where everything is in a flux, there’s no time to take a break. Things and ways of doing things keep changing all the time, and there’s always a better way. This is true for brand marketing, too. There’s always something new to learn, something to update yourself on.

Trying to make your brand more attractive to people is a full-time job. Much like raising a baby. When you have a three-year old, you realise how active and aware you constantly need to be as a parent. There’s no time to have ‘off-peak’ moments, unless your child’s being minded by someone else but, even then, your mind is constantly at work.

That’s how managing and trying to grow a brand should be — no rest. You have to constantly keep thinking about how best you can present your brand to people or the market, and ways to be a better brand manager or agency.

Typical life-cycle of a brief in ad agency

A brief comes into the system, depending on the size of the business/brand/client; a team will be assembled; and the work commences. This is usually an intense period, right until the end of the project. When the brief is complete and all material deadlines have been met, the job is closed —but who keeps thinking about the brand or client in question?

In ad agencies, brands or clients experience ‘peak’ and ‘off-peak’ moments. A peak is when there are active briefs in the system (people actually working and thinking about the brand or problem at hand) and off-peak, which is post or the coming to an end of a brief. The latter is what I refer to as the ‘blink’ moment.

The blink moment may vary for different brands in different industries. Some brands are retail and they seem to be active but. in truth, the activity is almost robotic and it’s just a matter of churning out material. Which isn’t necessarily bad in principle, but what a brand needs is constant active participation.

Strategy is always on (or at least should be)

A strategy only comes to life once there are executions; until then, strategy is just theory. The focus es always on creative executions. Whilst the executions are the tangibles you see, strategy needs to always be at work. When brands or clients aren’t executing, strategic thinking needs to be active in the background.

When the dust settles and the job is closed, strategists should keep active and working: continue thinking about ways to improve the brand, crystalise a brand’s value proposition and clarify a brand’s role not just in people’s minds but also within the competitive landscape. Strategists should keep asking and probing so that brands as concepts are articulated better.

Strategy is the launchpad for all creative exploration and should always be consulted.

As mentioned above, things are constantly in a flux; it’s therefore nonsensical to think that a brand can remain the same in the midst of this inevitable unpredictability. It takes a really long time for anybody working on a brand to truly understand the complexities that lie therein, hence the required ‘always-on’ mentality. When a brief is complete, the brand is still on. Never take your eyes off the ball. Brand-building is as delicate as raising a baby; you can’t afford to take anything for granted. The market place is competitive and so you can’t afford to have off-peak moments.

“Ska ba hemisa. Ska bafa chance. Ska ba forgiva” (Don’t blink) — African proverb

 

Bogosi MotshegwaBogosi Motshegwa (@Thinkerneur) truly believes that advertising can really change the world. He believes that brands, marketers and ad agencies can do even better branding building and advertising. He shares his thoughts on the industry and sometimes has unconventional views. A former committee member of AMASA, an Advisory Council member, a guest speaker and lecturer at Vega, Rosebank College and Red & Yellow, he also does speaker management at TEDxJohannesburg. He is currently a freelance strategist and has founded Thinkerneur, a brand consultancy firm, and is also the co-founder of Melanoid Éclat (for finding black entrepreneurs). He contributes the monthly column, “Adnalysis”, which analyses adland from a strategist’s point of view, to MarkLives.com.

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#TheInterlocker: Solving issues • Skills • Advice • Digital PR • BBBEE

by MarkLives (@marklives) Every month we ask a handpicked selection of PR execs to each select ONE feature, news article or research report (accessible online) that they believe their peers would benefit from reading. Next up are Jessica Whitcutt Yellin, Michelle Cavé, Tanya Kovarsky and Maciek de Waal-Dubla. Cian Mac Eochaidh also gives some insight into achieving a level 1 BBBEE rating. Bond, connect, engage, involve, join — welcome to The Interlocker!

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by the editors of MarkLives, please update your newsletter subscription preferences here.

Jessica Whitcutt Yellin Jessica Whitcutt Yellin’s pick

The game has changed: stop managing issues, solve them!
IPRA.org

This superb piece by Christiaan Prins on IPRA’s website speaks to the very heart of how I believe the communications industry needs to transform itself. The days of ‘spin’ are dead and buried, and to succeed into the future it’ll be far more important for us to have an MBA than a little black book of media contacts.

Expectations of society are that business, global corporates especially, have a moral obligation to ‘fix’ the mess they’ve largely created. This means that. when the skeletons in the closet come clanging out into the open, the comms team needs to not only have a seat on exco but has to have the internal political capital required to get that exco to fix the problem, rather than just issue statements and try and squash media coverage. Of course, ideally, those lurking reputational risks should be proactively addressed and resolved so that the crisis never hits, and that requires focusing the C-suite on a purpose higher than profit!

The game has changed and for communications professionals to remain relevant we need to be relevant!

— Jessica Whitcutt Yellin (@JNMYellin) is an industry veteran & the founder of It’s a Shovel

 

Michelle CavéMichelle Cavé’s pick

PR pros, beware of busywork masquerading as “essential skills”
Agility PR blog

It’s no secret that PR is a busy job so. when I came across this article about the suggestion that PROs further upskill themselves to include additional expertise in graphic design and light HTML coding, I was interested to read the case made against it. While I recognise and support the need for constant professional development in this field, particularly in a modern technology-driven age, we alone cannot be the master of all.

This piece challenges the updated list of essential PR skills, suggesting that we concentrate on what we do best; abandon unproductive tasks to ensure that we have more time to become experts at the skills that matter most; and rather employ the services of highly skilled professionals who specialise in graphic design and coding. By remaining focused and refining our fundamental PR skills, we can concentrate on these truly essential PR tasks, which are further unpacked in the article:

  1. More persuasively make the case for bold creativity
  2. Out-argue the lawyers
  3. Client relations
  4. Setting the stage for a story
  5. Write better headlines
  6. Figure out what makes buyers tick—and when
  7. Demand generation
  8. Measure results

— Michelle Cavé (@brandfundi) is a PR consultant & the founder of Brandfundi

 

Tanya KovarskyTanya Kovarsky’s pick

A colleague’s advice for new PR graduates
PR Daily

Who would you rather get your financial advice from? Someone who drives a luxury car or someone who’s still driving the same car they had at varsity 15 years ago? I know who I would pick because, if someone can seemingly get their financial wellness together, then it’s likely they’ll be help me. too. And who would you rather get your PR support from? Someone who is constantly negative on social media and who can’t, from appearances, get their stuff together, or someone who seems fairly sorted and upbeat?

We know that, by now, what you put online matters, and that recruiters and talent teams look as closely at your tweets and Insta stories as they will your CV. As a PR practitioner, who’s tasked with looking after someone’s brand and reputation, it matters even more that you tend to your own brand and reputation. PRing yourself well is good ‘advertising’ that you can do the same for others. And, even if it means not tweeting complaints to brands or posting those pictures of that cool bar tabletop you danced on, it’s better to be seen as a fun – but not party-hardy — and upbeat person. You can still keep it real, be authentic to yourself, and PR yourself as you would a client, putting your best foot forward.

— Tanya Kovarsky (@tanyakovarsky) is the head of content & PR at K2 Communications

 

Maciek de Waal-DublaMaciek de Waal-Dubla’s pick

Superior digital public relations trends to advance your brand
Bizcommunity

I always feel a bit anxious when the topic of “digital” PR is brought up, particularly when discussed in conjunction with “traditional” PR, because, ultimately, as the communication landscape continues to evolve, the idea of something being purely one or the other doesn’t exist. In the same way people stopped referring to “new media” because, well, it was no longer new, we have to start seeing PR as more than a press release, or a social post, or just a simple, single piece of content.

That’s what this article lands beautifully. Although it speaks to trends — and we all know that trends come and go — what’s really key here is that as the communications landscape has changed to herald the advent of digital; PR hasn’t lost anything but rather gained more channels to really speak to the consumer. PR needs the power of digital (and the channels) to tell a cohesive and multilayered brand story.

So, what should brands be thinking about when it comes to PR and their digital presence?

  • By brands investing in gaining a solid digital footprint, this allows PR to leverage channels and content to tell the story of the brand.
  • PR and digital can be a powerful duo in closing the loop on communications and content by telling compelling stories that rise about every other brands noise.
  • Digital has the means to provide rich data that can provide insights that can be leveraged through PR to talk about topics that matter the most to a brands’ consumers.

— Maciek de Waal-Dubla (@maciekdubla) is the agency brand director for Digitas Liquorice

 

Cian Mac EochaidhAchieving Level 1 BBBEE

In the following Q&A, director Cian Mac Eochaidh gives some insight into how Tribeca Public Relations has been able to achieve its Level 1 rating in its 2018 BBBEE verification audit.

How important is it for PR agencies to ensure compliancy and why?
Cian Mac Eochaidh: PR is an important component of South Africa’s marketing sector and the economy at large. The industry’s transformation at all levels is vital, not just to be more representative, but so that the industry has a diversity of voices and perspectives. A homogenous, unrepresentative industry will always struggle to tell deeply insightful and relevant stories, and an agency that falls behind in efforts to transform will feel this shortcoming in its bottom line in the long term.

How does the BBBEE rating criteria for PR agencies work?
CME: PR agencies in South Africa are measured against the Marketing, Advertising and Communications (MAC) Charter. A revised MAC sector BBBEE code was published on 1 April 2016, and applied with immediate effect to all marketing, advertising and public relations companies. Under this code, Tribeca is defined as a Large Entity due to our annual turnover being above R10m.

How did the new MAC sector code impact your BBBEE process?
CME: The MAC sector code introduced new compliance requirements and significantly higher targets and point allocations for certain elements, compared to the generic Qualifying Small Enterprises Broad Based Scorecard under which Tribeca was previously audited. Our new BBBEE strategy was significantly more extensive in order to address every aspect of the business and find new ways to stimulate transformation and accelerate opportunities for growth and diversity within the company and our industry.

How do you identify partners and what objectives must be shared to ensure a successful working relationship?
CME: Relationships and entrepreneurship are core elements to Tribeca’s business success. We identified suppliers, clients and individuals who share these values and, with that as a starting point, we determined which potential partners share similar goals and objectives with us. We are fortunate to have been exposed to a network of partners who are as passionate about entrepreneurship — particular black female entrepreneurship — as we are.

Is the PR industry, broadly speaking, ready for the MAC Charter and the impact it will have?
CME: The transformation of SA’s economy is an ongoing process that will continue for future generations before we have a truly equitable society. It will take just as long for the PR industry to transform, and the MAC Charter is one of the first policies attempting to facilitate that process. As with any new policy, there will be some flaws but, with experience and real-life insights, these will be refined and amended to produce a practical roadmap to our common goal of transformation.

What was the most-challenging aspect of your BBBEE verification process?
CME: To be very blunt, the devil is in the detail. You need to have [a] deep knowledge and understanding of the MAC sector code, each of the six elements within the code, and each of the 17 sub-elements and 40 sub-indicators across those six elements. Quite often, companies that have done great transformation and social development work do not secure a high BBBEE rating simply because they have not understood the specific details in and of the MAC sector code.

What was the strongest element?
CME: We contributed the most in the area of enterprise and supplier development, which was supported by work that we were already doing with various suppliers and clients for whom we provide various forms of support and investment. These were projects we had already taken on as part of the normal running of our business, rather than new projects started for the purpose of compliance.

What is your single most-important recommendation to agencies still on their transformation journey?
CME: Do not approach your transformation strategy as a journey of compliance — embrace it as a journey of purpose and contribution. It needs to be a journey with the aim of making a meaningful impact/difference within the larger environment and community in which you operate in, and all with a long-term vision to make positive changes in peoples’ lives.

 

MarkLives logoLaunched in 2018, The Interlocker is a monthly newsletter (available as a regular column on MarkLives, too) in which we ask a handpicked selection of PR execs to each select ONE feature, news article or research report (accessible online) that they believe would benefit their peers to read and why. Sign up here!

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Bland strategy — the state of contemporary advertising

by HJ Lombard (@cadmus_photo) Cannes Lions recently concluded, which means the air has been redolent with the aroma of Mediterranean ocean breezes and self-congratulatory BS.

Cannes justly recognised the outstanding work done by Spike Jonze for Apple, as well as the delightfully colourful Nike “Nothing beats a Londoner” campaign. There was also deserved applause for the Palau Pledge campaign. Ultimately, these bright spots merely illuminate the general gloom. As others have pointed out: Cannes has become a festival rewarding self-reverential rehashes of old ideas. Following the stream of beach-and-bubbly selfies on social media emanating from Cannes, one could even be forgiven for thinking it was less a celebration of excellence than self-indulgence.

The writing on the wall

In Cannes, everything might appear rosé but, outside the French Riviera, we can see the writing on the wall. The advertising industry is in trouble. You can look at the big numbers (such as Procter & Gamble cutting US$200m on digital advertising last year, with plans for 2018 to lay the scalpel in even deeper), or you can simply look up from your desk and notice the retrenchments and ‘restructuring’ all around you. More to the point, you can look at your own media consumption habits: how many great ads (hell, even just good ads) do you see …or are you, like most other people, ignoring or actively blocking advertising?

Let’s skip the reasons and get to the blame. Who did this to us?

We did.

I realise this doesn’t correspond with the gallery of usual suspects: gluttonous media companies, greedy clients, ‘disruptive’ (can we stop using all forms of this word, unless we’re being sarcastic?) tech companies, and overzealous consulting firms.

Bandwagon jumping

For decades now, large swathes of the advertising industry have jumped on one bandwagon after another in order to define what we offer as being something other than creative agency. We’re media merchants; no, we’re tech specialists; no, we’re digital experts; no, we’re strategists. With each iteration and new fad, we’re convincing clients and other industries that they can do what we do. So, look at that rogues’ gallery above: is it their fault the ad industry has diligently been emphasising the value of media, technology and strategy to the detriment of creativity?

At the moment, we’re witnessing many ad agencies tying themselves into knots to be tech companies and strategy consultants. In the process, creative departments are robbed of vital oxygen as budgets shrink and creative agency culture dissipates.

Is it any wonder most advertising falls somewhere on a scale from bland to god-awful?

How do we fix this?

(If your answer is “AI”, we can’t be friends.) Ad agencies need to stop being ashamed of offering creativity as their prime speciality. It’s our USP, for crying out loud!

If I could launch an agency today, I would make the mission statement one word: creativity. I’d walk into every client pitch with a simple message: “Give us your brand and we’ll give you an original advertising campaign.” When asked how, I’d say: “Because we’re advertising creatives; there’s some crazy voodoo shit* that happens when a group of us turn our focus on a single objective — brand in one side, creativity in the middle, original advertising out the other end. Sure, you could go to a consultancy, but all they’ll give you is ‘strategy’: brand in one end, and bland out the other end. Or you could hire a tech company and they’ll flog you an app or gadget (based on technology so ‘cutting-edge’ that it’s been around for at least a decade and nobody else could make it profitable). Or you could try something in-house and hope you don’t shoot yourself in the Pepsi with a Jenner. But I have a better suggestion: You do you, we do great advertising. Focus on your core business and we’ll focus on ours, which is to show your product or service to the world in the best possible light. Why would you spend your precious advertising budget on a company that isn’t 100% committed to making advertising?”

While I’m sitting by the phone waiting for investors to flood me with offers to start this agency, you could get a head-start by reminding your clients what you’re best at… and then start producing the work to back up the claim that nobody can do the magic that we do.

*Crazy Voodoo Shit might just be this new agency’s name.

 

HJ LombardHJ Lombard (@cadmus_photo) has been writing professionally for 19 years. He’s worked in political PR, media publishing, and advertising. Over the years, he’s gathered some experience, a couple of grey hairs and a few opinions.

“Motive” is a by-invitation-only column on MarkLives.com. Contributors are picked by the editors but generally don’t form part of our regular columnist lineup, unless the topic is off-column.

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Shelf Life: Superbalist beauty • More crazy Thingamajigs • RedRock jerseys

Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new in retail — consumer products launches, retail news and FMCG campaigns!

  • Online beauty
  • Crazy quirkiness
  • Keeping cosy with RedRock

Superbalist’s 100% growth

Online retailer, Superbalist, has launched a beauty shop on the site, focusing on colour for lips, eyes, nails and face from South Africa’s favourite brands, including Maybelline and Rimmel, in a natural next step to complete its fashion offering.

Superbalist logoAccording to Klyne Maharaj, Superbalist head of brand, beauty is a staple feature of most complete fashion offerings, and the beauty addition naturally followed its recent launches of Kids and Sports: “Customers spoke and we listened. Online purchases are increasing and Superbalist has experienced 100% year-on-year growth for the last four years; and is predicted to maintain that growth rate for the foreseeable future. A number of traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have also entered the online arena over the past few years and, with it, they also bring new customers.”

In this highly competitive sector, Superbalist has kept ahead of the pack: “We remain highly customer-centric and focus on performance. Our customer obsession leads to a better customer experience — which manifests in everything, from the UX design of our site and app to our product offering and services such as same day delivery. We listen closely to our customers’ needs and innovate with purpose, which has long since given us a competitive edge.”

superbalist.com • Facebook • Instagram

 

The Crazy Store’s new “Thingamajig” range

The Crazy Store has extended its ever-popular “Thingamajig” range — an exclusive assortment of functional items that have a fun and quirky side to them, including brightly coloured, creative kitchen tools, handy gadgets, novelty home items, bar and party products.

Crazy Store ThingamajigsSays Kevin Lennett, The Crazy Store managing director, “We are continually changing, refreshing, updating and introducing new Thingamajigs into the range, which means that our regular customers always have new and interesting Thingamajigs to view. “We believe this is a very important part of the brand’s continued success and it ties in perfectly with The Crazy Store’s motto ‘Hey, you never know what you might find!’”

The Crazy Store has included quirkier kitchen tools and storage products that will add an element of fun to the traditional way of doing things, such as the nifty egg poacher or the retro stackable storage blocks. The Thingamajig range is available in over 330 Crazy Stores from 25 July 2018.

crazystore.co.za • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

 

RedRock “It’s a matter of taste” competition

New(ish) kid on the block, ad agency Abnormal, has conceptualised a brand campaign for The RedRock Brewing Co that has its consumers decked out in its uniquely branded winter woolies.

The RedRock Brewing Co matter of tasteThe idea was to keep RedRock drinkers fashionably warm during the winter months by giving them the opportunity to win something a little different, something bespoke. This sparked the five limited-edition jerseys range, each individually designed to represent the five RedRock beer variants: Rusty Trigger (Lager), Stormrider (Pilsner), Nine Inch Ale (Ale), Bad Moon (Crystal Weiss), Firebird (IPA). Consumers may win one by entering the RedRock Beer — It’s a Matter of Taste competition.

The RedRock philosophy is all about celebrating non-conformity in the spirit of rock ’n roll. All RedRock beers are an ode to iconic rock genres, songs or legends and the jerseys have maintained this theme.

redrock.co.za • Facebook
abnormalgroup.co.za • Facebook • Ramify

 

Cheryl HunterShelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things retail. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.

Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.

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The Martini Shot: The importance of freeing the bid, SA-style

by Bobby Amm. As the global advertising industry came together in Cannes last month to celebrate creativity, once again the lack of diversity in our industry was high on the agenda. While our international contemporaries are more focused on female directors receiving more opportunities and recognition, South Africa’s history means the challenge of promoting greater diversity is a lot more complex.

More than just gender

Why? Because diversity means so much more than just gender: it also refers to colour, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion and age. This is a very hot topic, having direct overlap with South African broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) transformation.

Free the Bid is an international campaign, launched in September 2016, that aims to give female directors a voice in the advertising world. At this year’s Cannes Lions Awards, Proctor & Gamble, the world’s largest advertiser, announced that not only has it taken the pledge to “free the bid” but it’s also committed to assisting in expanding the initiative throughout the world over the next three years, together with other partners, including HP and Publicis Groupe.

Free the Bid’s pledge commits corporates to ask their ad agencies and content producers for one bid from a woman director on every commercial produced. The campaign motivates diversity starting with women, because women comprise over half the world’s population and make 85% of product-purchase decisions; furthermore, more women in advertising will change the cultural misrepresentations of women and will also help women working in film across all platforms. Free the Bid has recently added women working as DOPs and editors to its roster, so it seems likely that the initiative will expand to make the case for women to have greater access in all departments.

‘Good for business’

Free the Bid’s assertion that women (particularly directors) are under-represented in the industry is borne out by a recent study undertaken by the Director’s Guild of America (DGA), which confirmed that “directors are overwhelming white and male” and that “every aspect to the entire system disadvantages woman and people of colour.” Free the Bid says that the corporate world “needs to fix its diversity issue — because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it’s a good idea for business. If creativity can be described as ‘thinking outside the box,’ then it would seem obvious that diversity would only increase creativity.”

The initiative is already displaying positive results. Since its inception, over 400 female directors’ reels have been added to the Free the Bid database; over 50 top global agencies and 12 global brands have taken the pledge; and there has been a 400% increase in jobs awarded to women by participating agencies. Free the Bid has also been launched in South Africa with director Leigh Ogilvie as our country’s designated ambassador.

While the South African production sector is in full support of the Free the Bid initiative, there’s arguably no country in the world which has the same challenges as we do when it comes to promoting diversity and encouraging the transformation of business and society. As much as we all agree that female directors should be given greater opportunities, there needs to be a caveat that this shouldn’t necessarily be at the expense of our racial transformation agenda.

Positive results

The Free the Bid model does show that, if industry participants commit to increased diversity, positive results can follow and this should encourage local players to commit to prioritising diversity in all its many forms. One way to do this would be to sign the pledge at Free the Bid or simply to implement an internal policy that calls for at least one bid from a “diverse director” on every commercial put out to pitch; the results can only lead to a more-favourable result for everyone.

Yes, gone are the days where women could only stereotypically shoot babies, or beauty. A woman director can shoot cars and make metal look amazing [or a soccer ad that goes viral worldwide — ed-at-large]. And, yes, why not try a female director on a ‘he-man’ beer ad? One might just be pleasantly surprised.

https://youtu.be/SP14zlGmvSQ

It’s time to spice it up and allow for change. It doesn’t have to be of a political nature but let’s view it as an opening of the doors of equality and creativity.

See also

 

Bobby AmmBobby Amm is chief executive of the Commercial Producers Association of South Africa (CPA), the trade association of production companies that produce television, cinema and internet commercials for the local and international market. After a brief stint in journalism, she began her career in the industry at the Consultative Committee for the Entertainment Industry in the early 1990s. She first joined the CPA in 1997 but left three years later to join a production company. After finding that she missed the big-picture perspective of the CPA and the interesting issues which continuously perplex the production industry, Bobby returned to the CPA in 2003. She contributes “The Martini Shot” column monthly, covering developments, trends and insights into the commercial production and film services industries in South Africa, to MarkLives.

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Headspace: Brand loyalty & the not-so-monogamous consumer

by Tenielle Maris. Should brand managers focus their attention on recruiting new customers or on creating deep relationships with loyal customers to optimise brand growth? The answer lies somewhere in between.

The bestselling marketing sensation, “How Brands Grow”, created waves when Professor Byron Sharp from the Ehrenburg-Bass Institute challenged the notion of customer loyalty and the emphasis that brands place on retaining customers. He highlighted that brands are more likely to have a higher number of light occasional buyers than the heavy frequent users that all brands dream about, whom are sadly few and far between. As a consequence, he points out that brand-growth strategies should place market penetration at the centre vs attempting to establish customer loyalty — something that has snowballed debates within the marketing and advertising arena.

A different perspective

The notion of customer loyalty has been mystifying brands for centuries, where the science behind both the attitude and behaviour remains complex and undefined. Very rarely (if at all) will customers remain monogamous to a particular brand: what marketers and advertisers need to recognise is that the notion of loyalty does, actually, exist within the land of consumerism, albeit in an evolved form.

It goes without saying that consumers have a set of brands that they purchase, based on numerous factors influencing their decision at a specific point in time. Arguably, this doesn’t mean that loyalty doesn’t exist but rather that brands should be doing whatever it takes to ensure that they’re the ones being purchased within a person’s repertoire.

A dual approach

gem unicorn fantasy horse courtesy of pixabayNumerous studies have been conducted to show the effects of penetration and customer loyalty on brand growth; however, there are a number of findings that challenge Sharp’s hypothesis. It appears that top-of-mind awareness is only half the story when it comes to increased market share, and that marketers and advertisers cannot ignore the role that establishing a deep emotional connection and the resulting advocacy play in driving sustainable brand success.

While the notion of ‘brand love’ is very possibly a marketer’s very own version of a glittery unicorn, recognising the importance of getting customers to like your brand, and the impact on cultivating high-value customers in the long term, shouldn’t be overlooked.

Beyond a loyalty card

If marketers and advertisers need to stop thinking about loyalty in isolation, where does that leave the old, trusted loyalty programme? The answer is that it, along with similar strategies, need to be established with the intention of enhancing the customer experience to ultimately grow a brand.

With more and more brands placing experiences at the core, the penny is dropping that there is a myriad of ways to establish brand affinity and deepen relationships beyond the loyalty card — something that’s more than likely long forgotten in your customer’s wallet.

“To succeed at a time when competition is more disruptive than ever, you need to be a loyalty brand, not a brand with a loyalty programme.” —Admap, 2016

Getting it right

In order to establish authentic relationships with millennial parents and to steal share from all-time rival brand Huggies, Pampers developed the #betterforbaby campaign: based on the heart-warming insight that babies motivate people to be better human beings. The campaign leveraged Pampers’ existing loyalty and feeding programmess, as well as the brand’s 10-year partnership with UNICEF to show the brand’s ongoing dedication to making the world a better place.

https://youtu.be/U3ay0Oysrlc

Beyond measuring success against engagement and likes, this campaign also demonstrated an increase in brand equity and purchase intent — two crucial advocacy drivers. Rather than focusing on a loyalty programme in isolation, this campaign demonstrates the brand’s recognition of loyalty as the outcome of all brand efforts. Pampers showed that, by establishing an emotional connection with an audience, a brand is able to lay the foundation for long-term growth.

Despite the ongoing debates on this subject, the power of building authentic relationships shouldn’t be forgotten. Rather, by tapping into insights to understand what motivates buying behaviour over a sustained period, brands need to continually seek out ways to make themselves more valuable and significant in the lives of their customers.

References

 

Tenielle MarisBeginning her career in branding and communications, Tenielle Maris has spent the last decade and more in the marketing industry, where she has worked upon big brands spanning the African continent. Having found her passion in understanding what drives human beings to connect with particular brands, her time is spent getting up close and personal with the people whom brands are trying to connect with. Tenielle contributes the monthly “Headspace” column, which unpacks anything and everything that helps marketers and advertisers understand why people connect with brands, to MarkLives.com.

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#AgencyFocus: Hoorah’s bold approach to digital — and business

by Carey Finn (@carey_finn) Digital agency Hoorah’s strategy for embedding itself in the market has three core aspects: data, creativity and an atypical attitude to risk. Shaune Jordaan, co–founder and CEO of this recent arrival, believes these will add up to help brands dive deeper into the digital realm — and grow there.

The industry heavyweight, a former cofounder of Synergize, was looking to do something different after leaving his post as MD of Saatchi & Saatchi Pro in London. Attracted by what he saw as huge potential in the combination of data and creativity, and keen to do something entrepreneurial, Jordaan decided to return to South Africa and open a startup in the Mother City. “I felt that digital was moving fast, and that data had the power to transform things,” he says. “And by having creativity at the heart of that, campaigns would be hugely effective.”

A sense of surprise

The specifics of the agency and its approach gradually crystallised, and the name Hoorah emerged to represent a sense of surprise, with the eyes in the logo suggestive of a person looking through data and discovering treasure, Jordaan explains. Forging an executive quartet with long-time acquaintance Jay Thompson, who is co-founder and CSO; Tasmin Kingma, who is head of media; and Neil Pursey, who is head of inbound and the co-founder of digital marketing training company, Webgrowth Academy — soon to be Hoorah Education — the agency was established and its doors officially opened in May this year.

The agency has been in a strong pitching phase since, celebrating early successes with WWF SA, for whom it has launched an online apparel store with a focus on sustainability, as well as Rawson Properties and Flight Centre Business Travel. The WWF work led to Hoorah’s just-announced acquisition of Durban-based design and development agency, Tenzing, which it teamed up with for the project. This is expected to boost Hoorah’s e-commerce capabilities.

In June, The Odd Number acquired a minority equity stake in Hoorah, adding the Nedbank digital account, which will be a collaborative effort, to the agency’s list. The two will be partnering on TTL campaigns.

Further partnerships

Going forward, Jordaan anticipates further partnerships — both with other agencies and brands: “We’re positioning ourselves as an independent digital consultancy business. We can go in and help internal teams to grow their digital stack, or whatever their mandate is.” Hoorah would be operating on a hybrid model of supporting these internal teams or wholly serving a brand’s digital needs, depending on what was required, he says.

The revenue model Hoorah has selected is performance-based and fairly high risk. He says that contracts are negotiated with each client or partner, and could include, for example, an agency fee plus a percentage from sales or leads, or a scaled percentage of media spend based on KPI. “Everything we do, we tie to the performance of the brand, so if the brand does well, we do well,” he says. “A lot of people are petrified by that but we love it, because it makes us feel entrepreneurial and it makes us live up to our purpose of helping businesses grow.”

Jordaan emphasises that creativity today doesn’t have to carry a high price-tag, thanks to advances in technology. “My thinking with Hoorah is that we flip [the traditional agency model] upside down,” he says. “Our creative work is not expensive; we can use the latest technology we have in our hands to produce a lot, and tailor it on the basis of what data is telling us.”

“Data means people”

Hoorah uses opt-in, first-party data from clients to create personalised brand engagement — something Jordaan believes is key to effective marketing and advertising. “Data means people,” he says. “Data is people. Brands sit on tons of data, yet spam us because of poor execution — I want to try change that. We’re saying let’s look at data first, let’s understand what opportunities exist for this brand, let’s then create our visual expression of what we feel would work as a campaign, and drive it through media.”

While Hoorah tries to keep the creative aspect affordable, this doesn’t mean quality is compromised. What using available resources does mean, he says, is that it’s possible to focus on having a strong media budget and altering content on the basis of consumer behaviour to drive the outcomes required: “What we want to try and do is make sure our ads are unobtrusive, served to the right person at the right time, and that the person actually wants to hear from that brand.”

This is the agency’s understanding of people-based marketing, and a stark contrast to the unsolicited text messages and emails all too many consumers receive and ignore. “From the brand side, it means less media wastage and more uptake,” he adds.

Education essential

Jordaan is positive about the future of Hoorah but says that education will be essential to the agency’s success. “The challenge is to get brands to understand that they can’t do everything,” he says. “And that we’re coming in not to diminish but to bolster and build internal digital teams, to slowly embed ourselves into businesses as consultants.”

Hoorah’s initial focus will be consolidating its presence in the South African market before moving north into Nigeria, Kenya and the UK, where the agency intends to work with partners on the ground. As yet, details have not been released.

Hoorah logo
hoorahdigital.com • Ramify

  • Office locations: Cape Town, Joburg, Durban
  • Revenue band: R20-R30m
  • Staff count: 16
  • Key clients: Rawson Properties, WWF SA, Nedbank, Flight Centre Business Travel
  • Services: CRM, data, digital, media buying, media planning, programmatic

 

Carey FinnCarey Finn (@carey_finn) is a writer and editor with a decade and a half of industry experience, having covered everything from ethical sushi in Japan to the technicalities of roofing, agriculture, medical stuff and more. She’s also taught English and journalism, and dabbled in various other communications ventures along the way, including risk reporting. As a contributing writer to MarkLives.com, her new column “#AgencyFocus” is an ongoing weekly series updating the market on agency performance, including business performance, innovation, initiatives, the work, awards and people.

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