Ad of the Week: Empowering youth for a better, prosperous future

by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Absa and below-the-line agency, T+W, celebrated Youth Month in June 2017 with a mini-documentary that shows SA youth how to become digital — not rock — stars.

Nelson Mandela said it best: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The ICT space is growing apace worldwide, and there are few better places for a young person to gain employment these days than in computing. A young person who can code and who understands the digital space is almost guaranteed employment.

This is because there’s a massive push by governments across Africa to get ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The SA government launched #Internet4All on Youth Day, a move which is meant to see the 22m people not yet connected digitally brought online. With our country in a recession and facing massive unemployment, #InternetForAll “could prove to be the boost this country needs”. Well, 13 of SA’s top thinkers, economists and change makers say it will be a game changer.

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The good news is that innovative organisations are already riding the #InternetForAll wave. One of these, the Digital Academy, has partnered with Absa Bank to change the lives and fortunes of young South Africans, and this features in a mini-movie that is a real delight to watch because it is so hopeful and ‘happy-making’. The school is situated in Johannesburg’s rapidly renewing CBD, just around the corner from Ornico’s new head office, in fact (it gives me a real kick to see how Joburg is starting to realise the promise of becoming Africa’s next tech capital).

Case studies

Absa teamed up once again with T+W to present case studies of three graduates who studied computer programming through the Digital Academy, all recruited from small-town SA, and recently employed by the bank. The short doccie tells their stories, as well as that of the Digital Academy. It is a video everyone should watch.

T and W for Absa Prosper screengrab 03 T and W for Absa Prosper screengrab 04The two-minute film starts with the three youngsters. “When I tell people I’m from Kagiso in Krugersdorp, people look at me as if I live under a rock,” says the first. The text on the screen reads “From Kagiso”. This line is delivered with him sitting on a rock, in the countryside, with his laptop on his knee. The scene cuts to him in an office environment, where he continues: “I think it’s the most exciting job in the world. There’s really nothing I can’t do.”

The next scene features a young woman, who says, “What if I told you the world’s next best programmer would be a girl from Lenz?” The text on the screen reads “From Lenasia”.

The next is a young man, who is initially seen ‘through’ his computer screen, with code scrolling down it. “I grew up in Welkom,” he says, with the text on the screen to support this. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking,” he adds. “My wildest dream has always revolved around creating things that matter.”

The title appears: “Coding a better future” and the scene cuts to the founders talking about their motivation for starting the Digital Academy. “We needed to get a bridge between where they are, coming out of varsity or teaching themselves, to a point where they can actually add value in the workplace.”

The scene cuts back to the three graduates, talking about what drives them. One talks about his passion for AI and machine learning; one talks about having the freedom to use whatever tools she wanted to; and the third talks about the “magic” of writing code.

“Prosper”

The young man from Kagiso is filmed walking through Jozi streets in an atmospheric night shoot. His voiceover says, “What I hope for South Africa and my continent, Africa, is that we become pioneers; we adopt technology and embrace innovation, and we build a better continent for tomorrow.”

The young woman says, “If we keep looking forward, no matter what, then we can only get better – right?”

The next scene is of the three of them on a rooftop overlooking the city (with the Absa building in the background), while the text appears: “Absa is proud to partner with the Digital Academy. Because when we create opportunities for the brightest young minds in South Africa, everyone prospers.” The final payoff line is: “Empowered youth. Better Future. Prosper.” This ties in with the overall Absa slogan, which is simply “Prosper”.

Smart initiative, Absa. If more companies partner with innovators such as the Digital Academy, SA will indeed prosper.

Credits

Production agency: T+W
Creative director: Gareth Whittaker
Business unit director: Nandi Dlepu
Producer: Litha Mbutuma
Director: Lauren Chengan
DoP: Jared Hinde
Editor: Lauren Chengan
Sound mix: Sean Jeffries

 

 

Oresti PatriciosAd of the Week, published on MarkLives every Wednesday, is penned by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki), the CEO of Ornico, a Brand Intelligence® firm that focuses on media, reputation and brand research. If you are involved in making advertising that is smart, funny and/or engaging, please let Oresti know about it at clientservice@ornicogroup.co.za.

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Ad Exec: Walking the tight-rope between heritage & modernity

by Tom Fels (@thomasfels) Brands and businesses don’t always operate at the same speed, and decisions made for one inevitably impact on the other.

Perhaps you started as a craft brand, operating on passion and purpose, intent on changing the category, intent on changing the world. Then, one day, an opportunity knocked, you answered and your product range is now as wide as it is tall. You’re on every street corner, you’ve catered for varying needs and you’re championing the market.

Eventually, as it always does, a competitor will emerge, born of the same cloth but different in the now: more agile, more relevant, with fewer products and selective distribution. Your customers take notice and, before you know it, your leadership is under threat.

Evolving the brand

The choice to scale a product range or a route to market, to cater for varying tastes, or to spawn sub-brands, are all common ones that are presented to a business as it grows.

The brand will, no doubt, need to stretch to cover these new initiatives; however, in doing so, the authentic uniqueness inherent within it must be handled with kid-gloves. So many brands have lost their shine because they’ve become ‘too’ accessible, their products too mainstream, their vision too muddled.

Searching for relevance

In these trying times, when economic uncertainty has tightened purse strings, the attraction of ‘quick wins’ to clear stock, or short-term planning which fails to reflect the sensitivity of the brand, may result in an unknowing change in direction.

At risk, particularly, are products that rely on social acceptability and popularity to drive volume, as they chase a changing market, continually striving for relevance with the emerging-consumer set. What may be intended as an innovation may either strike a chord or be dismissed as a gimmick, eroding brand magnetism in the process.

Heritage in the now

Luxury brands, among them jewellers and car makers, have perfected the art of harnessing the purity of their heritage while incorporating language and design that speaks to the now, attracting cult-like devotees. The secret lies in balanced ambition and restraint, heritage and modernity.

Mercedes Benz S-Class Coupé

Perhaps the fragility of luxury brands points their custodians toward being more-discerning in the pace and approach to growth but, even further afield, there are lessons to be learnt from products that have stood the test of time and still lead the market today.

Time will tell

The years can be a cruel mistress. Hindsight will tell you where you went wrong, where you lost touch, but foresight will enable you to walk a path of clarity that enables enduring brand vitality over even hundreds of years.

We live in times of unprecedented change, challenge and opportunity. The resilience of brands will be tested, and temptation will present itself time and again. Just as one should balance heritage with the multitude of opportunities presented by the modern economy, so, too, should brand owners have a discerning view of risk and reward. In the end, time will tell whether the decisions made were the right ones.

 

Tom Fels 2016With a history of local and international experience in leading brand consulting, design, shopper marketing and integrated advertising roles, Tom Fels (@thomasfels) has gained a deeply relevant understanding of the marketing ecosystem. His skills are now put to work daily as chief executive of digital technology and performance-marketing business, Nurun (www.nurun.com). He contributes the monthly “Ad Exec” column to MarkLives.

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Shelf Life: Mortimer Harvey sends Bobtail on a journey

Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new — product, packaging, design, insight, food, décor and more!

  • Egg Films brings the Bobtail journey alive
  • Sanlam’s new platform surprises
  • Hug in a Mug expands coffee category

A dog’s life

South Africans always respond well to ads with dogs and the reaction to the new Bobtail dog food ad, Journey, is no exception.

https://youtu.be/en713j2tI4c

Conceptualised by Mortimer Harvey’s Christopher Potter and Karolin Steenkamp, the ad tells the story of one man’s journey to find himself — with his staffie by his side. Filmed and directed on location along South Africa’s beautiful Wild Coast by Egg Films’ Jason Fialkov, the ad has received an emotional response on social media from dog lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

Says Fialkov, “It feels like a lifetime ago we were hiking 20km, carrying gear, shoulder deep in water, chomping down on strawberry whirls. In particular, Benson the Staffie deserves a gigantic shout out and head rub for his performance on shoot.”

The ad captures the Bobtail strap line — contains what your dog needs to stay by your side through all of life’s exciting adventures — and brings it to life.

eggfilms.tv • Facebook • Twitter • Ramify
mortimerharvey.com • Facebook • Twitter • Ramify
bobtail.co.za • Facebook

 

Drama on WhatsApp

A bold move from financial services group Sanlam — to run SA’s first edutainment drama series entirely via WhatsApp — has exceeded all expectations, with over 9000 subscriptions in just two weeks.

Uk'shona Kwelanga - Sanlam campaignSanlam’s Uk’shona Kwelanga series, written by scriptwriter and playwright Bongi Ndaba, is the first SA drama to be created specifically for WhatsApp and features an all-star local cast who explore the themes of finance, familial secrets and traditional rites — demonstrating the unnecessary financial pressure that burdens a family following the loss of a loved one with no funeral cover.

According to Lesego Kotane, strategy partner at the King James Group, the team had to work quickly when it realised how popular the drama was becoming: “We were delighted to have to deal with a lot more people subscribing in the first few weeks than we’d planned for — a problem we were only too happy to have. We now have up to 12 groups running simultaneously, most of them comprising 220 people to deal with WhatsApp limitations and to ensure everyone receives the right conversation at the right time.”

Kotane thinks the curiosity factor is also encouraging signups: “People have been very intrigued by what a WhatsApp drama actually involves — people are used to TV shows but this is an entirely new experience.”

With about 1.2bn monthly users globally, the chat platform presents a ‘revolutionary’ medium for marketing leaders to explore.

The drama ends on 15 July.

Results to date: 9000+ subscribers; 180 000+ minutes of content consumed; and 93% completion rate.

sanlam.co.za • Facebook • Twitter
kingjames.co.za • Facebook • Twitter • Ramify

 

Creative coffee

The coffee space has been booming for the last few years as coffee culture takes hold within SA, resulting in supermarket sales of instant cappuccino sachets becoming the fastest-growing coffee sub-segment, worth R500m. This is according to local FMCG player, AVI.

Hug in a Mug Cinnamon BunDespite the growing demand for cappuccino sachets, the market has already been dominated by global coffee players with loyal followers, so AVI has created a brand that breaks with convention to attract new users.

Spearheaded by Russ Sidelsky, marketing executive for the coffee and creamer category, in-depth market research revealed that consumers typically enjoy their coffee sweet, creamy and milky, with the average South African using two-and-a-half teaspoons of sugar, milk and coffee creamer. With no ready-made solution catering to this profile, AVI took the gap to offer an all-encompassing product that meets the sweet, creamy, milky, flavourful, and convenient criteria at an affordable price, and so Hug in a Mug was born in 2015.

The brand is determined to evolve and keep the consumer surprised through constant flavour innovation, as demonstrated by the recent launch of Cinnamon Bun flavour.

Sidelsky says the Hug in a Mug brand not only plays in the flavoured cappuccino and indulgent drink space but also has appeal vs other self-appreciation treats such as chocolate, biscuits and ice cream.

Adding colourful design and advertising from agency GRID, the AVI brand is meant to be endearing, charming and whimsical and positioned more like a liquid, indulgent snack than a traditional coffee: “The range instantly stands apart from the sea of brown, heritage-coffee brands in the shopping aisle.”

huginamug.co.za • Facebook
gridworldwide.com • Facebook • Twitter • Ramify

 

Cheryl HunterShelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. 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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Big Q Consultancies: Ad agency, consultancy biz models converging

by MarkLives (@marklives) What may the broader agency and marketing community learn from the rise of non-traditional firms now operating in the advertising agency space? What processes and practices are giving these firms an edge, and to what would the rise of these players be attributed, in spite of the best integration efforts by the traditional agency networks? We asked a panel of key industry executives for their take. Next up is Andy Sutcliffe of 34°.

Large consulting and technology firms such as IBM, Deloitte and Accenture have moved definitively into the digital-marketing-and-communications space ad agencies once hoped to dominate themselves. In the UK, IBM iX, Accenture Interactive, BAE Systems and Deloitte Digital UK already rank in the top five interactive agencies based on revenue; Accenture Interactive, part of Accenture Digital, was named the world’s largest digital agency network by AdAge last year.

Andy Sutcliffe

Andy SutcliffeAndy Sutcliffe (@andythirtyfour) is the CEO and co-founder of 34°, which has been voted Specialist Agency of the Year by AdFocus and AdReview four times since it opened its doors in 2007. After a spectacularly unsuccessful stint on the client side, he was fortunate to talk his way into and work at some of London’s finest advertising agencies. Then, being a relentless optimist, he decided to launch his own agency, Ignition, in the late 1990s, backed by clients including Amazon, Sony, Warner Bros, Wimpy and Total. Both Ignition and its digital offering, Ignite, were sold to Omnicom in 2006. As well as unhealthy addiction to coffee, he is obsessed with navigating 34° through the new world of business in Africa.

Experience architects

IBM, Accenture, Deloitte, Mckinsey, PwC and KPMG are certainly highly acquisitive of agencies, with Accenture buying up 40 agencies in the last 18 months alone —certainly fanning competitive flames. “We don’t believe brands are built from advertising anymore,” stated Accenture Interactive’s senior MD, Brian Whipple. “They are built from an amalgamation of user experiences, so that is what we are focused on. A new level of connectivity between marketing and creative, business and digital technology is required and clients are looking to us to merge these worlds.”

Management consultants are looking to build a new breed of agency, “experience architects”, to help brands connect disconnected experiences and share accountability with clients for their business outcomes. They are certainly backing up their noise through acquisitions, and not just of digital agencies around the world. And who’s to say they will not be doing the same in South Africa by the year end?

Converging model

CMOs understand that a data-led strategy, not just a creative one, is driving top-line growth. This explains why business models of consulting and creative agencies are converging. The key, of course, is the need to own high-level business strategy and this is an area in which ad agencies have been found wanting.

This also explains why some of the global network agencies are not just sitting there waiting for consultants to eat their lunch but are launching their own agency-consultancy offerings and so mirroring what clients are looking for. And so the race is on to discover how a creative industry learns to integrate data and analytics faster than consultancies can keep acquiring creative agencies to reposition their offering and become creative content producers.

The concern is that consultants have deeper pockets and have been more successful in acquiring creative talent and companies than vice versa. As a senior partner at Accenture once explained, “we will take out the agencies as we have more bright, creative people; we just haven’t been channeling them that way. Yet.”

Creativity vs analytics

This is the key battleground. Big consultancies underestimate the value of creativity and the culture required to make it happen, while the agencies underexploit the value of business analytics. Agencies need to bring in a data-driven approach and marry it to world-class creative.

But we’ve got to grow up and understand that creativity is essential yet only part of the solution business needs today, not the overall solution. Agencies have got to keep innovating and be future-focused to keep one step ahead of technology and customer change. We as agencies, even with our bullish narrative around integration and consumer-first solutions, are still too inward looking, hamstrung by our own commercial needs and older still structures. We also fear the science of data and analytics while believing that big ideas and product sales or brand equity remain our exclusive territory.

The real nature of creativity in our industry is changing. That old school creativity has morphed in our software age into a more-forensic need for data. If agencies are to grow share, we have to close the gap in our adoption of digital systems that liberate our bold creativity.

Solutions that work

At the end of the day, though, let’s not forget about the key partner in this dynamic: our clients. They really don’t care about the agency vs consultancy agenda.

They just want solutions. That work.

And they want to work with passionate partners who understand their business in totality. Not just the strategy. Or the creative. Or the technology. And it’s up to us agencies to deliver that. Or else…

See also

 

MarkLives logoLaunched in 2016, “The Big Q” is a regular column on MarkLives in which we ask key industry execs for their thoughts on relevant issues facing the ad industry. If you’d like to be part of our pool of potential panellists, please contact editor Herman Manson via email (2mark at marklives dot com) or Twitter (@marklives). Suggestions for questions are also welcomed.

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Africa Dispatches: Dan Mace — YouTube-star turned TVC prodigy

by Charlie Mathews (@CharlesLeeZA) Dan Mace (@Dan_theDirector) hasn’t even hit 30 and he’s already won an African Cristal Grand Prix, a Silver Young Director Award at Cannes Lions and two One Show merits for the very first TVC he ever made. That was for Tusker and Net#work BBDO, and it’s a one-minute wonder. An entertaining, multi-sensory thrill, the advert is immersive and oh so watchable.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to fix that immediately (I’ll wait for you.)

Other accolades for the work include coming second in TV, Film & Video in Creative Circle Ad of the Month January 2017; Ad of the Week here on MarkLives; and a Special Mention on ididthat’s SA Film Reel, among others.

So where’s Mace come from? He’s part of the YouTube.com generation, one of those savants who’ve effortlessly taken to digital cinema and grown with each new project. His channel on YouTube has over 70 000 subscribers and his work there has garnered close on 20m views. He cut his teeth with documentaries, shorties and music videos (he’s done over a hundred of these) working with the likes of Red Bull, CNN, Roxy and Matt Simons. GrindTV calls him “more than the best up-and-coming surf filmmaker in the business… a voice for his generation.”

Interview

Mace recently joined Egg Films, so Africa Dispatches asked him few questions.

Africa Dispatches: Who are you?
Dan Mace: I am a 27-year-old film director from Cape Town, South Africa. Actually, I shouldn’t introduce myself as a film director because that’s not what makes me who I am. I am a SMALL dude with a MASSIVE vibe and I really like to make films that make people feel something.

AD: If you had to sum yourself up in one word, what would that word be?
DM: Peculiar.

AD: When did you first pick up a video camera and why?
DM: Strangely enough, it was for a class oral in English. I used to be super-nervous to talk in front of a room full of people. I was pretty socially awkward. After a couple of sleepless nights before the oral presentation, I came up with the idea to rather make a film of what my topic was. Long story short, I picked up my dad’s DV camera, called over a mate of mine, and shot this terrible piece about Jack the Ripper’s internal dialogue. I even added in fake rain (sprinkler), some blood (tomato sauce) and a violent stab scene (cardboard knife spray-painted silver). After creating that piece of shit, I knew that this is what I wanted to do for as long as I could. I was fully consumed by the art form from day one.

AD: What was the first movie you ever made?
DM: I wouldn’t call the one above a movie so I’ll speak about the first ‘real’ documentary I ever made, a year or so later. I must have been around 17 when I took all my savings and bought a small DV camera, which gained a lot of interest from my peers. I was making all kinds of no-budget films, from music videos to 80th birthday bashes. Then a big opportunity presented itself for the brand O’Neill, where they offered me the opportunity to fly to Madagascar and create a surf film for a bunch of surfers, including myself. I realised that I was spending far more time in nature and in the local villages, filming the people there, than I was with the crew surfing and hanging out on the beach. I think this is where my style really started to take shape. I still have the film and it’s interestingly average, to say the least, but what’s great is to see that the techniques I started to develop back then are what I am still using 10 years down the line.

AD: How did you learn to make movies? Is this something anyone can do?
DM: When I had to learn to edit, there were no tutorials online or large online forums, but there were really expensive dudes from the industry who would offer classes once a week on using Final Cut Pro, which I attended a couple of times. When it came to using a camera, I just taught myself slowly from moving across from auto to manual. The best way to learn is to literally pick up a camera of any kind (yes, even an iPhone or Android) and shoot something, anything. Then import it into whatever kind of editing software you have available to you and watch YouTube tutorials of how to use the program. Nowadays, you have a whole universe of knowledge in the palm of your hands — use it. If you’re reading this interview, you have access to the internet, so there is really no excuse.

AD: When did you first join YouTube? What have you learned from that journey?
DM: I joined YouTube in 2011. YouTube teaches you about making films for yourself first and then an audience will begin to follow. But, ultimately, it’s about your vision and you have to be comfortable and confident with it. Once you have done that, the online world teaches you how to package your films correctly and execute them. It also teaches you to listen to the people, take their comments and use them in your next projects. I’ve learned to remain curious; stop listening to answer, and start listening to understand.

AD: What makes you different or unique?
DM: I don’t want to give away my secrets just yet; I just started in this industry.

AD: What’s the first commercial you made?
DM: My first TVC I made is Tusker “Here’s to the US in every Tusker” in Kenya.

AD: How has the social age changed commercial moviemaking?
DM: It’s made people a lot more aware of what an ad is — of when a brand is trying to sell something. I believe that, in order to start a conversation with the viewer, you first need impact; then you can communicate your idea and start to persuade your audience to see things through a new lens. But it starts with impact. When doing this in the right way, one can still create hugely engaging ads, with the viewer being aware from the get-go that they are watching a TV commercial or online piece of branded content.

AD: Why movies?

DM: Films to me are music for the eyeballs. Rhythm created with visuals. I am a musician at heart but could never pursue that, so I decided to make music visually instead.

AD: How many commercials have you made? What have you learned?
DM: I am on my sixth TV ad now [at the time of writing; his latest, “This is Your Time 4” for Vodacom, took Ad of the Week on MarkLives last week —ed-at-large]. I have learned a shitload. I started working with Egg Films a few TVCs with a new producer, Vjorn du Toit, who has been around a lot longer than me. I respect her loads, which makes it easy to learn from her and let her guide me. I think the space that I have grown the most is by working with the full team on set, and especially the client — keeping them in the loop and feeding back about what’s happening. It’s so important, and makes all the difference when you know that everyone on that location is on the same page.

AD: Tell us about your documentary work?

DM: Documentaries teach you how to not alter the space in front of camera, but rather change the direction of where you point the lens to capture the most-beautiful parts. Authenticity to me is key and you really learn how to look at the world through this lens when making documentaries.
AD: What’s the best movie you’ve ever watched and why?
DM: Requiem for a Dream. The most-beautiful depiction of a mother and son being torn apart because of drugs — legal and illegal. It’s a difficult watch because of the truth attached to the powerful imagery. I have an original poster from the cinema framed in my office.

AD: Where are you going?
DM: For now, I am just super-stoked to be where I am in my career already. I am concentrating on bringing freshness to each commercial I create and taking one project at a time. I guess I will think about my future when I get some time off.

AD: What advice do you have for aspirant movie makers?
DM: I always say this, but learn how to give up on your good ideas because, if you try and pursue all your good ideas, you will never have time for the great ones.

Read more

 

Charlie MathewsCharlie Mathews is a writer who likes to draw and is based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She is a contributing editor to MarkLives.com through her monthly “Africa Dispatches” column.

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Brands & Branding: Curiosity, problem-solving & creativity

by Rhiannon Rees. In a world that insists more and more on creative solutions, curiosity is even more essential to problem-solving. Yet, despite this, we may still find ourselves hesitant to ask questions.

Have you ever found yourself Googling some mild cold symptoms and, after three hours of in-depth analysis, diagnosed yourself with a rare and fatal disease? What about popping onto Facebook to see a friend’s newest photo uploads but somehow finding yourself on her boyfriend’s cousin’s best friend’s younger sister’s boyfriend’s page? We’re all naturally nosy.

Ccuriosity is recognised in psychology as the ‘epistemophilic instinct’, the instinctive love of knowledge. It is the urge to know more, the hunger to uncover the ‘next big thing’ and demystify the increasing complexity of business.

But why do we stop asking “why”?

Sometimes we stop asking questions, especially as we grow ‘wiser’ and more experienced, because we assume we know the answer. After spending enough time in the field, we tend to adopt a mindset of ‘I’ve done this before’ — and slip into the comforting lull of complacency. This is especially true of brands: we’ve done the research, interviewed our customer typologies, and yes, we know how to satisfy clients’ needs, thank you.

We’ve heard of numerous examples of brand and product obsolescence arising out of a complacent mindset and failure to adapt: Blackberry fading into irrelevance, MXit being usurped by a ubiquitous WhatsApp, and landlines becoming those things we use solely when our cellphone batteries have died and email is down. Perhaps the most-nostalgic example is that of public pay-phones. The use of phonecards, or queuing on the side of the road to call someone, has dissipated, as mobile accessibility has changed the nature of communication. But, instead of adapting phone pods to become more relevant to a mobile world — perhaps as wireless hotspots, or recharging stations — telecommunications giants have left them to gather dust.

Our curiosity is also threatened by the ‘empty immediacy of the virtual now’: the internet. We stop asking questions, because we already have the answers. Increased internet accessibility means that we no longer have to seek new solutions; someone else (probably someone smarter) has already found them. As online IP traffic had been expected to surpass 1 zettabyte of data in 2016 (about 125bn 8-gig memory sticks), and expected to double per year by 2019 [note that this article was written in 2016 — ed-at-large], the internet may take the wind out of our curious sails.

Symbol of confrontation

We may also stop asking questions because it’s the easy way out of a disagreement. In the workplace, we want to avoid unnecessary conflict and feel as if we get along with our colleagues. We actively avoid confrontation and so stop asking questions. Questions then become more a symbol of confrontation, and less of genuine curiosity.

Sometimes our lack of questions arises out of fear. Fear of wasting time and missing deadlines, of appearing clueless, of having our precious ideas disregarded. It’s easy to be satisfied with the status quo and to not ask why. Asking questions is far more challenging; it may be intimidating to keep the passion for knowledge and understanding alive!

With fear and complacency, we settle. We settle for the safety of what we know and like. We settle for sameness, and the danger of ‘knowing.’ We stagnate, never pushing boundaries or challenging conventions — allowing our curiosity to be swallowed by what feels safe.

The opportunity in curiosity

Questions are crucial. They help us learn more, and hedge against risk. They help us see the bigger picture.

Being curious about our own industry, and being inquisitive about other categories, expands our frame of reference, enhancing our ability to add value to consumers’ lives. It also helps us build more-meaningful relationships with consumers and stakeholders: people are drawn to those who show interest in them. By asking more questions, we’re better equipped to satisfy the needs and demands of the market — enhancing our competitiveness and, potentially, profitability.

The endless pursuit of knowledge also helps us navigate complexity more easily.

According to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, the ability to break down complex matters into tangible solutions depends on IQ, EQ, and CQ — the curiosity quotient. While IQ and EQ are recognised success factors, CQ is unfamiliar. Our CQ informs our appetite for ambiguity, and not only helps build a knowledge bank over time but a desire to intellectually invest in it as well. Curiosity, therefore, is essential to the translation of complexity into understanding.

Translating knowledge into understanding

Persistent curiosity, despite its exhausting side-effects (consider four-year-olds and their endless “why” questions), is essential to the translation of knowledge into an understanding of the world’s complexity. So how do we start crystallising the information we have into insight?

  1. Create a safe space

Simon Sinek said that the responsibility of leadership is not to come up with the ideas but to create an environment in which ideas can thrive. By creating a space in which questions are encouraged, we fear less and uncover more about our field.

  1. Build knowledge

Knowledge opens our eyes to gaps about things we don’t know. If you want to be curious, start collecting new knowledge: read unusual books, research new models and approaches, and have challenging conversations with different groups of people. Enjoy immersing yourself in unfamiliar territory.

  1. Thrive on uncertainty

Research shows that feelings such as anxiety often lead to the longest-lasting positive experiences. People who immerse themselves in uncertain endeavours are happier and more likely to enjoy further adventures. We need to revel in the unknown, because it is in the unknown that we uncover new perspectives.

  1. Unleash the fun

By adding a playful element to our quest for knowledge — making it an adventure or a team sport — we find delight in new experiences. In doing so, we develop new insights about our clients and our industry.

  1. Seek the unfamiliar in the familiar

By relying on what we already know, we close ourselves off to new discoveries. Develop a taste for curiosity by actively challenging your preconceived ideas about the way you currently do business.

As marketers, we are in the business of regularly testing the fascinating notion that what I know and understand may not necessarily be what you know and understand. As such, we cannot uncover solutions alone. We’re dependent on the curiosity of those who came before us, and those who take us forward. We need a collective of creative and enquiring minds who willingly ask questions that can navigate through the chaos, uncertainty, and adventure of our present-day society.

So, let’s become obsessives and pioneers and midnight-Wikipedia-trawlers. Let’s keep experimenting, playing, and discovering. Let’s keep asking why.

• Buy your copy of Brands & Branding 2016 today.
Brands & Branding 2017 preliminary coverRhiannon Rees is a strategist at Yellowwood. With a particular interest in how socioeconomics influence consumer mind-sets and behaviours, she enjoys combining theories of ethics, philosophy, psychology and economics to build steadfast brands.

The article first appeared in the 2016 edition of Brands & Branding in South Africa, an annual review of all aspects of brand marketing — consisting of case-studies, profiles, articles and research. Editorial contributions and sponsored brand profiles accepted until early August for the 2017 edition. Copies of the current edition are still available — buy one here.

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SA TV Ratings: SABC 1 — primetime top 20 for May 2017

by MarkLives (@marklives) The hottest primetime television shows on SABC 1 in South Africa revealed: TV ratings for May 2017.

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.

SABC 1 May 2017

BRCSA TV Ratings May 2017 primetime SABC 1

Source: BRCSA May 2017

Broadcast Research Council of South Africa

 

The 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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Global Headline Makers: Tahaab Rais, Dubai

by Mark Tungate (@MarkTungate) Tahaab Rais, regional head of strategic planning (MENA) at FP7/McCann and regional director (MENA), McCann Truth Central, talks about the relationship between maths and imagination, and tells us why taxi drivers know best.

Rais believes that strategic planning is the best job in advertising, although he admits he’s probably biased. “A strategist is like the conductor of an orchestra. You’re conducting the consumer, the client and your own creative teams. You make sure everyone is in tune.”

Almost destined

Rais was almost destined to work in advertising. He caught the bug while growing up in what he describes as “the happy chaos” of India. “I had a lot of uncles who worked in advertising as creative directors. Seeing them create ideas was what I found most fascinating about advertising. To me, it has always been a business of ideas.” He studied marketing at university and took his first steps by interning as a copywriter “in a couple of small hot shops”. “Obviously, I was a complete failure as a copywriter,” he jokes, “so the next best thing was strategic planning.”

In 2005, he joined J. Walter Thompson in India, working on CRM and connections planning — which later became digital planning. “It was interesting to look at advertising from a different perspective in a country where, at that time, CRM and digital marketing weren’t really that big.” He also found that he had a knack for presenting his ideas. “I learned to add a little Bollywood to my presentations, although fortunately with no singing or dancing.”

His next stop was Dubai, initially with JWT and, since 2012, with FP7/McCann. Today, he heads up the Insights and Strategic Planning Network, which looks after “the fun stuff” at FP7/McCann: research, trend spotting, insights, strategy, customer experience and connections planning.

Two schools of planning

He doesn’t believe in intellectual meandering for its own sake — he prizes research and reflections that lead to concrete ideas. There are two schools of planning, he opines. “One is the Washington school, which is the really hard-core theoretical stuff. And then you have the Hollywood style of planning, which actually leads to the creative idea. I think a good planner is one who’s able to marry Washington and Hollywood.”

So what’s it like overseeing the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, which is as diverse and complex as it is challenging? “This region has had its fair share of failures in its journey to discovering what it should be good at,” he says. He compares this evolution to the work of L Frank Baum, writer of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, who had a decidedly uneven literary career before creating his mythical wonderland. “One of the problems was that we tried to be too global and universal in our ideas. We wanted to get recognition on an international stage and, in that process, we lost our soul.”

More recently, he says, agencies and brands have reconnected with local culture and focused their attention on solving regional problems. “We are seeing markets like Saudi Arabia now becoming broadcasters and programmers of local culture, of our lives and what makes us so unique. We are seeing ideas that are spreading, projecting the region in a positive light to the rest of the world.”

“Co-authors”

He adds that agencies can become “co-authors” with the people of the region. “To tell great stories, to push our imaginations, to stretch our brains, to create our own Oz. And since brands want that, too, that’s the opportunity for us.”

He points out that MENA is a very young region — in Saudi Arabia alone, over 50% of the population is under 25 — but that young people tend to be the most-sceptical of brands. “However, I believe if brands can be genuine, if they can be culturally and positively provocative, it’ll help them be more meaningful — and successful. Brands that can show they have a purpose tend to do well here.”

In other words, brands must make a positive contribution to local culture. “It used to be a ‘nice to have’, but now it’s a business imperative,” he says.

Steeping in local culture

Rais’s own team are encouraged to steep themselves in local culture. For one report, they literally hit the streets — in the backs of taxis. “The study was called The Taxi Driver Diaries. We got all the planners and the account guys in our region to step into taxi cabs in all the key cities and have conversations with the drivers about what was happening around them. They have their fingers on the pulse of the region far more than we do.”

As part of McCann Worldgroup, FP7 contributes to its global Truth Central insights and intelligence unit, which aims to uncover “untold truths” that may help clients grown their businesses. FP7 will shortly release a report designed to explode a few myths and assumptions about the MENA region. “It’s rather provocatively called Uncovering the Veils,” says Rais.

The title is typical of the way he adds a dash of poetry to intellectual pursuits. A maths fan, he grew up playing the video game, Age of Empires, which he says combined tactics and strategy with creativity. “The game had data, coding and maths at its core, but creativity was how you won.” It’s a useful analogy for agencies, he adds. “Combining numbers with cognitive science, and then combining that with the human need for beauty that creativity brings to the table, resulting in something entirely new. For me, that’s the exciting part.”

 

Mark TungateMark Tungate (@MarkTungate) is the editorial director of the Epica Awards (@EpicaAwards), the only global creative prize judged by the specialist press. A British journalist based in Paris, Tungate is also the author of six books about branding and advertising, including Luxury World and Adland: A Global History of Advertising. He has a weekly column in the French magazine, Stratégies, and has written for leading newspapers and magazines in the UK and the US.

This “Global Headline Makers” column, which profiles creative stars making headlines in their home markets, is syndicated monthly from Epica.

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Headspace: Time to junk demographic segments

by Tenielle Maris. The consumer landscape, as we know it, has evolved. It is as diverse as it is multifaceted. Digital connectivity and social media have accelerated the deconstruction of consumer segments by enabling people from all walks of life to come together more seamlessly than they did yesterday.

“It’s almost impossible to use traditional demographic segments (age, gender, income, family status and more) to predict consumer behaviour. People of all ages — and in many markets — are shaking off demographic ‘conventions’ and constructing lifestyles and identities more freely than ever before.” — Trendwatching 2017

Conventional stereotypes are becoming less and less relevant as we find consumer segments merging, meshing and evolving into something that redefines our own preconceived definitions. What we have in its place is a melting pot of interests, passion points and ideas uniting people in the most astounding way.

Rise of the tribes

Consumerism has transcended age-old segmentation conventions, and instead has paved the way for multidimensional consumer tribes. These tribes are groups of people — no longer connected by demographics — but emotionally connected by similar consumption values. Unlike brand communities that have been constructed around brands, tribes are centred on the human desire to thrive within collective consciousness: the shared and intangible awareness of belonging to something bigger.

Seth Godin sums up this train of thought perfectly: “A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”

Keeping things real

Brands have the opportunity to emotionally connect with audiences like never before by leveraging the power of collective consciousness and the feelings associated with playing a role in something greater than the sum of its parts.

In order to find the key emotion that is relevant to a diverse group of people, however, a brand needs to go beyond generalisations and labels: it needs to genuinely demonstrate a deep understanding of who it is talking to, and authentically acknowledge that its consumers are unique in some shape or form.

By recognising consumer groups as a collective of individuals — and by encouraging them to celebrate their uniqueness within a collective but without the need to conform to stereotypical norms — brands stand to create a solid foundation to develop a long-term affiliation, through meaningful engagement, with its richly diverse audience.

Getting it right

A Danish TV advert for TV2, “All that we share”, demonstrates, via a social experiment, that society places human beings into boxes which stand in the way of us connecting with others. It movingly illustrates that, by stripping away stereotypes and rather by finding commonality through personal experiences, we’ve much more in common than we care to consider. Through a remarkable demonstration of being a human brand, delivered in a thought-provoking and personable way, this campaign is a stellar example of a brand that truly understands its audience.

As marketers and advertisers, we need to go the distance to uncover the nuances existing within our target markets to ultimately expose the common ground existing within even the most-diverse groups. At a time when social divides are impacting the world in the most-devastating ways, there’s never been a better reason to look beyond the things driving us apart and to instead focus on the extraordinarily intricate threads tying us all together.

References

 

Tenielle MarisTenielle Maris is strategic director at TTL agency, 34°, in Johannesburg. Beginning her career in branding and communications, she has spent the last decade 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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