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#CoronavirusSA: Five steps to leading creatives remotely

team-teamwork-together-strategy by Alexas Fotos courtesy of Pixabay with NICD covid-19 stats 21 April 2020

by Marc de la Querra (@Clockwork_Media) These are trying times, and working remotely doesn’t make things any easier in an industry built on casual coffee-break brainstorms. Anxiety is at an all-time high. Leading creative teams during the covid-19 pandemic, then, is a fine line to walk between keeping everyone focused on work delivery, and being realistic of the world-shaking circumstances they’re operating in.

Creatives can be sensitive souls. It’s the nature of the job, exploring emotional reactions and societal moods to make relevant, meaningful work. I know first-hand we tend to need more nurturing. However, with clear direction and reassurance, creatives are frequently innovators in the face of adversity. It’s an ability honed by the daily juggle of deadlines and projects.

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The following points are helping me achieve that difficult balance.

#1. Trust your team

It’s hard to trust when you feel out of control. Working remotely, it’s harder to get a sense of how your team is progressing with a task and reorientate work in progress. You’ve got to trust, anyway.

Your creatives are adults and professionals. They will step up. Showing a lack of trust leads to animosity and undermines the united business culture every company’s striving to maintain right now.

#2. Avoid the micromanagement trap

Lack of trust from a leader may manifest in many forms. One of the most-common, and -problematic, is micromanagement of employees. With its intrusive pings, remote micromanagement is even more suffocating.

For creatives to produce their best work, they need the space to explore and express ideas their way. It’s difficult but leadership here means allowing autonomy. In short, support your team. Provide guidance as necessary. Just don’t do their work for them.

#3. Extend empathy beyond work

Be empathetic to your team’s human needs, not just their work ones. Check in daily, ask how they’re doing, and really listen. Help where you can and be a friend where you can. Even in a household full of people, remote working cultivates a sense of loneliness, and should be taken seriously.

Keep everyone working together as a unit with loads of verbal communication. It’s easy for people, especially quiet employees, to disappear in the flood of Teams notifications and words on a screen.

#4. Now is not the time for “always on”

Type A personalities (and advertising is full of them) thrive on it, but it’s essential to shun “always-on” work culture. It’s unrealistic and promotes an unhealthy work ethic. People need to feel that they can leave their machine and not stress about the repercussions of a single missed Skype call.

At the same time, keep proactivity within reason. With teams struggling as it is, now isn’t the time to heap on additional pressure with endless pitch work. Encourage creatives to focus on existing clients and pour their energy into wowing them.

#5. Cut yourself some slack

Finally, look in the mirror. Remember you’re also human and going through the same hardships as your team. It’s fine if you make a bad call. Own it and never ever throw others under the bus.

~•~•~

Workplace negativity is arguably as contagious as the novel coronavirus. Effective leadership today is about keeping politics off the radar and relieving pressure where you can — for your team, and yourself.

#CoronavirusSA: Do hunter-gatherers notice advertising?

Images by Steve Buissinne courtesy of Pixabay with NICD covid-19 stats 21 April 2020

by Andrew Barnes (@ebonyads) Brand choice is a luxury that poverty doesn’t tolerate.

Optimists are predicting a V-shaped economic recovery after the covid-19 crisis. This is unlikely. Henceforth, many people will hesitate before visiting shopping malls, will think twice about eating in restaurants and forego airline flights where possible. Not all economic sectors will be equally constrained but, on average, the V-shaped recovery won’t happen.

Compounding the improbability of a V-shaped recovery is that, at an aggregate level, we’re all poorer now and will be more so as the lockdown continues. Many people have lost incomes, many more have increased debt levels, and still more are dealing with business closures.

Loss of affluence not new

Despite the optimists’ claims, trends show that the loss of affluence in South Africa isn’t new. This trend, even while ‘lumpy’ at times, has been underway for a couple of decades. Research by Broll shows that white-collar wages have declined in real terms over the past 10 years while, overall, the middle class has stagnated**. Personal debt levels have inched inexorably higher, the residential property market has stagnated and the precariat (those living precariously from day to day) has mushroomed with our perverse cheerleading for the new entrepreneurial class, the wastepreneurs.

In this environment of diminishing discretionary choice, is it wrong to suggest that we’re the emergent nouveau hunter-gatherers? Are we not the 99-percenters with an ever-narrowing economic horizon? Whether we can only plan one day ahead or one month ahead, similar limitations impact how we buy and what we buy.

Choice is a luxury that poverty doesn’t tolerate. In the branded arena, it means avoiding the disappointment of underperformance. We wave the flag of brand allegiance, avoiding experimentation. We use price-points as proof of diligence while acknowledging that our money might get us to month-end, where the cycle starts again, but not always. This is the modern interpretation of the nine-tenths of our time on earth spent as hunter-gatherers. But with a little advertising thrown in.

Significantly different

Our recent branded past was significantly different. The 1970s and 1980s witnessed the emergence of truly inspired creative advertising and, with the birth of the Cannes Lions Awards, the advertisement became celebrated objet d’art. If ads were liked, the brand was bought. A simple straight-line correlation was in play, with massive investment underpinning the creation of brilliant brand vignettes used in media channels you could count on one hand. The industry rewarded creativity, almost to the exclusion of any other measurable marketing gain, while globalisation peaked and cheaply made goods flooded the freshly built western suburbia.

Delayed-cost economics was embraced with fervour and dictated advertising best practice, where the words of the late actor, writer and comedian, Carrie Fisher, ring abundantly true: “Instant gratification takes too long.”

This is changing very quickly now. Covid-19 brings new marketing challenges into stark relief. The time-tested mantra instructing brands to maintain a share of voice during the crisis is questioned. What about brand presence? Does the fact that your brand is actually in the store staring back at you with commensurate devotion not count for anything during this crisis?

Brand presence is critical

Professor Byron Sharpe at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science has made it clear that brand presence is critical — “showing up”, as he calls it. Similarly, what’s the role of clutter-busting creative adverts at a time most people just want to get to the end of the day, week or month in one piece with some joy in assured regular brand performance?

The answers aren’t clear. Advertisers have used and dismissed many insights on why people buy and how they relate to brands. The importance of factors such as humour, relevant news, and liking have all been shown to be essential in advertising at one time or another. Most of these, however, have been underscored by a period of excess, of overconsumption and the cult of consumerism.

Covid-19 might bring us closer to our genetically imprinted forager roots. Marketing goals have morphed into the pursuit of engagement rather than exchange, story rather than instruction, empathy rather than aspiration. The brand, as an abstraction, is now a conversation and wider brand investment extends to CSI, CRM, CTA, SEO, B2C, and so on.

The search continues

The search continues for the holy grail — the thing that works best. In this time of declining affluence and risk aversion, the actual moment of purchase, the instant of selection, still offers scope for marketing encroachment. At the point you choose one brand, the seduction by another is most likely. It’s an instant when, as the hunter-gatherer, you might pause and switch to another fruit. ‘In the moment’ marketing invades this instant with increasingly powerful technology. It explains why search engine optimisation (SEO) is important, why pop-ups work, why digital connected billboards are appearing and why the measurement of attribution is more important than before.

At this time, albeit of crisis, marketers have a wider range of tools and new frontiers to explore and develop their craft. It seems unlikely that what worked well 30 years ago will work equally now. While ad creativity was a pre-eminent goal in the past, the frontier has moved to media and tech. These are the creative playgrounds of today as the luxury of surplus and choice escape most consumers.

References

**Prof Murray Leibbrandt, Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit (SALDRU), UCT
ourfiniteworld.com/2020/03/31/economies-wont-be-able-to-recover-after-shutdowns/

#CoronavirusSA: A new better normal #mission

nature-blossom-snow-cold-winter-plant-courtesy of pxhere with NICD covid-19 stats 20 April 2020

by Tom Fels (@thomasfels) I remember watching CNN live the first time it called covid-19 ‘a pandemic’, ahead of the World Health Organisation. It was controversial in the moment and the news broadcaster claimed it because it had a sense of where we were headed. Now, the term is a part of our daily lexicon. Another addition to our lockdown vocabulary is the premise of a ‘new normal’.

Everyone is referring to what life will be like beyond this crisis as the ‘new normal’ — an inherited state of existence. It seems lost on us that, while we’ll be impacted by macro factors and, yes, there will be suffering, we’ll be the shapers of this ‘new normal’. Inherent in this is the power of choice. Let us make use of that power to make it a ‘better normal’ than the old one.

The lessons we’re learning

We’re surely at the start of a long journey and I believe we’re yet to face the worst of the medical and economic impacts to result from the crisis. Yet, in our own resilient and human way, we’re making sense of the situation while learning in myriad ways.

We’re learning about the rekindled love of family and appreciating the time we spend together. We’re learning to cook with heart and to share mealtimes once more. We’re learning to appreciate small changes around us, from changes in daily weather to the change of season. We’re embracing a new level of compassion for total strangers, whether affected or not. We’re learning kindness. We’re missing loved ones far away, our sociability and connecting with friends — and we’re learning to bridge those gaps with technology.

Business in community

With planes on the ground, the global business village is somehow more connected than ever before. The doors to game-changing content, speakers, university courses and coaches in various fields are wide open, and entrance is, most often, free.

We have, within a few short weeks, developed community around common interests and passions that may otherwise have taken years or even decades to build.

Sharing is commonplace. Whether by generous gesture, value exchange, or deferred payment, there’s a willingness to give of oneself at a level I can’t recall in my lifetime. In many respects, we’re going back to a village economy — where participants give what they will and pay what they can.

The change we shape

Whether we’ve asked for it or not, we’ve been placed squarely back in our familiar spaces, but in a way that’s forced us to reshape how we interact with them. We’ve had to reassess our spending, our possessions and, in many cases, our careers — or at least how we navigate what’s to come.

In all of this, as the panic subsides and the dust settles, an appreciation for simplicity has emerged. We had all too often forgone many of life’s simple pleasures: of achieving balance, fostering an appreciation of nature, moving our bodies, connecting, cooking, eating and, yes, sleeping. All of this is giving us the stimulus to shape sustained change in our lives.

For business, this can be a moment of sublime transition, should we choose to embrace it. To serve in the context of community, to be guided by revived principles and to reinforce the ‘lived’ demonstration of our stated values, so that we can sow the seeds of a more-fitting economic legacy.

Far from hibernating in this lockdown, in many ways, we’ve been reawakened.

#CoronavirusSA: BC, DC and AC in B2B marketing #thinkingB2B

infographic-funnel-chart-marketing courtesy of Trang Le courtesy of Pixabay with NICD covid-19 stats 20 April 2020

by Warren Moss (@warrenmoss) Business — and society at large — is going to look back at a new period in history once the spread of covid-19 has been contained and things ‘return to normal’: before corona (BC), during corona (DC) and after corona (AC). As B2B marketers, segmenting recent history like this will help us understand how things have changed.

The world will need to accept that some things will never quite be the same again, when business resumes.

The only certainty

The common denominator in the business world, DC, is that everyone is doing everything they can to cut back and defer projects in a bid to shore up finances in the interests of self-preservation. The only certainty is that nobody is sure how long global economies are going to feel the effects of lockdowns and isolation, so businesses are doing their best to ensure they have cash to give themselves enough runway to get airborne again AC. Perhaps the most-surprising shift in certain businesses is how quickly working remotely and meeting by video call has become the norm.

In my experience over the past few weeks, I’m seeing that the decision-making unit (DMU) function has changed — and I think it’s one that’s going to remain affected. Whether the DMU is one person in an SME or a group of C-level people in a larger organisation, the one thing that remote working has done is give people time.

Thinking more deeply

Taking calls all day is one thing — but there’s definitely more time to be had to focus on work (and everything else) by cutting out a commute, the distractions of the office space and being called in to meetings without warning. I’m seeing that, because people have more time and space to sit quietly and apply their mind to a variety of things, they’re thinking more deeply about them.

The opportunity I see in this is that the case for longer-form B2B content is strengthened to give DMUs more-considered support to help them move down the purchase funnel and make better decisions in the long run. How digital content is curated to target DMUs is set to fundamentally change towards the creation of richer, more-considered content. Brands that don’t have that depth to their material will have to work hard to build up their content — or face being left behind by those who are able to provide more thoughtful work that engages DMUs in their ‘down time’. I’d go as far as saying that people may even consider paying for access to premium content that enriches their work life; it’s certainly something that’s changed in everyday life, during lockdown, as people seek more ways to stay informed and entertained.

This shift may even lead to the creation of purchase-decision aggregators, which narrow down the choices and serve up quality content to the right people at the right time. The world AC is set to have changed forever in so many aspects — but there’s certainly no shortage of opportunities.

Why Hero closed down

by Herman Manson (@MarkLives) Staff at Cape Town-based ad agency, Hero Strategic Marketing, spent their last day of work on Friday, 28 February 2020, handing over files and art work to clients as the business went into liquidation. A range of factors contributed to its closing down after 25 years, including a struggling economy, decreased client budgets and the loss of the City of Cape Town account to HelloFCB+ in mid-2019 after its three-year contract concluded.

Amanda Lambe with Jabulani Sigege in the background — Former MD Amanda Lambe with former ECD Jabulani Sigege in the background.

“Sadly, Hero had to close its doors at the end of February 2020,” Amanda Lambe, former Hero managing director, confirmed in a statement to MarkLives. “Prior to closing, the Hero team finished up as many projects as possible and did comprehensive handovers to clients where projects were still underway.

“Worked tirelessly”

“Our team worked tirelessly until the last day and I was heartened to see the teamwork and sense of determination, even when people knew we were closing. In the final week, we tried to ensure that employees were placed in new jobs post the closure by matching their skills with places that would benefit the most from them, and many of them have already started new roles.”

In total, 24 people have been affected.

According to Lambe, the agency had a unique culture: its people had often felt like square pegs at other companies but had found a common home at Hero. As if to prove the point, staff spent the last day of business working until 4:30pm — then, as voted on as the final act of agency business, they had a braai before parting ways.

‘Rehire in a heartbeart’

“I would go to war for these people,” she says, “and I would rehire all of them in a heartbeat.”

Note to companies hiring: Lambe may be contacted via LinkedIn to connect you with those former Hero staff members still looking for placements.

#CoronavirusSA: Customisation & agility’s forced democratisation

white-neon-wallpaper by Austin Chan courtesy of unsplash with NICD covid-19 stats 19 April 2020

by Vikash Gajjar (@VikashGajjar) For the most part, digital transformation was just a box that needed ticking — due, in part, to the comfort of legacy systems and operations that seemed to be working perfectly fine. Until now. With the onslaught of the novel coronavirus, ‘real’ digital transformation has had to come into practice fast.

And, while there’s more than enough room on digital for brands to play together, a brand’s agility and adaptability to the current climate and the ‘new’ future will determine its success and longevity in a post-covid-19 world.

Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere

Almost a month into lockdown and digital transformation across business and brand is top priority. The pandemic has forced into motion a transformation agenda like no other: one that requires digital evolution to happen now, and happen fast. As we learn more about the long-lasting effects that this virus will have on us as individuals and as business, one thing is certain: covid-19 isn’t going anywhere. Just as we’ve been forced to find ways to live with and work around other viruses and illnesses in the past, so the onus is on us to adapt — this time, however, more profoundly than before.

Thirty or 60 days ago, our prediction of and outlook on the future was vastly different to what we envision it to be now. Indeed, human interaction with everything (people, commerce and brands) has changed. This transformation of interaction results in changed consumers: consumers who still wants the brands that they do but need to access them in different ways. So, while a brand’s role in consumers’ lives will most likely remain the same, how consumers interact with the brand becomes heavily skewed towards digital interaction.

It’s evident already: brands that fail to digitise at the required speed risk losing consumers to brands that’ve adopted a digital-first model for their products and services.

Customisation is king

Consumers demand a seamless, transparent and hyperpersonalised experience when interacting with brands, especially on digital. Simply supplying a demand (as per traditional economics) will no longer cut in.

In a webinar hosted by the Daily Maverick and facilitated by Ferial Haffajee last week, foresight strategist John Sanei explains that, in order to resonate with our consumers, brands need to adopt a ‘curate, match and facilitate’ methodology when delivering their products and services. He cites Spotify as a prime example: the media provider curates numerous playlists, matches them to individual listeners, and then facilities the delivery of a never-ending supply of music tailored to you.

While each brand is different, interception and acquisition will be driven by hyperpersonalisation of content across a broad range of digital communication media, each considered as a specific interceptor in a consumer’s online journey. To ‘spray and pray’ is practically moot.

Agility a key determiner in success

If there’s one thing that covid-19 has taught us as marketers and advertisers, it’s that there’s a need to be agile all the time. The number of content plans that’ve become irrelevant or have had to be reworked is countless. That it took a pandemic such as this to bring about true agility on social media — a medium that demands it — shows that we, as an industry, aren’t as digitised or digital-first as we think.

While the pandemic has forced us to rethink content on a macro level more regularly as new information comes to light and rules and regulations regarding lockdown change, this sort of agility should’ve already been applied on a micro level. On social media in particular, brands win when they interject themselves into consumer conversations that they’ve a right to participate in. Currently, on a macro level, covid-19 dominates conversation.

Yet research from Twitter shows that there’s been a 64% increase in conversation about being bored or struggling to fill our days. So, while the majority of brands shout about the coronavirus, the brands that win are the ones that entertain, that offset their consumers’ boredom with content that uplifts and gives them something to do. Consumer-need states change — not once a month or every six months but every day, every week — and the curation and deployment of content should cater to that if we’re to achieve a hyperpersonalised experience on digital.

Why wait?

The coronavirus has changed our lives forever. Our roles as marketers and advertisers may remain the same but the manner in which we work won’t. Normal as we’ve known it won’t return. With so many of us eagerly anticipating the end of the lockdown, we fail to remember that there’s no ‘new normal’ awaiting us. That ‘new normal’ has already begun. We’re already living it.

So, as brands, why wait until post-lockdown to properly get going and change things up? Make your Day 1 today.

#CoronavirusSA: Recession marketing is for the brave

board-slate-blackboard-font courtesy of Pixabay with NICD covid-19 stats 16 April 2020

“A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.”— Henry Ford

by Danni Dixon (@dannidixon) What used to keep marketers awake at night (battle for attention and battle for talent) is going to be replaced with the battle for growth with significantly less funds. The battle of relevance (product demand) is rapidly becoming a close second.

A new context

We’re facing a new context, new market realities and unprecedented times ahead. Consumers needs are evolving and their spend is under pressure. Media habits already look different to 2019. New competitors are on their way. Old competitors may cease to exist. Technology, digital transformation and data will continue to evolve and automate, perhaps even faster than before this crisis. We’re entering a time of head-spinning, mind-bending disruption that will radically impact and transform the way we live, work and play. Which brands will survive and which will thrive?

Marketers may think the biggest challenge we face post-coronavirus is the financial impact of the R-word (recession) and the reduction of advertising spend.

Rita Doherty’s column, #CoronavirusSA: How to grow in a covid-19 recession, published here on MarkLives yesterday, Thursday, 16 April 2020, shows how those who invest in their brand during a recession increase their “share of voice”, which leads to an increase in “share of market.” An increase in market share results in an increase in profits. Now is the time to grow your marketing investment for long-term returns (and not wait to ramp up when things get better — which is pretty much everyone else’s plan).

Role of leadership

I think the post-covid-19 era will separate the strong from the weak, the opportunists from the laggards. We’ve already seen the role of leadership in this crisis and the difference that makes. These two challenges (growth and relevance) create a perfect storm. Smart marketers and brave business leaders should know that this is productive space to do the opposite of what’s expected and truly to lead the way by keep investing in your brand, both for short term growth and long-term value.

It comes down to the difference between marketers who follow and marketers who lead in times like this.

Marketers who follow will invest in the status quo, significantly reduce their spend and adopt the “the wait-and-see” approach or “band-aid” approach (use what you have with small adaptations). They copy and imitate the market sentiment, think only near-term, report only on the bottom line and listen to the C-level popular vote.

Invest in the future

Marketers who lead invest in the future; they innovate, stay original, inspire trust by truly listening to clients and consumer needs so as to inspire product demand, think with long-term vision and perspective, and keep an eye on the horizon. They challenge what they know to be right for their clients and the brands they serve.

My advice for brand leaders and creative thinkers in a recession? Take a leap of faith. Courage is as contagious as fear. The opportunity to be truly creative and iconic has never been greater.

Now is the time to be fearless — to make a stand that will emotionally influence choice over-and-above anyone else and reap market performance by standing out from commoditised categories and quieter competitor space. Your audiences need to know why they must care. We need to find those opportunities to differentiate and be relevant.

Clearly defined

Start with a clearly defined brand purpose that will steer you steadily towards your future and ensure you’re remembered. Brands help to anchor us and fuel our growth. They play a role in society and can bring optimism, reassurance, comfort and hope to the post-covid-19 world.

Marketers should be very busy innovating and strategising, starting new verticals, adjusting product lines and pricing where you must, powering expansion into new categories, launching new integrated campaigns around value and why your brand matters, improving employee morale, building trust and support in your omni-channels and with all your stakeholders. Keeping listening, learning, crafting, optimising and adapting to drive that disproportionate share of voice from your ongoing investment.

Most importantly, marketers need to work with forward-thinking CEOs who understand that managing costs mustn’t come at the expense of maintaining corporate values, building long-lasting relationships and, at the very least, holding or growing your marketing spend to invest long term into brands — which is a proven imperative in surviving a recession.

Q5: Brands, brands, brands, with Jeremy Sampson [interview]

Jeremy Sampson with NICD covid-19 stats 16 April 2020

by Carey Finn (@carey_finn) Speaking in his personal capacity, Brand Finance Africa MD Jeremy Sampson weighs in on some of the biggest surprises and challenges for brands in South Africa, and globally, over 2019/2020.

Note: This interview was conducted prior to the coronavirus/covid-19 pandemic being declared as such. Additional comment has been supplied, as requested.
Jeremy Sampson: 2019 was difficult for most, yet 2020 and covid-19 is resulting in nothing like the world has ever seen before. In one word, it will be about “survival”. In emerging countries like South Africa, the difficulties will be particularly immense. But [it’s] an opportunity to recalibrate.

The sectors of hotels, leisure and tourism, aerospace, airports, cruise ships, retail, alcohol, restaurants and bars will all take a huge hit and many will not survive, while there will be limited impact on household products, telecoms, food, pharma and healthcare. The world of tech and harnessing the opportunities it provides will continue to explode. So, I ask again, are your brands relevant to this new world we are entering, and if not, what are you doing about it? Don’t waste the crisis.

Q5: Across all markets, what was the biggest brand(ing) surprise for you in 2019?
JS: There wasn’t one! Perhaps it was waiting for 2020? But it is obvious that today countries and people and all “things” are potentially brandable. For countries in particular, the importance and understanding of “soft power” is on the rise. Brands and reputation have never been more important and often remain a company’s most-valuable asset(s).

A surprise in South Africa is the number of CEOs who still don’t know how many brands they own and what they are each worth financially and emotionally. It’s much the same in Africa. If you can’t measure it, you can’t treasure it. Nor do you know how it is performing or able to manage its future. And then why do we have so little buying and selling of brands as portfolios are fine-tuned, adapting to future demands?

Writing this [response] as we enter[ed] a period of lockdown due to covid-19, it is of paramount importance that all companies review all their brands and consider which will be most relevant as we return to normality, that will in effect be a new norm. It is not too dramatic to say that life will never be the same again, but that is not the point of this interview.

It’s no surprise that the top global brands today are nimble, agile, flexible and highly relevant, brands like Amazon, Google and Tesla — remember Elon Musk is South African born and in 16 years has turned the automotive industry inside out, being the world’s fastest-growing brand. And that’s not all: [there is] PayPal, SpaceX, etc. Compare this to South Africa’s current political leadership [pre-pandemic], the exact opposite. No wonder the country… slid down the world rankings to junk status.

But, if there was one other surprise in 2019, and it was very welcome, it was the Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup. The Springboks, a brand from the early 1900s, still on a good day are simply the best and, to some, our most-valuable global brand. [That’s] something to be celebrated and protected.

Q5: What trends can we expect to see among South African brands this year, and how much does that reflect what’s happening in the global brand(ing) space?
JS: The South African economy is, I believe the word is, “vrot”. That could change for the better of all of us if finance minister Tito Mboweni was allowed to do his job instead of having to deal with some of the financial/political/trade union dinosaurs in town, dragging the country down.

[Pre-pandemic, we saw] budgets tightening, the consumer being squeezed, unemployment totally out of control and no solution in sight apart from meaningless platitudes from so-called public servants. That [meant we were] all foraging for better-value-for-money deals as we [strove] to maintain our standard of living. As for the huge lake of the unemployed, unrest will grow, and entrepreneurs will emerge as they fight for a living and survival. But not enough. Globally, the brands that [had] been growing at the fastest rates [had] been the so-called FAANG brands (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google), together with Microsoft.

Q5: What would you say was the single biggest challenge facing South African brands [before covid-19]?
JS: Most directors and executives still [saw] marketing as a cost, rather than an investment in the future success of the business. Couple this with the lack of seasoned branders, marketers and top executives who understand the role of their brands and you have a challenge. We have lots of young branders, but they need local and international experience. Mentoring, using the best local and international experts, would be a solution, and this applies far and wide.

Locally we [had] seen the turnaround at Pick n Pay under the guidance of Richard Brasher (ex-Tesco), while, at Clicks, David Kneale (ex-Boots) [recently] stood down after turning around this 52-year-old brand. Ian Moir’s time at Woolworths was less successful, as he earned R303m while destroying R10bn in shareholder equity over four years. [Pre-covid-19], most South African brands remained exclusively local and totally vulnerable and under threat from international predators all supported by top brand teams. Let’s see what Pepsi does to Pioneer. Pan-African opportunities abound.

One brand that in 33 years [had] gone totally global, a wonderful success story, is the ever-hot Nando’s. Authenticity, trust, consistency but never boring — [that] takes a lot of beating.

Q5: In SA, which sectors do you think we should be watching closely, and why?
JS: Tech. We need to turbo-charge this sector, as it is so crucial to our future. The whole country needs connectivity that is fast and affordable. In a country where the divide between the haves and have-nots look[ed] to be widening [before the pandemic], everyone should have a mobile phone, for starters. We must create our own nursery of tech brands. But a question: [has] our education system [been] providing the right training for tomorrow with built-in flexibility?

Also banking. For a long time, the big four [had] dominated, but the emergence of Capitec and the new banks [had] already shaking up the sector. That’s good news for the consumer. Digital can’t buy success, but it can certainly make you more fit for purpose. But how long before global players swoop in?

Q5: On a different note: worldwide, what can we expect from brands as they respond to growing climate-crisis concerns?
JS: We are all becoming more conscious of climate issues, sustainability [and so on] — especially the under-30s. And we are better informed, so less easily duped or victims of fake facts. As a result, we will demand more consciousness, accountability and empathy. More than anything [up until the pandemic], the fires in Australia, and the drought in the Western and Eastern Cape [had] drawn attention that the world is changing and we need to plan. [We need to] cut carbon emissions (coal usage for starters), use nature (wind and solar), use water more sparingly and effectively, plant crops more compatible with the future.

Brand loyalty is never a given, and no one likes to be taken for granted. Given a choice, at times we will all change brands; blind loyalty when you have a choice is no more. Promiscuity is on the rise, or shall we call it consumer choice? If only we had alternatives to Eskom.

#CoronavirusSA: Adland responds to #covid19 • 14‑17 Apr

NICD South African covid-19 stats 16 April 2020

by MarkLives (@marklives) MarkLives is tracking South African and African brand and ad agency reactions and news related to the covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Updates may be sent to us via our contact form or the email address published on our Contact Us page (opinion pieces/guest columns must be exclusive). Most-recent announcements will be added on top. This is for 13–17 April 2020.

#CoronavirusSA: Adland responds to #covid19 (27 Mar–3 Apr)
#CoronavirusSA: Adland responds to #covid19 (23–27 March 2020)
#CoronavirusSA: Ad agencies, marketers’ responses to #covid19 (16–20 March 2020)
#CoronavirusSA: Event changes, postponements, cancellations (16–20 March 2020)
#CoronavirusSA – Special Section

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Wednesday, 15 April 2020

All Loeries entries will be free

The Loeries will be free for all entrants in 2020 and the entry deadline has also been extended to 15 June 2020.

“The covid-19 pandemic has created challenges across society and the brand communication industry is no exception,” says Preetesh Sewraj, new Loeries CEO. “The brand communication industry is an essential part of society and has been active in fighting the spread of the pandemic by working with governments to seed hygiene information, working with retailers to highlight where essentials can be bought and even working with various organisations to show businesses how to reduce the economic impact of COVID-19.

“We need to ensure that this industry is supported more than ever and we have decided to lend a helping hand to the industry by continuing to recognise the great work that has been done across Africa and the Middle East.”

Says Dawn Rowlands, Loeries board member, “I spend a great deal of time across Africa and the Middle East. A vibrant brand communication industry ensures that all sectors of society are supported, and this will only serve to strengthen our region. Making the entry free this year will ensure that vital messaging is recognised and forms a foundation for our next phase when we deal with a post-covid-19 world. This could be one of the most important Loeries events held in its 42-year history.”

Free ads on Jacaranda, ECR for struggling companies

Businesses and advertisers struggling to stay afloat could qualify for some extra help from Kagiso Media Radio. Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio, together with Mediamark, are offering qualifying advertising airtime at no cost, in an initiative aimed at assisting businesses and advertisers who are struggling to make ends meet.

Says Nick Grubb, Kagiso Media Radio chief executive. “Our business has been built from the advertising spend of our clients — from large multinationals to small local store-owners. We see it as our responsibility to be there for them when times are tough and do what we can to keep them afloat and uppermost in the minds of their markets.”

All registered and legal businesses that are facing financial or any other downscale because of the coronavirus pandemic may apply. Businesses have until 30 April to apply by applying at ecr.co.za/win/ or jacarandafm.com/win/ or emailing info@mediamark.co.za. Applications will be decided on by a Kagiso Media task team.

21 Days. 21 Artists. 21 Impacts.

The Lockdown Collection is a charitable initiative aimed at capturing these extraordinary times in South African history and raising much-needed funds for artists and the broader community as a result of the ripple effect of covid-19. The online campaign was launched across various social media platforms on 27 March and will be running until 17 April 2020.

The art-inspired initiative is the brainchild of Carl Bates, Sirdar Group chief executive; Lauren
Woolf, MRS WOOLF founder and owner; and Kim Berman, Artist Proof Studio founding director and
UJ visual arts professor. Participating artists cover a broad spectrum of talent, including Penny Siopis, Gerhard Marx, Lindo Zwane, Ardmore Ceramic Art, Walter Oltmann, Diane Victor, Thenjiwe Nkosi and more.

Anyone may support the initiative by purchasing art pieces showcased on the #TheLockdownCollection
social media platforms, or simply donating to the fund. All proceeds generated will
go to participating artists (which many donate back into the funds) and the President’s Solidarity Fund, as
well as a newly created Vulnerable Visual Artist Fund, which intends to be open for grants from next
week.

How it works

A series of 21 art pieces, each created by a different South African artist, is being revealed each day during lockdown. Participating artists each create something that reflects the thoughts, feelings, vision or captured moments of their covid-19 experience.

Anyone may register and make offers on these unique pieces by going to bit.ly/TLDCAuction. For more info, go to thelockdowncollection.com.

Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Joe Public execs support Solidarity Fund

We believe there is greatness in unity and call on industry executives to follow suit if and where possible. #Greatness #Unity #UnitedWeStand pic.twitter.com/XbfpLVU3nh

— Joe Public (@joepublicadv) April 11, 2020

Heeding the call made by President Cyril Ramaphosa during last week’s lockdown extension speech, the founders of Joe Public United — Gareth Leck, GCEO, and Pepe Marais, group chief creative officer — have elected to reduce their salaries by one-third for the next three months with immediate effect. The funds raised in doing so will be donated to the Solidarity Fund in support of South Africa’s covid-19 relief efforts.

“The decision is aligned to the purpose of our business and is simply the correct thing to do during these extraordinary times,” says Marais.

Leck adds, “We remain united in the growth of our country and encourage executives within the advertising industry, who can do so, to respond to the president’s call in a likewise manner.”

Durban signage company making face masks

Expand A Sign, which traditionally manufactures portable branding solutions such as gazebos, banners and inflatables, has developed and secured orders for washable and reusable face masks aimed at helping SA stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to Don Bailey, Expand A Sign chief executive, the shift in production to face masks is an opportunity to support staff and their families during the lockdown. Expand A Sign applied for and has been granted permission to operate as an essential service to produce these masks. It began fine-tuning the design and quality testing the masks last week. The masks have been successfully tested using a hospital autoclave machine to prove they can withstand temperatures of up to 130 degrees. This means that, unlike conventional disposable masks, they may be washed, sterilised and used again.

“These are not the medical grade masks that our health workers require, but masks that can help you and your employees to reduce the spread of the virus. We have developed a mask that is made of two pieces of locally woven 100% polyester 200gsm fabric, essentially doubling the barrier effect. It also has a handy internal pouch and elastic for an easy fit,” he explains.

“Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has advised all South Africans to use masks, especially when using public transport. I am pleased that our staff can help ensure that we do not have shortages of masks while still earning a living to take care of their families,” Bailey adds.

Bailey urges South Africans to take every precaution possible to prevent transmission of this coronavirus to others. This not only includes wearing protective masks but regularly washing hands and practising social distancing protocols.

#CoronavirusSA: How to grow in a covid-19 recession

business-success-winning-chart by PublicDomainPictures courtesy of Pixabay with NICD covid-18 stats 15 April 2020

by Rita Doherty (@ritadoherty) Right now, many business are shutting down and most marketers are withdrawing their planned activity. But there will come a time when the lockdown ends and we slowly return to ‘business as usual’ — even though the new normal will be different in so many ways.

Two crises

On the back of the novel coronavirus crisis comes a second crisis: an economic one. It’s vital for businesses to start planning now in order to mitigate their risk as much as possible and emerge from both crises with stronger brand equity than before. Yet the default behaviour in a recession is for brands to cut marketing spend to compensate for lost revenue. This is the worst thing you can do and will weaken your brand in the long term.

Empirical evidence shows that market-share gains and losses are more volatile during recessions, and brands that cut marketing spend lose disproportionate share, while brands that invest during recessions can grow exponentially. This is because brands that maintain advertising exposure when competitors are cutting back can grow market share at lower costs than during good economic times. This enables you to emerge from the recession stronger and more profitable.

For example:

Let’s say category spend was R100m before the recession, and then dropped by 20% during the recession to R80m, and
Let’s say your brand spent R20m before the recession, which would buy you 20% share of voice (SOV)
If you can maintain your spend of R20m during the recession, then the same investment will now buy you 25% SOV

Research

McGraw-Hill

A study by McGraw-Hill of 600 US companies during the big 1981/82 recession clearly shows the exponential growth of companies that invest in advertising during a recession. Starting from a Sales Index base of 100, McGraw-Hill found companies that invested showed steady growth throughout the recession, while companies that decreased their adspend underperformed for four years, before mildly recovering after the recession. Yet companies that invested during the recession skyrocketed afterwards, achieving a Sales index of 375 vs 119 for non-investors. In other words, investors grew more than three times more than non-investors.

PIMS

Another study by PIMS of 183 UK companies during the big 2000/02 recession shows the same clear evidence. Companies that invested in advertising generated an ROI of 4.3 vs -0.8 for non-investors.

Peter Field

In 2008, a study by Peter Field showed that companies that reduced their adspend, to the point that they were off air for long periods of time, had double the risk of losing significant share.

Post vs Kellogg’s

Marketing history is full of great examples of brands using recessions to grow. For example, during the 1920s in America, Post and Kellogg’s were neck-on-neck. When the great depression struck in 1929, Kellogg’s increased advertising while Post cut. By the mid-1930s, Kellogg’s had come out on top and has remained the leader ever since.

Schlitz vs Miller

Another epic example is Schlitz, which was the top-selling beer of the 20th century — until the 1970s recession, when Miller increased its adspend and in four years its market share went from 8,5% to 21%. Meanwhile, Schlitz’s didn’t keep up with Miller’s adspend and its share dropped from 15.5% to 4.6%. The rest is history.

Do the right thing

Marketers come under extreme pressure during recessions, and it’s so tempting to just cut marketing budgets to compensate for the short-term loss of sales revenue. But this is a big mistake. Do the right thing for the long-term health of your business and invest in marketing during a recession, so you can bounce back stronger.

#1. Trust your team

#2. Avoid the micromanagement trap

#3. Extend empathy beyond work

#4. Now is not the time for “always on”

#5. Cut yourself some slack

See also

Loss of affluence not new

Significantly different

Brand presence is critical

The search continues

References

See also

The lessons we’re learning

Business in community

The change we shape

See also

The only certainty

Thinking more deeply

See also

“Worked tirelessly”

‘Rehire in a heartbeart’

See also

Covid-19 isn’t going anywhere

Customisation is king

Agility a key determiner in success

Why wait?

See also

A new context

Role of leadership

Invest in the future

Clearly defined

See also

See also

Wednesday, 15 April 2020

All Loeries entries will be free

Free ads on Jacaranda, ECR for struggling companies

21 Days. 21 Artists. 21 Impacts.

How it works

Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Joe Public execs support Solidarity Fund

Durban signage company making face masks

See also

Two crises

Research

McGraw-Hill

PIMS

Peter Field

Post vs Kellogg’s

Schlitz vs Miller

Do the right thing

See also