EXCLUSIVE: Dallas Glover new WPP Liquid MD

by MarkLives (@marklives) Grey Africa has appointed Dallas Glover as managing director of WPP’s bespoke agency for Distell, Liquid. Glover replaces Mike Middleton, the ex-KFC CMO who joined Liquid as MD in April 2019 and who’s stepping aside to focus on his future studies thesis in the coming months before deciding on his next step.

Liquid manages marketing and communications for Savanna, Amarula, Hunters, Bain’s, Scottish Leader, Edge and Viceroy.

“Exceptionally talented”

“We are thrilled and honoured that Dallas will be returning to Grey to head up the Liquid team,” says Paul Jackson, Grey Africa/Liquid CEO. “He is exceptionally talented and his management and strategic experience in the alcohol industry will bring enormous value to our client, Distell, as he helps them realise their ambition for global and African expansion.”

Glover joins from McCann Worldgroup, where he led its strategic offering across sub-Saharan Africa. He was also MD of Grey South Africa before founding his strategic consultancy, The Strategy Department. He helped with moving Amstel from SAB back into the Heineken portfolio and worked with the Captain Morgan team, as well as on Tanqueray for Brandhouse and later Diageo (Johnnie Walker, J&B, Bells, Singleton, Cardhu and Haig Club Clubman).

Other experience includes the global Heineken portfolio, where he worked on brands such as Mutzig, Primus, Amstel and Heineken, plus Heineken in Amsterdam where he helped to position and launch Amstel Gold across Europe.

Q&A

MarkLives logoThis is obviously a tough time to take the lead at any ad agency. How are you planning to steer the agency through the current crisis — both economic and social — created by the coronavirus pandemic?
Dallas Glover: This is obviously a very difficult time to take over leadership within an agency, especially remotely. However, the structure of Team Liquid is designed around a broader leadership team who are well-integrated and are working together in leading the agency during the pandemic and beyond. We have extremely capable people working across the brands on Team Liquid, and my role is to support them vs disrupting current work streams. Servant leadership is very important within an agency and probably even more important during this crisis.

My role and the broader leadership team’s role is not only internal; we are also working with the leadership on the client side to help guide them through the crisis, and beyond. In fact, part of what we are emphasising is the need to think and plan for the future, and not only react to the present. This is an unprecedented time for all and no blueprints exist, and thus as management we are making sure we are present, available, and in continual contact. We also recognise that people need emotional support, and thus we are utilising technology in a way that keeps people social, connected and supported, and ensuring that not only does work not stop but, more importantly, that people are not overloaded and are coping. We are a people-business, and we always put people first, and in a time like this we are trying to do all it takes to keep creativity alive and smiling.

MarkLives logoWhat is your vision for the agency?
DG: I am a firm believer in teams. It is through approaching everything as a single team, which is the foundation of Team Liquid, that we will be able to create seamless solutions for our clients and their brands. We want work that is meaningful and impactful, and we want to ensure our brands and work play a positive role in people’s lives and the business as a whole. We don’t merely want to effect sales; we want to [affect] culture. When I look at what is currently being done with Savanna and the Virtual Comedy Bar, and the Hunter’s Lockdown House parties, we are creating work that has a positive impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, and that is something to be proud of.

MarkLives logoWhat is your key message to staff, clients, shareholders and stakeholders during the current crisis?
DG: In this unprecedented time, we are going to have to approach everything creatively, as creative solutions and approaches are what will pull us through this. Fortunately, that is what we do on a day-to-day basis. This is going to impact everyone, and we are ensuring we support our clients and staff in a very positive manner. People and purpose is where we are focusing, be it our staff or the communication solutions we give to clients; every decision needs to be purposeful and carry purpose. In this time, every person and every brand should be living their purpose.

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

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#CoronavirusSA: Distancing & dystopia #curiosity

by Marguerite Coetzee. Each generation is born into a different time, with its own set of challenges, opportunities, and shared experiences. This temporal consideration — among many other factors — plays a role in how someone might respond to a crisis.

A global generational war is brewing over the novel coronavirus. Or so it seems. Some preach the severity of the situation (often older people), while others continue with life as usual (many younger people). There are even those who act in purposeful defiance, like attending corona parties. Where is the difference in reaction coming from? It boils down to three elements that are playing out in different ways: physical distancing, cognitive dissonance, and social solidarity.

Myopia: A forgotten past

On the phone with my grandmother, before South Africa officially went into a three-week lockdown, she told me to ensure I have the following:

  1. Food
  2. A radio
  3. Puzzles

My grandmother was born in a small Karoo town in 1931, and so was raised during the Great Depression and World War II. She’d lived through scarcity, uncertainty, and boredom. Her advice for covid-19 supplies spoke to the need for sustenance (food), information (radio), and entertainment (puzzles). She’d lived through this scenario before, and has been able to adapt. However, many aren’t, whether it’s not having a similar frame of reference against which they can make judgments, or not wanting to return to a state of limitation, or not being afforded the privilege of making drastic changes to their current lifestyle, or even simply not wanting to give up their freedom of choice.

We need to understand change from multiple perspectives, and not make assumptions. In times like these, brands and businesses need to consider multiple possibilities and prepare several solutions to meet the population’s new and varied needs.

Dystopia: An apocalyptic reality

Sohail Inayatullah’s framework for thinking about the future is useful in understanding where we are right now, and where we need to be to make it through a crisis. The framework is divided into six foundational concepts:

  1. A used future is the act of transplanting a trajectory or plan from another spatial-temporal context in the hopes that it would be applicable here, too. For example, we can’t look at the impact of covid-19 on Italy and assume it will play out the same in South Africa.
  2. A disowned future is the result of being so caught up in being better or faster. Instead of remembering to pause and reflect and bring different elements into harmony, a disowned future is the result of a constant drive to evolve at the expense of something else. For example, businesses which are driven by profit during a pandemic and forget about the wellbeing of their employees will later face a loss in productivity and loyalty.
  3. An alternative future requires an open mind to see the possibility of multiple outcomes that would help reduce uncertainty and surprises. For example, a brand that doesn’t get stuck on the idea of one path forward but considers different outcomes is more likely to be better prepared for whatever happens next.
  4. Alignment is when the approach, strategy, context and vision are interdependent and connected. For example, a business that aligns its day-to-day operations with a long-term goal, as well as the bigger picture of what is happening in the world, is more likely to make it through a crisis.
  5. Social change requires a shift in attitude from bleak to positive and from cynical to hopeful. For example, if your brand becomes a voice of and platform for optimism, you can instil positive change and hope among your audience and community.
  6. Uses of the future refers to creating conditions conducive for a paradigm shift by challenging, deconstructing, empowering and liberating that which is stuck, broken, or needing to change. For example, there is a quote by Dave Hollis going around: “In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to”. What can your brand or business change within itself, and which parts are worth bringing into the new world?

Utopia: An imaginary future

Oscar Wilde considered progress to be the realisation of utopias. Many literary and philosophical theorists believe that a utopia is more revealing of the time in which it was formulated than of what people actually imagine would occur in the future. If, today, people dream of a future where there’s an abundance of natural resources and an elimination of inequality, this is a reflection of our present reality where we experience shortage and disparity. What could South Africa’s utopia look like?

What?

Cognitive dissonance is the psychological experience of feeling disoriented and uncomfortable when things don’t seem familiar or when they change. When we experience cognitive dissonance, we tend to look for certainty. This plays out in different ways for different people. Brands can offer that sense of familiarity, surety, and connection that people are looking for in a time of uncertainty, disruption, and disconnect.

So what?

The past is the realm of certainty, while the future is the realm of uncertainty. Instead of attempting to ‘predict’ the future, we should aim to imagine possible and preferred futures. We can’t change the past but we do have a level of influence over the future we create. Brands and businesses have the opportunity and responsibility to create change.

Now what?

How do we want to be remembered during this time? What is the future we will be creating or contributing towards? Three South African brands that have adapted to the situation and are leading the way include:

  1. Nando’s — Your place, not ours (for now)
  2. South African Tourism: Don’t travel now, so you can travel later
  3. Pick n Pay: drive-through shopping on Whatsapp

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

See also

 

Marguerite de Villiers Marguerite Coetzee is a senior strategist at Instant Grass International and an anthropologist, artist and futurist who provides research and insight services through Omniology. “Curiosity“, the latest series in her regular column on MarkLives, explores the hidden and obscure histories, stories, and experiences of things in South Africa.

This MarkLives #CoronavirusSA special section contains coverage of how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and its resultant disease, covid-19, is affecting the advertising, marketing and related industries in South Africa and other parts of Africa, and how we are responding. 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.

— Sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify.biz headlines, emailed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Become a MarkLives Member, too.

EXCLUSIVE: #covid19’s impact on SA adland — survey results

HaveYouHeard logoby MarkLives & HaveYouHeard. A week ago we invited readers to participate in the first South African advertising communications services industry survey to track the impact of covid-19 upon you, your agency/company and the brands you manage. The #adlandcovid19 survey results are now in and help build a national view of the evolving environment.

MarkLives logoWhile we have your attention, please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

Sample size

All 110 survey participants work in advertising, marketing, production or a brand-related role at a company. Thirty-four percent of respondents works in organisations employing more than 76 or more people. Thirty-eight percent has 11–20 years’ experience in the industry, while 22% has 21+ years’ experience. Fifty percent of respondents resides in Jozi and 40% in Cape Town.

Eighty-four percent of respondents believes that covid-19 presents an incredibly serious pandemic, while the remaining 15% believes it is a problem but not as bad as it’s being made out to be.

#covid19ZAsurveyadland: opinion on pandemic

Industry view

Fifty-two percent of respondents believes their companies has responded early to the pandemic, 37% says they responded on time and 10% felt they had responded too late. Sixty-two percent rates their organisations’ responses as very good, 30% as adequate and 6% as lacking.

Respondents have offered several insights into the state of the industry:

The positive

“They had equipped the teams that did not have the right facilities to work from home. They created a priority list of those that need to be WFH [working from home] sooner I.e [sic] parents, those with compromised health, those that take public transport. By the time the lockdown announcement was made 85% of our workforce was successfully working from home.”

“Dongles were provided to everyone who needed. Salaries were paid early to help us prepare for the lockdown and they’ve offered to cover the costs of testing if we’re unable to afford it.”

The negative

“They gave us the option to stay at home when things got serious in SA (when most other companies were ensuring employees work at home). However, there was non-spoken pressure to still come to work, with it being backed-up by the fact that we’re a small team and thus don’t need to place the same social distancing measures as bigger companies. However, overall they’ve reacted on time and have been understanding of the psychological effects that this can have on their employees.”

“Now our response is currently more reactive, and we are operating in crisis mode as cashflow dwindles. However, we are choosing to use the downtime to strategise our business and hone our marketing plan for the post lockdown recovery.”

“We were allowed to work from home about a week before lockdown. But our boss adds to my anxiety by continuously reminding us that our salaries are ‘up in the air’ with clients cancelling projects. As [it] stands I cannot say with certainty that I have a salary coming in at the end of April.”

“However, what was not necessarily taken into consideration is some staff do not have connectivity at home and this needs to be supplied and maintained so some of us are using our own resources to stay connected.”

“We were initially told to keep coming to the office. After employees protested, they allowed us to work from home but consistently threatened that we’d have to go back to working in the office whenever management got annoyed with the expected hiccups associated with everyone switching to WFH. They only stopped threatening after Cyril’s address. All comms from management has been centered around meeting deadlines, very little about employee safety or support.”

The downright scary

“We have not been provided with adequate tools to work from home. I’ve opted to use my personal resources (data) so that I can still continue working. We also received an email this morning stating our April 2020 salaries would be paid with a 50% cut due to the effects covid-19 has had on the company’s ROI. It’s already a small company so they [cut off].”

“They have put profit over people and have had extremely disappointing leadership considering it’s one of the top companies in South Africa within the liquor industry.”

“I don’t know if anyone or any business could have prepared for [covid-19]. Our big clients response to it has been the most disappointing. From canceling orders on projects to asking for extended trading terms will affect us dramatically.”

Asked how the coronavirus pandemic impacted on negatively on their organisation, 61% has noted declines in billings, 34% a decrease in work commissioned or briefed, 29% a decline in staff morale, 18% reports retrenchments or salary cuts, and 10% reports decreased internal communication.

When asked how long they thought the pandemic would impact on their business, 30% suggests for 4–6 months and 23% predicts a year or more; 19% feels would impact for 2–3 months and 18% suggests 7—12 months. In short, 48% of respondents believes the impact will be felt for a period longer than six months.

Thirty-seven percent of respondent agrees that their companies’ projected income will decrease substantially over the next 3–6 months; another 30% predicts it will decreased slightly; 20% is unsure; and only 3% predicts an increase.

#covid19ZAsurveyadland: company's projected income

Sixty-four percent predicts increases in digital spend, 43% predicts increases on concept or strategy spend, 29% on streaming video, 25% on PR and 23% on mobile marketing.

Sixty-eight percent predicts a decrease in spend on events, promotions or activations, while 46% predicts decreased spend on OOH; 36% predicts declines in print spend, 25% on sponsorships and 16% on influencer marketing.

#covid19ZAsurveyadland: decreased spend

National view

Seventy percent of respondents feels that government has responded on time, 15% believe it has responded early and 14% too late. Sixty-seven percent rates government response as very good, 27% as adequate and 5% as lacking. Thirty-four percent feels that the long-term outcome is that South Africa will experience some negative change, while 30% believe SA will experience enormous negative change; 27% believe the country could experience some positive change.

Personal impact

Asked what impact has the coronavirus pandemic has had on them professionally, 41% notes it as fairly negative and 8% as extremely negative; 24% reports no impact professionally; and 22% suggests a generally positive impact.

Respondents have offers a number of insights into the state of their careers and professional outlook:

The positive

“Opportunity to be involved in different projects — the move offsite has literally broken down silos.”

“I find it easier to state my point of view more directly now that we’re talking mostly online, which I think is good for growth. I also enjoy the thought of all of us going through this unified struggle (sounds sadistic) — because it’s only really struggle and hardship that makes you grow and learn.”

“Through studying, working experience and general proactivity — I can adjust my goals and ensure I achieve them according to the direction the world is shifting towards, instead of against. I have children to look after as I am a single mother.”

“I offered my clients covid-19 advice without waiting for a brief and demonstrated my value to them”

“Has ignited my hunger for reinvention, reinvigoration and reorientation.”

“While this is a tragedy on so many levels, being forced to work in a new way has led to innovative thinking and approach to both process and the work itself. More time to work quietly and concentrate. More impetus to work hard and get things done as not to hold others up. Less unnecessary meetings and more productive ones when they do happen. Proving to myself that [I] am able to operate as efficiently if not more so working remotely while still collaborating with my team and the agency at large.”

“Finding silver linings in new, modern ways of working. The ability to recognise which team members thrive on remote working and seeing who rises to support our clients during these tough times.”

The negative

“I don’t feel encouraged about the future, and question how essential ad/marketing related skills are in the greater scheme of things.”

“Immediate loss of income so I have had to look for new ways to bring in revenue.”

“[It’s] having am impact on my company’s income which my professional role is tied to. Currently [I] do not feel the negative impact as we adjust, but as the [covid-19] effects increase in its severity on business, so too may it negatively affect my company and potentially my position within it.”

“[T]he brand that I work on has frozen all jobs for the next 6-months which means my job with the agency is not secure.”

“60% of my job has to do with events. Most events are either cancelled or postponed. This affects me directly”

The heartbreaking

“Lonely.”

“[W]orking from home and parenting with no help is hard.”

Talking about a possible change in productivity while working remotely during lockdown, 28% of respondents believes their productivity will increase substantially, 26% a slight increase in productivity, and 25% believes it will decrease. Fifty-seven percent says their companies are trying to address their concerns, but 42% says they aren’t.

Decreased revenue, unpaid salaries and job security are major concerns for respondents when asked about their primary professional concern going forward.

“Retrenchments feel almost inevitable.”

“That there’ll be less work to do as more brands put their marketing on hold.”

“Long-term sustainability and impact on business model.”

“People will probably start struggling with the isolation that can lead to increased levels of depression and decreased productivity.”

How confident do you feel about your company’s future, post the coronavirus pandemic? Forty-seven percent of respondents says they are fairly confident, with 29% unsure and 18% extremely confident.

“Consensus”

“There is consensus within the industry regarding both the severity of the pandemic and the likely economic impact,” comments Claudia Schonitz, HaveYouHeard head of research and insights, on the survey results. “The majority of agencies anticipate a negative impact on billings, particularly in events/activations and outdoor activity. Demand could rebound after the crisis but when and how this will evolve is uncertain, making it more difficult to prepare and future-proof agencies. In the short term, there is respite for digital and concept/strategy activity.

“Government and most companies have responded with resourcefulness, adaptability and transparent communication. This brings renewed confidence in our leaders and, despite our isolation, a renewed sense of community.”

Follow-up survey

Want to participate in the follow-up survey? Submit your email address here.

See also

 

MarkLives logoThis MarkLives #CoronavirusSA special section contains coverage of how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and its resultant disease, covid-19, is affecting the advertising, marketing and related industries in South Africa and other parts of Africa, and how we are responding. 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.

— Sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify.biz headlines, emailed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Become a MarkLives Member, too.

Young, Gifted & Killing It: Hlamalani Sunshine Shibambo

by Veli Ngubane (@TheNduna) Hlamalani Sunshine Shibambo (@sunshineshibs) is a hero. I’ve been running this column since 2016 and this interview brought me to tears. The real and authentic account speaks directly to me and, I’m sure, will touch the hearts of fellow entrepreneurs; it reminds me of all our collective, sometimes unspoken, struggles as founders and owners of black-owned agencies in South Africa.

I’m happy to share this inspirational entrepreneurial journey, celebrating the bravery and determination of this female-run agency, Cheri Yase Kasi. I’m left in hope that we will overcome if we start collectively speaking about and breaking the barriers to entry and challenging this untransformed reality of the industry — not only for ourselves but the generations of black creatives that come after us.

Sunshine ShibamboVeli Ngubane: Tell us more about yourself: where did you grow up and what did you want to be when you were growing up?
Hlamalani Sunshine Shibambo: I would just like to start by saying I’m a better storyteller than I am a writer, but here goes. My name is Hlamalani Sunshine Shibambo; I grew up in a small township, Mofolo Village in Soweto (we moved to the south in Naturena in 2007), raised by a single mom and an army of incredible men and women in my life. I have always been a creative child who was lucky enough to have a single mother who saw that potential and encouraged it from a very early age. I was exposed to the arts through my mom’s mzabalazo work with the New Nation newspaper…, a brave publication that was one of the few South African newspapers to be black-owned, black-edited, and almost entirely staffed by blacks. To be surrounded by such fearless minds and spirit at that young age turned me [into] an artistic, expressive, fearless and compassionate child. I played; accessed and met some of South Africa’s top musicians, authors, writers, photographers — you name it. From about four years, I was the child backstage with my mom dancing to Brenda Fassie at Share World in Nasrec or a film launch at Kine Centre on Small Street [Johannesburg], with all these journalists and celebrities. As time passed, I was in various dance troupes (local Sarafina productions), art classes, set painting on TV productions, music and I guess that’s where my love for the arts started.

I first wanted to a musical theatre producer; and then a fashion designer but there were no SA black designers to aspire to in those days that I knew of obviously; owning a hair and makeup studio after the success of Alex Hair; then it was a TV set design or production overseas after my mother introduced me to Mfundi Vundla; and later it become an art director. [Being a] business owner was always subtle but never the thing I thought I would be in my late 30s.

VN: Is that what inspired you to found Cheri Yase Kasi? Please tell us more about your business journey.
HSS: Not really. I had the typical black-girl plan to not waste my mama’s money: matriculate, then college and graduate, then I could start my life. I created a wish list of five companies that I desperately [wanted] to work for in my grad year:

  • TBWA\Hunt Lascaris: [it] had the revolutionary SABC 1 campaign
  • Net#work BBDO: [it was] running the Metro FM “What make you black?” campaign
  • Metro FM: 6m urban listeners — who didn’t want to be part of that magic
  • SABC 1/3 I wanted to be part of the black-content revolution
  • MTN: [which] sponsored the arts in the early 2000s

Once I made the decision to resign from SAB on 26 May 2015, I knew, even though I didn’t have a solid business plan or any plan for that matter, that I needed to do something. I went on a holiday to Thailand with my housemate for 17 days and I really fell in love with the simplicity of the tenacity of the Thai street markets and stall owners. Hustling every day to make a living. They work to sustain themselves and their families; keep their business small; eat well and are generally a happy people. When I came back, I was clear on my dream and what I needed to do to get the idea into action. It’s been a build as we grow approach since.

VN: When is your earliest memory of you wanting to be an entrepreneur, or any community of family members who inspired you to start your own business?
HSS: Until I started my business, I had no desire to start or own a business. I didn’t want the pressure and responsibility then. My career started so well, from Hunts to SABC to Metro FM, and then Media24 into SAB; I guess I always believed I always had my dream job until I didn’t, which then forced me to start considering starting my own.

My dad, Joe Shibambo, has always been a pioneer in business. I remember, in the late ’80s, driving around with him doing his rounds to check on his coal business in Phiri; he later owned a Fish & Chips in Rockville and Jabulani in the ’90s; and eventually moved into construction early 2000.

As I got older, this always made me wonder how he could work for himself when he could have secured a cushy corporate job. My parents divorced when I was two and managing a relationship with my father was not easy; my parents are complete opposites and we lost contact around 2001–2011, which didn’t allow me the advantage of growing up with someone as knowledgeable as him but, since reuniting, he is always my source of wisdom.

VN: Tell us what you do and what does a typical day look like for you?
HSS: That’s one of the most-difficult questions to answer; I don’t have typical days in the office. Ask the people in the office. LOL.

VN: What do you think is the slowing the growth of black-owned agencies? Twenty-five years after achieving freedom, surely there should be more significant players in the ad industry?
HSS: There is this misconception that black agencies or creatives are always the cheaper option. What is slowing the industry down is the black creative willing/scrambling to cut their standard fee and years of expertise to get the job to survive. We shouldn’t have to be in this uncomfortable position in the first place. When will our time put in finally be acknowledged?

Our local and foreign counterparts have miles of experience, insight and knowledge in a head-start [over] any black agency in Africa. What I have seen over the past 10 years is that, when a black agency starts to peak or grow, a big non-black agency swiftly sweeps in and buys the agency for figures that would make anyone think twice. I’ve seen many examples of this situation with my peers getting taken by this cycle and what the association brings them as an individual.

This immediately defeats the purpose of black growth in my eyes or maybe I’m just naïve. We are always “the last to know” and have limited access to information. We have to pitch against each other for the scraps after watching many non-black agencies walk in and out of buildings with the real briefs. We don’t have the cashflow/systems/equipment/buildings or retainers that our counterparts have — this includes access to industry information that only a lucky few are privy to, individuals who won’t disrupt the comfort of being the only black. Black creatives and businesses struggle to collaborate and [no-one] wins. Usually the budget is already tiny and the [person] who brings in the job wants the biggest cut, irrespective of the skills or expertise the collaborators are bringing to the table

VN: What are the key things you’ve learnt in your business journey that you wish you’d known when you started the business?
HSS: I wish I’d paid attention to our back office, managing cashflow, HR and compliancy from day one and had not left it to the accountants or bookkeepers. I paid attention to my departments only and chased new clients and production work. I only started paying detailed attention once one of our business partners in charge of the back office resigned in March 2019; and we were left to pick up the pieces and keep moving forward. I had to learn that while juggling staff, mentoring and running sales in the business. That took a heavy emotional and physical toll on my wellbeing. Now I can do it with my eyes closed. LOL.

VN: What are some lessons you can share with female business owners and lessons you’ve learnt along the years?
HSS: You will always be treated differently as a woman, no matter how far you rise. It is important to adopt emotional intelligence as soon, as you can operating the day to day of a business. You will manage many people from many walks of life, the nicest to the most-frustrating client, but it is always important to keep your cool. I’ve learnt not to take it personally anymore: when I started a “no” always felt like an attack against me or our business, but sometimes clients just don’t get it or don’t like it and choose someone else. That’s all it is. Don’t take that personally.

VN: Why do you think the communications industry is struggling to transform and what do you think should be done to fast-track transformation?
HSS: Government laws and mandates must change for freelancers and creative business to grow and create jobs in SA. What the [coronavirus has been] able to do is shine a spotlight on how important the arts, creative and sports industries are — but also how many of these awarded men and women work from month to month to make a living —there [should] be systems in place to protect these individuals. I’m sure certain industries would say the same for their industry; I can only speak for mine. I dare our government to come up with a solution to retaining this working class. Transformation will not happen unless institutions [such as banking and financial institutions, insurance and medical change the way they treat the freelancer.

VN: What advice would you give someone completing their high-school education this year and looking to follow a career in the creative industry?
HSS: I would be honest with the state of affairs at the moment; I would tell them about where the black creatives come from and the struggles we’ve overcome to shift the needle. I [would] tell them success stories of black excellence and cross fingers [that] they will still want to pursue a career in this beautiful, mad world of advertising and marketing.

VN: What do you feel is missing in the creative industry today and what should the future look like in SA and the rest of the continent?
HSS: Respect and transparency for everyone in the game. Level the playing field for all creatives, from the invitation into the board to the budgets and brief that’s sent. Black creatives are judged on being black first before their work and it’s even worse when you are a black woman. The government and MAC [Marketing, Advertising and Communication sector] need to mandate that all corporates should ensure that work is split equally [between] local and international agencies. If this doesn’t change; the black creative industry will not grow and black agencies will always receive a fraction of the budget, compared to the global agencies [which] dominate SA and African markets.

VN: What legacy do you want to leave when you retire from the industry?
HSS: “She made a change and always fought for the black creatives and her community.”

VN: If you had a superpower, what would you want it to be?
HSS: The power to produce never-ending wealth. This would give me the power to change the lives of many people with no limitations, my own life and make an impact in the marginalised communities that I want to help develop.

VN: What exciting projects are you working on at the moment?
HSS: Nothing. All BTL has been heavily affected by covid-19 and will change the way our business operates in the future. Events and experiences that were signed off have been cancelled until 2021. It’s becoming harder and harder to see what the future looks like after covid-19. We do not have any retainers to sustain the business for the year and have survived five years on pitching and producing work for clients.

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

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Veli NgubaneVeli Ngubane (@TheNduna) entered the world of advertising with a passion after completing his BSocSci (law, politics and economics) at UCT and a post-graduate marketing diploma at Red & Yellow, where he’s currently advisory board chairman. He also sits on the IAB’s Transformation & Education Council, is a DMA board member and Loeries, APEX, Pendoring, Bookmarks and AdFocus. He is the group MD of AVATAR and co-founder of M&N Brands, which is building an African network of agencies to rival the global giants. In his monthly MarkLives.com column, “Young, Gifted & Killing It”, he profiles award-winning, kick-ass black creative talent in South Africa.

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EXCLUSIVE: MTN marketing services out to pitch

by Herman Manson (@MarkLives) MTN, one of the Africa’s biggest mobile brands, is out to pitch again. MTN issued a global request for proposals (RFP) at the end of 2019, the network operator has confirmed, with major global agency networks invited to participate.

“The RFI/RFP process for global marketing services across the MTN Group is well underway, having commenced in Q419,” confirms Bernice Samuels, MTN group executive: marketing. The global RFP covers all the markets where MTN operates; RFP invitees have all been global holding companies.

Second of four

This is the second of the big-four South African telco brands out to pitch lately, with Cell C having been the first (it’s currently held by McCann1886, an Interpublic Group company). Ogilvy South Africa (WPP) has Vodacom and Telkom is serviced by Wunderman Thompson (WPP), which recently saw its contract with the telco extended for several more years.

Comments Luca Gallarelli, TBWA\SA GCEO, “Omnicom Group currently acts as MTN’s agency partner of record and we continue to serve and support MTN Group and MTN operating companies through this process. I can confirm that we fully intend to participate and highly value the relationship we’ve forged with MTN over the course of the initial contract period.”

Similar approach

Omnicom logoIn 2016, the last time the account went out to pitch, MTN followed a similar approach, inviting Dentsu Aegis Network, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis and WPP to participate in the pitch. In early 2017, it was announced that the Omnicom Group was awarded as integrated global agency — in South Africa, the account is led by TBWA\Hunt Lascaris.

MTN operates in SA, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Botswana (joint venture-equity), eSwatini (joint venture-equity), Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Benin, Congo-Brazzaville, Liberia, Guinea Conakry and Guinea Bissau. Across the Middle East and North Africa region, it operates in Iran (joint venture-equity), Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and Afghanistan.

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

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Herman Manson 2017Herman Manson (@marklives) is the founder and editor of MarkLives.com.

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#CoronavirusSA: WTH just happened — and how does adland survive?

by Jarred Cinman (@jarredcinman) Advertising is a business predicated on two conditions: a company with things to sell and a consumer with the interest and ability to buy them. When the companies are closed and the consumers are closed inside, these conditions vanish. What’s left are brands which sell “essential” products (some of whom are experiencing a burst of economic success) and those which see a long game.

Consumed

I’m reluctant to add another piece of content about covid-19 to the internet. It’s almost impossible to access any news site, social media feed or attend any (online) meeting where this isn’t the topic. It’s consumed our lives and — uniquely — consumed them in almost every nation on earth.

Hot on the heels of the virus is the viral content. Or, at least, the content that aspires to go viral. Some (the bad jokes, the cringy memes, the doctored announcements from governments and hospitals) is actually going viral. Much (the endless advisories from companies to their clients, articles written by caged journalists recommending films, books, recipes and kids’ entertainment) feels utterly transient. If you’re anything like me, most of that is in one eye, out the other.

Less easy to pass over is the calamity that’s befalling our global — and very much local — economy. The humanitarian care that’s propelled us into lockdown is sure to be followed by untold misery as the poorest lose their income and the wealthier retreat into fear and risk avoidance. The global stock markets have already writ large the panic those who own things are feeling.

For advertising agencies — small, medium and large — this is a catastrophic turn of events. Some are fortunate enough to have a client mix of the essential and the perennial and which continue remote but unaffected. These live in the fervent hope that the pain will be short and sharp, and with the knowledge that it probably won’t be.

Strategy 1: Wait

It’s natural to feel that this whole situation is temporary. And, unless life-threatening or amazingly opportune, a good approach to the impermanent is patience.

For many agencies and clients, this means treating this time as a December or April: slow down, pause, dip into cash reserves, reimagine down your annual profit estimate and hang on tight. I’ve compared what’s happening to a tidal wave hitting, one that you’ve some forewarning about but which you can’t readily escape. Climb to higher ground, look after your loved ones, and think ahead to the clean-up.

This is the most-comfortable approach for sure — and one that leaves your staff with jobs, your business with cash flow and your future secured. It’s also the least likely outcome, unfortunately. As Edcon (one of our clients) viscerally demonstrated last week, we can’t all simply wait out a storm this big and this impactful.

We need a different solution.

Strategy 2: Scale down

For most companies hitting a crunch — lost revenue, rising debt, frightened clients — the most-obvious route is to cut costs. For consumer-goods businesses, that will involve slowing or stopping production, decreasing orders up the supply chain and paring down staff costs commensurately. For those of us in the services game, the main cost parameter is always salaries. The first to go are freelancers and other temporary staff. Take internal any work usually outsourced. Shrinking the permanent team is next.

South African labour law has deep protections for full-time employees. Thus “cutting staff” is, fortunately, not as brutal as it sounds — there will be notice periods and severances paid. On the downside, this means these kinds of cuts are by their nature medium-term. They do nothing to curb costs as fast as your revenue might be dropping.

Cost-cutting right now is inevitable. How deep the cuts go depends on your level of optimism about a return to normality, or how successful you can be at the next strategies.

Strategy 3: Go tactical

A bit like waiting but, if you believe this virus is a short-term problem, then your fix will be a short-term one. I’ve seen many companies delay campaigns or events, put media budgets on ice, and prepare to ride it out. The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is postponed until October. (London International Awards has cancelled its 2020 show, by contrast).

A tactical approach means stopping whatever you were doing and spending the money and time reacting to what’s going on. If you’re fortunate enough to still be trading, you can make funny songs about panic-buying groceries (Pick n Pay), delay bank fees (Standard Bank) or develop insurance products specifically for covid-19 cover (Coronation).

If not, you can demonstrate to your clients that you understand their predicament and point your marketing toward underlying that (Coke in the Philippines, for example, has pointed all its adspend at relief work, and many companies are offering covid-19 content with the time and money they might have spent elsewhere).

For the braver and more pessimistic, there’s the next option.

Strategy 4: Do something new

One step beyond tactical thinking is the belief that this lockdown and associated pain is going to go on for some time — and that, when it’s over the world, will have altered irrevocably. The most-agile and -dextrous of businesses have already pivoted to offering new products and services that represent paradigm shifts for their organisations. The best of these have done this as just another change in an evolving reality. Most have done it out of necessity.

With the recency of events in SA, we haven’t seen too many examples of this yet. The training sector has been first out of the gates to offer seminars and courses on how to work from home or conduct virtual meetings, and everyone from yoga teachers to psychotherapists have gone into video sessions.

Globally, we have seen a lot of innovation in this space. Streamed ballet and Shakespeare, consultancies providing new forms of workshops and advice, and creative agencies shifting to shooting distributed films on personal devices — to say nothing of the newfound compulsory enthusiasm to remote or distributed working. (The other big winner is ecommerce — but not, as here, where even most deliveries are prohibited. Amazon reportedly hired another 100 000 people in the last few weeks and it may emerge as the dominant retailer on the planet at the end of this).

Not all of these will stick but at least some will have unearthed a path worth continuing.

Supplemental strategy: Optimism

It’s neither sensible to pretend that this is a mere blip nor that it’s the end of the world. While we’re in it, and for some time after, it’s going to hurt. Less money will be made and spent; small and vulnerable businesses will fail; and most of us will have put some of our dreams for growth and prosperity on hold.

However, if history teaches us anything it’s that this, too, will pass. There is a future date at which we will look back on this as, at best, an inflexion point toward a more-compassionate, -asynchronous and -digital world; at worst, it will be a painful memory that brings with it feelings of both loss and nostalgia.

Knowing that our clients will spend, consumers will buy, stock prices will surge and creativity will rise again is an important piece of optimism that we need to nourish. It takes nothing of the hardship away but it does guide us to make investments, not disinvestments; to nurture long-term relationships, not sever them; and to get up and do whatever we can to help each other during this time. Bonds forged now, as on any battlefield, will stand the test of time. And those abandoned may never be forgiven.

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

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Jarred Cinman. Credit: Chris Saunders (www.chrissaunders.co)Jarred Cinman (@jarredcinman) is the CEO of VMLY&R South Africa, part of the global VMLY&R network. He founded one of the first professional web services firms in 1995 and, after selling this to the VWV Group, he became part of the founding team of VWV Interactive, which went on to dominate the web development industry during the late 1990s. In 2010, Jarred was part of the team that merged Cambrient into NATIVE, which became NATIVE VML in 2013 and VMLY&R in 2018. Jarred was IAB South Africa chair for three years, sits on the Loeries committee, is a board member of the ACA and DALRO and, in his spare time, answers his email.

This MarkLives #CoronavirusSA special section contains coverage of how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and its resultant disease, covid-19, is affecting the advertising, marketing and related industries in South Africa and other parts of Africa, and how we are responding. 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.

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#CoronavirusSA: The covid-19 crisis for OOH in southern Africa

by Margie Carr (@margiecarr1) The sudden quietening of our streets has certainly cast doom onto the out-of-home (OOH) ad industry. There have been various reactions from clients’ side, and those hardest hit by the total loss of trading are deep in discussions with their media partners to see what can be done to save their businesses, and to find some form of win-win scenario.

I have never, in all my 22 years in this industry, seen a media channel so affected.

Losses

The most-obvious loss is the loss of audience. Our streets are quiet; the airports and malls have been turned into echo-chambers; our niche-markets are lost in the chaos. The sudden covid-19 lockdown has left some advertisers exposed, too There are price-sensitive ads or sensitive campaigns that couldn’t be removed or replaced before the lockdown, with installation teams unable to go out to billboard sites to install relevant or refreshed campaigns.

There’s also been an increase in vandalism on sites that stand unattended as maintenance teams are locked down. Printing companies have had to shut down their operations, unable to supply much-needed artwork for new bookings with had start-dates falling into the lockdown period. No planned artwork changes for 1 April 2020 have happened, and all mid-month walking campaigns have come to a standstill.

The good news is that most digital out of home (DOOH) formats are able to upload artwork changes, due to remote uploading facilities.

Time to stand together

But now is the time to stand together. Someone moved our cheese, and the question is — what are we going to do about it?

First of all is the realisation that there are unique opportunities still available during lockdown, including digital ads placed on ATM screens across the country. It’s also possible to reach specific geographic or demographic audiences using geo-fencing technology. There are digital advertising opportunities at garage forecourts and smaller roadside media en-route to essential services in local communities.

I’m blown away by how media owners have come to the party. Campaign cancellations have been accepted, payment holidays have been arranged, and rentals reduced to the minimum for the period of lock-down. It’s been the exception to come across a media owner who doesn’t want to be a part of a solution, but unfortunately, that too, has happened. The loss of income will ricochet through to the landlords, a high volume of them relying heavily on the income, including schools, old-age homes, and other care facilities across the country. Media owners are desperately trying to recoup lost income, with heavily discounted offers crossing our desks.

Positive examples

Jim Liu from WOO reported that OOH media spend in China was down by 90% during full lockdown but then recovered to 40%, and then 70%, in the two succeeding months, with an expectation of it being back to normal in the months to come (1). In Singapore, two rival OOH companies combined forces to offer their clients the best exposure and, in Australia, JCDecaux’s inhouse creative team designed messages of support to thank key workers, from doctors to farmers, warehouse workers and childcare workers, for putting themselves at risk for the betterment of their communities.

And, as always, once we’re all back on the road, OOH will be there to welcome us back — as was the case in China in the city of Fuzhou, where healthcare workers were given a hero’s welcome on their return home after doing their bit in Wuhan. DOOH screens across the city were flooded with images celebrating doctors, nurses, paramedics and ambulance drivers as they arrived back home from coronavirus-hit Wuhan after no new cases had been reported at that point for the first time since the start of the covid-19 outbreak. Images of nine of the different medical workers were projected on more than 7 000 digital screens, including on buses, metro stations, public squares and in shopping centres. The highest-impact images could be seen on city’s skyline, displayed on the large canvas offered by the tallest buildings in the city.

Navigating our way

There is light at the end of this tunnel — the trick is going to be navigating our way back to it, and then to remain relevant post-covid-19!

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

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Margie CarrMargie Carr (@margiecarr1) is the founder of In Touch Media, the only independent through-the-line OOH media house in South Africa.

This MarkLives #CoronavirusSA special section contains coverage of how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and its resultant disease, covid-19, is affecting the advertising, marketing and related industries in South Africa and other parts of Africa, and how we are responding. 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.

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#CoronavirusSA: Adland responds to #covid19 • 27 Mar–3 Apr

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 30 March–3 April 2020.

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

Friday, 3 April 2020

Cannes Lions 2020 cancelled

Cannes Lions by Ascential logo with NICD covid-19 stats 2 April 2020

Cannes Lions has announced that the annual festival won’t take place in October 2020 as previously planned. More details here.

 

Tuesday, 31 March 2020

Inaugural Effie Awards South Africa postponed

The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has announced that the 2020 Effie Awards South Africa summit and gala event have been postponed and will now take place on 7 and 8 October 2020, respectively. The shift in dates will result in an extended entry period, and new judging dates.

The revised dates are as follows:

  • Early bird deadline: Tuesday 5 May
  • On-time deadline: Thursday 18 June
  • Last-minute deadline: Thursday 9 July
  • Round 1 judging:  Thursday 6 Aug
  • Round 2/final judging: Thursday 27 Aug
  • Effie Summit: Wednesday 7 October
  • Effie Gala: Thursday 8 October

For more, go to www.effieawards.co.za.

 

Call to reopen trademarks, designs, patents, copyright offices

Bernadette Versfeld, Webber Wentzel partner, has warned that the closing of the trademarks, designs, patents and copyright offices in South Africa over the national lockdown period might have unintended consequences and require reconsideration.

Versfeld notes various examples of technological innovation that have emerged to combat and assist with covid-19, including camera-surveillance technology; drones and robots being repurposed to disinfect hospitals and other high risk spaces; indoor air-purification technology adopted to remove viral material from the air; and the development of home Covid-19 test kits.

“Given the opportunities that are available to business in South Africa, it is a concern that the Patents and Designs, Copyright and Trade Mark divisions issued a notice on 23 March 2020 advising that all internal systems would not be available from Tuesday 24 March from 4pm and will only be made available again on 30 April 2020,” writes Versfeld. “This means that, in the absence of this decision being reversed, it will unfortunately not be possible to file for trademark, design or patent protection during this time. The negative consequences are potentially enormous for those seeking to protect and commercialise their intellectual property.”

 

Monday, 30 March 2020

Survey to track impact of covid-19 on SA comms industry

MarkLives and HaveYouHeard’s insights department are launching the first South African advertising communications services industry survey to track the impact of covid-19 upon you, your agency/company and the brands you manage. These are unprecedented times with unknown and uncertain consequences and we ask you to share your experience with us as we build a national view of the evolving environment.

The findings will be released as a general overview; results will be anonymous and not linked to any individual or agency. Participants will receive a copy of the findings.

Please take a moment to participate.

 

WARC Global Ad Trends: FMCG & covid19

A quick look at data from the US released by WARC today:

The global economy is set to fall into recession, with the advertising market likely to follow in the first half of this year — though FMCG brands are better-placed to weather the storm — finds WARC, the international marketing intelligence service.

The February and March 2020 Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) monthly surveys of trading conditions among purchasing managers in private sector companies show the worst results for the services sector in recent history across the US (39.1, whereby a value below 50 indicates decline), UK (35.7), Japan (32.7), the Euro area (28.4) and China (26.5).

The covid-19 crunch is filtering through to advertising; RTL, Europe’s largest broadcaster, has stated that covid-19 is hitting ad bookings, while in the US NBCUniversal also expects a material impact, not least because its Olympic Games coverage has now been postponed. UK broadcaster, ITV, reports the same, notably within the travel sector (5% of its 2019 ad revenue, or £91m) and expects ad growth to be down 10%. JCDecaux is anticipating a 10% dip, too.

Baidu in China advises Q1 revenue will be down by as much as 18%, while other online pure players, such as Alphabet, Twitter and Facebook are also exposed — digital channels are often the easiest to switch off in a time of crisis.

Last financial crisis

The last financial crisis removed $60.5bn from the advertising market, with all media apart from online search recording declines in investment. The market took eight years to recover from this shock after accounting for inflation and currency fluctuations.

A WARC analysis of Edge by Ascential data shows sharp rises in the sale of FMCG products on Amazon in the US and UK over the last few weeks, with growth far exceeding both Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. In the US, sales of hand sanitiser were up by over 650% compared to a year earlier, and 450% compared to Prime Day. Sales of pantry staples, vitamin C and disinfecting wipes more than doubled. Nielsen also recorded sharp rises in grocery sales across all US outlets, notably for powdered milk (+85%), dried beans (+37%), canned meat (+32%), and rice (+25%).

The picture was similar in the UK; sales of antiseptics and disinfectants were up by almost 300% on Amazon, while sales of soaps and handwash trebled. In China, sales of face masks, oral mouthwash, snacks and confectionery and alcohol have more than doubled, according to data from Yimian.

The upshot of increased ecommerce activity is that online players may become more significant as the gatekeepers to FMCG shoppers. For the big manufacturers, this may increase the importance of DTC or subscription offers. Consumers are now ‘living a new normal’, and crisis-buying habits may become permanent behaviours.

 

MultiChoice’s R80m for current production cast, crew salaries

MultiChoice has set aside R80m to ensure that current productions are able to pay full salaries of cast, crew, and creatives for the months of March and April. “The need to secure salaries of our creatives goes a long way in creating income stability for them and their families” says the company in a statement. “We believe this to be critical for the industry and in our view simply the right thing to do.”

Through the MultiChoice Talent Factory, it will also be launching an online learning portal that will support over 40 000 members of the industry to gain access to courses and online master classes, so they can continue to hone their craft while adhering to the public health measures of social distancing and isolation.

The company has also committed to guarantee the incomes of freelancers at SuperSport Productions, who are currently unable to work due to the suspension of sport and the national lockdown. This extends to guaranteeing the income of freelancers in its broadcast technology environment.

“Our main concern is to ensure as much as possible that we secure the incomes of creatives, cast and crew over this period,” says Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO. “We want to ensure that they and their families are not negatively impacted as work has come to a standstill.”

 

SA retailers unite in Sunday ad

 

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

 

See also

 

MarkLives logoThis MarkLives #CoronavirusSA special section contains coverage of how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and its resultant disease, covid-19, is affecting the advertising, marketing and related industries in South Africa and other parts of Africa, and how we are responding. 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.

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#CoronavirusSA: Pitching & chemistry in the time of covid-19

by Johanna McDowell (@jomcdowell) Since the coronavirus outbreak was first seen a couple of months ago in other countries, life has changed for ad agencies and clients. Everyone seems to have become more adept at video-conferencing, using all of the tech tools available to us now and seemingly without a break in productivity. How is this working in the agency pitch space?

I consulted electronically with several of my international colleagues a few weeks ago in the US and UK; this was before their respective lockdowns, while they were meant to be “social distancing” and hadn’t yet started to work remotely. The AAR in London, for example, only started to do so from last week Monday, 23 March 2020; our colleagues in Spain at Scopen went remote only on 15 March. AAR in New York started working remotely at about the same time, although it had stopped travelling only about a week before that — many of its pitches are across the US.

Tips

I asked them for some input on any tips they might have from their experiences so far with pitching in this new environment and I’ve added in a few of my own thoughts:

  • It’s difficult to generate chemistry when you’re not face-to-face as agencies and clients — so we have to look for other ways for agencies to make an impact
  • There’s less chance to get to know each other, so rather focus on capabilities and ways of working — as opposed to relying on presentation techniques
  • There may be ways of creating more “theatre” via video-conferencing, using all of the tools available in Zoom, Google HangOut and Microsoft Teams etc, which will add to the memorability of your agency session

Should a client be appointing an agency that it hasn’t actually met physically?

  • Most pitch processes are about 11–12 weeks long (via pitch consultants), starting off with the RFI and credentials aspects. Some pitches that have been in play already for a few weeks will ensure that clients have met the agencies physically at least once. Using tech for meetings after this will be OK.
  • A recent pitch process just completed for a large industrial client (there were three separate agency disciplines so three pitch processes in total) were all conducted as per normal ie face to face etc. However, since appointment, the majority of meetings are being conducted via video-conferencing/Microsoft Teams etc, including the collaboration meetings among the three agencies and the client
  • New pitches that are starting now and have to take place due to business imperatives may mean that the first few interactions might be tech-enabled but, towards the end of the process, I anticipate that a physical meeting will be possible. Is it the end of the world if they can’t meet? I don’t think so, as there will be so many other due diligences that may take place without meeting physically.

Credentials

Managing the credentials process:

  • Printed-out specific credentials provided by agencies to clients are better-received and better-read, and agencies are able to specifically cater for the demands of the credentials brief that way
  • People read printed-out, beautifully bound documents with excitement and thoroughness, as opposed to flicking through a set of electronic credentials and content
  • These documents are kept throughout the process, are referred to continuously by the clients and their teams, and are important for pitch consultants to give feedback post-pitch to the competing agencies
  • Over the next few pitches, I’ll be breaking with tradition — innovating — and asking agencies to supply credentials in a different way (I’ve already tested out the theory with a few of our agency leaders and they are excited at the new possibilities, as are the clients)
  • Evaluating specific credentials is a very important part of the process. The learning process for the clients will be slightly modified using technology and will provide opportunities for their teams to learn and focus — always with the aim of finding the best-fit agency and eliminating those that don’t

More fun

I’m looking forward to the changes to these simple steps will make in processes and feel pretty sure at this stage that the pitch process won’t be hampered —it could be even more fun than normal as we all find our way through the hurdles placed in our lives by covid-19.

In the meantime, everyone, #stayhome #staysafe #flattenthecurve.

While we have your attention: Please would you consider taking out a MarkLives membership to help finance our operations? The covid-19 pandemic is having a huge impact on society and industry. With your support, either as a once-off or monthly contribution, we can continue our coverage of its impact on our industry.

See also

 

Johanna McDowell and César VacchianoJohanna McDowell (@jomcdowell) is MD of the Independent Agency Search and Selection Company (IAS), which is partnered with the AAR Group in the UK. Johanna is one of the few experts driving this mediation and advisory service in SA and globally. She also runs the IAS Marketers Masterclass, a programme consisting of 10 masterclasses (up from eight) held in Johannesburg (now at GIBS). Twice a year she attends AdForum Worldwide Summits; however, the April 2020 New York summit has been postponed (optimistically) to 21 June. She contributes the regular column, Masterclass Notes, which aims to help marketers and their agencies, to MarkLives.com.

This MarkLives #CoronavirusSA special section contains coverage of how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and its resultant disease, covid-19, is affecting the advertising, marketing and related industries in South Africa and other parts of Africa, and how we are responding. 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.

— Sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify.biz headlines, emailed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Become a MarkLives Member, too, to ensure continued coverage.

SA TV Ratings: SABC 2 — primetime top 20 for Feb, Jan 2020

by MarkLives (@marklives) The hottest primetime shows on SABC 2 in South Africa revealed: TV ratings for February and January 2020. Please take note of this loadshedding note (pdf) from the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA).

SABC 2 logoSABC 2, February 2020

Top 20 Programmes All Adults 15+
February 2020 Prime Time 5.30pm—10pm
Adults 15+ years U:36011 S:8223

Source: BRCSA February 2020

Day

Date

From

To

Station

Programme title

Genre

AR

Viewers

Share
Thur 16/01/2020 2100 2129 S2 Muvhango Dram 12.98 4 675 183 39.6
Wed 01/01/2020 2057 2100 S2 Live Lotto Draw Vari 6.99 2 517 927 12.6
Thur 16/01/2020 1759 1829 S2 7De Laan Soap 5.06 1 821 380 22.1
Fri 17/01/2020 2130 2201 S2 Mopheme Dram 5.05 1 818 097 16.9
Tue 14/01/2020 2129 2200 S2 Lithapo Dram 4.77 1 719 199 19.6
Thur 16/01/2020 2130 2157 S2 Speak Out Actu 3.85 1 385 144 14.6
Tue 07/01/2020 2129 2156 S2 Abomzala Sitc 3.69 1 327 532 14.8
Tue 07/01/2020 1830 1859 S2 Nuus News 3.48 1 252 587 12.4
Sat 18/01/2020 2030 2056 S2 Skwizas Sitc 2.88 1 038 262 10
Sat 18/01/2020 2000 2030 S2 Ses/Tsw/Sep News News 2.78 1 002 522 9.4
Fri 24/01/2020 2159 2228 S2 Mmampodi Dram 2.52 907 230 12.3
Thur 02/01/2020 1755 1800 S2 Music Musi 2.08 747 735 9.4
Mon 27/01/2020 1730 1759 S2 Venda/Tsonga News News 1.96 705 456 9.7
Sun 19/01/2020 1800 1827 S2 Fokus Actu 1.92 692 639 7.5
Sat 18/01/2020 1859 1951 S2 The Cube (Competition) Quiz 1.92 690 329 6.6
Tue 07/01/2020 1900 1954 S2 Meeulanders Dram 1.87 673 987 5.8
Sat 04/01/2020 1859 1947 S2 American Ninja Warriors Vari 1.79 645 432 7.1
Sun 19/01/2020 1735 1759 S2 Authentiek Maga 1.74 625 566 7
Tue 21/01/2020 1727 1730 S2 Behind the Scenes:SABC 2 Summer Campaign Docu 1.7 613 310 9.4
Mon 20/01/2020 2031 2100 S2 Leihlo La Sechaba Actu 1.69 607 539 5.1

 

SABC 2 logoSABC 2, January 2020

Top 20 Programmes All Adults 15+
January 2020 Prime Time 5.30pm—10pm
Adults 15+ years U:36011 S:8129

Source: BRCSA January 2020

Day

Date

From

To

Station

Programme title

Genre

AR

Viewers

Share
Mon 24/02/2020 2100 2131 S2 Muvhango Dram 13 4 680 471 40
Thur 13/02/2020 1757 2206 S2 State of the Nation 2020 Actu 7.65 2 754 563 24.6
Mon 24/02/2020 1759 1829 S2 7De Laan Soap 4.85 1 745 844 19.4
Mon 24/02/2020 2131 2202 S2 Lithapo Dram 4.41 1 588 681 18.4
Fri 14/02/2020 2130 2200 S2 Mopheme Dram 3.97 1 428 421 16.9
Wed 19/02/2020 2057 2100 S2 Live Lotto Draw Vari 3.92 1 411 199 9.7
Wed 26/02/2020 1400 1556 S2 Budget Speech 2020 Actu 3.86 1 391 316 21.6
Thur 27/02/2020 1829 1859 S2 Nuus News 3.84 1 383 918 13.1
Thur 27/02/2020 2131 2201 S2 Speak Out Actu 3.54 1 274 725 15.1
Tue 18/02/2020 1430 1459 S2 Muvhango -R Dram 3.48 1 251 574 21.4
Tue 18/02/2020 1359 1429 S2 Skeem Saam -R Dram 3.47 1 250 306 21.7
Tue 18/02/2020 1329 1359 S2 Uzalo -R Dram 3.15 1 135 653 19.8
Sat 22/02/2020 2000 2029 S2 Ses/Tsw/Sep News News 2.86 1 029 845 10
Tue 18/02/2020 1700 1725 S2 Dragon Ball Z Kai Yent 2.8 1 007 081 13.1
Tue 11/02/2020 1357 1400 S2 Music Musi 2.69 969 923 21.7
Thur 13/02/2020 1701 1757 S2 Sona Red Carpet Actu 2.64 951 707 14
Sat 29/02/2020 2030 2056 S2 Skwizas Sitc 2.63 946 048 9
Sat 29/02/2020 1030 1100 S2 Muvhango -O Dram 2.39 859 239 16.5
Fri 14/02/2020 2200 2229 S2 Mmampodi Dram 2.33 839 278 14.1
Fri 28/02/2020 1730 1759 S2 Venda/Tsonga News News 2.14 772 093 9.9

 

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Broadcast Research Council of South AfricaThe Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA) 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. In 2016, it 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.

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