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Grubstreet: Here come the radio disrupters, CliffCentral leading the pack

by Gill Moodie (@grubstreetSA) Two major disrupting forces are headed for the South African radio market that have the power to shake up the industry, just as online and blogging platforms have done to the print media.

The one force for change launched on May 1: Gareth Cliff’s new CliffCentral show on the web, on WeChat on mobile and DStv’s Comedy Central while new MW licences granted by the broadcasting regulator, Icasa, bring with it the advent of DRM – or Digital Radio Mondiale – to this country.

DRM is a digital broadcasting system that delivers FM-comparable sound on frequencies below 30 MHz – including medium wave and shortwave over long distances.

The first DRM broadcast was in 2003 in Switzerland and today it is being rolled out in India on a massive scale while other broadcasters using the system include the BBC World Service, Deutschlandradio, Radio New Zealand International, Vatican Radio and the Voice of Russia. (Click here for more info on Wikipedia.)

Magic AM, which was awarded a licence for Cape Town by Icasa, is planning to broadcast on MW and DRM simultaneously from the outset while LM Radio – which won a licence for Gauteng and is already broadcasting in Mozambique – is part of a group that is testing the new technology.

Veteran broadcaster Tony Sanderson, who guided the Magic AM bid through the Icasa process, says that DRM is better quality than FM.

“It’s stereo MW. It goes further. It goes through tunnels and over mountains and buildings,” says Sanderson, who originally trained as a broadcast engineer. “You can get it on your computer and in cars that are less than four years old. If you go to Orange Grove in Jo’burg right now you can buy DRM-level receivers for R300. It’s becoming more affordable.”

Magic AM’s main shareholders are Cape Media – of which Sanderson is a director and which publishes B2B magazines such as Leadership – and Dr Iqbal Survé’s Sekunjalo, the new owner of Independent Newspapers.

Sanderson – whose career spans 40 years in SA radio and television and who is probably most well known for the hit Chuckle & Chat show – says he has no intention of going back on air but will oversee the setting up of Magic AM and run it initially.

The music station has long been in the planning, he says, and staff are already lined up – one from the US, one from the UK while the rest are South African.

He hopes to be on air in six months’ time but Magic has to build its own broadcast tower in Cape Town before it can launch.

LM Radio – a music station started in 2010 in Maputo by former broadcast engineer Chris Turner – has also planned for DRM and is part of a South African trial with Radio Pulpit and Radio Veritas.

LM Radio was the name of Africa’s first commercial radio station, started in 1936 in Mozambique. It reached South Africa on shortwave and AM and picked up a large following in this country in the 1950s when it became a youth music station. It was taken over by the SABC in 1972 and shut three years later. Turner, who registered the lapsed LM Radio trademark in 2005, is targeting listeners of 35 and older in Gauteng.

He believes, however, that DRM is not going to a viable proposition until about 2020 in South Africa. “It all has to do with the availability of receivers… At the moment most of a portable (DRM-receiving) radios go for about R1 000 and that needs to come down to under R300 for it to pick up. India has started rolling out their DRM and it’s very successful. They want to complete the process in 2024.”

One of the options in this country, says Turner, is for broadcasters to get together and give away DRM when the time is right. “But you know, the new AM technology is vastly superior to what it was 10 years ago. It’s more energy efficient and the quality is so much better.”

Turner believes he won’t need to convert his potential audience to the idea of AM and that once people find LM Radio, they will stay.

“Our style of broadcasting is the style of the ‘70s. It’s intimate. Our presenters talk to the listener… We don’t have a bunch of people sitting in a studio talking rubbish to each other and the listener is a voyeur,” he told Grubstreet. “Our music ranges from the ‘50s to the present day but the feel of the music is in that happy, mid-70s music with meaning, music that’s poetry. Music you can sing to.”

Because the MW licences have taken so long to get the go-ahead from Icasa – the process began about a decade ago – Turner decided to set up shop in Mozambique first. LM Radio has been broadcasting in English from Maputo since 2010 with studios there and in Johannesburg.

The audience figures in Mozambique are between 100 000 and 150 000, says Turner, but he points out that this is from research commissioned by LM as there is no equivalent of Saarf in the country.

The Mozambican audience has picked up recently, he says, adding to the English-language ex-pat listeners. “It’s not just Mozambicans in the older age group but a lot of the under 25s… When I ask young people why they enjoy our style of music and programming they say: ‘It’s different. It’s music you can sing to and listen to’. I think a lot of the new music that’s coming out now is based on the music of the ‘70s and late ‘60s.”

Now that the Gauteng licence has been granted, the Mozambican studios will continue to run, says Turner. Till now the Jo’burg studios have served as a place for presenters such as Brian Oxley and Tinky Pringle to record shows for broadcast in Mozambique.

LM could start broadcasting tomorrow in South Africa except that it has to wait for Sentech to upgrade an old SABC site near Springs, says Turner. The site needs a new tower, the transmitter buildings need cleaning up and the power supply needs to be upgraded.

Meanwhile, CliffCentral is a fascinating new experiment in DIY broadcasting.

Naspers, the owners of DStv and part owners of WeChat, is leveraging Cliff’s celebrity to grow the Chinese-originated WeChat messaging service in South Africa, which is dominated by WhatsApp and Mxit. But this also has the power to break the stranglehold that the big broadcasters such as SABC and Primedia have on our radio market.

True broadband is finally, slowly coming to South Africa and if anyone’s going to get the new platforms right as a broadcast medium, it will be Cliff with his massive following after 10 years at 5FM. (His Twitter following alone is more than 650 000).

CliffCentral co-founder Rina Broomberg and Cliff told Grubstreet via email last week that the aim is to have a mix of revenue streams from “sponsorships of shows, features, direct advertising and creative campaigns that cover social media, internet radio, TV and mobile opportunities on WeChat.

“WeChat are our sponsor for the first six months and we’re delighted with the mutually beneficial nature of the arrangement. The CliffCentral official account allows us to interact with listeners and advertisers in new ways. Our relationship with DStv is separate – we approached Comedy Central as we believed this was a good brand match and they have both the creative approach and flexibility to offer viewers content in a new way.”

They hope to be in the black within the first few months, the two said, and to that end it is possible for every portion of the audience to be measured in exact numbers.

“CliffCentral’s streaming has been most satisfactory so early after the launch. Combined with the WeChat figures we broke records for internet radio in South Africa on the first day. Podcasts are being downloaded in great numbers. We haven’t collated numbers yet as the sources include CliffCentral, DStv, WeChat and Comedy Central. CliffCentral’s Facebook page has grown in 36 000 members in a couple of weeks and Twitter is over 16 000 followers.”

The sheer cost of the broadband must be very high but Broomberg and Cliff say: “We’re cognisant of the costs of internet in South Africa but are already finding solutions. We’re delighted with MTN offering “uncapped unradio” as a special deal to listen to CliffCentral free on WeChat. Other challenges are logistical, and those can easily be overcome.

“People want great content, and we’ll give it to them. And advertisers can start accessing the richest, most tech-savvy audience there is.”

South Africa’s leading media commentator Gill Moodie (@grubstreetSA) offers intelligence on media, old and new. Reprinted from her site Grubstreet. This piece was published first on Journalism.co.za, the website of Wits University’s journalism school.

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Shelf Life: Delectable #WDC2014 project focuses on food and design

Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches:

A delectable World Design Capital 2014 project focuses on food and design
Ola Magnum proves that size matters
Cerebra cashes in on social commerce, and
Primall entices mall rats to take a coffee break.

The story of food

Not to be missed is this World Design Capital 2014 project, the story of food exhibition entitled ‘Design & Making’, running at the Castle in Cape Town from May until October. It traces the evolution of craft and design through food packaging and storage, including preservation and distribution.

The exhibition launched last week and is a collaboration between the Cape Craft & Design Institute and Iziko Museums of South Africa’s Social History Collections Department.

The fascinating installations reveal how the story of food preservation, storage and packaging over time is vast and complex, from using found objects such as ostrich eggs and gourds, and objects made from clay, wood, grass and other materials to how we now store food in freezers, plastic, cardboard, glass and vacuum-packaging. Our current era of “created” foodstuffs, such as energy drinks, is also represented.

The exhibition story is told through installations and objects: a large group of historic African, European and Asian objects, sourced from Iziko’s Collections, stands alongside 30 contemporary objects created by designer-makers from the Western Cape. There are also examples of modern packaging.

Support and sponsorship come from the Distell Foundation, Zonnebloem Wines, Business and Arts South Africa and recycling companies PETCO and Select-A-Can. Zonnebloem Wines also supplied 100 Zonnebloem wine bottles from which a dramatic art piece was created, designed by Bennetts.

“In focusing on food, we are focusing on the essence of life, the grand sweep of history, monumental shifts in the landscape of production, industry, and commerce, and the impact of all this on society, communities, and ordinary people,” says project manager Marjorie Naidoo.

Get it on with Magnum

I’m not sure why we’re getting a new ice cream flavour launch at the beginning of winter; I can’t even eat salad when it’s cold and I microwave my sushi to take the chill off (only for 10 seconds, but still!). Anyway, Ola Magnum clearly believes people still eat ice cream in winter, so it has four very delectable new pint-sized flavours launching.

The brand is breaking out of its ‘stick’ ice-cream range into 450ml tubs for an indulgent home experience. The new flavours, with a chocolate sauce core topped with chocolate pieces, come in four variants: Vanilla & Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate & Raspberry and Hazelnut & Chocolate.

The press release reads like the blurb on the back of a slightly sticky soft-core porn DVD, highlighting the “sensorial pleasure” of this “adult icon” of “chocolate pleasure”, postulating that “pleasure is essential in your life… your privilege and your birth right”.

Really? All that from ice cream? Who knew?

Sounds yummy, nevertheless, but I’ll wait until summer before trying them when it’s hot again! (Which in Cape Town will only be about November.)

Converting social into cash

In an effort to “sell” social, Cerebra has been releasing some interesting insight reports for its clients, free of charge, in print and for sharing. As Cerebra CEO, Mike Stopforth, explains, social communities have matured over the years and it is time that brands learnt how to convert their investment in social media communities over the years into revenue.

Stopforth dismisses the “social isn’t for selling” argument and says it is certainly possible for brands to commercialise their social media platforms. Of course, the way to do it is to understand social commerce — which was why Cerebra felt the need to release its Social Commerce report.

The agency developed the Social Commerce Journey, a paper detailing the six levels of social commerce. The print version was sent to key clients and media with a paper wallet, complete with fake money and ‘cards’ carrying through the social commerce message.

“Our aim with this paper was to help businesses take the first critical step in developing social commerce strategy by understanding what you’re dealing with,” says Stopforth.

Download the report free: www.cerebra.co.za/social-commerce-journey.

Coffee break

Primall brewed interest in Nespresso with a media campaign targeting consumers in the malls. The target market was men and women in the LSM 10 bracket.

Primedia Unlimited’s shopping mall advertising division specialises in high-impact branding campaigns close to the point of purchase and the media owner used several of its platforms to tease consumers’ taste buds and create awareness around Nespresso’s Inissia range that is available in a host of new colours. Nespresso then introduced consumers to top Grands Crus coffees which can be enjoyed at home and at restaurants, cafes, hotels and offices.

“Sandton City and Canal Walk made use of platforms close to the points of purchase for increased awareness,” reported Primall Media’s Lee Curtis.

Shelf Life by Louise Marsland is a weekly column on MarkLives. Tweet new product, packaging and design launches to @louise_marsland or email her at louise.marsland at gmail.com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.

Louise has written about the FMCG, media, marketing and advertising industry for 19 of her more-than-25-year career as a former editor of magazines AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Progressive Retailing, as well as websites Bizcommunity.com and FMCGFiles. She currently edits the weekly Wednesday Media & Marketing Page for The New Age newspaper and is the publishing editor of industry trendwatching portal, TRENDAFRiCA, for consumer insight, research and trends in Africa.

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Creation: Design contests — a big concern

by Artwell Nwaila (@artwelln) In 2013, after years of a different top studio being responsible each year for the Sydney Design festival’s poster design and supporting marketing material, Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum launched a competition asking the Australian public to submit these elements — for “design prestige and US$1000 in prize money”.

A few days later, the competition went sour and was pulled, due to offensive and non-compliant submissions from ‘pissed off’ designers. So what went wrong?

This type of contest is becoming increasingly popular all over the world and is flourishing in South Africa. Organisations such as the one above see the cost-effectiveness of opening up a brief to the public, as opposed to commissioning one entity.

What they are offering creatives is an opportunity to flaunt their skills on a public platform and stand the chance to beat their counterparts. In a nutshell, it’s about bragging rights.

The problem is that ‘US$1000 and prestige’ highly undervalue what this job entails — and the kind of organisation and experience required. It’s insulting. Hence the out-lash of spoof entries that followed:

The problem with this type of contest for the creative

In the hype and excitement of challenges, these competitions very often camouflage that they are usually “on spec”, which means individuals may not get paid for their efforts. Speculative presentations, by definition, require designers to invest both their ideas and time without a guarantee of compensation.

In South Africa, this point of view has not sunk in yet but, internationally, awareness is being created by organisations such as No!Spec and industry leaders such as DA&D’s past president, Mike Dempsey. He has been quoted as saying that graduates must refuse to work for nothing.

The problem with spec work for the brands

A qualified and experienced creative or organisation will never enter into any spec work project of any kind as it is time-consuming and non-profitable. The result is a pool of very junior submissions, with the quality to match.

There is also the issue of research, understanding of brand positioning, values and target markets. These are generally ignored, creating a very visible disconnect.

In closing

Creatives need to evaluate why they are entering contests and ask what’s in it for them. Brands need to accept and acknowledge that using the contest model to source work will compromise quality output.

In conclusion, the spec-work template needs to be relooked at, as this trend will reduce the value of the client/designer relationship — if there is one to start with.

Artwell Nwaila (@artwelln) is a creative director at Offlimit Communications and publisher of the award-winning creative publication SA Creatives (@thesacreatives). His monthly column on MarkLives, “Creation”, takes a look at creative work from around the world and what we can learn from it in South Africa.

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SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings: Tempy Pushas jumps to second place in rankings

by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) SABC 1 TV drama Tempy Pushas jumped to second place on our Top 10 TV ranking during the week of 12 — 18 May 2014, our SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings national chart shows. Family Bonds leapt into third position after increasing its audience from 4 942 409 to 5 171 880. Shuga: Love, Sex, Money, broadcast as well on SABC 1, is also a new entry in our Top 10 ranking.

This weekly roundup of South Africa’s TV audience viewership, a collaboration between the South African Audience Research Foundation (SAARF) and MarkLives, reveals the best-watched shows of the week before, where it ran and how many South Africans tuned in to watch.

We offer two tables, the first covering all households — free-to-air viewing (the various SABC channels and e.tv) as well as the DStv platform — and the second charting the best-watched shows on the DStv network of channels only.

SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings Chart: 12 — 18 May 2014

Market	Target	Activity
National	Total Indv (incl guests)	Live + VOSDAL
Counter	Description (grouped)	Channel	Level 1	_{Level 2}\^Variable	(r) AMR %	AMR	SHR %
1	GENERATIONS	SABC 1	Soap opera	Local	23.5	10 076 992	70.33%
2	TEMPY PUSHAS	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	13.8	5 930 365	45.91%
3	FAMILY BONDS	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	12.1	5 171 880	38.85%
4	FRIENDS LIKE THESE	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	11.5	4 939 541	37.75%
5	SHUGA: LOVE.SEX.MONEY	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	11.4	4 899 530	36.26%
6	ZULU NEWS	SABC 1	News	News	11.3	4 859 698	34.54%
7	MUVHANGO	SABC 2	Drama	Drama	11.3	4 833 829	40.40%
8	WHEN WE WERE BLACK	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	11.2	4 813 447	36.92%
9	MY PERFECT FAMILY	SABC 1	Sitcom	Sitcom	11.2	4 800 157	35.44%
10	INTERSEXTIONS	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	11.1	4 778 286	35.63%
11	XHOSA NEWS	SABC 1	News	News	11.0	4 722 749	34.63%
12	ZAZIWA	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	10.7	4 585 555	33.48%
13	RHYTHM CITY	e.tv	Drama	Drama	10.3	4 397 797	34.73%
14	THE KARATE KID	e.tv	Movies	Drama	9.8	4 184 302	46.38%
15	SELIMATHUNZI	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	9.6	4 109 414	30.34%
16	SCANDAL	e.tv	Drama	Drama	9.5	4 057 987	28.90%
17	THE PERFECT SISHEBO SHOW	SABC 1	Magazine	Magazine	8.9	3 814 154	28.82%
18	REAL GOBOZA	SABC 1	Magazine	Magazine	8.7	3 753 197	33.09%
19	POWERBALL	SABC 2	Variety	Variety	8.1	3 466 278	33.17%
20	LOTTO DRAW LIVE	e.tv	Competition	Competition	7.9	3 395 108	32.86%
21	NYAN NYAN	SABC 1	Reality	Reality	7.4	3 194 586	29.76%
22	FAN BASE	SABC 1	Music	Music	7.1	3 051 007	28.92%
23	NEWS	e.tv	News	News	6.7	2 871 935	21.34%
24	INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL	e.tv	Movies	Action /adventure	6.7	2 869 864	29.05%
25	ABSA PREMIERSHIP ORLANDO PIRATES VS BIDVEST WITS	SABC 1	Sport	Football (soccer)	6.5	2 768 067	30.87%
26	DI WELE MAKGOLELA	SABC 2	Variety	Variety	6.2	2 675 620	26.59%
27	NEWS HEADLINES	SABC 1	News	News	6.0	2 590 610	19.57%
28	PSL AWARDS 2014	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	6.0	2 552 688	28.44%
29	SPEAK OUT	SABC 2	Actuality	Actuality	5.8	2 471 189	27.74%
30	7DE LAAN	SABC 2	Soap opera	Local	5.8	2 469 396	19.52%
31	KHUMBUL’ EKHAYA	SABC 1	Magazine	Magazine	5.7	2 448 681	22.97%
32	TROPICA ISLAND OF TREASURE	SABC 1	Reality	Reality	5.7	2 436 113	22.37%
33	GENERATIONS RETRO	SABC 1	Soap opera	Local	5.6	2 405 043	19.06%
34	FREEDOM IS NOT FREE	SABC 1	Documentary	Documentary	5.6	2 382 320	20.40%
35	MUVHANGO -R	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	5.5	2 364 858	51.16%
36	SA’S KITCHEN QUEENS	e.tv	Reality	Reality	5.5	2 338 432	19.36%
37	THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL	SABC 3	Soap opera	International	5.3	2 261 178	21.23%
38	VERIMARK THE RENOVATOR	e.tv	Advertisement	Advertisement	5.2	2 248 642	26.89%
39	MUVHANGO -R	SABC 2	Drama	Drama	5.2	2 231 590	33.38%
40	THE LINK (MAGA)	SABC 1	Magazine	Magazine	5.1	2 173 553	21.00%

DStv platform only

Market	Target	Activity
DStv	Total Indv (incl guests)	Live + VOSDAL
Counter	Description (grouped)	Channel	Level 1	_{Level 2}\^Variable	(r) AMR %	AMR	SHR %
1	GENERATIONS	SABC 1	Soap opera	Local	16.6	2 239 697	49.58%
2	MUVHANGO	SABC 2	Drama	Drama	8.6	1 156 140	29.36%
3	ISIBAYA	Mzansi Magic	Variety	Variety	8.2	1 102 485	25.69%
4	RHYTHM CITY	e.tv	Drama	Drama	7.1	958 245	22.90%
5	SCANDAL	e.tv	Drama	Drama	6.1	825 843	18.59%
6	XHOSA NEWS	SABC 1	News	News	5.9	792 970	18.20%
7	POWERBALL	SABC 2	Variety	Variety	5.6	756 003	21.26%
8	ZULU NEWS	SABC 1	News	News	5.6	755 246	16.85%
9	SPEAK OUT	SABC 2	Actuality	Actuality	5.5	744 415	23.59%
10	THE KARATE KID	e.tv	Movies	Drama	4.9	662 294	21.52%
11	NEWS	e.tv	News	News	4.8	648 450	14.74%
12	7DE LAAN	SABC 2	Soap opera	Local	4.6	623 537	14.91%
13	MY PERFECT FAMILY	SABC 1	Sitcom	Sitcom	4.5	602 662	13.58%
14	FAMILY BONDS	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	4.4	595 758	14.12%
15	LOTTO DRAW LIVE	e.tv	Competition	Competition	4.3	578 864	16.84%
16	TEMPY PUSHAS	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	4.3	576 950	13.62%
17	FRIENDS LIKE THESE	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	4.1	559 520	12.76%
18	SELIMATHUNZI	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	3.7	493 493	11.16%
19	WHEN WE WERE BLACK	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	3.5	478 859	11.35%
20	ZAZIWA	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	3.4	463 321	10.47%
21	PSL AWARDS 2014	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	3.3	446 460	14.16%
22	THOLA	SABC 2	Drama	Drama	3.3	441 219	15.37%
23	THE PERFECT SISHEBO SHOW	SABC 1	Magazine	Magazine	3.2	435 422	9.94%
24	TRANSPORTER 2	Mzansi Magic	Movies	Action /adventure	3.2	429 587	12.59%
25	KHUMBUL’ EKHAYA	SABC 1	Magazine	Magazine	3.1	419 718	11.67%
26	THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL	SABC 3	Soap opera	International	3.1	418 958	11.31%
27	MUVHANGO -R	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	3.1	413 603	26.47%
28	SHUGA: LOVE.SEX.MONEY	SABC 1	Variety	Variety	3.1	412 471	9.33%
29	INTERSEXTIONS	SABC 1	Drama	Drama	3.0	408 733	9.47%
30	NYAN NYAN	SABC 1	Reality	Reality	3.0	406 431	11.07%
31	GENERATIONS -R	SABC 1	Soap opera	Local	3.0	404 390	28.03%
32	NUUS	SABC 2	News	News	3.0	402 587	9.33%
33	DI WELE MAKGOLELA	SABC 2	Variety	Variety	2.9	391 864	11.87%
34	OUR PERFECT WEDDING (MAG)	Mzansi Magic	Magazine	Magazine	2.9	389 399	8.90%
35	REAL GOBOZA	SABC 1	Magazine	Magazine	2.8	380 987	9.85%
36	NOOT VIR NOOT	SABC 2	Music	Music	2.7	367 869	8.41%
37	VODACOM SUPER RUGBY 2014 STOMERS VS WESTERN FORCE	SuperSport 1	Sport	Rugby (all)	2.7	366 609	9.85%
38	STOKVEL	SABC 2	Sitcom	Sitcom	2.7	362 708	11.78%
39	CLASH OF THE CHOIRS SOUTH AFRICA	Mzansi Magic	Music	Music	2.5	339 695	7.94%
40	INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL	e.tv	Movies	Action /adventure	2.5	336 991	9.79%

How to read the tables:

AMR% refers to the number of people in a target market who were watching an event ie programme, expressed as a percentage of the population for that demographic: “On average, 16.3% of adults aged 15+ who watched TV from 28 Jan-3 Feb 2014 watched Society on SABC 1”.

AMR is the number of people in a target market watching a specific event ie programme per minute, expressed in absolute figures: “On average, 1, 541, 066 adults aged 15+ who watched TV from from28 Jan-3 Feb 2014 watched Society on SABC 1”.

Share % (SHR %) is the share or proportion of the available audience (people watching TV at that time) that a specific channel/programme has achieved at that time: “Society achieved a share % of 52.59% from 28 Jan- 3 Feb 2014 on SABC 1″.

SAARF is the name by which the South African Audience Research Foundation is familiarly known. SAARF’s main objective is to direct and publish media audience and product/brand research for the benefit of its stake-holders, thereby providing data for target marketing and a common currency for the buying and selling of media space and time. SAARF has thus the responsibility to measure the audiences of all traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, cinema and out of home media.

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Telkom goes to DDB

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Telkom has awarded its advertising account to DDB. The tender went out on 14 March 2014 and closed on 8 April. Bidding agencies had to have the capability to operationally support a business with media spend of R25 million per month, according to the tender document.

The new tender went out shortly after Telkom appointed ex-Vodacom executive Enzo Scarcella as its new chief marketing officer. He took up his position at the parastatal in February 2014.

Previously, the Telkom account was serviced by Y&R South Africa and the Telkom Mobile account by JWT. Telkom had confirmed at the time that the tender went out that the two would be consolidated.

In a press statement, DDB CEO Emmet O’ Hanlon says, “This was the biggest and most prestigious pitch of the year and one that we threw absolutely everything at, given our deep-rooted desire to work with Telkom and our respect for a strong competitive field.”

Comments Andrew Welch, Y&R SA CEO: “As is the nature of the advertising industry, clients come and go. In many cases, agencies bring on additional resources to service new business, especially for sizeable accounts like Telkom.

“There have been many ongoing changes to the Telkom business over the last two years that have resulted in corresponding ongoing changes at the agency. Our job at all times is to mirror our clients’ business needs.”

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Allan Gray goes to Ogilvy Cape Town

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Allan Gray has awarded its advertising business to Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town. The business went out to pitch after King James resigned as its agency after 11 years, following its appointment to handle the Sanlam Group advertising and communications account.

In a statement, O&M CT MD Luca Gallarelli said he was “genuinely thrilled” by the news because “high quality clients like Allan Gray who are completely committed to creativity and long-term relationships represent great business and a great platform for inspiring effective marketing”.

Henk Pieterse, head of marketing at Allan Gray, commented that “O&M CT faced very tough competition for our account. We chose them because we believe they are a great culture fit for us and that they will deliver outstanding value to our business.

“We look forward to a long and successful partnership with them.”

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Thinking TV: The Oscar Trial — SA viewers vote with their remotes

by Inge Hansen (@mecnotabene) At the end of February 2014, in a landmark ruling for South Africa, it was confirmed that the murder trial of former Olympian Oscar Pistorius would have parts of the proceedings broadcast live via television. Since the commencement of the trial on 3 March, South African TV audiences have voted with their remotes and the Oscar Pistorius Trial Channel (Channel 199 on DStv) has drawn larger numbers than expected.

What with showing the local population a view of the judicial system most have never seen on the inside, and providing real unscripted reality TV, the trial has seen viewers trickling away from regular programming.

Attracts the most attention

Now that those audiences are aware and tuned in, if we look at the average April data to get a view of who’s been watching the trial, we can clearly see that the live trial coverage attracts the most attention.

At its peak on 10 April, the two-hour afternoon live court session was watched by more than 300 000 viewers (All Individuals), which is a higher audience figure than many primetime shows on DStv. As an average during April, the Court in Session coverage was watched by over 180 000 viewers during the broadcast, with the lunchtime show drawing still significant numbers in excess of 184 000 viewers on broadcast days.

Within this, we have a slightly biased female audience (56%) with an almost equal white or black racial split viewer, 60% of whom are between the ages of 35 and 64.

Clear breakout in higher interest

Although the trial is available on DStv Premium, Extra and Compact, there is a clear breakout in higher interest in the live trial coverage in LSM 9 and LSM 10. The Lunch Time Show and Afternoon Show follow subsequently with similar viewership profiles.

Market	Target	Channel	Activity
National — Total Indv (incl guests)	The Oscar Pistorius Trial	COURT IN SESSION	Live + VOSDAL
Profile Header	_{Profile Details}\^Variable	AR (AMR%)	Weight of Viewing (ADH%)
Gender	Male	0.4	43.26%
Gender	Female	0.4	56.74%
Age Groups — NEW	11-14	0.1	0.95%
	15-24	0.2	9.06%
	25-34	0.2	11.06%
	35-49	0.5	22.89%
	50-64	1.2	38.98%
	65+	0.9	14.73%
Ethnic Group	White	1.9	46.31%
	Coloured	0.3	6.40%
	Indian	0.4	2.83%
	Black	0.2	44.46%
LSM Group	LSM 5	0.0	1.68%
	LSM 6	0.1	7.43%
	LSM 7	0.3	10.86%
	LSM 8	0.7	15.20%
	LSM 9	1.0	27.29%
	LSM 10	2.0	37.55%

Some similarities with OJ

Although it’s been nearly 20 years since the final verdict, the OJ Simpson trial draws some similarities, while on a different scale to our local audience.

The OJ Simpson trial was essentially the beginning of the American foray into reality TV; it drew massive audiences and, as with the trial we are currently watching, was also pegged as the ‘Trial of the Century’.

When the final verdict was delivered in October 1995, it was shown on multiple channels and, according to Nielsen Media Research, achieved a 93% share of TV viewers, even though it was broadcast during working hours.

News anchors not needed

The extreme length of the duration of the trial even affected news networks, causing their viewership and ad dollars to drop as viewers watched the trial live, not needing their news anchors to fill them in during the evening any longer.

Unlikely celebrities were also created, much as we are seeing with the Pistorius trial, with your average South African now doing their own Barry Roux impressions at the weekend braai.

With regards to when people are watching, we need to look not only at the TV data that is available for April but also to a driving factor behind awareness of the trial — social media.

Over 150 000 social conversations online

When Pistorius took the stand on 9 April, interest intensified — on 10 April, there were over 150 000 social conversations online and, at the same time, audiences on the Oscar Pistorius Trial Channel peaked substantially.

This speaks to the increase of second-screen viewing in SA as consumers watched the trial live, voiced their opinions on social media and further drove interest, engagement and talkability. The trial channel has used this to its advantage through the clever deployment of social media influencers (ie in round-table talks) to amplify their content.

Yet while this happening, aside from advertising by the Naspers group properties themselves, there were less than a handful of advertisers in March and a limited presence in April. There are multiple reasons for this.

Unpredictable

Initially, the trial was not set to go beyond a month to sentencing, and therefore the opening advertising packages offered were for three weeks only, with no subsequent offers. As the trial stops and starts for public holidays and adjournments, it’s become unpredictable.

Our market is also conservative and therefore less proactive, with plans often having already been committed in advance; this leaves less budget available for innovative opportunities.

Surprisingly, no advertising has been aired from non-profit organisations, government initiatives for women and the like, where one would perhaps expect to find a sympathetic audience open to this messaging.

Primary vs secondary objectives

In addition, with reference to the Naspers September 2013 Financial Results, advertising revenue makes up 8% of its Pay TV revenue, with the majority of income being derived from its subscriber base. This makes ensuring quality content and gauging the SA appetite for this type of programming the primary objective for this initial peek into court room TV, with advertising a second objective.

It appears that South Africans have now developed a taste for this type of television and this will shape future opportunities for advertisers.

At the moment, we wait as Pistorius undergoes his 30-day observation, giving advertisers an opportunity to plan for the future, but will stringent media-owner deadlines and logistics allow for the flexible approach required to take advantage of this?

And with rumours abounding that a similar application will be made for the live broadcast of the trial for murder-accused Shrien Dewani, will advertisers and media owners make adjustments to tap into the engaging audiences who are sure to tune in?

Sources:

Arianna Post Campaign, Programming & Profiles
Telmar Ebb & Flow
Twitter
http://oscartrial.quirk.biz/#mentions
The Courant: O.j. Simpson Verdict Scores Sky-high Television Ratings
The New York Times Archives: THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Simpson Case Gives Cable An Edge on the Networks

Inge Hansen is an analytics and insights strategist for MEC NotaBene Cape Town. Working with diverse brands across the agencies client portfolios, her previous media experience includes time in the print industry with Media24. Inge contributes Thinking TV, a monthly analysis of South African TV viewership figures, to MarkLives. Follow @mecnotabene for regular media updates.

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Ad of the Week: Trust me, I’m a doctor

by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) The last time I was affected deeply by a Coronation ad was in 2012, with the true story of Lawrence Anthony, “the elephant whisperer”. This was the saga of the man who earned the trust of a herd of rogue elephants, with the bottom line of the narrative being: “Trust is earned.”

The FoxP2 TV commercial contained the moving tale of someone who’d dedicated his life to conservation, forming the Earth Organisation and taking on rescue missions to places such as the Baghdad zoo after the American invasion. Anthony even negotiated with the infamous Joseph Kony of the Lord’s Resistance Army in an attempt to save the last of the Northern White Rhinoceros.

A perfect metaphor

The story was a perfect metaphor for the trust that an investor places in an asset manager such as Coronation. For many, this investment is the fund that will help facilitate a comfortable retirement, or a legacy to pass on to one’s children.

I’m glad to see that, despite changing agencies, Coronation has stuck with its positioning, and that trust remains the fund house’s core message to market. It’s a simple concept, that has longevity, and I think it could last many years, if not decades.

The new commercial sticks with the powerful message of “Trust is Earned”, as well as with using a remarkable but true narrative to demonstrate the power of trust. It tells the story of Dr Albert-André Nast, a doctor in the French village of Chelles.

Net#work BBDO’s TV ad for Coronation: “Trust is earned”

In 1931, at the age of 47, Dr Nast lost his eyesight but, despite this, his patients continued to call upon him. Instead of a life of darkness and solitude, he continued to practice, saving lives, treating diseases and delivering more than 4 000 babies in a 32-year career. The story shows that, even with the loss of sight, Dr Nast lived a life as full as he could possibly have wished for.

The ad has a ‘slice of life’ structure. The doctor hurries through rainy streets to help deliver a baby; the villagers have accidents and illnesses; and through it all, the doctor is shown dealing with these situations. The doctor knows that the icy north wind blows in arthritis for the butcher, and hurries to his aid. He lifts a baby up to listen to his breathing and heartbeat by placing his ear to the child’s back.

Produced for Coronation by Net#work BBDO, the film was shot by DoP Franz Lustig on 16mm film, rather than a digital format (as is the trend). The director was Nacho Gayan of Stink, a production company based in London.

Worthy of a Kubrick movie

The film has an incredibly rich and detailed feel which lends to its authenticity. The detail is fantastic, and the sets are worthy of a Kubrick movie.

Production designer Ana Alvargonzalez did an incredible job of sourcing authentic props, such as stethoscopes and pill bottles. Wardrobe was handled by Charlotte Chadwick, who not only found the bona fide 1930s clothes, hats and handbags but also had to focus on a very specific colour palette that the director required: browns, russets and green-blues, as well as a lot of white.

The copy cleverly omits to tell the viewer overtly that the doctor is blind — that detail is kept for the very end of this storied commercial. There are little clues, though — the hand feeling for the stethoscope, the wife helping him hurry through the rain and, upon viewing again, one notices that his eyes do not focus. It’s a great performance from the actor playing the doctor, as it’s a very subtle study of a man who has lost his sight.

Cleverly reveals

The voiceover is well written, and very clearly reveals that the point of the story isn’t just that people continued to trust the doctor, despite his having lost his sight, but that he never stopped working to earn their trust.

The narrative and the beautifully crafted commercial leads perfectly to the denouement — the Coronation slogan, which of course is: “Trust is Earned”.

The final shot is of the doctor balancing a child standing on his hand, in a village picnic scenario. This is a very poignant image of trust, and completes this story of the blind doctor who held an entire village’s health tenderly in his hands, with love and care.

Rare piece of genius

This is a rare piece of genius, a unique piece of work that is crafted in the same way that the best movies are made. And it is totally ‘on message’.

Hats off to Net#work BBDO and all involved for a commercial we’ll love to talk about — and remember — for a long time to come.

Ad of the Week, published on MarkLives every Wednesday, is penned by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki), the CEO of Ornico, a Brand Intelligence® firm that focuses on media, reputation and brand research.

If you are involved in making advertising that is smart, funny and/or engaging,
please let Oresti know about it at info@ornicogroup.co.za.

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Design Annotator: The Twenty Journey, Portfolio Night SA and 100 Good Ideas

by Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal) In a jam-packed edition of Design Annotator, we’re taking a look at:

Striking photographs examining the first mining operations in South Africa
The upcoming six-month journey of three photographers, celebrating two decades of democracy in SA
Dystopian landscapes created by Justin Plunkett
B&W images by recent graduate and documentary photographer, Paulo Menezes
Highlights from The Winter Sculpture Fair 2014
The 12th Portfolio Night, taking place on 21 May
An interview with Brandt Botes on going solo to found his own design studio
A book of 100 GOOD IDEAS and a film depicting 12 of them #WDC2014
What would happen if the online conversation surrounding the elections was the actual vote?
#TasteTheRainbow — but only if you can smuggle your skittles
The best entries from the Grolsch ‘Design A Swingtop’ competition
A humorous ad for Bobtail that might help you save your winning lottery ticket

PHOTOGRAPHY

‘For What It’s Worth’ by Dillon Marsh

In the first set of a broader series of images dealing with the extraction of precious metals, stones and possibly coal, photographer Dillon Marsh presents five images which examine the first mining operations in South Africa, namely, removing copper from the arid Namaqualand region.

The striking images combine photography and computer generated elements in an effort to visualise the output of a mine.

Read about Marsh’s series titled ‘For What It’s Worth‘.

Twenty Journey | Three photographers, one campervan, six months

As South Africa reaches two decades of democracy this year, three young photographers (Sipho Mpongo, Wikus de Wet and Sean Metelerkamp) are embarking on a journey across the land to ask important questions and document their findings. Their mission? To feel the pulse of South Africa.

Titled ‘Twenty‘, the project and the photographers’ experiences will be presented regularly through an online visual journal consisting of audio, video and photography.

Find out more about each young photographer and what they plan to focus on during the ‘Twenty‘ Journey.

Con/Struct | By Justin Plunkett

Ever restless for new creative challenges, Cape Town-based graphic designer Justin Plunkett has just released a new series of digitally manipulated photographs, ‘Con/Struct’.

Using his own photographs as a starting point, he has reworked the images to create new dystopian landscapes which explore the themes of empowerment and imagination.

View the full collection of images that make up ‘Con/Struct‘.

Black and white photographs by Paulo Menezes

Although only a recent graduate from the Durban University of Technology, the talented Durban-based documentary photographer Paulo Menezes is already building a name for himself through his involvement in a series of high profile exhibitions in the city over the last two years.

In an interview with Menezes, we find out more about his craft, what he’s been up to and the one question he’d love to be asked.

EVENTS

A fine weekend in the country: The Winter Sculpture Fair 2014

The Nirox Sculpture Park in The Cradle of Humankind has once again provided the picturesque setting for The Winter Sculpture Fair, presented by MasterCard. This year’s sculpture exhibition took a year to plan and realise, and includes new works by more than 50 artists.

Mary Jane Darroll, who curated the show, describes it as a “diverse resonance, a multi-valency of form and content” interrogating how we perceive the present through the veil of history. “Art has a way of making us think anew”, she says, “I hope that the show can awaken contemplation in all who pass through it”.

See The Winter Sculpture Fair 2014 in pictures.

Portfolio Night 12 | South Africa

PN12 South Africa: McCann from Portfolio Night on Vimeo.

Portfolio Night is the largest and most-anticipated advertising portfolio review and recruitment event on earth. Now in its 12th year, Portfolio Night provides an opportunity for aspiring young advertising copywriters, art directors and designers around the world to meet with several renowned advertising creative directors in a fast-paced evening of career-shaping advice, networking, and for some, recruitment offers.

The second South African edition is taking place in Johannesburg AND in Cape Town on Wednesday 21 May, hosted by McCann. Find out more about Portfolio Night 12.

GOOD TO KNOW

Self-starters: Studio Botes

Equipped with nearly a decade of agency experience, Brandt Botes went solo in order to found his own enterprise ‘Studio Botes’ in 2011. The boutique design shop, based in Cape Town, specialises in corporate identities, packaging, design and illustration.

After graduating with a degree in fine arts from the University of Stellenbosch, Botes went on to work at both Orange Juice Design and Lowe Bull in Cape Town. Most recently, he served as head of design at The Jupiter Drawing Room — a worthy precursor to becoming head of just about everything at ‘Studio Botes’.

We spoke to Botes to find out what it took to found ‘Studio Botes‘.

What If x 100 GOOD IDEAS | #WDC2014

Curated by Brendon Bell-Roberts, 100 GOOD IDEAS is a recognised World Design Capital 2014 project celebrating 20 years of democracy. The project takes the form of a book containing some of the most creative and innovative ideas to have come out of SA for the past two decades.

Together with Bell-Roberts and the GOOD IDEAS team, Cape Town Design NPC selected 12 ideas from the book and asked the contributing individuals in a short film, “What if you re-imagined Cape Town 20 years from now through a transformative design lens?”

Learn more about 100 GOOD IDEAS.

What if the online conversation was the vote? | BrandsEye

Over this year’s general elections, BrandsEye was curious to compare online conversation around the various political parties to the actual votes counted.

It asked: “What if the online conversation was the vote? What would it indicate about the outcome of this year’s election?” and created an infographic to display what its research had revealed.

See the entire BrandsEye infographic and a summary of its discoveries.

ADVERTISING

Skittles relaunches in SA with a campaign to #SmuggleTheRainbow

To mark its relaunch in SA, Skittles are rallying South Africans to participate in its new campaign: “Smuggle the Rainbow. Taste the Rainbow.”

Through an interactive website, users are tasked to follow in the footsteps of the lead character Leon by keeping a straight face while attempting to smuggle Skittles past one very mean-looking customs officer.

Find out how to #SmuggleTheRainbow.

Our top 10 entries to Grolsch’s ‘Design A Swingtop’ competition

The brief for Grolsch’s ‘Design A Swingtop’ Competition was sent out a few weeks ago and, by the time the deadline rolled around on Wednesday last week, the response had been so incredible that we had to share the highlights.

A total of 50 entries have been submitted across the three categories of the contest; these are our 10 favourite swingtop designs.

Bobtail | When they won’t let go

Bobtail is positioned as the dog food for strong SA dogs. It’s a well-known canine truth that when a strong SA dog gets hold of something they like, come hell or high water, they won’t let go. However, when tempted with something as delicious as Bobtail Biscuits, they will.

This campaign depicts the moments when you really need them to open up — an oxygen supply, the last piece of a huge puzzle and a winning lottery ticket — to demonstrate that for a strong-minded dog, a Bobtail Biscuit trumps anything.

For more South African advertising, see our most recent roundup of ‘Ads This Week‘.

Design Annotator is a regular column on MarkLives featuring the top design work from South Africa’s biggest online creative showcase, Between 10 and 5, which is curated by publisher Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal), inaugural South African winner of the British Council South Africa‘s Young Creative Entrepreneur (#YCE) Digital Publishing Award in March 2014.

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Millennial Ad-Grad: Why we’re ambitious and impatient

by Faheem Chaudhry (@FaheemChaudhry) Much is often said about the differences between the various generations in the workplace today, from the baby boomers to generation X and, now, the millennial generation (generation Y). As these millennials currently work themselves up through our organisations, they bring new dynamics and challenges for our leaders and managers to deal with.

So what are these differences and challenges, and how can managers today deal with the mentality that millennials bring to the workplace?

Ambition and impatience

Having spoken to various industry leaders about what they find most challenging about this generation, the same two characteristics come up time and time again.

The first is ambition. Agency managers are toggling with how to best to navigate what is felt to be an unrealistic expectation of success from their newest recruits.

It’s felt that millennials expect to see results, and quickly. Many enter the workplace looking to not only be constantly praised but, also, to be constantly tangibly rewarded — both in terms of job titles and remuneration. Many millennials are quick to jump ship from their current employers, at a stage that many managers feel is premature.

This leads on to the second trait– impatience.

Not only do many millennials have high expectations of how fast they should be climbing in organisations but are looking to see such results in shorter and shorter periods of time, too.

The result for managers may often mean instability, and a difficulty in building momentum within teams, as the next generation looks to make moves almost as quickly as the journey starts.

Insight for managers

As someone who at times shares these characteristics with my peers, I want to give managers some insight on where this comes from. To generations before us, we are often misunderstood. So let’s try and set the record straight.

1. Always connected

As a generation, we are plugged in 24/7. The first thing we do when we wake up is check up on our networks. It’s also the last thing we do before we go to sleep. And we’ve been doing this long before we started working; many of us began our increased connectivity with the world in our teenage years.

Being constantly connected means that we’re always on the pulse.

The key to understanding our mentality lies in the fact that we hear of, and are exposed to, the success of our peers on a daily basis. We often see those around us making strides towards their daily goals — and not only our peers but those above us in organisations, too.

What this does is heighten our awareness of what we’re doing on a daily basis. It’s a constant reminder that each moment counts, and naturally, this breeds a question of “Am I on the right path?”

For those who don’t get constant signals that they are on their journey up, fear of complacency often sets in.

While this is seen as an unrealistic expectation from those who manage us, it’s important to understand that this doesn’t come from a place of entitlement but, rather, from a deep rooted ambition to stay ahead of the pack.

2. Follow the herd or create your own path

Society is developing at a pace that is making it easier for young people to start their own organisations, follow their own ideas and projects, and make successes of them at an early age.

Granted, many start-ups don’t make it as they wish to, but those that do quickly become standout role models for millennials feeling as if they’re chasing a 20-year corporate race to the top.

Simply put, millennials often find themselves in a professional dichotomy, trying to balance the long-term journey in the corporate world versus the urge to take a bold step to follow an entrepreneurial path.

Consequently, personal expectations within organisations are heightened, and new recruits find themselves under a self-created pressure to succeed in all they do.

Once again, this can be misunderstood as unnecessary impatience, but it is rooted in the juggling act of taking a long-term climb in a company or taking a leap of faith — just like more and more young people are doing these days.

3. Ever-increasing competition

There’s no doubt that the advertising industry is approaching a crossroads of sorts in terms of its revenue model.

Without going into too much detail, the way agencies made their money in the past is under more and more pressure. Many clients are taking competencies in-house, coupled with organisations looking to various specialised partners to serve their multifaceted needs.

The result is an industry that is highly competitive, with many ad-grads today fiercely competing for positions at a time where employment isn’t abundant.

Top talent is therefore expecting to be increasingly rewarded for standout achievement. This, by nature, breeds a culture of heightened ambition, as millennials are under increased pressure to deliver in an industry facing growing challenges.

In summary

While the millennial mindset is one that is proving to be a constant challenge for industry leaders, it’s important to see where this comes from. Each generation starts its careers in a different dynamic, which shapes its orientation and how it goes about trying to achieve its personal goals and dreams.

For the millennial generation, building ourselves up in the industry today brings with it unique challenges to the time, seemingly breeding characteristics of ambition and impatience like never before.

Faheem Chaudry (@FaheemChaudhry) is an account director at M&C Saatchi Abel. His monthly “Millennial Ad-grad” column on MarkLives aims to give a voice to the industry’s next generation, giving insight and guidance into how to navigate the increasingly complex and changing tides of today’s communication industry.

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