Shelf Life: Mixed reaction to new JSE brand identity

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

  • JSE invests in new brand CI
  • New Cadbury’s Top Deck
  • Classic wine culture

JSE shares its new brand identity

JSE LogoThe Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has a new and refreshed brand identity courtesy of the team at Interbrand Sampson De Villiers. This includes a new logo and website. The objective was to make the JSE brand more relevant to all stakeholders and a truly African brand.

Said Zeona Jacobs, director of issuer and investor relations at the JSE: “At the JSE we’ve been doing some serious thinking about our positioning in South Africa and the broader continent. Our visual identity needed to represent our position as a leading African exchange, showcase the strong technology component of the business, as well as being more accessible to investors.”

The key “insight” for the Interbrand Sampson De Villiers (IBSdV) team was that the JSE provides a platform to grow wealth.

As Terri-Leigh Blomeyer, IBSdV group project management director explained: “The team began by defining the JSE purpose and developed a set of brand pillars that aligned the organisation to achieve its strategic objectives externally, but also to instil a new sense of pride internally. This was our guide to align all verbal, visual and experiential expressions of the brand internally and externally.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Cadbury’s Top Deck

Cadbury's Dream Bubbly wrapper 3D biteSo, the back story is that a brown cow and a white cow met, had a “mooo-ving” romantic encounter and produced the new Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Bubbly Top Deck variant. Schweet.

Cadbury’s aims to take its traditional Top Deck chocolate bar to “new heights” by wrapping light milk chocolate bubbles in a layer of white chocolate.

It’s fun and indulgence “Bubblified”, says the bubbly Meredith Kelly, Cadbury’s category lead on chocolate.

There’s a new TVC featuring the floating cows again (wonder what’s in their grass that gets them so high), as well as digital activity, PR and in store point of sale.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly Top Deck comes in re-sealable packaging and will be available in all major retailers from 1 May 2014, in 87g and 150g re-sealable packs.

Classic wine culture

Zonnebloem POS

Zonnebloem wine has commissioned South African industrial and interior designer, Haldane Martin, to develop a stylish range of merchandising units for restaurants, bars and retail outlets.

The designer partnership coincides with Zonnebloem’s new tagline, “Crafting contemporary classics”.

Martin’s first design for the Zonnebloem brand is a sleek, multi-functional dark, cork-topped table that also functions as an ice bucket stand. The table top can be used to hold a bottle, a decanter and a glass of wine, while the legs have been configured to support an ice bucket.

He has also created two free-standing display units for wine shops, featuring some of the same materials, including the distinctive dark cork, as well as brass fixtures.

Zonnebloem global brand manager, Dè-Mari Kellerman, explained that they wanted to capitalise on the attention the brand already receives in the market with a striking visual language that they could follow through in their print advertising.

“Martin has reinterpreted the traditional in a pleasingly modern and original way that corresponds with Zonnebloem’s approach to winemaking. His designs reflect the cardinal principles of harmony and balance evident in our wines.”

Louise MarslandShelf 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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SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings: SABC 1 scores with Nedbank Cup

by SAARF & MarkLives (@marklives) The week of 7 April — 13 April 2014 saw SABC 1 score with with the broadcast of various Nedbank Cup soccer games, the SAARF/MarkLives #Top40TVratings chart shows, especially on DStv where four games Satellite dishmade it into our Top 40. The Mamelodi Sundowns vs Orlando Pirates (Pirates won 2-1) game also made it into the Top 20 on our national chart.

This weekly roundup of South Africa’s TV audience viewership, a collaboration between the South African Audience Research Foundation (SAARF) andMarkLives, 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: 7 April — 13 April 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 24.3 10 441 987 71.94%
2 AMAZA SABC 1 Drama Drama 15.7 6 718 815 49.47%
3 NGEMPELA SABC 1 Drama Drama 15.5 6 647 617 49.17%
4 MUVHANGO SABC 2 Drama Drama 13.9 5 971 650 47.54%
5 INTERSEXTIONS SABC 1 Drama Drama 13.1 5 640 730 42.07%
6 LOXION LYRIC SABC 1 Drama Drama 13.1 5 610 121 39.76%
7 ZULU NEWS SABC 1 News News 12.2 5 226 884 36.45%
8 SINGLE GALZ SABC 1 Sitcom Sitcom 11.4 4 900 323 35.83%
9 FAMILY BONDS SABC 1 Drama Drama 11.2 4 814 636 37.30%
10 FRIENDS LIKE THESE SABC 1 Variety Variety 11.1 4 752 844 37.96%
11 ZAZIWA SABC 1 Variety Variety 10.7 4 602 469 32.83%
12 RHYTHM CITY e.tv Drama Drama 10.7 4 572 572 37.69%
13 XHOSA NEWS SABC 1 News News 10.5 4 525 968 33.51%
14 SCANDAL e.tv Drama Drama 10.5 4 524 351 31.97%
15 POWERBALL SABC 2 Variety Variety 10.4 4 453 670 40.04%
16 TASK FORCE(DRAMA) SABC 1 Drama Drama 10.3 4 401 745 34.44%
17 NEDBANK CUP:MAMELODI SUNDOWNS VS ORLANDO PIRATES SABC 1 Sport FOOTBALL (SOCCER) 10.1 4 345 464 38.06%
18 SELIMATHUNZI SABC 1 Variety Variety 9.5 4 062 198 30.42%
19 WALKING TALL e.tv Movies ACTION/ADVENTURE 9.4 4 012 810 34.03%
20 THE PERFECT SISHEBO SHOW SABC 1 Magazine Magazine 9.1 3 898 992 29.17%
21 NEWS e.tv News News 7.6 3 241 415 24.55%
22 SPEAK OUT SABC 2 Actuality Actuality 7.5 3 237 564 35.66%
23 NEWS HEADLINES SABC 1 News News 7.5 3 198 056 24.63%
24 WWE WRESTLING RAW e.tv Sport WRESTLING 6.9 2 980 822 31.62%
25 THOLA SABC 2 Drama Drama 6.8 2 913 301 34.27%
26 STOKVEL SABC 2 Sitcom Sitcom 6.6 2 836 873 27.56%
27 NYAN NYAN SABC 1 Reality Reality 6.5 2 788 250 27.70%
28 DI WELE MAKGOLELA SABC 2 Variety Variety 6.5 2 770 423 27.76%
29 REAL GOBOZA SABC 1 Magazine Magazine 6.4 2 735 751 28.99%
30 EKASI OUR STORIES:FAMILY AFFAIR e.tv Drama Drama 6.3 2 714 017 24.82%
31 AMBUSHED SABC 1 Movies Movies 6.2 2 678 175 24.44%
32 KHUMBUL’ EKHAYA SABC 1 Magazine Magazine 5.8 2 490 950 21.85%
33 GENERATIONS RETRO SABC 1 Soap opera LOCAL 5.7 2 445 042 19.94%
34 ELECTION DEBATE SABC 1 Reality Reality 5.5 2 349 439 21.07%
35 MUVHANGO -O SABC 2 Drama Drama 5.4 2 320 374 30.28%
36 MUVHANGO -R SABC 1 Drama Drama 5.4 2 308 137 48.88%
37 DR DOLITTLE II e.tv Movies COMEDY 5.2 2 222 884 17.89%
38 GENERATIONS -O SABC 1 Soap opera LOCAL 5.2 2 213 870 33.66%
39 STREET KINGS e.tv Movies ACTION/ADVENTURE 5.1 2 175 385 20.32%
40 YOU DESERVE IT. e.tv Reality Reality 5.0 2 145 866 20.33%

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 17.5 2 364 068 50.73%
2 MUVHANGO SABC 2 Drama Drama 10.8 1 461 715 35.33%
3 RHYTHM CITY e.tv Drama Drama 7.5 1 015 202 24.68%
4 ZULU NEWS SABC 1 News News 7.5 1 014 468 22.00%
5 ISIBAYA Mzansi Magic Variety Variety 6.6 887 876 22.41%
6 POWERBALL SABC 2 Variety Variety 6.5 882 138 24.39%
7 SCANDAL e.tv Drama Drama 6.2 831 312 18.16%
8 XHOSA NEWS SABC 1 News News 6.1 819 503 18.44%
9 NEWS e.tv News News 5.5 748 684 17.07%
10 AMAZA SABC 1 Drama Drama 5.3 716 150 15.59%
11 SPEAK OUT SABC 2 Actuality Actuality 5.2 706 038 22.25%
12 NGEMPELA SABC 1 Drama Drama 5.0 669 807 15.02%
13 FRIENDS LIKE THESE SABC 1 Variety Variety 4.6 617 939 14.60%
14 FAMILY BONDS SABC 1 Drama Drama 4.5 610 444 14.40%
15 INTERSEXTIONS SABC 1 Drama Drama 4.3 583 936 13.45%
16 OUR PERFECT WEDDING Mzansi Magic Drama Drama 4.1 549 894 12.22%
17 LOXION LYRIC SABC 1 Drama Drama 4.0 547 202 11.67%
18 WALKING TALL e.tv Movies ACTION/ADVENTURE 4.0 540 601 13.66%
19 REAL GOBOZA SABC 1 Magazine Magazine 3.9 527 374 14.58%
20 NEDBANK CUP:MAMELODI SUNDOWNS VS ORLANDO PIRATES SABC 1 Sport FOOTBALL(SOCCER) 3.8 513 915 13.95%
21 TASK FORCE(DRAMA) SABC 1 Drama Drama 3.8 508 605 11.95%
22 SINGLE GALZ SABC 1 Sitcom Sitcom 3.7 500 325 11.23%
23 SELIMATHUNZI SABC 1 Variety Variety 3.7 498 928 11.05%
24 ZAZIWA SABC 1 Variety Variety 3.7 498 733 10.91%
25 NEDBANK CUP:MAMELODI SUNDOWNS VS ORLANDO PIRATES SuperSport 4 Sport FOOTBALL(SOCCER) 3.6 490 053 13.69%
26 DI WELE MAKGOLELA SABC 2 Variety Variety 3.6 485 195 14.01%
27 KHUMBUL’ EKHAYA SABC 1 Magazine Magazine 3.5 478 877 12.39%
28 NEDBANK CUP:SUPERSPORT UNITED VS KAIZER CHIEFS SuperSport 4 Sport FOOTBALL(SOCCER) 3.5 478 603 14.98%
29 THE PERFECT SISHEBO SHOW SABC 1 Magazine Magazine 3.2 434 097 9.79%
30 THOLA SABC 2 Drama Drama 3.2 432 906 15.19%
31 7DE LAAN SABC 2 Soap opera LOCAL 3.1 425 496 10.38%
32 STOKVEL SABC 2 Sitcom Sitcom 3.1 422 135 11.99%
33 ABSA PREMIERSHIP BLACK ACES VS KAIZER CHIEFS SuperSport 4 Sport FOOTBALL(SOCCER) 3.0 405 770 8.66%
34 EKASI OUR STORIES:FAMILY AFFAIR e.tv Drama Drama 2.9 395 496 11.07%
35 GENERATIONS -R SABC 1 Soap opera LOCAL 2.9 394 374 24.85%
36 MUVHANGO -R SABC 1 Drama Drama 2.9 391 603 22.92%
37 VODACOM MILLIONAIRES e.tv Competition Competition 2.9 387 086 10.13%
38 NYAN NYAN SABC 1 Reality Reality 2.8 376 808 10.43%
39 ROCKVILLE (DRAMA) Mzansi Magic Drama Drama 2.8 374 938 10.69%
40 VODACOM SUPER RUGBY 2014 LIONS VS SHARKS SuperSport 1 Sport RUGBY(ALL) 2.7 369 468 8.83%

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 150SAARF 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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#trendMARK: Reality ain’t what it used to be

a trendMARK feature by Jon Pienaar The lines between the digital and the real worlds are becoming blurred, as technology breaks down the barriers between our screens and our environment.

Virtual reality

The concept of Virtual Reality has been around for a while. But could this be the year that it comes into its own? Since Jaron Lanier popularised the term in the 1980s, the idea of goggles and biofeedback interaction with a virtual 3D environment has waxed and waned. Early systems were cumbersome and laggy — just a few minutes’ use would leave the user nauseated or headachy. Now, with multi-core processors and GPUs that Lanier only dreamed about, the technology is possible, and it’s coming to a computer near you.

And it’s not only for immersive gaming; it’s possible to create virtual meetings for business, and—with the addition of haptic feedback interfaces—could even allow for scenarios like a surgeon in South Africa assisting a colleague in a different country to do a specific procedure.

Training simulation, where the idea of VR originated from, will also become more immersive and effective.

Glass

Google Glass has also been in the news as the first apps rolled out for people prototyping this personalised heads-up display, google glassthat’s combined with a voice-controlled interface. Augmented reality apps include GPS navigation, digital photography, videography, online search and communication. It’s all seemingly projected in the space in front of your eyes, in a clear yet unobtrusive manner.

Interface

The mouse and the touchpad are history. If you thought ‘Minority Report’ was science fiction, just buy yourself a LEAP and plug it into your Mac or PC. Then you can wave, pinch, grab and twist content on your screen using gestures in the air. Other technologies use 3D cameras to track hand movements, but the LEAP has it down to mapping individual joints in your fingers.

This feature first ran in trendMark, the discerning trends resource for African marketers and corporates. Read or download the full magazine via Issuu. For a PDF copy, click here.

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Fair Exchange: How the tough economy is changing retail

by Erna George Being aware of consumers’ financial situation is a critical part of marketing in 2014. Frugal consumers are a significant reality and now, more so than ever, it is worth their while — and easier — to shop around, trade up and down the value chain and switch brands. If you don’t alter your marketing mix, isn’t it likely that your brand will be left at the side lines?

Erna GeorgeEveryone is feeling the pinch

The past few months, in speaking to consumers, friends and family, it seems everyone is feeling the pinch and is frustrated (and a little nervous) about the ever-increasing price of living. What with adverse exchange rates, e-tolls, petrol and therefore other costs set to continue rising, things aren’t likely to get better soon.

Lately, when I’ve gone shopping to bulk-buy after voraciously seeking specials in broadsheets, I’ve been finding large craters on the shelves of my local supermarket, where the bargains have clearly been hunted out by others like me. But where have they all come from? This was not the case months ago.

I’ve started hearing people, who never before were concerned about pricing at this level, talk about price-comparison/special cataloguing websites such as Price Check or Guzzle — and they’re even advertised on TV. There are more people using budget apps, even if for part of the month only.

How will you be remembered?

The challenge for brands became even more abundantly clear. When things do get better, will you be remembered as the brand that showed empathy and acted to help or the brand that simply ignored consumer pain and watched?

What’s even clearer is that people are talking about those stores that are winning them over — brands offering extra value via free gifts or x% free are winning hearts by truly championing against the harsh reality of slow-economy South Africa.

Surprisingly enough, one of these retailers has been Woolworths for the past few years, smartly shaping new offers from across its portfolio to target customers across income segments and interests (eg ‘Eat in for 4 for under R150’ and, before that, ‘Feed 4 for R100’,). This in no way detracts from the premium nature of the brand — it’s the same great food and it’s a fairly convenient meal for R37.50 a head, all bundled into a comprehensive offer and the thinking all done for the customer. Good value in the light of increasing takeaway prices.

Competitors following suit

And Woolworths’ competitors are following suit (isn’t imitation the best form of flattery?):

  • Pick n Pay has ‘Shoestring suppers for under R40’ in its Fresh Living magazine and recipes sent via mail to their database. Granted, these still need to be cooked but the fact that it is packaged for consumers does help.
  • Good ol’ ‘Checker, Checkers’ has an ATL ad campaign that highlights how much it has saved its customers vs the actual inflation rate. I’m not sure that this a message that 100% (or even close to that) of its customer base will understand but the focus on ‘Checkers’ bulk purchases has resulted in R1 billion in price increases being prevented from reaching consumers — so don’t change your lifestyle, change your supermarket’ has something in it and may appeal to many.

Recent CMO survey

Added Value’s recent CMO survey supports all of this:

  • Building a diverse portfolio of brands, each with its own bespoke value proposition, is now more important than ever before, in an environment where we are seeing constant switching by consumers up and down the brand value chain.
  • Value can come in different guises.
    • Consider added value, bundled deals, rewards programmes and more to drive a value message
    • Using your total brand experience (convenience, accessible luxury or enjoyment or instant gratification as a surprise for already loyal consumers) can help build more value into your proposition.

Shape your messaging to show empathy and support to put the finishing touches to your onslaught and, when the market turns, watch your profits, brand loyalty scores and consumer base soar.

Erna George is the business director heading up quality research at brand development and marketing insight consultancy Added Value. She works with diverse brands and categories — from FMCG, alcohol and agriculture to financial services and entertainment — in countries across many geographies, including South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya, India, Philippines and Brazil. She contributes the monthly “Fair Exchange” column about business relationships and partnerships in adland to MarkLives.

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Ad of the Week: Imagine if banking were fun

by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Banking is hardly something I get excited about, let alone consider ‘fun’. The latest campaign from Standard Bank starts out feeling a little like those ‘Maths is Fun’ or ‘Reading is Fun’ books we used to get at primary school. Except it actually works.

The TV ad brings a smile to the face, and—thanks to great creative—makes a good selling point. The campaign has been rolled out to other channels including outdoor billboards, featuring at least one of the ‘Sesame Street’ type characters — the blue one, to go with the bank’s brand colour.

The ad takes the viewer back to a time when the world was magical, and for those of us whose parents used to sometimes take us into town, (keeping 5-cent pieces in the ashtray for the parking meters), it’s a particularly nostalgic trip.

The magical journey begins with a little pony-tailed girl helping her dad put coins in the meter. Enchantingly, the meters come alive — a pair of them become two eyes, that give her a wink — which she returns.

The star of the TV commercial is undoubtedly the little girl. She embodies the joy and innocence of childhood, skipping along beside her dad, whose face is rarely glimpsed. The camera is almost always focussed on her, when it’s not seeing what’s in her mind’s eye.

The creative team from TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris and Egg Films did an amazing job of recreating an early 80s downtown standard bankJohannesburg. Bear in mind, it was Standard Bank that pioneered ATMs in South Africa, way back in 1981. It was also among the first to introduce telephone and online banking. This ad is a nod to that history, as much as it introduces a product that would have seemed magically futuristic back then.

In the ad, the little girl imagines all sorts of creatures and surprises. It’s a world where VW Beetles send out ‘whack-a-mole’ sliders for her to jump over at the pedestrian crossing; where giant slinkies jump from one building’s roof to the next; where a long-haired man transforms into a golden maned lion having a chat with a lady with a birthday cake for a hat. There is a pink creature peeping up at her from manholes, an orange creature hiding in an orange phone booth, and a great big blue creature peers around the corner of a building.

To top it all, there is a fantastic soundtrack, which I assumed was a Louis Armstrong classic. But it turns out it’s an original composition, created by Rich Aronson.

Aronson is a South African based in Los Angeles, who specialises in replicating musical styles from different eras, from the 40s to the 80s; using vocal mimics and some of the same session musos that the top acts use — sometimes even members of the original bands, if they’re still around.

The story ends when the little girl and her dad arrive at their destination: a Standard Bank ATM. She breaks free and runs towards it, as it transforms into a great big, whistling, tweeting robot, with steam coming out of his ears. Here the first voice over comes in: “Remember when you first felt excited about banking? It’s time to feel like that again.”

The story jumps to the present, cutting from the keypad of the ATM to the touch-screen of a tablet: the little girl, now grown up, is logging in with her new Standard Bank tablet app. She glances up as a man walks past: in her mind’s eye he has a lion’s tail — and she smiles to herself. The voice-over promises that the app will “put the joy back into managing your finances.”

It’s a well-executed ad, one that delivers its message with flair. The old Johannesburg look is done to a tee, from the road signs to the clothing and the hairstyles. You can even spot a guy with a floral shirt and a fanny-pack (remember those?).

The ad certainly bears up to repeated viewing, with all its charming little touches and creatures. Ably directed by Slim with cinematography by Tim Pike; and I guess I should give a nod to art director Nicola Taylor for the great work on ‘retro’ Jo’burg* (update: Keenan McAdam was the art director on the set). The executive CDs were Adam Livesy and Matthew Brink, and the CD was Mike Groenewald.

A truly fantastical little story that connects the magic of childhood with the magic of modern technology. Kudos.

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

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

 

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Design Annotator: Cloudy with a Chance of Pixels

by Uno de Waal (@Unodewaal)  Today’s wrap up for Design Annotator includes:

  • A book of narrative illustrations by Inus Pretorius
  • Cape Town based illustrator and artist, Lucy Stuart-Clark10and5logosmall1
  • Fantasma, a new superband, photographed by Kent Andreasen
  • A call for entries for the YCE Culture Award
  • Our highlights from the ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Pixels’ creative symposium
  • An outdoor edition of Out of Office
  • Evige, a newly launched fashion product/bottled water by & Anonymous
  • FCB and Hellocomputer’s ‘Electric Kiss’ for Labello
  • The MWEB #dinnercam, currently at El Burro in CT

 

ART, ILLUSTRATION & PHOTOGRAPHY

Narrative Illustrations by Inus Pretorius based on W.E.G Louw’s Poem ‘Adam’

Narrative Illustrations by Inus Pretorius

Inus Pretorius, a superbly talented illustrator and graphic designer based in Pretoria, has just completed his honours thesis project: a case-bound, hardcover book of narrative illustrations created to accompany W.E.G Louw’s poem, Adam. Drawing on his love for fantasy and science fiction, Inus chose to illustrate Louw’s poem because it gave him the opportunity to really explore story telling, atmosphere and a sense of the monumental in his work.

See the full project here.

Featured: Lucy Stuart-Clark

Lucy Stuart-Clark

Lucy Stuart-Clark is an illustrator and artist from Cape Town who has completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking and her Masters in illustration. She enjoys collaging, using collected photographs including her own prints to transform a photo into a 3 dimensional image. She has also started ‘Lucy-made’ a label under which she makes ceramic pieces and hand-bound notebooks.

Read our interview with Lucy to learn more.

Fantasma Shot by Kent Andreasen

Fantasma

For 2014 Spoek Mathambo presents Fantasma a new ‘superband’ whose members have been recruited from across South Africa. The diverse group of four is made up by DJ Spoko from Pretoria, Bhekisenzo Cele from Durban, Andre Geldenhuys from Cape Town, and fronted by Mathambo representing Johannesburg.

In a shoot which follows on from a previous collaboration, photographer/cinematographer Kent Andreasen has taken a collection of photographs to introduce the band.

See the entire collection of photographs.

 

GOOD TO KNOW

British Council + ConnectZA’s Young Creative Entrepreneur Culture Award | Call For Entries

YCE-GENERIC2-2WEB

The British Council through ConnectZA is – as part of their Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards 2014 – making a call for South Africans to enter the YCE Culture category. The deadline for the YCE Culture Award is 2 May 2014. Entrants who fall into this category are people who are running businesses that are at the intersection between culture, technology and entrepreneurship, and people reaching audiences for culture by using innovative business models and media platforms.

Find out more about the eligibility criteria and the outcomes of winning this award.

Highlights from ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Pixels’ – JHB

History of SA Design

The inaugural Cloudy with a Chance of Pixels creative symposium was held in Johannesburg on Thursday, 10 April. Touching on everything from the ‘third industrial revolution’ to a timeline of design’s influence on nation building; 12 dynamic speakers shared their stories, insights, lessons and observations throughout the course of the day.

These are some of our own highlights and learnings from the event.

Out of Office: The Outdoor Edition

IMG_4732

In celebration of the last days of summer, we put together an edition of Out of Officecreative symposium that is dedicated to Cape Town’s outdoor spaces with free public WiFi. Yep, that’s right. Free WiFi, outdoors! Since the Mother City is showing off with perfect weather this week, why not head outside to get some out of the office work done.

Find out about our favourite outdoor spaces to get some work done.

 

ADVERTISING

Evige | Pure Swiss Essence Water by & Anonymous

No1 Cucumber

Ideas company & Anonymous created, branded and launched a new product during SA Fashion Week recently called Evige Pure Swiss Essence Water. The product is made with Happy Water™ and lightly flavoured with all-natural extract imported from Switzerland to taste like cucumber, coconut or chocolate. Positioned as more of a fashion product than a bottled water, Evige was an excellent fit for SA Fashion Week and became the official beverage of the event.

Learn about the team behind Evige.

Labello Electric Kiss | FCB and Hellocomputer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhEABfAPSfo

Hellocomputer and FCB Johannesburg collaborated on this, literally, electrifying activation for Labello. At a party at MOAD in Jeppestown on Valentine’s Day, couples were invited to close an electric circuit by locking lips. The electricity transmitted through them lit up the night sky with a giant neon heart, a light display and confetti.

Read more details on the Electric Kiss activation.

The MWEB #dinnercam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbQh0uzPVAo

As part of a campaign to launch MWEB’s Uncapped WiFi offering, Society have created The MWEB #dinnercam, a (slightly tongue-in-cheek) social media food gadget currently found at El Burro in Cape Town. It will be available on request to diners who will be able to connect via MWEB WiFi to post their photos. Pictures that are posted with the hashtag #dinnercam from the restaurant are printed and delivered to the diner’s table. To take another photo of, no doubt.

Find the credits and more here.

Uno de WaalDesign 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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The Sell: The powerhouse and the people — how decision-making is changing

by Mimi Nicklin (@MimiNicklin) It seems to me that the four major news headlines of March and early April might have a fundamental impact on the world as we know it. Linking that to a column on brands and shopper marketing may be a stretch (!), but bear with me as I explain.

The big four snapshot

  • Malaysian airlines flight MH370 is still missing at the time of writing.
  • Russia has taken over Crimea leaving its people divided.
  • Oscar Pistorius is still on air daily with the highlights flashing snippets of cricket bats and timelines that leave the nation with mixed emotions.
  • Turkey’s Prime Minister has recently announced a shut down of Twitter. They are only the second country globally to take this away from their people.

Now, imagine being a child right now in 2014 – growing up in a world where planes drop out of the sky, nations are overthrown, sports hero’s are accused of committing nightmare inducing crimes, and your right to expression is being threatened. These are the insecurities that our next generation of shoppers are growing up with, and that our current generation is trying to explain.

Mimi NicklinSeismic shifts

Behind these stories lie the seismic shifts in consumer perceptions, confidence and behaviour that are slowly forming as the news keeps rolling.

Those that were once powerhouses and powerbrands without question(holding control of the one way communication)are now seeing the focus shift as the people surrounding them begin to question who should be taking the leadership,and how these “powers” are seen, shared and consumed.

In order to balance some of these insecurities, we watch on nervously and passionately as consumers — continually connected, commenting, and living dual realities — at home with our own political changes and publicly debated governmental spend, as well as sharing online the simultaneous realities of those who live thousands of miles away.

The power of our networks

We may not share a home language but we do share a Twitter feed. This is the power of our networks.

In 2014, brands can’t assume that they are working in a ‘closed circuit of shoppers with a one-way power to the people’ approach. As smartphone usage in South Africa reaches beyond 25%, our shoppers are more connected and smarter than ever before.

While the world around them fundamentally shifts — their heroes fall, their chosen transport falls out the sky and their fellow BRICS countries don’t follow the rules — our shoppers change. Their frame of reference shifts, their trust wavers, and their use of global networks to make and break decisions widens ever further.

The power of our connections

It is the power of these connections that now needs to drive brand strategy. If the 20th century were all about scale, when the biggest brands with the biggest budgets and best supply chains won, the 21st is all about networks.

Anyone with an internet connection and a Twitter feed can find and rally the finances, the marketing and the followers to make their idea the next idea. Suddenly small, previously niche, brands are great, and bigger brands find their circles shrinking.

Yes, of course, our shoppers here are South African but their power as connected global shoppers has never been stronger — they know what’s available on every street worldwide; they know the styles and trends and prices. They know when their market is the one that is being left behind. They follow everything, from fashion to art, from their corner of a city train station platform, and they fuel debate on issues for which they previously had no voice at all.

Crowd-sourced and crowd-loved

Brands are being born without the roots they previously needed — crowd-sourced and crowd-loved.

In a country with some of the highest word-of-mouth rates worldwide, SA brands need to realise it’s not just ‘from them to us’, from the power (brands) to the people, but from the people to the people. It will be the brands that are brave enough to let the people change them, build them and fit them into their new realities that will win in 2014 and beyond.

People first, powerbrands second, with a dose of smart marketing in the middle.

Mimi Nicklin (@MimiNicklin) followed her passion and experience in the consumer, retail and shopper space from regional roles in Europe and Asia, to South African shores in 2010. Having led global brands through the line for Procter & Gamble, and two of London and Hong Kong’s top agencies, her background gives her an international perspective to add to her depth of SA understanding. She serves as strategic director and a partner at 34 Group. Mimi contributes the monthly “The Sell” column concerning shopper marketing to MarkLives.

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Facebook’s ‘look back’ is marketing in disguise

By Paul Harrison, Deakin University and Michaela Jackson, Deakin University Are you one of the thousands of people around the world who recently created a “look back” Facebook movie? Did it make you cry? Or maybe laugh at your wacky life?

The videos are a new feature available to Facebook users, developed to celebrate the social network’s 10th anniversary. The facebookprogram uses photos and activity from your Facebook feed to create a one-minute movie, accompanied by music that gets you emotionally involved.

But this wasn’t just for fun. The movies are examples of a clever contemporary technique used by marketers to build loyalty for declining brands.

Marketing scholars call this particular promotional tool “co-creation”, and it’s part of a bigger toolbox of significantly more subtle techniques used by marketers to get you to buy their products and support their brands.

But more importantly, this new tactic is designed to normalise the idea that consuming their products is just the way things are; a part of everyday life.

As the world of media has become increasingly fragmented, marketers have developed a number of tactics and channels that blur the lines between editorial content and advertising, information and entertainment.

Most of us don’t notice when we’re being marketed to

People of all backgrounds – despite the belief that they are in control of their decision-making – are unlikely to know when they are exposed to marketing material, and therefore, less likely to be in a position to defend themselves against subtle marketing tactics.

Co-creation is a useful technique where companies engage consumers in a variety of fun, engaging and creative opportunities, such as making a movie, designing a song, coming up with a name or logo or even the creation of new products.

Similarly, the use of multiple marketing channels or “touch points”, such as online media, product placement, in-game advertising, and sponsorship of “grass-roots” sporting events, all coordinated in an integrated way, have been widely adopted.

These subtle tactics all depend on forms of “cultural camouflage” for their success, by normalising what is essentially commercial activity. And the reality, despite your protestations, is that most of us don’t notice when we are being marketing to. Indeed, these subtle marketing tactics would defeat their own purpose if they exposed their intent or called overt attention to their presence.

The best marketing, from a marketer’s point of view, is marketing that isn’t noticed, but has an effect on consumer behaviour.

But subtle marketing tactics suggest a power imbalance where one party (the marketer) knows the motive of the promotional activity, while the other (the consumer) may not.

The resources required by companies to research, develop and embed subtle marketing tactics – not only financial and informational resources, but understanding and accessing the processes of cultural production – further highlights this imbalance.

So, whether it’s Facebook, Coca-Cola, Nutri-Grain or even Freddo Frog, these techniques have just become part of the broader cultural landscape, or what Chris Preston from Queen Margaret University in the UK refers to as “cultural wallpaper”.

As a consequence, we voluntarily and unintentionally submit to this messaging, and accept the new landscape as normal, common sense, and ultimately unquestioned.

Giving power back to consumers

So, what can we do about it? Of course, people should be responsible for their decisions. But when the balance of power is ridiculously tilted towards industry – with significant resources at their disposal to influence behaviour without us really being aware of it – arguments around personal responsibility tend to be naïve and lacking any sense of the actuality of the modern world.

Indeed, when programs are developed to provide people with even a small degree of power in the equation, such as giving consumers access to comprehensible and easy to understand information, it seems that “industry impacts” take precedence over consumer benefits and protection.

A more sensible approach should simply deal with both the reality and the evidence. Recognition from all sectors – industry, government and advocates – that these techniques are used and effective is a first step. A second step would be to consider the consequences of these marketing techniques at a whole of society level.

These “under the radar” techniques, the nature of the products involved and the broader sociocultural conditions that support marketing and its role in society present unique implications for our well-being.

A better understanding of the expressions and processes used for these marketing tactics will help advocates in the consumer (and public health) space and policy makers more effectively address marketing’s role in our culture.

Paul Harrison has received funding from the Victorian Department of Consumer Affairs, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

Michaela Jackson is the holder of an Australian Postgraduate Award.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Read the original article.

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AdForum Worldwide Summit: An agency called Africa in Brazil

by Johanna McDowell (@jomcdowell) Sao Paulo: Day 3 of the 2014 AdForum Worldwide Summit.

Santa Clara –  a fully integrated local agency, independent and founded in 2006.  They focus on the full holistic solution as opposed to defaulting to an advertising solution.  In fact the one partner spent is first few years in the industry as a PR practitioner so his approach is much broader and more strategic.

They are very strong on planning and position themselves as business solution consultants as opposed to simply an ad agency.  They also believe in working with – not for nor against – clients.  There is no master/servant relationship here.

Other beliefs include conscious capitalism and in brands that have purpose.  They also believe in facts and numbers – and even more in the people that know how to read both.

Refreshingly intelligent with some excellent case studies that demonstrated real effectiveness.

NEO GAMMA/BBH Wonderful building in the heart of an industrial area – previously a Bic Pen factory remodelled.  High NEO GAMMABBHperformance creativity and connected specialism is what differentiates them.   Such was the level of importance of our visit that the whole of the global top team was present at the meeting.

Their presentation was superb and quite frankly – BBH is in a league of its own.  They demonstrated their full integration through the recent win of the global BA pitch.  In the final there were two agencies – after a six month process – Sapient Nitro (born digital) and BBH.   Such was the strength of the BBH integrated offering that BA was able to achieve their objective of consolidating all of their advertising needs into one agency – where previously their digital needs were serviced by Ogilvy One while traditional was looked after by BBH.

Borghi/Lowe Product of a recent merger Borghi Lowe is the second largest agency in Brazil (first is Y&R) and one of the most important agencies in the Lowe network. It has 310 employees, is able to conduct small and big campaigns for large and small clients, be they multinationals or local regionals , the agency has the largest media research division in Brazil.

Africa Fascinating and definitely one of the highlights of the Summit. An agency called Africa in Brazil. Founded by one of the top entrepreneurs in Brazil, the agency was named International Agency of the Year by Advertising Age very recently.

Africa positions itself as a “hand made agency” with 12 – 13 clients and these clients are serviced by the five partners in the business who are all hands on.  What is interesting is each of these clients has a designated room space within the agency which they may use to work in or brief the agency staff in as they wish.  The concept is a Relais & Chateau for clients.

They think and act global, are fully integrated – off line and online – and have offices in New York, San Francisco and Rio.  They have also been recently rated as the top creative original agency in Brazil – by their clients – according to the survey conducted every two years by Grupo Consultores (more about them in my wrap up later).

ABC Group ABC group own 14 ad agencies in Latin America including Africa and a 40% stake in DM9 (60% owned by DDB). They are a small holding company group with a strong flair for social responsibility.  Will continue to grow their network in South America and the owner plans to develop his network through the acquisition of PR companies as well as start up agencies.  Strong digital capabilities (content) via Pereira O Dell.

DM9/DDB One of the foremost creative agencies in Brazil, who led the creative upsurge in the country some 15 years ago.  Now jointly owned by ABC Group and DDB.  Quite a lot of the new work they showed us was for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Ogilvy/DAVID Highly successful agency here in Brazil with wonderful campaigns, effective results and high quality people.  Just what we would expect from Ogilvy.  DAVID  – however – is a new concept and new network that has been started in Sao Paulo and is gradually going to expand into other parts of Latin America, able to handle client conflict  and to develop new ways for Ogilvy.

The Ogilvy Sao Paulo CEO shared his concerns over the forthcoming world cup.  Construction of the stadiums, transport etc is not the issue.  He believes that the issues will be around the readiness of the mobile network infrastructure to handle the influx of people.  Apparently the mobile networks are under developed and have not kept pace even with the growth of the Brazilian economy so it is anticipated that this will be even more pressurized during the world cup.

Pereira O Dell With a female director in the Rio de Janeiro office* (one of the only senior women we met in Brazil in advertising – sadly) and an average age of 28 for the partners, Pereira O Dell is a “born digital” agency with a strong devotion to content and activations.

A quick round-up of my take on the good, the bad and the ugly of advertising in Brazil:

THE GOOD
A big range of agencies from the large networks to the smaller entrepreneurial ones
Strong infrastructure within the industry
High levels of creativity and commitment to the business
A growth economy which does not show many signs of slowing down
Well positioned within Latin America and Latin America as a whole is a very exciting continent
English is the second language in business so communication is not an issue
Huge opportunities for ambitious people

THE BAD
Very few senior women in the industry
Brazil still a “ macho” environment
Lots of people leaving Brazil as they are not happy with how the government runs the country
Corruption in government and the police force is prevalent

THE UGLY
Sao Paulo is not a beautiful city
Traffic horrendous
Lots of poverty and slums – mixed in with the affluent city dwellers

Would I go there again – yes in a heartbeat!

Best
Johanna
@jomcdowell
#adforumsummit

* Correction: Johanna met with Liliane Badaró, the director at their Rio de Janeiro office, but her title is not that of CEO. The agency’s CEO is Andrew O’Dell (San Francisco).

johannaCurrently MD of the Independent Agency Search and Selection Company (IAS), Johanna McDowell has been in marketing and advertising since 1974, with experience both on the agency and client side of the fence. She held directorships in South African and British ad agencies until being appointed MD of Grey Phillips Advertising in 1988; and built Integrated Communications, a PR-driven marketing communications company that went from zero base in 1991 to an R8-million-fee turnover by December 2004.

After graduating in marketing and business studies, Johanna’s experience spanned large corporates, including UK and SA banking, manufacturing and retail, along with a 15-year stint in two of the largest ad agencies in SA and in a medium-sized agency in the UK. As such, she is well-placed to offer commentary on marketing and advertising from a local and international perspective. Follow her on Twitter at @jomcdowell.

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The agency boss who wants to hit the reset button on media

by Herman Manson (@marklives) John Beale is the kind of media strategist every agency wants but no media agency seems able to attract. He has a background in traditional media strategy but does geek very well, or as Beale’s CV puts it, he’s a hybrid media strategist.

John Beale
John Beale

A need for drastic change

And he thinks media agencies are in deep deep trouble, what with a dysfunctional revenue model and an old-school obsession with traditional paid-for media, and that they will be toast in five-to-ten years if lots of things don’t drastically change — such as their business model, positioning and offering.

Of course, everybody have been saying it for years. But this is a local media agency guy, operating inside of a media agency, willing to come out on the record and say it out aloud.

Little wonder then that Beale has been tapped to help lead MEC NotaBene Cape Town away from the edge of irrelevance (MEC is part of GroupM, WPP’s media arm). He’s the media guy tasked with hitting the reset button. He knows it needs to be done but, of course, changing the course of a business is never as easy as it sounds.

Hanging out as a youngster

Beale’s mom used to work in media so, as a youngster, he used to hang out at specialist media company Media by Storm after school. Before he started his studies, he also did some holiday work at MediaEdge. The industry just kind of landed him.

MEC logoAfter a BComm Marketing degree at Stellenbosch, Beale did a Post Grad in Advertising and Communications at Red & Yellow. He struggled to get a job at first but, through his contacts at MediaEdge, now owned by WPP and soon to be renamed MEC, he managed to land one as a media planner at the Johannesburg agency. It’s here that he was introduced to digital media planning through a programme run by WPP out of London, from where the hybrid media strategist would emerge.

From MEC, Beale moved to Nota Bene, the media strategy agency also owned by MEC, to work on Vodacom. Here, Beale engaged social media communication specialists Cerebra to set up Vodacom on social media. Instead, he landed up at Cerebra to head up the deployment of Vodacom’s venture into social media.

Breakthrough job

For Beale, Cerebra was a breakthrough job. He had moved from channel to content and learnt not to see channel first when looking at media. He also experienced firsthand how close social media has moved to consumers, its impact on how people access media, and how its challenges media management.

In short, the experience gave him new insight into content, data and community. It also allowed him to work on brands such as Woolies, Absa, Nedbank and others.

At the end of 2013, MEC South Africa Group CEO Michelle Meyjes approached Beale, now 29, to become MD at the agency’s Cape Town office. The office consists of 26 people and represents MEC, Nota Bene and Primus, which handles the Johnson & Johnson business. Clients include Brandhouse, Chevron and Pick n Pay (through Y&R).

Incredibly tight margins

Beale admits that margins in his business have become incredibly tight [many in the broader media industry consider media agency houses as little more than banks sitting on client cash for as long as they can, and surviving off the interest — nothing sustainable about that — ed]. To survive, media needs to look at alternative revenue models but to sell that to client means a whole new set of service offerings.

Beale is looking at a consulting model for the business, where it becomes more about content strategy than media buying, and where the focus further shifts from paid to include earned and owned media. It’s necessary; Beale believes that media agencies have lost their view of, and hold on, the full communications landscape. Complacency has kept them from moving beyond the traditional media space into a world where integrated is king, queen and pageboy. Now ad agencies are eating their lunch.

Beale also doesn’t understand why agencies maintain digital as standalone departments. Do you have a specialist TV department, he asks, or a specialist newspaper department? It’s ridiculous, he says.

Unsexy industry

It also makes the industry terribly unsexy, leading to a distinct skills shortage at media agencies. How many AAA grads itch (please finish reading the sentence) to get into media?

To address the issue, created very much by the media agencies themselves, requires a new and urgent engagement with the industry’s schools, ensuring proper integration within media agencies so that there is a full understanding of the media holding, and generally repositioning the industry closer to content and consumers. Beale wants to make media sexy.

His planners and strategists need to have some understanding of digital, owned and earned, of viral media, the progression of content on the internet, how it flows, etc.

Become a valued business partner

On the business side, Beale wants his agency to become a valued business partner to clients — so much more than the people doing the media bookings — which is  possible, considering the data media agencies own. Beale wants this understanding of data to help his planners plot how consumers interact with brands and devise strategies around this, and to sell these on to clients. The focus shifts to consulting on analytics, offering research, insight and strategy.

Beale believes that, in South Africa, media agencies still have time to address the issues on hand, being slightly behind international trends, and to bring at least some of the lost revenue back into the fold.

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