The Dissident Spin Doctor: Preparing for the booze marketing clamp down

by Emma King (@EmmainSA) Proposed amendments to liquor laws and restrictions on the sales and marketing of alcohol have once again become hot topics of conversation. Boardrooms, newsrooms and braais are seething with debates about what should or shouldn’t be changed, and who has the right to make decisions about how other people behave.

My personal opinion? Well, I get pretty pissed when people dictate when or how I can do something, and that extends to being able to sip a glass of chilled Chardonnay on a Sunday afternoon.

I don’t deny that we have a serious issue with alcohol abuse in this country. But, having worked in the alcohol industry in some form or other for all of my career, and having worked with mountains of research and closely with experts on the matter, I’m not convinced that prohibition (i.e. the restrictions of sales in various manners) or the outright banning of alcohol advertising is necessarily the answer.

What cannot be denied is the need for real intervention at grassroots level to change behaviour: robust enforcement of current laws, working with outlets to trade responsibly, and a concerted effort to tackle issues that go hand in hand with alcohol abuse – education, unemployment, and crime.

However, changing laws and banning advertising is an easier and higher profile way to go, and it’s pretty certain that we will see these measures being implemented in the near future.

The alcohol industry is already one of the most highly regulated industries, and brands tiptoe around fearfully, anxious of falling foul of lobbying bodies or legislation. Responsible marketing codes are deeply entrenched in all major alcohol distributors’ ways of working, and you’d be pretty hard pressed to find any advertising that flagrantly promotes or glorifies irresponsible behaviour.

The question arises then, for us as marketers, as to how we amend our business models, and our approaches, when ‘Dark Marketing’ is enforced.

At the moment, it’s pretty hazy as to what this may entail. Bans on alcohol advertising and sports sponsorship have been mooted, but it’s unclear as to how this may unfold – a total ban or, rather, restrictions on when, where and how brands can market themselves.

However it unfolds, there are a couple of things that are certain. Alcohol brands have to start, now, diversifying their ways of marketing – away from a focus on high-cost above-the-line advertising, and instead towards an integrated approach on building relationships and conversing with their consumers (although, I would argue that this applies to brands in any industry, not just alcohol).

For those of us working in PR, communications, digital and social media, CRM, and all the other previously ‘peripheral’ disciplines, our expertise is ever more important.

For example, I would advise alcohol brands to start seriously investing, now, in building their social communities. If new legislation does enforce a total ban on advertising, this is unlikely to extend or be regulated through social media – in fact it would be getting dangerously close to inflicting on the right of freedom of speech in consumers’ own personal capacities.

So, working now to develop communities of like-minded people who love a brand seems a no-brainer, as does developing relationships with the people who are opinion formers within those communities to become ambassadors and endorsers for a brand.

Likewise, developing a strong eCRM programme, linked to a hardworking database which all communications, activations and other activities feed into, is a must-have.

Investing heavily in building a recognizable brand and strong brand equity is also key. Restrictions on alcohol advertising means that huge changes in market share are unlikely. Brands that are already strong and recognizable will continue to be so, while smaller players will struggle to grow their share (and new-comers having a hard time even breaking into the market). A strong visual identity is also paramount – think what Absolut Vodka did with just the shape of a bottle, neatly sidestepping any restrictions on logos, strapline and legal disclaimers.

A look at other industries where advertising has been banned or heavily regulated – tobacco, gambling and fast food – also shows us where alcohol marketing will lean towards.

Product placement (not just on TV, but also, more and more, in gaming) will increase; and marketers will invest in rich and contagious content, distributed digitally by brands who act like publishers; and loyalty programmes and rewards for existing brand lovers will become more widespread.

As brand to consumer channels become more regulated, distribution and B2B relationships become ever more important – being available, and visible, at the point of purchase will be the differentiator between strong and second-tier brands.

Emma King is Head of PR at The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town). She is a columnist for MarkLives on PR and communication issues. You can find her on Twitter at @EmmainSA

– Industry news you’ll make time for. Sign up for our free newsletter!

How the Eskom-Billiton pricing discount story was exposed

by Gill Moodie (@GrubstreetSA) One cannot overestimate the significance of Sake24’s recent PAIA win in the Bloemfontein Supreme Court of Appeal that forced mining giant BHP Billiton to reveal how much of a power discount it was getting from Eskom for two of its aluminium smelters.

This was a long court battle – almost four years’ long – and the outcome sends out a strong message that if a journalist – or a member of the public – requests information involving the state and a third party, the request cannot simply be refused on the grounds that the third party can expect some measure of privacy.

“The ruling shows that the public’s right to access information can trump commercial secrets,” media attorney Willem de Klerk, who represented Sake24 in the bid, told Grubstreet last week. “It shows that large corporations doing business with state entities may expect their commercial dealings to be placed under the spotlight.

“The judgment emphasises that it is insufficient for such companies to prevent disclosure of their business deals merely by alleging prejudice – but rather that they will be expected to prove that the risk of such prejudice is real and not only perceived. This is a victory for the consumer.”

(Click here to read an analysis of the ruling by De Klerk.)

The protracted court ballet that resulted in this exposé began when Sake24’s mining writer, Jan de Lange, asked for Billiton’s electricity pricing structure for the Hillside and Mozal smelters (among other things) by using the Promotion of Access to Information Act – or “PAIA” in June 2009.

After Billiton and Eskom refused to give the information, De Lange and Sake24’s parent company, Media24, launched an application in 2010 in the High Court.

The court ruled in De Lange and Media24’s favour but Billiton appealed and this appeal was dismissed two weeks ago.

The information meant that De Lange could reveal that a deal that runs till 2028 – and at a time when South Africans are being put under immense pressure by significant Eskom price increases – Billiton’s smelters are paying only 22.65c per kilowatt-hour for electricity while ordinary consumers are paying R1.40.

What a scandal – and what a story!

For De Lange, finally laying his hands on the hard facts of the Billiton deal was hugely rewarding but, he told Grubstreet he was also in a bit of shock.

“It took so long… so it’s a bit like being a dog chasing a car. Now I’ve caught the car, I don’t know what to do with it,” said De Lange, a veteran journalist who worked as a labour reporter before he started covering mining.

But he is being modest as the mere fact that De Lange suspected something was up with Eskom’s deal with Billiton is a tribute to his reporting prowess and long years of covering the mining industry.

De Lange started looking at this deal long before the PAIA application was launched.

There was a measure of secrecy and smugness around the smelters from the mid-1990s, De Lange said. Later as he covered Billiton’s results and then also Eskom, he could tell there was a fishy connection in the figures.

“I compared Eskom (with that of Billiton) and there were always figures mentioned in the results at Billiton that were applicable to Eskom. I always checked if I could cross-reference these numbers.”

De Lange really knew something was up when Eskom’s results in 2009 showed a R9.3-billion loss attributed to embedded derivatives (a derivative that is linked to an external instrument).

“2008 was Billiton’s second-largest operating profit from aluminium – $1.4-billion – and in 2009 Eskom had a loss of R9.3-billion due to embedded derivatives,” said De Lange. “It wasn’t a (direct) connection but I knew these figures were related. I never knew exactly how.”

“At Eskom’s results presentations I always asked for this information. (Eskom CEOs) Brian Dames and Jacob Maroga would say: ‘That’s Jan de Lange’s question’. I always asked for these things and I never got the answers and I knew there was a secret.”

When De Lange started writing about the national shortage of electricity, he realised how important the Billiton deal was in the national scheme of things and so he submitted the PAIA in 2009.

“The numbers that are so shocking now – that they are buying electricity for a fifth of what you and I pay – were leaked to Pieter van Dalen (of the Democratic Alliance) in Parliament (after the PAIA application was submitted). I knew that whatever the contract said, it was way below cost of supply these days.”

De Lange believes these are the only such contracts in existence today and a left-over from economic policy that used electricity to beneficiate South Africa’s base metals and mining minerals.

Thanks to De Lange – and his determination to see this through – the deal is under review as Eskom has now asked the National Energy Regulator South Africa to intervene on the contract.

– SA’s leading media commentator, Gill Moodie, offers intelligence on media – old and new. Reprinted from her site Grubstreet.

HKLM — soon a R100 million agency

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Ten years ago four friends decided to launch a brand and design agency. Their focus would rest on emerging markets, especially on Africa and the Middle East, although their work would take them onto design adventures in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe as well. They decided to call it HKLM – using the surnames of the four founding partners in alphabetical order – Harwood, Kirsten, Leigh, McCoy.

The four partners had all been directors at Enterprise IG Africa Middle East (now The Brand Union, a WPP Group company) and launched the business less than a week after resigning. “HKLM promises to challenge what it terms the ‘stagnating status quo’ by introducing a more imaginative and strategic approach to brand consulting and design solutions,” the new agency promised in its launch media release.

Today the business generates more than R90 million in annual revenue and has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, Accra, Lagos and Dubai. It employs 65 people. Not too shabby for a business that started from a tiny office with plastic garden furniture.

The agency itself has continued evolving since its launch in 2003, says co-founder Graham Leigh. Today as much as 80% of revenue is generated through professional services rather than media. They are evolving beyond an agency into a consultancy, he adds.

The South African business gained traction quickly following the initial launch and was winning significant business within a couple of months of opening its doors. HKLM was named ‘Brand Agency of the Year’ at the Financial Mail AdFocus awards in 2004.

They had opened their first representative office outside South Africa, in Berlin, in 2005. Dubai followed in 2006. Through a series of joint ventures and strategic partnerships it also opened in Lagos and later in Ghana as well as in Nairobi. At its peak revenue outside SA represented around 40% of business, but this varies, and can drop as low as 20%.

The agency has also expanded its offering to include design across a wide spectrum including information and environmental design, brand management, advertising and events.

It’s not all been smooth sailing either – three years ago the business had to finally face up to the reality of the global recession and its impact on their business. “Hope is not a strategy,” says Sean McCoy. The business had to quickly find a balance between its people centric culture and financial performance – today the staff headcount is down form its peak at 80 to 65.

Cape Town also remains a headache – the office is finding it difficult to gain traction in a regional economy where creativity, in the words of Leigh, has become commoditised. With so many creatives in the city people are competing on price. On the other hand – plentiful talent at reasonable prices also allows the Cape Town office to feed work into other group offices.

Then there was the Berlin office which was supposed to take the group into Eastern Europe but turned out to be a very expensive if educational lesson instead (it’s been closed down).

Initially the four partners traded on their own names – people (clients) buy into a group of people – says Leigh. With this in mind they tend to hire entrepreneurially minded talent themselves. It offers the group certain strengths and also vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, considering that the four partners have managed to stay in business together for a good 10 years, it seems like strength is winning out.

Now HKLM gearing up for growth again. Partnerships in other markets on the continent, which includes shareholdings by local partners, extends its own owner managed ethos to offices outside SA. (An agency only has three sets of assets, says Sean McCoy, people, IT and some office furniture. It’s also a lot like a restaurant, Leigh jumps in, the owners run the kitchen and the front of house. But as soon as they shove a manager in there…)

New accounts in HKLM’s African operations includes Nexus Alliance, FCMB Plc, Heritage Bank, Aquila Leasing, Recare and Kenna partners in Nigeria and Ubora Hospital and Tatu Coffee in Kenya.

Locally the market is starting to pick up its head, says Leigh, with the agency taking more cold calls over the past six months than in the previous two years put together. HKLM is also increasing its efforts to move from a project based to a retainer model – although some project contracts can stretch over anything from a year to three.

The agency saw a 31% growth in revenue and new billings topping R10m in 2012. It expects to be a R100 million business at the end of the business year ending Feb 2014.

– Manson is the editor of MarkLives.

– Industry news you’ll make time for. Sign up for our free newsletter!

MarkLives Best Read – March 2013

The ten best read stories on MarkLives during the month of March.

1. The real cost of SA’s most expensive website (March 8, 2013)
by Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) More was spent on the planning of the Free State government web site than most South African corporates have ever spent on the full development and implementation of their web sites.

2. The biggest circulating consumer magazines in SA (February 28, 2013)
The ABC has released circulation statistics for the period October 2012 to December 2012. Here are a couple of consumer magazine ABC numbers that popped out for us. We also updated our list of the biggest circulating consumer magazines in SA!

3. Exclusive: Sekunjalo Group company buys digital agency World Wide Creative (March 14, 2013)
Saratoga Software, a subsidiary of JSE listed Sekunjalo Investments Limited, has acquired a majority shareholding in Cape Town digital agency World Wide Creative.

Sekunjalo is lead by Dr Iqbal Survé, who recently made headlines thanks to the successful bid (still subject to approval world wide creativefrom shareholders and authorities) by the Sekunjalo Independent Media Consortium to acquire the South African division of Irish owned Independent Newspapers in a R2 billion deal.

4. MarkLives Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios – A ‘lekker’ local campaign with wings

Kulula continues its tradition of cheeky, humorous and thoroughly South African commercials, this time with a print ad that introduces the livery on the airline’s new fleet of Boeing 737-800s (and takes an indirect swipe at the national carrier).

The full colour print ad, launched on Sunday 03 March 2013 in the Sunday Times, shows a new Boeing , with livery proudly displaying the South African flag on the tail, and the bold new slogan “The Most South African Airways” on the side. Kulula has been careful not to mimic the font or the exact tail design of SAA planes, thus avoiding any potential legal trademark issues.

5. Oops! Newspapers just did it again (February 28, 2013)

Yup print newspaper proprietors generally did a decent impression of Britney Spears’ career path judging by the current (continuing downward) trajectory of newspaper print circulation.

The ABC has released circulation statistics for the period October 2012 – December 2012. Here are a couple of numbers that stood out in terms of newspaper circulations.

6. Exclusive: FoxP2 Johannesburg open for business (March 7, 2013)
FoxP2 has officially opened its new Johannesburg agency head-quartered in the Design Quarter in Fourways. It will be an independent shop lead creatively by Grant Jacobsen while FoxP2 Group MD Charl Thom will manage the business side.

7. Emma King: Bloggers, freebies and the readers’ right to know (March 19, 2013)
by Emma King (@EmmainSA) This week I was bemused to read the British papers up in arms over the revelation that BBC bosses accepted free tickets and hospitality to various Olympics event. The chattering classes and BBC critics were alarmed that their supposedly objective media may have been swayed by something akin to bribes.

8. Exclusive: JWT Cape Town appoints new ECD, Managing Partner (March 12, 2013)
Willem van der Merwe, formerly Managing Director at Trigger Isobar, has been appointed as Managing Partner at JWT Cape Town (@jwtmea & @JWTSouthAfrica). Van der Merwe, 33, will report to Jim Faulds, COO at JWT S.A. Jonathan Lang also joins JWT Cape Town as ECD on April 1.

9. The growing digital footprint of Huisgenoot, YOU and Drum (March 25, 2013)
In the world of print publishing the three sister magazines of Huisgenoot, YOU and Drum make for a formidable powerhouse – they are three biggest circulating consumer magazines in the country.

Until recently that offline brand and circulation power hasn’t been effectively utilised online, but it’s changing, and quickly, according to Wilmer Müller,huisgenoot oscar pistorius Head of Digital at Huisgenoot, YOU and Drum.

10. MarkLives Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios – When a brand invests in the human spirit
When we think of the exemplars of the human spirit, it’s easy to think of sporting heroes, artists and other remarkable people who have truly excelled. One’s mind easily turns to extraordinary South Africans like multi-award winning paralympic swimmer Natalie du Toit; or the internationally acclaimed singer Miriam Makeba; or renowned author and anti-apartheid activist, Alan Paton. Then there’s the man who suffered greatly but overcame to lead a nation and in the process became a global icon – Nelson Mandela.

– Industry news you’ll make time for. Sign up for our free newsletter!

‘Nowhere to hide’ – The best magazine covers this week.

MarkLives.com runs a regular slot featuring the best local and international magazine covers every week. We recognise well thought out, powerful and interesting (and hopefully all three in one) magazine covers and celebrate the mix of pragmatism, creativity and personal taste that created each of them. By media blogger MediaSlut.

INTERNATIONAL

Treats!, Issue 5, 2013

I’ve never heard of “treats!” magazine before, but I doubt I’ll forget it after seeing their great work on CoverJunkie; The cover looks quite normal, even though it’s a unique crop and way of laying it out. But when you open the cover up, that’s when you get the creative surprise…

TIME (US), 8 April 2013

Pity that these covers were only published for the US-edition. I would have liked to pick up this edition in South Africa. They’re pushing the boundaries again, and surely millions of buttons in the US. I’m already looking forward to see what will be in the letter pages about this bold and great stance on gay marriage.

Sports Illustrated (US), April 2013

It’s a creative concept which makes for a smashing cover, and they did it over split covers (more than one cover onshelf), giving readers the opportunity to buy their favourite cover. I just can’t decide if it’s smart or uncreative that all of these guys are in the same position, and the background colours are all the same. But maybe it’s for the best, as they do look like the ‘belong together’ when one sees all of them like this.

LOCAL

VISI, 65

Just like with the VISI 64 cover (also featured on MarkLives), VISI 65 is hitting creativity and uniqueness out of the ballpark again (with reference to the Sports Illustrated covers above, of course…) with this cover. It’s kitch, but extremely cool and bold. And talking about the VISI 64 cover where readers were invited to cross-stitch the cover, here are all the winners! It’s amazing to see how people still interact with magazines, and the perfect example of what would NOT be possible if ALL magazines went digital…

Business Day Sport Monthly, April 2013

Oscar Pistorius is still very much in the news, and this is a great cover from the Business Day Sport team. And spot the “halo”…

– The (for now anonymous) blogger behind MediaSlut knows way too much for his own good about media in South Africa. Magazines in particular. His mission is to show when South African magazines might fail, but most importantly, succeed. If you’re looking for a library about South African magazines and news, your one-stop pitstop is MediaSlut. #MagazinesForTheWin

– Find a cover we should know about? Tweet us @marklives and @mediaslut
Sign up for our free newsletter!

Shelf Life: Weet-Bix rocks out

Louise Marsland’s (@Louise_Marsland) pick of new product, packaging and design launches.

Durex makes a social statement; trusty old Weet-Bix undergoes a youthful makeover; Nike launches a designer collection; and an international design competition for designers with baggage.

Weet-Bix rocks out

Weet-Bix is not a brand usually associated with the youth market in a category cluttered with frenetic cartoon characters, plastic toys and weirdly shaped coloured cereal. It’s usually something granny eats to keep regular.

Well, Machine agency is trying to change all that and sex things up by giving the brand an integrated campaign to appeal to a wider market using music with customised sound tracks and its own “Beat Bix” signature track composed by sound production specialists, Say Thank You.

There’s MTV Music Video Awards tickets to be won, local DJs getting involved and various music related awards, games and dance competitions. Machine has designed a rhythm based game for Facebookand professional hip hop dancers will be helping students get down with the Beat Bix track on campuses.

The onpack promotion is supported by TV, radio, Facebook, shopper stoppers in store and campus activations.

Weet-Bix brand manager Khosi Snondo hopes the campaign will enable the brand to resonate with a younger market. Machine creative director, Gareth McPherson, said the agency shepherded the design right through to the coding. “We activated the game not only online, but also through live campus activations.”

Nike Free inspires

Nike has launched a free designer ‘ebook anthology’ which charts and explores the genesis of the Nike Free technology of this particular designer running shoe. It is an elegant and inspirational journey for fans of the brand and this particular product, with interactive interviews and stories from top athletes, designers and the shoe architects.

Billed as the “Inside Story of Natural Motion”, the Nike Free A-Z, aims to highlight the new Nike Free collection and is available for download in South Africa from this month (April) at: Nikeinc.com.

The idea for Nike Free was born in 2001 and launched a shoe that delivered the benefits of natural motion while protecting the foot.

Through imagery, video, and interviews with innovators and athletes, Nike Free A-Z“sheds light on the design process and illustrates Nike’s constant commitment to serving the athlete. From hot knifing to dynamic Nike Flywire technology, Nike Free A-Z takes you on the journey of how a coach’s insight about natural motion led to a new performance language,” the press release rhapsodises.

Have a look. It’s Free.

Do you have baggage?

Samsonite has launched a global competition for student designers to create artwork for the stylish Samsonite Curv collection of suitcases. It’s open to registered undergraduate and graduate art and design students or those who complete their art or design education during the 2012 – 2013 academic year.

Students from South Africa, Russia, Turkey and every European country are invited to take part in the ‘Design My Samsonite’ competition. Two designs will be selected internationally – one for the Cosmolite collection and one for the Firelite collection and the grand prize winners will see their designs produced on the luggage and will be awarded a set of luggage with their design, as well as a trip to either New York or Cape Town.

There will also be a winner awarded for each country and finally, a People’s Choice winner.

Winners will be announced in June and the artwork submissions are being featured on the competition website.

Samsonite has also apparently developed a revolutionary printing technique which enables bespoke designs to be embedded within the Curv material.

Say it safely with a sock

Durex’s sock activation on university campuses in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch is getting a lot of airtime right now and the agency behind it is Rogue brand agency, whose CEO, Brad Dessington, says they wanted to make a social statement.

Dessington told MarkLives that the core message wasn’t just safe sex, but also a social statement to give the youth another way to express themselves – in reality, rather than just by sending a clever tweet or making a Facebook post.

Rogue handed out 10 000 socks with Durex tags at the University of Johannesburg and Stellenbosch in the past few weeks. What made Dessington’s heart skip a beat was when students pulled their shoes off and put the socks on straight-away. Clearly not a hard sell.

He adds that whether they actually use the socks to put on their doorknobs at res to indicate privacy or play, is not the point.

“The idea of the socks is to make Durex a sexy social brand, make a fashion and social statement. This generation are looking for ways to cut through the clutter toexpress themselves. We have taken a social statement into the real world. It is not about the fact that they are having sex or not. We left it open-ended enough for interpretation. It is quite a brazen way to communicate – and leave it up to people to make assumptions.”

And no, Durex has no plan to hit a runway near you with a full fashion line.

– 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 Marsland has written about the FMCG, media, marketing and advertising industry for 18 years of her 25 year media 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 co-founder and Publishing Editor of SA’s newly launched industry trendwatching portal, TREND. at www.trendlives.info, in partnership with MarkLives.com.

– Industry profiles you’ll make time for. Sign up for our free newsletter!

Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios – How’s it Hangin’?

MarkLives Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios – How’s it Hangin’?

Sex. The fact is, most teenagers do it, and varsity is the place where most people leaving their teens can first be open about experimenting, discussing and learning about sex and relationships. As young adults, varsity students are able to express their sexuality more openly amongst their peers.

That’s why Durex actively targets this segment, using ‘youth media’ like MTV, YouTube, and Facebook, and sponsoring youth events whilst also engaging in sample campaigns on campuses. Early adoption means a better chance of brand loyalty and of committing to safe sex.

Durex is an acknowledged masterbrand, and the name is a generic term for the condoms in much of Europe, the UK, Japan and SA. In the US and Canada the condom market is still dominated by Trojan, although Durex has been chipping away at this market share over the years.

Despite everything we know about safe sex today, selling condoms to youngsters is still a hard sell (if you’ll forgive the obvious pun). Putting on a condom during the heat of passion can be interpreted as an interruption to the act, and mid-foreplay the human brain is less likely to think about ‘downer’ subjects like HIV and pregnancy. In fact when on the endorphin high of a sexual encounter is on, there’s less rational thinking. Because of this, Durex’s advertising tends to cleverly focus more on fun and humour than on the durability or safety aspects of the product.

In a market that could be a parity sector, one differentiator Durex has used is to literally ‘own’ sex. The condom manufacturer publishes an annual sex survey, interviewing over 5000 participants in 14 countries. This research creates an annual media stir which allows Durex to position itself as the leader in condom and sex related information.

In SA, Durex has been engaging with university-goers in a way that is not embarrassing or self-conscious, through social media and various light-hearted, entertaining campaigns. A good example of this is the ‘Kampus Sutra’ campaign that attempts to open up debate in communities – and online tribes – on various sexual issues. The latest ad asks for slogans promoting safe sex, like “No glove, no love” – or “If it’s not on, it’s not in”.

For young adults in varsities, one of the main obstacles to sexual enjoyment is often the lack of privacy. Sharing dorm rooms, in digs or at home… and that’s where Durex came to offer a solution in the form of a clever promotion.

Durex, together with Rogue Brand Agency produced Durex-branded socks. But these are no ordinary socks – they have a large tag at the heel, which sticks up above the shoe, showing the Durex logo: highly visible, cheeky and fun. At the UJ launch, 5000 pairs were eagerly snapped up by students willing to be “walking billboards” for the Durex brand.

But the tag has another important role: it is just the right size to slip over a door handle, acting as a signal to prevent any embarrassing interruption from a roommate or visitor.

Rogue CEO Brad Dessington says this was the insight behind the creation of Durex Door Socks. “We were also aware that this is such a brand conscious market, and if designed in the right way we could make the door socks sexy – essentially creating a fashion accessory that students would wear as a social statement – the thing great fashion brands do well.”

Dessington continues: “The approach of the agency in general is to create communication that audiences want to engage with, essentially communication that they are attracted to, because the messages are no longer wallpaper – they, in themselves have value.” says Dessington.

So next time someone asks, “How’s it hangin’?” just say “Like a sock, bro’ – a door sock.” They may not know what you’re talking about, but you’ll know you’re too cool for ‘school’. Plus you’re making the right choice – which is of course the safe choice.

Ad of the Week is published on MarkLives every Wednesday. See past selections here.
Oresti Patricios is the CEO of brand and reputation analysis company Ornico.

– Industry profiles you’ll make time for. Sign up for our free newsletter!

The Switch: A window today, a mirror tomorrow

by Alistair Mokoena (@AlistairMokoena) Ever thought about the relationship between a window and a mirror? They are both made out of glass which in turn is made out of sand. Mirrors are opaque and therefore reflective whilst windows are transparent and provide a view. The reflective nature of mirrors is achieved by applying a reflective coating to glass. You are probably wondering where I’m going with this. The question on many people’s lips is, is advertising a mirror to the soul or a window into the aspirations of the soul?

There’s no denying how pervasive and intrusive advertising has become. The last reliable stats on the number of adverts consumers are exposed to on a given day pegged the number of exposures to 3000. This was before social media took over. Today the number is anything north of 4000 impressions a day. In other words 4000 external influences are brought to bare on the beloved consumer a day! Astounding. Do these 4000 daily impressions influence society or do they merely reflect society?

Very often advertisers are accused of being the world’s biggest con artists and manipulators. Some even believe we cunningly embed subliminal enticements in ads just to nudge consumers in the direction of supermarket shelves. We also get accused of pursuing aspirational value way beyond reality.But what fun is aspiration if it doesn’t stretch people beyond the imaginable? The world isn’t shaped by realists and pragmatists. It is shaped by dreamers. Economies aren’t built by reductionist thinking, but by ambitious expansionary visions. After all, Leo Burnett once said “when you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you wont come up with a handful of mud either.”

Aspirational communication needs to be distinguished from indefensible puffery that is meant to mislead the consumer. That’s just irresponsible. Consumers look to advertising for entertainment, education, amusement and inspiration. If you accept that advertising is an art form, you will grant it creative licence to imagine the unimaginable. So for the most part advertising serves as a window into what is possible and what we aspire to.

We’ve all fallen prey to perfume and cologne ads that make us feel invincible and [supposedly] irresistible to the opposite sex, or those car ads that promise to imbue us with infallible magnetic powers. It’s not to say that these ads stretch the truth. They merely offer inspiration and impetus for us to work towards attaining aspirations we already have.

Many adverts are based on current realities, human truths, habits and trends. For example, the desire to have a girlfriend is not ignited by seeing an advert for Axe deodorant, but the impetus to get up and make a move on a girl might well be as a result of your new found confidence, courtesy of a deodorant can.

Humour often works brilliantly in adverts if it’s based on current affairs. Think Nando’s advertising. One of the most awarded ads of our time, the Zimbabwean dollar ad, was based on the reality of the time. These are all examples of how advertising acts a mirror by reflecting our current reality.

In conclusion, it matters not whether advertising is about reflecting reality or reflecting our aspirations. The important thing is that advertising must create desire and inspire us to take a step closer to those aspirations. Anything short of this is wallpaper. I shouldn’t be disparaging towards wallpaper. It has rescued many a bad paint job.

Alistair Mokoena (@AlistairMokoena) is a Unilever-trained Chartered Marketer with lots of blue-chip marketing experience. He’s currently MD of Draftfcb Joburg. Mokoena contributes the monthly “The Switch” column to MarkLives.com.

Industry news you will make time for. Subscribe here. It’s free!

Media24’s Afrikaans newspapers announce paywall, digital first strategy

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Soon readers of the three Media24 Afrikaans language daily newspapers Die Burger, Beeld and Volksblad, will have to pay for the privilege to read news in their home language. They announced the arrival of a paywall, a new tablet app and the imminent arrival of new look websites for all three papers on their sites this morning. The paywalls will take effect as soon as the new websites come out of beta.

According to the announcement the papers will also adopt a ‘digital first’ strategy which will see them breaking news on their sites (does this mean they will now try to compete with Nuus24, the Afrikaans language version of News24?). Business Day recently made the move to adapt a digital first strategy as well as a paywall.

The statement on Beeld’s website said its publishers had hoped that growth in ad revenue would keep the site free but that online ad revenue proved much less than that of the print editions. All three papers have a strong regional bent that the publishers hope will convince readers to part with their money.

The sites will offer content bundles to subscribers in future. Print subscribers receive access to the printed paper, the mobile app and the website. Readers also have the option of subscribing to the stand alone digital bundle, consisting of the website and app, at a rate of R99 a month (R1180 a year).

Non-subscribers will be allowed access to 20 free stories a month and people accessing stories via social media will be able to read them within it counting to their 20 free stories.

The beta version of the new websites mixes large images, a trend in a web publishing, with a blog like content layout. It gives over substantial space to multi-media.

Initial reader reaction has been mixed. Some readers said they would be willing to pay for fresh news in Afrikaans while others pointed out that they are perfectly capable of reading English on other, free news services.

– Industry news you’ll make time for. Sign up for our free newsletter!

Masingita Mazibuko: A story tells many tales

by Masingita Mazibuko ‘Skip looked out into the sea of suspicious stockholders and wondered what might convince them to follow his leadership. He was thirty-five, looked thirteen and was third generation rich. He decided to tell them a story:

“My first job was drawing the electrical engineering plans for a boat building company. The drawings had to be perfect – a mistake could cost millions of dollars, easy. At twenty-five I already had two masters’ degrees. I had been on boats all my life and frankly found drawing plans a bit boring.

One morning I got a call from a $6-an-hour worker asking me, “Are you sure this is right?”. I was incensed. Of course I was sure. When his supervisor called an hour later and woke me up again I had even less patience. “I said I was sure an hour ago and I’m still sure.” It was the call from the president of the company that got me out of bed and down to the site.

If I had to hold these guys by the hand, so be it. The worker who called sat looking at my plans with his head cocked to one side. With exaggerated patience I started to explain the drawing. But after a few words my voice got weaker and my head started to cock to the side. It seemed (being left handed) I had transposed starboard and port. The worker had caught the mistake before it was too late.

The next day I found a box of remedial pair of shoes for future reference on my desk to ensure I did not repeat my mistake. These shoes were to help me remember to listen even when I think I know what I am doing.’’ Skip then held up the shoebox with one red and one green shoe, there were smiles and smirks. The stockholders relaxed a bit.’

This is an excerpt from the book, The Story Factor by Annette Simmons. It illustrates the influential role of a story and the chord that it strikes within us. Storytelling is a core characteristic of African culture, used to expound wisdom. If one casts their mind back to childhood or a moment in a movie theatre, one cannot ignore the emotions that stories evoke within us. I recall as a child the storyteller would announce the beginning of their story and we little ones would eagerly respond loudly declaring our readiness to listen and get lost in this imminent world.

A story captures one’s imagination inviting one into another world. It is within this world an understanding of the truth comes to life and one takes ownership. Here lies the value of stories for brands. Inherent in the brand story is character. Character helps reveal the bigger story that is worth telling. For instance Kulula.com is elevated from a budget airline to entertaining journey through its jester trait. A journey one is happy to share with others.

The world of luxury often invites consumers into a broader experience. They do not just convey their quality credentials but rather send out an invitation into the experience they offer. Whether it is Montblanc which is about the art of writing and has linked itself to the fight for illiteracy or whether it is the well-known Louis Vuitton which tells the story of self-discovery through asking ‘where would life take you?’

So as the movie award season comes to an end; perhaps it is worth reflecting on what is the story your brand is telling. Is your brand defined such that it is able tap into the imagination of consumers, allowing them to discover and share its truth?

Masingita Mazibuko is an Associate Director at brand development and marketing insight consultancy Added Value. For more insights, visit www.added-value.com/source/. Mazibuko is a regular columnist for MarkLives.