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Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios – Lawrence Anthony, Coronation and the lesson of trust

MarkLives Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios – Lawrence Anthony, Coronation and the lesson of trust

Lawrence Anthony was a remarkable human being. They called him the ‘elephant whisperer’ but he was much, much more than that. Born in Johannesburg in the 1950’s and raised in Zimbabwe, Anthony dedicated his life to conservation and created the ‘Earth Organisation’, a non-profit that aims to using education and action to reverse the ravaging effects mankind is having on the environment.

Anthony was bold and fearless. In 2003 after Iraq was bombed by US lead coalition forces, he heard about a pack of starving lions that would have surely died without intervention. Anthony flew in to the area and went to the Baghdad zoo to make the rescue happen. Another time he’d meet and negotiate with members of Joseph Kony’s feared Lord’s Resistance Army in an attempt to save the last of the Northern White Rhinoceros.

The owner and head of conservation at KwaZulu-Natal’s Thula Thula Game reserve, Anthony wrote many bestsellers about his life with elephants and his involvement in conservation. These include The Elephant Whisperer: Learning About Life, Loyalty and Freedom From a Remarkable Herd of Elephants, which is a back story to one of the best commercials I’ve seen in recent times. I am writing of course about FoxP2’s incredible “Trust is earned” television commercial which was directed by Robin Goode of Giant Films, for Coronation.

Affectionately known as The Elephant Whisperer because of his love of, and dedication to, the rehabilitation of African Elephants, Anthony (heart achingly) died of a heart attack before shooting on the commercial began.

The commercial begins with Anthony’s French-born wife, Françoise, telling the story of how her husband was asked to take on a herd of rogue elephants in 1999. If he didn’t do this the elephants would have been killed.

“It was their last chance of survival; and so against all odds, he put his life at risk to build a relationship with the elephants, gaining the acceptance and trust of the matriarch Nana and, through her, the rest of the herd,” reads the Coronation website – which features the ads story, and an extended version of the commercial with various interviews.

“The story, and the commercial, documents how given time, dedication, perseverance and communication, Lawrence managed to rehabilitate the elephants and ensure their safety and longevity,” it continues. This ad serves as the perfect metaphor for showing how trust is earned over time – the perfect analogy for a financial sector where so much trust has been eroded.

But then Coronation has always been seriously intelligent when it comes to advertising. The Cape Town based fund managers first ‘trust’ ad also told a true story. That time the tale was about Christian the lion cub which was adopted and raised after being seen in a London store by two friends. Often when you start a series like this, it can be difficult to maintain the original momentum.

The elephant whisperer advert is chilling in its stark beauty and Françoise’s voice which says: “Half of the herd was killed before they came to us. They were dangerous because they feared man. Others wanted to kill them, but my husband wanted to save them.” With the perfect marriage of music, brilliant scripting, excellent casting and superlative camera work, Goode has created a commercial that runs like a two and a half minute, award-winning film.

It is memorable, evokes emotion, stirs ones curiosity and entertains. No matter how many times I see this ad, I feel such warmth and empathy because it’s a true story based on the life of a man that can only be called a hero.

This is advertising that remembers what the best commercials are about, and Coronation is well positioned because of it.

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.

Thorsten Heins interview Pt 2: Secrets of BlackBerry 10

In the second part of this interview, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins tells Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) about competing with Apple, how the BlackBerry’s notorious freezes have been overcome, and reveals the company’s secret weapon.

Thorsten Heins, Chief Executive Officer of BlackBerry makers Research in Motion, was in Johannesburg last month to meet with mobile network operators and introduce them to the BlackBerry 10 devices that will be launched in the first quarter of 2013. In the only interview he gave in South Africa, he spoke frankly with MarkLives columnist and Gadget editor-in-chief Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) about the challenges facing RIM.

(See Part 1 of this interview: Why BlackBerry 10 will restore faith among both consumers and investors, and what makes the African market special.)

Arthur Goldstuck: How will BlackBerry 10 compete with the appeal and intuitiveness of the iPhone, Android and Windows 8? Will it be able to convince existing and new users, as well as those who have abandoned it?

Thorsten Heins: BlackBerry 10 is a new experience, but it is also a BlackBerry experience, and it is built to appeal to new users as well as to people who know BlackBerry today. There is one key element which was misunderstood when I announced it at BlackBerry World in May. There is a physical keyboard coming. It will be built on the BlackBerry 10 user paradigm, so it is different, but it is true to the roots and values of BlackBerry.

BlackBerry is a multitasking device – now we are making that the forefront of the device. We are building true multitasking into the forefront.

Apple introduced a very intuitive user interface five years ago. You call up an application and it does what it must do, you hit the black button and call up the next application. The sequence is in-out-in-out.

The thing about the original BlackBerry phones is that, at the time, it was like magic. It was the first one where you could hit the phone number in your e-mail and it would make the phone call – you didn’t have to take any other action. We thought about that, and about how they said at the time this flow was magic. So, on BlackBerry 10, we have introduced the flow concept. There’s no break or disruption in the user paradigm. We take what is good and working on the BlackBerry interface, but in terms of evolution to a new user experience.

The new operating system is truly multi-threaded. It allows several applications to run at the same time, in real time, and not on an in-out-in-out basis. We have all the apps not just on a grid, but up and running on a grid, so the moment you hit them, they are running on the grid.

At launch, there will be three full-screen devices with a virtual keyboard, and three devices with a physical QWERTY keyboard, but you will have the same BlackBerry 10 experience on all of these.

AG: Will BlackBerry 10 address the concerns and frustrations users have with the current device always freezing, the wait for applications to load, the slow App World, and the poor browsing experience?

TH: BlackBerry 7 is a good OS, but it’s a computing engine and you have to constantly upgrade a computing engine. Upgrades are difficult because it’s an integrated architecture, and you have to ask network operators to get it into their labs all the time. Part of our evolution is the recognition that we can’t go on like this. We realised we can’t go on with a 15-year-old BlackBerry OS. It served us well, at the time it was a wonderful invention based on the idea of a mobile messaging machine, but now it has to do something new.

We looked at moving to Android as an alternative to the BlackBerry OS, but we realised that, based on its capacity, we couldn’t satisfy our BlackBerry users with that.

I understand the frustrations about the freezes: that is a result of a platform reaching its limitations. We couldn’t go on like this, so we rebuilt it from scratch. Everything in this device is new; not one line of code made it from the old operating system.

I’ve had a BlackBerry 10 device on my hip for eight weeks. I have never had to reset it, and it has never frozen. The key is in the multi-kernel: if you hit a process and it does not execute properly, the icon goes grey, but the device carries on working. Just that one process gets restarted. It has a wonderful recovery process; it blocks this one process and the others continue to flow. It goes deep into the technology of the microkernel multi-threading process, and that allows us to have an immensely reliable system.

QNX (the operating system RIM bought in 2010, and the basis for BlackBerry 10) was certified by the US government because its level of security was a fit with military requirements – before we bought it. That was the gold nugget lying on a long sandy beach. This OS worked on all embedded systems, it went into vertical segments like automobiles and slot machines – everything we don’t see but, if it’s not reliable, it doesn’t work.

We believe in mobile computing, not just mobile phones. QNX taught us a lot about cars, but we also asked, what does it mean for other domains? For example, it can be the mobile computing system to manage an energy grid. It is for more than just BlackBerry 10.

I want us to be the company that manages all mobile computing end points, whether in a phone or car, across the data network globally. Today we are connecting 654 carriers, and our system is being used to carry data, reliably, across these networks.

That’s the vision for the company. I want to take it into the mobile computing space and be clear leader in that space.

AG: That data layer across most networks globally sounds like an incredible strategic asset – BlackBerry’s secret weapon. How do you plan to leverage it?

TH (nodding vigorously): This is the secure, reliable connectivity layer for mobile computing that sits on top of carrier networks. They can run their own services across it, but the secure layer on top of this, globally, will come from us.

Think of a car manufacturer that sells cars globally, and needs to address all in-car computers from a certain series, and get a message out, like ‘Put the car in the garage for the next 24 hours because we are giving it a big software update’. How many vehicle recalls do you see these days? Imagine the time and cost that can be saved if we can provide telemetry data from all these cars, on a globally connected system, and with the endpoints managed for reliability and security.

There is so much to do right now – it is overwhelming in terms of priorities. RIM needs to figure out where to be the enabler, and where to utilise our own servers. But the opportunity is huge: mobile computing, end-point management, API’s created to add sensors to devices, using the mobile data network for distribution – basically any vertical application where we think we have a play, and where we can use our push and compression services.

Smartphones and tablets part of it, but they are not the only purpose of the company.

* Arthur Goldstuck heads up World Wide Worx (www.worldwideworx.com) and is editor-in-chief of Gadget. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee. Reprinted from Gadget.

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The Gate Keeper: Chapter 21 (In which retirement is stage managed )

by Andrew Miller TBW Smith Jones Wallace Broadbent and Ndimande is an agency in crisis. Their ‘basket of boutique services’ strategy has bombed. Only a massive new project can keep the doors open – all eyes are now on the corporate tent at Mangaung. Far in the background, an emergency replacement executive PA with decades of experience makes important decisions. Interns rise, board members take unexpected steps and things begin to change…

The PR consultant is summoned, a charm offensive is planned and a deposit invoice is issued…

Chapter 21

In which retirement is stage managed

Mama E barely managed to kill the audio feed and drop her stenography headphones onto her shoulders as Tim Broadbent strode out the executive boardroom at the pace of an Olympic walker. His head was high. There was a bright smile carved into his jaw. He nodded briskly at her and said her name loudly. “Melinda!”

She wasn’t sure if it was a greeting or a farewell or a command, so she said his name back. “Tim!”

And then he was gone.

Nonhlanhla Mofokeng led the rest of the TBW Smith Jones Wallace Broadbent and Ndimande EXCO out of the boardroom. “Melinda!” She barked at Mama E. “Get the PR people in for this afternoon please. Not the in-house ones. The real ones. In fact, just get Arthur Harris on the line – now. I’ll take care of the rest.” She marched into her office. The remainder of the team dribbled away in whispering ones and twos.

Arthur Harris was, he liked to say, proudly coloured. He was not so-called coloured. He was, quite simply, coloured. He had built his career on his ability to fix the un-fixable and, in his own mind, on a secondary but no less important ability to not only be coloured, but to speak all the official languages. It generally took South Africans by surprise, the fact that he acted and looked like a conventional member of his apartheid era racial grouping but could – when required – speak exactly like he was raised in the deep rural Eastern Cape, which he actually was.

In his early years, right up until his twenty first birthday, in fact, being the free racial radical was anything but beneficial. The son of a roaming (literally, not metaphorically, or sexually. Arthur’s father was part of Umkhonto we Sizwe and shifted location in perpetuity) white activist and an Eastern Cape ANC branch leader, Arthur lived his entire young life on the outskirts of everything. He was never fully accepted anywhere, and the laughter. Well, it was part of his life.

But when he arrived in Jozi to study he realised his power. The dealers on the city streets would casually sell girls and other things in front of him, openly cracking snide bushy comments to his face. Suddenly, standing on the corner of Jorissen, Arthur Harris realised the truth. He had the full new South African power. He could be black when he needed to, white when required, and he could always, at the slightest whim in fact, slip behind the various language curtains that hid the jibes and barbs and jokes and scheming of life in Mzansi.

Thus, the career path of one of Jozi’s most successful PR consultants was set.

Arthur Harris was pleased to hear from TBW Smith Jones Wallace Broadbent and Ndimande again. He’d always had fond memories of the place, especially the creative commons, a name he had proudly coined and which had stuck, rather successfully he understood, at the agency.

He greeted Nonhlanhla in crisp English, as always, and sat on the visitor’s side of her desk.

“Arthur,” she got straight to business. “We’re going to need a bit of damage control.”

“Mangaung?”

“No, actually. Tim Broadbent. He’s gone rouge. Completely deranged, saying all sorts of strange stuff that could hurt us. He’s retiring, thank God, but we’re going to need to manage it very carefully. He can’t be allowed to speak. To anyone. Ever. We need to get him on the bus, fast.”

“A double page feature in AdVantage. A slot on Top Billing. Three or four lectures at scenario planning conferences. Guest columnist in City Press. Should do it.” Arthur Harris spoke with complete confidence. Nonhlanhla nodded along, while drawing a series of bold lines up and down the A4 pad inside her leather notebook. “Good. Good. I like it. A charm offensive.”

“Charm, yes, but really we just keep the old buzzard busy till we can chuck him out the door. We could try some kind of mentorship thing as well. We need to fill the hours until he goes.”

“There’s an intern at the moment who has been working a lot in strat. She came up with the whole Mangaung Hip Hop thing actually, but now we need to do something with her. No one wants to touch her. They’re all scared. She’s very good looking.”

“Perfect.” Arthur Harris stood, pulled his Dolce and Gabana laptop case to his side and turned to leave. “I’ll send you an invoice for the deposit this afternoon.”

Part 1 -21. Part 22: October 31.
Author: Andrew Miller Illustrator: Lebohang Goge

Thorsten Heins interview Pt 1: BlackBerry in Africa

In this interview RIM CEO Thorsten Heins tells us why BlackBerry 10 will restore faith among both consumers and investors and what makes the African market special.

Arthur Goldstuck: South Africans right now are still very loyal to BlackBerry and brand momentum is still growing. But at the same time, a lot of people are saying, ‘What is going to happen to us BlackBerry users?’ It comes down to the American market, where Blackberry has imploded. The feeling is that, what happens in America, will ultimately happen here. How does Blackberry plan to recapture the American market and therefore re-instill confidence in markets like South Africa and the rest of the developing markets?

Thorsten Heins: First and foremost, we appreciate the strong commitment of our customers to us in South Africa. This is a very, very successful market. It is a clear number one market for us, but not the only one. We have Indonesia where we are number one in smartphones. In the Philippines, I don’t know how many quarters consecutively we have been number one in smartphones. So there’s a broader business base than just in South Africa that we can appreciate. This is a customer base that carries us through to the transition to BlackBerry 10 right now.

The United States is very different. The US was very much driven by a tectonic shift to full touch screens devices among consumers and to LTE (4G connectivity) in a very short time frame in the enterprise space. All the marketing money from the carriers is going to 4G. All the major promotions: all the bus stops have a 4G sign on it. That is why we have lost and are still losing market share. But it is slowing down.

There are two routes to recapturing that market. Firstly, we are working on our installed user base. So far the upgrade ratio from BB 5 and BB 6 devices to BlackBerry 7 has increased from 8% BB 7 enterprise penetration to 22% in the last two quarters, which is really very significant.

The second thing is to get Blackberry 10 into the market and make sure it fulfills all users’ requirements, such as the full LTE experience. And there will be a touch version of it. But then we must also set BlackBerry 10 apart in terms of the user experience. So it’s not just competing on spec terms, not just competing on radio technology terms. We will go back to the market and we will, on top of that, compete on a new user paradigm that we are introducing with BlackBerry 10.

AG: Do you have a launch date yet?

TH: Last week, when we met with Verizon, they publicly stated, so its not a secret, that they will be launching Blackberry 10 in the first quarter of 2013. I would be very, very optimistic that other US carriers will follow suit.

We have a firm date when we will hit their labs for lab testing. As with every carrier, they have different cycle times for the testing cycle to get ready for first customer shipments. We’re working with the carriers on these launch dates, but it for sure will be in the first quarter 2013.

AG: The flip side of the same question. How are you dealing with investors who clearly have abandoned the share to a large extent? Right now it’s quite symbolic that Apple has hit $700 at the same time as RIM has fallen to 1% of that share price. Clearly, investors are worried that RIM won’t survive. How will you convince them?

TH: The bigger investors look at RIM from a different perspective. For example, if you look at Fairfax Financial Holdings, a large investment fund. Prem Watsa, who runs it, has a strategy of investing in long term value creation, and they have bought 10% of RIM’s shares.

Investors expect us to perform. But also when we showed them the strategy, when we showed them where we want to be from both the enterprise business and device point of view, they accepted our strategy. Now it’s up to us to deliver. We’re approaching the finish line for BlackBerry10 and we need to take it to a global launch and deliver on our strategy.

I understand the thoughts of investors, but we have a strategy in place for the long term. We will be a company that creates long term value. I’d say it would be different if we were only a developer or an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). But BlackBerry sits in many enterprises. We have a 92% Fortune 500 installed base, and that base wants us to succeed.

Carriers right now only see two ecosystems at work: Apple, which is not open, and Android, which Samsung has monopolized. So carriers are looking forward to a third and fourth ecosystem to enter this space. They are not just inviting us to the table, but also pushing us.

I am on a world tour over four weeks to present BlackBerry 10 to carriers. I have been to Mexico, the United States, Canada, all of Europe, and now in South Africa.

South Africa is a priority one market for us, and we will acknowledge that with the launch of BlackBerry 10. There will be three waves in taking it to global markets, and South Africa and Nigeria are in the top range of Wave 1 launches. We will pay tribute to our customers here by delivering BlackBerry 10 in South Africa when it is launched.

There’s trust building in a turnaround of RIM in the United States. In the US, we are clearly a turnaround case. In the rest of the world, we are still growing our overall global subscriber base. Other regions in the world are more than compensating for losses in the USA. The global trend we reported at the end of the last quarter continues.

AG: Where else in Africa are you seeing this trend?

TH: It applies to South Africa and Nigeria. I want to say thank you to the South African customers of BlackBerry – they have created a tremendous success story, and they deserve our thanks and respect.

Nigeria is the second country in Africa to repeat this trend. Kenya is a country we are entering right now. Africa has huge growth potential, from north to south.

AG: And in other developing markets?

TH: What we are doing in the Philippines and Indonesia, we are showing that BlackBerry is not just a communications tool, but also a social networking tool. We are also showing that BlackBerry is not just a media device. Our focus is on what we call BlackBerry People. It’s for people who always want to be on top of their game. We want it to define success, we want it to be the tool, globally, that allows people to achieve their successes. This value proposition works well in those economies that are starting to grow, in developing markets like Nigeria and Indonesia.

AG: In South Africa we first saw executives begin using BlackBerry, and then it took off among teenagers, so that you often had a situation where one parent and a child were both on BBM, and the other parent felt obliged to move to BlackBerry to take advantage of BBM communications. It’s a phenomenon one can call the BlackBerry Family, and is part of the reason for the brand’s success here. Have you found that elsewhere?

TH: Recently, I was coming into Dubai after landing there at 4am, and the taxi driver had a BlackBerry. I asked him why, and he said he was from Kenya. He said this was the best way to stay in touch with his family, who were all on BBM, and also the cheapest way to stay in touch.

Indonesia is a second example. We are finding that the BBM PIN number has substituted the phone number in many cases, and you see it on taxis and buses. The term, “PIN me”, has become one of the common terms there.

The BBM subscriber base is still growing worldwide, along with BlackBerry services. That’s why I decided to invest in BBM and, with BlackBerry 10, take it to new levels so that people can get more enjoyment from it.

AG: We have a fair idea of what has made BlackBerry work in South Africa. What is your perspective? Why do you believe this market is so successful for BlackBerry?

TH: I think it’s the combination of certain values. Firstly, it’s BBM, which lets you share anything you want, at no additional cost. Secondly, it’s the right device and the right price point. It is affordable. Third is the compression of BlackBerry data, which saves a lot of money on subscription and roaming, and makes the BlackBerry Internet Service affordable. Several factors come together in South Africa, and then we have a fantastic team that executes well, with good customer relations management, and good marketing.

To me, it’s refreshing to come to South Africa from the US where I get more punches thrown from the media than this kind of question. And I come to the airport and I see BlackBerry adverts and it’s brand related, not about the device itself. I took a photo of that for myself.

AG: BlackBerry’s effectiveness in data compression has been a key to network acceptance of unlimited data deals. Will that technology evolve further?

TH: We will set our own trends in term of supporting our customer base. We have to move forward with new features and new technologies. But we will always make sure that what we create is, in a technical way, what is most beneficial to customers. We have our capabilities, and we are looking at how to apply this to future developments. That is coming, no doubt.

Tomorrow: Competing with Apple, how the BlackBerry’s notorious freezes have been overcome, and the company’s secret weapon.

* Arthur Goldstuck heads up World Wide Worx (www.worldwideworx.com) and is editor-in-chief of Gadget. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee. Reprinted from Gadget.

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Win one of two tickets to attend the Daily Maverick’s The Gathering conference

Win one of two tickets to attend the Daily Maverick’s The Gathering conference happening on November 15th at the Victory Theatre in Houghton.

There are three ways to enter and stand a chance to win one of two tickets (the first winner will be drawn by end of business on Friday Octb 26, the second winner will be drawn end of business Friday Nov 2). Please note travel and accommodation arrangements are your own – we only cover the ticket.

Simply share the MarkLives Facebook page or one of the stories on our Facebook timeline on your own profile over the course of the next two weeks. Drop us a note that you’ve done so (we will need your email address to let you know if you’ve won).
Appeal to our vanity. Tell us why you think MarkLives is such a great read. In the subject line put ‘The Gathering competition’.
Tweet this story link! Drop us a note that you’ve done so (we will need your email address to let you know if you’ve won).

Speakers at The Gathering include:
Zwelinzima Vavi (General Secretary – COSATU)
Gwede Mantashe (Secretary General – ANC)
Lindiwe Mazibuko (Parliamentary Leader – DA)
Clem Sunter (Futurist, Author and Scenario Planner)
Jay Naidoo (Founder of COSATU and Civil Activist)
Mark Heywood (Director – Section 27)
Alan Knott-Craig Jnr
Yvonne Johnston (Marketer-at-large – Brand South Africa)
Greg Marinovich (Pulitzer Prize Winner – Photo Journalist)
Ivo Vegter (Author, Opnionista and trouble-maker)

PLUS get an extra 20% discount off the ticket price (R3,250) for The Gathering by entering the following voucher code (Marklives) when you make your booking.

* Only South Africans are eligible for the prize
Competition closes 5pm on Friday Nov 2
All entries will be collected and the winner will be randomly drawn by the editor
Winners will be notified via email that they have won and will have three work days to confirm that they will be claiming their prize or a second draw to determine the new winner will be held

Weekly Top 10: Fastest rising search terms from South Africans on Google

With the help of Google Trends we are publishing the top 10 searched for phrases (minus the sexy stuff of course) by South Africans on Google over the previous seven days.

Notes:
Thomas Madigage – Bafana Bafana assistant coach Thomas Madigage died in a car crash on Thursday evening
Die Antwoord – Lady Gaga vs. Die Antwoord. So will they be opening for her sometime soon?
yr.no – a weather service by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Windguru – another weather forecasting site

(For past data click here)

Fast rising searches

thomas madigage	Breakout
die antwoord	+850%
bosses day	+250%
jub jub	+200%
yr.no	+90%
avon	+60%
felix baumgartner	+50%
soundcloud	+50%
windguru	+50%
cell c	+40%

Top 10 search terms

1. facebook
2. youtube
3. facebook login
4. google
5. gumtree
6. gmail
7. news
8. yahoo
9. weather
10. fnb
11. games
12. absa
13. game
14. love
15. music
16. standard bank
17. news24
18. quotes
19. maps
20. whatsapp
21. samsung
22. unisa
23. sars
24. cars
25. images

* Google Trends is intended for general analysis of volume patterns.
* When you see Breakout listed instead of an actual percentage, it means that the search term has experienced a change in growth greater than 5000%.

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Jupiter Cape Town collapses management structure

by Herman Manson (@marklives) The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town has collapsed their separate ‘leadership’ and ‘management teams’ into a single unit.

Helen Qually (Head of Strategy), Jonathan Beggs (Creative Director) and Peter Biven (Head of Account Management) now form part of the new single layer management team alongside Kevan Aspoas (CEO and Chairman), Ross Chowles (ECD), Joanne Thomas (Creative Director, Design), Claire Cobbledick (MD), Kevin Duke (Financial Director) and Anne Van Rensburg (Media Director).

According to Jupiter Cape Town MD Claire Cobbledick the move simplifies the corporate management structure at the agency which is also experimenting with restructuring its internal cross functional teams (each serves a portfolio of clients).

The team structure was supposed to build the account management /creative partnership and has been successful but teams grew too large (some had as many as 45 people on board), says Cobbledick. This meant team leaders didn’t get to fully utilise skill sets, some of which were locked in by rival teams, and their size took away from the nimbleness Jupiter was betting on achieving with the original structure.

The new internal structure will see five teams, each headed jointly by an accounts manager and a senior creative, with their own portfolio of clients, work with a central studio from where they can pick required skill sets. The studio will sit at the centre of the agency and teams will be able to draw skills from a central pool. Each member of the reconstituted creative department will have access to a mentor in the person of one of the creative team leaders.

The agency also took an inside-out approach to digital – digital specialists sit in the creative department and in a nod to the rise of social media so does PR.

Cobbledick says Jupiter Cape Town will continue to experiment with reinventing agency processes noting that traditionally these seem to have centred on “slowing stuff down and creating bottlenecks in traffic while covering your own ass.” The agency hopes to apply common sense, adaptability and an openness to experimenting with roles and structures to how it operates and what processes it adopts going forward.

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Why Knott-Craig Jr left Mxit

Mxit has announced the immediate departure of CEO Alan Knott-Craig Jr, and a “R100-million investment”. Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) unravels the shock move.

Alan Knott-Craig Jnr has stepped down as CEO of Mxit, barely a year after he bought it through his investment company, World of Avatar

(WoA). He is also departing WoA.

“While the shareholders and I share the same vision, we differ on how to get there. Therefore, I agreed to go my own way. I wish them all the best for the future. Mxit is Africa’s biggest tech success story, and can be a global success story,” said Knott-Craig Jnr in a statement issued yesterday afternoon. The statement added that he would not be drawn further on the issue, suggesting that the terms of his departure include a confidentiality clause.

His departure comes as a shock, as he was seen as being heavily invested on an emotional level in the future of Mxit and social networking in Africa – as evidenced by his book Mobinomics, jointly authored with Gus Silber.

An aspect of his management that stood out, however, was how relaxed he tended to be about Mxit’s performance. He often commented that it was more important to have fun, and that he did not pay much attention to the numbers. At the same time, he placed strong emphasis on building up a powerful team that would upgrade Mxit into a world-class platform for apps, social networking and mobile commerce.

In the early stages of this development, he appeared to rely for revenue largely on the rising trajectory of Mxit Moola, a virtual currency with which users can pay for certain activities, games and products within Mxit. Moola is available in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia and Lesotho.

Mxit has not made a significant impact in attracting advertising, despite offering a highly effective youth and young adult target market in the mobile arena in South Africa.

With advertising revenue growing slowly and Mxit Moola not growing fast enough, there would have been heavy pressure from shareholders who anticipated Mxit becoming a high-growth company. The purchase price has never been revealed, but it is believed that the price paid to founder Herman Heunis and shareholders Naspers could have been as high as R500-million.

The number does not sound exaggerated, given that the current shareholders say they have invested a further R100-million. That may well have been the sweetener to convince Alan Knott-Craig Jr to leave, but could equally represent the extent to which Mxit was burning through cash to fund its redevelopment. As the quid pro quo to provide further funding at such a high level, the investors would have been able to call the shots on the future of the network.

Just a week ago, Mxit had made an acquisition to shore up its offerings, buying mobile community-building platform Motribe from Nick Haralambous and Vincent Maher.

All of these developments come at a time when Mxit’s subscrtiber base has remained steady at around 9.3-million active users, while the likes of Facebook, Twitter, BBM and WhatsApp are seeing massive growth. None are yet as big as Mxit in South Africa, but all are on a growth path that could see Mxit relegated to third or fourth place in the coming two or three years.

Mxit was clearly not overcoming its apparent stagnation, but simply holding on to 9.3 million highly active users remained an achievement. It appears that was not enough for the investors.

The bottom line in such matters is usually just that: the bottom line, i.e. how much money are they making? If investors didn’t like Knott-Craig’s answer, they may have decided to find someone who could give a better answer.

* Arthur Goldstuck heads up World Wide Worx (www.worldwideworx.com) and is editor-in-chief of Gadget. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee. Reprinted from Gadget.

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Magazine covers we love – Bonnie Henna and other fighting covers

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

Stern, 11 October 2012

Anyone who follows the news, and the reports relating to German chancellor Angela Merkel, will be familiar with the little power suits she wears. Each one just in a different colour… By the look of this, German title Stern printed a cover in 4 different colours. Genius! When translated (according to Google Translate), the cover reads “No heart for Merkel; What Europeans think about the German Chancellor.” And when the “K” is taken out, like on the cover, it reads “A heart for Merkel;…” Love it.

ELLE (UK) Subscription copy, November 2012

I’m really loving the trend at the moment that Subscribers get an extra special cover with very few cover lines (it at all). It’s usually cover images that are really stunning, but wouldn’t work (sell) if it’s on shelf. It’s the perfect platform for designers and photographers to be a little bit more creative and experimental, without worrying that it will jeapordize any sales. In South Africa, I’ve noticed that CAR has previously sent completely different covers to their subscribers. Rooi Rose is also doing something similar by using the same image and coverlines but adding a unique ‘handwritten’ message by the cover model. I really hope that our publishers will start to make subscribers feel more special with unique covers.

The Alpine Review, No. 1

When one thinks of starting a magazine, you think that there has to be a logo, main picture and a few coverlines. If you’re risky, you maybe put a border around. So it’s great to see that people are thinking more and more outside of the box to what a magazine cover SHOULD look like, and where what should be. Hats off to publishers who take a risk, and break the mold, and sometimes starts a new trend.

LOCAL

iMagazine, 14 October 2012

iMagazine, now A4 sized rather than A3, features this cover with a great looking Bonnie Henna. It has so much oomph and gravitas that I wish there was an award for the best covers in South Africa (not the PICA’s, because everyone can’t always enter, and there’s a cost involved). This one would be high up on my list.

– 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
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Bookmarks awards shortlist for 2012

The Bookmarks committee has announced the awards shortlist for 2012.

TOTAL SHORTLISTED (301)

CATEGORIES WITHOUT SHORTLISTED ENTRIES

Core Awards – Advertising and Search – Best Ad Network (0)

Core Awards – Advertising and Search – Best Mobile Ad Network (0)

Core Awards – Social, Community and PR – Blog (0)

Core Awards – Social, Community and PR – Reputation/Crisis Management (0)

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Commercial & Retail Mobile Sites (0)

CORE AWARDS (184 shortlisted)

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Brand, Commercial & Retail Websites – Large Enterprise (Turnover > R100m+) (1 shortlisted)

DStv Online – DStv.com

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Brand, Commercial & Retail Websites – Small/Medium Enterprise (Turnover < R100m) (3 shortlisted)

MACHINE – Marmite Website
The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town) – The Oxy Excuse Generator
World Wide Creative – Sharkwatch South Africa

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Publisher Sites (Mass Appeal) > R5m Turnover (6 shortlisted)

24.com – Food24.com
24.com – News24.com
24.com – Sport24.co.za
BDFM Publishers – BDlive
Daily Maverick and iMaverick – Daily Maverick & iMaverick
MyBroadband – MyBroadband

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Specialist Publisher Sites (smaller, niche audiences with <R5m turnover p.a.) (11 shortlisted)

24.com – Channel24.co.za
24.com – Parent24
Ashsky Media – Lazygamer.net
Both Worlds & Clickshape – ZANEWS NETWORK
Burn Media/Creative Spark – Memeburn
Media24 Magazines – YourParenting.co.za
MyBroadband – BusinessTech
New Media Publishing – Woolworths TASTE Digital
New Media Publishing – www.eatout.co.za
Quirk Cape Town – ELLE Blog
Unilever/Knorr – Whatsfordinner

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Government, Public Service and Civil Society Sites (6 shortlisted)

Creative Spark – The ANC Archives
Hellocomputer – Corruption Watch
NATIVE – Close The Tap
Ogilvy Johannesburg – Add Hope Website
Prezence Digital – #MandelaStory
World Wide Creative – World Design Capital 2014

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Microsites (9 shortlisted)

Hellocomputer – Toyota Etios “Smile Hub”
Hellocomputer – The All New Hyundai Accent
Hellocomputer – Toyota Yaris “You Set the Pace”
Hero – SmartMAX
M&C Saatchi Abel – Remember Me Not
Ogilvy Johannesburg – Add Hope Website
Quirk Cape Town – Col’Cacchio Pizza Challenge
The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town) – The Oxy Excuse Generator
The Jupiter Drawing Room – (Cape Town) – Hyundai Accent

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Brand/Company Identity Mobile Sites (3 shortlisted)

Liquorice – The Perfect Sishebo Show
Prezence Digital – Real Time Wine
Trigger Isobar – Story Time

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – Publisher Mobile Site (4 shortlisted)

24.com – m.news24.com
OnNet (Pty) Ltd – Cell C Mobile Portal
DStv Online (SuperSport.com) – SuperSport.com Mobi
Prezence Digital – EWN Mobi

Core Awards – Websites/Microsites/Mobisites – E-Commerce (5 shortlisted)

Realmdigital – Exclus1ves Stickers
SARIE Magazine (Media24) – koop.sarie.com
Woolworths – www.woolworths.co.za
Yuppiechef – www.yuppiechef.co.za
Zando – www.zando.co.za

Core Awards – Advertising and Search – Display Advertising (17 shortlisted)

AdVine & OMG Digital – Red Bull Beat Battle
BNRY – AXE Hair – Hold + Touch
Gloo – BMW 3 Series: Infographic
Gloo – BMW 3 Series: Greatest Competition
Gloo – BMW Connected Drive: Zoom
Gloo – BMW Efficient Dynamics: More for less
Gloo – Samsung AFCON
Gloo – Samsung Galaxy S lll Popup Play
Gloo – Samsung Galaxy S lll Smart Stay
Hellocomputer – Castle Lite ‘Extra Cold Finder’
iLogic Agency – Nando’s Ketchup on the Headlines
Liquorice – Whatsfordinner: Bring out the Best
Ogilvy Cape Town – Amarok Double Cab
Ogilvy Cape Town – Audi A5 – Sharper News
Ogilvy Cape Town – Explore Tab
Ogilvy Cape Town – Golf Cabriolet – “Scroll up”
Ogilvy Johannesburg – KFC Tower Raiders

Core Awards – Advertising and Search – Best Media Plan (6 shortlisted)

Acceleration Media – Sanlam Budget Speech 2012
Carat SA – Cadbury Kraft – Dentyne
Carat SA – Cadbury Kraft – Stimorol
DigiVOX – BMW
DigiVOX – Web Africa
NATIVE – Protex

Core Awards – Advertising and Search – Paid Search Campaigns (8 shortlisted)

ClickMaven – Momentum Health
DigiVOX – BMW
dotJWT – Avis
Quirk Cape Town – Woolworths (Always On)
Social Code – Hyundai New Cars
Social Code – ORMS Direct
UM Connect / Lighthouse Digital – Microsoft SA (Internet Explorer 9)
World Wide Creative – SA Gold Coin

Core Awards – Advertising and Search – Organic Search Campaigns (4 shortlisted)

Quirk Cape Town – Pam Golding
Synergize – Prime Meridian
Synergize – Carmag
Synergize – Mr Delivery

Core Awards – Email Marketing – Email Campaign (4 shortlisted)

140 BBDO – Scratch
2Stroke Interactive – Chris Willemse Cycles 35th Anniversary
Ireland Davenport – Who still wants to be working in 2054?
Quirk Cape Town – Durbanville Hills Adopt a Vine

Core Awards – Email Marketing – Email Publication (3 shortlisted)

Daily Maverick – The First Thing Newsletter
Demographica – Dollop
Yuppiechef – Yuppiechef Hot Products Email Newsletters

Core Awards – Social, Community and PR – Social Media Properties (14 shortlisted)

Avusa Media LIVE – Sowetan LIVE
Cerebra – Toyota social media properties
Cerebra – Vodacom South Africa
Don’t Look Down & DStv Online – Big Brother Africa Social Media
DSTV Online – SuperSport
Gloo – FNB Facebook Page
Liquorice – Whatsfordinner Facebook
M&C Saatchi Abel – Remember Me Not
Ogilvy Cape Town – The World’s First Alien Abduction Flavoured Gum
Primedia Broadcasting – Kfm Breakfast Facebook Page
Quirk Cape Town – Durex
Quirk Cape Town – Hunter’s
Quirk Cape Town – Shield for Men
Social@Ogilvy – Castle Lager Social Media Relaunch

Core Awards – Social, Community and PR – Social Media Campaigns (33 shortlisted)

Aqua – LikeBike
BNRY – AXE Hair – Hold + Touch
COW Africa – BEV: The Twitter Activated Vending Machine
Creative Spark – J&B Met “Made Different”
Euro RSCG Group – Give Your Colour
Gloo – FNB S*#! People Say About Investing
Hellocomputer – Capitec ‘Speak Up’ Campaign
Hellocomputer – Continental Power Of Stop
Hellocomputer – Hunters Dry ‘ Urban Oasis’ Tour
Hellocomputer – Toyota Etios Tweets for Sweets
iLogic Agency – BMW Interactive Video Projection
iLogic Agency – Hyundai Virtual Test Drive
Ireland Davenport – Friend Request
Joe Public – Twitter Army
King James – Back At Ya
LM&P – Doritos Roulette
MACHINE – Year of the Gherkin
NATIVE – Close The Tap
Ogilvy Cape Town – The World’s First Alien Abduction Flavoured Gum
Ogilvy Cape Town – Volkswagen Street Quest
Ogilvy Cape Town – YouTube Interventions
Ogilvy Johannesburg – Miller Music Tour West
Prezence Digital – #MandelaStory
Quirk Cape Town – Col’Cachio Pizza Challenge
Quirk Cape Town – Col’Cacchio #PriceSlice
SEED Experiences and DDB – #5GumExperience
Retroviral – Nando’s Last Dictator Standing
Society – 1 Litre Launch
Society / Atmosphere – Kulula’s Ridiculously Posh Boeing Launch
The Jupiter Drawing Room (Cape Town) – Shield Bok Wake-Up Calls
Voice Factory Communication – 49M Rocking the Daisies ‘Find Your Way To Daisies’
World Wide Creative – #ThinkThai For A Change. Think Simply Asia.
World Wide Creative – World Design Capital 2014

Core Awards – Applications and Tools – Browser Based Software (2 shortlisted)

Everlytic – Everlytic
Trigger Isobar – Contract Builder

Core Awards – Applications and Tools – Handheld/Phone Apps (5 shortlisted)

4i Mobile Applications – InspireMe App
Liquorice – whatsfordinner Mobi App
FNB – FNB Banking App
Prezence Digital – Ster Kinekor Smart-Phone App
Primedia Broadcasting – Gotcha

Core Awards – Applications and Tools – Tablet Apps (1 shortlisted)

Touchlab – go! Travel South Africa

Core Awards – Applications and Tools – Tablet Publication (5 shortlisted)

24.com – News24 iPad app
Daily Maverick – iMaverick
M&G Media Limited – The Mail & Guardian iPad edition
Snapplify – The Star
Touchlab / Media24 Newspapers – Die Burger

Core Awards – Games – Games (6 shortlisted)

BNRY Digital – Every Bit a Bite of Joy
Hellocomputer – Continental Power Of Stop
iLogic Agency – BMW Interactive Video Projection
iLogic Agency – Hyundai Virtual Test Drive
M&C Saatchi Abel – UEFA Champions League Facebook App
Ogilvy Cape Town – Volkswagen Street Quest

Core Awards – Online Video and Audio – Online Video (7 shortlisted)

Euro RSCG South Africa – Let your body drive
Ogilvy Cape Town – The World’s First Alien Abduction Flavoured Gum Campaign
Ogilvy Cape Town – YouTube Interventions
Ogilvy Johannesburg – Doing More
Prezence Digital – #MandelaStory
Quirk Cape Town – Klipdrift: Thanks for the Invite, Argentina
Quirk Cape Town – Savanna: Dead Funny Videos

Core Awards – Integrated / Mixed Media – Integrated Digital Marketing / Campaigns (13 shortlisted)

Don’t Look Down Convergence Agency – VideoWars
Hellocomputer – Continental Power Of Stop
Hellocomputer – Toyota Etios “Smile Hub”
Hellocomputer – Toyota Yaris “You Set the Pace”
Ireland Davenport – Falling Skies – UFO’s Over Jozi
MACHINE – Marmite
NATIVE – Close The Tap
Ogilvy Cape Town – The World’s First Alien Abduction Flavoured Gum
Ogilvy Cape Town – Volkswagen Street Quest
OMD JHB – Vodacom Gotcha 94.7/94.5
Trigger Isobar – Be Now
Trigger Isobar, Joe Public – Run Jozi
World Wide Creative – World Design Capital 2014

Core Awards – Integrated / Mixed Media – Multi-platform Publisher (7 shortlisted)

24.com – News24
Both Worlds – ZANews Network
Daily Maverick – First Thing Newsletter, Daily Maverick & iMaverick
DStv Online – DStv
DStv Online – SuperSport.com
DStv Online – Big Brother Africa
New Media Publishing – Woolworths TASTE Digital

Core Awards – Integrated / Mixed Media – Multi-Channel Retailer (1 shortlisted)

Hellocomputer, DraftFCB, BNRY, Thingking, Groundglass – Toyota Etios “Here to make you Smile”

CRAFT AWARDS (44 shortlisted)

Craft Awards – Editorial (Media – News, Magazines, Radio, and TV Stations / Networks) (10)

Avusa Media LIVE – Sowetan LIVE
Avusa Media LIVE – Sport LIVE
BOTH WORLDS – ZANEWS NETWORK
Burn Media – Burn Media
Cerebra – G-Connect In-Flight Wi-Fi Editorial
Crush! – www.crushmag-online.com Crush issue 16-21
Daily Maverick – First Thing Newsletter, Daily Maverick & iMaverick
Media24 – SARIE.com
New Media Publishing – Woolworths TASTE Digital
Primedia Broadcasting – Eyewitness News

Craft Awards – Interface, Interaction, Navigation, UX (10)

BNRY Digital – Altech Autopage Birthday Mailer
BNRY Digital – AXE Hair: Hold + Touch
BNRY Digital – Cadbury Dairy Milk Reseal Campaign
Gloo – FNB: DotFNB
iLogic Agency – BMW Interactive Video Projection
iLogic Agency – Hyundai Virtual Test Drive
NATIVE – Close The Tap
NATIVE – NATIVE website
Ogilvy Cape Town – Volkswagen Street Quest
Urbian – WineConnected

Craft Awards – Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation (12)

BNRY Digital – Cadbury Dairy Milk Reseal Campaign
Hellocomputer – Adidas NEO Weather Widget
Hellocomputer – Capitec ‘Speak Up’ campaign
Hellocomputer – Continental Power Of Stop
Hellocomputer – Hunters Dry ‘ Urban Oasis’ Tour
Joe Public and Gloo – Clover microsite
Joe Public and Gloo – Clover viral
MACHINE – Marmite Blogger Drop
Ogilvy Cape Town – Golf Cabriolet – “Scroll up”
Ogilvy Cape Town – Volkswagen Street Quest
Prezence Digital – #MandelaStory
Urbian – BlackBerry Touch Awesomeness

Craft Awards – Tech. Innovation (12)

4i Mobile Applications – InspireMe App
BNRY Digital – AXE Hair – Hold + Touch
BNRY Digital – Cadbury Dairy Milk Reseal Campaign
CLARITY – Habitat-House
Cow Africa – Bacardi Mugshot Application
Cow Africa – BEV: Tweet-activated vending machine
Hellocomputer – Toyota Etios Tweets for Sweets
iLogic Agency – BMW Interactive Video Projection
iLogic Agency – Hyundai Virtual Test Drive
NATIVE – Close The Tap
Ogilvy Cape Town – Volkswagen Street Quest
Snapplify – Snapplify

INDIVIDUAL & TEAM AWARDS (45)

Individual and Team Awards – The Digital Maverick (5)

Branko Brkic
Helène Lindsay
Michael van den Heerik
Prakash Patel
Richard Oakley

Individual and Team Awards – Best Editorial Team (7)

24.com – News24 Editorial Team
Avusa Media LIVE – Sowetan LIVE with Sunday World – Juliette Saunders, Genevieve Kgafe, Karen Singh
BDFM Publishers – BDlive Editorial Team
Both Worlds – ZANEWS NETWORK
Burn Media – The Burn Team (Memeburn)
Daily Maverick and iMaverick – Daily Maverick and iMaverick
Eyewitness News – Eyewitness News Online Editorial Team

Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Advertising Sales Team (3)

Avusa Media LIVE Sales Team
Demographica Sales Team
Mark 1 Sales Media Team

Individual and Team Awards – Best Digital Editorial Individual (6)

Avusa Media LIVE – Times LIVE – Reuben Goldberg
BDFM Publishers – Peter Bruce
Daily Maverick – Greg Marinovich
Daily Maverick and iMaverick – Branko Brkic
Daily Maverick and iMaverick – Mandy de Waal
Eyewitness News – Katy Katopodis

Individual and Team Awards – Best Creative (1)

Liquorice – Brian Carter

Individual and Team Awards – Best Media Planner (3)

Acceleration Media – Chanel Mackay
DigiVOX – Michelle Pearman
NATIVE – Jarred Mailer

Individual and Team Awards – Best Social Media Marketer (2)

Cerebra – John Beale
Quirk – Juan Karstel
Individual and Team Awards – Best Paid Search Marketer (2)

Acceleration Media – Michael Walker
Social Code – Natalie Solomon

Individual and Team Awards – Best Organic Search Marketer (3)

Maven – Brad Conlin
Quirk – Graeme Stiles
Synergize – Robin Fishley

Individual and Team Awards – Best Account/Client Service Manager (5)

Acceleration Media – Melody Maker
Cerebra – Heike Meyburgh
Cerebra – Jacques du Bruyn
MediaMind – Lisa Pearson
NATIVE – Leanne Godden

Individual and Team Awards – Best Copywriter (3)

Synergize – Kimberley Myers
Synergize – Samantha Corbett
Synergize – Tammy Binedell

Individual and Team Awards – Best Student (2)

Inbal Malinina & Tess Gadd – AAA
Dave Colley & Martin Magner – Red & Yellow School

Individual and Team Awards – Best Youngster (3)

Daily Maverick – Simon Allison
Daily Maverick – Sipho Hlongwane
Synergize – Victoria Smith

SPECIAL HONOURS (28)

Special Honours – Greatest Company Contribution to Digital (5)

DigiVOX
Everlytic
Mustard Marketing
Prezence SA
Quirk

Special Honours – Best Agency (8)

Cerebra
DigitLab
DigiVOX
Gloo
Liquorice Africa Advertising
NATIVE
Quirk
World Wide Creative

Special Honours – Best Brand/Company (2)

KPMG
Primedia Broadcasting

Special Honours – Best Publishing House (6)

24.com – 24.com
Avusa Media LIVE – Avusa Media LIVE
BDFM Publishers – BDFM Publishers
Daily Maverick and iMaverick – Daily Maverick and iMaverick
DStv Online – DStv Online
Eyewitness News – Eyewitness News

Special Honours – Best Individual Contribution to SA DM&M (7)

Andrea Mitchell
Mike Saunders
Nikki Cockcroft
Pete Case
Rob Stokes
Styli Charalambous
Tim Bishop

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