#VWDriveDry — bold campaign or car crash?

by Mike Sharman (@mikesharman) Less than a fortnight into the New Year and brands are elbowing their way to the fore and dominating conversations across the local Twittersphere. We’ve had the delivery driver who put the “D” in Mr D, Food (/Rat) Lover’s Market, the Woolies/Ubuntu Baby Carrier debacle and now the #VWDriveDry initiative that’s creating a social-media stir of epic proportions.

Up to speed

If you’ve not been exposed to the campaign, this case-study video will bring you up to speed:

The campaign centred on rapper Nomuzi Mabena, known as Moozlie, and her involvement in an apparent car accident while live-streaming on social media. The video of the accident quickly went viral and fans; the general public and the media struggled to ascertain news.

Her PR team declined to comment on media queries as to her wellbeing; Cosmo was told, “We are waiting for information. Her phone is off which is quite concerning.” Other media outlets, including The Juice, were also left hanging for half a day. “Triggered”, “shook”, “extra” and “a lot” are some of the millenialisms being thrown around in an attempt to articulate the audience’s reaction to this unbranded-branded content stunt.

One of the most-polarising

The campaign has certainly achieved an objective of creating talkability and is one of the most-polarising local campaigns I can remember over the past 12 months.

To put it into context with an apples vs apples ‘industry’/topic comparison, in December 2018, AWARE and RTMC used a mockumentary tactic to launch a drive-through liquor store on the side of a major road of Johannesburg’s affluent Bryanston suburb. There was some social media chatter, which culminated in a media/influencer launch comprising all the usual ‘drinking and driving is bad, mkay’ messaging you would expect from such a campaign. It had the creativity but lacked the ability to keep the goldfish-memory country captivated for more than a few hours post-reveal. Also, most social-media commentary doubted the validity of this premise and smelt a campaign rat (not the Food Lover’s variety, mind you) prior to the reveal.

When tasked with the brief of developing this opinion piece, I was given free rein to be as cutthroat as my creative writing heart desired. However, it irks me when ‘ad people’ criticise or form opinions of work without stopping to question or understand the layers that combine to complete a campaign onion. I’ve also been fortunate to work on drinking-and-driving campaigns in the past and have an inkling of the challenges that exist to move the needle when it comes to South Africa’s zero-f*cks, lawlessness mentality in terms of abiding by the laws of responsible driving.

Brief, objectives, and research

So, I reached out to Candice Mullins, director and co-founder of Bonfire Media, the agency responsible for this piece of work, to interrogate brief, objectives, and research behind campaign development, as well as the choice to use Moozlie as the influencer-star of this narrative (who has subsequently had her fair share of shade thrown her way with the trending #RoastNomuzi topic).

Based on this conversation, research of the Twitter interactions and my own dissection of the interviews that have been aired since the reveal, these are my views.

The good news

Great storytelling has peaks and troughs, and this piece of communication was more than just a one-hit, live Insta-wonder. There were bread crumbs scattered across Moozlie’s profile from the start of December that, in retrospect, were such lovely touches.

I love this Boomerang, in particular, from 6 December 2018, that is complete with the symbolism that glamorises drinking and driving:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrC4PoUBX7L/

Interestingly, the audience had little to say about Moozlie’s transgressions during December, such as drinking and driving, and her tips to avoid roadblocks. It is this aspect of the campaign that encapsulates the problems facing our society. We are quick to cry foul when we are duped by a marketing stunt but aren’t willing to call someone out when they’re promoting potential life-threatening behaviour. This is the nature of the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll influencer lifestyle that we wish to offer up to the ’Gram gods in exchange for hearts and a digital dopamine fix.

The bad news

Here’s what didn’t work:

  • The mixed messaging in the campaign crescendo. The drinking-and-driving delivery was diluted because the clip of the crash is more about distractions that we create for ourselves behind the wheel and ‘’Gramming and driving’ than it is a pure drinking play.
  • VW formally apologised for the campaign, according to this report from the SABC — if you’re going to take such a risk, then you have to stick to your guns. With this type of execution, you have to go all in and back yourself. The results are dented by this action.
  • Finally, the time period it took to reveal that Moozlie was part of a stunt and fortunately not harmed.

This was the most-irresponsible component of the campaign and, as much as the spokespeople wish to defend the need for prolonging the reveal in order to maximise engagement, the team pushed the envelope too far. This is where the campaign falls over. Timing is critical in determining stunt success or failure. Timing toyed with people’s emotions. The audience was tricked with a fake death carrot.

In response to my tweet about this campaign, Dean Oelschig, founder of Halo suggests: “A fine but definitive line between brave and stupid. This wasn’t brave.”

I much prefer the way a 10-second delay was used with this campaign from Israel that hacked YouTube to deliver its message:

Most-appropriate channel

Statistics show that road accidents are most prevalent among 25-34 year olds in SA and there have been an average 14 000 road accident fatalities per year for the past three years. One thing is certain: this campaign leverages the most-appropriate channel to talk to that audience.

We may only hope that the conversation this campaign is forcing people to have — negatively or positively — convinces a fair amount of the 8 000+ d*ckheads, who kill behind the wheel after ‘just a few drinks’, to opt for a designated driver of some description in 2019.

 

Mike SharmanMike Sharman (@mikesharman) is co-founder of Retroviral, an award-winning creative digital agency that has made more brands ‘go viral’ than any other agency in Africa.

“Motive” is a by-invitation-only column on MarkLives.com. Contributors are picked by the editors but generally don’t form part of our regular columnist lineup, unless the topic is off-column.

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#BigQ2019: Let’s be credible again

by Masego Motsogi (@masegom) I’m sure many of us will attest to 2018 as one for the history books of South Africa*. Yet, for the marketing and advertising industry, I have to say that things were a bit tame. Now, this could be a function of either a stable industry that has its feet firmly on the ground, or one that has been hanging back with minimal resolve on its purpose. My personal reflection is that the latter could be the case.

Not a true character

The tameness is certainly not a true character of an industry that boasts a number of creative minds, many of whom are decorated with awards from across the world — an industry that has enough access to channels of communication to influence popular culture and, if we were bold enough to, even affect elements of the national agenda.

Could our light have been dimmed by our own inconsistencies through not realising our value and starting to lose our share of voice with our clients to consultancies and other parties? Have we become so unresolved that we’ve entered into price wars with one another, ultimately informing, among other things, the quality of output and the level of reinvestment into our businesses affecting overall improvement, particularly as a service industry?

We had a good run leading up to the 2008 economic downturn, and that has obviously impacted where we are today as a group of people. Not all is lost, however, especially if we take it upon ourselves to reflect on the wins and losses of the current systems and find a way into the future that will not only keep us as an industry out of oblivion but also produce work that shifts the dial — work that is truly meaningful by being informative, inspiring, entertaining and, indeed, beautiful.

Expectations for 2019

In saying that, my expectations for 2019 for us are that:

  • We will continue to recognise the beauty and power of diversity that helps our work be that much that stronger and impactful. This means making a concerted effort in ensuring that we invite young people, women and a racially diverse group of people and beyond into the industry, and then retain them.
  • In keeping this cohort of people, we need to understand that growth largely emanates from empowerment and that needs to be facilitated through mentorship and other such programmes.
  • We need to take our own council. We often sit in boardrooms and, together with our clients, define what brands stand for and what they represent to their audiences. But how affirmed are we in our own purpose? I think it’s time we define that and stand firm in what we bring to the party and let that be reflected in our work.
  • In recognising the above, let us also move with the times and remember that technology has made its tracks well into the veins of everything that we do – let’s find ways of making technologies work for us without taking away the heart in the work we do. Let’s use technology and humanity for maximum impact.
  • This one may seem too obvious to even mention but, in reality, I think we take it for granted that we know and that is it. I took part in a panel interview not so long ago, where one of the closing questions the radio host posed to us was: How close to reality are we as an industry? My first instinct was to respond firmly with an “I’m in tune; I know what’s happening; I’m aware” but, on further reflection, I have to admit that there’s so much happening around us and it’s hard to keep track of all of outside of social media platforms and my hope is that we start having bold conversations and truly immerse ourselves to help us understand. Our work is often what we believe to be a reflection of society or a prediction of what is to come. We need to edge closer to knowledge and a little farther from ‘thoughts’ and ‘beliefs’ by experiencing more.

I’m more than certain that the above isn’t unique to our industry. I do feel, though, that our industry is in one of the most-fortunate positions as it’s small enough to effect change without unnecessary bureaucracy. It has enough resolute and creative minds, and it can only get better from here onwards.

Let’s do it best

Going into an election year, I hope that, beyond what other agencies may be doing for political parties and other related entities, we pull ourselves towards ourselves, start giving a damn and stop hanging in the shadows and make our voices heard. Let’s find ways to weigh in on the national agenda – responsibly. Let’s be credible again. Let’s do it best.

*2018 started off with probably the most-memorable Valentine’s Day to date and, among many things, terms such as sh*thole and Brexit firmly found their place in the general lexicon. Locally, many things happened beyond the political spectrum, and SA’s unofficial investigative unit in Black Twitter remains a force while we continue dealing with several corporate scandals still making the news. Let’s not even start on how things stood economically. In short, things were — over and above interesting — chaotic.

See also

 

MarkLives logo What are the industry expectations for the marketing and advertising industry in 2019? Kicking off our “Big Q” column for the year, a panel of key agency and marketing executives discusses the macro environment, budgets, changes in messaging, movement in the industry and any consumer and communication trends they’ll be looking out for in the year ahead.

Masego Motsogi (@masegom) is managing director of Grid Worldwide. Her career in advertising and marketing spans over 16 years, having worked at Ninety9cents Johannesburg, Ogilvy & Mather, The Jupiter Drawing Room, South African Breweries and FCB Africa. She has a degree in community and health psychology and a higher diploma in integrated marketing communications.

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

Young, Gifted & Killing It: Ernest Nkosi

by Veli Ngubane (@TheNduna) Multitalented Ernest Nkosi (@ernestnkosi) is a filmmaker, creative director and promoter, and the director behind acclaimed South African feature film, Thina Sobabili: The Two of Us.

Ernest Nkosi
Ernest Nkosi

Veli Ngubane: Tell us more about yourself: where did you grow up and what did you want to be when you were growing up?
Ernest Nkosi: I grew up in Katlehong, Nhlapo section (K1). I’ve always wanted to be a filmmaker; my parents took me to see Sarafina at the Paragon[(township cinema] — it was the first film I saw where the people looked like me, spoke like me and the locations looked like where I lived. Seeing people react to what was on screen completely moved me and I wanted to be a part of that; whatever magic was that moved in that auditorium on that day I knew I wanted that.

VN: How have your upbringing and culture influenced your creative journey and perspective?
EN: My upbringing and cultural influences will always be the prism I see the world through: I’m proud to have grown up in K1 and, in the same breath, I was lucky enough to have gone to one of the top boys’ schools in the country (Jeppe High School for Boys). This opened up a completely new world to me; having to govern the dynamics of both worlds and finding my voice in both realms had a profound effect on my worlds’ viewpoint. It’s made me the unique creative I am today.

VN: Please explain what you actually do and how an average day looks for you?
EN: I’m a creative entrepreneur by Jah’s design and, for my sins, no two days are the same. I do three things: I direct commercials (represented by Seriti Films); I’m a creative director at a digital agency (represented by OCB Original Creative Breed); and, finally, I promote car-spinning events (represented by the WSME Group). My life revolves around these three pillars.

VN: Tell us about your journey; how did you get into advertising and film-making?
EN: Advertising: I watched an American TV show called the Pitch (premise: three ad agencies compete for business and the cameras document the process) [and] the next day I cold-called every agency I could get contact details to, sent countless emails to ECDs in the industry begging for an opportunity to work on a brief (for free) and if I had potential an chance to learn the craft. [A] month later Phil Ireland returned my mail and gave me an opportunity at Ireland/Davenport; he mentored me the four years I was there and continues to do so today from the UK.

Film: while I learnt the craft of advertising, my partners (Enos Manthata, Mpho Nthangeni and Mpho Popps Modikoane) and I saved every cent we could in a four-year period to pay for a feature film I co-wrote with Mosibudi Pheeha, and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to direct my very first feature film and, as they say, the rest is history.

VN: I know you were an Emmy contender. What awards and achievements are you most proud of? Please give me a few career highlights.
EN: By far, one of my biggest career highlights was being in the Oscar and Golden Globe race as South Africa’s official entry in the 2015 edition. We traveled the world campaigning for the win, heights a kid from K1 couldn’t even fathom, and I was there and it was wonderful, every single moment of it. Emmy contender would be the more accurate; [I] made it to [the finalis] and never made the final three that get the actual final nomination.

VN: Transformation in the advertising industry is still slow. What do you think needs to be done to fast track transformation in our industry?
EN: Simply put, TRANSFORMATION CAN NOT BE FAST-TRACKED IN ADVERTISING. The system of the industry simple doesn’t allow [for this], from how pitches are awarded to the multinationals that run the game and the marketing heads at big brands and the relationships that make the money ebb and flow between the same, with few networks that have branches in our country. It’s hard to see how fast-tracking anything could even stand a chance beyond just having a few more blacks at someone else’s table.

Transformation needs a new narrative: it needs to hear The Odd Number’s narrative; it needs to hear Avatar’s narrative; it needs to hear Black Powder‘s narrative. Their success stories will inspire creatives like me to think it’s possible and, if more creatives [who] look like me and talk like me from places that look like where I grew up think it’s possible, clients will start to think maybe my brand will be served better by people [who] look like the people I’m trying to build affinity with — let me give them a chance and hear them pitch on how they would interpret my brand’s promise to my customers.

VN: Where and when do you have your best ideas?
EN: On my balcony in the city at some ungodly hour.

VN: What advice can you give to young creatives wanting to get into the business?
EN: Trust the process of your journey and punch the first person that tells you to get a real job in the throat when things don’t seem to be going well.

VN: Tell us something about yourself not generally known.
EN: I’m trying to get one fight in the EFC.

VN: What exciting projects are you working on at the moment?
EN: I’ve been shooting a documentary feature for the past three years and… I’m hoping the team and I can make another run for the Oscars and Globes.

VN: Please would you supply two or three pieces of work you have been involved in?

https://vimeo.com/254259678

https://vimeo.com/254259710

Updated at 9/09am on 14 January 2019

 

Veli NgubaneVeli Ngubane (@TheNduna) entered the world of advertising with a passion after completing his BSocSci (law, politics and economics) at UCT and a post-graduate marketing diploma at Red & Yellow, where he’s currently advisory board chairman. He also sits on the IAB’s Transformation & Education Council, is a DMA board member and Loeries, APEX, Pendoring, Bookmarks and AdFocus. He is the group MD of AVATAR, one of the largest black-owned and managed integrated agency offering in South Africa. In his monthly column “Young, Gifted & Killing It”, he profiles award-winning, kick-ass black creative talent in South Africa.

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

#BigQ2019: The continued rise of the discerning consumer

by Lebogang Rasethaba (@LeboRasethaba) If you want to know how tough 2018 was, ask polony. People won’t eat things that will kill them in much the same way they won’t consume bad content; the process of ingestion has become stricter and better.

For context, let’s go back even further.

Class signifier

It’s the early ’90s, South Africa is divided and we can’t agree on much but we agree that polony is signifier of your class — it’s aspirational and oddly kinda delicious. Fast-forward to the early 2000s and the black elite class doesn’t eat polony anymore; we eat things like bacon, salami, WE EAT HAM, y’all! But polony has a consistent and loyal fanbase in the working-class home. It’s still as delicious and aspirant and functional as it was in the ’90s.

Then it’s 2018 and, BOOM, polony is an enemy of the people. It’s now no longer a thing of personal preference; it’s no longer parma ham vs polony, it’s “if you eat polony, YOU WILL DIE!” And perhaps that’s what I enjoyed the most about 2018: the rise of the discerning working-class consumer.

Often when we have conversations about advertising, marketing, budgets, trends etc, they have the danger of existing within a nucleus, a microcosm of sameness. They now more and more need to include consumers because the latter are no longer happy to be passive in their consumption of the content we produce but, rather, want to be active shapers of a culture of content production.

Shapers of pop culture

Social media — and by social media I really mean “Black Twitter” — is now one of the biggest shapers of pop culture. Despite the name, I would argue that Black Twitter isn’t a race thing; it’s an attitude, a wit, a quickness, a sharpness, an intelligence, memes, lots and lots of memes that can literally decide if your campaign/advert can stay or not. (For the record, this isn’t a free pass for non-people of color to stake a claim or participation in Black Twitter.)

At almost every meeting I have before a shoot, a client will say “we don’t want any blacklash on social media”, which is code for “I am petrified of Black Twitter having me”. But it gets even more complex, because it’s not even just about how consumers respond to stuff en masse; they can even discern brand tonality. Something big happened socially (I can’t remember what exactly) and then Nando’s put out a statement in response, and people were quick say, “Nah, that’s not at the humour standard of Nando’s”, “Nando’s wouldn’t use that language,” etc. And it was true; it was done by a digital somebody trying to get in on the hype but the people said “no”.

So, here’s how this has all landed for me — how it’s gone from speculation to a proverbial coin drop, a moment in history.

“Broader African market”

At the time of writing, I’m currently finishing a beer advert and it’s for the larger African market, so the territories include Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, etc. We’re having interesting conversations in the edit suite and one of the marketing leads from the other African territories says that “the story has to be more linear and simpler and less complicated for the broader African market”.

My initial response is very sanctimonious: “Peeps, we can’t ascribe intelligence to geography. How can we possibly say that people from a specific region can’t respond to non-linear, complex, nuanced narratives? That’s very insulting to people’s intelligence.” (I’m sitting proud on my high horse now, feeling like a real man of the people).

Then the local client turns to me and says, “South African consumers are very sophisticated and advanced in how they respond to messaging in adverts… people here have been exposed to adverts for a really long time and now they are very literate in the form and demand more from a messaging point of view.”

So, as I eat my humble pie, have a slice with me, and let’s applaud our SA consumers for keeping us sharp, on our toes, honest and inventive. Because, if you don’t, Black Twitter will have you in 2019.

See also

 

MarkLives logo What are the industry expectations for the marketing and advertising industry in 2019? Kicking off our “Big Q” column for the year, a panel of key agency and marketing executives discusses the macro environment, budgets, changes in messaging, movement in the industry and any consumer and communication trends they’ll be looking out for in the year ahead.

Lebogang Rasethaba (@LeboRasethaba) is co-founder of the multi-award-winning production company, Arcade Content. He directs ads through Egg Films; brand films, music videos and documentaries through Arcade; and is represented in the UK and US by London Alley. His work has won Creative Circle Ad of the Year; featured on sites such as Highsnobiety, i-D, Nowness and Vice; screened at TED Global 2017; and nominated as Best African Video at the All Africa Music Awards 2018, among other accolades. He has a handy fluency in Mandarin.

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

#BigReads2018: Crying on the job, salary surveys and the Capitec Way

by Herman Manson (@marklives) We list the best-read media and marketing stories on MarkLives during 2018.

South African currency currency notes courtesy of Pixabay
Image courtesy of Pixabay

1. Salary Survey 2018: Who earns what in adland & marketing in South Africa

Recruitment agency, Ad Talent, released its 2018 salary survey for the communications industry. This annual survey was not intended to be prescriptive but was a report on what this specific recruiter had experienced over the course of the previous year.

 

Capitec2. Capitec’s 6 P’s of marketing

Published in 2012, the story remains one of our best-read features, month in and month out, year after year.

“Consumer discontent opened up the market for this ‘straight-talking organisation’,” according to Carl Fischer, head executive of marketing and corporate affairs at Capitec. Fischer said he had no idea how the Big 4 justified their costs and business practices and, increasingly, consumers didn’t either. Capitec wanted to change banking ‘like Kulula.com changed the airline market’, he said. That is, it wanted to bring about fundamental change to this market.

• See also: Capitec’s marketing team on the Capitec way

 

magazines-reading-leisure courtesy of Pixabay
Image courtesy of Pixabay

3. The continued decline of printed magazines and newspapers

Our stories analysing the quarterly magazine and newspaper circulation data, released by the ABC, were among the top-read media and marketing features published during 2018.

• See: Consumer magazine circ continues decline, shows ABC Q3 2018

  • Consumer-magazine circulation statistics for the period July–September 2018 (ABC Q3 2018) showed:
  • Total magazine circulation declined by 1% on the previous quarter, and by 13.7% year on year
  • Consumer magazines declined by 1% on the previous quarter, and by 11.5% on the prior year
  • B2B Magazines declined by 1.7% on the previous quarter, and by 8.5% on the prior year
  • Custom Magazines declined by 0.3% on the prior quarter, and by 15.9% on the prior year
  • Free magazines declined by 0.7% on the prior quarter, and by 11% on the prior year.

• See: Newspaper circ Q3 2018: Sunday Sun, City Press lead losses

  • Newspaper-circulation statistics for the period July–September 2018 (ABC Q3 2018) showed that:
  • Total newspaper circulation declined 2.9% the previous quarter, and by 4.0% on the prior year
  • Daily newspapers declined by 2.2% on the previous quarter,and by 13.6% on the prior year
  • Weekly newspapers increased by 8.7% on the previous quarter, but declined by 9.6% on the prior year
  • Weekend newspapers declined by 1.5% on the previous quarter, and by 8.3% on the prior year
  • Local newspapers declined by 3.5%on the previous quarter, and by 8.3% on the prior year
  • Free newspapers declined by 3.9% on the previous quarter, and by 1.2% on the prior year.

 

WhatsApp logo4. What’s up with radio stations using WhatsApp?

by Paulos Dias. WhatsApp with its little blue ticks is an essential way to communicate and radio stations have integrated it seamlessly into the way they’re interacting with their audiences. So, how are stations using the Facebook-owned messaging platform on-air and does it offer any possibility for advertisers?

 

south-african-coins-banknotes-money-currency courtesy of Pixabay
Image courtesy of Pixabay

5. MarkLives Agency Revenue Rankings 2018

We updated our agency revenue ranking to help assist marketers gain a comprehensive overview of the relative scale of agencies in the South African communications landscape.

 

grave-cemetery-rip-tombstone courtesy of Pixabay
Image courtesy of Pixabay

6. Why I’ve left advertising strategy was a very popular opinion piece

by Bogosi Motshegwa. I’ve not left advertising (no-one ever does; those who claim to just don’t know their comeback date yet) — I’ve left agency strategy. There are two issues at play: ad agencies are dead (they just don’t know it yet); and strategists or planners are under threat. If agencies are dead, the biggest casualty isn’t creative departments but, rather, strategic planning, which is being dealt a huge blow (creative ideas will always be around as ideas are currency, whether or not they’re based on sound strategic thinking).

 

handshake-regard-cooperate-connect courtesy of Pixabay7. The first time this suit cried in advertising

by Jason Harrison. I was just a 24-year-old account executive (a title which my mother thought was very important), going about my business writing a very important contact report. Then he called — a very senior and important client who couldn’t get hold of anyone else, so he got put through to me by the receptionist. He was pissed off. Very, very pissed off. He used the first 10 minutes of the call to tell me how rubbish the agency had been on a job and then he used the next 10 minutes to then tell me how rubbish I was, too. He was swearing, demeaning and out of control.

 

Independent Media up to Stratcom tricks collage8. When newspapers get it wrong

‘Disgusting’ sums up Indy Newspapers today: Nobody really thought April 2018 could have gotten any worse for the South African media industry. But Independent Newspapers upped the ante and the South African National Editors’ Forum went on the warpath.

South African media tarnishing own reputation: The reputation of South Africa’s media establishment (and anti-establishment) had been taking a beating in April 2018. We collated some of the public reaction on the retractions, misogyny and what appeared to be personal vendettas. It was a shameful couple of weeks.

 

Meet Bheki the Mbhaco Maker screengrab9. South Africa’s youth more ‘culture creator’ than millennial

by David Smythe. South Africa’s marketers, strategists and advertisers should reconsider their propensity to classify local youth as millennials, and rather embrace a definition and understanding which is more accurate and more in step with what these young adults are doing, thinking and feeling.

 

Mozambique flag and emblem10. African Echo: Mozambique — become the country you’re destined to be

by Nuno Rainho. It’s no secret that Mozambique is a country gifted with an abundance of natural resources which include trillions of cubic feet of natural gas in the Rovuma Basin, considerable oil reserves in the southern part of the country, and holds some of the world’s largest untapped coal deposits. From an outsider’s perspective, the key question is: How can a country so rich below the surface in such resources be — above the surface — one of the poorest countries in the world?

• More African Echo columns

 

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

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#BigQ2019: Future-proofing your brand for 2019

by Nicole Shapiro (@nixxyzee) 2019 is set to be another challenging year, with growth even more difficult to come by. So, what should smart marketers be focusing on for the coming year to future-proof their brands?

Simply put, 2018 was a tricky year for marketers and those in business in South Africa. Along with the incredibly cash-strapped consumer, we had to navigate tight economic pressures on businesses, never-seen-before droughts in some parts of our country, increased taxes and regulations, and a rollercoaster ride of political instability. It may sound like doom and gloom but smart marketers can still achieve success. We’ve seen brand heroes when there were similar scenarios in our country approximately 10 years ago but there were lots of ‘zeroes’, too.

How to future-proof

Collage - Superbalist, Trace Mobile, Albany Bread, Checkers Simple Truth, Woolworths app, J&B Hive

1. New paradigms of value

It’s without a doubt that the provision of value should remain a critical imperative for 2019.

For marketers, this doesn’t mean falling into the trap of running constant sales promotions and providing discounts, as this only erodes brand equity over time. Rather, it means critically evaluating your brand’s unique value equation and understanding what the functional and emotional benefits of your brand are, over the price.

Brands which provide great value think about the top half of the equation, rather than simply reducing the bottom half — relying on cutting price is the fool’s way out! To this end, consider what extra benefits you can inject into your proposition to enhance the value. Or, alternatively, if you want to use price to enhance value, remove something out of the top half of the equation a la Fly Safair or Lion Lager.

Example

  • Superbalist offers value and affordability without compromising on ‘cool factor’. Its business model is centred on sourcing local and international products and affordable fashion from a broad mix of designer brands — but it always maintains an edge, never looks or feels cheap and embodies this new definition of value.

2. The centennial opportunity

The World Economic Forum estimates that there will be over 1bn young people living in Africa in 2050, with a projected spend of R6.5tn. Although this ‘centennial’ market is fraught with challenges such as unemployment and violence, they are proving to be a motivated generation of self-starters determined to make a difference and change their circumstances.

In 2019, this market will represent a great opportunity for brands looking to unlock growth. However, when it comes to understanding and connecting with this consumer, it’s imperative to speak authentically to the South African centennial; if a brand gets it wrong, it’s difficult to redeem itself in the eyes of this demanding consumer.

Example

  • Trace Mobile is positioned as the ‘next generation cellular network’ and provides value adds, plans and exclusive content that speaks to the needs of a young ‘Afro-urban’ consumer. The brand looks and feels youthful without being seen as trying too hard or feeling inauthentic.

3. Wellbeing on the rise

As peoples’ lives continue to get busier and consumers are more stretched and stressed, wellbeing is set to become increasingly important in 2019. Previously, the concepts of wellness and wellbeing were reserved for the elite few, but there is increasingly heightened awareness around ‘feeling good’ in the middle market, with an increased need for moderation and the desire to live a more-holistic life. Wellbeing is now about more than just health and diets; it’s about achieving balance across mind, body and soul to enhance one’s mood and head space.

Examples

  • Albany Bakeries partnered with DJ Zinhle in marketing its Ultima range, a low-GI and low-calorie variation. It brought the concept of wellbeing to a very mainstream category — and provided recipe inspiration, fitness tips as well as the inspiration for maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
  • Retailer Checkers recently launched its “Simple Truth” range, making health and wellness products more accessible to all South Africans. This includes gluten-free, reduced-sugar, segan, organic and eco-friendly products easily available to the Checkers consumer.

4. Authentic connections

It’s no secret that there has been, and will continue to be, a proliferation of technology and digital forces shaping society and how we interact with brands. But, even though we’re embracing all things digital, there’s an increasing desire for consumers to be able to connect with people more authentically.

2018 saw the rise of movements such as #DigitalDetox (quite ironic that it has a hashtag); and my prediction is that consumers will seek to switch off even more — for manageable, short periods — in 2019. Brands that not only connect with consumers authentically but also provide ways and platforms for consumers to make more real connections with each other will be highly sought after and appreciated.

Example

  • The J&B Hive Johannesburg brings together a community of entrepreneurs and creatives in Jozi. It consists of a creative hub where entrepreneurs may work, socialise, host events and gain learning opportunities designed to support their businesses.

5. Brave new commerce

The South African retail landscape continues to make one of the most income-disparate societies in the world work. Targeted formats are critical, the emergent informal trade is thriving and modern retail space is aspirational. At the same time, channel boundaries are blurring and are no longer linear.

Tomorrow’s shopper will become more channel-agnostic and challenge established channel playbooks and channel definitions. In 2019, marketers and retailers will need to create the experience of perfect retailing that is predictable and integrated, regardless of the environment they choose.

Example

  • Woolworths recently updated its app functionality to allow in-app shopping. It also provides lifestyle messages and inspiration, now making it one of the most-comprehensive retail apps in the country. It’s important for brands to note how the design and content of the app stays completely true to the Woolworths brand and retail experience.

~• ~ • ~

Even though it’s set to be a challenging and interesting year, I’m excited to see what 2019 has in store for us. I’m eager to see how marketers are going to navigate tighter budgets and ever-demanding consumers, but hopeful that there will be some great success stories emerging from the ‘storm’. As they say ‘diamonds are made under pressure’. Good luck for 2019!

See also

 

MarkLives logo What are the industry expectations for the marketing and advertising industry in 2019? Kicking off our “Big Q” column for the year, a panel of key agency and marketing executives discusses the macro environment, budgets, changes in messaging, movement in the industry and any consumer and communication trends they’ll be looking out for in the year ahead.

Nicole Shapiro (@nixxyzee) is a director of brand and human & cultural truth at Kantar Consulting. She has experience in both the client and agency environments, and is passionate about brands and their role in culture; strategy and future-forecasting.

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

#BigReads2018: The creative work you made time to read about in 2018

by Herman Manson (@marklives) We list the creative work you made time to read about here on MarkLives during 2018.

Absa rebrand - artboard logo1. The new Absa logo

• See: Social media reacts to Absa’s new logo

Absa launched its new corporate identity, following its divorce from Barclays Africa Group. It officially rebranded and started trading under its new name, Absa Group, and new share code (ABG) on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, on Wednesday, 11 July 2018. OgilvyRED (New York), Grid Worldwide and Yellowwood consulted on the brand change. Tweeps weren’t impressed. We still asked one of the agencies behind the rebrand to explain their thinking.

• See also: Behind the Absa brand relaunch

“The challenge was to take a leading brand such as Absa, that has gone through more than one rebrand iteration, and revitalise the brand identity to make it digitally led and approachable — to appeal not only to the market and consumers but to existing and the new staff, the Barclays employees — to create something new and fresh for the African market.”

 

2017 MarkLives Ad of the Year 2017 part 22017 MarkLives Ad of the Year 2017 part 12. #AdoftheYear2017

Our top three ads for 2017 were produced by the talented teams at The Odd Number, Joe Public and King James.

• #AdoftheYear2017: South Africa’s best ads [ads 10-4]
• #AdoftheYear2017: South Africa’s best ads [ads 3-1]

 

Nandos Afrofuturism afrotising3. #CampaignRadar: Nando’s hilarious Afrofuturism dig

Nando’s dropped an ad questioning “the surplus of ‘Afrofuturism’ on our screens at the moment” — who didn’t notice the dig at the new Absa logo?

 

King James the Second for Allan Gray screengrab4. Allan Gray launches heartwarming campaign

Allan Gray and King James the Second launched a heartwarming new campaign which the agency pitched as a “gently humorous, yet heart-warming fable of a relationship between parents and their children — one that many South Africans will identify with.”

 

Chicken Licken goes Wild West5. Yoh, Chicken Licken on land, settlers & a side of amapantsula

Can South Africans rediscover their inner peace? In developing this ad campaign, Chicken Licken and agency Joe Public United asked where would it be nearly impossible to find inner peace and what would it look like if this place were, in fact, found?

 

Castle Lite apology6. #HoldMyBeer pushes Castle Lite to do better

A social media post by radio and TV personality, Dineo Ranaka, led at least one beer brand to rethink its misogynist advertising practices on International Women’s Day on 8 March 2018. Using the hashtag “#HoldMyBeer“, social media users discussed the misrepresentation of women in beer commercials.

 

Apartheid Museum, TBWA and Loeries ad controversy slider7. Loeries. Scandal. Repeat?

Controversy erupted over the authenticity of quotes attributed to apartheid prime minister, Dr HF Verwoerd, and current US president, Donald J Trump, in a Gold Loeries award-winning radio ad produced for the Apartheid Museum by TBWA\Hunt Lascaris. In the ad, “Past and Present”, purported statements by Verwoerd and Trump were placed in such a way as to show similar attitudes by the men.

Eventually, the agency announced that the campaign had been pulled and that it would be handing back the awards it had won. The Loeries ultimately decided that all work entered by TBWA\Hunt Lascaris for the Apartheid Museum in 2018’s awards be disqualified, including the full “Past and Present” campaign, as well as a separate campaign titled, “The Old South Africa Flag.”

• See: #Loeries2018 controversy over TBWA’s Apartheid Museum ad
• See: TBWA pulls Trump/Verwoerd campaign, hands back Loerie

 

Nando's Bill of Rights #rightmyname9. #Campaigns: How Nando’s fixed 70k names for spellcheck

Nando’s, together with its advertising agency M&C Saatchi Abel, launched the #rightmyname campaign in its quest to continuing contributing to the broader dialogue of South Africa through highlighting typically South African challenges — such as SA names still being spellchecked as errors.

 

Nando's #YouPeople10. Nando’s tackles #YouPeople (because we’re all the same)

Nando’s took aim at #YouPeople and, as usual, South Africans got a closeup of themselves in the brand’s trademark humorous fashion. As the brand pointed out, “You people” is a phrase often used by South Africans when describing people different to them. So, in the ad from M&C Saatchi Abel, Nando’s highlighted the ways in which South Africans typically stereotype one another and the hypocrisies that go with that.

 

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

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

#BigQ2019: 2019, the year of trust

by Wayne Naidoo (@WNaidoo) 2019 is set to be another challenging year and, with trust already on shaky ground, we’re barreling into it without a firm footing. Trust. It’s a word that has been fundamentally eroded, from politics and agency relationships to reporting data and influencer authenticity; there’s a very good reason why “fake news” was Collins Word of the Year 2017.

Honesty

We have to be honest with ourselves; our customers would far rather continue watching their episode of whichever series currently being viewed than have their evening interrupted by a message which they don’t trust and, with prevalence of ad blockers, they won’t tolerate either. Our consumers are cynical, untrusting, irritated.

In tandem with this, clients are increasingly procurement-led; this brings more of the all-important transparency in supplier-client relationships. Except, too often the evaluation points which define decision-making aren’t necessarily in line with how agencies or companies could best be evaluated. While this is happening, consultancies offer business transparency and bigger-picture thinking, as they encroach on our world with some pretty good work, too.

Influencer marketing continues to rise, but with an insincerity. Yes, there is power in authentic relationships and endorsements yet the public is quickly seeing through the empty endorsed posts that, just like the endorsement ads of old, are now merely regarded as an awareness channel. In the meantime, we fall deeper into our own echo chambers, driven by social and search algorithms (which might make us feel understood, but shouldn’t be trusted as a true representation of the world).

Rise from rock-bottom

This erosion of trust has been long in the making but it was never as acute as it was in 2018. And 2019 is the year we rise from rock-bottom.

At the heart of trust lies accountability, or integrity, as many might say. Clients absolutely deserve this. Reliable transparency — it’s not a business model; it’s the only one.

Trust and ethical behaviour go hand in hand. This runs on both agency and client side, as we see increasing dishonesty in pitches, clients’ adoption of work or ‘misplaced’ concepts. This short-termist strategy is non-sustainable. If something calls your morality or integrity into question, walk away. As Jack Welch said, “Can you look in the mirror in the morning and be proud of what you’re doing?”

This has to be owned and demonstrated by the leaders of our industry. Ethical business practices in a country, and world, so riddled with corruption is absolutely, fundamentally essential. When more junior staff see their leaders standing up for what is morally right, it sets a precedent for future business. And it lays a foundation of trust, integrity and so many other things we need in our country right now. These are things which are essential in an agency environment, which has flux and evolution as constants.

The most powerful currency

2019 looks to be a perfect, beautiful storm. It’s a time when technology and innovation have become the fundamental driver of our every single need. But it’s also the time when the human values of trust and integrity, honesty and authenticity will be the most powerful currency in our industry.

See also

 

MarkLives logoWhat are the industry expectations for the marketing and advertising industry in 2019? Kicking off our “Big Q”  column for the year, a panel of key agency and marketing executives discusses the macro environment, budgets, changes in messaging, movement in the industry and any consumer and communication trends they’ll be looking out for in the year ahead. 

Wayne Naidoo (@WNaidoo) is the founder and CEO of DUKE. He has well over 25 years’ experience in the marketing and advertising industry, having begun his career in marketing as the marketing manager of the Cape Town 2004 Olympic Bid Committee. He has also been Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) chair, an AAA School of Advertising board member and Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO) chair.

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

#BigReads2018: The agencies that made waves in 2018

by Herman Manson (@marklives) We list the agencies you made time to read about here on MarkLives during 2018.

south-african-coins-banknotes-money-currency courtesy of Pixabay
Image courtesy of Pixabay

1. We ranked South Africa’s agencies by revenue. You were super-interested (as were they).

We updated our 2014 agency revenue rankings in 2018 to help assist marketers gain a comprehensive overview of the relative scale of agencies in the South African communications landscape.

 

Y&R Cape Town receptionVML South Africa logoVMLY&R logo

2. Turns out Y&R Cape Town closing down, and the brand finally falling away in SA, was a precursor of what was to come

Although we published the first story on Y&R Cape Town being closed down story in September 2017, subsequent moves by WPP — first in allowing the Y&R brand to fall away in SA as VML took over, then in folding the Y&R network into VML globally — led to renewed interest in the original story. VMLY&R will be an agency of more than 7 000 people, and one of WPP’s principal brands. It is meant to be fully operational in early 2019.

 

2017 MarkLives Agency Leaders Most Admired South Africa ad agency3. Agency Leaders’ Most Admired poll 2017

Our announcement of the most-admired agencies and agency leaders count among our most-trafficked stories every year.

• 2017’s most-admired agency bosses in South Africa
• 2017’s most-admired creative leaders in SA
• 2017’s one to watch in SA in 2018
• 2017’s most-admired agencies in SA
• 2017’s most digitally integrated in SA
• 2017’s contribution to agency diversity and transformation (SA)

The Odd Number was our agency to watch, with Riverbed the runner-up. The most-admired ad agency in South Africa was King James Group, with Ogilvy & Mather South Africa and Joe Public United as joint runners-up. VML South Africa was our most digitally integrated, and Avatar took home the new Agency Diversity & Transformation award.

 

Publicis Groupe Africa4. Management shakeup at Publicis Groupe Africa, agencies

In late 2017, Publicis Groupe Africa and a number of its agencies underwent significant management changes; the group employs approximately 1800 people nationally across its various brands and a further 2000 people across the rest of the continent. With chief executive officer Kevin Tromp having left the group at the end of Q3 2017, former Saatchi & Saatchi SA CEO John Dixon was appointed as CEO: Publicis Groupe Africa — a newly constituted role.

 

Avatar logo5. Avatar on a hiring spree

In November 2018, Avatar put out a call looking for 43 contractors for a six-month project beginning in December 2018 and ending in May 2019 (hint, hint) — and an additional 12 permanent staff in its Johannesburg and Cape Town offices.

 

Ogilvy logo 20186. Ogilvy announced a new brand identity, structure

Ogilvy introduced a new organisational structure and brand identity. This integration has brought together the three distinct units of OgilvyOne, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising and Ogilvy PR — along with various company sub-brands and specialty brands — as a single, unified group with a common identity, positioning, client service model and P&L.

 

FoxP2 logo and Dentsu Aegis Network logo7. FoxP2 sold to Dentsu Aegis

Dentsu Aegis Network acquired a majority stake (52.05%) in FoxP2 Holdings after clearing final regulatory hurdles in the form of the Competition Commission; the deal was first announced in October 2017. FoxP2 — which was voted “The one to watch in Cape Town in 2018” in our MarkLives Agency Leaders’ Most Admired Poll 2017 results for Cape Town — has always been rated as one of SA’s most-creative agencies.

 

McCann Johannesburg logo and 1886 logo8. McCann merged with 1886

Early in December 2018, Interpublic announced that its McCann Johannesburg was merging with 1886 — the wholly owned subsidiary of the FCB Africa group (also an IPG agency) — to become McCann 1886.

 

Avatar and M&C Saatchi split9. M&C Saatchi Group and Avatar parted ways

M&C Saatchi Group and Avatar South Africa officially “parted ways” in 2018. In January 2017, it was announced that Avatar Investment Holdings (later rebranded to M&N Holdings) would acquire a minority stake in M&C Saatchi’s South African agency network, which today includes M&C Saatchi Abel, M&C Saatchi Connect, M&C Saatchi Africa, Dalmatian, Levergy and Creative Spark. At the same time, M&C Saatchi PLC had acquired a 20% stake in the agency Avatar from Avatar Investment Holdings.

 

End of 140 BBDO10. BBDO folds CT agency into main op

BBDO South Africa folded its Cape Town agency, 140 BBDO, into its primary agency, Net#work BBDO, in Johannesburg. Net#work BBDO now operates on the one-agency-two-offices model, with Cape Town having the operations and services role, and creative and strategy sitting in Jozi.

 

The Odd Number founders and Hoorah exec team11. The Odd Number bought into Hoorah

In June 2018, The Odd Number acquired a minority equity stake in Hoorah, the new digital agency launched the month before by Shaune Jordaan, Jay Thomson, Tasmin Kingma and Neil Pursey.

 

Avatar logo and Avatar Cape Town interior12. Avatar broke through in Cape Town

The Mother City might traditionally have not been seen as welcoming to black-owned and operated agencies, but Avatar Cape Town hasn’t let that hold it back. Though not yet two years old at the time of writing, the agency had already secured several significant accounts and seen strong growth.

 

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

— One subscription form, three newsletters: sign up now for the MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify headlines; The Interlocker, our new monthly comms-focused mailer; and Brands & Branding, launching soon!

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