FastForward: The future of opportunity & brands

by Marguerite Coetzee. It’s all relative. We tend to see what we expect to see — and what we expect to see is what we have been conditioned to see.

It’s through our experiences and inner workings that we frame the way we see the world. According to science writer, Brian Clegg, relativity is a frame of reference. It’s difficult (and sometimes impossible) for us to find the meaning of things in isolation — and so we need a frame of reference to give us context.

It’s when we break free from one limiting frame of reference that we are able to be innovative, creative and original. Brands have the opportunity to shape the way we see, think and live. It’s important to be considerate of what frames of reference we draw on, and what contexts we create.

Work for all

Entrepreneurs have a way of looking at the world in a different way. Generally, these visionaries are driven by the desire for progress (linear, consistent improvement or change) or the need to survive (meeting basic human needs). In the marketing world, we often get so caught up in the idea of category growth (survival) that we sometimes lose sight of what growth in ‘share of life’ might look like (progress) — purpose, responsibility, enrichment, prosperity, possibility, and more. It’s in adapting to the times and reinventing themselves (without compromising on their core belief) that brands not only remain relevant but thrive.

For three decades, Nike has lived by the “Just Do It” mantra. In keeping up with social shifts, recently South African athlete and gold medallist, Caster Semenya, joined the team of athletes who feature in Nike’s latest short film series, Dream Crazy. The campaign is intended to showcase what happens when you persevere, overpower, overcome and take a stand — when you set aside your hesitations and adversities, and just do it.

https://youtu.be/6UW-VgxlIZI

What’s next

We have seen shifts between different types of economies. Globally, we have seen a move from an agrarian economy (extracting commodities) to an industrial economy (making products) to a service economy (delivering services) and, currently, find ourselves in the experience economy (staging experiences).

Some researchers, theorists and experts anticipate a purpose economy (changing the world through impact, growth and belonging), and others are already experiencing an access economy (sharing, borrowing or renting — rather than owning).

If this is the direction the world’s heading in, brands need to shift from encouraging passive consumption to active participation, shift from being diverse to inclusive, and shift from responding to what is happening in the world to initiating movements.

 

Marguerite de VilliersMarguerite Coetzee is an anthropologist at strategic marketing consultancy, Kantar Consulting. FastForward, the latest series in her regular column on MarkLives, takes an intellectual, scientific and artistic approach to the future – particularly the future of Africa.

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Market Research Wrap: First SA BrandZ ranking released

Cheryl Hunter (research at marklives.com)’s weekly wrap of the latest market and consumer research:

  • Standard Bank is SA’s biggest brand
  • Banking sector set for change

SA BrandZ worth over US$40bn

BrandZ Top 30 most valuable SA brands 2018 logoStandard Bank, with a brand value of US$4.79bn, is South Africa’s no.1 brand in the first BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African Brands announced yesterday, Wednesday, 31 October 2018, by WPP and Kantar Millward Brown. The ranking reveals that the Top 30 South African brands show more potential for global growth than their counterparts in the Chinese and European rankings, but have less exposure to overseas markets.

The BrandZ Top 15 Most Valuable South African Brands 2018

Rank 2018

Brand

Category

Brand value (US$m)
1 Standard Bank Banks 4.788
2 First National Bank Banks 3.675
3 Vodacom Telecom providers 3.258
4 Castle Beer 3.172
5 MTN Telecom providers 2.913
6 Nando’s Fast food 2.160
7 Absa Banks 2.019
8 Nedbank Banks 1.882
9 Discovery Insurance 1.708
10 Old Mutual Insurance 1.692
11 Woolworths Retail 1.434
12 Sasol Oil & gas 1.213
13 Investec Banks 1.161
14 Shoprite Retail 1.122
15 Hansa Pilsener Beer 1.121

With a combined value of US$42.6bn, the BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African Brands ranking covers several industry categories, including banks, telecom providers, retail, insurance, fast food, beer, hospitals, oil and gas, entertainment and airlines. The report flags the potential for brands to grow locally and globally but warns that brands will need to work hard to stand out from competitors in a digital landscape in which offerings are increasingly homogenised; future winners will be those which are able to differentiate themselves in a meaningful way that will enable them to deliver superior shareholder value.

The most meaningfully different South African brands are Woolworths, Dis-Chem, Nando’s and Clicks. These brands are differentiating themselves by driving strong brand purpose and a unique brand experience, and then amplifying this through great market communication. Brands that are perceived as creative by consumers capture interest and grow more than competitors which are perceived as unimaginative and dull. Nando’s clever and controversial advertising campaigns are good examples of how a brand can communicate effectively with its target audience, in a very real and relevant way.

Technological disruption

While technology brands have not yet entered South Africa’s Top 30, many of the country’s brands have adopted technological disruption to distinguish themselves from competitors. Examples include First National Bank’s “open a bank account with a selfie” and Capitec’s biometric security. Up-and-coming brands are also using technology to disrupt, with Takealot having purchased Mr Delivery a few years ago and Showmax partnering with DStv.

Says Charles Foster, Kantar insights division Africa and Middle East CEO, “South African brands show great potential for growth in a region undergoing change. BrandZ demonstrates how brands with strong equity are protected and recover more quickly during tough economic periods, while growing faster during the good times. Those that focus on innovation and building emotional connections with consumers will grow faster.”

• For more, go to Millward Brown.

 

Banking on success

BrandMapp logoWritten by Brandon de Kock, WhyFive Insights director, this third in a selection of interesting insights from the 2018/19 BrandMapp survey looks at the banking sector and why its clients are so unhappy.

by Brandon de Kock. With six new banks set to launch in South Africa in 2019, BrandMapp 2018 asked a simple question — “How likely are you to change banks in the next two years?” — and discovered that 15% of the total sample (representing adults living in households earning R10 000 or more) ticked a box to say they were either likely or very likely.

Now, 15% may not seem like much but, when you’re talking about banks with millions of customers paying service fees every single month, small shifts could mean a lot of cash. Perhaps more concerning for the traditional banks should be that another 21% of respondents ticked the “unsure” box — which sounds like a lot of people who would be swayed by a good-enough offer. And if you’re thinking there must be huge differences between demographic segments, you’d be wrong. Even among the 50+ segment and the wealthiest segment (people living in R80 000-a-month houses), there’s a significant enough group of doubters to make the private bankers worried.

Seventy percent of affluent respondents said they were unlikely or very unlikely to switch — which means that 30% might well be tempted by something like a fistful of Vitality points!

The point is that the banks haven’t really done a great job of pleasing us as customers, verified by 44% of all respondents saying they’d be ‘happy never to go back into a bank again’!

Whichever way you look at it, 2019 is going to be a very interesting year in the banking industry.

• For more, go to WhyFive Insights.


Cheryl Hunter

Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison. She now does the new weekly “Market Research Wrap” column for 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

EXCLUSIVE: Martech company Magnetic bought by Silversoft

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Magnetic, the South African marketing technology firm known for its agency-workflow software, has been acquired by Silversoft, a South African enterprise software and professional services firm. Magnetic, which services over 200 clients across South Africa, the UK and the US, was launched in Cape Town and is still headquartered there.

“What Magnetic has achieved in terms of client success, depth of software and market share is amazing and truly a South African success story,” says Jacques du Buisson, Silversoft managing director. “We feel they will play a key role in our drive to deliver people- and project-centric firms best-in-class solutions, and help us accelerate our momentum in the agency industry.”

We speak with Daniel Marcus, who becomes a director of Silversoft while still remaining on as CEO of Magnetic.

Daniel Marcus
Daniel Marcus

MarkLives logoWhy was the time right to sell Magnetic and how will it integrate with Silversoft?
Daniel Marcus: Magnetic has done well to capture a large market share in South Africa. Silversoft is a well-established firm introducing a large international leader in the agency space via Deltek WorkBook. While we compete well against the likes of WorkBook with the smaller agencies, we felt we needed to expand into the larger networks and engaged with Silversoft to assess if we could potentially align our businesses. This would be in line with our strategy to offer best-in-class product to our client base without over-developing or complicating our current offering, while forming part of a larger portfolio of products for the agency market.

From a timing perspective, Silversoft approached us as they were in the process of launching their agency business. We felt this was ideal timing to combine forces, given the resources they bring to market, plus our local expertise and track record. We had now built the business to a scale that made sense to exit in this manner specifically. This is also why our staff and leadership are staying on to drive the agency unit of Silversoft.

MarkLives logoHow does Magnetic compliment Silversoft’s current agency offering?
DM: As per the above, Silversoft see our firm as a key driver in its agency market strategy and we will be spearheading that market and offering in its entirely for Silversoft.

MarkLives logoWhat are the opportunities unlocked through this deal?
DM: Our combined technology platforms will give us the best technology on the market, an excellent client-services team, and [a] development skills set that will provide for further innovation in this space. We will also introduce complimentary solutions in the Deltek product family such as ConceptShare (online proofing for marketing and creative teams), which will provide our clients with better solutions to streamline their businesses.

MarkLives logoWhat are your objectives for the new creative software solutions business unit within Silversoft?
DM: For now, it’s business as usual in terms of ensuring our clients and prospects get the best technology and services to deliver the best work they can. Of course, we intend on driving strong growth in the agency space in South Africa and are currently engaged with several local agencies. Magnetic’s development team, headed by founder and CTO, Korak Kuhnert, will certainly drive innovation in the firm and we have already started to conceptualise potential game-changing technology in future releases.

MarkLives logoHow long has the deal been in the making, and how did it come about?
DM: Silversoft had been following [us] for many years and decided to approach our firm when they ventured into the agency space with Deltek Workbook. Jacques and I immediately saw the possibilities and the rest is history.

 

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

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The Martini Shot: Trade associations (& members) in an unfamiliar world

by Bobby Amm. Here are five key challenges the Commercial Producers Association (CPA) faces in 2019 and how we plan to overcome them.

No exception

Industry trade associations active in the media industry in South Africa have experienced a fresh set of challenges over the last few years and the CPA, which represents production companies which make TVCs for both the SA and international industry, is no exception.

The value of trade associations is well-established: they play a vital role in social and economic dialogue, they bring competing organisations together to protect and promote entire industries, services, and workforces but, as with most other organisations, trade associations are going through a transition period. Their role is becoming muddied and complicated as new competitors emerge, industries contract and expand, and technology reshapes how the world does business.

The changes in the SA economy and advertising sector have significantly shifted how the industry works and have, accordingly, impacted the CPA and its membership. Although change may be challenging and unpredictable, it also provides an opportunity to make industry associations and their memberships stronger, more efficient and more effective — but only if heads remain cool and hearts committed.

Challenges

1. Change in industry

Both the local and service industry have seen huge change over the last few years. Technological processes have shifted from film to digital and the roles of the players have morphed from the traditional roles previously fulfilled by agencies, production companies and suppliers to one in which every company may compete for the same business. In the new world we find ourselves in, anything and everything goes.

The best way to deal with the industry shift is to get out in front of it and start to change the game. This is already happening, with production companies starting to diversify their offering to clients. From moving into other industry sectors such as reality TV to working directly with clients and adapting their offering to reach a broader base, production companies are reinventing themselves like never before. The CPA is doing the same by collaborating more closely with international organisations and looking at ways in which industry disruption may create greater opportunities for the production community.

2. Building connection & consensus

Connections are always formed by people, which is why it’s difficult for associations to get members to connect and reach consensus — they’re dealing with entire organisations with different ideas and values, not just individuals. Uncertain times mean that there’s more pressure on associations such as the CPA than ever before, and more competition by members to get their point across effectively and to be involved in charting the way forward. This often leads to increased debate and sometimes animosity between competitors as they battle to find common ground and agree on new strategies.

Greater awareness and engagement will be a crucial part of meeting this challenge, be it though increased social or networking opportunities or online communities which promote communication. By bringing individuals together and promoting greater discussion around pivotal issues, CPA members are able to form and continue lasting and meaningful connections which ultimately serve to strengthen the industry.

3. Defining the fundamentals of membership

Membership has been the fundamental frame for trade associations for over 100 years but, in recent times, things have changed in that many of the processes, protocols and regulations that associations traditionally make use of have been perceived to be outdated, particularly in industries with a proliferation of creative entrepreneurs who favour a more-flexible and -unconventional approach. The challenge is to combine what works well and has been institutionally successful with a more-modern perspective which resonates with members.

The CPA is looking at redefining the fundeaentals of membership by making the association look and function more like a business and less like an association in the future. This may make it easier for members to understand how things work and why certain processes are important, thereby bridging the gap.

4. Managing the generation gap

The commercial production community is ageing in SA and this presents a challenge: different generations tend to have different expectations, preferences and habits. Managing this challenge is important for both the association and the wider industry, as to ignore it will impact the sustainability and future success of both. The challenge is to balance the needs of the generations within the industry and use the best from each to lead the way forward.

The fastest way to achieve this is to start a conversation with new and prospective members, particularly from younger generations, to find out what they value about the association and what they would change. The association need to be made more accessible to younger generations and become proactive in engaging them and enabling them to become more vocal and influential.

5. Great expectations

Members’ needs and expectations are changing as we now see information in a different light. Thanks to the internet, information is now widely available in multiple formats and the public expects to access to it free anytime and anywhere. Social media has also facilitated the concept of membership and belonging, and these new expectations require associations such as the CPA to examine how they are playing out their roles more carefully.

The solution is to create membership models that offer greater experiential value, be it in person, online, at events etc. Modern associations that want to grow need to generate many experienced-based opportunities for members and so more workshops, award ceremonies, lectures and networking functions are required. Financial pressure on self-funded associations such as the CPA make this more difficult but the challenge is to find a way to meet these requirements at a low cost and on a more-regular basis.

Introspection

In a world where all organisations either need to adapt or die, it’s incumbent on all industry associations operating within the SA media landscape to reevaluate their relevance and efficacy, and assess how they can meet the ever-evolving requirements of members who find themselves under increasing pressure from all sides. Such introspection is positive under the current circumstances and, although changes may be hard to implement, they’re essential to the continued wellbeing of our industry.

 

Bobby AmmBobby Amm is chief executive of the Commercial Producers Association of South Africa (CPA), the trade association of production companies that produce television, cinema and internet commercials for the local and international market. After a brief stint in journalism, she began her career in the industry at the Consultative Committee for the Entertainment Industry in the early 1990s. She first joined the CPA in 1997 but left three years later to join a production company. After finding that she missed the big-picture perspective of the CPA and the interesting issues which continuously perplex the production industry, Bobby returned to the CPA in 2003. She contributes “The Martini Shot” column monthly, covering developments, trends and insights into the commercial production and film services industries in South Africa, to MarkLives.

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Thinking B2B: Selling to multiple buyers

by Warren Moss (@warrenmoss) One of the big differences between the B2B and the B2C business worlds is that, in the former, there’s never just one user for a product or service. So how does a B2B marketer solve for each of the different needs of a much-larger circle?

Committee

B2B products and services have multiple users and the decision to make a purchase is made by a committee, each of whom has different needs for the product or service — and, therefore, a different opinion on suitability. In the B2C world, the purchaser is usually the end user, and their circle of influence is far more limited.

One of the biggest decision-making drivers in a B2B purchase decision is information. The risk associated with making the wrong decision is really big — bringing on the wrong product or service could be seriously detrimental to the business. However, it could also revolutionise the company. So how do people behave when they want to mitigate risk? They research and use information to fall back on, in support of the buying decision.

The research and evaluation into a purchase decision is a way of mitigating the risk of the decision. That makes information a vital part of the B2B marketing process; our role as marketers is to create information in the form of digestible content that supports buyers and influencers throughout the various phases of the purchase journey. The reality is that, whether we do it or not, buyers will seek the information out by themselves; therefore, it makes sense to create content and put it in places where decision-makers will be looking anyway, in support of our clients’ products and services.

Purchase journey

Marketing to these different decision-makers starts off with an understanding of what the purchase journey looks like. The bigger and more complex the ‘buy’, the more complex the journey. Before we even start, a lot of strategy and research needs to go into understanding the natural phases of a purchase journey, in the context of the buying company and the product or service that they’re looking to buy. Once that’s mapped and understood, it needs to be repeated for each of the influencers and stakeholders who are part of that purchase journey.

The type of information each one of those influencers is looking for will be different, thanks to their differing needs. You solve for multiple people with multiple purchase journeys by creating relevant and contextual content and information and placing it in natural sourcing areas, where it’s easy to find; once they’ve engaged with the information, you need to capture their details so that you can continually market to them and nurture them through the purchase journey to increase the chances of them buying from your client.

Understand that different types of content, as well as different marketing and media channels, are stronger and more relevant, depending on what phase of the purchase journey the purchaser is. If a buyer is at the beginning, in awareness phase, channels such as trade publications, billboards and airport media are really strong ones, generating awareness of the need for the product or service — but they’re really weak channels when the buyer is at the evaluation or justification phase. At that point, the information they need is better provided by a white paper, price calculator or brochure with more detail.

Upfront

Usually in B2B, the bulk of the cost of implementation is at the start of the process; typically B2B sellers prefer buyers to know what they’re buying, upfront, because the risk of comeback is detrimental. There’s no such thing as ‘voetstoots’ in the B2B world — you still need to be there to support clients once you’ve convinced them to buy the product. Because of this vital relationship, it’s better to make no sale at all, rather than the wrong sale…

 

Warren MossWarren Moss (@warrenmoss) is the CEO and founder of Demographica, a multi-award winning full service agency that specialises in the B2B category. He is the chair of both the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA) and the Assegai Integrated Marketing Awards (Assegais), as well as the only African to judge the B2 Awards, which recognise the top performing B2B marketers in the world. Warren contributes the monthly “Thinking B2B” column, which looks at the latest trends in B2B communications and explains why it is fundamentally different from B2C comms.

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African Echo: The business of copy & paste in Africa

by Siwe Thusi (@Siwe_Thusi) The tyres screeched on the tarmac of yet another airport. Yip, my team and I were back at it again, in Zambia this time, to lead another workshop… and lap up insights on all things ‘Zambian’ in return.

Playing tricks

It was slightly overcast as we drove into a bustling Lusaka where the streets had more taxis than Ugandan boda-bodas. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, though… because it felt as if I’d landed in a place that, in many subtle and obvious ways, felt like home. According to a study released by Trading Economics, Zambia’s second-largest trading partner is South Africa. That was accurate: there were hints of retail Mzanzi on every corner, pasted with the brand colours of Shoprite, Pick n Pay … and Turn ’n Tender (yes, you read that right). It’s like a South African copy-and-paste. Or is it?

After learning a new term, rate of sales (which essentially tells the shopper who cares to glance at the figures attached to the shelves how many units every product on that shelf has sold that week, and that month), I took a closer look at the local Pick n Pay and discovered a whole new level of copy-and-paste.

Shelves and shelves of mirrored products, copied in terms of packaging design and name and produced locally (as far as I could tell): everything from washing powder and cleaning materials to biscuits, milk and — most recently — a move into the snacks realm. I was stunned to discover how many products had a locally produced version that looked very, very similar, cost a lot less and, you guessed it, had a much higher rate of sale.

Intellectual property

In short, intellectual property be damned!

It gets worse. While doing some desktop research. I discovered that marketers there even copy old ads. Take a look at the advert for a locally produced energy drink called Kung Fu.

Now see if you can spot the difference between what you just saw and this old Castrol ad…

Look, Moreo’s will never be exactly the same as our beloved ‘twist-lick-dunk’ but, truth be told, the quality of the packaging and products isn’t bad, and the price is better. So, it’s a well-rounded competitor and it obviously sells well, if you look at the rate of sales. But how is this okay?

Fairness

According to the Zambian Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, fairness is about competitive pricing, efficient and innovative creative, and low cost of production. If that’s in place, then it’s fair game. I’m not an expert in every market, but Zambia is worrying … and that same desktop research shows that a number of neighbors such as Zimbabwe and Tanzania show a similar trend.

What does this brazen disregard for intellectual property mean for building multinational brands in Africa in future? As the continent becomes one of the most-attractive investment destinations globally in the next 100 years, how do we ensure protection for our clients, so they value investment in brands, not just products?

I believe the answer lies in redefining the role of bodies such as the Competition Commission in South Africa to be more Pan African. The Advertising Standards Authority of SA’s replacement and the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) should look beyond our borders to not only develop local intellectual property in new markets but also protect intellectual property of global clients who want to move into our region.

Devoid of creativity

Without this, we will build a future African marketplace that will be devoid of creativity, because it’s not valued. It will have products that lack distinctiveness because they will be copied so fast that any new direction or point of view will very quickly be swallowed by an uncontrolled wave of sameness. Most worryingly, there will be no brand value, so products that all look, taste and perform more or less the same.

I personally think we should fight as hard as we can as custodians of ideas on our continent to make sure that what matters most to us continues to matter in every market in Africa. If we don’t, I fear this will be an issue that grows while we sleep and will be unsolvable before we can say copy-and-paste.

Sources

 

Siwe ThusiSiwe Thusi (@Siwe_Thusi) is a qualified South African chartered-accountant-turned-creative-strategist at FCB Africa and a working photographer (all pics in the featured image are hers). She has three years’ experience in strategic planning on some of South Africa’s big brands in different categories and industries in the ATL space. African Echo seeks to unpack markets in Africa, highlight business opportunities and share insights into what works and what rebounds.

“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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SA TV Ratings: e.tv — primetime top 20 for Sep 2018

by MarkLives (@marklives) The hottest primetime shows on e.tv in South Africa revealed: TV ratings for September 2018.

e.tv 20 years of golden memories logoe.tv, September 2018

 Top 20 Programmes All Adults 15+
September 2018 Prime Time 5.30pm—10pm
Adults 15+ years U:34978 S:8202

Day

Date

From

To

Station

Programme title

Genre

AR

Viewers

Share
Wed 19/09/2018 1930 1957 e.tv Scandal Soap 15.8 5527941 41.3
Wed 05/09/2018 1900 1927 e.tv Rhythm City Dram 10.5 3677274 30.2
Fri 28/09/2018 2130 2158 e.tv Imbewu: the Seed Dram 8.8 3094023 33.6
Sat 22/09/2018 1929 2145 e.tv Mr Bones Movi 8.8 3090851 33.1
Sat 29/09/2018 1930 2138 e.tv Mr Bones 2:Back From the Past Movi 8.1 2823849 28.4
Sun 16/09/2018 2000 2203 e.tv Unstoppable Movi 6.8 2378945 24.4
Sat 15/09/2018 1930 2122 e.tv Penguins of Madagascar Movi 6.4 2234584 21.7
Wed 19/09/2018 1858 1859 e.tv Scoop Network Docu 5.6 1952558 4.7
Sun 23/09/2018 2000 2219 e.tv Safe House Movi 5.4 1884768 21.6
Sun 09/09/2018 2000 2220 e.tv The Book of Eli Movi 5.2 1821319 20.5
Sun 02/09/2018 1959 2239 e.tv The Equalizer Movi 5.1 1791556 22.4
Sat 01/09/2018 1930 2135 e.tv Pixels Movi 4.8 1688506 17.2
Sun 30/09/2018 2000 2250 e.tv Star Wars: the Force Awakens Movi 4.5 1567830 18.8
Tue 18/09/2018 2125 2130 e.tv Just for Laughs Gags Filler Sitc 4.4 1546802 12
Tue 25/09/2018 2159 2230 e.tv Checkpoint (News) News 4.2 1453485 26.2
Fri 14/09/2018 2100 2104 e.tv The Powerball Draw Quiz 4 1386601 10.4
Sun 16/09/2018 1929 1957 e.tv Blackish Sitc 3.8 1344656 11.7
Sat 29/09/2018 1900 1929 e.tv E News Direct News 3.8 1316508 13.8
Sat 08/09/2018 1930 2128 e.tv The Lego Movie Movi 3.7 1295619 13.8
Wed 05/09/2018 2000 2030 e.tv Enews Prime Time News 3.3 1166895 9

Source: BRCSA September 2018

In 2016, the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA) changed its policy about giving away TAMS and now only monthly reports, highlighting the top 20 or 30 primetime shows on several popular channels, are available.

 

Broadcast Research Council of South AfricaThe Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (the BRC) is a non-profit, industry body that was incorporated in 2015 to cater to the audience research needs of the radio and television industry in South Africa.

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#AgencyFocus: O’Brian — when David competes with Goliath

by Sabrina Forbes. From two men and a phone, using a table bought on the side of the road and huddled in a small room working on a dream, to a 21-year-old 100% black-owned business that has remained totally independent through the industry’s avalanche acquisition trend the past two decades, this is the O’Brian story.

Quality

In July 1997, after 11 years at Unilever and a two-year stint at both the Nedvor Group and Sonnenburg Murphy Leo Burnett, Mxolisi Evan Tyawa co-founded O’Brian Communications Group with Danish ex-colleague, Brian Nielsson. It’s a story of enterprise in a time of political and economic transformation, and highlights how good, solid, quality work far outreaches a fancy name or group title.

A number of years before 1994, the ANC was a government in waiting and countries from around the world were keeping a keen eye on South Africa and its opportunities. The Danish government began a B2B programme to jumpstart black-owned agencies and it was then that Tyawa took the proverbial bull by the horns and created what has become one of SA’s longest-standing, independent, black-owned agencies.

For Tyawa, the existing agency model, of massive overheads with a large, slow-moving staff complement, was outdated and cumbersome. It felt too laboured and heavy for a small agency just finding its feet. Happily for Tyawa, Nielsson came with global experience and introduced him to the networking/freelance model. The agency still uses this model today, hiring only a handful of project managers who are tasked with outsourcing and liaising with freelancers while providing effective client services. They’re the ones who get things done in-house while professional freelancers do what they do best, off-site.

Freelancer model

There was a point in time where O’Brian Group needed to relook at its structure and felt it needed to look more like a “real agency”, according to Tyawa. It was during this time (2000–2009) that the agency enjoyed 10-15% growth year-on-year while the country was politically, environmentally, and economically in line. But, post-2009, he made the decision to go back to the freelancer model.

The idea of using freelancers to deliver all sorts of work has become a popular focus in this industry, especially as more and more creatives go out on their own. Twenty-one years ago, according to Tyawa, “the marketing industry was intolerant of this model and only the really brave and talented ones went out on their own” but, over the past two decades, the freelance model/gig economy has grown, not only in its popularity but also in its innovation, with all sorts of apps and websites offering the services of vetted, highly skilled freelancers.

When asked what Tyawa’s biggest fear and disappointment is, it’s that all small-to-medium black-owned agencies that started around the time O’Brian opened its doors have either reach a glass ceiling in the industry or closed their business. “It’s hard to find a 100% black-owned agency that exists, never mind one that’s 21 years old,” he says, reminding himself of the numerous times he had the opportunity to go into a BEE partnership with an existing, monolithic white firm. But he didn’t, and the O’Brian Group currently employs 10 people at its core who work with big brands such as Sasfin, Old Mutual, Tiger Brands and, its most-recent win, the IDC.

O'Brian client experience

Challenges

Even though the agency already has an impressive client list, building up new business has sometimes been a challenge. “We are still battling to make the pitch lists or invites, especially from the private sector,” he says.

The USP of the O’Brian Communications Group, according to Tyawa, is its ability to create solutions through logic. This is something it pursues with every existing and new client. For him, “solutions without logic are not sustainable. Logic drives everything we do; we’re an agency that is a stickler for outputs and don’t just do things because they look nice.”

It seems the entire team follows this mindset and the culture created allows for freedom, teamwork, and collaboration. The process for Tyawa, his team, and the greater group of freelancers the agency employs looks at solutions over work that’s just purely creative. “We put prominence on the process of thinking through a problem and what we’re trying to solve,” he says, sharing that “the sense of performance of the campaigns we have done is what I love the most.”

O'Brian Absa Club Account ads

Driven by creating relevant, invaluable work that’s sharp on strategy with a solid logical backbone, he is proud to say that his small, independent agency has given some of the big boys in the industry a run for their money: “We’ve punched above our weight for [so] long, and we’ll carry on doing it.”

O'Brian logo
www.obriangroup.com • Ramify

  • Office locations: Rivonia, Jozi; Umhlanga, eThekwini
  • Revenue band: R20m+
  • Staff count: 10
  • Key clients: Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Palaborwa Mining Company, FieldBand Foundation, City of Ekurhuleni, City of Tshwane, African Response, OPECS
  • Services: Full service (ATL, BTL, branding, creative, digital, strategy)

 

Sabrina ForbesSabrina Forbes (IG) is an experienced and published writer covering the food, health, lifestyle, beverage, marketing and media industries. She runs her own full-stack web/app development and digital-first content creation company. For more, go to moonwrench.com. She is a contributing writer to MarkLives.com.

“#AgencyFocus” is an ongoing weekly series updating the market on ad agency performance, including business performance, innovation, initiatives, the work, awards and people.

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Young, Gifted & Killing It: Austin Malema

by Veli Ngubane (@TheNduna) Austin Malema (@AustinMalema) may have become South African hip-hop’s most sought-after photographer but there’s so much more to the man.

Examples of Austin Malema's photographyVeli Ngubane: Tell us more about yourself: where did you grow up and what did you want to be when you were growing up?
Austin Malema: I grew up in a small village in venda called Tshiozwi just outside Louis Trichardt, Moved to Johannesburg (Randburg) when I was 12. I think, growing [up], I was like most kids: I was unsure about being a soldier, a doctor or a lawyer.

VN: How has your upbringing and culture influenced your creative journey and perspective?
AM: My upbringing has contributed a lot to my creative journey and most of the time I don’t see it until later in projects or images. I remember some of the images I took in Nigeria that, when I looked back at, symbolised my commute from Venda to Tshiawelo (Soweto) to visit family. Most of the things we [see] as young kids are embedded in the back of our minds and we only notice them later on when we are really not aware or conscious of them.

VN: Please explain what you actually do and how an average day looks for you?
AM: No day is ever the same for, to be honest, depending on what I need to do, I wake up, go to the gym, come back home, freshen up, check the calendar and see what has to be done. If there is no shoot, I meet up with my business partners, Kelly and Sivuyile, and talk through what needs to be done or deliveries of projects that we have completed. On other days, I wake up, shower, collect my gear and head to a shoot that might last all day long or just half the day; then it’s back home / the office to edit.

VN: How would you define creativity and who qualifies to be called a creative?
AM: Creativity is the ability to navigate through problems and come up with solutions to solve the problem but you also express yourself in the process. Everyone is a creative as we problem-solve on a day-to-day basis.

VN: Please tell us more about your creative journey: where and what did you study, and what was your first job?
AM: So, a lot of people know Austin Malema as a photographer but, in the industry, there are people who know me as Mpho Austin Malema, the editor. I studied at AFDA for four years to get my honours degree in motion picture medium. The year after I completed my degree, I worked at AFDA as a junior lecturer in the editing department for a year. The same year, the honours film I worked on went [on] to represent South Africa in at the student Oscars; we came ninth overall but we won a SAFTA for best student film. The following years I bounced around the industry as an editor on different shows, [including] Skeem Saam, The Real Jozi A-Listers [and] Selimathunzi and eventually landing on The Queen. A few months after The Queen, I quit and chose to be a photographer and, as they say, the rest is history

Further examples of Austin Malema's photographyVN: You’re a well-renowned and successful photographer in your personal capacity. What inspired founding a photography and videography agency?
AM: The idea behind Pixel Kollective is to create a platform for young photographers who are about to start in photography. I’ve experienced a lot of failures in the industry and made mistakes that I would like to caution others on.

VN: What is your personal long-term goal as a photographer?
AM: The long-term goal is building a portfolio that covers different aspects of photography, from beauty to automotive and events. I would like to get to a point where I can do any form of photography. I do not want to be boxed in [in] photography. If I can also double up as a photographer and a director.

VN: What is the long-term vision for Pixel Kollective?
AM: The long-term goal for PK is to become a photography agency that represents photographers. Right now, we are not there yet. We are just a small company that caters to a few clients with the founders of the company.

VN: Why do you feel that there’s a need for more young, black-owned ventures within the creative industry?
AM: There is a lot of space for us as young black creatives to navigate and grow; as we grow we create opportunities for more young black people. Who [better to] tell authentic black stories than black people? The more black people are in the industry, the more we grow as an industry and as individuals ,we change position in companies, we start our own companies, which hire more black people, reducing unemployment

VN: Is it important to have culturally immersed creative entrepreneurs like yourself working alongside larger, traditional agencies?
AM: I think it [is] important for larger traditional agencies to work with creatives like us because we are the word. We know what the streets are talking about — what is in and what is out. You always catch agencies using slang that is outdated because they waited two/three months to add it as copy on their [own] and, when they finally did, it was late. Most of the messages the agencies try put [out] are for people like us; why not have us speak to our own generation?

VN: What do you think the industry struggles with transformation, especially in ownership of advertising agencies?
AM: I think the biggest struggle with transformation in the ownership of advertising agencies is the fact that most “black”-owned agencies are still owned by white people, who are either silent partners or they own a minority of the shares and use a black person as a front. This really sucks when you find out as a young person who thought your people are doing great but you realise that they are just fronts. The bigger problem is that most prominent positions in big companies are held by white people, who will easily give an account to a white-owned agency [than] to a black owned agency. The change is happening but it’s happening very slow; we can see the changes and we shall see what happens in the next few years.

VN: Where and when do you have your best ideas?
AM: I don’t have a radio in my car so I have the best ideas in the car, driving around, maybe from job [to] home.

VN: What advice can you give to young creatives wanting to get into the business?
AM: This will sound like a cliché but you need a lot of patience and you need to be [a] hard person emotionally, as people in the industry do not care about how you solve the problem but they want solutions. You need to love what you do so it doesn’t feel like a chore.

VN: Tell us something about yourself not generally known.
AM: I am the Original Stan.

VN: What exciting projects are you working on at the moment?
AM: Currently, we are in post for some work we just did for The Queen Mzansi; recently shot a great project with Vusi Thembekwayo; but the biggest project right now is Pixel Kollective, for me.

For more, go to Instagram.

 

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 has judged Loeries, Apex and AdFocus. He is the Joburg MD and founding partner of the largest black-owned and -managed full-service agencies in the country, AVATAR. He is also co-founder of M&N Brands, which is building an African network of agencies to rival the global giants. 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!

How to build more-sustainable brand loyalty in the digital age

by Marco Broccardo (@marcobro‏) In today’s hyper-connected world, where consumers arguably have more choice (and more information) than ever before, has the term “brand loyalty” become a misnomer?

Erosion documented

Indeed, with the growth of ecommerce around the world and the increasing automation of certain brand functions, many are questioning whether brand loyalty is still possible. Countless reports, such as Accenture’s 2017 “Seeing Beyond the Loyalty Illusion”, have documented the erosion of brand loyalty, revealing that 61% of consumers surveyed switched some or all of their business from one brand or provider to another in the last year, and with 77% of all consumers admitting that they now retract their loyalty more quickly than they did three years ago.

What many brands don’t realise, however, is that the digital world actually represents an opportunity to achieve stronger, sustainable brand loyalty and more-authentic customer engagement than in years past. The key is to understand that it’s no longer ‘blind’ loyalty — brands have to work much harder, and smarter, to build trust and loyalty with the new-age customer. This means that brands have to be proactive and agile, and leverage new and emerging technology platforms. As many are already discovering, it’sicertainly worth the investment…

Four factors

So where do brands start? Here are four key factors to enable you to achieve sustainable brand loyalty in a digital-first world.

1. Provide fast, seamless customer service

Like it or not, the pace of business, and life, has sped up considerably in recent years. The always-on nature of modern business and retail now means that customers expect results within minutes, or seconds. Increasingly, reports show that brands which fail to provide prompt customer service face the risk of permanently losing market share. Ecommerce platform, Shopify, has stated that “expectations are changing rapidly, and the speed of customer service is becoming critical for the velocity (quickness of motion/movement) of enterprise IT.” Indeed, while service quality is undoubtedly key for brands, the speed of service overshadows all other aspects of customer service today.

2. Craft highly personalised retail experiences

While ‘personalisation’ has become yet another buzzword in the digital sphere, it’s arguably nothing short of a necessity within every marketing strategy today. According to a report by software-as-a-service company, Eagle Eye (which works with retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury and Marks & Spencer in the UK), 75% of consumers are “unhappy” with generic offers, and prefer products and services to be directly aimed at them. Moreover, 58% of consumers are “most likely” to redeem promotions sent via digital channels such as mobile, email and social media.

In a retail environment saturated by overwhelming choice, brands have to leverage data, in real-time, to offer personalised, highly targeted offers to their customers.

3. Embrace social commerce

While social commerce is still an emerging trend within global retail, brands should already be exploring and investing in key platforms. Put simply, social commerce is the ability to make a product purchase from a third-party company within the native social media experience.

For example, users can now can browse and compare products on Facebook, and then make the purchase on Facebook instead of going to the company’s site. With a Facebook store, brands can upload products and product information, sell directly from their page, and use the site to glean key customer insights. According to analysts, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest currently dominate the social commerce space, although it’s not a channel that automatically works for every brand…yet. Notably, according to TIME magazine, both Twitter and Facebook have claimed that around half of their users come to their sites to seek out products for purchase.

4. Create unique content to engage and inform

With so much digital ‘noise’ and the constant barrage of push notifications, customers will only pay attention if you have a unique story to tell — or an engaging experience to offer. This is why storytelling and smart content creation has become a critical part of every forward-thinking retail marketing strategy. Good content can build connections with customers and even motivate them to take action. Increasingly, brands can harness new tools such as augmented reality (AR) that make consumers part of the brand story themselves. In the US, for example, to promote National Donut Day, Dunkin’ Donuts sponsored an AR lens on Snapchat that let users turn their faces into donuts — complete with animated sprinkles dropping into donut mouths.

Finally, always give customers an easy and quick way to opt out of any marketing and digital communications. Nothing will erode brand loyalty as radically as pestering consumers with unwanted messages, and not giving them a way to respectfully decline.

The key

Today, brands have an unprecedented opportunity to reach customers in an engaging, meaningful and sustainable way — the key is to use the right tools and platforms, at the right time, and in the right way.

 

Marco BroccardoMarco Broccardo (@marcobro‏) is the CEO and founder of COLONY Live, an international radio analytics platform first developed in South Africa. Marco is a passionate leader who has successfully built and piloted three companies from conception.

“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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