Media Report: Advertising in Africa’s biggest economy

a The Media Report 2014 feature by Gugu Mtshali. The advertising industry in Nigeria has seen significant maturation in both creativity and execution during the past 10 years. As recently as 2008, television commercials and outdoor advertising were more predominantly foreign in format.

Digify attempts to address diversity, digital-skills gaps in adland

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Digify, a new project launched by Livity Africa in association with Google and the IAB, is helping to address both the digital-skills gap and lack of diversity in the supply of digital-savvy youngsters joining ad agencies and marketing departments.

Mortimer Harvey launches Cairo office

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Mortimer Harvey has opened a regional office in Cairo, Egypt. Instead of buying its way into African markets, the independent full-service agency intends to establish and grow on the ground, and offer clients access to a team of senior marketers with experience in launching and building brands in Africa.

Grey is back, and heading north

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Volcano, an agency that this year entered its 21st year in operation the South African ad industry, has been resisting offers from the multinational networks for years. But, a year ago, WPP suddenly closed down its SA agency for Grey. Negotiations with Volcano started soon afterwards.

Gail Curtis leaves Saatchi & Saatchi

by Herman Manson (@marklives) Gail Curtis has left advertising and her position as group CEO at Saatchi & Saatchi South Africa, after nine years with the agency. She departed in May 2014 but is committed to advising the agency through July. Her plans are to establish a new consultancy focused on mentoring women in senior management positions.

Africa Dispatches: Know where to grow

Reductive perceptions of Africa persist, but numbers shatter continental clichés. In the next five years, over half the world’s fastest-growing economies will be African. A Mark Magazine: Africa Dispatches feature by Mandy de Waal (@mandyldewaal).

The Ad Contrarian: New CMO = new agency = new campaign (= sh*t)

by Bob Hoffman (@adcontrarian), San Francisco Bay I am not a fan of either the talking-animal or the talking-baby genre. They’ve been done a million times and rarely have they been anything but awful. However, every now and then someone does it well. They take a clichéd idea and make it into something good.

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