SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] It was a case of giving a voice without having a voice. That is how working journalists in South Africa were described in the past, but that is about to change as the Professional Journalists' Association (ProJourn) is officially launched. 15 Mar 2010 06:15
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] “There are 12 million (10? 11?) mobile Internet users in South Africa.” “Marketers must roll their sleeves to start targeting 40 million SIM card users or ‘lose out'.” “Mobile marketing is the way to go.” “Mobile marketing is getting bigger because mobile Internet has overtaken PC Internet.” These statements, among others, have become like boring music in marketers' ears. But is it really working? How effective is mobile marketing? 12 Mar 2010 12:23
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The FIFA World Cup trophy is set to arrive in South Africa in early May to begin a national journey as the end of its worldwide tour, which comprises 86 countries and 130 000km, draws near. 12 Mar 2010 11:23
SOUTH AFRICA
[Chris Moerdyk] A growing number of media owners in South Africa are finding that their regular advertisers are holding back on placing ads during June and July 2010 when the FIFA World Cup is on, and they're at a loss to understand why. I must admit it is mystifying. 11 Mar 2010 12:09
SOUTH AFRICA
[Duncan McLeod] Television in SA is on the verge of its biggest changes since its introduction in 1976. Two new pay-TV operators will finally launch soon to take on DStv, and the move to digital terrestrial television will change the competitive dynamics of the industry forever. 10 Mar 2010 12:42
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The great mistake of today's business environment is to believe that digital can fulfil the role of marketing. It will not, Miles Young, global CEO of Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide, said yesterday, Tursday, 9 March 2010, in Johannesburg. 10 Mar 2010 11:09
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The SABC board is upset and disappointed by what it calls annihilating and baseless accusations made by the president of trade union BEMAWU regarding Clare O'Neil, a board member who has recently been asked to provide "extended oversight" on all of the corporation's sales and marketing activities. 10 Mar 2010 10:00
SOUTH AFRICA
[Ann Druce] Networking has become a buzz word, but it's hardly a new way to market your business. Of course, the fact that it has been around for generations underscores that it does have merit. The only real change is the way in which networking has been formalised. 9 Mar 2010 12:47
SOUTH AFRICA
[Dr Nikolaus Eberl] When the Olympic flame was extinguished in the cauldron and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games were officially declared closed by IOC President Jacques Rogge, commentators were unanimous in declaring the hosting nation the biggest winner. 9 Mar 2010 11:52
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Will Clare O'Neil get paid like a ‘nine-to-five employee' for providing extended oversight? Is this a well-calculated tactic to give her a full-time, well-paid job? Is she going to sit in the office all day to provide these services effectively? What do 'extended oversight' and ‘secondment' really mean? These are, among others, some ‘do or die' questions the Broadcast, Electronic, Media and Allied Workers' Union (BEMAWU) wants the SABC to answer. 9 Mar 2010 11:18
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] While the growth in number of websites officially registered worldwide is a tangible proof that the Internet is cruising ahead, it has been established that more problems and challenges are likely to emerge, whether in terms of safety, fraud, ‘squatting', logistics or disputes. 9 Mar 2010 05:44
SOUTH AFRICA
[Herman Manson] "Here's to the crazy ones... who had the balls to copy one of the greatest commercials ever made." The Bizcommunity.com peanut gallery was un-amused when Ornico recently picked a DStv promo, titled 'The Dreamers', as an 'Ad of the Week' in its ad showcase on Biz. The promo in question reminds one strongly of a rather iconic ad made by Apple for its successful 'Think Different' campaign in the late 1990s. 8 Mar 2010 13:23
ZIMBABWE
[Dumisani Ndlela] Clothing retail giants are finding that the battle for the cash market is turning tougher due to a proliferation of informal retail shops stocking cheap but quality merchandise from abroad. 8 Mar 2010 11:51
SOUTH AFRICA
[Chris Moerdyk] Toyota's recall programme seems to have escalated into a full-scale turf war between the Far East and the US. This is the only conclusion many automobile industry marketers can come to since, if one looks at historical precedent, this entire issue should have blown over weeks ago. 8 Mar 2010 11:11
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] SABC board member Clare O'Neil has been appointed by its fellow board members - at the recommendation of CEO Solly Mokoetle - to provide expanded oversight of the corporation's sales and marketing activities. 8 Mar 2010 07:58
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Former Mail & Guardian Online editor Riaan Wolmarans now works and lives
in London after being appointed production editor for special reports at the Financial Times (FT) newspaper. In an interview with Bizcommunity.com last week, he spoke about his new job, British media's high level of professionalism, what he perceives as the poor quality of South Africa's Sunday newspapers and SA's crime. 8 Mar 2010 06:15
SOUTH AFRICA
[Tiffany Markman] I've generated some buzz on Twitter recently with my ‘Hi Tiffany' series of tweets. Largely tongue-in-cheek, they deal with bizarre client requests, strange foibles and inexplicable confusions (and before you ask, they're based on my dealings with only 5% of my client base; the other 95% is usually absolutely fantastic to work with). 5 Mar 2010 11:23
CENTRAL AFRICA
[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Malawi) has called on President Bingu wa Mutharika to intervene in government's decision to stop advertising with some print and electronic media houses as well as barring their journalists from covering government functions. 5 Mar 2010 10:35
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] South Africa's ‘excessive' media ownership and control at the hands of a very few players continues to be the main topic of discussion in political, media, civil society and academic circles, with some calling for an urgent intervention to regulate what they see as a ‘selfish' and ‘slow-transforming' industry. 5 Mar 2010 09:59
SOUTH AFRICA
[Sid Peimer] Rhetoric is the art of persuasive communication. According to Aristotle, three elements are required for effective rhetoric: ethos (your reputation), logos (the logic in your argument) and pathos (the emotion you elicit). All three are a vital triad when presenting for new business. 4 Mar 2010 12:53
SOUTH AFRICA
[Herman Manson] Mike Abel never blinks. Literally. Or at least he didn't through this interview, the two of us and chief creative partner Peter Badenhorst stuffed into a corner table at the Loading Bay Café, a coffee shop below the new M&C Saatchi Abel offices in De Waterkant, the former gay quarter of Cape Town, now trendily mainstream. 4 Mar 2010 11:40
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] President Jacob Zuma's bashing at the hands of UK media continues to draw condemnation here at home, with at least one analyst calling the comments ‘racist'. This signals what is likely to be the start of a long and heated debate about what many Africans see as Western media's ‘lack of respect' for African values. 4 Mar 2010 10:44
AFRICA
[Dumisani Ndlela] With less than 100 days before the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off, Zimbabwe is beginning to realise that benefits from South Africa's hosting of the soccer tournament are not as massive as earlier predicted. 4 Mar 2010 10:40
UGANDA
[Walter Wafula] Aggrey Awori, Uganda's information and communication technology minister, is expected to officially launch Mobile Monday in the country on Women's Day, 8 March 2010 in Kampala, according to Daniel Stern the lead organiser of the city's association. 4 Mar 2010 10:33
CENTRAL AFRICA
[Gregory Gondwe] South Africa's Beryl Telecoms has engaged Telkom SA to operate and manage what is to become Malawi's third mobile phone service provider G-Mobile which is on the verge of losing its licence. 3 Mar 2010 10:44
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] Former Ogilvy UK chairman and long-time friend Gary Leih paid an emotional tribute to the late Robyn Putter, calling him a "great champion" of the industry and showering him with praise for his "sterling contribution" to the industry's transformation. 3 Mar 2010 10:18
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] From humble beginnings as a simple device with a communications capability akin to a traditional telephone, the cellphone has been transformed and now offers us a whole range of amazing opportunities. So what of the future? 3 Mar 2010 09:18
SOUTH AFRICA
[Herman Manson] The 2010 Design Indaba might turn out to be the most memorable to date. Bizcommunity.com brings you the highlights of the third and final day, as well as Li and Martha. [view twitterfall] 1 Mar 2010 13:25
ZIMBABWE
[Dumisani Ndlela] An insurance renewal advertisement by RM Insurance has provoked the women's rights lobby in Zimbabwe, which is demanding an apology from the company for demeaning “wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and grannies.” 1 Mar 2010 11:31
SOUTH AFRICA
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] [Flux Trends] The rise of the machines has produced one of the strangest human tribes the planet has ever seen: the digital junkies. Their behaviour, deemed ‘unconventional' by some observers, upsets conservative society, which believes these ‘outcasts' are leading schizophrenic lives. 1 Mar 2010 10:38
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