Dashni Vilakazi, new Managing Director for The MediaShop Johannesburg
Dashni Vilakazi, new Managing Director for The MediaShop Johannesburg effective 1 July 2021, has a track record of managing diverse teams and can assimilate new, complex environments to process exponential improvements for business success.
Vilakazi joins The MediaShop from her previous roles as GM of Marketing, where she headed up Absa’s Investment, Wealth, Financial Advisers and Insurance marketing portfolios, and formerly from Old Mutual as the Head of Retail Marketing based in Cape Town.
With over 20 years of experience in positions as head of marketing for corporate listed entities and in advertising, media and communication agencies in leadership positions based in Nigeria, internationally and especially in South Africa, Chris Botha, Group Managing Director at Park Advertising, said that Vilakazi was the obvious choice for the role.
‘Vilakazi has proved herself extremely capable in all areas of leading a team, in delivering transformation and in pioneering innovative ways of growing every business she’s worked with,’ said Botha. ‘There were some great candidates available for the position and we thank them for putting themselves forward, but we believe that Vilakazi has the correct ability, passion and drive to elevate the Johannesburg team.’
Vilakazi has delivered transformation in corporate strategy initiations, customer centricity, brand building and digitalisation services for sectors in the financial services, FMCG, telecoms, quick service restaurants, retail and beverage categories. Vilakazi also boasts a Master’s in Business Management (MBA).
‘I am honoured to join and lead a legendary media institution that has embraced distinction and merit in this industry, especially during these intricate episodes in the communication industry. The MediaShop has accomplished and delivered extraordinary standards of strategy and service to their faculty of significant brands in South Africa,’ she said.
‘I believe The MediaShop has tremendous opportunities to capitalise on this established repute and has the correct foundation to innovate for the future and grow its ecosystem. It is hugely empowering to be leading a prominent team that spans years of superior media excellence. The agency’s collective knowledge will support me in providing more capabilities that will propagate this business, the communications industry and our well-regarded list of clients to ultimately sustain, innovate and grow their businesses.’
Nadia Hearn, founder of Get-Published, says when launching a new business, service or product, it can be as challenging as it is exciting. Most of us want to reach the market with a new offer that can make businesses or consumers’ lives better. The only problem is no one knows who you are.
PR can be a magic wand if it is used well and for its original purpose: to introduce, educate, showcase and to tell the story of what you have to offer, and why it is especially important to your target market. After all, it is about them and they need to know why they need you.
We all know that when an expert is featured in top media, we simply feel more inclined to trust them, and if others are being helped and seeing the results, surely buying from you is a no brainer? PR supports your sales offering through media articles that you can share across your digital platforms, as well as providing organic search benefits.
Also, you can send these articles to potential customer databases, include them into some of your marketing tactics like landing pages, e-mailing and social media campaigns like LinkedIn where you can also publish your articles and insights about why your target needs to pay attention to what it is you offer.
PR: a long-term strategy
In today’s financially strained marketplace, businesses and brands cannot compete on price only. PR elevates your brand and what it offers, connecting you with the ideal customers who are happy to buy from you for your value, quality or even lifestyle at the price it costs. These customers can be brand loyal but they should also become completely brand insistent, so distracting them with price wars is not the way to create loyalty.
A large percentage of successful global brands, experts and businesses that consistently use PR in their strategy and activity have great success – because you know about them. They invest in PR and communications strategies – as a must-have annually – and they see great benefits using it as a tool to support the emotional brand relationship with their target market and all stakeholders. They see the larger impact of brand value also on equity value of their business.
Your launch campaign needs an excellent media pack
Firstly, a great PR campaign aligns your communication objectives to your business objectives. Secondly, it is important to have a media pack that holds the information media need to publish content about you.
Spokespeople need a media biography and high-quality media friendly profile images in the correct format for media to use – as a bare minimum.
You need a brand story that connects the target audiences with why you do what you do and why the market will need you.
Good brand imagery and an image bank of the business, services and products is also required to support written content.
Numbers captured through infographics and product shots also help media visually communicate your message to your audiences in a way that is easy to understand, memorable, and more importantly that connects with them emotionally.
With offices in Cape Town and Amsterdam, North has been chosen to represent the Sub-Saharan region of the continent and is the only African-based representative in the global mix of top-notch independent agencies in the By The Network community.
North has been named the 26th company to join By The Network – a burgeoning community of independent creative agencies from around the globe. The global network was founded by creative leader Per Pedersen, who spent over 25 years working in the Grey Group, most recently as Global Creative Chairman of Grey Worldwide.
By The Network have dismissed the dated corporate structures of the past and formed a global dream-team of highly awarded independent agencies and world class creatives, offering a new breed of curated creative and strategic talent. Since its inception in October 2020, the network has been selected to lead global work for Snap, Netflix and Carlsberg to name a few.
Not only does this allow North access to vastly diverse and interesting markets but, through this unique network, also facilitates opportunities for North to work on global brands who are looking to make their mark in Africa.
Mike Bond, Creative Director and Founder at North said of the collaboration, ‘We’ve always been globally focused, and this opportunity allows us to spread our wings while maintaining our own brand ethos. The idea of an independent network just really appeals to North’s innate sensibilities. It satisfies the need for global connectivity, yet on our own terms. The agencies already on the network are simply brilliant and it’s great to be in that sort of company.’
Gavin Williams, Creative Director and Partner of the agency, added, ‘North’s trajectory, from a small studio in Cape Town, into the rarefied atmosphere of our peers in By The Network is humbling and energising. We are exceptionally proud of what we have achieved and beyond excited to see what opportunities, collaborations and adventures lie ahead.’
‘North is the perfect match for our global network of free-spirited creative agencies. The team has an impressive trail of great work on global clients and their craft is outstanding,’ said Per Pedersen, Founder and Creative leader of By The Network. ‘The mix of experience and creative excellence is exactly what By The Network is all about. Borderless creative collaboration is at the core of why we exist, and North will play a significant role in expanding our reach and building our creative profile, not just as our hub in Africa but also on global briefs.’
Now in its seventh year, Next Creative Leaders is a free portfolio competition that identifies, celebrates and gives a global platform to talented women and non-binary creatives who are making their mark on the world with both their work and a unique point of view on creative leadership that’s changing the industry for the better.
The One Club for Creativity and The 3% Movement have opened the call for entries for their jointly run and free Next Creative Leaders 2021 competition. Along with naming 10 global winners based upon the highest scores from judges, The One Club and The 3% Movement also analyse the next level of highest scoring entrants to recognise those in various regions who may have scored just below the winning level, and whose work and creative vision the judges feel deserve honourable mention accolades.
Eligible participants are those who are stepping into leadership roles, including copywriters, art directors, designers, ACDs, newly promoted creative and design directors with less than one year in the role, and creative teams who are doing game-changing work.
Entries highlighting a candidate’s creativity, leadership and unique point of view must be submitted by the July 16, 2021 deadline. To make Next Creative Leaders as open and accessible as possible, there is no fee to enter.
Entrants are judged on four to six pieces of creative work, their background and information about how they — and their work — are pushing the industry forward and making a positive contribution in terms of diversity, mentoring and advocacy.
Winners will be selected by a jury of top creatives and diversity advocates, including past Next Creative Leaders winners, and announced at the 10th annual The 3% Conference, to be held in Atlanta on November 2-3, 2021.
Each NCL winner receives a one-year complimentary individual membership with The One Club with opportunities to participate in future One Club awards juries, and complimentary tickets to a One Club professional development conference, panels and mentorship events. Winners receive a complimentary ticket to The 3% Conference and a potential opportunity to speak on the annual Next Creative Leaders panel.
Winners also each get a dedicated article and winning work showcase on The One Club website, promotion on both The 3% Movement and The One Club social channels, invitation to be a part of the 2022 Next Creative Leaders Jury and a special feature on the InVisible Creatives website and Instagram account.
‘The One Club created its own Inclusion and Diversity Department more than a decade ago, and has steadily increased programming around gender equity in the workplace,’ said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. ‘Next Creative Leaders is an important part of our programming because it identifies, elevates and gives voice to those who are making a real difference by opening the door and inspiring the next generation of creatives who follow in their footsteps.’
‘The abundance of female and non-binary creative talent in our industry is phenomenally inspiring,’ said Kat Gordon, founder, The 3% Movement. ‘The simple act of recognition serves as an accelerant for these winners’ careers in a way that inspires even more young women to aim high. 3% is so proud to watch this circle of goodness continue to ripple outward.’
Branding for Next Creative Leaders 2021 was designed by NCL 2020 winner Elma Karabegovic, with font designer Zacchary Dempsey-Plante.
The South African Government recently released the Digital Sound Broadcasting Regulations, which may result in changes in the media landscape. The National Association of Broadcasting (NAB) needs your voice and opinion.
Their survey aims to develop an understanding of awareness and perceptions of Digital Terrestrial Radio and its impact on the radio industry and specifically the radio advertising market.
The survey is conducted by an independent consultant and will be administered on Jotform. Responses will be kept confidential and reported in aggregate, unless specific permission to share individual responses is granted.
It should take no longer than five minutes to complete and you could win R2000 just by completing it. Deadline for submission: 11 June 2021. Click here for the survey.
Herman Degener, Digital Media Strategist at The MediaShop.
Herman Degener, Digital Media Strategist at The MediaShop, says when digital goes on a diet in 2022 (when Google will sunset the third-party cookie), we all win.
I’m not making a joke about a humble choc-chip cookie riding off into the sunset, I’m talking about the little bit of code that has largely enabled the internet to remain ‘free’ and open for all to use. The same snippet of code has also resulted in less than favourable outcomes for internet users (such as data leaks and pesky ads that follow you around in an eerie kind of way).
Cookies have their place and ultimately help us have a more enjoyable internet experience; they help remember your language preferences on your favourite news site, your location (for accurate weather information), your login details when you want to quickly buy a concert ticket (I so long for those days), and they help you remember what was in your shopping basket when you had to quickly abandon ship because the bath was about to run over.
These cookies, however, are known as first party cookies and they are here to stay. From a brand’s perspective, these are super useful cookies as their ‘crumbs’ help create a rich tapestry of user data which they can use to keep enhancing your experience each time you visit their site. So, third party cookie, your days are numbered, boet.
But why the big fuss, especially if third party cookies have a positive role to play in helping to keep the internet open, and free (literal and figurative data costs aside)? Well if you have watched some of the documentaries of late (The Great Hack, The Social Dilemma etc), or if you have been a victim of cybercrime because your data was shared with someone with unscrupulous intent, or even if you just hate it when you looked at a pair of shoes and then all you see for the next week are shoe ads, then I am sure you will be happy to see the back of third party cookies. Some internet browsers have already been banning these for a while now (such as Apple’s Safari, Microsoft’s Edge – previously known as Internet Explorer – and Mozilla’s Firefox internet browsers), however they are firmly in the minority when it comes to browser-usage globally and locally.
Google’s Chrome browser is used by more than 60% of the global internet population, so therefore has the largest role to play in the proliferation (or not) of third-party cookies. In South Africa, that number is higher than 75%!
What really precipitated the change to a cookie-less future was the regulatory measures implemented by the likes of the European Parliament in May 2018 (i.e., General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) enforced in January 2020. Locally, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) comes into effect on 1 July 2021 after it was gazetted in November 2013. The Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa (IABSA) recently published a guide to POPIA compliance, which makes for essential reading if you are in the business of processing data, which may (or may not) be personally identifiable.
Side note on the global ad-spend by medium, according to Statista Jan 2021: Internet (51%), TV (28%), Newspaper (6%), OOH (5%) and Radio (5%). Locally, TV still receives the lion’s share of ad-budget however it is expected the Online will dominate by the end of 2023 (Statista).
The open and free internet has largely been made possible by advertising, which has benefited from the technological advances that have made online advertising garner the lion’s share of ad-budgets globally (see side note).
However, as the online ad industry has strived to deliver relevant ads to consumers across the web, it has created a proliferation of individual user data across thousands of companies, typically gathered by third party cookies.
This has led to an erosion of trust: in fact, 72% of people feel that almost all of what they do online is being tracked by advertisers, tech-firms or other companies, and 81% say that the potential risks they face because of data collection outweigh the benefits, according to a study by Pew Research Centre. eMarketer / Insider Intelligence has reported similar sentiment, with the majority of people surveyed saying they’d rather protect their privacy than get personalised ads! Google not only has the most to lose but also the most to gain post their self-imposed deadline of blocking third party cookies by 2022 (exact date TBC).
They have been actively finding privacy-preserving solutions to help maintain the economic foundation of the internet and launched the Privacy Sandbox initiative around the same time they announced their intentions for the ill-fated third-party cookie. The Privacy Sandbox introduces a set of privacy-preserving APIs to support business models that fund the open web in the absence of tracking mechanisms like third-party cookies, and for those of us sans a propeller mounted atop our heads, the Privacy Sandbox aims to facilitate new approaches that ensure ad-relevance for end-users and measurable ROAS for advertisers, all the while protecting user privacy.
Preliminary results show positive results, so rest assured that come 2022, we will have a plethora of options to ensure a seamless transition from the status quo to the other side. You can read more about the aforementioned preliminary results here.
Apple has also ratcheted-up their efforts to protect user privacy with the launch of their much-anticipated mobile software update, iOS 14.5. In layman’s terms, the update puts the power to control the tracking of your apps and online activity firmly in your hands. After installing the update to iOS 14.5, you are prompted to allow the app you have just opened to track your activity across other companies’ apps and website or disallow this (perhaps imperceptive) heinous intent. The app owner will have an opportunity to inform you of the data they will collect and why they believe it is beneficial to you (and them) that you tap ‘Allow’. You read more about why iOS14.5 is such a big deal here.
The pundits are forecasting a less than favourable outcome for apps that are required to issue such prompts, forecasting a less than 20% opt-in rate. It remains to be seen how accurate this forecast is, and the likes of Facebook have already started prompting those who have opted-out with warnings that should their preference continue unabated, then Facebook may no longer be ‘free’.
As alluded to earlier, Google are by far the biggest dog in this fight, however they have been less abrupt in their actions to quell the negative effects of third-party cookie data. In so doing, they are giving advertisers and publishers sufficient runway to get their back-of-(data) house in order. All the downsides to a less personalised cross-web experience have yet to be seen, of course, however there is a lot to look forward to, both from a consumer and brand (advertiser and publisher) perspective. We can all expect to enjoy higher returns from the elevated customer experience a post third party cookie world should deliver, based on the premise of the thing which has been eroded: trust.
Global Fashion Channel (GFC) is a 24/7 TV channel that focuses on premier fashion, beauty, art, luxury lifestyle, culture, music and special events from around the world. The channel has signed an exclusive pan-African distribution partnership deal with Media Brokerage Africa.
‘Colman Murray, MD of Media Brokerage Africa, has years of experience in Africa’s broadcast arena. The Global Fashion Channel felt his knowledge and expertise was a perfect fit to help expand our channel into Africa,’ said Gail Garrison, Owner and Creative Director at Global Fashion Channel. ‘Media Brokerage Africa will also assist Global Fashion Channel to work with African brands and events, ultimately showcasing African culture and designers as part of the very best of the global industry.’
‘GFC is a prestigious addition to our boutique portfolio at Media Brokerage Africa. Concluding this significant partnership with one of the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle content providers will strengthen Media Brokerage Africa’s offering to market,’ explained Murray. ‘Television is an important part of the media mix across Africa, and we will now be able to offer our clients a more extensive media buy that delivers diverse content opportunities, audiences and return on investment.’
Khethiwe Nkuna, Executive Head for Corporate Citizenship and Inclusion and Diversity for Accenture in Africa.
Accenture is partnering with GirlCode to create more opportunities for women in tech. The partnership includes training 50 unemployed female graduates with a goal to get them into formal employment.
Accenture will provide funding for the programme while GirlCode will deliver intensive three-month training that prepares the trainees to work as junior front end, back end or full stack developers. The programme – designed to address the country’s key economic growth imperatives, including unemployment – will allow participants of the age between 18 and 35 to join one of two learning streams. The first being an AWS Cloud Practitioner where the students will learn AWS Cloud concepts, AWS services, security, architecture and support to build their AWS Cloud knowledge – with the intention to prepare them for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam at the end of the programme. The second stream is focused on Java fundamentals where the students will build a foundational understanding of Java and be able to take the Java SE 8 Programmer I exam to gain an industry recognised certificate.
‘We are witnessing a resurgence in demand for custom, bespoke software development skills due to a number of factors including the COVID-19 impact on businesses,’ said Khethiwe Nkuna, Executive Head for Corporate Citizenship and Inclusion and Diversity for Accenture in Africa.
‘This demand places an additional strain on the country’s already limited pool of qualified and experienced Java engineers, whom Accenture also needs for its own projects with clients. It’s vital that we develop adaptable and transferable skills that prepare unemployed graduates for the dynamic workplace of the future and remain applicable as jobs and industries evolve.’
GirlCode has expertise in designing and implementing rapid software training programmes that focus on digital transformation. Their model and methodology are a great fit with Accenture’s objectives, as the robust training platform is elastic and can easily accommodate new content.
‘Our key focus is on providing inclusive and affordable digital access and skills to young girls and women who have been previously excluded or come from disadvantaged communities,’ said Zandile Mkwanazi, Chief Executive Officer for GirlCode.
‘GirlCode was born out of a recognition of an inherent gender bias in the technology sector. Only 23 percent of technology jobs in South Africa are held by women. In addition, the country is facing a dire unemployment crisis, affecting young people in particular. We provide a solution to these problems by introducing girls and women to tech from an early age and supporting them to upskill in coding and design. We offer girls and women the confidence to insert themselves in the labour market as skilled software developers,’ said Mkwanazi.
GirlCode is in alignment with Accenture’s Skills to Succeed initiative that supports and empower people to take on the shifting workforce landscape. ‘With our partners, our global Skills to Succeed initiative has equipped nearly 4.6 million people with the skills to make substantive improvements to their lives. In 2020, this support was in demand even more due to the impact of the pandemic. We continually evolve Skills to Succeed to meet changing market needs and support people throughout their career journey, and we aim to inspire belief in the power of technology to change the world,’ said Nkuna.
Kryolan Professional Make-Up has appointed The Lime Envelope to implement a year-long ‘give-back’ campaign with the brand.
‘Kryolan Professional Make-Up, in a small way, wants to give back to athletes and provide them with a brand that truly understands and supports them, values their career and caters to them – on and off the field. We are proud to be the first company and country to have thought of such a concept and cannot wait to bring it to life. We greatly appreciate having both The Lime Envelope and SASCOC on board to assist us in making our vision a reality. Watch this space for the announcement,’ said Neil Wilkinson, Managing Director at Kryolan Professional Make-Up.
As one of the first cosmetic brands globally, Kryolan Professional Make-Up is a professional make-up company that uses its own recipes and formulas to manufacture make-up. With retail stores all over South Africa, the company prides itself in providing high-quality and professional make-up for both professionals and consumers alike. Kryolan Professional Make-Up is known for developing innovative make-up that helps create unconventional looks that can be seen on screen or stage.
The 2021 edition of the Parisian Grand Slam is seeing tennis fans coming back to Roland-Garros. To celebrate its third successive year of partnership with Roland-Garros and the presence of spectators around the famous clay courts, OPPO will be launching a new campaign, ‘Play With Heart’.
The campaign will start at Roland-Garros and OPPO will encourage fans across all social platforms to pay tribute to their favourite sport and to share their passion for tennis with unique shots and content. The campaign will also invite influencers and creators across the globe to broadcast and share their love of tennis.
‘A love for tennis comes from the soul, so we want the planet’s most avid tennis fans to show and share their passion for the game,’ said Gregor Almassy, Overseas CMO for OPPO. ‘2020 was an unusual and frustrating year for everyone, especially for tennis lovers, so we are launching the ‘Play With Heart’ campaign. We want to revitalise the passion of fans who love the unique joy and excitement of the most vibrant moments in tennis, such as chasing victory, but also to explore and create more experiences so that fans can truly celebrate the return of the tennis Grand Slams, such as Roland-Garros, with fans around the world.’
Gilles Moretton, President of the French Tennis Federation added, ‘We are extremely proud of our relationship with OPPO and we value their continued support in such complicated times. As in previous years, passion and innovation are at the centre of our partnership and the ‘Play With Heart’ campaign underlines a common DNA and shared objective to bring tennis fans together and to allow them to show and share their passion for the sport we all love.’
Building on the Play With Heart campaign, OPPO will launch a set of activations around the world. One of these will be the ‘Wall of Heart’, a series of refurbished walls-to-courts created in Paris and London to encourage fans to take up tennis.
‘I’m delighted to continue my partnership with OPPO and I’m grateful for all the work they are doing to promote tennis,’ said Gael Monfils, World No. 15 and OPPO brand Friend. ‘I am glad to be part of the Play With Heart campaign, which I believe will give the next generation of tennis players and fans something to be excited about this year.’
The campaign represents OPPO’s long-term commitment to help promote the tennis and sports sector. The partnership with Roland-Garros and Wimbledon is a part of OPPO’s mission to continue to connect with the world’s upcoming generation of fans – by igniting their passion for the game with powerful moments on the tennis court.
