According to the Novus Group, every second of your brand exposure counts, and it is vital to know how many people are being exposed to the company’s identity at any time, as well as how it impacts on brand awareness.
According to Harvard researchers, about 90% of purchasing decisions are subconscious. This means the longer your company’s logo is seen, the more likely people are paying attention to your brand, and the greater the impact is on consumer buying activity. By having greater insight into your company’s visual imprint and impact, you are better able to determine how your brand awareness is built through a loyal audience that is exposed to the brand frequently.
Until recently, it was difficult to track this impact effectively and accurately if the company name wasn’t actually spoken during the broadcast. Novus Group’s new Automated Logo Recognition product helps brands quantify the exact amount of broadcast exposure they are getting. By calculating the total screen time exactly, brands gain new insights into the overall impact of sponsorship and brand building campaigns.
The logo detection software analyses recorded images frame by frame to identify logos. It can identify graphics on a variety of objects, in different shapes and sizes, and with various lighting settings and backgrounds. The product then allows classification of the recognised logos and brands by placement, appearance and duration of appearance. Think about the difference in impact of a pocket-sized logo versus a banner next to a sporting arena or even a billboard. The logo detection product will initially be introduced for television, and Novus will soon expand this service to other media platforms.
Why is Logo Detection important?
Logo Detection plays a key role in informing sponsorship campaign strategies. By verifying return on investment (ROI) more accurately than ever, it provides strong guidance for future actions and tactics taken by media and marketing agencies, TV stations and business intelligence providers.
This is especially important for sports sponsorships and other sponsored events, where it is important to understand how audiences interact with the brand across different media sources. This allows brands to effectively leverage logo detection to respond to a consumer in a timely manner. It also helps detect illegal uses of the logo and protects the brand image by assisting in fraud prevention and identifying counterfeits.
The newly re-energised Ads24 team is headed by seasoned sales professional Tasmia Ismail. The team will focus their skills and experience on a number of key future-focused aspects within the media sales and marketing process, all aimed at ensuring a customer-centric, integrated product solution, packaged to meet client-specific objectives.
Ads24 has implemented positive and far-reaching changes aimed at achieving a more collaborative approach to client needs, in light of the ever-changing media landscape and customer expectations. The key factors driving the repurposed structure are the need for agility, accessibility and creativity.
‘South Africa’s media sales environment is dealing with seismic changes brought about by Covid-19, the bleak economic outlook and lightning-fast technological developments and we want to ensure that our client-facing teams are geared to meet these challenges now and in the future through collaboration coupled with the highest levels of sales service,’ said Ismail.
Gayle Edmunds heads up the Ads24 Content hub as Content Editor. She is responsible for reinforcing the power of well-crafted content and implementing co-created brand content strategies across the Media24 digital and print platforms.
Tian Liebenberg continues to lead Business Development – Inland, and drive innovative advertising programmes across multiple platforms with a focus on digital and television.
Samantha Africa is appointed as Business Development Manager – Coastal. In addition to delivering solutions to clients, she will oversee the digital support and implementation team.
Conrad Stanley (Inland) and Leanne Loubser (Coastal) are responsible for pamphlet Business Development and to ensure the growth and reach of distribution into Media24’s news brand environment.
Pierrette Spadoni’s Business Development portfolio includes government and careers and she is responsible for developing and implementing sales strategies for the government sector across Media24 news and digital platforms.
In order to equip their sales force with an agile and responsive service to clients, they have the following team members.
– Shane Jacobs: Sales Strategist. His role is to devise national and local business strategies for the group’s news and digital channels. – Dalene Muller is Commercial manager: Media Intelligence, providing insights, research and data in support of sales strategies. – Marise van der Lith is Head of Marketing and focuses on developing a comprehensive communications programme in support of the sales team. She continues to promote the co-creation of integrated advertising solutions.
This streamlined leadership team is firmly committed to ensuring easy access to their diverse skill sets and will work closely with clients to design individually tailored solutions that meet expectations. ‘We support the group strategy of providing quality news journalism to all South Africans, irrespective of interest or cultural persuasion. Our commitment is to partner with our clients to develop and deliver multi-channel advertising solutions that support brands and deliver results,’ concluded Ismail.
An important reality to consider before diving head-first into a communication strategy is that buying habits have changed. People have become far more money conscious – especially in recent months – but more than that is their relentless pursuit of convenience, says Grant Kruger, Business Lead ID/IT at LG Electronics South Africa.
Key to advertising is a brand or product’s ability to change consumer behaviour. It is no wonder a large focus for many businesses is on the way they communicate with their consumers. After all, if people can’t see you or hear you, how likely are they to remember you?
Technology has accelerated this preference, so much so that consumers no longer need to leave their homes to buy anything. And, because of the availability of products and information online, there is a lot more choice. So, how do you capture the attention of buyers who are spoilt for choice? Enter digital signage – an interactive solution that acts as a direct line to consumers and delivers content in a meaningful and memorable way.
Visibility and relevance
Arguably two of the most notable benefits of digital marketing are its ability to attract new customers and boost sales by increasing brand awareness and delivering information directly to customers. In fact, 86% of small business owners revealed during a study that their LED signs had brought them new customers. What’s more, 83% noticed an increase in sales after installation.
Digital signage also enables agility and adaptability. Gone are the days where businesses would need to commit to a spot in a newspaper or magazine at the risk of their product or service changing or updating. Now, they are given the flexibility to update their content or messaging whenever they need to. This allows the retail store to use content changes to drive consumer behaviour in-store. The customer is in your store, so now you create the journey. Because of this, digital signage is one of the most effective ways of communicating with consumers. It is also one of the most cost-effective.
Meaningful investments
Businesses no longer need to fork out thousands to secure different spots in a print alternative to keep their messaging relevant. Nor do they need to factor in costs associated with updating billboards or printing out posters. Instead, they get to invest in a timeless solution that’s environmentally friendly, too.
Fewer staff resources are needed to handle things, such as the design, admin and distribution, leaving employees more time to focus their energy on getting that message right. This can also save businesses overhead costs. Some studies even suggest that companies can save up to 30% in running costs within the first year of implementing digital signage.
The customer journey
Besides the opportunity to make and save money, digital signage is attention-grabbing. This is hugely important considering that consumers are becoming less receptive to marketing ploys. In fact, a 2018 We Are Social study revealed that 43% of South African internet users use an ad blocker tool to prevent the display of online advertising content.
Digital signage, however, offers a blank canvas on which businesses can tell a story full of emotion that evokes a reaction. The strategic use of colour and typography can add to their success, as does personalising it in a way that differentiates them from competitors and sits well in the mind of their consumers.
Advertising comes down to retaining existing customers while attracting new ones. Businesses should, therefore, consider the potential digital signage has, to help them realise that goal more quickly.
Egg Films’ Lebogang Rasethaba joined forces with M&C Saatchi Abel on the latest campaign for Superbalist.The creative team at M&C Saatchi Abel tasked Rasethaba to direct a campaign that would tap into people’s inner narrative about their sense of self-worth.
The team brought a strong and distinctive visual edge to the Superbalist Impress Yourself campaign, while simultaneously letting the internal dialogue of the performers take centre stage. The result is a fresh reimagining of fashion advertising underpinned with the powerful message that style is an attitude that starts within.
This work is a celebration of unique and eclectic individuals, and echoes a recent trend in fashion advertising that challenges conventions and celebrates individuality and difference. According to Egg Films’ Producer, Julia Schnurr, the team shot the entire campaign in just three days using only two houses as the locations, and they did it all while the stills for the campaign were being done at the same time.
‘I was really excited to work with the creative team from the agency – probably one of the most exciting teams in advertising. Being able to experiment with a fashion ad that wasn’t overtly selling fashion but rather an attitude was interesting and complex,’ said Rasethaba.
For M&C Saatchi Abel, Jake Bester was Executive Creative Director, Bella Evans was the Creative Group Head and copywriter, and Lubabalo Mtati was the Creative Group Head and Art Director, with Bronwyn Henry Sharon Martin producing.
‘I am obsessed with humanity’s inner dialogues – the existential stuff. In a lot of ways, we are the product of our own inner dialogues. I think it is important to acknowledge that we construct our views of the world through the things we tell ourselves … and don’t tell ourselves,’ said Rasethaba. ‘To explore all this depth with something as seasonal, playful and perhaps even whimsical as fashion is both challenging and fun.’
TikTok has signed its first African influencer platform partnership with Webfluential. Brands and agencies are now able to collaborate with TikTok creators for paid influencer campaigns, based on each influencer’s reach, resonance and relevance to the partner brand.
Boniswa Sidwaba, TikTok Content Operations Manager, Africa said, ‘TikTok’s unique creator engagement solutions and immersive formats reach and engage audiences in innovative new ways. We selected Webfluential as our partner in Africa to bring our offering to African brands and agencies at scale.’
With new and innovative ways to engage African audiences, TikTok’s growth in Africa shows no sign of slowing down. This partnership is set to bolster TikTok’s position among the communication mix for brands on the continent. With Webfluential already connected to 500 million fans and followers across Africa, the partnership with TikTok extends the potential for brands to tap into the 1.2 billion-strong African audience to help inspire creativity and bring joy.
Ryan Silberman, CEO of Webfluential.
‘TikTok enables creator-led brand engagement that is relatable and authentic, simple and entertaining, allowing brands to supercharge audience engagement. Coupled with influencer strategy and our influencer expertise at the Nfinity group – Webfluential’s local execution partner – we can now work with brands and top TikTok creators to engage new audiences,’ said Greg Bailie, Lead Client Partner at Webfluential South Africa.
‘With access to influencers across eight different channels and a combined audience of over two billion people, the addition of TikTok as a Webfluential channel means that our customers and agencies will be able to work with the top TikTok talent and boost the uniquely talented creator economy in Africa,’ said Ryan Silberman, CEO of Webfluential.
Scan Display partnered with outdoor display equipment manufacturer, Zimstone, to provide PinkDrive with branded outdoor display products. Zimstone donated the hardware and Scan Display produced the branded flags, pop-ups, and parasol and gazebo canopies.
PinkDrive is a non-profit organisation that promotes awareness of gender-related cancers in South Africa. The organisation’s trucks with their mobile screening units travel throughout South Africa, bringing the opportunity for screening and early detection to towns and rural areas all over the country. During the last few months, the organisation has played an important role in managing the Covid-19 pandemic by adding testing for the virus to its services.
Zimstone and Scan Display donated portable branded display equipment including a gazebo, parasol, telescopic cluster flag, flag fountain, sharkfin flag, pop-open and A-frame for PinkDrive to use for its roadshows, open days and fundraising activities.
Zimstone’s display hardware is durable, lightweight and made from recycled materials that are, in turn, recyclable. Scan Display’s print division, Scan Print, designed and printed the fabric branding for the hardware.
Scan Display has supported PinkDrive for many years, including building displays for their activations at the Two Oceans Marathon and 94.7 Cycle Challenge. Scan Display’s Managing Director, Justin Hawes said, ‘It is good to be able to support PinkDrive, especially during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. They play a very important role in the fight against cancer.’
Angelika Kempe, Executive Consultant at Ad Ops, says that in 24 years of working with agencies and clients, she can recall only one instance where an agency directly resigned from an account. The agency claimed it was approached by a competitor with a much larger budget.
However, the client/agency relationship was already strained, and the agency was all too pleased to have an excuse to ditch its client. It is less unusual for an agency to shake off a brand by letting service levels drop and pushing the client to fire them.
It is not unusual for clients to change agencies, for reasons ranging from budget cuts or a policy of putting their business out to tender at the end of a contract to unhappiness with the incumbent’s delivery or the entrance of a new management team with its own preferred providers. It is less common for agencies to resign an account, but perhaps it shouldn’t be.
I attribute this in part to a culture in South Africa where we prefer to avoid conflict and hard, uncomfortable conversations. However, agencies should be aware of the pain points in a client relationship, when these can be resolved through dialogue, and when the client is a liability to the agency. Here are some of the warning signs:
Unreasonable, unorganised and ‘untrainable’ clients
The client does not understand how to collaborate with the agency in a way that creates benefit for both parties or the teams from the agency and client are unable to work together in a way that produces good work. Often, the client’s team refuses to produce written briefs because they don’t do any planning, and they don’t understand how agencies work internally to produce the work they need. There is a lack of engagement and accountability from the stakeholders who will sign off the work, which means the agency needs to work on endless debriefs and reverts without extra compensation.
Abuse of power
The client team treats the agency as a scapegoat or inferior, with no respect for the agency’s working hours, capacity or processes. Many agencies know the nightmare client who routinely sends out last-minute requests at 5pm on Friday afternoons. They want the agency team on 24/7 standby. For such a client, chaos is the norm rather than the exception. They bully, blame, patronise and belittle the agency staff.
Unreasonable expectations in terms of costs or resources
Many clients have a set idea about what a deliverable should cost, which does not align with the overheads of the agency or the resources it takes to produce the work. They demand that the most senior resources work on the account, but are not willing to pay for it. Or they expect the same expertise and output from the juniors working on the account. In some cases, an agency can pull off a miracle on a shoestring, but this should be seen as over-delivery rather than a reasonable day-to-day standard.
Payment
Due to the recession, some clients are trying to impose unreasonable payment terms on their agencies. Agencies need to pay rent and salaries every 30 days. Clients that pay a 90-day+ cycle or expect agencies to commission large production jobs without paying a deposit are expecting the agency to be their bank. Their behaviour has a knock-on effect for freelancers and providers that the agency uses to deliver the work.
How does the above affect the client?
– The best agency team will decline to work on the client. Yes, they have that power. – The agency will find ways to recoup lost margin. – The agency team will be demotivated. – The output will be compromised. – Getting work out will be a long and painful process for both parties.
In some instances, agencies can navigate some of these pressures, especially in these difficult times when quality clients are hard to come by. However, when too many of these relationship issues compound into one account, the internal pressure can become too much to bear. The negativity created can spread through the agency, impacting on other clients and the agency product. When the scale tips, and all attempts at remedying the relationship have failed, it is time to walk away.
Several renowned names on the global creative stage will enthral the advertising and brand communications industry when the Loeries Creative Week broadcasts its virtual event (taking place from 16-20 November 2020). The event will have three channels with over 75 hours of content.
The Loeries called on the brand communication industry to create work that changes things and makes a difference and then submit their entries for the awards under the theme Create Change. Loeries media partner, Modern Marketing, asked some of the event’s speakers about the theme and what it means for them personally, the industry – in terms of diversity, a wider representation of people in advertising – and more.
October in South Africa is Pride month. It marks the month when the first official Pride march was held on the African continent, 31 years ago this year.With this theme in mind, Lynn Madeley, CEO of Havas Southern Africa, and Larry Khumalo, Head of PR at Havas South Africa, had a conversation about Oreo’s recent advert and what it means for this moment.
The advert is three minute story about a young woman who visits her family with her girlfriend. She gets home to a warm welcome from her mom but her dad is not so warm to her and her partner. Her siblings arrive and they, along with their partners and children, get a warm welcome from the dad.
After a couple of days showing the young woman spending time with her girlfriend, and the dad clearly being cold, we are shown the parents talking in their bedroom. The next morning, we are shown the dad painting the front picket fence with rainbow colours. There is happiness and hugs, and then a cut to a message of support about how loving starts from home.
Madeley’s timeline was buzzing with people sharing how much they loved the new Oreo advert, which had her in tears. She shared the link with Khumalo, prompting him for a conversation after watching the piece of content. Excerpts from Madeley and Khumalo’s conversation are below:
Khumalo: I hadn’t seen the ad or any of the engagement around it yet. I watched it with mild curiosity at first, because I didn’t know what it was about. My first thought was that it would leave people warm and fuzzy, like a pride march in Brighton, United Kingdom would. But beyond that, it was just OK. Not ground-breaking.
Madeley: I burst into tears – maybe it’s a father daughter thing, I don’t know. I felt something there about how complicated the relationship between a father and daughter can be, especially around notions of being good enough.
Khumalo: I get how someone can interpret it like that, that relationships are complex and not just about one thing. However, this advert has a singular message and it is about confronting homophobia within families, and encouraging acceptance. It is precisely at that point that the ad lands a false narrative.
Madeley: You are right. The human truth is not about being good enough to your parent, or any such ‘normalised’ dynamic between parents and children. The human truth is about homophobia in families.
Khumalo: That it’s so open to interpretation emphasises to me that the advert perhaps was not made for the LGBTQIA+ specifically. It’s a story about a lesbian woman, but the intended audience is heteronormative, and perhaps a bit of a wink to the LGBTQIA+ community. And maybe that’s OK, because heterosexual minds are largely the ones we want to change to help end homophobia. That change starts in families.
Madeley: I never thought of it like that. It’s easy to think that work that is pointed to a cause will always be appreciated by people in that community. But this hits different. Cause-related work especially needs to be good and truthful work, because its impact is not only consumerism but human progress.
Khumalo: The false narrative here is really how they clean up a messy process into this simple take. This is a situation that one visit to your folks will seldom fix, or make right. Your homophobic dad doesn’t change his mind about your same sex partner after just a few days. It takes work, and it’s messy. I would have loved for some mess there. There was some pink washing – trying to wrap everything up with a nice beautiful bow and present it to progressives and liberals.
Madeley: It’s tough to try and capture something so complex in a few minutes and make it make sense to all. But the issue here with something as material as homophobia is that one would rather not touch the subject, than misrepresent it. Purpose must always be followed through by honest and meaningful engagement, not purpose washing.
Khumalo: They could have done a few tweaks to the script. Maybe add a timeline mechanic that shows a series of visits over time, and perhaps some aging too. To show that there is an element of time. Change takes time, especially on matters to do with sexuality in all sorts of families. That her dad turned around after a few days and painted a rainbow is a little on the ridiculous side.
Madeley: I guess the question is about reflecting the truth as best as one can in a short space of time. And because this is advertising, one wonders what the effectiveness of well-meaning work that misses nuance could be? If people are seeing it and celebrating it, then it’s a success?
Khumalo: And the rainbow too, is starting to be overtraded in my opinion. It’s the easiest way lately to get people to root for you as a brand. It does not matter whether you are committed to the cause, or whether you truly understand the issues. Rainbows are being thrown about, slapped on campaigns and merchandise and we are buying them. On one hand, this commonplace-ness of the rainbow representing LGBTQIA+ inclusivity is great, it asserts some kind of presence and advocacy. On the other end, it makes me wonder about how genuine these engagements are, especially when they get key things like the ‘conversion’ of a homophobic father, wrong.
Madeley: I am not a fan of the product linkage. It makes little sense. In the content itself, the product is quite subliminal. I am not sure what the messaging intent is? It’s perhaps a message of solidarity to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Khumalo: The question to ask now is what is the role of brands in our society? To stoke change? To challenge humanity? To reflect humanity? To contribute to culture? All the while selling product? The Pride flag will sell product, to both ‘pink money’ and to their allies, guaranteed. Perhaps we are ushering in an era where the pride rainbow is the new ‘puppies and babies and kittens’ of advertising? What does that mean for the LGBTQIA+, given the various issues that plague this community? Perhaps that’s the territory that brands wanting to make change ought to be stepping into.
Dr Carla Enslin, Head of Strategy at The IIE’s Vega.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Brand Leadership qualification by The Independent Institute of Education (IIE) will equip students with advanced research and highly specialised knowledge within the field of Brand Leadership; add depth to the ever-evolving field by producing new knowledge within an African context and encourage trans-disciplinary research.
The qualification will also provide brand leadership professionals with the opportunity to make groundbreaking contributions to the development of the profession on the continent and globally. ‘The IIE Doctor of Philosophy in Brand Leadership is the first brand-specific doctoral qualification focused on the niche field of Brand Leadership in South Africa. It breaks new ground, both locally and internationally,’ said Dr Carla Enslin, Head of Strategy at The IIE’s Vega, where the programme will be offered from 2021 via full-time, part-time and distance learning.
Enslin said the unique focus on Brand Leadership addresses a particular social and economic imperative – the need for innovation by brands with shared stakeholder value and values-based leadership to create developmental opportunities for communities, organisations and the environment.
‘Our future graduates will extend the forefront of this academic discipline and through their research will aim to achieve an immediate impact on professional and academic practice through the inclusion of unique African perspectives and locally resourced knowledge,’ she said.
‘We will be welcoming those industry leaders and graduates who are passionate about this field, to help develop it by contributing new theories, innovative models and creative insights while producing scholarly research that is purposeful, challenge-led and responsive, thereby increasing the uptake of such research in industry practices and society,’ she said. ‘Ultimately, the aim is for our graduates to become the global pioneers who will develop and define the structures and forces that shape brands on the African continent and in a developing digital economy.’
Enslin said that D Phil qualifications are often much broader in scope, focused on Business, Economics or Management Sciences, for instance. ‘So this really is a game-changer qualification. IIE Vega is wholly focused on strategic brand building and brand leadership, which makes the IIE Doctor of Philosophy in Brand Leadership unique not only in South Africa, but on the continent. The launch of this qualification could not be more timeous, as we start the hard work of rebuilding brands and economies in the wake of the devastating strict Covid lockdowns. There is now a real need to rebuild, revitalise and restore faith in brands,’ she said.
‘With prospective students increasingly opting for respected private higher education institutions with a strong work-focus as their first choice, it is exciting that we are now able to offer this new option that will allow them to continue their educational journey in this exciting space right to the highest level. It is no longer business as usual, and we look forward to seeing the fruits of this new seed we are planting in the industry. In line with our values, this qualification’s focus is firmly on shared value creation and leadership at a time when our country and the world is in dire need of responsible and visionary leadership. Compared to other disciplines, Brand Leadership is a relatively young discipline, and we are delighted that our future graduates will be the pioneers who will make a defining contribution to its legacy,’ concluded Enslin.
