Riverbed has appointed Kabelo Lehlongwane as Director of Strategy and a member of its executive leadership team. Lehlongwane has worked on brands such as Absa, Coca-Cola, Vodacom, South African Tourism, Sasol, Toyota, Uber South Africa, Jameson and Netflorist.

‘The need to scale up the business following these new account gains, although in line with our growth strategy, called for me to not only bring in someone to head up strategy but also build a strong leadership team to support this growth,’ said Monalisa Sibongile Zwambila, Riverbed founder and CEO.

Lehlongwane said, ‘One of the things that drew me to Riverbed is the palpable sense of entrepreneurialism that flows through agency. I think we have all the ingredients to not only deliver results for clients but to build a business with long-term value. With any luck, we’ll also get to reshape the way we think about the way agencies are built. As it stands, Riverbed sits at the nexus between a multitude of disciplines: PR, branding, social and content, data analytics and media — all of which already creates a more organic approach to agility and data-driven integration. Our growth almost demands us to push more boundaries.

RIVERBED AGENCY 
+27860994164
hello@theriverbedagency.co.za
www.theriverbedagency.co.za

Boomtown created an emotive commercial for online platforms and local television to emphasise how Lafarge Zambia has been building the nation since 1949 – as part of Lafarge Zambia’s 70 year milestone celebration. 

Boomtown and Lafarge both agreed that it would be best to partner with local teams in Zambia in order to create a TV commercial (TVC) with real authenticity. A TV production company and local actors in collaboration with a local activation company produced a high-quality final product that was genuinely Zambian.

The commercial, made by Boomtown’s creative team, was designed to highlight how Lafarge Zambia and its cement products have helped build Zambia through the years, from airports to universities and stadiums. The commercial shows Lafarge Zambia’s role in the growth of the country and emphasises how the company builds dreams for life.

Talking about the narrative, Boomtown Strategic Director Glen Meier said, ‘Based on our strategy to leverage on the global Lafarge brand reputation, it was important to also convey the significance within Lafarge’s local market heritage.’

The TVC sees a grandfather reminiscing with his grandson, reinforcing the message that Lafarge cement is reliable, high-quality, and built on a foundation of 70 years within Zambia.

‘This message is especially important as Zambia is experiencing one of the fastest growth rates in terms of investment in cement capacity compared to the rest of the continent. We are proud to be a part of the role Lafarge plays in the continual development and prospering of a nation,’ added Meier.

BOOMTOWN
+27861199494
cayleigh@boomtown.co.za
boomtown.agency

Sean Sullivan, Business Unit Manager at The MediaShop, says that Generation Alpha is a growing and lucrative consumer market. Collectively, their spending power is huge. These kids are marketing’s newest power brokers. They’re already playing an outsize role in household buying decisions, even though the oldest among them is only nine years old. 

These children are as comfortable swiping a tablet or speaking to a voice assistant than most of their adult relatives are. They pick up tech intuitively and constantly consume information and entertainment. They’re learning soft skills at an unprecedented rate: problem-solving, multi-tasking and quick thinking. Their biggest desire? Devices and screen time.

Bracing and gearing our businesses for the onslaught of the future consumer is key to remaining relevant in the media industry and beyond. The new human is wired very differently and if we don’t comprehend their world, we will fail to connect with them.

Generation Z are the first true digital natives; their brains are mapped in a different way. They don’t know a world without smartphones, Google or voice command. So what can we expect from their children, Generation Alpha? It’s a scary thought that perhaps we can’t fully comprehend yet.

Coined by sociologist Mark McCrindle, the term Generation Alpha applies to children born between 2010 and 2025. According to McCrindle, an estimated 2.5 million Alphas are born globally every week.

What consumer businesses need to remember is that these generations don’t wait around to ask questions; they’re more than comfortable just searching for the information they need online. As such, they need to be taught differently and brands need to interact with them and sell to them in a very different way.

The enhanced human

Unlike their parents, the millennials or informally known as digital natives, many Alphas will have a digital footprint before they are even born. Celebrity kids like Prince William and Duchess Catherine’s son, George, already has an Instagram account, managed by his parents. Generation Alpha is the first group who will be immersed in technology their entire lives. These kids are also referred to as the Glass Generation because their glass-fronted devices will be completely integrated with their lifestyle and they will not know communication without it. This generation might be the first to truly embody the enhancement to humanity that technology can be. In their lifestyle and perception:

• They will be living at 5G speeds in terms of internet and the rate of consumption. It’s instant gratification like never before.
• It’s the five-year old who can rock a YouTube search before they can read.
• They’re expected to be the wealthiest, most highly-educated and technologically-connected group to date.
• Studying to master’s level will become the norm for most.
• The rest will avoid the higher education system altogether and opt for online learning (self-learning is a norm for these kids).
• They will take on jobs that don’t yet exist.

Demanding

It’s not just the instant gratification at the speed of 5G that makes this generation demanding, it’s their slightly scary level of self-assurance too. They live and consume on their own terms. They only know the world as one of instant and self-curated access. They navigate Netflix in their sleep, Siri and Alexa are their Aunties, and they won’t believe you when you try and explain the world before Spotify. They have every tool they could ever need at the tips of their fingers and on voice command.

Collective mindset

Although they’re engrossed in screens, this generation may be the one to fix the disconnection and loneliness of which millennials have taken the brunt. Generation Alpha may be the ones to successfully bridge the gap between digital worlds and the real world because they recognise the entire globe as one big group of friends.

Marketing to these children requires simple, detailed content which will assist in cultivating consumer loyalty at a young age. From the onset, Alphas would have been widely exposed to multiple digital platforms. Businesses will have to adapt to radically new ways of interacting and communicating with Alphas, compared to their parents.

Generation Alpha’s consumer experience will have to be seamless and integrated, with a personalised online experience. This will provide new opportunities for marketers. Alpha kids are watching less TV than previous generations, so marketers need different ways to reach them such as tapping into a rising crop of child influencers who have their own Instagram pages and YouTube channels with subscriber counts well into the millions. They are digitally-savvy humanoids and social media connoisseurs; and I’m looking forward to their impact on society.

Sources: Flux trends, Vice.com and Scarymommy.com.

THE MEDIASHOP
+27112584000 
www.mediashop.co.za

Michelin Tyre Company South Africa’s Passion Experience received a bronze award in the best social media reach category at the New Generation Social and Digital Media Awards.

The Michelin Passion Experience is a global campaign that completely immerses Michelin customers, influencers and journalists into the diverse and far reaching Michelin brand experience. Through this campaign, the brand’s passion for motorsport, mobility, travel and gastronomy is presented through various experiential activities. 

Speaking about the award, Marketing Director at Michelin Tyre Company South Africa, Shivani Pillay said, ‘We are extremeley proud to be recognised at the New Generational Social and Digital Media Awards for the excellence of the Michelin Passion Experience. It’s testament to the gravitas of the Michelin brand and the fantastic team behind the brand in South Africa.’

In South Africa, these activities started off at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Johannesburg, with local customers and influencers coming from the Middle East, India and South Africa. Guests were able to test a range of passenger supercars from Nissan, VW, Range Rover, Mercedes Benz and BMW, both with professional car racing drivers and on their own. At centre stage was Michelin’s Pilot Sport range of tyres and these were track tested in various environments and the experiences were shared across multiple social media platforms.

The event then went to Sun City Resort in Rustenburg for a gastronomic experience that included fine dining, an authentic South Africa shebeen lunch and an Afrikaans lunch experience. The guests did a Michelin Gastronomy Masterclass at the SA Culinary School in Johannesburg. The influencers also got to experience some of South Africa’s tourism offers with a game drive in Pilanesburg, a tour of the Cradle of Humankind, and a tour of the Culinan Mine. At each of these experiences, the guests were sharing their activities on social media, echoing the brand’s own curated content.

Pillay continued, ‘The event generated more than 38 million impressions on social media, overshooting targets by more than 300%. The overwhelmingly positive response from our customers, influencers and from the media was impressive and continues to sustain our brand communications.’

MICHELIN SOUTH AFRICA
michelin.co.za

Single-minded focus is key in an economy that is struggling and brands are fighting to be part of the consideration set. Marketers often overcomplicate the interaction they have with brands on different levels, which muddies the water for their consumers. This is according to Jedd Cokayne, Business Unit Manager at The MediaShop.

Certain segments have identified specific brand USP’s that have made them successful.  One such industry that has pinhole focus, knows what works for them and makes no excuses for what they do, is the gambling fraternity. They know exactly what works for them, they focus on the outcome and relentlessly pursue it with precision and determination.

And here we thought that vile coloured carpet used in the main lobby and gambling areas was a sick joke by the interior decorator. You might also have thought that the toilets being positioned in the belly of the beast and forcing you to pass all the amenities available just to get to them was a design flaw. All of this actually took plenty of thought to solicit a specific behaviour or outcome.

The secret life of a casino is designed to appeal to the thousands of guests and gamers visiting them each day; from the confused newcomer to a cash-laden ‘whale’ looking to play the high stakes tables for hours. By clearly segmenting their visitors and taking them into consideration, each casino is designed to accommodate all.

Let’s take a closer look.

Casinos deliberately don’t have clocks or any item that displays the time. They don’t have any windows and supply false lighting so that players lose track of time and continue to gamble through the night. They deliberately dull the senses to get a desired effect from the gamblers. This is very difficult to replicate in any other surrounding.

Casinos only offer drinks that are small with no form of stimulant to keep people gambling and ensure they don’t leave to go to the toilets. That’s why the toilets are placed in the belly of the beast. Another advantage is that smaller drinks are easier to clean up if spilt.

But what can brands do to ensure people interact with them over a longer period with no distractions and increase the likelihood of purchase? Gamblers are often rewarded at different times as it keeps them coming back for more. Loyalty packages and databases collected often drive repeat purchases on a more frequent basis.

Previously, I mentioned those vile and most gaudiest carpets known to man. Believe it or not, those brightly coloured carpets with wild swirling patterns and designs are purposefully put there to keep players alert and happy, encouraging them to play more.

Casinos are a symphony of non-stop sounds, lights and colours. These all boost the player’s mood, making them more excited about the thought of winning and leading them to spend more.

Standard services like toilets, food, cashiers etc. are all strategically located deep within the casino. This is strategically done so that when the players want to leave the casino and have visited one or more of the above amenities, they have to pass the gambling areas once again and potentially lose some more money.

Players are often lulled into a false sense of control as some games allow them to throw the dice, choose their own cards and pick random numbers. This illusion fools gamblers into thinking they have a higher chance of winning because of their interaction and thus results in them gambling longer and spending more.

As we can see, there is a lot of thought that goes into your plain casino, something we in marketing need to consider the next time we look at how our consumers interact with our brands and ultimately what the desired result is that we want from that interaction.

THE MEDIASHOP
+27112584000 
www.mediashop.co.za