From 26-29 September 2019, Primedia Outdoor and Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in partnership with Tshwane Tourism Association hosted an in-mall exhibition with over 36 exhibitors showcasing their unique tourism offerings to shoppers.
Olive Ndebele, General Manager of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, believes that the Tourism Expo opened a host of opportunities for shoppers to discover the City of Tshwane in the best way possible, ‘We acknowledge that our shoppers are under increasing financial and economic pressures and that destination excursions can be challenging. So with this in mind, we wanted to create greater awareness for the local tourism offerings that deserve local support and show our shoppers that they can find great experiences located right here in their city at affordable rates.’
The expo was initiated to drive support for local businesses within the tourism industry and illustrate what the City of Tshwane has to offer in terms of tourism. Amongst the exhibitors was Voortrekker Monument – the second most visited tourist destination in South Africa (Trip Advisor South Africa), Freedom Park, Xplore Tshwane, Mangwanani Spa as well as Dinokeng Game Reserve, the only residential Big Five game reserve in Gauteng.
Primedia Outdoor exclusively sold exhibition stands to provide local entrepreneurs an ideal platform to display their respective attractions to shoppers. Jorja Wilkins, Marketing and Marketing Services Executive of Primedia Outdoor said, ‘It was important for us, in partnership with Menlyn Park Shopping Centre and other significant partners, to open a door for local businesses to give shoppers a preview of what they are about. Tourism is one of the world’s largest economy drivers and our local tourism businesses need to be put on the map in every possible way – and the expo did exactly that.’
Morning Star Design (MSD’s) course is for individuals that wish to take their drawing ability to the next level. This type of drawing training is based on the groundbreaking research of Dr. Betty Edwards, and helps designers develop a skill that helps them produce compelling works, be that at the brief stage or further down the line in the design process.
No prior drawing knowledge is required, but is beneficial. The course outline is as follows:
The five drawing skills to master:
Drawing nothing.
Drawing nothing as a group.
Perception.
Accessing right brain thinking.
Drawing theory
How to draw what you see.
Pre-instruction drawings.
The anatomy of drawings:
Linear qualities.
Organic and geometric shapes.
Types of line.
Linguistic and visual connections.
Parallel ways of knowing.
The Archimedes factor.
Making the shift:
Face profiles.
Upside down drawing.
Unpacking the subconscious mind
Drawing language:
Sign here!
The cube exercise.
Mark making.
Drawing analogs.
Pure contour drawing.
The stages of creativity.
Creativity explorations and accepted norms.
Drawing what is and what isn’t
Gestural drawings.
Negative space
Symbolism.
Ambiguity.
The art of seeing:
Sighting through a tube.
Working with grids.
Pencil sighting.
Working with a viewfinder.
Sighting proportion.
Light and dark.
The five lights of nature.
Emerging from the shadows.
Dealing with perspective.
Portraiture.
Before and after comparison
Working with colour:
Colour theory.
The colour wheel.
The value scale.
Colour associations.
Colour fundamentals.
Colour combinations that work.
Additive and subtractive colour models.
Successful colour combinations.
Colour combination considerations.
Colour harmonies.
Monochromatics.
Harmonious sets.
Triads, tetrads and pentagrams.
Complementaries and split complementaries.
Translating drawing to the digital world:
Setting up your drawing tablet.
Painting in Photoshop.
Brush presets and settings.
Merging pencil drawings with Photoshop.
Drawing in Illustrator.
Setting up Illustrator tools.
Drawing from paper.
Drawing digital directly.
Working with Painter.
How Painter and Photoshop work together.
How Painter and Photoshop differ.
Getting the eccentric line.
Scratchboard techniques.
Woodcuts.
Glamour.
Fantasy art.
Duration: 2 days, 8-9 Oct. Cost: R5000 per delegate for the two days.
According to Oliver South Africa, on-site agencies save considerable time for clients around briefing, raising POs and other project demands. There are also the cost and time efficiencies gleaned from a single in-house agency, as opposed to managing multiple smaller content or digital agencies.
In-house agencies are returning to the inner shrines of companies. Several major corporate brands have brought content and marketing agency capabilities back into their folds in recent years – including the BBC, Atos, Google, Adidas, Honda and Deloitte.
One of the most celebrated is Lego, which developed an in-house agency as part of improving the delivery and speed of Lego’s marketing efforts. Julia Goldin, Lego’s Global CMO said, ‘The in-house team provides two things, one is complete integration – same goals, same agenda, the ability to solve problems very quickly and much greater learning across the organisation. Secondly, which is most important, this leads to being more agile and responsive to the marketplace.’
These agencies operate as their external namesakes would – they have their own structures, autonomies and reporting lines thus engaging with the parent company as an external agency would. As Goldin’s comment reveals, there are major integrational benefits when doing so internally.
However, internal agencies that are managed by the client themselves also have drawbacks, such as material overheads or managing staff, explained Gabrielle Gray, Executive Creative Director of Oliver South Africa, an agency centred around the on-site model.
‘There are obstacles to this approach to the model. It can be difficult to attract the right creative talent who will only want to work on ‘one brand’. Secondly, it is difficult to manage that talent because creatives defend their ideas when facing opposition. If one is employed full time, they may tend to agree with the person who is paying their salary, which is a threat to objectivity and thus better creative work.’
Gabrielle Gray, Executive Creative Director at Oliver South Africa.
Managing the vagaries of creative staff is often at odds with other business cultures. External agencies offer this as their differentiator – they can ensure harmony. But there is a demand for high volumes of dynamic content, which is seen as the way to further personalise customer engagements, hence the need for integration and a seat at the table. The ability to have a quick conversation at the watercooler is very useful, something only agencies located at the customer business can provide.
Fixing internal drawbacks
Today’s office bubbles with new technologies and workflows. Quick face-to-face chats and other frequent engagements grease the wheels. This is a creative catalyst for content and marketing agencies, where projects benefit immensely if their receiving parties are continually engaged without being inconvenienced.
Although making a switch back to internal agencies doesn’t automatically remove the challenges resolved by external providers, this has prompted a third approach: the on-site agency.
‘With the on-site agency working at the client’s premises and forming an integral part of the marketing team, the members of the onsite agency are always present and available,’ said Paul van den Berg, Oliver South Africa’s Chief Executive. ‘You can’t hide behind an email. The agency team is in the client’s workspace, ensuring they are accessible at all times. Moreover, the quality produced by the agency has to be of the highest calibre, with people on both sides caring about the brand, resulting in the co-creative space becoming more productive.’
Paul van den Berg, Chief Executive Director at Oliver South Africa.
This is a view that clients have raised as well. Some benefits cited include early-morning interactions with agency staff, including them in workshops during the day, and realistically expecting turnarounds on ideas within a day. Additionally, an on-site agency can manage the operations and staff requirements, placing people and teams as and where they are needed.
As with many of the more modern business models emerging in the 21st century, on-site agencies offer positive cost implications too. They manage staff overheads and ensure teams are lean and within scope, whilst still answering the client needs. They also provide better access to specialists without the traditional expenses of doing so, as they are able to rely on their ‘hub’ offices nearby, where specialist talent sits and can be used when needed.
Efficiency, agility, proximity and operational savings – the value propositions of on-site agencies allow for strong relationships to develop. Van den Berg noted, ‘The working relationship evolves from agency and client to one of business partners. The agency is also welcomed as part of the working family and becomes a complementary skill set of the client. It is more efficient to strategically work together.’
On-site agencies offer a revolutionary approach to creating dynamic, continual brand value and engagement. But being so new, there is not a formula for success. Nonhlanhla Koza, Business Partner for Oliver South Africa, cautioned that such a venture depends on everyone buying into the idea, the mode of communication and the client’s vision.
Nonhlanhla Koza, Business Partner at Oliver South Africa.
‘It is important to set up the model correctly so that all parties are in agreement and it is a continual learning process. Yet, when businesses come around to this new way of working, the benefits are realised quickly, and the experience sets a new standard in agency engagement.’
Brand management and events branding solutions company, Pinnacle Digital Solutions, highlighted its wide product rangeatthe recent Modern Marketing Expo.
The product range includes:
Sharkfin banners, Telescopic banners, Windcheaters, Pull Up banners and X Frame banners.
Banner walls, Frame banners, Fabri Frames, A-Frame banners and parasols.
Fence wraps, curved bannerwalls, media back drops, table cloths and bunting.
Country flags, corporate flags, waving/signal flags and cluster flagpoles.
Digitally printed PVC banners, large format banners and Correx signs.
Posters, vinyl stickers, car magnets and Chromadek signs.
S-Curve fabric display, Curve fabric display and Wave fabric display.
Kirsty Fonzari, the marketing head of Expand-A-Sign, has formed BrandCult – a small but potent network of business-minded individuals who meet bi-monthly to inspire each other’s entrepreneurial interests. There are no membership fees and the meet-up doesn’t run over three hours. All who attend leave feeling inspired.
The meet-up started in 2013 with no more than eight people and has grown to become a diverse group of 12. Its members’ professions include life coach, designer, experiential marketer, occupational intelligence specialist, brand strategist and NGO expert. As the spheres are so diverse, each person brings a particular specialised skillset to the group from which everyone can benefit.
‘We’re all different, so we learn from each other and give each other different perspectives. All the input given ensures we’re not trapped in our own ‘world’. As the overall group’s mission is ‘be a learner – don’t be trapped’, everyone has to come with an open mind and be willing to share experiences as well as help others,’ said Fonzari.
During each meet-up, a group member will present something that will be of value to everyone. Afterwards, participants are encouraged to debate the subject, explore how they could potentially use the insights gained in their own business as well as share any challenges relating to the subject. What you won’t hear, however, is moaning. BrandCult is a mindfully positive group where problems are met with solutions, not commiseration.
‘The last session involved a talk that had also been presented to a very large organisation by one of our members,’ said Fonzari. ‘The subject was personal branding and how to make it work for your business, any marketing strategy, personal growth and even how to overcome challenges within a team,’ said Fonzari.
While BrandCult’s rich networking environment allows its members to benefit from the best within their fields, it’s also a wonderfully supportive ‘business family’. ‘One individual changed careers, and another opened a new business – all thanks to insights and assistance from the collective,’ said Fonzari. ‘It’s about connecting people and not operating in a silo. In a way, it’s like having 12 expert consultants working on your company.’
Fonzari encourages individuals to form their own micro-networks, regardless of where they are in South Africa. ‘Working alone can be wonderful, but benefiting from expert collective insight is invaluable,’ said Fonzari.
The partnership between Positive Dialogue Communications, DUKE Advertising and Mark1 under the DUKE Group will see integrated collaboration on campaigns, while each continues to independently grow their brands.
This new offering will give existing and new clients the benefits and insights required to create business results driven campaigns. This was rewarded recently at the annual Loeries Awards where the DUKE Group took home Silver in the Integrated Category for work done on the JIVE ‘Let’s Jive Together’ summer campaign.
The full-service, through-the-line agency has worked together on numerous campaigns, experienced high growth, and now seeks to diversify their offering to existing and new clients. The DUKE Group is one of the very few 100% black owned and B-BBEE Level 1 agencies in South Africa.
‘As an independent consultancy, we’ve rolled out a number of innovative practices and with the union of The DUKE Group, we aim to expand our offering with innovating and executing new generation communication,’ said Tracy Jones, Managing Director of Positive Dialogue.
‘The DUKE Group is made up of businesses with different structures, roles and outlooks and as a fully integrated agency we offer new and existing clients a wealth of knowledge to maximise their businesses and campaigns,’ said Wayne Naidoo, CEO of DUKE. ‘When compared to other agencies, our focus is on creating cutting-edge, results-focused work that makes a genuine difference.’
Over the last quarter, Positive Dialogue has won several new clients. Among these are Marriott International, for which Positive Dialogue Communications will act as their public relations partner in Africa.
With the aim of helping brands enjoy the benefits of LED screen solutions, Excel LED showcased a variety of LED screens at the Modern Marketing Expo, which took place at the Gallagher Convention Centre from 11 – 13 September 2019.
Excel LED delivers industry-leading value through a range of full colour LED screens with features designed to maximise picture quality, durability and reliability.
They offer display LED’s for both indoors and outdoor for creativity and sports with an option of rental. Their products are can incorporate custom designs such as curved screens.
Weylandts created The Theatre of Sleep for 100% Design South Africa in collaboration with three young female industrial designers: Urbanative, Mash.T and Monique Vee. The aim of the campaign was to interpret the brief of ‘100% sleep’.
Weylandts explored four stages of the act of sleeping and dreaming, expressing each in a whimsical pod. Each pod, or stage, features specially commissioned pieces by the designers to showcase innovative designs that incorporated relaxing elements in a space that celebrates the quintessential refuge of the home.
Mash.T was founded by Thabisa Mjo, Mash.T focuses on telling uniquely South African stories through the medium of design. She is the curator of Sacrosanct, the first collective showing of SA designers at the Milan Design Week. She’s designed the Tutu 2.0 Pendant Light, the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa at Design Indaba 2018 and has won the 2017 Future Found Award and Best Product Design award at 100% Design 2016.
Monique Vee is a minimalist who explores the principal truth of designed objects from an analytical perspective. She is a Design Indaba Alumnus and has been cited one of South Africa’s top 10 young creatives to look out for. Vee holds a patent for suspended systems and her products have been showcased at 100% Design South Africa as well as featured at Vienna Design week.
Urbanative was founded by Mpho Vackier, a metallurgical engineer turned furniture designer. Urbanative explores African stories and cultural graphics by juxtaposing it with modern product design. Vackier’s accolades include being part of Design Indaba 2017’s Class of Emerging Creatives as well as having the Nenzima Desk nominated for Design Indaba 2019’s Most Beautiful Object.
Urbanative and Mash.T’s beautifully designed, industry-stimulating pieces saw them walk away with the coveted ‘Designer of the Year’ trophies — setting the benchmark for groundbreaking design in South Africa.
Dove Men+Care launched its new emotive film series titled, ‘Care For Every Position You Play,’ which provides an inside look into how the world’s best rugby players balance pursuing excellence on the pitch with parenthood at home.
The film series goes live ahead of a busy summer for rugby, with the brand celebrating and supporting eight international rugby unions around the globe, including the South African Rugby Union. Centred around the brand narrative ‘care for every position you play’, the South African film features star player Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira as he shares insights into how he balances the on-and-off the pitch juggling act that rugby and parenthood pose.
‘Pursuing a career in rugby has been a lifelong passion of mine and I’m beyond proud to represent South Africa on the pitch. Through my career, I’ve had to find a balance between the demands on the field with the other big role in my life – being a dad,’ said Mtawarira. ‘Every day, I wake up and try to be the best role model I can be for my kids and impart positive life lessons on them – whether that’s on the field or off. I know that caring for my family shows real strength and inspires me to be the best man I can be.’
Carlos Javier Gil, Global Vice President of Dove Men+Care, said, ‘We’re excited to be launching the ‘Care For Every Position You Play’ series. We as a brand are in a unique position to be able to highlight care by bringing to life our partnership with rugby unions around the world, featuring seven caring dads and family men who happen to be great top international rugby players.’
‘Rugby is such an integral part of South Africans’ lives and Dove Men+Care is proud to support the team and work with Mtawarira to bring to life our core belief that care makes a man stronger,’ said Keegan Alicks, Unilever Marketing Director, South Africa. ‘As a father myself, I know the importance of setting a good example for my kids and showing care. When men and dads show care it supports the next generation of men as they grow, and Dove Men+Care hopes to inspire all men to embrace their caring roles.’
Additional global markets in which the ‘Care for Every Position You Play’ series will also be airing include Ireland, England, Scotland, Italy and Argentina. All Dove Men+Care’s ‘Care For Every Position You Play’ films will be published on the Dove South Africa YouTube Page
South African men allegedly think about football every six seconds. NetFlorist decided to take advantage of this by creating a selection of commiseration flower arrangements called ‘Bouquets for Bros’ so that guys could poke fun at their mates when their Premier League team loses.
HelloFCB+ built an AI tool that links up to all the live scores and relevant hashtags of every Premier League match. At the end of each game, the tool automatically creates a unique banner featuring the game’s score and then immediately hijacks the heated Twitter football conversation in real time. Fans are then led to the ‘Bouquets for Bros’ page, where they can choose from 20 individually designed and colour coded commiseration arrangements to send to their mates, to really rub their noses in it.
Chief Creative Officer at HelloFCB+, Mike Barnwell said, ‘Guys tend to show affection for one another through banter and ‘dissing’. So, we figured, what better way to do this than by getting them to send each other huge bunches of flowers to say how sorry you are for their loss – not.’
The offbeat campaign is set to run throughout the full Premier League season, featuring all 380 matches, giving guys ample opportunity to let their mates know how they really feel.
