ProActive has appointed Andre de Lange as the new Field Sales and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Manager. He has a strong background in merchandising, particularly in emerging markets.

He has previously held senior positions at Bromor Foods and Mondelez International, the American multinational confectionery, food and beverage company, where he spent 26 years and left as the country manager responsible for Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho.

This portfolio meant that De Lange was perfectly suited to his new role with ProActive, which will require him to develop field sales in the emerging markets of South Africa and the broader SADC region.

De Lange said, ‘In South Africa the market is more mature, but generally there is plenty of potential in all of the SADC countries. Fortunately, I have a good understanding of this market and how traders, wholesalers and spaza shops operate, making this a great opportunity for me and for ProActive to grow its presence and market share in the region.’

ProActive recognised that in order to achieve these objectives in the SADC region, it has to have a significant presence on the ground, and to this end launched its Field Sales offering in 2018. It also launched Route to Market, which sees ProActive take products to areas previously not reached by traditional merchandisers. Through a turnkey strategy, ProActive stocks shelves, provides branding and trained brand ambassadors to promote the service or product, follows up with the shop owners, and restocks.

‘In the SADC countries a large portion of the population lives in rural areas and they don’t have the means to regularly visit urban areas to make purchases,’ said De Lange. ‘So, those companies willing to make the investment and devote resources to getting their products to these consumers are best-placed to score and earn market share.’

De Lange believes that ProActive has its timing right, in terms of beefing up its SADC offering, with many multinationals now looking at growth in emerging markets.

‘In order to get field sales working well, there needs to be a defined structure and this is where ProActive will play a vital role. It’s important to know what other countries have to offer, where the population is concentrated, what consumers need, and what type of products they want to buy. While the traditional way of doing research has its place in terms of product development, the marketing and sales of the product needs to directly correlate with what is happening on the ground and this is where ProActive has a unique advantage – team members have a deep, direct understanding of the markets they work with, and the aim is to develop this considerably,’ continued de Lange.

PROVANTAGE MEDIA GROUP
+27 (0) 86 177 6826  
enquiries@provantage.co.za
www.provantage.co.za

Suzuki South Africa has once again affirmed Penquin as its preferred supplier, marking the continuation of a 19-year partnership. As lead agency, Penquin manages all campaign strategies, concepts, artwork, production and media solutions for Suzuki South Africa.
 
Veronica Wainstein, Managing Director at Penquin said, ‘We are an agency that relies heavily on tangible results and measureable outcomes. During our 19 year partnership with Suzuki Auto South Africa, we have always measured our success based on the client’s achievements. We are absolutely thrilled to see this partnership continue.’
 
Almost 11 years after the company’s Automotive launch into South Africa, more than 60,000 new Suzuki vehicles are on the road with the brand having won cars.co.za’s Consumer Brand of the Year for two consecutive years (2017 and 2018).
 
Megan MacDonald from Suzuki Auto South Africa said, ‘Our relationship with the Penquin team over the past near two decades has been one that took our brand from a ‘newbie’ entering South Africa to one of the most successful car brands in the country. Not only that, we have developed a solid brand personality that permeates our cars, our dealerships and our communication that continues to drive our success. They aren’t just any service provider; Penquin is a partner in every sense of the word. We firmly believe we’re in the right hands.’
 
‘We are 100% into building authentic connections for our client’s customers and we’re honoured to have the opportunity to continue doing so for Suzuki Auto South Africa,’ concluded Ryan Nofal, Penquin’s Client Service Director. ‘It’s our ‘Way of Life’ too.’

PENQUIN
+27118791900 
info@penquin.co.za
www.penquin.co.za

CWDi is inviting designers and small businesses to join the second 67 Logos Designathon, which will take place on 18 July 2019 in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The Designathon is a movement that will see 67 designers coming together to design 67 logos for 67 small businesses. 

Designers will make a pledge to design a uniquely crafted logo for small businesses that are looking for a professional logo to kick start their businesses into full gear.
 
The designers will be selected and matched with the businesses based on their profiles, passions and experience. Designers will have three hours to execute on their brief and when not collaborating on the logo design process, business owners can attend an impactful skills development workshop.
 
Last year’s 67 Logos Designathon had a huge impact. Based on the survey results done by CWDi, 80% of the business owners say that their donated logos have made a hugely positive difference to their businesses: 85% say that their clients’ perception has changed for the better as a result of their new logos; 74% reached their 2018 business goals and 60% say that their logo directly contributed to their success in 2018.
 
Nwabisa Mayema, co-creator of nnfinity said, ‘Our logo has helped bring more focus into the business, it has made the journey that much clearer and that much more sure-footed.  I had someone in Austria say, ‘Wow, this logo makes me so happy and I love how you have translated it into your social media presence.  It makes me so happy to follow you.’ It is also so distinct.’
 
‘Being part of the 67 Logos Designathon was a wonderful experience!  From developing a logo for a small business to meeting the other designers involved, each step was an opportunity to connect with people, share ideas, develop skills and make a change. I am looking forward to being involved again this year,’ said designer Willem Myburgh.

Added to the campaign’s positive reach was a job opportunity. Matthew Arendse, a designer that participated in the 2018 67 Logos Designathon, is now a full-time employee as a designer at CWDi.

CWDI
CPT@CWDi.co.za
www.cwdi.co.za

South Africans are very loyal to the homegrown brands they grew up with, and among them is Teljoy, a brand that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

‘Great brands endure when they are able to evolve with the times,’ said Rami Sassen, CEO of Teljoy. He tells the story about the Teljoy evolution across the decades.

Over the years, many overseas brands have made their way into the South Africa marketplace, particularly over the past two and a half decades since South Africa became a democracy.

But, as South Africans, we still tend to be most loyal to the local brand names we know and love – the ones we grew up with, that our parents trusted, our friends use and that we, as adults now ourselves, rely on in turn. Ouma Rusks. Rooibos. Mrs Ball’s Chutney. Nandos. To name just a few. And, of course, Teljoy.       

In fact, South Africans have Teljoy to thank for installing the very first televisions in the country, which happened when, as a nation, we finally switched on to the wonders of the ‘box’ in 1974.

By then, Teljoy had been in operation for five years already, since 1969 – the same year that the Boeing 747 made its maiden flight, The Brady Bunch was the first broadcast on the ABC network in the USA, and the first man walked on the moon – an event broadcast live around the world. Realising that although South Africans couldn’t yet watch any of these events on television themselves, Theo Rutstein, the founder of Teljoy, knew that it was just a matter of time before the system arrived on our shores. So, he decided to put his money behind this vision.

As a result, with the seeds for an exciting business idea planted firmly in his head, Rutstein launched the company in 1969 with a forward-thinking campaign that gave people the opportunity to book a television for rent, in anticipation of the big switch.

And that’s how it came to pass that Teljoy installed the very first television sets in South Africa in December 1974, and became the very first company in the country to supply sets commercially throughout South Africa.

The ongoing evolution of the brand was set in motion, beginning with the establishment of bricks-and-mortar shops in key locations across the country, providing consumers with the rent-to-own model that has now become the company’s trusted business model.

From ever-increasing ranges of household appliances, to begin with, Teljoy gradually moved to supply furniture. Later, as technology and times evolved, a full range of electronics was added to the inventory, from computers and printers to cellphones, cameras, gaming consoles and beyond.

Five years ago, Teljoy first established an online presence and by 2016 the business had gone completely online, centralising all operations to up the game in service delivery and to bring even more value to customers.

The transition to online has been a seamless experience. In a world where traditional retailers are struggling to survive, Teljoy ensured its success through an early transition to online. Teljoy’s business model is as relevant today as it was when the company was first established.

TELJOY
www.teljoy.co.za

In this piece by David Limbert, Creative Services Head at Magnetic Storm, he asks: ‘Where did the notion of creative freedom come from?’ Is freedom an accurate description of an inventor’s circumstances and part of the mythology of invention? A lone genius and their eureka moment?

Great ideas might happen when people are free to think and creatives thrive in situations that grant permission to make mistakes, when uncertainty is minimised and convention is applied responsibly. But I do see a challenge with the word freedom.

We want to believe that freedom is a necessary ingredient for success, but perhaps it also gives us an excuse for failure. ‘My client didn’t give me the freedom to explore, so this isn’t as good as it could be.’

So, do successful inventors and designers ever feel free? If freedom refers to a mental state, is that how high performing creatives describe themselves? In my best moments as a creative, ‘liberated’ isn’t how I would describe my mindset. It isn’t like parameters or limitations suddenly lift, and I say, ‘now I can get down to business’. Quite the opposite: a full understanding of the assignment’s parameters and the bigger why or purpose behind it, is what drives my creative thinking forward and allows the magic to happen.

Many stories of invention include crucial breakthroughs outside active work, for example when going for a walk or taking a shower. Sure, our minds are wandering free, but even unconsciously we’re compelled to turn over the problem.

Creativity needs enablers

Processes, research, requirements, technical capabilities: we call them constraints, but they actually inform creativity and give the outcome merit. They inspire, giving us conceptual tools to play with. They help us narrow ideas, evaluate the efficacy and test them for feasibility.

When a client hands you a problem statement, see it as an enabler. Great ideas are nothing without a problem to solve. We must be prepared to embrace different mindsets to let an idea flourish. It’s a nurturing process: we’re testing, coaxing, and judging, but we’re also giving ideas a chance to fly on their own.

In short, we can’t tell stories of creativity with freedom alone. The metaphor is misleading, and I believe at it is least only half of the story. The assumption that total freedom is good and constraints are bad, isn’t entirely correct. The danger with the word freedom is that inexperienced creatives may interpret constraints as barriers. Constraints benefit us in the right context – they form boundaries and processes that give context and can ultimately enable innovation.

Following a process yields better ideas; I say this because a process nurtures them, prepares them for the realities of implementation and validates through research.

When we talk about creativity, we use the word freedom to describe our situation and cognitive state. When people think they need complete freedom to be truly creative, they reject enablers by seeing them as constraints.

Creativity is at its best when teams engage with their ideas in various ways, letting them simmer, studying them further, evaluating them, and sharing them with others. And ultimately solving a specific problem or need.

MAGNETIC STORM +27413934800 info@magnetic.co.za www.magnetic.co.za

Corel expert Mo Jogie will deliver a two day CorelDraw WorkShop – a high level, in-depth industry training for professionals covering topics for signage, screen print, wide format print, T-shirt printing, engraving and more from 5-6 June 2019 at the Sign Africa Expo, taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. 

Day 1 – Wednesday 5 June

10H30-11H30: Power Hour CorelDRAW 19 new release features part one.
11H30-15H30: CorelDRAW concept to production. A high level, in-depth, hands on workshop where you can create artwork for wrapping a vehicle door, a printed item on textile and a digitally printed large format poster.
13H30-14H00: light lunch will be served.

Day 2 – Thursday 6 June

10H30-11H30: Power Hour CorelDRAW 19 new release features part two.
11H30-15H30: CorelDRAW Concept to production. A high level, in-depth, hands on workshop where you can create artwork for an engraved item as well as printing on a T-shirt.
13H30-14H00: light lunch will be served.

R500 per day ex VAT. Includes a free 15 day download to trial CorelDRAW 17 and refreshments.

The workshop will be hosted at the Sign Africa Cape Town Expo. Book your seat online.