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The MediaShop Scoops Media Agency Of The Year And Decade

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The MediaShop Announces Passing Of Founder

The MediaShop was crowned the inaugural Media Agency of the Decade, Full Service Media Agency of the Year and Overall Media Agency of the Year at this year’s tenth anniversary of The MOST Awards.

Kgaugelo Maphai, Managing Director of The MediaShop Johannesburg said, ’The MediaShop’s 30th birthday year is turning out to be pretty incredible, this is really the perfect icing on the cake of what is proving to be a remarkable 2018. Winning Media Agency of the Decade is absolutely incredible and testament to the continuous innovative nature of every team member. We understand that to stay relevant we need to constantly adapt, and we have some very exciting developments on the cards along this vein which we’ll announce soon.’

These awards are hot on the heels of The MediaShop being awarded a Gold Loerie for Nando’s #RightMyName campaign in the Media Innovation category.

‘On behalf of the Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban management teams we’d like to extend our thanks to every staff member who lives our pioneering ethos every day, our clients and media owner partners that have been with us every step of this incredible journey,’ concluded Maphai.

THE MEDIASHOP
www.mediashop.co.za

Moving Tactics Runs #IAmAllWoman Foschini Group Campaign

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Moving Tactics Runs #IAmAllWoman Foschini Group Campaign

The Foschini Group set out to highlight the natural beauty of women through a fun and interactive digital activation at Sandton City Mall to celebrate Women’s Day 2018. The #IAmAllWoman #IAmPerfect Foschini campaign was inspired by the power and perfection of women.

Experiential activations agency, Living Masks, tasked Moving Tactics with the job of providing a solution that would attract shoppers’ attention and encourage participation and interaction.

There also had to be a way that mall-goers could quickly and easily share the interactive digital activation experience via social media. The concept, developed by Living Masks magic-maker, Zelia Michaels Shangase, saw Moving Tactics’ Digital Impact division design and manufacture a custom-made mirror that would give women the opportunity of seeing their reflection on a specially treated glass panel that was concealing a 55-inch touchscreen.

Combining these two elements in a custom-made housing, together with a DSLR camera and a wide-angled GoPro camera, they were able to create an experience for the ladies where they could see a full-length image of themselves in the mirror as well as a scaled-down version in the digital display.

‘We used software designed and developed by the Moving Tactics Digital Impact team so that shoppers could take photos of themselves and then share them via various social media platforms. The GoPro camera was used to record photographic stills in the time-lapse function so that the entire campaign could be viewed in a high-speed replay,’ said Andy Higginbotham, Creative Director at Moving Tactics Digital Impact.

According to Shangase, ‘Working on this campaign with Foschini has been an extremely fulfilling experience. The Women’s Day activation brought to life an amazing concept but more so a message that all women should have affirmed daily, which is ‘I AM PERFECT’. The interactive mirror that Moving Tactics developed was central to the interactive digital activation combining two winning elements, selfies and social media! What it truly did though, was allow women to see themselves as they truly are, in all their splendour and to share that with the world (via Facebook) #Nofilter.’

MOVING TACTICS
www.movingtactics.co.za

MOST Awards Names AdColony As Overall Media Owner Of The Year

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MOST Awards Names AdColony As Overall Media Owner Of The Year

One of Nfinity Media’s investments, AdColony South Africa, has been named Overall Media Owner of the Year and Digital Media Owner of the Year at the 2018 MOST Awards. AdColony SA’s Head of Sales Mike van Tonder was also named Rising Star of the Year in the media owner category.

Globally, the company is one of the largest video advertising platforms with a reach of more than 1.5 billion users. Known for its unparalleled third party verified viewability rates, exclusive Instant-Play HD video technology and proprietary rich media formats, AdColony is passionate about helping brands connect with consumers at scale on the most important screen in their lives.

Managing Director Andrew Kramer said, ‘What a wonderful achievement. I really want to highlight the dedication of this amazing group of great people that we get to work with every day. Thanks to the team for embracing our great challenger brand and for sticking with it no matter what. Thank you to all our agency partners for the support and for voting for us.’

Ken Varejes, CEO of Nfinity Media added, ‘What Kramer and his team have achieved in the video advertising space over the last few years has been incredible. These awards are testament to their ongoing dedication to excellence for our advertisers and media agency partners.’

NFINITY 
www.nfinity.co.za

The Association For Communication And Advertising Appoints New CEO

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The Association for Communication And Advertising Appoints New CEO

The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) announced that Mathe Okaba has been appointed to the position of CEO of the organisation.

Her appointment follows a rigorous and robust selection process and comes in the wake of the resignation of Odette van der Haar, who held the position of CEO for 11 years. Van der Haar has been widely credited with building the ACA into the highly respected organisation it is today.

Okaba, a seasoned business professional and entrepreneur, will leverage over 23 years’ experience spanning the advertising, media, sponsorship and events industries in her new role. With a passion for strategy, planning and project management, she has built a solid reputation as a successful leader and team player. Currently studying toward her MBA at the University of Roehampton in the UK, she also holds a qualification in Advertising from the AAA School of Advertising, a Certificate in Management Advancement Programme from WITS and a Certificate in Leadership Development Programme from GIBS.

Commenting on the appointment, ACA Chair James Barty said, ‘We welcome Mathe to the position of CEO and look forward to working with her as she takes the organisation forward into a new and exciting era. She brings a great deal of sector experience and knowledge to the position, ensuring that the marketing and communications sector continues to enjoy strong, dedicated and effective leadership.’

ACA SOUTH AFRICA
+27117812772
ceo@acasa.co.za
www.acasa.co.za

Outdoor Network Reveals Rotating Digital LED In Mbombela 

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Outdoor Network Reveals Rotating Digital LED In Mbombela 

Outdoor Network’s latest rotating digital billboard site is along the R40, Madiba Drive in the heart of Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit). The roadside rotating billboard is assured high visibility on the main road in Mpumalanga’s bustling capital city. A vital business and tourism destination, Mbombela is also a gateway to Kruger National Park, Swaziland and Mozambique.

The city is likely to experience tremendous growth in the near future, particularly as the Municipality’s ‘Vision 2030’ strategy, which envisages shaping Mbombela into ‘the best city in South Africa’. Already a shopping hub that boasts as part of the area premier lifestyle centres like the Riverside Mall and i’langa Mall, the city also attracts consumers from the nearby towns of Hazyview and White River.

Adding to the consumer mix are Swazi and Mozambican nationals that cross the border to shop, study or for business purposes. Mbombela is home to all the major motor dealerships among which are luxury brands such as Land Rover, Mercedes Benz and BMW. Its malls are tenanted by a number of international brands, and Tsogo Sun’s Emnotweni Casino is a popular attraction. In addition, tourism is thriving in the city – Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport serves an average of 260,000 passengers a year and breached the 3 million passengers mark during 2016.

According to Warren Dougmore, Outdoor Network’s Head of Sales, Billboards said, ‘The launch of another of our innovative LED billboards will offer brands a world-class advertising opportunity in a city much frequented by South Africans, Africans and international tourists alike. The rollout of this billboard further consolidates Outdoor Network’s national footprint in high-demand metropolitan areas across the country.’

The strategically placed 3 x 6m billboard is expected to reach an audience of over 83,000 consumers. With a frequency rate of 16, the site will deliver more than 1.3m impacts every month (ROAD2015/2016/2017C), which guarantees huge exposure to brands. According to marketing intelligence service WARC, digital out of home plays a key role in today’s ‘smart cities, where roads, buildings and billboards are increasingly connected. Brands are now uniquely placed to speak directly to motorists, commuters and pedestrians within the urban environment – and those that plan their campaigns by audience rather than format can increase engagement.

‘DOOH is even more effective when integrated with mobile, video and social media, so brands with a physical presence in Mbombela should consider DOOH as an integral part of the marketing mix,’ said Howard Lonstein, Marketing Manager at Outdoor Network.

OUTDOOR NETWORK
+27 86 177 6826
info@on.co.za
www.outdoornetwork.co.za

Chatbots – Potential Artificial Intelligence For Brands?

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Chatbots - Potential Artificial Intelligence For brands?
Image sourced from Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Belinda Kayton, Media Strategist at The MediaShop, said we’ve all heard about chatbots and some of us might even have interacted with one without knowing it. But what are they all about and what is the potential of this Artificial Intelligence (AI) for brands?

Basically, chatbots function within messaging apps (enabling businesses to provide customer support 24/7, answer customer queries or provide complaint resolutions through the likes of FB Messenger, WeChat etc.)

Chatbots have AI at the heart of them. The former is powered by machine learning and the latter is only capable of interacting by following pre-programmed rules. The fact is that chatbots are still in their infancy, and what we’re experiencing is just the tip of a billion dollar industry in the space of 10 years. But the adoption of chatbots is catching on and large companies such as Uber, Sephora and CNN have fully adopted this technology. Chatbots are always available, they’re never rude, tired or irritated – they’re pleasant 24/7/365. This is why chatbots are prevalent in customer service related industries.

A key driver for this has been the adoption of smartphone technology with Instant Messenger (IM) being the primary means of communication. IM is being adopted at a faster rate than social networks, with over 4.1 billion users worldwide using Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat and Slack as examples. Consumers are so used to instant communication in their private lives that they expect the same when they communicate with companies.

According to Research and Markets, the chatbot market is expected to reach billions in revenue by 2021. Although South African consumers predominantly purchase goods in store, 76% of people are using their mobile devices to get more information from online sources, to help make their buying decisions.

The aim of a successful chatbot is to create an experience where users feel like they’re speaking to a human being instead of to a sophisticated bot that is continually learning and optimising itself based on other user interactions.

The possibilities are immense in retail, financial services, travel, hospitality and even in utilities for service-related and transactional conversations:

Government

Chatbot technology has the potential to be a valuable tool in helping to transform the way people engage with government departments. Chatbots are able to communicate in any language, and they learn through engagement.

Financial Services 

Users would be able to converse with the bot just as they would with a human being, providing advice or assisting with new accounts in any of our 11 official languages. Chatbots are also able to better understand the customer’s needs and requirements in a friendly and always-on manner.

Hospitality 

Gartner predicts that by 2020, 85% of enterprise-customer relationships will be managed without human interactions. It will be possible to interact with restaurants through IM with an emoji. Chatbots will be more than capable of taking reservations, placing orders and even recommending wine pairings if requested to do so. The bot will be able to remember this interaction for future interactions.

Chatbots are already being used in the hotel industry, in their operational processes, and are reporting a good ROI.

Healthcare and Education 

At the International AIDS conference in Durban, MomConnect was launched by the Praekelt Foundation which has the potential to revolutionise healthcare in South Africa. The aim of this bot is to provide maternal health advice through the use of cell phone technologies. It is free to all users, and more importantly it is available in all 11 official languages.

The Legal Arena

In June of 2016, news broke that a lawyer chatbot service successfully contested 160,000 out of 250,000 (64% success rate) parking tickets in London and New York (for free). DoNotPay was created by a 19-year-old, second-year law student from Stanford University!

Education 

National Geographic Kids UK has launched a chatbot to teach young children about dinosaurs. Conversational learning is more fun and interactive. The possibilities are endless.

Chatbots are everywhere, we may not even realise that we’re interacting with one. As examples, we’re already able to place food orders online and are given constant updates on the time of delivery and the cost thereof. We are able to order rides from Uber and we know exactly where our driver is.

Some South African examples

– Savant is on Twitter and chats about current scientific trends, research topics or market moves. It represents Sentient Labs ZA.
– KeiraBot: this is a real estate bot that connects you to your dream home.
– Hazie, this is a job recruitment bot that will connect you to your dream job.
– IFRS Rookies, an AI tutor for tomorrow’s accountants specialised in IFRS.

Chatbots Magazine predicts that every business is going to have a bot – messaging apps are growing fiercely and if messaging apps become the number one way in which people communicate, then every business is going to need a way to engage on these platforms.

Bots will be faster than websites and mobile apps – currently, bots are still learning BUT they’ll get to the point where the experience of talking to a business via a bot is at least as good as using its website or mobile app. It will be quicker and easier to talk to a bot and will, therefore, be preferred.

Bots will be easier to use than any other technology ever created – language is the most natural interface humans understand, and that’s the interface that bots use. We won’t have to interact with buttons, text and images which can be cumbersome when interacting with different sites. In five to ten years, bots will be able to understand you completely – in whatever language you choose to use. In the future – talking to a bot will be like talking to a real person who has instant access to entire databases of information, and can process your thoughts and desires instantly.

So, in short, every business needs to get a bot in order to communicate with people on message apps, and bots need to provide as much value as a website or mobile app. The most important takeout is that we need to embrace this AI technology and make it work for our brands within our consumer interactions because it’s coming, whether we like it or not.

THE MEDIASHOP
www.mediashop.co.za

Hoorah Acquires Tenzing Agency

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Hoorah Acquires Tenzing Agency

Hoorah Digital is ramping up its e-commerce capabilities by acquiring the Durban-based design and development agency, Tenzing. Under the terms of the deal, Tenzing will be absorbed into Hoorah, effectively becoming its e-commerce arm.

The relationship between Hoorah and Tenzing Agency started when the Durban-based company was approached to help Hoorah achieve its vision for the WWF’s revamped e-commerce offering at WWF store.

The agency’s e-commerce business offering is truly holistic, featuring end-to-end solutions that eliminate the barriers that brands face when venturing into the online shopping environment. An innovative approach to backend development enables vital business focused integrations to product fulfillment and distribution networks.

In addition, Tenzing boasts a strong digital offering within the automotive industry, a result of a defined focus when building the ever-growing team. With motor journalists, videographers and photographers as part of the DNA of Tenzing, they have proven their ability by driving results to the biggest brand names in South Africa, namely BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, VW and Toyota.

Producing real business results

While the South African online retail space remains relatively small, it is growing. Hoorah hopes to help clients capitalise on that growth by using targeted media to drive customers to online stores that look good and work well.

Hoorah CSO and co-founder Jay Thomson said, ‘At Hoorah, we’re all about producing real business results for our clients. The work we did with Tenzing on the WWF store brought home how important e-commerce can be in producing those results.’

‘If you understand how to target consumers correctly, and we believe we do, you can ensure that they get to your site. Once they get there, however, the shopping experience has to be one that makes them want to buy. By bringing Tenzing into the Hoorah family, we can ensure that happens.’

A wealth of digital experience

‘We’re incredibly excited to have a permanent presence in Durban,’ said Thomson. ‘The city has a growing sense of energy and vibrancy, with companies there demanding the same kind of quality in their digital offerings as they’d get in Cape Town and Johannesburg.’

‘The Hoorah team has a wealth of digital experience. They’ve seen it all within South African and international contexts. The mentorship they provide can only benefit us as we become part of the Hoorah family,’ concluded Liebenberg.

HOORAH DIGITAL
www.hoorahdigital.com

Moving Tactics Shares Ways Of Using In-Store Digital Media To Inform, Entertain And Drive Revenue

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Moving Tactics Shares Ways Of Using In-store Digital Media To Inform, Entertain And Drive Revenue

Moving Tactics states that according to recent research, 60% of Generation Z, who are by definition digital natives, prefer to purchase in-store. This may come as a shock to some but the challenge for retailers is how to make the best of the in-store shopper experience to capture these on-site customers and drive sales.

An often overlooked method of getting the shopper’s attention is to use in-store digital media sales to inform, entertain and drive revenue.

Ray Smeda, Head of Digital Media at Moving Tactics said, ’Digital media advertising in the retail space isn’t always top of mind for marketers and retailers, however, we have found great success with several top retail brands in South Africa and the figures speak for themselves; but it’s not just about slapping an ad on a screen, it’s about strategic content at the right time and the right place.’

Moving Tactics, which manages the digital media sales and content development for retailers such as Clicks and Edgars suggests five tips:

Be Strategic

Have a strategic reason for your advertising – know who you’re targeting, when they shop and what they want. Experience shows that the best in-store digital advertising opportunities that translate into increased sales are: promotion with the gift, product price promotion or a new product launch. Always include a price as part of your content and take advantage of having a captive audience while they’re in your store.

Cross-Channel Marketing

Retailers such as Clicks are doing phenomenally well by using their in-store digital screens as part of a multi-channel advertising package. Advertising a product or promotion via various channels, such as via their magazine and in-store digital screens, is more likely to capture a shopper’s attention and reinforce the message.

Use the Data

Retail business decision-makers are increasingly recognising the value of data and insight-driven decision-making. Data retrieved via Retail Analytics software linked to in-store digital screens prove that 33% (1 in 3) of customers notice the screen content and pay attention to it for 9-11 seconds. So instead of running one long advert in a 10-minute communications loop, rather place two 15-second adverts in that same time period. It not only increases brand awareness but also improves the probability of being seen and noticed. However, at till points, up to 100% of customers pay attention to and notice the screens.

KISS

Keep the content simple, minimalist and visual. Consumers appreciate simplicity and our brains respond well to patterns, such as three-word sentences, groups of ideas and an image that makes contextual sense. Don’t bombard consumers with lots of wording, imagery and moving graphics. Too much is simply, too much.

Use dwell time to your advantage

Customers who spend time in queues, whether it be at a till-point or when waiting to see the pharmacist, are a captive audience. Between 96-100% of shoppers pay attention to screen content when dwell time increases. Another recommendation for retailers would be to implement a one-minute per category rule to retain interest and keep content fresh. Infotainment mixed in with advertising and informative content breaks the monotony of waiting in line and cuts perceived wait times.

Having implemented dual networks for Clicks, Smeda said that understanding the consumer profile in a specific space within the store is important. ‘We have installed their front of store network that offers a digital presence within their top 50 performing stores (nationally and internationally) whereas for their Pharmacy network, we’ve used a more focused digital advertising approach in their 400+ locations.’

MOVING TACTICS
www.movingtactics.co.za

Sign Africa And FESPA Africa Announce Midcomp/Direct Color Systems T-Shirt Design Competition Winner

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Sign Africa And FESPA Africa Announce Midcomp/Direct Color Systems T-Shirt Design Competition Winner

Loren Fisher was crowned the winner of the Midcomp/Direct Color Systems T-shirt 2018 Design Competition, which took place at the FESPA Africa and Sign Africa expos from 12-14 September 2018 at Gallagher Convention Centre. Fisher won a cash prize of R5000, runner-up Amanda Steyn won R2500 and the second runner-up, Palesa Fekefeke, won R1500.

– Submitted designs had to comprise of the ‘Where T-Shirt Printing Takes Off’ theme.
– Contestants had to post their designs on either the FESPA Africa or Sign Africa Facebook page.
– Facebook posts caption needed to include the words ‘Where T-Shirt Printing Takes Off’ along with the hashtag #FESPAAfrica or #SignAfricaExpo.
– Contestants had to get as many likes as possible for their design to be printed and showcased at the FESPA Africa and Sign Africa Expo.

The top 15 entrants’ designs were then printed and showcased at the event’s registration area for the public vote, where Fisher’s design gathered most votes.

Sign Africa www.signafricaexpo.com

Explore Business Opportunities In Print At The Sign Africa And FESPA Africa Expo

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Sign Africa And FESPA Africa Expo Returns For Fifth Year At Gallagher Convention Centre

Business opportunities will be showcased on various exhibitor stands at the upcoming Sign Africa and FESPA Africa Expo, taking place from 12-14 September at Gallagher Convention Centre.

Opportunities for start-ups or those looking to grow their businesses will be showcased in daily 30 minute sessions on the hour. These sessions are free of charge. A range of topics relating to T-shirt printing, signage, branding, working with acrylic, doming and wide format printing will be covered.

TIME

WED 12 SEP

TIME

THURS 13 SEP

TIME

FRI 14 SEP

09H30

Gawk hall 3: Take your textile printing to new levels with Triga Max and the all NEW Triga Go fabric tension display systems.

09H30

Gawk hall 3: Take your textile printing to new levels with Triga Max and the all NEW Triga Go fabric tension display systems

09H30

Gawk hall 3: Take your textile printing to new levels with Triga Max and the all NEW Triga Go fabric tension display systems

10H30

Midcomp hall 3:Work smarter with the HP R2000

10H30

Midcomp hall 3:Business opportunities in branding bottles and more.

10H30

Midcomp hall 3: T-shirt printing on the DCS 1800 mini Flatbed printer.

11h30

Maizey Plastics hall 3: T-shirt graphics using Poli-flex Turboflex Heat Transfers.

11H30

Maizey Plastics hall 3: Working with Plexiglas – A variety of tools will be onsite to demonstrate correct working techniques.

11H30

Maizey Plastics hall 3: Doming using UltraDome

12H30

JG Electronics hall 1: Start or expand your own corporate gift branding  business

12H30

JG Electronics hall 1: Investigate adding white toner T-shirt printing vs traditional printing.

12H30

JG Electronics hall 1:Investigate adding white toner T-shirt printing vs traditional printing.

13H30

Uprint hall 1:  Start up or value add to your business for a TOTAL print solution system on all Promo goods. Demo’s will be shown.

13H30

Uprint hall 1:  Start up or value add to your business for a TOTAL print solution system on all Promo goods. Demo’s will be shown.

13H30

Uprint hall 1:  Start up or value add to your business for a TOTAL print solution system on all Promo goods. Demo’s will be shown.

14H30

Rexx Hall 1: Visit this hands-on demo on getting started in screen printing with Charlie Taublieb

14H30

Rexx Hall 1: Get ahead of your competition with these screen printing techniques taught by Charlie Taublieb

14H30

Rexx Hall 1: Visit this hands-on demo on working with special effects to enhance your T-shirt printing taught by Charlie Taublieb

For more information, and to pre-register online, please visit www.signafricaexpo.com or www.fespaafrica.com.

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