Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. GREY Group chooses Volcano as its lead agency in Africa. Media24 appoints Neo Momodu as head of corporate affairs. New executive chairman to facilitate Ask Afrika Group’s growth. Changes in top management at Sabido. Liquorice names Brian Carter as executive creative director. Aperio grows its team of skilled FMCG consultants. New community radio stations for The Media Connection. Cell C calls on Hellocomputer. Ogilvy Cape lands Allan Gray. Iconic Lucky Star appoints JWT Cape Town as lead creative agency. Pyrotec PackMark appoints first distributor in Zimbabwe. DLA Piper in the Netherlands and Germany and Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr in joint sponsorship deal with SA Men’s Hockey Team for the World Cup. Kwenta Media launches African Travel Market.
This week’s BIG move… GREY Group chooses Volcano as its lead agency in Africa.
GREY, Adweek Global Agency of the Year, is re-entering South Africa with immediate effect. It has agreed to buy a majority stake in The Volcano Group, one of South Africa’s fastest growing independent advertising communications groups. The Volcano Group will rebrand as GREY Africa, re-establishing the global advertising giant as a leader in providing creative and effective full-service marketing solutions across the African continent.
WPP, the world’s largest global media and communications agency network, made the announcement in London this week, signalling yet another critical step in GREY’s growth strategy of developing its networks in fast growing and important markets and sectors in the EMEA region. The Volcano Group will focus on developing a strong local GREY presence in South Africa as well as lead GREY’s expansion in key African markets.
Paul Jackson, Volcano’s group managing director, says he is immensely proud to be associated with an iconic agency such as GREY. “The GREY Group ranks among the world’s top advertising and marketing organisations, with an enviable global footprint. GREY’s credentials and achievements are impressive and their unique positioning of ‘Famously Effective’ resonates with the same values that have guided Volcano to success. The decision to take on the exciting opportunity of re-establishing GREY in South Africa and across the continent is one that is met with great enthusiasm by both parties, and we look forward to being an integral part of the continued global success of GREY.”
Who’s moved where
Media24 appoints Neo Momodu as head of corporate affairs
Neo Momodu has been appointed as head of corporate affairs and joins Media24’s executive management team. Momodu will be responsible for Media24’s stakeholder management and development. She will spearhead engagement with key stakeholders in government and civil society, help to build positive relationships and add value in the communities we serve. She will also help manage some of our regulatory risks. She will be based in Johannesburg.
“Neo brings with her a wealth of experience in media, the corporate world and government,” says Media24 CEO Esmaré Weideman. “We are delighted to have her on board.”
Momodu spent the past four years at the GCIS (Government Communications and Information Systems) where she was the chief director: government and media liaison with specific responsibility for strategy development and implementation as well as stakeholder development and management.
New executive chairman to facilitate Ask Afrika Group’s growth
The Ask Afrika Group is restructuring and expanding to find a niche in the media and marketing industry. Ken McArthur was appointed as executive chairman on 1 May to oversee this expansion. The group’s primary growth objective is media currency and media advisory work. The Ask Afrika Group is constantly looking for gaps in the market where it can provide the most up-to-date research products and keep South Africa in line with international standards.
“The Ask Afrika Group is growing and we are launching an array of new products this year. Ken McArthur is the perfect person to steer our company into exciting, unchartered waters in South Africa. I am delighted that we found a leader of his calibre to welcome to our team,” said Andrea Rademeyer, CEO and founder of the Ask Afrika Group.
McArthur has extensive experience in the market research industry and was the MD of Nielsen for ten years. During this time he formed a separate division for media as per the global Nielsen standard.
Changes in top management at Sabido
Sabido, parent company of e.tv, has made two changes at top management level. Bronwyn Keene-Young, currently chief operations officer (COO) is taking up the position of chief corporate officer.
General counsel Mark Rosin, who heads the organisation’s legal and business affairs, will take over as chief operating officer.
Keene-Young, in a note to staff, said rhe rapid expansion and growth of the Sabido business necessitated the restructuring at top management level. She said the restructuring was important to “alleviate future risk to the company at a management level and also to deal with corporate governance matters relating to our top management structure”.
The Group Heads of e.tv, e.sat tv and Platco will all report to Rosin while all other Group Heads (i.e. those who have corporate or group service responsibilities) will continue to report to Keene-Young, who will continue to be responsible for Sabido Productions, NHU and Lalela.
Liquorice names Brian Carter as executive creative director
Off the back of more than doubling in size over the past three years, digital agency Liquorice has appointed Brian Carter as executive creative director. At the same time, it named Blane Fraser as creative director.
“Brian and Blane are two of the best digital creative minds in Africa. The move represents the significant growth that Liquorice has achieved plus a recognition of the success we’ve had at carving out our creative credentials over the past few years,” said Miles Murphy, Liquorice owner and founder .
In this new role as ECD, Carter will oversee the creative team across all four South African offices, plus set up new creative teams as the agency expands across the rest of Africa.
Aperio grows its team of skilled FMCG consultants
Business consulting firm Aperio has welcomed Sane Mdlalose to its team of expert FMCG consultants.
Mdlalose joins the team as an associate consultant, specialising in channel marketing and sales. Having worked in the FMCG industry for over 18 years she brings to the team a wealth of experience in customer management, channel management, marketing, category management and general management.
Sane will be working with the Aperio team to lead Aperio’s commercial strategy, sales, route to market and channel marketing projects with clients. She has worked on major local and international brands such as Unilever; Danone, Tiger Brands, Coca Cola and South Africa Breweries
Who’s won what
New community radio stations for The Media Connection
The Media Connection, one of South Africa’s leading community radio advertising specialists, has added numerous community radio stations to its bouquet of services.
Kynsna FM (97.0) - entertains and informs the Knysna population, both residents and tourists, with 80% music and 20% talk. The station broadcasts mainly in English, but with a fair sprinkling of Afrikaans.
PE FM (87.6) – targets the Christian community in Nelson Mandela Bay, Uitenhage and Jeffreys Bay, broadcasting in English and Afrikaans. It has a 60% talk and 40% music content that appeals to the youth and young adults.
Mdantsane FM (89.5) – targets young adults, working class communities, urban and rural residents, children and the youth, and broadcasts in English and isiXhosa to LSMs 2 – 9 to almost the entire Buffalo Municipality area.
Kumkani FM (95.8) – broadcasts in Xhosa to the Buffalo City metro area, targeting the youth. Its content is 60% music and 40% talk.
Siyathuthuka FM (97.6) – targets the youth and adults, broadcasting in Zulu, to five municipal districts in and around KwaZulu-Natal. Content is 60% talk and 40% music.
Highway Radio (101.5) – reaches listeners in the Durban Metroplex with a professionally presented mix of necessary daily lifestyle information and easy-listening contemporary gospel music.
West Side FM (103.6) – has a strong focus on the youth and good communication with schools in the West Rand. It broadcasts a mix of talk and music in the West Rand, but has listeners as far as London, America and other parts of the world. Its content is 60% entertainment and 40% information.
Mogale FM (93.6) – reflects the lives of most people living in and around the West Rand. The station offers a diverse mix of music, entertainment and information, targeting LSMs 5 – 10 and achieving high reach, frequency and impact.
Cell C calls on Hellocomputer
Cell C, South Africa’s consumer champion in the telecommunications space, has officially appointed Hellocomputer to elevate the role of digital within its marketing mix.
“It’s an exciting time to get behind Cell C, we look forward to playing a key role in their ambition to deliver unmatched customer value. We are familiar with the needs and dynanism that a large telco demands and are well poised to offer competitive advantage,” said Hellocomputer’s managing director, David Moffatt.
The agency will provide a comprehensive basket of digital services including social media and the redevelopment of key digital assets such as the new Cell C web and mobile presences.
Ogilvy Cape lands Allan Gray
Prominent financial services company Allan Gray has chosen Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town (O&M CT) as its new advertising agency.
O&M CT MD Luca Gallarelli said he was “genuinely thrilled” by the news because “high quality clients like Allan Gray who are completely committed to creativity and long-term relationships represent great business and a great platform for inspiring effective marketing”. He added that O&M CT and Allan Gray “seem to share much in their histories, values and ways of working”.
The agency’s chief creative officer Chris Gotz had tweeted that he had never wanted to win an account so much as he wanted to win this one and said there is “a real air of excitement in the agency” about working on the account.
Iconic Lucky Star appoints JWT Cape Town as lead creative agency
Lucky Star, the marketers of the iconic South African canned fish brand and Lucky Pet cat food, has appointed JWT Cape Town as its lead creative agency. From June JWT will drive all advertising and creative across markets in the African continent to increase Lucky Star’s share of the consumer food basket.
Commenting on the appointment Andrew Plastow, Lucky Star’s head of marketing and sales said, “We are very excited about this new appointment as we believe JWT have the insights, creativity and skills to help take Lucky Star to new heights, both locally and across Africa. We are confident that Lucky Star brand has chosen the best of partners in JWT.”
Markets initially will include, though not be restricted to, South Africa, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Over the past five years the Lucky Star brand has achieved top ten status in the Sunday Times overall most favourite brand category, and is ingrained in the lives of most South African consumers.
Pyrotec PackMark appoints first distributor in Zimbabwe
Privately-owned South African product identification solutions provider, Pyrotec PackMark, has announced the appointment of an exclusive distributor in Zimbabwe, Super Technologies, for their coding and labelling solutions of specific brands such as:
· Markem-Imaje – coding and labelling equipment, consumables, spares and software
· Harland Machine Systems – equipment and spares
· ALtech Labelling Systems – equipment and spares
· Pyrotec – ELDH automatic labeller, HWL semi-automatic labeller and spares and all other equipment produced by Pyrotec.
Musa Phira (Owner) and Peter Chirwa (Instrumentation Technician) are hands-on managers who will cover sales, installations and service of the equipment with input from Pyrotec PackMark’s highly skilled technicians.
“The partnership between Pyrotec PackMark and Super Technologies is a strategic one in terms of strengthening and expanding our brand capabilities and services throughout Zimbabwe,” says Rowan Beattie, managing director at Pyrotec.
Who’s making moves
DLA Piper in the Netherlands and Germany and Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr in joint sponsorship deal with SA Men’s Hockey Team for the World Cup
DLA Piper Germany, DLA Piper the Netherlands and South African firm DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr will jointly sponsor the South Africa men’s hockey team for the duration of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup, to be held in the Hague from 31 May – 15 June this year.
As part of the sponsorship, the SA men’s team will wear the DLA Piper logo on their training and match shirts for the duration of the World Cup.
The games will televised around the world, including Europe, South Africa and parts of Africa. The South African team will play the Netherlands and Germany in the first round.
Marissa Langeni, the CEO of the South African Hockey Association says, “The men’s team is delighted to welcome DLA Piper and Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr as World Cup sponsors and will proudly wear the logo of this global law firm on their shirts. This sponsorship has allowed us to plan ahead with regards to travelling to the World Cup and to be able to focus on what really matters on match day – playing the best hockey we can and representing our country with pride.”
Richard Fens, co-managing partner of DLA Piper the Netherlands says, “We are delighted with this joint sponsorship with DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, DLA Piper in the Netherlands and Germany. The South African men’s team is playing against both the Netherlands and Germany (broadcast live in both countries) and so this sponsorship will attain a significant audience.
Kwenta Media launches African Travel Market
Kwenta Media launched its very first African Tourism Market (ATM) issue at World Travel Market Africa in Cape Town. ATM is a brand new glossy travel and tourism magazine that aims to celebrate Africa as a world-class destination. The publication is an editorial showcase gathering inspiration from across the continent to promote contemporary and ancient Africa through magnificent visuals, inspiring stories and a rich content mix.
ATM aims to empower business tourism, trade buyers, planners, airlines and travellers on a much sought after travel destination. It is a consolidated travel publication that seeks to speak on behalf of Africa and communicate to various markets about tourism investments, business travel or key activities, and extends them an invitation to return to their origins. The ATM magazine is 80% digital and 20% print and its main distribution key areas are Tourism Indaba, We Are Africa, ITB Berlin, World Travel Market and other international tourism platforms. The first digital issue is now accessible online and can be downloaded for free at www.atmmag.net/subscribe/
Frozen Chimez Animation expands expertise
After having opened this state-of-the-art animation and technology company in March last year, Frozen Chimez Animation has acquired further services.
The latest service available to clients is website creation, including online marketing, such as search engine optimisation/SMM social media marketing and customised professional interactive Apps.
CEO of Frozen Chimez Animation, Kurt Schoerie, says, “Our mission is to provide companies with an all-in-one digital creative solution that will strategically set them apart from their competitors at competitive rates.
All projects are tailored to provide a powerful, well-priced, engaging and advanced advertising solution that will get a company’s message across clearly and in a captivating way.
Note: TheMediaOnline has a job advertising service. The site is read by media professionals across South Africa. A job posting on the Media Online Costs R342 (incl VAT) and appears for 30 days. It appears both on the Media Online site and Memejobs.com.