Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. Top class recruit joins Net#work BBDO. Refilwe Ntuku now senior account executive at Total Exposure. Tribeca continues to expand on the back of new client wins. Adam Maniki Rakgalakane appointed country manager of Coface South Africa. marcusbrewster wins takealot.com account. MANGO-OMC appointed by New Media Publishing for Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards. AVATAR awarded Brand South Africa digital account. New design showroom OnTrend appoints Lauren Shantall. McCann Worldgroup South Africa will be launching Weber Shandwick in SA. Aqua acquires marketing technology business, Applogix. StarSat launches second customer experience centre in Durban.
Who’s moved where
Top class recruit joins Net#work BBDO
Ideas agency Net#work BBDO has announced the appointment of Suhana Gordhan as creative director working under joint ECDs Jenny Glover and Brent Singer. Gordhan hails most recently from NATIVE where she served as creative director, prior to which she worked at Black River FC.
Speaking of the new role, Gordhan says she’s excited to work alongside well-respected BBDO creative group head, Juliet Honey. “Every day I’m reminded of the great company I keep at Net#work BBDO. I see the countless awards won by the agency and it’s my personal challenge to add to the awards cabinet and to do the kind of quality, iconic work that Net#work BBDO has built a legacy on.”
Glover, joint ECD, says that watching the addition of fresh talent brings with it an injection of new thinking. “Suhana has joined our team and brought a burst of energy and enthusiasm. We are excited to see what we can create together.”
Refilwe Ntuku now senior account executive at Total Exposure
Total Exposure has announced the promotion of Refilwe Ntuku to senior account executive. Ntuku joined the company in 2011 and worked on accounts such as Buskaid, Audi South Africa, Dr Oz, Prime Circle, Sony Pictures Television, Royalty Soapie Awards as well as SABC3.
“Refilwe’s hard-work and determination coupled with a strong work ethic has seen her tackling challenges on the various accounts that she has been tasked with since she joined the Total Exposure team as an intern,” says managing director, Diane Chidrawi.
Ntuku is currently working on accounts such as Grey Goose, Old Mutual, Knorr and Standard Bank Joy of Jazz.
Tribeca continues to expand on the back of new client wins
Tribeca Public Relations (Tribeca) has appointed Lebo Sekere as an account manager and Joanne Russell as an account executive.
These new appointments come after significant new client wins for the agency during the course of 2014, including Cathay Pacific, Retroviral, Imperial Auto, Net 1 Mobile Solutions and Whisky Live Festival.
Sekere has five years’ experience in public relations and digital consulting, having worked with diverse clients in the technology, consumer and corporate sectors. She studied Marketing at the University of the Witwatersrand and completed a certificate in Public Relations at the University of Cape Town. She is primarily working on the MasterCard and Qualcomm accounts at Tribeca.
Russell was appointed after she successfully completed a six-month internship at Tribeca and proved to be a valuable asset to the team. She previously worked in the aviation insurance industry, but followed her dream to be a public relations professional by completing her National Diploma in Public Relations through UNISA.
Adam Maniki Rakgalakane appointed country manager of Coface South Africa
Adam Rakgalakane has been appointed country manager, chief executive officer of Coface South Africa. Rakgalakane has extensive experience in the insurance industry with a strong commercial and marketing background, and has a particular knowledge and understanding of the South African market and its distribution channels.
His career has taken him to First National Bank, Mutual & Federal, Nedcor Insurance, AIG SA and more recently Glenrand MIB / AON SA as chief commercial officer & executive director, sales and marketing.
“Mr Rakgalakane brings with him the right mix of skills, experience and an understanding of the South African insurance market, with the skills to continue to lead Coface South Africa to solid and profitable growth,” said Antonio Marchitelli, regional manager Mediterranean & Africa of Coface Group.
Who’s won what
marcusbrewster wins takealot.com account
takealot.com, the fast growing online retailer, has appointed marcusbrewster for its PR and communications account. marcusbrewster will work as an integrated agency partner to the e-commerce giant which is expected to become the biggest player in the sector within a year.
takealot.com was officially launched in June 2011 by Kim Reid with investment from Tiger Global Management. The business was initiated with a simple vision in mind: to be the largest, simplest, most customer centric online shopping destination in Africa.
“Today takealot.com is one of the fastest growing, most innovative ecommerce retailers on the African continent” says marketing manager Declan Hollywood. “At the core of everything takealot does is our customers. takealot.com is passionate about providing great customer experiences, beginning with the moment you land on the site, until the product you order is delivered safely into your hands. We are looking to marcusbrewster to partner with us on our progression to category dominance”
In May, the e-tailer announced a further round of investment from US-based Tyger Global Management with $100 million towards takealot.com’s expansionist objectives
MANGO-OMC appointed by New Media Publishing for Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards
MANGO-OMC has been appointed to handle the communications for the 2014 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards. It is the fourth year that MANGO-OMC will be assisting Eat Out with communication around the prestigious annual restaurant awards. Following exciting changes to the Eat Out magazine and website coupled with the continuous growth in popularity of the restaurant awards, this year’s event promises to be the biggest celebration yet.
“We are honoured to be working with the Eat Out brand again on an event of this calibre. Their ability and drive to engage with and meet consumer, industry and trade needs is inspiring, and their commitment to setting higher benchmarks every year is a welcome challenge,” says Nicole Capper, account director.
Tickets are available via Webtickets.
AVATAR awarded Brand South Africa digital account
Brand South Africa and AVATAR have jointly announced the appointment of the Johannesburg-based integrated marketing company as its digital marketing agency.
AVATAR is an owner managed marketing agency founded in 2012 by Zibusiso Mkhwanazi and Veli Ngubane to challenge marketing thinking in Africa. AVATAR uses an integrative approach that fuses classical brand thinking with smart technology to help its clients get closer to their customers.
The pitch was attended by a range of South African agencies, including established ‘heavyweights’, creative hot shops and agencies with affiliations to listed multinationals — but AVATAR was chosen because of its deep knowledge of digital and social media, the company’s integrated approach to marketing, and its obsession with results.
“AVATAR’s diversity as an agency and founding principles make us the perfect fit for Brand South Africa,” says AVATAR chief creative officer, Veli Ngubane..
Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, CEO of AVATAR, was delighted with the win. “Being appointed to look after the country’s brand is an honour,” says Mkhwanazi.
New design showroom OnTrend appoints Lauren Shantall
Successfully established in 1991 by owner Phillip Victor, Sea Point Florstore has maintained a reputation of offering professional, quality-assured services including flooring and blinds. In collaboration with new business partners, Paul and Saul Berman, Phillip Victor is set to launch his brand new OnTrend Showroom in Sea Point during October 2014 and has appointed Lauren Shantall (Pty) Ltd to manage all PR, social media and event aspects of this exciting new décor destination.
Owner and Director, Lauren Shantall has many years of design experience under her belt, from being deputy editor of Elle Decoration magazine to editor of Design Indaba magazine, as well as managing The Design Indaba Expo.
Who’s making moves
Media personality honoured by Rhodes University
South African journalism and media personality Rich Mkhondo recently received the Distinguished Old Rhodian Award from his alma mater. The award is bestowed annually on former Oppidans, now above the age of 40, that have done Rhodes University proud by achieving stellar levels of excellence within their chosen fields.
Mkhondo certainly fits this bill after becoming a virtual household name when he was chief communications officer for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee in the run-up to and during the first FIFA World Cup held on African soil. His easy-going yet confident manner helped reassure both foreign and local audiences that South Africa’s preparations for the world’s most watched sporting event were always firmly on track.
The nomination for Mr Mkhondo’s Distinguished Old Rhodian Award also cited his founding of the Black Students Movement and his status as one of just eight black journalism graduates in 1984.
McCann Worldgroup South Africa will be launching Weber Shandwick in SA
McCann Worldgroup South Africa will be launching Weber Shandwick in this country in October. The global CEO and chairman will be in Johannesburg to personally launch the leading PR Agency in this market.
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 81countries. Advertising Age recently nominated Weber Shandwick as the 2014 A-List for this year’s top industry innovators and growth drivers. Weber Shandwick SA was previously known as McCann PR. The recent merger now enables the company to offer international best practices coupled with best local knowledge.
Aqua acquires marketing technology business, Applogix
Full service digital agency Aqua has announced that is has acquired Applogix, a marketing and e-commerce technology company in South Africa.
“The acquisition of Applogix is a strategic move that demonstrates our commitment to providing our clients with a fully-integrated digital service,” says Brent Shahim, CEO of Aqua. “Applogix is the leader in the South African marketing technology space. It gives us the ability to bring clients powerful strategic and technological solutions at a level that other agencies cannot provide. It also allows us to move beyond digital as just being a marketing channel, to one that is also a commerce channel and can disrupt how our clients do business. Our combined ability to understand business, strategy and process gives us a huge competitive edge.”
Applogix was founded in 2005 and employs around 20 people in Johannesburg. The agency specialises in web and mobile application build, front-end development, ecommerce, CRM, process automation through workflow systems and user experience design. Clients include MTN, Standard Bank and Shell. With this acquisition, the Aqua Group has now grown to over 350 people in South Africa making it the largest player in the digital space and ranks it in the top tier of integrated agencies in the country.
Blue Moon kicks off its 25th birthday with a difference
This September, Blue Moon celebrates its 25th anniversary, and 25 years of being in the business of creating events and consistently original employee engagement strategies. And, yes, there will be cake. But Blue Moon will also be doing what they do best: inspiring people, making a difference and showing how much they love what they do. They’ve taken their company values of Fresh, True and Brave and translated them into pillars of action, creating individual initiatives around their internal properties Green at Heart, Siyaphila (wellness) and Corporate Social Investment.
Well known for producing six of the best South African Music Awards (SAMAs) and the last two fabulous Metro FM Awards, as well as countless life-changing employee engagement initiatives, this month Blue Moon will use their talents to create a series of #BlueMoon25 anniversary celebrations.
Eventerprise: Connecting the world of events
Eventerprise is a groundbreaking online subscription network for the global events industry, the first of its kind in the world. Coming to South Africa in October, Eventerprise aims to connect those who are hosting, staging and arranging events of any kind with those providing the very best products, venues and services.
A successful event has many moving parts – catering, content, staging, locations and logistics. Currently, it is incredibly difficult for event organisers to source new, reliable and talented suppliers for the required tasks and, as such, much is left to chance.
Conversely, in a flooded market, the suppliers and professionals who deserve the work often don’t get it – the contracts instead going to the ‘familiar mediocre’.
The Eventerprise targeted matchmaking approach works like a dating portal, pairing needs (corporate or private) with the perfect partner, or combination solution. Because all the Eventerprise Network members are vetted and reviewed by peers, buyers can confidently select those whom will best get the job done.
Charlie Wright and Götz Thümecke, who are the driving force behind the Eventerprise initiative in South Africa, have more than 50 years of combined experience in the international events, sales and strategic marketing arenas.
StarSat launches second customer experience centre in Durban
StarSat has launched its second Customer Experience Centre (CEC) in Phoenix, Durban. StarSat subscribers can now enjoy the convenience of having two StarSat Customer Experience Centres in Durban.
“This is our second Customer Experience Centre launch in Durban. We decided to launch two CECs’ in Durban, particularly Chatsworth and Phoenix to cater to our Indian subscribers who have reacted positively to our Indian package. We intend to open other CECs’ across the country targeted all ethnic groups,” said Marius Liebenberg, head of sales, StarTimes Media South Africa, the company that owns the StarSat brand.
Ends
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