Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. Government advertises positions on Icasa, Council, MDDA and SABC boards. Celia Collins appointed MD for Carat Johannesburg. A new generation of leadership set to take the helm at Net#work. Justin Hartman to drive iProspect’s continued digital proficiency lead in SSA. Kevin Hart tapped as roastmaster for Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. GGi Communications awarded the Red Touch Media Africa (RTMA) account. Claire Densham Communications wins PSG. iProspect crowned #1 global digital performance agency. Mortimer Harvey’s expansion into Africa and the Middle East delivers early results. X/procure celebrates staff members’ 10-year work anniversary. Habari Media launches refreshed online site.
This week’s BIG move: Government advertises positions on Icasa, Council, MDDA and SABC boards. National Sales manager for The Media Online.
The Communications Portfolio Committee is looking for a new board member for the SABC. It will also be interviewing candidates for four vacancies on the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s council, as well as two vacancies on the board of the Media Development and Diversity Agency. The deadline to nominate individuals for these positions is also 27 February 2015.
“With more political pressure on the SABC Board then ever, it is vital that a sufficient number of independent and suitably qualified candidates apply,” said DA communications spokesperson, Gavin Davis.
Nominations and enquiries regarding all these positions should be addressed to the Committee Secretary, Thembinkosi Ngoma, Portfolio Committee on Communications, 3rd floor, 90 Plein Street, Cape Town, 8000 or emailed to tngoma@parliament.gov.za. Telephonic enquiries can be made to 021 403 3733 or 083 709 8407.
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Who’s moved where
Celia Collins appointed MD for Carat Johannesburg
Carat has announced the appointment of Celia Collins as managing director Johannesburg after joining the agency as business unit director in June 2014. Collins will be tasked with leading the business operations for the Johannesburg office.
Collins has a proven track record with almost two decades of experience in the media and advertising industry. Having worked on brands such as SAB, Tiger Brands, Nestle, Samsung, Mondelez and GSK to name a few. Her responsibilities at SMV Group included her setting up over 32 offices on the African continent. She also won the Pan African Media Research Organization award in 2009.
“I am thrilled to have Celia as head of our JHB agency, and she brings a wealth of experience and will provide structure and momentum for the business going forward. I’m excited at the prospect of working with her,” said Quinton Jones, Carat Group MD SA.
A new generation of leadership set to take the helm at Net#work
BBDO has announced that Gautham Narayanan has been appointed as deputy managing director of Net#work BBDO and as BBDO Africa regional director. Narayanan joins the Johannesburg office following 13 years with BBDO and more recently as a board member of AMVBBDO, the biggest agency in the UK.
“I am excited about the challenges of this new opportunity. Realising Africa’s massive growth potential has to be one of the biggest marketing opportunities available, and I want to be part of it. I was born in India and educated in the UK so this just feels like a natural progression in the global marketplace,” said Narayanan.
“He is renowned for shaking things up and revolutionising creative and strategic thinking and we eagerly await the impact he will have on our team and our clients” said Boniswa Pezisa, group managing director.
Justin Hartman to drive iProspect’s continued digital proficiency lead in SSA
Justin Hartman has been appointed group managing director for iProspect SSA. His expertise and understanding of the digital marketing sector has made him a natural leader for both staff and clients, while his technical abilities will ensure that iProspect’s talent is continually nurtured and expanded to continue the current market lead they have in terms of innovation and agility to implement effective digital marketing strategies for the vast client base of both local and global brands.
“In our fast pace world of digital marketing it’s all about accountable media with a measureable purpose and iProspect doesn’t approach digital marketing in silos. They work to integrate digital initiatives with other marketing efforts to boost overall marketing ROI and appointing Justin as group managing director gives me the confidence that he will not only continue this, but bring in many new aspects that will ensure their continued growth in the SSA market,” says Dawn Rowlands, CEO Dentsu Aegis Network SSA.
Kevin Hart tapped as roastmaster for Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber
Comedy Central (DStv channel 122) has revealed that comedian and actor Kevin Hart has been named Roastmaster for the “Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber.” The event will tape at Sony Studios in Los Angeles on March 14 and premiere on Comedy Central on Monday 27 April at 21:10 CAT.
“I don’t normally do roasts but I had to step out for my guy Biebs…It’s his big 21. It’s about to be operation roast everyone’s ass,” said Hart.
“They say only a good friend would verbally eviscerate another good friend for all his vulnerabilities. Kevin Hart is a very good friend,” said Kent Alterman, president of Content Development and Original Programming at Comedy Central.
What’s out there
Looking for a national sales manager for The Media Online
The Media Online is South Africa’s respected and only source of media specific opinions, news and analysis. In addition to our daily updates, bi-weekly newsletters and industry sector Debriefs, we have just added a video component. This array of content lends itself to sponsorship and advertising.
We are looking for a creative, professional and successful sales person. One who can initiate and develop winning proposals and importantly take them to market to close sales. A proven track record (preferably in online and social media sales) is necessary. The position is based in Johannesburg and offers a gross cost to company salary plus commissions and incentives.
Send your CV to sgordon@stonesoup.co.za before the closing date – 18 February.
Who’s won what
GGi Communications awarded the Red Touch Media Africa (RTMA) account
Red Touch Media is a B2B white label content management and distribution company that provides a range of solutions to help retailers, advertisers and content owners connect and engage with consumers around their digital media content consumption activities.
The technology company, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, manages over two billion files monthly in the form of music, e-books, movies and software. Establishing a base in the South African market is the first phase of RTMA’s expansion plans for the continent, with phase two targeting Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia and Kenya.
“RTMA sees South Africa as a market with significant potential and we are excited to be partnering with them as there are great opportunities to influence the market via a targeted stakeholder relations campaign,” says GGi MD Jennifer Stein.
Claire Densham Communications wins PSG
Niche PR consultancy Claire Densham Communications (CDCOM), has won the PSG account. This comprises PSG Wealth, PSG Insure and PSG Asset Management. The agency specialises in the financial services, professional services and property industries. As the acquisition of the PSG account created a conflict of interest with CDCOM’s current anchor client, Allan Gray, the agency has resigned that account after more than 11 years.
“We had an incredible journey with Allan Gray, and they will always be close to our hearts,” said Densham, CDCOM founder and owner. “We are also, however, looking forward to the new challenge that PSG presents.
iProspect crowned #1 global digital performance agency
Global award-winning digital agency iProspect has been named the number one global digital performance agency and the number one global digital media agency by the Digital Agency Research Department (DARD), powered by the Research Company Evaluating the Media Agency Industry (RECMA).
DARD analysed 68 digital agencies that have positioned themselves as global digital networks and iProspect ranks tenth of the Top 30 digital agency networks in the fourth global edition of the evaluation.
Justin Hartman, group managing director of iProspect South Africa said, “Our business formed part of this evaluation and contributed to the overall number 1 ranking which confirms that the quality of work delivered by iProspect SA exceeds international standards.”
M4JAM continues real-time revolution with new brands, new jobs and E(arn) button
It has only been six months since M4JAM (Money for Jam) was launched in South Africa, but the revolutionary microjobbing platform is already well on its way to changing the world, one microjob at a time. Now M4JAM is kicking into overdrive as it welcomes new and returning brands to the platform as well as the new ‘Earn’ button which makes it easier for brands to engage and jobbers to complete jobs.
Since its launch, M4JAM has successfully managed multiple campaigns for over 40 of South Africa’s biggest brands, including TomTom, Le Creuset, Ster-Kinekor, TNS, Telesure and Shoprite, to name a few.
Chief jammer and co-founder of M4JAM, Andre Hugo, says, “The response has been overwhelming and has given us valuable insights into the types of campaigns that our jobbers are proficient at, the quality of work that our community is able to produce and more importantly how real-time data monitoring has benefited the brands on platform.”
Who’s making moves
Mortimer Harvey’s expansion into Africa and the Middle East delivers early results
Mortimer Harvey’s Africa and Middle East operations are expanding rapidly, with an impressive number of new accounts having been gained in recent months. The company was launched in September last year, which coincided with the opening of Mortimer Harvey’s regional office in Cairo, Egypt.
Thibaud Weick, CEO of Mortimer Harvey Africa Middle East, says he is delighted with the progress the company has made in just four months. “The extension of our portfolio to include a full go-to-market service that enables our clients to successfully expand their footprint in Africa and the Middle East is certainly working in our favour.”
“Our hands-on, real-world experience operating in some of the region’s most challenging markets gives us a uniquely competitive edge to meet the needs of our clients,” says Weick. “Execution is key, and that is what makes us different from other communications agencies and business consultancies. We roll up our shirtsleeves, grab a desk at our clients’ offices, join the team and get our hands dirty.”
New blue chip clients include both multinational and large Egyptian family owned businesses with strong growth potential in Egypt and the region at large.
Habari Media launches refreshed online site
Many will agree that websites must serve a purpose. Whether that purpose is personal or business related, a website must be useful, uncluttered and easy to navigate. A website that is useful to its visitors must offer credible and valuable information.
“We feel that our new website upholds all of these factors,” says Marius Greeff, commercial director at Habari Media. “The purpose of the new site is to showcase our partners whilst supplying the most relevant, up-to-date and pertinent content to users.”
www.habrimedia.com offers users access to Habari Media’s wide selection of premium brands, international and national digital learning’s and progress in the global online industry, educational articles, industry whitepapers and case studies.
“It’s our people that are the experts in their fields and they make the company what it is,” says Remola Chetty, marketing manager at Habari Media. “It is important that we are known for exceptional client service in this industry.”
Coincidently, the re-launch of the website also marks Habari Media’s eleventh year of delivering exclusive access to a wide selection of premium brands to advertisers and providing partner platforms with a local presence and market insights.”
X/procure celebrates staff members’ 10-year work anniversary
Maintaining a solid staff compliment is a challenge for any business and the advertising and pharmaceutical industries are no different. Primedia Unlimited’s X/procure subsidiary that specialises in electronic procurement software and also offers advertising, is celebrating the ten year work anniversaries of three of its staff members.
Corne Korb, Stefan Schlebusch and Francois Fourie attribute their longevity in the company to working for a forward thinking business in a fast moving and very competitive environment.
“X/procure® operates within both the pharmaceutical and advertising spaces and is therefore in constant flux, presenting ongoing challenges that need to be met and overcome. Creating workable solutions within our environment is very rewarding, and having a team like ours makes for a very positive working environment,” says JD Henderson, X/procure’s MD. “We extend our congratulations and thanks to these men for their ongoing dedication.”
You’ve Gotta Love Cricket with Lay’s at ICC World Cup
Leading global snack brand, Lay’s, has come on board as an official partner of the 2015 International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup, being hosted in Australia/ New Zealand over February and March 2015. As the official snacks partner of the tournament, Lay’s will enjoy product exclusivity throughout the period of the competition making sure that cricket fans never go without a delicious Lay’s snack.
To celebrate this partnership, Lay’s has also launched a tasty new flavour of potato chips – Lay’s Prego Sauce – to the South African ‘potato chip lovers’ market.
The brand launched its You’ve Gotta Love Cricket campaign in January 2015 specifically to highlight the partnership of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. SA cricket master AB de Villiers is the face of the campaign and cricket fans can look out for the limited edition Lay’s large bags featuring de Villiers.
Carla De Quintal, marketing director at PepsiCo, added that the company is proud to be associated with an international sports tournament of this magnitude. PepsiCo’s enthusiastic support for different sporting events over the years makes it an ideal partner for the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Jam Media adds personality management to its service offering
Communication agency, Jam Media has at the start of 2015 added personality management to its current service offering. The agency, which opened its doors in 2012, launched this new offering by signing Extreme Fighting Championship’s (EFC Worldwide) first signed female athlete Danella Eliasov.
Eliasov, a 32-year-old physiatrist by day and mixed martial artist by night will make her international debut on 21 February in Carnival City, Johannesburg.
Jam Media is tasked with managing and maintaining Eliasov’s digital footprint as well as all public relations and sponsorship for the athlete.
Ongoing growth prompts Vega to relocate its Pretoria campus to a bigger site
The Pretoria Campus of the Vega School of Brand Leadership, brand of The Independent Institute of Education, has relocated to a new, bigger site at 34 Ingesol Road, Menlyn, Pretoria to accommodate the ongoing growth being experienced.
“Our new campus is located in the heart of Menlyn CBD, easily accessible from the N1 Highway, off Atterbury Road and within walking distance from Menlyn Shopping Centre. It is located in a secure park-like setting and offers our growing student bodies a safe and comfortable environment, with ample parking,” says Dr Carla Enslin, co-founder of Vega. “We’re very excited to welcome students to the new campus at the start of the 2015 academic year. With the three new IIE degrees being introduced at the beginning of 2015, we anticipate steady growth and the relocation to bigger premises will ensure that our students continue to be suitably accommodated for the foreseeable future.”
Vega has campuses in Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, and a wide range of IIE programmes, from short part time courses, through to one-year certificate programmes, three-year degrees and honours degree, that can be completed fulltime (one year) or part time over 18 months, are offered at this Campus.
Ameritest launches brand consulting
Ameritest, the communication research company, is leveraging a 25-year track record of measuring the effectiveness of advertising into a brand consulting division that will help clients define what their brands stand for and show them how to bring them to life visually and verbally. According to Charles Young, CEO/Founder, Ameritest, “Smart advertisers don’t just engage or entertain the consumer; they advertise to build their brands and drive profitability.”
The new business unit will be based in Chicago and led by 30-year brand marketing/strategy/research expert, Ralph Blessing, whose prior experience includes SC Johnson, Helene Curtis, Unilever and GfK. “In order to get the creative execution right, the brand strategy must come first,” notes Blessing. “Images and emotions created by advertising must meaningfully connect the brand to consumers’ long-term memories so that they stick with them at the point of purchase.”
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