Media Moves… TheMediaOnline’s weekly round up. News anchor Pat Pillai leave e.tv. Strategy star appointed to serve at MEC. Nazarene Khan appointed TV channel manager
. KFC South Africa appoints new Chief Marketing Officer. Okuhle Media appoints post-production supervisor Zonke Velelo. Nonhle Thema leaves Club 808. Homeexchange.Com names Jim Pickell as president. Flexenclosure strengthens top management with Gwenn Larsson as new CMO. Irvine Bartlett new PR for Google South Africa. Publicis Machine wins Corporate and Investment Banking account from Barclays Africa. Senior talent At Lowe + Partners to judge at D&Ad, Cannes and Apex. Continental Outdoor continues their Digital OOH revolution into Angola
Who’s moved where
News anchor Pat Pillai leave e.tv
Veteran broadcaster and Prime Time news anchor Pat Pillai will be leaving e.tv news at the end of February after a 10-year term. Pillai has resigned in order to focus more on his youth development work at Life College, an organisation he founded in 1997. They have helped over 55 000 South African children, teaching them life skills and boosting academic and entrepreneurial potential.
“It’s been a memorable 10 year journey that saw many news firsts, many stories that have shaped our political, economic and social landscape and many heartfelt moments of human triumph. I will miss the people I’ve worked with and the viewers who tuned in regularly. From now on now, I will join as a loyal viewer,” Pillai said.
Patrick Conroy, managing director of e.sat, said Pillai has been more than just a news anchor. “Pat Pillai has played an enormous role at eNews over the past 10 years. He helped us turn our nightly newscast into the most watched English news bulletin in the country, It has been a privilege to work with a man who has selflessly dedicated his life to our future generation of leaders and achievers. He remains a close friend of all of us at eNews.”
Strategy star appointed to serve at MEC
MEC, the fifth largest media agency network in the world, has recently appointed Lwandile Qokweni into the newly created role of chief strategic officer. At the company, whose clients include Pick ‘n Pay, brandhouse, Caltex and Mercedes Benz, Qokweni will be leading MEC’s strategic product, as well as leading the Vodacom account. “This is a great opportunity. I am humbled to have been chosen for a role within this global company,” he said.
Qokweni hopes to provide the company’s clients with a consistent product across all brands and to take clients like Vodacom into the future by building on their reputation and love amongst consumers. He also looks forward to learning more about global insights and trends and applying this knowledge locally.
Erica Gunning, MD of South Africa MEC Group says, “Having an integrated thinker like Lwandile in our business will enable us to further our aims of growing our strategic product with local talent who understand the South African market. I believe that he will be crucial to our media and communication strategy which has integration and collaboration at its core.”
Nazarene Khan appointed TV channel manager
Kagiso Media has announced the promotion of Nazarene Khan to the position of TV channel manager. Khan played a key role in conceptualising and starting Glow and has been marketing manager at Glow since its inception in July 2013. She will take on this new role with immediate effect and will be responsible for the Glow and ED TV channels.
Khan will define each channel’s target market, positioning, proposition, programming mix and on-air look and feel. She will also monitor audience reception of channels. Mark Harris, Group CEO at Kagiso Media, says they’re looking forward to having Khan on board. “Naz, brings with her experience from years working within the media landscape and we look forward to the collaboration within the group as well as the strengthening of current brands.”
KFC South Africa appoints new Chief Marketing Officer
KFC has announced the appointment of Mike Middleton as chief marketing officer (CMO). He took office in January 2015.
South African-born, Middleton joins KFC from Mondelez Europe, where he was the marketing director responsible for managing the European Biscuits Portfolio, which includes world-famous brands such as Oreo, TUC, Prince and Milka to name a few. He provided leadership for more than 150 marketers in 35 countries and was responsible for category sales of more than R30 billion.
“We are thrilled to have Mike join the team and look forward to him driving our marketing efforts and contributing to world-class innovation and creativity in the areas of customer experience and engagement,” says Doug Smart, director, KFC Africa, part of Yum! Brands, Inc.
Okuhle Media appoints post-production supervisor Zonke Velelo
Recently joining Cape Town based, Okuhle Media as post-production supervisor is Zonke Velelo. Having worked for the company the company 10 years ago, Velelo decided to return to Cape Town and Okuhle where she had her first hands on experience in the TV industry.
Now, with more than 12 years of experience in her field, she has worked for some of South Africa’s most well known production houses and television channels.
Velelo’s has previously worked as a senior video editor for SABC’s Take 5, e.tv, M-Net Africa, and M-Net South Africa, working on show such Carte Blanche, M-Net channel 101 special broadcasts such as the Oscars, X Factor, American Idols, the Voice and Madiba Tribute channel, to name but a few.
Hailing from the Eastern Cape, Velelo graduated from City Varsity Film Television School in 2002 as a film editor with a National Diploma in Television & Film Production Specialising in Editing.
Nonhle Thema leaves Club 808
Club 808‘s Nonhle Thema will be making her final appearance as host of the show on Friday night on e.tv. Thema’s glamourous style and exciting personality has been a feature of the show since she made her first appearance.
“It’s been a great experience working on Club 808. I have enjoyed working with Mo Flava, the Red Pepper crew and e.tv. I received a great welcome from e.tv and we have formed a very strong relationship, which goes beyond Club 808,” says Thema.
“We are eternally grateful for what Nonhle brought to our screens on Club 808. She is an amazing personality and shone bright every Friday night on the show. We would like to thank her for bringing her expertise to e.tv,” says Monde Twala, MD of e.tv Channels Division
Homeexchange.Com names Jim Pickell as president
HomeExchange.com has announced the promotion of Jim Pickell to the post of president. Formerly the chief operating officer, in his new role he will define and implement the company’s strategy and pursue an aggressive expansion plan for the world’s leading home exchange community.
The announcement comes on the heels of a banner start to the year for the website, with membership growing by over 10% in just the first two months of 2015. Under the direction of Pickell, HomeExchange.com plans to unveil a series of member-geared announcements and innovations to the home exchange platform.
“HomeExchange.com redefines the way people can experience travel and I’m elated to be able to both represent and define a service I truly believe in,” says Pickell. “I’m confident we’re up to the challenge.”
Flexenclosure strengthens top management with Gwenn Larsson as new CMO
Flexenclosure, a designer and manufacturer of prefabricated data centre buildings and intelligent power management systems for the ICT industry, has appointed Gwenn Larsson as the company’s new CMO. Gwenn will be based in Stockholm, Sweden, and will be responsible for Flexenclosure’s worldwide sales and marketing activities.
Larsson has over 25 years of experience in leading positions in the ICT industry, including more than 15 years in marketing, business development and B2B sales. She has worked for major industry players including, Deutsche Telekom (DT), Telenor, Huawei, Ericsson, Qualcomm and Motorola and most recently held VP of Sales positions in both DT and Telenor, managing diverse international teams. Her career includes periods living in Asia, Europe and the USA.
Who’s won what
Irvine Bartlett new PR for Google South Africa
Irvine Bartlett has secured the public relations account of the South Africa division of tech giant Google. Google is the most recognisable name in internet search engines, and has grown to offer services far beyond that. In Africa, it works to get more people to use online tools by developing an internet ecosystem that is accessible and relevant to them.
The rigorous pitch and vetting process saw Irvine Bartlett beat off five other agencies to secure the account. Rachel Irvine, managing director of Irvine Bartlett, says that she envisages taking the message of Google beyond the usual echo-chamber of techies talking to techies. “Google is the world’s biggest and most influential tech company, so in the media space its activities on the continent are always at a risk of being overshadowed by the innovations and technological advances coming out of San Francisco. Our aim with Google Africa’s PR is to highlight the tech giant’s African activities. Google Africa is indeed a part of Google, but it has its own unique and commendable mandate on the continent. And that is the story we will be telling. It’s a story that resonates beyond Africa’s plugged in tech community,” she says.
Google South Africa head of communications and public affairs Mich Atagana says, “We were looking for an agency who could demonstrate that they understand who we are and how our mission can be translated and made relevant to audiences across the continent. It was key for us that not only were we able to find an agency that has strong media connections in South Africa, which is our base of operations, but one that can communicate across sub-Saharan Africa.”
Publicis Machine wins Corporate and Investment Banking account from Barclays Africa
Publicis Machine has announced that it has won the Corporate and Investment Banking from Barclays Africa (CIB) business, and been officially appointed to manage the below-the-line (BTL) communications on this prestigious account for the next three years.
This announcement follows an intense three-stage pitch process that began in November last year, culminating in a three-way strategic and creative pitch. The final hurdle involved a visit to our offices to get a sense of the team in operation, from a high-powered delegation from CIB.
“What struck us was the way in which the CIB team engaged with us throughout the whole pitch process. It strongly indicated that we are dealing with a professional, aligned team that seeks true partnership from its BTL communications partner. This resonates with our unique business culture,” said MD Wimpie le Roux.
Who’s making moves
Senior talent At Lowe + Partners to judge at D&Ad, Cannes and Apex
Following on from Kirk Gainsford, the ECD of Lowe Cape Town being selected as a judge at Cannes Lions 2014, it has just been announced that Joanina Pastoll, ECD: Design & Promotions at Lowe Johannesburg has been selected to be a judge at this year’s Cannes Lion Awards. Pastoll was also the Jury President for Design at the recent London International Awards in Las Vegas. In addition to this, Bruce Anderson, ECD at Lowe Johannesburg has been selected to be a judge at the upcoming D&AD Awards in March.
With Lowe’s focus also being very much on the effectiveness of creativity, Sarah Dexter, MD of OIL has been selected to be a judge at this year’s ACA Apex Awards. OIL is Lowe’s partner company that specialises in research, consumer insights and strategic planning. The ACA Apex Awards are South Africa’s premier Effectiveness Awards, celebrating ‘Advertising Performance Excellence’.
AIR Films Lets Their Work Take Centre Stage With New Website
AIR Films has given their website a facelift and made the company’s work the main focus of the new-look site. “We redesigned the site because we feel that our work is good enough to be the hero of the design and we did not want any distractions from that,” explains Matthys, director at AIR Films.
The company used the services of designer Olivier Schild with the brief to let the company’s work speak for itself, all the while ensuring easy navigation and retaining the quirkiness that AIR has become known for.
Keeping things simple was key in the redesign and designer Schildt believes that using the company’s colours played a crucial role in getting the message across.
“We wanted to make the website a lot bolder and simplify the different sections. Colour played an important part and we consistently use the Desert Rose and black palette for Air Films — they ‘own’ these colours now and thus one is able to recognise the brand just by seeing these two colours in combination,” explains Schildt.
The website is now far more accessible as it switches seamlessly between web and mobile. Says Schildt: “What I like most about the design is how elegantly all the site components rearrange themselves depending on what device and screen size you are using — so the site performs consistently on a phone or on your desktop.”
Continental Outdoor continues their Digital OOH revolution into Angola
Roadside digital screens have, following Continental Outdoors’ rollout plan, hit the streets of Angola. The four digital screens in Luanda, Angola can be found on strategic arterials and provide clients with valuable opportunities to interact with their respective target markets.
The networks that Continental Outdoor have built allow brands to do short term tactical campaigns, product launches and adhoc promotions. Long term brand building, product/service awareness and location targeting and dominance are also key benefits that the networks provide.
“The installation of these units is an achievement of monumental proportions. Every unit is equipped with a generator that automatically kicks in if there is any interrupted power supply. The units had to be installed in the very early hours of subsequent mornings due to the ridiculous traffic in Luanda. The project had to be planned and executed meticulously and we could not have done it without the support of our local in-house operations team. All four units are now online and monitored from our Digital operations room at our Head Office in South Africa,” said Brian Smith, GM for Continental Outdoor Media Rest of Africa.
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