POT OF GOLD? ILLUMINATING THE FUTURE OF CANNABIS ADVERTISING IN SOUTH AFRICA
HANGING ON TO TALENT IN AD LAND
GROWING HITLIST: SOUTH AFRICA’S FASCINATION WITH TRUE CRIME
Dawn Rowlands
Mike Sharman
Sibonginkosi Zuma
What agencies need to know. That was loosely our thinking around this issue of The Media. Agencies need to know so much. It must be exhausting staying on top of media as it shifts and moves and changes in less time than it takes to produce a magazine.
So, what do agencies need to know?
Well, there is movement on the cannabis front. Despite President Cyril Ramaphosa hailing the plant and its many uses as a potential economic saviour for South Africa in two successive State of the Nation addresses, the legislation to make it so has been ever so slow. But in mid-June, the Mail & Guardian reported that the 2021 cannabis master plan was back on track.
What does this mean for the advertising and marketing sector? Cannabis advertising, like that of alcohol and tobacco, will come with restrictions.
Dentsu’s Dawn Rowlands, Kirsty Bisett from HaveYouHeard and VMLY&R’s Matthew van der Valk share their thoughts on what lies ahead, and the many opportunities legalisation will present.
Back on the media horizon is the move to digital terrestrial television. We all got excited about it in 2015 when the first International Telecommunications Union’s deadline for DTT came and went.
But successive communications ministers and deadlines have passed … without South Africa managing to migrate. Yet not all broadcast industries welcome what digitalisation might bring. Cape Town TV’s Mike Aldridge gives an insightful view of its impact not just on community stations, but free-to-air operators too from both an audience and adspend perspective.
As visual media becomes more prevalent – interestingly, photographer Phandulwazi Jikelo of the Cape Times won this year’s Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalist of the Year Award – the quest to create truly viral video content grows increasingly important. South Africa is lucky enough to be home to a master of the medium. Retroviral’s Mike Sharman – think KreepyKrawly (MyKreepyTeacher), Nando’s Last Dictator, Sixty60 Swindler – writes in this issue on how to create ‘virality’. And it’s not at all easy.
There’s so much more in this issue: from strategies on keeping advertising talent happy by VMLY&R’s head of people operations, Sibonginkosi Zuma, to a fascinating look at why South Africans are obsessed with true crime stories on TV and podcasts – and what to expect when Google’s cookie crumbles in 2024.
We hope this issue will resonate with agencies.
The Media.
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12 FIERCE COMPETITION
Retaining talent is necessary, but not easy. Sibonginkosi Zuma has some ideas on what it takes to keep talent happy.
14 THE HIT LIST
South Africans are fascinated with true crime stories – and local productions are keeping us glued to our screens, as Nicola van Niekerk reports.
18 IT’S CRUNCH TIME
With cookies due to crumble in 2024, agencies and clients must get to grips with first-party data, writes Glenda Nevill.
20 A QUIVER FULL OF DATA
The right combination of curiosity and budget is all it takes to unleash the beast, writes Brandon de Kock
22 ‘VIRALITY’ IN THE MIX
Guru of the viral video, Mike Sharman, says true ‘virality’ converts emotion into a rational sales intent.
24 A DESTINATION MARKET
Namibia might be considered South Africa’s ‘10th province’ –but, says Gary Stroebel a very different media market to navigate.
28
It’s been 15 years since DTT was supposed to launch, and the situation is more complicated than ever – especially for free-to-air and community channels, writes Mike Aldridge
35 INSTANTLY ENGAGING
Live shopping empowers brands and businesses to connect with consumers in real time – while creating engaging content, says Pieter Groenewald
37 WE DEPLOYED AI
And this is what we found out: Vincent Rebeix reports on EssenceMediacom’s mission to become the first Generative AI-augmented media agency.
39 MARKETING SMART
Businesses in Africa must stay up to date with the most recent marketing tech developments, says Fiso Tshivhandekano
40 BIGGER PIECE OF THE PIE
The Black Billboard Owners’ Alliance has over 800 billboards operating Lerumo Maisela reports.
In a world dominated by fashion and consumption, consumers are continuously encouraged to consume products whose raw materials are extracted from the earth’s valuable natural resources. The impact of this behaviour on all aspects of the supply chain, waste management and human wellbeing is becoming apparent, and needs to be addressed urgently.”
An entire chapter in the book Crafting Luxury: Craftsmanship, Manufacture, Technology and the Retail Environment by Mark Bloomfield, Shaun Borstrock, Silvio Carta and Veronica Manlow, is devoted to the concepts of sustainability in fashion.
Social Responsibility, Eco-Design and the Circular Economy lays bare some of the excessive practices of the high-end fashion market. Many will remember the scandal when Burberry burned £28.6 million worth of excess stock in 2018 to stop it being resold by discounters.
Back home in South Africa, an online fashion magazine “works at the intersection of fashion and sustainability”. Launched by editor in chief Jackie May in 2018, Twyg was registered as a nonprofit company in 2019. And this year, it released its first Impact Report.
In her Ed’s Note, May writes, “Twyg is the first South African lifestyle non-profit media organisation focused on encouraging positive behavioural and systems change using fashion as its primary content pillar.”
• Fashion and sustainability
• Low-impact lifestyle
• High & Lo fashion
• Ethics and transparency
• Circular economy and well-being economy
• 88.5% of readers believe Twyg is trustworthy and well-researched
• 100% of readers say that Twyg inspired them to try a slow fashion practice or continue on their slow fashion journey
• 86.9% of readers say that Twyg has inspired them to do deeper research
• 98.5% of readers say that Twyg has taught them something they didn’t know before
• 98.4% of readers say that Twyg has inspired them to support a local brand/businesses
• 100% of readers say that Twyg caused them to reflect on, and rethink, the impact of their lifestyle and fashion choices
• 88% of readers share and discuss Twyg content with their friends and family “Twyg has crafted a powerful niche in which it uses fashion and textiles, and other lifestyle issues to help shift behaviour towards towards sustainability and the circular economy,” says May.
“We do this using our exciting online publication, curated events and activations such as our Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards, Africa Textile Talks and monthly Swap&Mends.
“Our mission is strongly aligned with SDG12 (responsible consumption and production) especially its target 8: ‘By 2030 ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.’
“Research is showing that we’re making an impact, which is deeply rewarding of us, our clients, and, ultimately, Earth.”
It’s not good news for Africa’s brands. In fact, they only comprise 14% of the Top 100.
MTN and Dangote remained the most admired African brands while Standard Bank became admired financial services brand and DStv retained its ranking as the most admired media brand.
“Despite optimism with the progress of AfCFTA and other initiatives, African brands regressed 20% from a 10-year high of 17% to 14% share of the Top 100 most admired brands in Africa, as stalwart African brands, MTN dropped out of the Top 10, and all African brands lost ground, except Zambia’s Trade Kings, the highest African mover and new at #38,” writes researcher GeoPoll’s Frankline Kibuacha in his blog.
It wasn’t great news for Africa’s brands in Brand Africa’s 13th Most Admired Brands report.
consumer preferences, businesses can tailor their messages to specific demographics, thereby maximising their reach and impact.
Influencer marketing has become an increasingly popular approach to connect with consumers authentically. Influencers who align with the values and ethos of the cannabis industry can help establish trust and credibility. As regulations permit, we can expect to see the rise of cannabis influencers who can educate and inform their followers about the benefits and responsible use of cannabis products.
Given the historical stigma surrounding cannabis, education will be a key aspect of the industry’s marketing efforts. Businesses are likely to invest in educational campaigns to dispel myths, provide accurate information, and promote responsible consumption. By empowering consumers with knowledge, the cannabis industry can establish itself as a reliable and trustworthy sector.
The legalisation of cannabis has opened a multitude of opportunities for businesses in South Africa. The country boasts a favourable climate for cannabis cultivation and, with its rich biodiversity, it is well-positioned to become a major player in the global cannabis market.
As local entrepreneurs and investors recognise this sector’s potential, we can expect a significant increase in cannabis production, processing, and distribution. The growth of this industry will also add significantly to employment opportunities – not just in cultivation, but also in the various by products.
The legalisation of cannabis has paved the way for a
transformative shift in the advertising and marketing landscape. With the removal of legal barriers, businesses in the cannabis industry can now openly promote their products and services. However, this newfound freedom comes with a need for responsible advertising practices and compliance with regulations.
In the digital age, targeted marketing plays a crucial role in reaching the right audience. The local cannabis industry is likely to leverage digital platforms, including social media, online publications, and search engines, to effectively target potential consumers.
By employing data-driven strategies and understanding
As the market matures, competition among cannabis businesses will intensify. To stand out, companies will need to focus on product differentiation. This will require innovative branding strategies that highlight unique qualities, such as organic cultivation methods, sustainable practices, or specialised product formulations. Building strong brand identities will be crucial for businesses to establish themselves in this evolving landscape.
FMCG: Companies can explore opportunities in producing cannabisinfused products such as snacks, beverages, and edibles. This includes items like cannabis-infused chocolates, gummies, energy drinks, or even cannabis-infused cooking ingredients. These products can cater to both the medicinal and recreational cannabis markets.
Fashion: Can be incorporated with hemp clothing and accessories, as well as cannabis-themed designs and prints.
As South Africa prepares for the full legalisation of cannabis, the country finds itself at the forefront of a burgeoning industry.
Dawn Rowlands explores the impact on – and myriad opportunities in – the ad land.Advertising CBD products has fewer restrictions.
Advertising agencies will need: Specialised teams that cater to cannabis businesses. These agencies can help create targeted campaigns, develop branding strategies, and navigate the unique challenges and regulations surrounding cannabis advertising. Alcohol-infused drinks: There may be opportunities for the creation of cannabis-infused alcoholic beverages. These can include beers, spirits, and cocktails that incorporate cannabis extracts or flavours, offering consumers a new range of options.
The news that Cilo Cybin Holdings has been granted approval to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange heralds groundbreaking opportunities for the marketing and advertising sectors.
Africa’s first cannabis-targeted special purpose acquisition company boasts an initial public offer to raise R2-billion ($115-million) for the manufacture of medicinal cannabis.
However, these initiatives must adhere to the limited advertising opportunities available under current regulations.
Social media channels pose challenges for cannabis advertising due to their global reach, and varying regulations across jurisdictions. In South Africa, strict rules are still in place, and major social media platforms may have policies that restrict or prohibit such promotions.
Health and wellness: The health and wellness industry is already exploring the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis, and developing products such as CBD oils, creams, and supplements. These products can be marketed for various purposes like pain relief, relaxation, and general wellbeing. Cosmetics: Cannabis-infused beauty and skincare products are gaining popularity worldwide.
South Africa’s cannabis industry is poised for exponential growth in the near future – bringing significant changes to the advertising and marketing landscape.
Digital marketing, influencer collaborations, educational campaigns, and product differentiation will become essential components of successful marketing strategies in the cannabis sector. However, businesses must remain mindful of compliance with regulations and the need for responsible advertising practices.
As the cannabis industry takes shape, it will be exciting to witness the creative ways in which businesses navigate this new frontier.
By embracing innovation, responsible practices, and consumer education, the future of the cannabis industry in South Africa looks promising, with a vibrant advertising and marketing landscape driving its growth.
Potential advertising and marketing scenarios for cannabis products may include:
THC products
Advertising for THC products might be subject to stricter regulations, focusing on responsible consumption, potential side effects, and limitations on targeting specific demographics, such as minors. Emphasising health and safety precautions, accompanied by educational content, could be a key aspect.
CBD products
Often marketed for their wellness benefits, these may have more advertising flexibility. Companies could highlight the various therapeutic applications of CBD, such as pain management, stress relief, or skincare. However, claims and promises of unproven health benefits might still be regulated, similar to the restrictions placed on dietary supplements.
Some companies have found ways to promote their products within the existing legal framework. For example, cannabis-related events, educational seminars, and industry conferences serve as platforms for networking and brand exposure.
Additionally, cannabis brands can collaborate with influencers and engage in content marketing strategies to reach their target audience indirectly.
As cannabis legalisation progresses, these platforms may adapt their policies to align with evolving regulations. Businesses will need to monitor changes and identify compliant opportunities to leverage social media for advertising and marketing purposes.
In terms of Google’s search policy, cannabis-related ads are not permitted. In Google’s Advertising Policy, cannabis is classified as a recreational drug regardless of whether it is medicinal or recreational.
Rather than advertising cannabis through Google, consider your alternatives. On a private or closed network, you can run display or programmatic advertising. Instead of going through Google AdSense, you buy banner ads directly from the website.
Paid advertising (unless it’s directly with the publisher) has a low ROI and we recommend it for companies that can afford to pay for “brand awareness” without seeing immediate conversions.
Content marketing, SEO, and public relations are organic methods that you can use to market cannabis products.
When platforms like Google and Facebook decide to change their advertising policies to allow cannabis ads, organic website marketing prepares you for the day.
GIVEN THE HISTORICAL STIGMA SURROUNDING CANNABIS, EDUCATION WILL BE A KEY ASPECT OF THE INDUSTRY’S MARKETING EFFORTS.
Several questions arise regarding cannabis product advertising and marketing, writes Matthew van der Valk.
With the imminent legalisation of cannabis in South Africa, the focus is shifting towards cannabis consumption regulation and its marketing.
Cannabis consumption varies, but smoking remains the most prevalent method. As regulations evolve, different forms of consumption will likely come with varying levels of marketing regulation. Drawing a parallel with nicotine, South Africa regulates the marketing of nicotine products based on the method of consumption. Marketers must understand the health and legal implications of different cannabis products for effective marketing.
Marketers must consider potential risks to the formal trade of cannabis products. The tobacco industry’s struggle with the illicit trade of Duty Not Paid (DNP) cigarettes provides a cautionary tale, highlighting the negative impact on tax revenue. Building cannabis brands that appeal to consumers while avoiding illicit trade will be crucial. The concurrent development of distribution, pricing, and brand-building strategies will ensure long-term success.
As the cannabis industry gains momentum, big corporations in tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals are likely to enter the market. Developing brands and products that use cannabis to expand their existing product portfolios
would provide significant economic opportunity. Moreover, other sectors may tap into the potential of cannabidiol (CBD). The versatility of cannabis as a raw material presents various industries with the opportunity to extend their product lines and explore sustainable alternatives.
Several questions arise regarding cannabis product advertising and marketing:
THC and CBD products may have different limitations on promotional activities. Understanding these restrictions will be crucial to target audiences effectively.
The rules surrounding cannabis product advertising may draw parallels with those governing alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceuticals and sugar.
Advertising landscape
Agencies with experience in marketing regulated brands will have the upper hand when it comes to navigating the
campaigns, regulatory challenges, and past experiences provides insight for shaping effective strategies.
Marketers must evaluate social media restrictions and explore (as well as invent) alternative channels and creative techniques. By combining these assessments, marketers can develop informed strategies that reach the target audience while adhering to regulations. Successful cannabis marketing requires creativity, compliance, and adaptability.
Conducting thorough research on cannabis marketing regulations and staying up-todate with the evolving legislation is crucial for businesses planning to enter the cannabis market. Being prepared for this legislation will ensure a smoother transition into the industry.
As South Africa approaches the legalisation of cannabis, marketers must anticipate the regulatory challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Navigating the advertising and marketing landscape for different cannabis products will require a comprehensive understanding of the regulations, risks, and market demands. By staying informed, businesses can position themselves for success in this burgeoning industry.
The Playlist, a Netflix series, tells the captivating story about the birth and rapid ascent of Spotify. This company fundamentally disrupted the global music industry by completely changing the way music is distributed.
Music publishers feared that the internet would destroy the concept of copyright and end to their businesses.
Twenty years later digital distribution has proven the most positive development they never envisaged.
Last year Spotify paid out $40-billion to music companies. That’s 70% of its entire revenue.
The monster the industry thought would destroy it turned out to be its saviour.
The parallels for our local radio industry are obvious. Yes, digital advertising threatens to reduce the spot rates that radio can command. But what if, by adopting some of the things digital does really well, radio could significantly grow its share of total ad spend?
Perhaps, by embracing the lessons that digital advertising can teach us right now, we can ensure radio remains a growth medium that, in 20 years’ time, will still command prime audiences.
What about making radio space simple to buy by creating platforms and tools that aggregate that buy across an entire range of stations? Or how about developing tools that allow radio advertising to be measured as accurately as digital? Yes, the software exists.
And most relevant of all, what if radio could become price-competitive with digital by selling itself using the
same value metrics digital employs?
This does not mean reducing spot rates for radio stations. It entails shifting from a ‘discount’ approach to an ‘audience’ approach. The focus should be on cost per thousand (CPT/CPM) as the primary value metric.
While a discount approach may initially appear impressive, it cannot deliver the value that an audience-based approach does. A discount buy often results in disproportionate distribution of an advertiser’s spend based on the size of the discounts received from the different media owners.
Conversely, the audience buy ensures your ad spend follows your target market proportionately.
The massive opportunity for radio is to target those brands that don’t spend on radio. Those brands that put nearly everything into digital and TV so that they can build reach based on the most effective cost per thousand.
This is how digital, and, to a growing extent, TV is bought in South Africa. Advertisers want to compare apples with apples. If we’re serious about getting
digital and TV-heavy spenders to try radio, we have to use the same metrics they use.
As it happens, radio in South Africa is very competitive with digital and TV on a CPT basis, when aggregated across multiple stations and time channels, delivering CPT rates etc. CPT rates as low as R25 in mass market and R61 in the upper end. A digital advertiser will mostly measure performance through a reach and CPT lens, so let’s start talking their language. Selling the radio environment and brand fit remains important, especially for nontraditional or promotional campaigns. The live interaction and the influence of presenters in delivering messages are crucial. However, advertisers who invest in non-traditional radio campaigns are usually already convinced of radio’s effectiveness.
My argument for adopting the CPT/ audience buy approach is directed at advertisers who are trying to build reach, through 30” spots, irrespective of where they find that reach. Critically, it is aimed at advertisers who are already getting exactly that on digital.
So, let’s sell the promotional stuff by focusing on the personal, intimate, and impactful qualities that radio has always delivered. But let’s build the whole category by competing head-on with digital and by adopting the best of how they do it.
SIMPLY HAVE TO USE THE SAME METRICS THAT THEY USE.A radio expert with over 30 years’ experience, John Walls is a director and Ultimate Media, the radio and audio advertising specialist agency.
matches autonomously. This cuts the cost of broadcasting and opens up new marketing opportunities for sponsors.
It’s a game-changer. It could democratise sports broadcasting, allowing even lowertier sports to attract sponsorship and engage with a wider audience.
The world of sports sponsorship is undergoing an exciting transformation. More than just digitising the old ways of doing things, this is about creating entirely new formats and opportunities.
And the driving force behind this seismic shift? Technology.
Take the NBA CourtView for instance. This innovative technology uses over 100 cameras to create a video game-like broadcast experience using tech called volumetric video. It’s a unique platform for sponsors, offering a new way to reach audiences.
But it’s not just about the now. As this technology evolves, it could pave the way for sports broadcasting in the metaverse, opening up an entirely new dimension of fan engagement.
That’s not all. Companies like Staige, and SuperSport Schools locally, use AI-powered cameras to record and stream local league
Vincent Maher is group executive for digital at the MultiChoice Group, focusing on Web3 innovation, large scale digital transformation and marketing automation.
And then there’s augmented reality (AR) and wearable tech; gamechangers for sports sponsorship. AR technology, as used by Orange and immersiv.io at the Tour de France, offers an immersive fan experience.
It provides sponsors with a novel way to interact with audiences. Similarly, embedded in a vest, wearable technologies like Mindfly’s ultralight camera provide unique player perspectives. These create new opportunities for sponsors to integrate their branding with unique viewing experiences.
Let’s talk about Play Anywhere. They’re creating new categories of multichannel sponsorship that cut across TV, streaming and digital fan engagement in new and excitingly contextual ways.
Their personalisation platform increases user engagement and betting, gamification, and e-commerce spending. It’s a win-win situation. It brings all stakeholders into the revenue ecosystem, thereby increasing opportunities for everyone.
The global sports sponsorship market is booming. Worth an estimated $57-billion in 2020, it’s projected to grow to almost $90-billion by 2027.
This growth is driven by a shift from static to dynamic sponsorship assets. Dynamic assets, like those provided by collectID’s technology, turn physical merchandise into a direct communication channel.
This leads to elevated fan engagement, fanbase insights from customer profiles, higher ROIs on merchandise, and increased club and sponsor revenue.
The future of in-stadium and on-field sports advertising is predicted to be entirely virtual. The ads viewers see on TV during a live match may differ from what others see.
This is achieved through digital projections that can be changed at the click of a button. It’s a win-win situation. It generates extra revenue for broadcasters and saves on physical resources.
In Formula 1, McLaren has introduced a new technology that allows the team to change the branding on its car during a race weekend. This system, developed by Seamless Digital, consists of two display units positioned around the cockpits of their MCL36s.
The screens will be used by brands to communicate situationally relevant messages, allowing sponsors to vary their logos and graphics from race to race, to suit local markets or adjust for variations in legislation.
So, what’s the takeaway? The future of sports sponsorships is bright, with technology driving a reinvention of traditional models and creating new opportunities.
As we move forward, it’s clear that the sports sponsorship landscape will continue to evolve, shaped by the innovative use of technology to enhance fan engagement and provide more value to sponsors.
It’s an exciting time to be involved in sports sponsorship, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Over 450 brands spent approximately R2.4-billion on broadcaster SuperSport’s channels in 2022.
That’s one of the findings in Nielsen Sports South Africa’s recently released 2022 SA Sports Landscape report.
“Sport remains crucial to the content that broadcasters –free-to-air, pay TV and streaming platforms – flight and, while viewing and consumption patterns are clearly changing –as shown by the data gathered –the value of the content remains,” says Jean Willers, managing director of Nielsen Sports South Africa.
“Nielsen Sports celebrates the value of data in this report by sharing more than pure data points, but also the findings and insights obtained from reading and understanding them.”
Sport remains a serious business in South Africa, as the research reveals.
• All forms of interest in sport –watching and participating – were up by 10%-12% from levels seen in May 2020, when Nielsen last conducted a NFI SA study
• Two-thirds of South Africans are interested in sport in general
• Linear TV viewers are older and many sports fans have moved
from TV to social media and streaming platforms for their sports content
• Sports/events enjoying significant
in sport, these brands are opting for the signing of shorter deals and reducing sponsorship terms,” says Tumelo Selikane, commercial director at Nielsen Sports South Africa.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how this dynamic plays out in the coming years, and its potential impact on the broader industry in terms of commercial value and contribution.”
Information, data and insights for this report was collected from Nielsen Fan Insights, Nielsen Ad Intel, and South Africa’s BRC TAMS viewership numbers. Its purpose offer brands and rights-holders data that allows them to strategically invest in targeted areas and maximise their marketing efforts while adapting to changing market trends.
increases in consumption are women’s cricket, Banyana Banyana, Comrades Marathon, international football
• Betting companies are among major players investing heavily in TV media spend and sports sponsorship
“Another stand-out finding was the fact that the sponsorship landscape is showing that, as brands and rights-holders renegotiate their involvement
ALL FORMS OF INTEREST IN SPORT – WATCHING AND PARTICIPATING – WERE UP BY 10% - 12% FROM LEVELS SEEN IN MAY 2020.
Competition for talent is fierce in ad land. Holding onto that talent is even tougher. But with a few key fundamentals in place, you can create an environment that people want to be part of, writes Sibonginkosi Zuma.
Working in an agency is a pretty exciting space as you’re working with highly creative people. You feel a sense of pride and even awe when you see the amazing work your peers produce. But from a human resources perspective, it is rather challenging to retain those peers.
Creatives love to work on exciting projects and jobs that stimulate their creativity. So, when you have juicy briefs on the go, people are engaged and stimulated, and everyone wants to work at your agency.
Unfortunately, not all the work you get will be the type that goes to Cannes. Some client work doesn’t offer that adrenaline high – but it does pay the bills. This can cause creatives to become frustrated. The company will lose talent because they’ve found a more exciting space, like a new client that resonates with their creative craft.
Another challenge peculiar to agencies is in collaboration. It’s always good to encourage an environment where people share knowledge and help each other grow because that’s one of the ways people – younger people, in particular – are able to move forward in their careers. This, in turn, makes them more inclined to want to stay within the business.
However, this is a competitive industry that doesn’t easily allow for knowledge sharing since knowledge is the key to winning pitches and building a successful business.
At VMLY&R we make a conscious effort not to fall into that trap.
We promote a culture of sharing –and we’ve created dedicated channels to facilitate this where it isn’t happening organically.
We offer mentorships, internal seminars and courses. We also run a bursary programme that funds further studies.
Of course, there is the risk that you upskill a staff member who then leaves for another agency – and this does happen. But if we don’t invest in growing our people, the whole industry suffers.
We’ve seen the value that constant development adds to staff retention: learning and development interventions play a huge role in retaining talent and succession planning.
As tech advances continue to bring about speedy changes within the industry, there is always scope for learning and upskilling – for anyone,
WE PROMOTE A CULTURE OF SHARING – AND WE’VE CREATED DEDICATED CHANNELS TO FACILITATE THIS WHERE IT ISN’T HAPPENING ORGANICALLY.Agencies need to work hard to equip people of colour, who have great talent, with the skills they need to grow.
at any level. When people feel that they’re being given opportunities to do that, they feel valued, and they feel stimulated to contribute more than their worth.
Being part of a global network certainly has its perks, as there are learning apps (LinkedIn Learning, Ascent360) our staff can access for free. The VMLY&R international network also collaborates closely, so we’re easily able to leverage the skills of our global colleagues through workshops and seminars – another great learning resource for our local creatives.
We also help them keep up with latest trends with opportunities to attend relevant industry conferences: locally, our staff have attended Advertising Week Africa, Cannes Lions and Comic Con. We also facilitate exposure at international conferences and, this year, one of our creatives will attend Design Matters in Tokyo.
These may not seem like massive incentives, but they grant our staff access to opportunities and experiences they wouldn’t readily have. They are valuable beyond measure, and are highly valued.
designers. We can’t expect our teams to put out market-leading work if we don’t equip them with the latest tools to create it.
Knowledge plays a big role here, too. In the agency environment, we can’t just stay on top of trends for our own industry, we have to be up to date with what’s happening in our clients’ sectors as well.
We help facilitate exposure for our people to trends and systems within these other industries, so that when they walk into a meeting with the client, they have insight into the problems and challenges the client is facing and can come up with creative solutions.
Of course, this requires a lot of on-the-job learning and once again, that culture of skills transfer from our industry experts to the junior talent comes into play.
We also host internal brainstorm sessions for international creatives to share knowledge and trends, and to learn what’s worked in other countries that could possibly be implemented locally.
The result is that we always have a pipeline of junior talent being mentored and groomed to move up into more senior roles.
Our agency is structured in a way that allows us to operate as smaller businesses within the business – which we call tribes – and also allows for more mobility.
It means we don’t have as much of a glass ceiling problem, where people are stuck and frustrated by a lack of career opportunities, because even if they can’t move upwards, there may be an opportunity for a lateral move to a different tribe where they can work on a bigger account.
A big problem with our industry is that we still have very few people of colour within senior leadership in agencies. It’s something I personally feel strongly about. We need to work hard to equip people of colour in our businesses who have great talent with the skills they need to grow so that they can be able to apply for senior roles when they become available.
It’s also a way for us to thank our people for the great work they put out. Working in an agency may be more fun than most other industries, but it’s demanding. People work hard, they work long hours, and it’s important for us to acknowledge that and to show our appreciation for their efforts.
Another key part of talent retention is giving people the tools they need to do their best work. On a very basic level, this includes having generators at the offices – even though we have adopted a hybrid workplace model, which means most of our people work from home most days – for those who don’t have the means to provide an alternate power supply at home.
Beyond the basics, we make sure we have the latest software and technology, which is especially important for our
It’s not easy to land a senior position. Our own recruitment process requires industry knowledge, a strong portfolio, and years of experience. But if we try to identify talented people of colour in our business and support them early in their careers, they will be equipped with all these requirements.
And when opportunities come their way, they’ll be ready, not only to get the roles, but to excel in them and become industry leaders in their own right. That’s how we move this industry forward – by really investing in our talent.
WE’VE SEEN THE VALUE THAT CONSTANT DEVELOPMENT ADDS TO STAFF RETENTION: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS PLAY A HUGE ROLE IN RETAINING TALENT AND SUCCESSION PLANNING.
THESE MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MASSIVE INCENTIVES, BUT THEY GRANT OUR STAFF ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCES THEY WOULDN’T READILY HAVE. THEY ARE VALUABLE BEYOND MEASURE, AND ARE HIGHLY VALUED.
According to a 2022 poll by YouGov, half of Americans say they enjoy true crime content, and one in three say they consume it at least once a week. South Africa may not be at that level yet, but we’re fast heading in that direction, writes
The 2021 release of Devilsdorp, the first true crime Showmax Original, felt like a tipping point. Local true crime is not new: Carte Blanche has been a Sunday night institution since 1988, while Huisgenoot: Ware Lewensdramas, which looks at different true crimes each episode, and Griekwastad, a fictionalised film based on a real-life farm murder, had both been popular on Showmax.
But despite our high crime rates, and the endless conversation surrounding
them, prestige local true crime miniseries is a relatively untapped market. South Africa had never released an in-depth, high-profile, multi-episode true crime documentary series like Devilsdorp before.
In 2016, a spate of brutal ‘appointment murders’ gripped the town of Krugersdorp, leaving salespeople and consultants terrified to book meetings in case they were the serial killer’s next victims. The investigation led detectives to a series of unsolved cold cases, the so-called ‘Satanic Murders’, and to links between 11 Krugersdorp killings between 2012 and 2016. They discovered these were the work of the Electus per Deus (Chosen by God) cult.
“The result of an 18-month research process, Devilsdorp shows again that truth is stranger than fiction, especially in South Africa,” said director David Enright in the launch PR for the trailer.
“This is the story of the events that rocked an entire community and forever changed the lives of those involved, especially the families of the victims. “What started as a group of devout Christians trying to help a former Satanist escape the Satanic church ended in a murderous spree involving a killer mom, her two children, and a cult with more victims than members. It may all sound too far-fetched to be believed, except it really happened – just down the road from us.”
[WATCH: Devilsdorp trailer here]
Showmax brought true crime closer to home for South Africans, and the response was immediate. At the time, Devilsdorp set the record for the most first-day views of any Afrikaans content on Showmax ever, as well as the record for the most views in four-days of any content on Showmax ever. It ended the year as the most-watched Afrikaans title of 2021 on Showmax, and one of the 10 most watched overall. The companion podcast, made in partnership with True Crime South Africa, similarly went to #1 on Apple podcasts and #2 on Spotify. The resulting media frenzy saw over 450 features in earned media, including 20 on News24 alone, and another seven just on Cape Talk.
It was only a matter of time before Showmax leveraged on this success and released more true crime drama. Steinheist arrived just over a year later, switching the focus onto the biggest corporate scam in South African history.
Nicola van Niekerk.
DEVILSDORP SET THE RECORD FOR THE MOST FIRST-DAY VIEWS OF ANY AFRIKAANS CONTENT ON SHOWMAX EVER, AS WELL AS THE RECORD FOR THE MOST VIEWS IN FOUR-DAYS OF ANY CONTENT ON SHOWMAX EVER.Devilsdorp
SIGNIFICANT REACH
On 6 December 2017, Steinhoff’s share price plunged by 90% in a week, wiping over R200-billion off the Johannesburg Stock Exchange – and ordinary South Africans’ pensions and investments. As director Richard Finn Gregory puts it, “Nkandla seems like small change in comparison.”
This collapse followed the resignation of CEO Markus Jooste amid an investigation into accounting irregularities.
Steinheist is a three-part Showmax Original investigation into the saga, which set a new record for the most first-day views of any documentary series on Showmax – and went on to top the Showmax Top 20.
[WATCH Steinheist trailer here]
This year, Showmax has already released the heart-breaking Stella Murders, the true crime anthology series Imibuzo, and the award-winning Zephany Nurse documentary Girl, Taken, among others.
Rosemary’s Hitlist premieres this June, with another two true crime Showmax Originals scheduled before the end of the year.
Rosemary’s Hitlist is the story of cop-turned-serial-killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu. On 12 October 2015, Ndlovu’s
live-in lover, Yingwani Maurice Mabasa, the father of her only living child at the time, went missing. Three days later, his body was found in Olifantsfontein, with 76 stab wounds. Mabasa had 16 policies in his name, totalling over R400 000 –and Ndlovu was the beneficiary of each…
These weren’t the first payouts from suspicious deaths to Ndlovu. She was eventually sentenced in 2021 to six concurrent life terms for the murders of not only Mabasa, but also five family members: her sister, two nephews, a niece and a cousin. Together, their ‘killsurance’ was worth over R1.4 million to Ndlovu.
[WATCH Rosemary’s Hitlist trailer here]
There will be even more true crime on Showmax in 2024, with a slate that will raise more eyebrows than even the Thabo Bester story has. The genre is growing elsewhere too: M-Net premiered Cold Blood: The Violent Crime Cases of Mike Bolhuis in May 2023; kykNET premiered Onthul: Kragreus op sy Knieë, about Eskom, in April 2023; and VIA released Die Valke, about The Hawks, in March 2023, to use just three recent examples.
Arguably, the genre came of age with the first Serial podcast in 2014, and then
LOCAL CLASSICS
• Devilsdorp
• Steinheist
• Girl, Taken
• Rosemary’s Hitlist
• Stella Murders
• Imibuzo
• Die Staat Teen
• Huisgenoot: Ware Lewensdramas
• Huisgenoot Ware Lewensdramas: Vlees & Bloed
• Outopsie
• Op Seer Se Spoor
INTERNATIONAL CLASSICS
• The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
• The Vow – Showmax
• I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter
• I’ll Be Gone In The Dark
• McMillions
FICTIONALISED ADAPTATIONS
• Love & Death
• The Staircase
• The Girl from Plainville
• Dr. Death
• Landscapers
• The Thing About Pam
and Deaths of Robert Durst on HBO and Making a Murderer on Netflix in 2015.
Demand has been speeding up ever since.
In 2021, Parrot Analytics reported that the documentary genre as a whole had become the fastest-growing segment of the streaming industry, with the number of series growing 63% between January 2018 and March 2021. They added that true crime was not only the biggest documentary subgenre, but that it was also growing faster than nearly any of the others.
TRUE CRIME TAKES PREPOPULARISED TOPICS AND THEN EXPLORES THEM IN MORE DEPTH, USUALLY WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT – MAKING SENSE OF THE DISTURBING HEADLINES THAT ONCE THREW US EMOTIONALLY.Rosemary’s Hitlist Stella Murders A SHOWMAX TRUE CRIME STARTER KIT
It’s not a coincidence that the rise of true crime has coincided with the rise of streaming. When your viewers are innocently channel-hopping, they have a right to complain when they see unwanted or disturbing content. But on streaming services like Showmax, we give our audience complete control over what they do and don’t want to watch, with all our content rated according to the FPB classification guidelines so that when you click play, you know what you’ve signed up for.
But why is true crime so popular right now? Why, as this Saturday Night Live skit shows, do we, and women in particular, find it relaxing to watch stories about our deepest fears; about the worst things that could happen to us? It’s rather counterintuitive, really.
There’s no single answer, but there are lots of theories.
Evolutionary psychologists say that understanding the threats around us has always been key to our survival, so wanting to learn “how could I avoid this?” is hardwired into us. And even if the worst-case scenario is unavoidable, by watching, we are preparing ourselves to face whatever comes.
True crime also feeds our innate curiosity; we love piecing together clues and solving puzzles, whether it’s whodunnits, whydunnits, or howdunnits. The why is an ongoing puzzle: is there ever a satisfying reason for why one person becomes a killer, and another doesn’t? What drives seemingly ordinary people to cross the ultimate moral line?
True crime can also make us feel good about ourselves, both on a “I would never be that stupid” and “I would never do that” level.
There are many more reasons for our fascination with the subject.
You don’t get much higher stakes than life and death. There’s something life-affirming about facing death, about realising that tomorrow is not guaranteed. There’s something reassuring when killers are caught, and justice is served. There’s
something alarmingly relatable about seeing how vulnerable the human psyche is to manipulation.
There’s something cathartic about watching other people grieve, and grieving for them; often it gives us the space to grieve for ourselves at the same time.
In South Africa, where to varying extents we still often live in segregated communities, true crime also plays into our voyeurism, giving us rare glimpses into our neighbour’s cultural and social norms. Devilsdorp’s audience reached
Making true crime drama is complex, and an ethical minefield. Sometimes people who agreed to tell their stories change their mind. Sometimes things that initially look like conspiracies aren’t. Sometimes there aren’t any sensational twists after all. Sometimes looking into the abyss takes an emotional toll on the filmmakers as well as the interviewees. Sometimes Twitter’s response to the victims is more disturbing than the original crime.
Initially true crime was always about the crime and the murderer, but it’s important to also give the victims back their voices. Sometimes you wonder: is it fair to ask someone to relive this?
Talking is powerful. Having someone listen is extremely powerful. There is something truly profound that happens when experiences are shared, even – and maybe especially – if they’re the dark and disturbing kind.
We’ve seen, over and over, the positive impact our interviews have on the people sharing their stories.
In many ways, the victims are the most important pieces of the puzzle for us, because they represent our audience: they are the people our audience will relate to the most, as ordinary people.
far beyond Krugersdorp or even white Afrikaners: black Twitter had a field day with the series.
Interest in true crime has also been shaped by our shortening news cycles and attention spans, where we are consuming breaking news in smaller and smaller bites, leaving substantial, unsettling gaps in our narratives. True crime takes pre-popularised topics and then explores them in more depth, usually with the benefit of hindsight –making sense of the disturbing headlines that once threw us emotionally.
Whatever the many reasons for true crime’s popularity, keeping up with the rising demand is challenging, as we’re dealing with real life, where you never know the timeline, let alone the ending.
This is all leading up to the mystery I know the whole of South Africa wants me to solve: is Showmax making a Thabo Bester documentary? We’ve never had so many questions, or so many submissions on this issue, so we’re working on a tender process.
So watch this space. At Showmax, we want to make content that speaks to what ordinary South Africans talk about on a daily basis. That includes crime. Sadly, we have too many true crime stories to choose from in this country, but hopefully in telling them, we can start to heal and learn to spot the warning signs early enough to begin to lower that notorious crime rate.
That the cookie is going to crumble is in no doubt. The question of when its demise finally takes place is best left for Google to answer; latest news reckons that will probably be in late 2024.
In the meantime, though, agencies should start preparing for that day.
Kelvin Jonck, CEO of digital marketing agency YOUKNOW, says the industry still has room to own the customer engagement space. “Even if your clients are not actively asking for it now, they will be doing so more and more over the next 18 months. It’s there for those that are ready,” he says.
Jonck has launched the First Party Data Centre of Excellence in partnership with mParticle, a customer data platform (CDP), “to make it easier for clients to leverage the latest tools and technologies
for collecting, managing, and activating first-party data.”
Programmes will give options to both brands looking to start or grow their customer intelligence strategy as well as the agencies that help them succeed,
• Understanding the impact of ignoring this first party data revolution
• Identifying the opportunities of this revolution
• How to shift focus from acquisition at all costs, to retention at all costs
• How to evaluate your company’s current Customer Intelligence Maturity, and how that matches up with your industry
• Identifying the key ingredients you
he says. The Centre provides training workshops for C-Suite executives to help get the buy-in required for a successful project.
It also gives assistance with strategy, helping agencies tailormake first-party
need to add to the stew to keep them coming back for more
• Visualising your future teams, and what you should be budgeting for
• Technology competence
• Strategy considerations
• How to build incredible content machines that your clients both need and will appreciate (because #HeadCountFreeze)
As the clock ticks ever closer towards first party data collection, Glenda Nevill gets the lowdown on how agencies can leverage the moment to grow through yet another digital disruption.While brands strive to get closer to their customers, it often falls on the agencies to make the magic happen.
data strategies, using tools from the FPD toolbox, and leveraging success stories from similar organisations around the world. And, as the official African partners to the top CDP, and global consumer analytics providers, the FPD ensures the right technology solutions are offered to clients.
From an agency perspective, Jonck says that while brands strive to get closer to their customers, it often falls on the agencies to make the magic happen.
“This puts immense pressure on agencies to not only understand the reasons for their clients’ significant shift to a first party data focus, but also to be the experts at the table when planning on implementing the strategies, deciding which technology is required to scale the strategy, and determining how to ‘feed the beast’ once it’s built and in place.”
“It’s crunch time, and a growing number of brands are budgeting for this shift in their current and upcoming plans,” says Jonck. “It’s vital that agencies understand how to help their clients compete on a refreshed playing field with a different set of rules.”
First party data will directly impact digital advertising, Jonck believes. “As digital advertising matured, it became an incredible way to find new audiences and target them with appropriate
messaging. Now that the rules are changing, this will be increasingly harder,” he explains.
“This is why connecting in a more personal way with engaging audiences and building a community again through deep understanding and a mutual sharing of information, is how the top brands will excel. This is a long-term project. The golden days of waking up in the morning and suddenly targeting a new audience based on a change in strategy are numbered,” Jonck adds.
There are challenges ahead, and they’re becoming more and more apparent. “Agencies are being asked to become experts in technologies and ways of
• Mapping out all current and future sources of customer data
• Deciding which data points are available at present, which points may be unlocked with some focus and tactics, and which data points will never be available or valuable.
• Brainstorming and deciding on a value exchange strategy
• Choosing the correct “tool from the toolbox” based on sector, goals and brand persona.
• Choosing the ideal technology stack, focusing on speed to insights, taking budget into account, and being future-proof.
• Identifying where you want to communicate with your customers now that you know them better
• Building an engagement strategy and appointing someone to assume responsibility for this long-term mission.
thinking so rapidly that it’s hard to make informed decisions in a space that’s getting quite loud,” notes Jonck.
“Colleagues are being pitched solutions daily and, at some point, it’s hard to focus on what’s right for their clients between all the flashy presentations and endless reams of content on the subject.”
Jonck says a first party data strategy essentially boils down to a number of key considerations:
“The key ingredient in any first party data strategy is CONSENT,” emphasises Jonck. “A vital decision to make is where and how to gain consent from a customer to communicate with them and build a relationship with them. We believe that the companies that do this in the most upfront, transparent and innovative ways are going to win.
“If you form an agreement with the customer that they will receive something incredible and valuable in exchange for their consent, then privacy becomes moot because the customer is knowingly sharing, with the promise of a mutual benefit.”
IT’S VITAL THAT AGENCIES UNDERSTAND HOW TO HELP THEIR CLIENTS COMPETE ON A REFRESHED PLAYING FIELD WITH A DIFFERENT SET OF RULES.
Irina VladKelvin Jonck
AGENCIES ARE BEING ASKED TO BECOME EXPERTS IN TECHNOLOGIES AND WAYS OF THINKING SO RAPIDLY THAT IT’S HARD TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS IN A SPACE THAT’S GETTING QUITE LOUD.We immerse, before we create. EI 9769 Media Online Campaign 85x85mm FA.indd 3 2023/06/21 12:25
In a commercial world that seems drunk on data, how can brand owners and their agencies best use it to create sober brand strategies? Brandon de Kock has some ideas.
Acareer or two ago, as editor of a golf magazine, I found myself invited to the redesign of a top-rated golf course on a luxury estate. All was going well until we got to the picturesque 18th hole and its island green, literally surrounded on all sides by water. On the back right, between the short-cut grass surface and the river behind it, was a sand bunker, offering a ‘safe’ side of the target where you could overcook your approach shot and know that you wouldn’t roll off the back into the water.
It was a masterful bit of design. Depending on where the hole (and flagstick) was dug on the day, which way the wind was blowing and your angle of attack, having that safe option turned that final shot of the round into an everchanging challenge.
But when we got there, it looked like the bunker had been filled in, leaving a sheer grass bank behind the whole green. Which it had. WTF?
The answer was simple, and it had nothing to do with the legendary course designer
hired to revamp the place, but rather, the billionaire businessman who owned it. Apparently, he was sick and tired of landing in that bunker, and demanded it be filled in.
Think about that for a moment.
It is a perfect example of a decision based on ‘anecdotal insight’, which is of course an oxymoron – and when it’s used to steer strategic decision-making, you can put the emphasis on ‘moron’.
Over the past 10 years, the biggest change we’ve seen in the world of creative, media and marketing agencies alike, is a growing recognition of just how valuable a quiver full of data can be.
And while it’s been gratifying and rewarding to see more and more agencies using BrandMapp data to good effect, it’s perhaps even more important that by doing so, they are becoming acutely aware that in South Africa, ‘one size fits all’ is a flawed philosophy.
To return to the golf course, there’s a reason why you’re allowed to carry 14 clubs: different shots require different weapons. It’s a rather good analogy because, according to the World Bank, we live in the most unequal society in
the world and it’s just not fair to expect any single data set to accurately and appropriately cover all bases.
Here’s the good news: there’s actually a lot of data available, from the free stuff published by Stats SA and official industry bodies like NAMSSA, to more premium equipment suppliers, like us.
All it takes is the right combination of curiosity and budget to unleash the beast.
Yes, all surveys and their resulting data have skews and quirks and idiosyncrasies – and that’s fine, as long as you know where those skews lie. So be sure to ask data providers where their soft spots might be.
In the case of BrandMapp, our most obvious skew is that we don’t publish any data on consumers living in households earning under R10 000 a month. We focus only on the top 30% of adults by household income, so about 13 million of the total 43 million population – but that’s 85% of all formal income and 100% of the personal tax base.
YES, ALL SURVEYS AND THEIR RESULTING DATA HAVE SKEWS AND QUIRKS AND IDIOSYNCRASIES – AND THAT’S FINE, AS LONG AS YOU KNOW WHERE THOSE SKEWS LIE.Brandon de Kock You don’t have to climb mountains to get good data.
If you’re selling German luxury cars, investment products, premium clothing or organic spaghetti made from some unpronounceable ancient grain and Loch water, then there’s an excellent chance we know more about your potential consumers than anyone else in the world, literally.
But if you’re selling soap or fizzy sugar water or disposable nappies, you’ll need a survey that focuses its efforts on the remaining 70%, the mass consumer market where more than 50% of families rely on social grants to put food on the table. And to be sure, the data that is valuable in these ‘two worlds in one country’ can be staggeringly different.
Let’s take an innocuous consumable like, say, toothpaste. It’s big business for sure –and if you’re selling, it’s vital to know what percentage of the total market actually brushes its collective teeth and useful to know how big a share of the pie is yours. In our mid-market-and-up world however, that kind of info is hardly going to change anyone’s dental destiny: a combination of common sense and transactional data is more than enough.
But you might be fascinated to know that higher-income consumers, with more choice in their lives, are twice as likely to be buying that toothpaste online now, than they were before Covid-19.
Seriously, the percentage of adults buying groceries or alcohol online has more than doubled from 15% to 31%. That’s a LOT of spend and a data point that reveals something far more profound than simple brand choice. It’s a canary coughing in a cage: the kind of meaningful shift in behaviour that leads high-quality thinkers down novel paths in the quest for understanding how to better attract and satisfy modern consumers.
And once you’ve got a data piton like that firmly wedged into a fissure in the rock face, you can start to look for more cracks and hooks to anchor your thinking as you climb the challenging route to real, meaningful, actionable insight. Hey, check it out: 25% of all mid-market adults are now using an app-based delivery platforms like Sixty60 or Dash! Two years ago, that was 0%. Bang, bang, another stick in the wall.
Where to next? Well, ‘Convenient location’ is the primary driver for consumers to use the grocery store
THE COVID EFFECT: THE PERCENTAGE OF MIDDLE-MARKET+ CONSUMERS WHO ENJOY THE CONVENIENCE OF ONLNE SHOPPING AND HAVING GROCERIES DELIVERED HAS SKYROCKETED.
THIS SHOWS US THAT THE MAJORITY (58%) OF MIDDLE-MARKET+ CONSUMERS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT QUALITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONVENIENCE.
CONVIENIENT LOCATION JUST EDGES OUT PRICE AS THE MAIN REASON MIDDLE-MARKET+ CONSUMERS SHOP MOST OFTEN AT THEIR GROCERY RETAILER OF CHOICE.
they do most often. And look over here: only 42% of consumer say that “quality is more important than convenience”.
Two more hammer blows and a clear path emerges: if you’re aiming for premium consumers, making things easier might well be more important than making things cheaper. Now there’s an insight worth bandying about the boardroom table, don’t you think?
Brandon de Kock is the director of storytelling for consumer insights consultancy WhyFive, the company behind the annual BrandMapp Survey, SA’s largest independent study focusing on adults living in tax-paying households earning more than R10 000 per month.
The digital marketing lexicon is incomplete without ‘virality’ in the mix. We’ve seen the power of virality and its influence on brand bottom lines. ‘Going viral’ is the holy grail of every marketer, and there is no agency better positioned than Retroviral to delve into the art and science of the digital gateway drug to direct sales.
Retroviral is the creative shop that has made more brands ‘go globally viral’ than any other agency in Africa. For us, ‘viral’ is eyeballs X conversions. Awareness, sans action, is purely a vanity metric; true virality converts emotion into a rational sales intent.
The reason viral content is so highly sought after is that it really is a strategy.
It starts with a brutal truth. If your content isn’t good enough to make it onto the news (free), then it’s ‘just another ad’, reliant on media spend, to do the heavy lifting to get in front of the right audience.
Many years ago, before my foray into communications, I spent some time in Hollywood and completed a three-month stand-up comedy class that has given me the fundamental grounding for the success we’ve achieved to date. This comedy class taught me that all relevant content creation stems from a global observation; or in marketing terms: an insight. You need to first find the insight,
The best lesson from stand-up comedy is that of packaging and delivery: package the insight – get the viewer or audience to buy into the material – so that the punchline hits on delivery.
Streaming provider content is a global water cooler moment, waiting to be news hijacked or parodied. Trending topics on social media platforms give you massive insight. Within these topics exist a zeitgeist of tactical marketing opportunities.
You need to be online, be present, and look for those opportunities, or you’ll
One of the biggest advantages to virality online is that the results are immediately obvious and measurable for clients. But achieving this is not so easy. Master of the medium, Mike Sharman, shares some of his secrets.Here’s why #MyKreepyTeacher is one of our most successful campaigns to date.
A perfect example is one of our most successful campaigns to date: #MyKreepyTeacher. When the Netflix documentary about a Capetonian befriending an octopus dropped, we hijacked the news to remind South Africa about the original, majestic creature of the deep: the Kreepy Krauly. The results were phenomonal (see infographic).
Psychology plays an enormous role here. South Africans are under immense pressure. Socio-economically and politically we operate in a highly stressful consumer space. Humour offers a fine line between acceptance and avoidance. Brands need to read the room and understand their customers – intimately –before they tread on a ‘funny’ or ‘drama’ approach. We’ve seen countless brands miss the mark, globally, when it comes to content creation.
We recently executed our viral strategy with our client Hohm Energy, expertly achieving over two million views on TikTok within less than three days, earned media coverage on 10+ tier one media channels, and 33 000 plus clicks to the site via qualified leads, raising local awarenss of the brand and the value it can offer a country crippled by rolling blackouts.
We are earned mediaobsessed and drive a fierce PR strategy to support our content to get our brands on all relevant lips. Paid media plays a support role as an additional layer for conversion.
We’re known for creating quirky, funny content that has gone viral, but quirkiness is a tactic we use, not the core of the strategy. We unlock quirks in the performance or execution of the design of a campaign. For us, performance is everything in the world of branded content – and this is why using highly skilled actors is nonnegotiable. Content lives and dies thanks to the performance of those you feature.
Sometimes, the actors we work with are influencers. In terms of
influencers, we first need to analyse whether or not they’re strong performers, as they’re our actors with built-in distribution channels. We then research the synergy of the influencer audience with our brand’s target market. If those align, then we’re onto a winner.
Another critical element in our approach is choosing the right social media channels. These are digital dams that house a variety of fish, and it’s imperative to determine the sweet spot of your audience, to know which pond to play in. Figuring out the ‘who’ is a prerequisite for considering ‘how’ you’ll communicate and ‘what’ that’ll look/sound like.
4.7m views for Sixty60 Swindler, 2.3m views for UltraPet #MyBestFriend, and 2m+ views for Nola Man
Closing the loop on virality for us means eyeballs X conversions. The success of these campaigns lies in reporting and ensuring that content delivers results. We use tracking software and proprietary methods to analyse awareness, reach, and value of coverage and overlay our data with client sales data to determine success and opportunities for campaign optimisation. The Sixty60 Swindler campaign, for example, delivered one of the best days in the application’s history – and a tangible uptick in sales.
One of the biggest advantages to virality online is that the results are immediately obvious and measurable for clients. With digital funnels and ‘data transactions’ – ie app downloads and direct orders in the case of Checkers Sixty60 – or lead generation through sign-up forms for Hohm, the impact is in real-time.
For clients in retail, for example, Lil-Lets, the sales data from stores illustrates our effectiveness, but may require a longer tail of always-on social activity to impact the market state and move the sales needle.
We believe the perfect mix is ‘always-on’ activity, coupled with campaign bursts.
It is safe to assume that TikTok is a frequent addition to this marketing mix. According to statistics published by ByteDance,11.83 million users aged 18 and above in South Africa are on the site. This equates to a reach of 29.6% of all adults aged 18 and above in the country, and 27.2% of the total internet user base, regardless of age.
Retroviral has tapped into this market, finding a sweet spot with campaigns going viral on TikTok, within days – including
So while you can’t just sit down and come up with a viral idea, you can incorporate a considered ‘virality’ approach to your strategy. You cannot always guarantee that your content will go viral, but with just the right mix of insight, psychology, channels, performance, and PR support, you might just be onto a winner.
Mike Sharman is an award-winning serial entrepreneur: co-founder of award-winning digital communications agency Retroviral; influencer marketing platform webfluential. com; disruptive sports storytelling agency retroactive.digital and athlete ecosystem MatchKit.co. He is also co-founder of the Put Foot Foundation, a charity that has secured 100 000+ school shoes for children across the SADAC region. Sharman is also the author of The Best Dick (2017) and Brandalism (2022). Twitter handle @mikesharman
As the idiot in question, allow me to preface a scan of the Namibian media industry with a short introduction and a few declarations.
Namibia is a destination market for many South African goods and services, and at first blush it may appear to be the same market. Indeed, it is sometime regarded as the 10th province due to a shared history, currency, languages and long established business networks.
It is, however, a very different media market to navigate.
A population of 2.6 million supports five daily newspapers, 32 radio stations, four TV channels, and the total inventory of six out of home operators. It’s a busy place. And this is after the Covid-19 shakedown.
Rozanne van der Merwe, CEO of Ogilvy Namibia, offers the following post-Covid analysis: “What emerged strongest from the disruption was radio as a direct response medium and, combined with activation and social media support, this is currently our ‘Golden Triangle’.”
I am personally invested in radio and digital assets, so my world view is not entirely neutral. What is important to understand for South African marketers is that oil, gas, green hydrogen and solar energy investments pouring into Namibia indicate significant future expansion of the relatively small economy, with many predicting a golden decade ahead.
The time to build brands is now.
The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has been operating since independence in 1990, with two channels. As the main channel, NBC 1 broadcasts a mixture of news, sport, lifestyle, domestic and international drama. NBC 2 mostly broadcasts external news, and has little to no targeted programming Both are available on DStv and DSTVGo. The NBC, hampered by budget cuts, falling revenues and increased competition from outside parties, has expanded its television offerings of late. Small programming budgets have been able to keep up with an increasingly crippling exchange rate for foreign programming. This has in turn led to declining audiences for the state-owned channel: Media Metrics 2022 reports a 52% decline in audiences on their DTT platform.
One Africa TV (OATV) has taken advantage of the relatively pedestrian pace of adaption of state-run television and, in contrast, offers a wide range of programming reflecting a younger and more modern slant on local TV, where consumer preferences outweigh government communication priorities.
OATV turns 20 this year and has wide offering for Namibian audiences – local drama and daily news bulletins
.
share the platform with live sports and current affairs programming.
OATV has a reach around 12% of total population and has shown an impressive 40% increase in weekly audiences, according to Media Metrics 2022.
“Key for us is to really understand the shift to a desire for strong local content like news and sport, and maintain editorial and broadcast quality aspects such as HDTV,” explains Stefan Hugo, CEO of OATV and 99FM.
Namibia Media Holdings, owner of three daily newspaper titles, recently launched a channel on DStv called NTV with a focus on local news and school sport. Hennie Geldenhuys, CMO of NMH notes that a big learning was the shift from “prime time” to “my time”, and that providing audiences archived materials has been key to building audience engagement. This interesting play from traditional print to broadcast is new, and worth following.
DStvGo has brought TV into more homes over the past four years, with 90% of decoders utilised coming from MultiChoice. This means local TV operators have to compete with international offerings, and that has proved challenging. Streaming services, while on the rise, are still constrained to the top income brackets due to slow fibre rollouts in the main centres.
Radio remains the reach medium for Namibians, with 91% tuning in, and in excess of 50% of the population listening between 6am and 7am EVERY day. Radio is also the main source of news for Namibians. Most importantly, Namibians report that radio is the medium that most influences their decisions.
There are 21 licensed commercial broadcasters, and 11 state-owned channels.The two main radio operators are the NBC and Future Media.
The NBC performs a vital role as a regional. The largest, Khati FM, is also the largest radio station in the country, reaching nearly 41% of the largely rural Oshiwambo-speaking population. The Nama Damara and Otjiherrero services are smaller, but no less influential in their communities.
National FM is a heritage station that still carries a mix of talk and news across and impressive footprint in English, countrywide.
Future Media is the undisputed radio leader in urban Namibia. A portfolio of four national commercial radio formats and a highly respected network news brand provides a modern commercial platform that reaches around 205 more urban listeners than the NBC (Safland, 2019).
Radiowave, Omulunga and Fresh FM are all more than 18-years-old, and service a high LSM audience between 18-45 years old. Omulunga is the largest commercial radio station in the country,
to more bilingual (traditionally Afrikaans) and more adult contemporary sound, and still has a loyal and engaged audience, especially at the Coast (Media Metrics, 2019).
Kanaal 7, a Christian radio station also still commands a loyal listening, especially in more agricultural regions.. There have also been some notable new entrants. Shipi FM launched prior to the lockdowns and immediately found a large audience in the North of Namibia, where their commitment to local music and cultural issues in the Oshiwambo vernacular appealed to a 16-24 audience who often feel disenfranchised.
Eagle FM is a talk-based format that delves into the political arena, not traditionally where private commercial stations find success. They have developed a reputation for stimulating more critical voices, and a more balanced view of current affairs.
and Radiowave is the dominant adult contemporary brand. A recent Geopoll survey showed the FM network boasting a higher cumulative audience reach than the NBC in the LSM 5-10 segment, around 90% (albeit with audience overlap). NOVA 103.5, a soft AC format station with 18 transmitters nationally, was launched in 2019 during lockdown and is rated in the top seven stations nationally by the same GeoPoll survey. It also hosts Namibia’s most trusted business show, The Business Report, and specialist agri content, besides BBC sport and actuality.
Among the single channel stations, 99FM boasts the largest audience with a brand that has been around since the ’90s. Kosmos 94.1 has recently shifted format
Energy 100FM is a heritage radio station that reaches a wide section of the youth market with an impressive range of musical styles.
The Namibian-launched Desert FM has struggled to make any real impact in converting its newspaper style to radio.
As elsewhere, the once thriving newspaper industry has seen dramatic reductions in readership and circulation. Many daily and weekly newspapers have converted to digital-only publication. These include The Economist, Windhoek Observer, The Villager and the Trustcoowned Informante.
The Namibian, established in 1986, is still the dominant brand and remains the most widely read newpaper. It features news in both English and Oshiwambo,
REMAINS THE REACH MEDIUM FOR NAMIBIANS, WITH 91% TUNING IN, AND IN EXCESS OF 50% OF THE POPULATION LISTENING BETWEEN 6AM AND 7AM EVERY DAY.We are audience-led with a focus on dynamic outcomes that lead to growth. EI 9769 Media Online Campaign 85x85mm FA.indd 5 2023/06/21 12:25
and continues its proud heritage of holding those in power to account through investigative reporting and analysis. It also manages a busy website with an impressive archive.
The newspaper is attempting to tackle the challenges of a changing media world with the launch of Desert FM and a renewed focus on news delivery online.
Namibia Media Holdings operates three daily papers: Die Republikein (Afrikaans), Daily Sun (English) and Allgemeine Zeitung (German).
Hennie Geldenhuys from NMH is at pains to point out the delicate balance the group maintains with rising input costs (paper and distribution), declining circulation and maintaining journalistic standards.
It is clear pamphlet inserts remain the last defence of daily print for both these commercial newspaper operators. NMH’s venture into TV has had mixed results, but a focus on school sports and community events seems to showing some promise.
New Era is a state-owned publication, and as such is slightly more insulated against the digital realities facing publishers.
• Radio is the trump media in Namibia with NBC and Future Media the dominant players
• Newspapers struggling with rising distribution and printing costs, radio’s news evolution and digital conversion.
• TV remains an opportunity for canny advertisers looking for effective brand placement.
• Digital is not the ‘cure-all’ it may be in other African countries, especially social media.
It doesn’t take an in-depth analysis of the print sector to anticipate further title closures, or digital conversions.
Venture Media produces a quality range of travel and tourism titles such as Travel News Namibia, Namibia Trade Network and a wonderful inflight mag for FlyNamibia.
The lack of effective town planning in both Windhoek and the North of the country
has created an interesting dilemma for OOH, especially digital out of home. On one hand, clogged arterials are good for eyeballs on large static structures. On the other hand, a paucity of new routes means there is very little expansion opportunity for new sites.
The sector is active, though. Alliance Media has airport inventory, traditional static sites and has begun to invest in large DOOH. JCDecaux is also well represented, and has some niche digital opportunities. Primedia Outdoor is the frontrunner in DOOH, with 754 static panels and six large (4mx8m) LED sites around the country, all along major routes. This has allowed a number of new advertisers into the segment, but a lack of traffic statistics and other useful data still hampers uptake.
Media Solutions offers a high frequency option with lamp pole and street clock advertising throughout the country.
Increasing production costs and low traffic levels (relative to other African markets) mean that OOH is increasingly out of reach of local advertisers.
Apart from the ex-newspapers, there are a few news sites that offer unique content. The Brief manages to produce some decent quality business reporting; Whatsonnamibia.com is a reliable community space for events and lifestyle. Generally, the newspaper and radio station websites are the most trafficked national publishing sites, and most media companies can offer multi-media (audio, video, activation and social media) elements to campaigns on request.
Facebook is the leading social media platform. Pinterest showed a 50% increase in traffic, but still only has 17.6% reach. Most tellingly, social media use is only used by 28.2 of the population.
The impact of Covid-19 is telling, with a significant restructuring of the retail economy as well as the media sector. Expect further contraction as those with market power invest in providing new platforms and opportunities to advertisers.
Gary Stroebel is CEO of Namibia Future Media Holdings. He worked at OFM and Central Media for 23 years, and now works at Future Media in Windhoek. He also presents Namibia’s leading weekly business podcast and radio show, The Business Report.
Fifteen years since DTT implementation was first proposed, the process is still in limbo – with no relief in sight for FTA channels and community stations, writes Mike
Aldridge.Once upon a time, a long time ago, South Africa had a vision of how digital television transmission digital terrestrial television could address the country’s developmental problems. Besides the major benefit of freeing up radio frequency spectrum for mobile networks, a range of other advantages were identified.
This is no fairytale. The grand scope of this vision has not materialised and today, digital broadcasting has emerged as an actual threat to the sustainability of free-to-air (FTA)
television in South Africa, while any policy development that might save it languishes in the doldrums.
The benefits originally envisaged by DTT policy makers included stimulating local industry through the manufacture of set-top-box decoders (STBs), bridging the digital divide by providing citizens with interactive e-government services, and employment creation.
All of that was promised in 2008 when then minister of communications Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri released her Digital Migration Policy. The date she set for the final switch-off of analogue
broadcasting (ASO) was November 2011 – an ambitious target, seeing as more developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom had only achieved their migration over periods of up to 10 years.
Implementation has followed a rocky path over the intervening 15 years. A compounding factor in disabling the process has been the instability of leadership in the department of communications and digital technology (DCDT).
While Matsepe-Casaburri headed the department for 10 years, in the 15 years since her death in 2009, South Africa has seen no less than 12 ministers in this role; sometimes, the turnover has seen two ministers in just one year.
This ministerial revolving door is not fertile ground for policy formulation. While DTT policy was revised in 2012 and 2015, the environment for digital broadcasting after the ASO has not been addressed –save for several failed policy initiatives.
To understand why these policy failures are important, let’s look at the situation that confronts free-to-air broadcasters on DTT. Two main factors to consider here, are the lack of DTT decoders in the market, and the unexpectedly high costs of digital broadcasting.
Firstly, let’s just note that since DTT commenced in 2008 it has had little promotion on any broadcast platform –notably the SABC, which had the primary responsibility of informing the public of its benefits.
This has led to a significant lack of demand for DTT STBs among South African TV viewers, which in turn resulted in major retailers declining to stock these devices. Instead, it has been left up to the government to not only commission and support the local manufacture of DTT decoders, but also to lead the push for their uptake among poor households.
The final campaign only started after October 2021 when then communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced that the ASO would take place at the end of March the following year.
This announcement led to a flurry of court cases brought by eMedia, the SOS Campaign and Media Monitoring Africa to delay the ASO because there was no established DTT viewership base, and the rollout of the government-supplied STBs was proceeding far too slowly to build even this small part of a free-to-air viewership on DTT.
The profile of South Africa’s free-toair viewership has changed dramatically over the years since DTT was started in 2008. In October 2021 when Ntshavheni announced the ASO, the Broadcasting Research Council recorded just under 16 million TV households, of which only 4% had DTT reception.
Some 36.2% of the total TV households only had access to analogue reception, which meant that more than a third of the whole TV household universe would not have access to FTA services if they were not able or willing to migrate to any digital platform before the proposed switch off in March 2022.
With DTT STBs in short supply, unavailable in major retailers and new digital TV sets with an entry-level price of around R4 000, FTA broadcasters were concerned that they would lose much of their middle- and lower-income audience with the ASO.
The dearth of audience on DTT is a frightening prospect for FTA broadcasters, which is why eMedia fought tooth-and-nail in the courts to delay the ASO, and even the SABC board was reluctantly moved to publicly challenge the Minister’s decision –much to the annoyance of Ntshavheni, who lambasted both of these organisations for their recalcitrance in challenging her wishes.
While one can understand Ntshavheni’s fervour to speed the ASO along as much as possible in order for her boss, the President, to fulfil his promise of finally achieving this milestone after many years of delay, it does not behove the government to throw the FTA broadcasting sector under a bus in the process.
One solution posited by e.tv and Cape Town TV is to maintain some analogue broadcasts in the major metros under the 690MHz range which is reserved for broadcasting, and indications are that the DCDT will accept this proposal and extend the dual illumination period until December 2024.
Another vital factor in the DTT equation is the cost of transmission. It was originally envisaged that digital broadcasting would lower this cost for broadcasters because instead of having to hire one transmitter per channel in the analogue environment, transmitter costs would be shared by broadcasters, as digital signals carry multiple channels on one frequency.
But this has not eventuated.
e.tv reckons that its cost to reach households is R8.00 for analogue transmission but R200.00 with digital transmission. The cost scenario is far worse for community TV stations, which have commonly used only one transmitter to reach their local coverage areas.
While Ntshavheni focused her attention exclusively on achieving the rollout of government STBs to ‘indigent’ households, even if all of them were to be installed, the number (1.2 to 1.5 million) represents only around 12% of FTA television households.
Households with income between R3 500 and R12 000 – what has been termed the ‘missing middle’ TV audience – are forced to pay for their own migration to digital platforms, with many opting for commercial TV platforms instead of DTT.
The problem is that the DTT multiplex architecture relies on single-frequency networks (SFNs) in which the same signals must be generated at each transmitter site. This means that it is not possible for a community station to hire just one transmitter – and the fact that these SFNs are provincial in scope means not only must community channels pay for all of the transmitters in the SFN, they are also forced to become provincial rather than local broadcasters.
The huge expansion of community broadcast footprints means that not only is community television no longer the
…NOT ONLY IS COMMUNITY TELEVISION NO LONGER THE LOCAL SERVICE IT WAS ORIGINALLY LICENSED TO BE –A REGULATORY INCOHERENCE –BUT ALSO THAT TRANSMISSION COSTS (THAT COMMUNITY CHANNELS STRUGGLE TO COVER ANYWAY), SOAR TO UNAFFORDABLE HEIGHTS; FOR EXAMPLE: CAPE TOWN TV IS UP BY 2 900%.Mike Aldridge
local service it was originally licensed to be (a regulatory incoherence), but also that transmission costs (that community channels struggle to cover anyway), soar to unaffordable heights; for example: Cape Town TV is up by 2 900%. This amount is simply impossible for a non-profit organisation to achieve without commercial investment or legislated support.
Since the DCDT dropped its proposed Community TV Support Scheme four years ago there has been no policy development to propose a sustainable solution to the problem of DTT costs for community broadcasters.
While the idea of USAASA being obliged to assist in covering this expense has been floated, there is no legislative progress that could address this option.
Consequently, neither Sentech nor the community broadcasters themselves have any indication of how these costs are to be sustained.
The ASO, too, is in limbo. Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle that saw Ntshavheni replaced as
minister of communications and digital technologies by Mondli Gungubele, eMedia was quick to engage the new Minister with its concerns about the ASO. Minister Gungubele reluctantly agreed to postpone it, but he has yet to inform the public about his plans to actually set a date.
Following the SABC analogue switch-off in the Free State, the Corporations’ overall viewership went down by 30%, but e.tv –which did not switch off its transmitters in the province – saw its viewership shoot up by 40%.
Cape Town TV gets around 30-40% of its audience on its analogue FTA signal – highlighting the bottom line: no broadcaster can afford to lose this proportion of its audience.
The upshot is that digital broadcasting is not cost effective for FTA broadcasters: satellite transmission offers higher bandwidth at much lower cost. The National Frequency Plan foresees the development of seven DTT multiplexes in South Africa, but it is extremely uncertain at this juncture whether or not this will be possible given the lack of audience on the DTT platform.
Consequently, the future of FTA television on DTT is in doubt. There is no leadership or policy direction emanating from government or ICASA; the threat of hugely increased transmission costs with little audience to show for it hangs over the sector, and broadcasters are nervously looking to satellite transmission to secure their future.
Michael (Mike) Aldridge is currently employed as the broadcast manager at Cape Town TV The channel is a community TV station serving the greater Cape Town area and it is also broadcast throughout South Africa on DStv and FreeVision. Aldridge is one of the founders of Cape Town TV and has run key areas of the channel since it started broadcasting in 2008 including broadcasting, programming, regulatory affairs and ICT.
With a presence in 12 countries in Africa, we have built the largest African footprint across all markets. Our understanding of cultural nuances sets us apart from other businesses in this market, as is our commitment to making a positive impact.
Navigating uncertainties in Africa, we face unique challenges, including emerging markets, political turbulence, and economic issues, not to mention loadshedding in South Africa.
When the pandemic struck, we gathered as a team and charted a course that extended beyond immediate obstacles. Staying focused on our core values and principles, we weathered the storm and emerged stronger, larger, and more profitable.
We prioritised knowledge sharing, empowering our employees and clients with the latest insights, tools, and resources. By building capacity, we unlocked potential and drove innovation.
As a result, we have achieved significant milestones, with 53% of our African employees being female and 56% of our African businesses led by women. This progress reflects our commitment to gender equality and empowering women.
Over the past three years, our billings and operational profits have consistently increased. Our largest markets remain South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, but we have also experienced substantial growth in Zambia, Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon.
Meaningful work, partnerships and collaboration have been instrumental in our success. We fostered trust, understanding, and shared success through meaningful connections with our clients and stakeholders.
Our agency has earned numerous accolades across the region, such as being the most awarded agency in Mozambique, winning 31 awards in Ghana, and being ranked as the number
one network and media agency in South Africa. We have been awarded for impactful campaigns and outstanding work in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria, with Nigeria winning digital agency of the year recently, receiving global awards and recognition for our #Reclaim your DNA campaign, and DENTSU CREATIVE walked off with best global content campaigns for our client Old Mutual at the end of 2022.
Driving innovation and impact, dentsu Africa is revolutionising the advertising industry through modern solutions tailored to African challenges.
Vlad
Three notable initiatives highlight our commitment to driving positive change:
Our market-first, real-time tool predicts concept and conversation trends, providing brands with a deeper understanding of target audiences and enabling them to capitalise on emerging trends.
In collaboration with Light-tech Media Solutions, we launched this platform to empower small black-owned media businesses in South Africa, fostering inclusivity and transparency in the industry.
Using real time location data, loadshedding schedules and audience data, we developed a proprietary data solution to ensure our clients campaign performance and engagement metrics wouldn’t be as severely affected due to loadshedding.
Together, we will continue to thrive, adapt, and make a lasting impact.
Dawn Rowlands is CEO of dentsu Africa. This is sponsored content.
prospered and grown its presence across 12 African countries – despite
challenges, writes Dawn Rowlands.Dawn Rowlands
WE PRIORITISED KNOWLEDGE SHARING, EMPOWERING OUR EMPLOYEES AND CLIENTS WITH THE LATEST INSIGHTS, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES. BY BUILDING CAPACITY, WE UNLOCKED POTENTIAL AND DROVE INNOVATION.
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As a specialist integration agency, our team has wide experience and substantial expertise in identifying unique opportunities for brands in a cluttered space. This year, our focus has been largely on assisting clients to elevate their brand message by taking their ad campaigns ‘off mute’.
To do so, we spent time exploring the power of stories. Each story is a wonderful opportunity to connect with your audience. But not everyone can unlock the story in your brand narrative and articulate it effectively.
Cherish those who can, and allow them to engage with, and listen to clients. Great stories evolve, as do great brands.
Memorable stories are built on multiple pillars; understand what these are and how to identify them in brands – understand the story, the players, the timeline and why these are all important.
Brand messaging in a noisy world requires an integrated approach, otherwise you won’t be heard.
To ensure your messaging is not lost between the content, you have to be the content.
• Integrate the value of your brand into the content people consume. Audiences will resonate with and remember your product when they are captivated and entertained. Work with people who can identify the synergies, and know what opportunities are available. Good content creates good stories and good stories create a good reason to tune in.
• Match the required output to the right skills and resources. Don’t underestimate what focused skills and expertise can have on a campaign. Good resources and skills impact the product output and this in turn amplifies the effectiveness of a campaign. For example: a creative who can hear a campaign execution while writing a brief, and articulate this to multiple radio teams;
a campaign manager who identifies challenges before they become issues, or production teams that understand the technical requirements and ensure that brands get the most from their screen time. General skills don’t elevate great stories and content – invest into the full value chain and ensure you focus on production; the results won’t disappoint.
Irina Vlad• Embrace the basics: value your team, listen to your clients, understand the landscape, respect the platform and build partnerships. Work with a specialist to achieve the results you want.
• Lastly, adapt to challenges: loadshedding and Covid-19 are no excuse for a campaign that lacks power or has a mediocre message. We will always have to confront challenges: technology and consumption habits shift, research poses new questions and problems, and budgets change, as does the competitor landscape. MediaHeads 360 thrives on change and challenge, and we’d love to share this passion with you. There’s never been a better time to be un-muted, make your voice heard and your brand image seen!
This is sponsored content.
Candy Dempers is a solutionist, having studied law and marketing. As managing director of MediaHeads 360, is at the intersection of traditional and digital media platforms, and the dynamic space created in the world of content.
You know that you can amplify your messaging by ensuring it resonates with your target audience – but do you know how to articulate it effectively? Candy Dempers shares valuable insights into going off mute.
MEMORABLE STORIES ARE BUILT ON MULTIPLE PILLARS; UNDERSTAND WHAT THESE ARE AND HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM IN BRANDS –UNDERSTAND THE STORY, THE PLAYERS, THE TIMELINE AND WHY THESE ARE ALL IMPORTANT.Candy Dempers
The conventional agency approach may seem unconventional now, yet it has stood the test of time as a key to real marketing success, writes Paul
Middleton
My father pulled no punches back then; he liked to say it as it is. He knew the importance of understanding a client’s brand, and that building a relationship takes time. Service, consistently delivered by the same people, with deep knowledge and experience, is invaluable.
We know these lessons well and we live by them.
Iread a quote from Jeff Bezos on how he built Amazon around “the things that don’t change”. The quote has always stuck with me because, in our agency, that sentiment resonates.
We are the oldest – going on 55 years now – independently-owned agency in South Africa. That’s quite a mouthful and something I’m truly proud to be a part of but, more than the privilege of working in this agency, is the rarity of the legacy of learning that exists in it.
It’s the lessons my father taught me, and the lessons I’ve taught to everyone who works here. They are lifelong lessons that have become so engrained in us, it’s almost intrinsic to who we are. And those lessons are based on “the things that don’t change”.
In advertising, as in so many industries, there have been massive, exciting changes. Game changers that we’ve embraced and that enthrall us; from new ways of doing business to harnessing technology in everything we do. And while there are so many incredible advancements, we also know that there are some things that don’t change. My father identified ‘pain points in advertising’ and felt so
strongly about them, he built a campaign around them – way back in 1979.
The first campaign headline was: “You wanted a pack shot, not a Picasso.” Does that sound familiar?
The second was: “Where are you in the pecking order?”
The third: “When agencies get bigger, there’s more room for us.”
And the last: “No matter how little you spend on advertising, you won’t feel small with us.” I love the supporting line to this last advert: “It’s not the small budgets we don’t like – it’s small minds.”
Nearly five decades after my father identified these pain points, it’s no surprise to note that they haven’t
We will always be lightweight, fast and efficient. We’ve strategically remained the size we are to maintain an owner-run structure that offers clients shorter lines of communication and stronger agency accountability.
& BREADTH
We are dedicated and accredited. One accountable agency with the depth and breadth of specialist experience to deliver brilliantly, every time.
And a ton of experience – more than 50 years of it under our belt, now. We are driven to exceed expectations and we retain our clients because we deliver beyond brief, ahead of time and on budget.
The unconventional, conventional agency holds the key to real marketing success.
We still believe that the conventional agency approach – which is now, by all accounts, the unconventional approach – holds the key to real marketing success.
As a single agency, we are invested in the whole outcome, and not just a small part of the delivery. When each part of the delivery is separated, it’s not always possible to see the whole picture. We believe you need someone who can.
Just imagine what we can do for you. This is sponsored content.
.Historic copywriting from Ebony+Ivory. Paul Middleton
There’s a new buzz around the agency boulevard –and it just sold 1 300 hoodies in two minutes. Livestream shopping has brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Rihanna playing for keeps, and Pieter Groenewald reckons this space is the ultimate game changer for agency marketing.
Live shopping goes hand-in-hand with the creator/influencer economy and is achieving incredible success overseas. The revolution of live shopping technology brings a unique opportunity to local agencies looking to elevate their brand portfolios with effective sales strategies, and to engage with customers in a more meaningful and lasting manner.
This rapidly developing trend is empowering brands and businesses to connect with consumers in real-time, while creating engaging content and, ultimately, driving sales. With a huge uptake by millennials and Gen Z, who account for more than 47% of livestream purchases in the US and UK alone, it isn’t surprising that the live shopping market is expected to fetch $68-billion by 2026.
Thanks to campaigns like TikTok’s #MadeMeBuyIt, live shopping streams are rendering more instant, more engaging and more authentic experiences– which is what every advertising agency in their right mind should be chasing.
With fashion and apparel currently owning the lion’s share of live shopping real estate, and beauty products coming in a close second, the arena is growing, making room for more opportunities for influencers to introduce and promote products.
Since the shared categories are still finding their feet, local agencies would do well to innovate disruptive ways for their clients to leverage off this toddler phase, in real-time retail space.
WITH A HUGE UPTAKE BY MILLENNIALS AND GEN-Z, WHO ACCOUNT FOR MORE THAN 47% OF LIVESTREAM PURCHASES IN THE US AND UK ALONE, IT ISN’T SURPRISING THAT THE LIVE SHOPPING MARKET IS EXPECTED TO FETCH $68-BILLION BY 2026.
Live shopping calls for a fine balance between sales and entertainment, giving brands and their influencers a chance to host experiences; this is an ideal opportunity to collaborate with, and educate, target audiences through interactive content that makes it easier – and often, more exciting –for consumers to make a purchase.
Imagine a tyre or a safari brand in the live campaign space… all it takes is creative currency, and the appetite to invest, with a reasonable budget.
Live shopping offers a space for conversation and entertainment, allowing a shopper to feel connected. It allows for a quicker conversion time too, with various marketing tactics being deployed by influencers and agencies to encourage limited offers. Conversion rates were nearing a 30% increase in 2023, 10 times higher compared to conventional e-commerce, according to McKinsey Digital
KitKat Australia’s remarkable results
Their campaign originated more than one-third of KitKat Australia’s annual sales, and delivered a 23-point uplift in brand awareness among 35-44 year olds.
Over in China, Li Jiaqi, a top content creator widely known as the ‘lipstick brother’, reveals impressive numbers in driving sales through live shopping events – online, too. On the first day of Alibaba’s annual shopping festival, Li sold $1.9-billion in goods. Products ranged from Shiseido lotions to Apple AirPods, indicating that the live shopping medium can benefit most consumer brands.
Live shopping has grown extensively in the region in spite of hurdles such as ongoing Covid-19 restrictions – and Li Jiaqi’s live events alone record a daily average of 20 million views.
Progressive agencies who merge tech capabilities with the creator/influencer economy are primed to boost sales through engaging digital shopping experiences. In particular, where new or finer features of a product or range would benefit from being explained, influencersturned-live-shopping-event-hosts can engage with the consumer audience in a way that converts prospective consumer interest into real – and recurring – sales.
It doesn’t take much for a local business to give live shopping a try – but it does take a lot to remain authentic. Credible content is the key to any live shopping experience, which is where agencies can hone their ideation skills to make genuine marketing a non-negotiable on the content creation shopping list.
With local internet penetration at 72.3%, totalling more than 43.48 million internet users as of January 2023, now’s the ideal time for brands and businesses to experiment with, and benefit from, new digital commerce opportunities. By facilitating an impactful collaboration between live shopping and the perfect host, local brands can expand their reach and grow their customer base, while delivering an engaging shopping experience that drives sales and keeps competitors at bay.
At Nfinity Influencer, we choose to stay close to new trends and partner with the best-in-class to offer our clients the latest, and the most effective, strategies.
Nfinity is set up to guide this process for agencies – as a third-party provider we facilitate orders, payments, and fulfilment without complex system integrations. This means we only need access to product (in varying sizes and quantities) on a consignment basis to get a live shopping experience up and running.
WITH LOCAL INTERNET PENETRATION AT 72.3%, TOTALLING MORE THAN 43.48 MILLION INTERNET
And because we already have the technology, tools, and educational capability to train creators, we can quickly broaden the pool of people who’re able to host a live shopping experience in a way that sees results –in sales, and brand affiliation.
As the world of online shopping evolves rapidly, it’s important for creative agencies to embrace the blend of real-time technology and human engagement. This is a means to standing apart from the rest, and also, to scaling business with wild and wonderful news ways to get in touch with markets, and to stay in touch.
For any brand or business wanting to stay ahead, live shopping is a must-donow, not a must-try-later.
2023, 10 TIMES HIGHER COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL E-COMMERCE, ACCORDING TO MCKINSEY DIGITAL.
USERS AS OF JANUARY 2023, NOW’S THE IDEAL TIME FOR BRANDS AND BUSINESSES TO EXPERIMENT WITH, AND BENEFIT FROM, NEW DIGITAL COMMERCE OPPORTUNITIES.
we are seeing is already enormous and the ‘magic’ is far from having faded.
Here are four things that we have learnt, so far…:
Much of the current focus of discussion of generative AI in industry publications is around a small set of creativeled use cases like generating more assets faster and writing search copy.
Five months ago, a small group within EssenceMediacom set out with an aggressive roadmap of Generative AI deployment and the ambition to become the first Generative-AI augmented media agency.
Today this belief has turned into a deep conviction that our agency and our industry are about to transform for the better.
MediaCom and essence were both leaders in the application of technology and AI to communications. essence’s expertise in the area of data engineering, campaign automation and custom algorithms, alongside MediaCom’s applied machine learning and modelling chops are an incredible technology and skillset foundation to build on.
Our EM product and tech team therefore caught the AI wave in 2022 and sought and obtained very early access to Microsoft’s private GPT models when it was the only game in town.
Then came a whirlwind few months during which we built, refactored, tested, deployed, advocated, learnt and experimented.
Today, more than one thousand Essentials have access to a private and secure AI assistant, code named emChat. We have embedded AI capabilities and routines within some of our most sophisticated tools. We have plugged AI into our million strong audience survey. We have also built “learning and development” bots, trained on client best practice to educate and inform teams on what good looks like.
And much more is on the way.
While we will no doubt look back at this moment in time as ‘the first few moments’, the impact and potential
While the benefits of Generative AI in these areas are real and immediate, they are only scratching the surface of its potential. What we have found in giving wide swathes of our people access to these tools is that every single Essential, no matter their team and level, can benefit from the technology.
An analyst will use the tool to quickly turn some ‘R’ econometric code into Python. An Account Executive will have AI write complex excel formulas to merge two documents together and expedite a bit of competitive reporting.
A strategist will use AI to power its brainstorms and act as a contrarian to its ideas. A platform specialist will use it to query a tech spec database. All will tap into it to learn and grow in and across specialism.
The benefits of this technology are incredibly broad, and only unlocked through a democratic and broad approach to deployment and testing.
EssenceMediaCom has built, refactored, tested, deployed, advocated, learnt and experimented with artificial intelligence over the past five months.
Vincent Rebeix reports on the agency’s findings.We pride ourselves on our long-standing client relationships. EI 9769 Media Online Campaign 85x85mm FA.indd 6 2023/06/21 12:25
AI hallucinations are a well-documented phenomenon. They are pervasive when using these tools and while they can be minimised, it’s currently impossible to eradicate them completely.
Moreover, Generative AI is brilliant at being plausible. Many of the wrong answers it provides, including made up links and sources, are more than credible and require scrutiny and knowledge to identify and root out. Getting good, non-hallucinated answers - also requires fluency in ‘prompting’an overhyped concept that is a lot less like ‘engineering’ and a lot more like ‘knowing the answer you are after when you ask a question’.
Enter our people and their unique expertise. Their knowledge and capability is the key to truly unlocking value out of AI without having false positives guide strategies and answers. AI will make foundational skills like critical thinking, diligence and strategic approaches to problems core to every organisation looking to seriously scale its use.
Let’s not beat around the bush: Generative AI as it is today is biased. It was built by a small group of individuals in a single location (mostly) belonging to a single demographic. It is trained on a body of data and content that represents, in most instances, the majority view of humanity over the past centuries. It is also more often than not likely to answer questions with the most (lowest?) common denominator.
This being said, Generative AI is surprisingly good at adopting and representing diverse points of views. It, however, needs to be instructed to do so by the user.
An ethical and transparent approach to AI that leads to true and fair representation of diverse consumer behaviours and ideas that address allnot only most and with more of the same - therefore needs to be defined, enshrined and trained into users.
In its absence, AI will perpetuate systemic bias in the work that we do, which itself reaches billions of people every day. It is our responsibility as industry leaders to ensure it is used with ethics in mind.
Do not believe the social media hype. AI might evolve to solve all of humanity’s problems and make marketeersalongside everyone else - obsolete, allowing us all to live a life of leisure. It is not there today, nor will it be tomorrow or the day after.
What we have learnt from our experiences so far, with both Microsoft’s GPT-4 and Google’s new and excellent PaLM family of models, is that AI will be brilliant at augmenting human thinking for most tasks within agency workflows, and will absolutely shrink the time needed to deliver some of our serviceslike programmatic, or excel macros, did in their days.
It is however nowhere near good enough to serve as “auto pilot” to campaign planning and does a consistently terrible job when doing so.
Humans are needed to prompt, assess, elevate, enrich, question, include and all the other amazing things that only we can do.
For now and the foreseeable future.
What is true, however, is that a generative AI-powered agency, with true distributed availability of the technology embraced by all teams, will far out perform an agency that leverages the technology for gimmicky uses.
We made a leap and EssenceMediacom is quickly becoming a better org for it. Are you iterating as fast as you possibly can?
This story was first published by essenceMediaCom Global and is republished with permission.
AN ETHICAL AND TRANSPARENT APPROACH TO AI THAT LEADS TO TRUE AND FAIR REPRESENTATION OF DIVERSE CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS AND IDEAS … NEEDS TO BE DEFINED, ENSHRINED AND TRAINED INTO USERS.The benefits of this technology are incredibly broad.
This includes using AI to analyse customer data, personalise marketing messages, and even create content.
2. Voice search
With the rise of smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, voice search is becoming more prevalent. Digital agencies need to optimise their clients’ content for voice search to ensure that their websites and products are easily discoverable through voice commands.
3. Video marketing
Digital marketing agencies need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest tech trends to provide the best possible service to their clients.
By incorporating AI, voice search, video marketing, influencer marketing, AR, personalisation, and social media stories into their clients’ digital marketing strategy, digital agencies can help their clients reach their target audience and create engaging experiences that drive sales and growth.
Businesses in Africa must stay up to date with the most recent marketing tech developments to remain competitive as the globe gets more digital.
Here are some of the top marketing technology trends that African companies should embrace.
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI is transforming the way businesses approach digital marketing, and digital agencies need to start incorporating AI-powered tools into their campaigns.
Video is becoming the preferred format for content consumption, and digital agencies need to incorporate video into their clients’ digital marketing strategy. This includes creating engaging video content for social media, YouTube, and other platforms.
4. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach a target audience, and digital agencies need to identify relevant influencers in their clients’ industries and collaborate with them to promote their products or services.
5. Augmented reality (AR)
AR is becoming more prevalent in digital marketing, and digital agencies need to start incorporating AR into their clients’ campaigns. This includes using AR for product demos, virtual try-on, and other marketing campaigns.
6. Personalisation
Personalisation is becoming increasingly important in digital marketing, and digital agencies need to use customer data to
personalise marketing messages and create a more personalised experience for their client’s customers.
7. Social media stories
Social media stories are becoming more popular, and digital agencies need to incorporate them into their clients’ digital marketing strategy. This includes creating engaging stories for Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms.
Irina VladWith this in mind, it is worthwhile for marketers to work with agencies that have adopted an insightful way of working with these trends to develop campaigns that effectively blend the world of data and technology with creative practices. Brands need to work smarter in a switching economy to stay top of mind. Their communications must be informed by the right marketing technology and data.
In conclusion, martech is crucial in automating and streamlining marketing procedures to assist companies in achieving their marketing objectives with fewer resources. While easily capturing the customer journey, martech helps businesses create customised offers or packages that they may present to their clients.
Fiso Tshivhandekano is a seasoned strategist with over 10 years of experience in building and curating remarkable advertising campaigns. As the head of strategy at Idea Hive, Tshivhandekano leads a team of talented creatives in crafting innovative marketing solutions for clients across various industries.
The digital wave of change hasn’t slowed down over the past few years. The marketing sector has been forced to adopt cutting edge technologies, writes Fiso Tshivhandekano.It’s imperative to stay up to date with martech. Fiso Tshivhandekano
Out-of-home advertising in South Africa is a powerful medium for brands to connect with a diverse and dynamic population. With its ability to reach consumers when they are on the move, OOH advertising has become an integral part of marketing strategies, enabling businesses to create impactful brand experiences and foster brand recognition.
However, over the years, the advertising industry in South Africa has been faced with much controversy, especially when talk about the transformation of the industry is cheap. The challenges of racial imbalance and inequality are what has led to the racial exclusion of black-owned and black-run agencies from lucrative advertising projects.
Research by Nielsen AdEx reveals that in South Africa, the total advertising spend is about R48-billion. But of this substantial amount, less than 2% is spent with the black-owned agencies, combined.
On the other hand, the Sanlam Gauge, the BEE Commission and the Interactive Advertising Bureau South Africa’s research presented to Parliament states that the transformation targets set out in the 2016 sector code were “minimal and easily achieved”.
With an innovative mind and a burning passion for success, Lerumo Maisela is a mogul with an appetite for building businesses that change the landscape within their varying fields. As CEO of Kena Group, he administers a diverse portfolio of companies including Kena Outdoor and The Digital Plug.
But, as black owned agencies, we are yet to see the results – this is just one of the reasons why we formed the Black Billboard Owners Alliance (BBOA). We founded BBOA in May 2019. The organisation boasts 28 black billboard owners – some with over 25 years in business. Combined, we have over 800 billboards operating nationwide and through our experiences and capability, we have worked together to form a united voice.
As the organisation, we advocate for the growth and development of the black billboard owner, and the stand for inclusivity. We also firmly stand for free and fair competition advancing for social corporate citizen devoid of cartel behaviour to ensure that there is compliance amid our members and the government’s regulations.
Our aim is to even out historical variances within the billboard media owner division and to ingress the market in an impactful manner.
Through our fight for equality and inclusivity, we recently held a billboard industry conference themed The Billboard Conversion Point. The reason for the conference was to open up a platform for advertisers, buyers and stakeholders to discuss and interact over topics that affect the out-of-home advertising industry in South Africa, as well as to explore the future of advertising and transforming the OOH landscape.
As BBOA we are proud that we are making our mark in fighting for equality and our fight will continue until a black billboard owner is trusted by the big spenders in the industry. Our aim is to move from getting crumbs of the R48-billion a year budget to a more meaningful slice of the cake.
As it stands, the progress has been made. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done to achieve true transformation and inclusivity in the South African advertising industry. Continued efforts, collaboration and ongoing dialogue are needed to address the racial imbalances and create a more equitable and representative industry landscape.
As the Black Billboard Owners’ Alliance, our aim is to move from getting crumbs of the R48-billion a year advertising spend in South Africa to receiving a more meaningful slice of the cake, writes Lerumo Maisela.Lerumo Maisela BBOA has 28 black billboard owners.
