The winner takes it all?

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Headlines and Opinions

21st century society actively creates and promotes an environment characterised by aggressive competition. It starts in kindergarten and only stops if you are lucky enough to be able to opt out of the “rat race”. We seem to prize winning above all else turning life into an ongoing obstacle race in every facet of our existence from our education, to work, social status, wealth, intellectual capacity, fertility and even physical appearance.

Designed and fueled by market forces, we are all caught in a hypnotic/psychotic relationship with symbols of success. A degree from Harvard, a new sports convertible, the blonde beauty queen, a sleek yacht … are all awards for being top dog. And so we compete… clawing our way rabidly to the top in a feverish pursuit to be a winner, the winner!

Is this need to win innate?

Are we genetically programmed to want to be top dog?

And why do some of us manifest that need more than others?

Most of western society prize winning above everything with being a winner linked to success, self worth, pride and even genetic superiority. Evolutionary biologists and social Darwinist theorists view inter-species and intra-species competition as the driving motivating force of all adaptation, and ultimately of evolution with competition, a mechanism for determining the best-suited group; ecologically, politically and economically.

Others argue that it is less an innate trait and more an acquired one nurtured by a society whose very foundations are based on individual achievement. Whether nature or nurture – the bottom line is survival.

Thus in our dog-eat-dog world where your worth is ranked by your ability to rise above the average, to shine like gold amidst the nickels and dimes, winning and awards acquire a mythical potency, a supposedly guaranteed entry card into high society.

Our education is a potent enforcer of the win at any cost principle. Traditional mainstream education systems are all about exams, tests, results and rewards for awards. Learning for the sake of acquiring knowledge is not the norm. Exceptions include the Montessori Method and Waldorf education that are integrated facilitated methods of educating children where self learning, discovery, playing and imagination are prized above all and traits of awareness, compassion and respect are ingrained in the approach.

Hard core capitalists would argue that to be the crème de la crème; assertiveness, risk taking, aggression and a winners attitude is what is needed. But is that really true?

The recent recession caused by the global collapse of the banking sector is a potent reminder that this ideology of winning nurtured in the best business schools of the world are actually churning out leaders who lack a balanced vision, with huge ethical flaws inherent in their approach to business based on aggressive competition and winning at all costs.

And there are always costs … in the pursuit of being the best at what we do, there is little time to explore the other aspects of our life like love, relationships and family that some may argue are far more valuable than status, money, awards or power. As Al Gore so aptly said, “No matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shape the soul and let the glory out.”

The Lure of the Loeries

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Headlines and Opinions

The Loeries, Eagles, Apex, Pendoring , Khuza kids and young adults advertising awards, Ads of the Month, the Sunday Times Top Brands Awards, Adfocus awards, the Millward Brown Adtrack best-liked tables, the Cannes, the Clios – South African agencies go head to head each year vying for the top honours that make or break careers and companies. For a developing economy such as ours, there seem to be more awards than winning agencies when you consider that 92% of entries for the 2009 Loeries creative advertising awards walked away empty-handed.

A plethora of awards exist for every conceivable facet of marketing: retail, consumer, research, electronic, print, outdoor, online and digital, experiential and events, design and mobile but inevitably the big through-the-line agencies hog the limelight year after year. Smaller agencies with constrained resources often don’t have the means to pursue the awards entry game that need huge amounts of time and effort. Most awards require enormous amounts of information presented for best effect and very often the larger agencies will have a dedicated “award chasing” team compiling what they hope will be “winning entries”.

While many creative directors and agency bosses deny the importance of winning the big local and international industry awards, the truth is whether it’s the party-till-you-pass-out Loeries or the dead serious Apex night, industry awards are big business – literally. More awards often equal more clients, bigger billings and greater profits and so while seemingly frivolous on the surface, awards are serious business for creative agencies.

Awards are by nature subjective – different people, different night and the decisions can change. The local industry has been accused of incestuous back slapping, an orgy of mutual admiration and self satisfaction but is that not true for all industries? Whether it’s the Grammies, or the Clio’s, the winners’ podium becomes a bull’s-eye target for its detractors. But seriously, are creative agencies in SA in the business of winning awards or serving their clientele by getting the mix of form and function right?

Ultimately successful marketing has little to do with creative accolades and more about getting the mix right between product, price, distribution and communication so that consumers pay attention. That is the ultimate test. Media savvy audiences want to be engaged and entertained and thus likeability (read memorability) is key. Charismatic characters, jingles that linger, stories that stick all make for award winning campaigns that decades later are capable of conjuring smiles and fond memories. This month, Millward Brown Adtrack announced the best loved ads in the last 25 years with top spot going to Sasol and Draftfcb for the glug glug ad featuring a little boy and his suddenly turbo-charged car! Going through the list of 25 is a walk down memory lane in the company of old friends…

There is no doubt that the South African advertising sector is highly regarded in international circles annually winning highly contested and coveted awards at the Clio’s and the Cannes Festival. Creative sparks know that some campaigns win awards and some win customers and the litmus test for creative directors is to click on the winning combination.

District 92 – Brandon Faber

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Brandon Faber

“Sssshhk. . . Ssshhk k k !”

My left eye pops open like a tube of Pringles. “Sssshk!. . . Ssshhk k k !” My right eye joins the party in a miserable state. “Ssssshk. . . Ssssshhhhhk k k !”

“What the hell is that?” I think to myself and, even more alarmingly, “why does it sound so close nearby?”
I lean over, looking down from the lofty heights of my bed and see an object moving behind the curtain, roughly half a metre to my right. “Sssshhk. . . Sshhk k k !”

“Holy hell!” I scream in silent horror, “there’s a Tokolosh in my room!” What ungodly creature could make such a strange noise? I pull the curtain aside to find my cat, Max, prodding at the source of evil with a paw.

“Meaaaauw” he says with the kind of intensity that means “bring the garlic, wooden stake and silver-bulleted shotgun, something from the ninth gate of hell has arrived and has earmarked this house for a quick lesson in demonic possession.”

“Shit babe!” I alert sleeping beauty of the imminent danger. “Switch on the light quickly, there’s something dark and dangerous lurking in the corner here!”

Before you can say “Jacob, you are my father,” the lights flash on and 1 X female form takes a giant leap for mankind – downstairs, returning half-a-second later with a bottle of poison that promises to “leave nothing alive – guaranteed!”

I grab the can of salvation and lift Max to see who our mystery guest is . . . and there it sits. Horror of horrors, more terrifying than photos of celebrities without makeup, more sinister than Schabir Shaik’s pending pardon, Beelzebub’s Foot soldier – a big black Parktown Prawn and, by the looks of things, he is the “Mike Tyson” of prawns.

I take a step back, contemplating my mortality before calling on the power of the legendary prawn hunter, Wikus van der Merwe. With the fury of a thousand farts and a “Fokkit Wikus, here we go!” I let rip with my can of “never fail demon insect slayer”. The “odourless” gas sends everything flying: the cat, a mosquito from the Third Reconnaissance Brigade, three beetles and a retired moth.

The haze from my Shock and Awe campaign starts to clear. . . I can just about see my victim… “ARRRGH!” With murderous intent the Prawn of Darkness jumps into the air ala that chick from The Matrix and climbs around the front of the curtain to face his attacker, “me”, head on.

I let out a manly shriek and grab the cat from the path of destruction as Hellboy leaps from the curtain, onto the bed – with nothing but death and vengeance in his eyes.

In a flash the lady of the house swoops around the other side of the bed, flicks open the sliding door and does a praying mantis Avatar warrior back flip over to my side. With grim determination she executes a super-swift wrist swipe with (rather fittingly) a book about South Africa’s secret nuclear programme.

The Son of Satan is sent flying out of the house, off the balcony and out of our lives.

Here I am, still standing with the cat in one hand and the can of empty promises in the other.

The lady of the house and I exchange a meaningful nod: “And the Oscar for best Actress in a supporting role goes to, Brandon Faber.”

Yeah.

Not to be outdone, however, the Oscar for best written screenplay, AKA, fictitious piece of writing that could not, should not, ever be remotely considered near the truth – “goes to the makers of all cans of insect spray.”
Frankly none of us would cut it on the streets of District 9.

Oscar Trivia: Did you know?

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Did you Know

 
 
 
• Only three films have ever won all top five Oscars – Best Film, Actor, Actress, Director and Writing. They are: It Happened One Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Silence of the Lambs

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 • Walt Disney won more Oscars than anyone else. He was nominated for 64, and won 26!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 • Bob Hope has hosted the Oscars 18 times; Billy Crystal is in second place with 8 times.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the only film ever to have won every single Oscar it was nominated for.

 
 
 
 
 

 • The shortest-ever Best Actor Oscar-winning performance was awarded to Anthony Hopkins in 1992, having appeared for less than 16 minutes of screen time as Dr Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs

 
 
 

 • The oldest actress to win an Oscar is Jessica Tandy – at 81 she won the Best Actress Oscar in 1990 for her performance in Driving Miss Daisy. Tom Hanks is the youngest recipient of the Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received in 2002 at age 45.

 
 
 
 

 • The first ceremony took place on May 16, 1929 in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The first televised Academy Awards show was the 25th annual, held on March 19, 1953.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 • The longest Oscar awards ceremony was in 2000, running for 4 hours and 16 minutes – beating a previous record by 16 minutes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 • The first actor to receive an Oscar posthumously was Peter Finch who died of a heart attack while leaving the Beverly Hills Hotel to do a pre-Oscar ceremony TV interview with Good Morning America.

 
 
 
 
 
 
• George C. Scott refused his award for his portrayal of the title role in Patton in 1970. He said that “the whole thing is a goddamn meat parade. I don’t want any part of it.” Marlon Brando refused to accept his award personally, because of the way Native Americans are discriminated against by the US and Hollywood. Instead, he sent a woman named Sacheen Littlefeather to receive his prize, and gave her a fifteen page acceptance speech.

Staying ahead of the game

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Avusa Media News

Staying ahead of the game is something Avusa Media knows all about affirming its vision with the unveiling of a special 2010 football pull-out supplement Let’s Go 2010. Launched in December on the weekend of the World Cup draw in Cape Town, it heralded the birth of what will be the shortest-lived newspaper supplements in the history of South African newspapers.

Let’s Go 2010 been designed to provide readers with a comprehensive, in depth coverage of every aspect of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. With 32 teams playing 64 games in 31 days at 10 venues, getting quality, moment to moment news out to the fans will be crucial to the success of South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup. In an analysis of the media coverage of the Confederation Cup in 2009 which had only 8 teams, Avusa Media realized that individual newspapers had neither the resources nor clout to offer the most inclusive coverage that an event of this magnitude requires.

Together with Peter Atkinson, Avusa Media Group’s Editorial Consultant, Lets Go 2010, a new Group initiative was designed and launched to coincide with that all important announcement of the World Cup Draw. Peter Atkinson , a veteran of 10 World Cups with the Daily Mirror in the UK was a natural to spearhead the project which would require enormous planning and financial investment to ensure the quality of news coverage that Avusa Media is synonymous with.

For the first time, writers, photographers and sub editors from all Avusa Media titles will work together to ensure that each of the 64 matches is covered in exacting day to day detail led and edited by the highly respected sports journalist Archie Henderson , current Sports Editor of The Times.

All together, 36 issues of Lets Go 2010 will be issued. It will appear once a month until May 16th and thereafter once a week until the whistle blows on the game between Bafana Bafana and Mexico signaling the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. During the ensuing 31 days, readers will be able to access their free copy of the pullout everyday except Saturdays. It will appear in Avusa Media titles including the Sunday Times, Sunday World, Sowetan, The Times, Daily Dispatch and The Herald reaching an estimated readership of 8.5 million readers per week.

Lets Go 2010 will be supplemented by a brand new Go2010 web site which will carry up to date World Cup News, as well as a mobile phone offering a minute by minute match reports for those soccer fans who are unable to watch a match on television. It was introduced in the UK and Europe four hears ago and is a first for Africa. Another first for South Africa and Avusa Media is the inclusion of the continent football fans into the distribution to ensure that the coverage of first ever FIFA World Cup to be held in Africa is available to all English speaking Africans .

Atkinson says, “We are able to offer the supplement to every English speaking country throughout Africa. Operating on the same basis, the supplement could be inserted in English papers all over the continent. In this way, the reach could extend to over 100-million people each week”.

For advertisers, Lets Go 2010 provides a unique opportunity to reach a broad cross section of South African society. Contact Riaan Malherbe (+27 11 280 5777) or Nadeem Joshua (+27 11 280 3266) to find out how you can be part of this initiative.

Industry Profile: Damon Stapleton

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Personality Profiles

Executive Creative Director of TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris

• What’s a typical workday for you?

Very funny.

• What do you enjoy most about your portfolio?

The plastic sleeves

• How do you handle work stresses?

Deep meditation and binge drinking. It’s called balance.

• What has been your biggest professional challenge?

Stepping up to the challenge of running a legendary agency

• What is your No 1 industry peeve?

The pettiness. And those who expect it all on a silver platter

• What are the favorite brands that you cannot live without?

Apple and Omega (I collect watches)

• How do you relax?

Slowly

• What’s your chosen way to communicate with family and friends, (mobile, social networking pages like Facebook, Skype, emails, fixed lined telephone)?

sms, e-mails, bit of Facebook, cellphone

• What’s a favorite local holiday destination?

Anywhere with Big ocean and small talk.

• What’s your idea of a relaxing Sunday morning?

My kids waking up after 6am

• Which are your favorite must-have printed media titles?

Vanity Fair, Men’s Health, Farmers Weekly and Rooi Rose (o.k. just the first two)

• Do you have a favorite online site?

Postsecret.com and theonion.com

• What’s your best dining out venue?

Tsunami and Assagi

Hot Stuff Gadgets for February 2010

Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Hot Stuff Gadget Review

Every month the editors of Stuff magazine choose the latest pretty, shiny gadgets for you.

Apple iPad
The one we’ve been waiting for?
from $500 | www.apple.com

iTablet, iSlate, iThing, iPad… Before Apple unveiled its 9.7in (22.8cm)-screened
e-reader-cum-giant-iPod-touch, it had already gone through more names than Prince. The iPad marks a tipping point for touchscreen gadgetry.
With its 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, silver back and 12.7mm waist it makes current tablet PCs look as alluring as Jeremy Mansfield in stockings. And although the screen doesn’t use eye-friendly E Ink, Apple’s deals with publishers could spark a sea change in the way we read books, papers and perhaps even Stuff. Besides, what’s in a name?

Parrot AR Drone iphone-controlled ’copter Rtba (due mid 2010) / www.parrot.com In the Stuff office is a cupboard filled with clapped-out radio control helicopters. We’d like to say we destroyed them in epic combat, but we just pushed them to our limits. That’s why we’re so excited about Parrot’s easy-to-fly RC chopper. It’s controlled via Wi-Fi by tilting and twisting your iPhone or iPod Touch, beaming live video back as it flies. It even switches to autopilot if it thinks it’s about to wipe out. You can download games, battle other AR.Drones or just use it to snoop on your neighbours. Which we haven’t done. Honest.

Toshiba Cell TV supercomputer super-telly Rtba (due mid 2010) / www.toshiba.co.uk When we saw the presentation for Toshiba’s new Cell TVs we were so happy we cried a little bit. The specs haven’t been finalised yet, but we could see 65in (168cm) sets with LED backlights, 1TB hard drives, Wi-Fi, video conferencing capabilities, processors 143 times faster than those in current tellies (the same chips used in the PS3, in fact) and the ability to show ropey YouTube video at full-screen in decent quality. You want more? They might even be able to convert normal 2D pictures to 3D. Now the tears are welling up again…

Plastic Logic QUE proReader e-book with brawn as well as brains from $650 / www.que.com If trees had eyes, could read and were interested in technology, they would have been delighted by this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, for among the slew of new e-readers was this: the QUE proReader. It has a massive 10.5in (26.3cm) 150ppi touchscreen, weighs just 482g, has up to 8GB of memory and packs 3G and Wi-Fi for downloading content. Impressive, nê? But what’s really cool is the TruVue format it supports, which lets you view publications in their original format, albeit in greyscale of course. Newspapers: prepare for format transmutation.

Google Nexus One The day the Androids took over $530 / www.google.com/phone The Nexus One isn’t the second coming. It’s not Google’s first phone (it’s made by HTC, like the T-Mobile G1), and it won’t do much that the iPhone can’t. So why is it such a hot property? Well, what’s underneath the 3.7in (9.3cm) AMOLED touchscreen should stimulate anyone’s gadget gland. A nippy Snapdragon chip propels the latest version of Android, and Wi-Fi, HSDPA and GPS all make an appearance. But it’s really here because it represents a change in The Big G’s attitude. It bears the company’s name. A company that stuck two fingers up at the Chinese government. And if it can do that, we think it’ll take a chunk or two out of Apple, don’t you?

Hands-on with the Google Nexus One


The Nexus One’s 1Ghz Snapdragon chip makes it extremely well-oiled and responsive in the menus. Despite the lack of a snazzy interface skin there are some nice visual touches, most notably the live, interactive wallpapers. There are also now five home screens rather than three, so that’s more screen real estate to fill with widgets. The 480×800 display is on par with Motorola’s Droid, much sharper than the iPhone’s slightly smaller screen.
If its 5MP snaps improve on those of HTC phones such as the Hero, we could be on to a winner.