The turning of the shrew

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Headlines and Opinions

by Naomi Mackay

 
 

Yes, it is here. But how well South Africans have done in selling ourselves is debatable. One often hears people (foreigners) say that South Africans are their country’s own worst enemy. Do we leave it to the Brits to say how bad crime is in South Africa because some guy was mugged while walking down some deserted alley and talking on his mobile? (And yes I know there are worse crimes than these!) No, we lay into the government and the police, into the president and all his men and women. Do we leave it to the Germans to talk about our lethargic service delivery or how we should fear for the dark nights because Eskom can’t get together its act? Or how the roads with all their potholes in this country would never compare to Australia’s beautiful highways? Or how Bafana Bafana is a lost cause? No, we are quite good at digging up the dirt ourselves and advertising it internationally at any given time and opportunity.

Well, this column was meant to be about how ridiculously high the prices were for accommodation and for airfares and bus fares, but you know what my dears….frankly, I don’t give a damn. I cannot sit here and write a single bad word. Not today, not tomorrow and perhaps I never will again be scornful of how things are going in this country – perhaps. I can still see Tshabalala move towards the goal posts to deliver the most incredibly beautiful shot, and I can still feel the thrill as the net danced at the impact of that boot. And the scenes from the stadium, Bafana’s little sideshow dance, the crowd’s ecstatic roars, the great spectacle of South Africa’s colours adorning heads and eyes and ears in some form or another, left me speechless. No, wait, I do remember uttering some weird hoarse AAAAHHHH and nearly falling over the coffee table with the rest of my family as we each tried in our little lounge to do our version of the diskie dance. Have any of you actually seen someone do that right?

And that’s the wonder of this World Cup, now that IT IS HERE! And it comes in the wonderful shape of the Makarapa, the invention of Alfred Baloyi, 51, a Limpopo municipal worker. Baloyi made good of bad when he saw another fan suffer a blow on the head after a bottle was thrown from the stands at a Kaizer Chiefs match in 1979 – ooooh, our very own hooliganism! The safety construction hat proved a reliable protection against such missiles, and the Chiefs flag gradually turned into more and more elaborate adornment. Driving through the streets is like being in our own version of Men in Black, with motor cars sporting mirror socks and flags, some painted in SA colours, and drivers wearing everything from South African scarves and hats and shirts to Gogolos and fans walking on the pavements in all their regalia and their wonderful head gear – aliens of a different order. View Makaraka Media

The constant drone of the Vuvuzela on TV and at stadiums around the country has elicited much debate, but the offending trumpet has survived. And it was not only a hit at Bafana Bafana match. I bet the Portuguese can show us a thing or two about blowing that horn.

We wait for Bafana Bafana to take on their next opponent, and we hope for victory. But regardless, the euphoria of a nation, the rush that every TV clip of the home team brings, and the palpable excitement of youngsters rushing to the fan parks to enjoy the moments of brilliant soccer played on massive screens – all these speak of a success that was unimaginable for South Africa, but which we have proudly attained, and with it a oneness that we should foster.

South Africa, we are proud.

It is here. Let’s go

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Headlines and Opinions

It is here.

 
 
And Let’s Go 2010 definitely helped keep the 2010 Soccer World Cup uppermost in the minds of South Africans, way before the fact. Now we have outdone ourselves again, moving from a weekly edition to a daily rendition of all the Soccer World Cup action played to the drone of vuvuzelas. Let’s Go 2010 is so large, you can see it everywhere. Splashed across the Cape Town airport domestic departure lounge, the visual would be rather hard to miss, and at OR Tambo, a massive soccer ball newspaper stand invites you to take your copy – and it’s free.

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 Branding could not get better for this excellent publication, as the outdoor advertising campaign is right on the money with billboards placed so strategically at Cape Town airport and in Rivonia Road.

 
 
 
And it moves – what with metered taxis driving the message all around Cape Town and home, and single-deck busses doing the same in Johannesburg. Impressively featured on a downtown Johannesburg building wrapped by The Sunday Times, the outdoor branding is complemented by a radio campaign of tactical shows on Kaya and Metro. All media will be up for the duration of the World Cup, after which it will be rebranded to fall in line with marketing objectives for the specific brand owners.

 

 
 And then of course, there are the soccer ball water taxis at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, which, though not specific to Let’s Go 2010, advertise its carriers, The Times and The Sunday Times, Sowetan and Sunday World. Let’s Go 2010 is certainly here.

 
 

Did you know these interesting World Cup facts?

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Did you Know

 
 
 
 
 
• More than 11 million South African television viewers watched the Soccer World Cup opening match between South Africa and Mexico on Friday 11 June 2010.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• 42-year-old Roger Milla in 1994 became the oldest goal scorer and the oldest player in World Cup history. He is also famous for being the first footballer to celebrate a goal by dancing: sparking a whole trend that has seen some very strange on-field gyrations.

• Sir Viv Richards is the only person to have played both World Cup Football and World Cup Cricket.

• Sri Lanka was the first country to withdraw from the World Cup due to the inability to pay the entrance fee for the 1978 World Cup.

• Shirt swapping was once officially prohibited in 1986 because FIFA did not want players to ‘bare their chests’ on the field.

• No European team has won a World Cup played outside of Europe. Sorry Netherlands and Spain.

• Yugoslavia’s Rajko Mitic failed to make the kick-off of their 1950 match against hosts Brazil in Rio because he had run into an iron girder in the players’ tunnel. He emerged 20 minutes later, his head bandaged, with his team already a goal down.

• The Japanese squad list goes from 3 to 5 as the number 4 is considered unlucky in the country. Four is pronounced “shi” which is the same as “death.”

• A bag snatcher who stole Eva Standmann’s handbag before the Brazil-Australia game in Munich four years ago found her ticket inside and decided to attend the game with her ticket. Unfortunately, he sat in Eva’s seat right next to her husband Berndt, who had him arrested. Talk about the “hot” seat!”

• The Socceroos’ nickname was coined by Sydney Daily Mirror editor Tony Horstead in 1967. These days Australians now want to ditch it and reclaim the name ‘football’. Meanwhile, Australia’s U-17 team is known as The Joeys.

• During Germany’s 2009 Wembley friendly with England, Germany’s team coach Joachim Loew was caught on camera vigorously rubbing his armpit and then sniffing his hand. He was also spotted picking his nose and then chewing the bogey during the qualifier against Wales. Eek!

• Shunsuke Nakamura, Japan’s midfielder has an asteroid, “Asteroid 29986 Shunsuke”, named after him.

Avusa Media Announces New Editors For Eastern Cape

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Avusa Media News

Avusa Media has appointed new editors in the Eastern Cape, a region in which the group leads the market with its newspaper titles. Jeremy McCabe, currently acting editor-in-chief of The Herald and Weekend Post, has been appointed editor of the Saturday title, the Weekend Post. McCabe will also assume editorship of Avusa Media’s community newspapers in the Eastern Cape.

 
 In addition to these responsibilities, McCabe will be responsible for running a newly created production hub, which serves all Avusa Media’s Eastern Cape titles, including the Daily Dispatch and Saturday Dispatch in East London. He will also spearhead the creation of an Avusa-wide production hub located in Port Elizabeth.
 
 
 

 
 Sunday Times deputy editor Heather Robertson will take over the editorship of The Herald. Robertson, who has been with the Sunday Times for over ten years, has served in various capacities including senior writer, Kwa-Zulu Natal bureau chief and national news editor. In her capacity as deputy editor she oversaw the launch of the Sunday Times Zimbabwe edition which has seen the Sunday Times’s circulation soar in that country in the past four months.

 

 
 Current acting editor of The Herald Charmain Naidoo will move to Johannesburg to run the newly created Avusa Media News Service. As editor, Naidoo will be responsible for running an integrated news operation for Avusa Media titles, aimed at building a strong national footprint for the newspapers.

 
 
 
All three editors will report to Avusa Media editor-in-chief Mondli Makhanya. “These appointments are aimed at cementing Avusa Media’s position as a superior provider of quality content and agenda-setting news in South Africa,” he says.

Airborne bacon anyone? – Brandon Faber

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Brandon Faber

“Wakka Wakka”

is just about all I know from that song. . .

“This is Africa”

probably makes up the rest of my knowledge reserves but it doesn’t matter as long as you mumble it with real conviction, then nobody cares.

It’s a bit like my knowledge of all matters football / soccer. I’ll be the first to admit that I generally do not have much time for the round ball game. Between World Cups you will hardly find me watching major clubs competing – but there’s something about internationals and, especially, World Cups, that gets my skin tingling and sends strange sensations to all parts of my soul.

The vibe, the party, the possibilities of unexpected outcomes and the drama of it all is what gets me.
You can’t market that, you can’t advertise it or bottle it for sale – it just is and our realm of design, copy and creative brilliance has nothing on the raw passion of human emotion, specially reserved for occasions like this.
If anything the majority of our attempts are flimsy at best, with the odd soccer ball thrown in here and there – and suddenly we have now “themed” our ad.

Nandos are probably the ones that have done it best (as usual) by taking a different angle to proceedings. . . The rest are frankly doing the expected, like working the word “egg” into Easter copy, “Eggcellent offer”, or announcing the end of winter by saying “put a spring in your step and get 10% off. . . blah blah blah”.
But I don’t want to dwell on advertising in the general sense.

What we have here is an opportunity for every citizen to be an ambassador for “Brand South Africa”. We don’t know who we may meet, what influence that person has, what stories they may tell to whoever when they leave our shores.

All of us have a duty to show the world that beneath the thick crust of political mamparradom and general pettiness of our so-called leaders, lies a nation as friendly, as colourful, as vibrant and helpful as any in the world.

It is time for our beautiful people to compliment our beautiful country and sell this place as “a must return” destination. Why should the party end on 11 July?

With everything we have to offer the planet, this World Cup should be a campaign with legs like Bruce Fordyce, staying power like Dirk Diggler and radiate positive influence like Desmond Tutu.

In the end it will not matter where you watched the opening game or where you will watch the final. It is not going to matter if you managed to get to go to a game or if you had to make do with nothing but a radio.
What will matter is what we take from this massive occasion, this once in a lifetime experience.

Will we pack away our flags? Will we turn cold shoulders on each other once more? Will we allow those with hidden agendas and lust for power to overshadow the positive connections we have made over the last few months? From the Bulls in Orlando to Bafana at Soccer City – the power to change this country is evident in the smiles of ordinary people like you and me.

If we can hold on to 20% of that then we have won the greatest victory of them all. No cup, no sporting glory, no front page headlines will be able to match the restoration of faith in each other.
I’ll be watching the skies for flying pigs – for once I believe it could happen.

Industry profile: Sarah Leftwich

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Personality Profiles

 
 
Director and Executive Producer, Employee Engagement at Blue Moon Corporate Communications

Sarah Leftwich is a driven woman, big on the detail but with an eye for the big picture. Effervescent and bubbly, Sarah studied drama at Wits before starting her long love affair with producing indelible experiences in the events industry. She has been with Blue Moon for the last 11 years and loves the challenges; despairs of but revels in the constant deadlines that characterise her portfolio. By her own admission, she is something of a control freak as all great producers are and if she had to have a theme song it would be “10 seconds to a Nervous Breakdown” by Prime Circle!

 
 
 
 
 
• What’s a typical workday for you?

There’s no such thing – no two days are ever the same! One day I’m in meetings with clients discussing a strategically positioned two year communication plan and the next day I’m drafting production schedules or campaign budgets. Or liaising with designers and writers, sitting in a recording studio or setting up an event – great fun!

• What do you enjoy most about your portfolio?

All our clients are in different businesses in different industries, and each company’s culture is totally unique so, although I’ve been at Blue Moon for eleven years, I feel like I am always learning something new.

• How do you handle work stresses?

Blue Moon is an extremely collaborative environment filled with wonderful people so that even when everyone is at their most stressed, there is always someone offering help so that you never feel alone in it.
Then there are lists – for myself, my team and sometimes even clients. My family is less responsive to them though!

I also try to ensure that even though I might work late every weeknight, weekends are sacrosanct – time for family and friends which is the best way to de-stress. Tequila works quite well too.

• What has been your biggest professional challenge?

There have been quite a few along the way which is probably why I am still there. Eight years ago, Blue Moon shifted focus from once-off events and theatre into long term sustained employee engagement campaigns. The first campaign was a huge challenge but one of the best learning curves of my life.

More recently, I have shifted into a management role. Sadly, I’m a bit of a control freak so I’m very happy managing a project but not quite as comfortable managing people (all extremely competent and running their own projects I might add) so it has been quite an adjustment letting them get on with it their way!

• What is your No 1 industry peeve?

Cruisers. Everyone in this business works very hard indeed so the people who are in it for the imagined glamour and aren’t prepared to put in time and effort to gain experience should move on.

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

Apple for the iPod, Lindt for the chocolate, Patron for the tequila and Woolworths for everything else.

• How do you relax?

Horizontally with a book in my hand.

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

Mobile (my phone bill is ridiculous) for family and close friends, Skype for the out-of-towners, Facebook for the quick catch ups and to stay up to date with what people are up to.

• What’s a favorite local holiday destination?

Zinkwazi on the North coast is my current favourite – beautiful beaches, out of town but not too remote. Failing that, Joburg in December is fabulous.

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

Sleep late (if kids, hadedas and dogs allow), good coffee and nowhere to go but the couch with the Sunday Times.

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

I don’t really have one – I prefer to get my teeth into a fat book.

• Do you have a favorite online site?

Google’s the default and Wikipedia even though I know they might be talking rot some of the time.

• What’s your best dining out venue?

We’re thankfully nearly done with Spur. Espresso in Parkhurst, Doppio Zero in Greenside and anywhere that serves good seafood.

FFFeel it!

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Avusa Media News

The Avusa Trade Marketing team handed out FFFIFA* packs to our clients.

*Frivolous Football Fan Items from Avusa

Avusa Media Soccer fans

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Galleries

Avusa Media
Rosebank building
11 June 2010

Sunday Times Generation Next 2010

Posted on 15. Jun, 2010 by admin in Galleries

Sunday Times Generation Next 2010 awards

Posted on 28. May, 2010 by admin in Avusa Media News

Hundreds gathered at the Arena at Halfway Toyota in Fourways Johannesburg last night for the Sunday Times Generation Next 2010 Survey Awards where the ‘coolest’ brands of them all were revealed, as voted by SA’s youth. Hosted by 5fm’s Anele, it was a full-house of enthusiastic youngsters, well-known celebrities and the who’s who of the marketing industry – all eager to learn what makes the most powerful and influential generation of our time tick. The survey was conducted by HDI Youth Marketeers in February/March 2010 and polled the opinions of over 5,800 young urbanites from six major provinces in SA.

“The awards ceremony was a huge success and we are thrilled to once again be behind the leading piece of research in understanding young South African’s consumer behaviour,” says Enver Groenewald, general manager of advertising revenue and strategic communications at Avusa Media.

This year’s survey boasted eleven new ‘coolest’ categories. These include coolest petrol station, which went to Engen; coolest 2010 FIFA star, won by Portuguese heart-throb Cristiano Ronaldo and DJ Cleo came out tops in the coolest local celebrity category.

“Some remarkable insights have come out of the results this year and we encourage marketers to tune in. By providing the industry with a real understanding of SA’s youth, it will be more effective and responsible in its approach to marketing and interacting with them,” adds Groenewald.

Coca-Cola maintains its number one position for the third year in a row as the coolest brand overall. Other repeat winners include ABSA as the coolest bank, Mxit as the coolest social networking site, 5fm as coolest radio station and Pick n Pay, the coolest grocery store.

“There are those reputable and legendary brands, like Coca-Cola, that are continually on top. The youth will remain loyal to the brands that don’t skimp on service delivery and that provide them with an affordable and desirable product offering,” says Jason Levin, managing director of HDI Youth Marketeers.

The tech consumption trend increases each year and notably the 2010 increase reflects the evolved versatility of cell phone usage. However, what remains constant is the importance for SA’s youth to be able to connect with their friends face-to-face. According to the survey, across all age groups, friends would rather connect with each other face-to-face, than chat on social media sites or cell phones.

The Blackberry has moved up from number five to number two in this year’s coolest cell phone category mainly owing to the phones easy internet accessibility and recent affordable offers – both qualities that are essential to these consumers.

“Understandably, within a recession, affordability was a prominent theme in this year’s survey results with Mr Price edging out last year’s winner, Edgars, to claim title of coolest fashion and accessory store,” adds Levin.
Another key insight worth celebrating is that hosting the 2010 World Cup is the number one reason that young South Africans are optimistic about living in this country.

“There is an incredible sense of unity and patriotism among this generation. Their optimism about the future is also reflected in their number one career choice being to ‘open my own company’. This newfound ability to be constantly connected has inflated their sense of independence and belief in their ability to take on anything, and be in charge of their own destinies,” explains Levin.

Other surprises on the night include Lamborghini’s jump into the number one position as coolest motor vehicle pushing repeat winner BMW out into second place.

The youth make up more than 50% of the South African population. This year, youth (ages 8-22) spend is estimated at R95.3 billion, a 6.3% increase from last year. According to HDI Youth Marketeers, their perceptions of brands are well developed by age eight so therefore- as future consumers- they already have huge influence in comparison to other generations.

“They have a tremendous amount of persuasion power over parents to purchase one brand in favour of another. These young minds are also streets ahead of older generations when it comes to embracing new technologies and trends. They are more outspoken and vocal than their older peers and have the tools to broadcast their opinions across the globe,” concludes Levin.

Find out who’s hot and who’s not in the full winners report below and visit www.hdiyouth.co.za for more details.

Click here to see photos from this event