Top stories:
From the Editors: We’re all in this together
EDITORIAL: We don’t know what tomorrow brings but it’s important we continue to believe that a positive future awaits all of us — as people and professionals, as individuals and as an industry. MarkLives commits to continue covering how the local advertising, marketing and media industries respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic and the fight to mitigate its impact on our health and the health of our creative economy. Equally, we understand the economic impact will be severe — on the livelihoods of millions, on our economy and fiscus, on our industry, our clients, your clients, on you, on us. With this in mind, we’re introducing several changes to our commercial operations. Full details in the editorial. Stay safe, be kind, and have hope.
MarkLives #AdChamps of the Month [Mar 2020]
by Kyle de Waal & Morgan Botha. Here’s our latest choice of South African ads that connect and engage: Chicken Licken’s Everyone’s Talking About It, Absa’s Baking Delights, Gumtree’s #TheLife 'Kim & Kanye', Property24’s #ThisisHome, and the latest MTN #DEFBARS.
Winners: Bookmarks 2020
by MarkLives. The 2020 results comprise 15 Gold Pixels, 47 Silver Pixels and 67 Bronze awards across 71 categories.
Q5: Out of the box, onto the scene, with Cognitive Agency [interview]
by Carey Finn. Thando Somacele and Sanele Pesane, the co-founders of Cognitive Agency, talk about building a successful business without a traditional background in advertising.
On the Radar:
Ogilvy Joburg CCO criticised over internal #covid19 video
Discovery Inc appoints Africa commercial director
Tenders: SANEF's ethics campaign
Taste liquidates Domino’s in SA
#CoronavirusSA:
Tracker: Ad agencies, marketers' responses to #covid19
by MarkLives. Tracking South African and African brands and comms agencies' reactions and news.
Tracker: Event changes, postponements, cancellations
by MarkLives. Tracking adland's industry event changes, postponements and cancellations.
Mission: From crisis to consciousness
by Tom Fels. As we rebuild, here are five areas in which we can take strategic advantage of the situation to foster more-conscious business.
The Power Report: Corporate SA’s duty in a time of #covid19
by Megan Power. What we do now, together, will determine how quickly that final whistle gets blown. Here are a few behaviour 101s for businesses, big and small, worth highlighting at this distressing time.
By Invitation Only: What the sport & entertainment industry CAN do
by Struan Campbell. First and foremost, our industry has a responsibility to help the cause. We can do two things to make a difference.
By Invitation Only: Covid-19's lessons for social media marketing
by Craig Hannabus. What covid-19's shown us is just how broken our social platforms are. It’s time for a dramatic change — do we have the guts?
By Invitation Only: Expect "I'll think about it"
by Tiffany Markman. When panic is everywhere, times are tough, friends aren’t few but hiding at home, and no-one needs more emotional pain, let’s equip ourselves with better selling tools.
Columns:
Watched: Top 10 TV shows deciphered — Feb 2020
by Richard Lord. The first two months of 2020 have brought with them their fair share of uncertainty, so how’s this all impacted on our nation’s favourite pastime, TV viewing? Let's find out...
#BrandFocus: Bountiful global brands making their mark in SA
by Sabrina Forbes. Bounty Brands Apparel is a six-year-old business that distributes some of the world’s most well-known fashion brands, such as Diesel, Vans, Superdry and Jeep.
Zeitgeist of Now: Natural me & implications for brands
by Jason Stewart. Let’s explore what I call Natural Me, the cultural response to working and playing too hard for too long, as well as to extreme health fanaticism of the past decade.
The Suit: How about “less with less”?
by Jason Harrison. Everyone keeps saying “do more with less” but are we in adland prepared for the consequences?
By Invitation Only: Social media & the customer experience
by Craig Hannabus. Have we gotten the social media marketing thing right? In my 12-year career in social media, I’ve seen so, so many strategies, approaches, and methods come and go.
SA TV Ratings: e.tv — primetime top 20 for Jan 2020
by MarkLives. The hottest primetime shows on e.tv in South Africa revealed: TV ratings for January 2020.
Go to MarkLives.com for breaking news, exclusive industry opinion, company news and jobs! Sign up now for the thrice-weekly MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify.biz headlines! Follow MarkLives on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube. Find an agency that matches your project needs! Ramify.biz — connecting marketers, agencies and service suppliers free of charge in South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. Free listings and premium profiles available.
