OPINION

"ABC Q3 2014 results; Hero steps up as Jozi office prepares to scale" - MarkLives

And other top advertising, media and marketing news, analysis and opinion on the website this week, including...

ABC Q3 2014 results

The Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa released the newspaper and consumer-magazine circulation statistics for the period July-September 2014 (ABC Q3 2014) last week. They're grim.

Analysis: The biggest-circulating consumer magazines in South Africa

Analysis: The biggest circulating newspapers in South Africa

Magazine Round-up: Consumer mags revisit flawed circ counting

Newspaper Round-up: The Star is down 15.89%

Hero steps up as Jozi office prepares to scale

by Herman Manson. As many of the better-known independent agency brands continue to join global agency networks, a new generation of challenger agencies are aiming to take their places - agencies you have probably never heard of. But will. Hero is one such agency in South Africa.

Brand Culture: Brands need personality

by DK Badenhorst. Brand characters are not developed by committee; they aren't even developed by one person - they are people. This idea came to life again two weekends ago when I saw the Amazon Echo commercial. It hasn't been a well-received production...

Media Future: Three categories dominate SA apps market

by Arthur Goldstuck. There is no better indication of what consumers are doing on their smartphones than the apps they most commonly download - and social media, games and fitness dominate the app stores of three of the major smartphone platforms in South Africa.

#3D: I'm not just a number - I am your customer!

by Prakash Patel. Data, data everywhere - but what does it really mean to us as marketers when often we only see data as numbers? Over the past few months, I've discussed the principles behind "Data Driven Marketing (DDM)", "how to get strategic" and "building the foundation" - it's now time to talk about data, the fundamental asset and crux of #DDM.

Regular reads:

Ad of the Week with Oresti Patricios: The psychic insurance sell

Shelf Life with Louise Marsland: There's no stopping this fresh rollout

MagLove with MediaSlut: Failure to break the internet? Butt no! [NSFW]

Heroes & Zeros with Andy Rice: Hollard & Chas Everitt - best & worst brands of the week

#Top40TVratings with SAARF & MarkLives: 3-9 November 2014

Smart Africa TV with Russell Southwood: How to answer questions on digital news' profitability

Account wins:

Account wins: Saatchi & Saatchi Synergize goes to Club Med

On the radar:

Loerie Awards to move from Cape Town to Durban in 2015

The Creative Counsel founders top Africa's young business leaders

Applications open for Digify January 2015 intake

Sanef statement on Parliamentary AV feed interference

2014 AfricaCom Award winners

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