Verashni Pillay on rebuilding the M&G; PR in an age of radical transparency; latest AMPs

Interview: Verashni Pillay on rebuilding the M&G

by Herman Manson. Newly appointed editor-in-chief, Verashni Pillay, believes the Mail & Guardian has hit the bottom of the curve, following falling circulation and revenue numbers, a voluntarily retrenchment drive and the disastrous implementation of a paywall strategy that has left readers out of the equation.

Interview: PR in an age of radical transparency

by Herman Manson. MarkLives recently caught up with Amplicon PR's Kate Thompson-Duwe to discuss evolving business models, upgrading traditional measures of performance in PR, and managing reputations in an age of radical transparency.

AMPS: Latest media audience data (2015A)

by SAARF. The second-last instalment of SAARF’s All Media and Products Survey, the country’s largest national survey after the census, has been released.

2015 AdForum Worldwide Summit New York City

by Johanna McDowell. Overall, we observed that convergence of creative and tech has happened, and now it is all about what to do with it to ensure that brands have the audiences they want; agencies are investing heavily into their systems and people, once again; and lots of innovation is happening as a result.

• Preview: Record no. of agencies to visit

• Day 1: Data-inspired creativity

• Day 2: The agency of the future

• Day 3: Networks embracing change

• Day 4: Conductivity vs connectivity

• Day 5: Disruption and open architecture

Motive: What does “aspirational” actually mean in the townships?

by Peter du Toit. The basic Living Standard Measure (LSM) is being misapplied — black people are not a homogeneous group.

Regular reads:

• Ad of the Week: Viva Land Rover and Soweto Rugby Club

• Talk Africa: Trendy cellular TVCs in Kenya

• Shelf Life: Saatchi Cape remodels to make BrandsRock

• MagLove: The best magazine covers 9 October 2015

• Ad Feature: The risks of using obscure words in ad campaigns

• SA TV Ratings: 21–27 Sep 2015 (week 39)

Appointments:

• Three senior appointments for Times Media

Awards news:

• The Annual AdFocus Awards 2015 finalists anno...

• Entries for IAB SA 2016 Bookmark Awards open

On the radar:

• HSM takes over Compleat Golfer

• Grass Roots Media rebrands as Relativ Media

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