COLUMNISTS
13 December 2011
Recently, two of my colleagues questioned why it is that some people pair cheese and wine together. I immediately launched into an answer - only to realise I had no clue at all - and ended up resorting to: "Well, it's just most often the way we have it." Read more »
13 December 2011
13 December 2011
As marketers, many of us will know the thrill (and sleepless nights) experienced when launching a brand new product into the market. Having done all of the right research, how can you ensure that the reality matches the predictions of success? And, after the initial launch, how do you sustain demand? In the case of DStv Mobile, it's had everything to do with stakeholder relations... Read more »
13 December 2011
Defining business mission statements, strategies and objectives, is a relatively easy if at times laborious process undertaken by those in charge of getting and maintaining business income. Every year, countless books and training courses are devoted to the subject of business strategy and planning, and the training industry gains a lot of business in supplying programs to meet the needs of businesses and executives who want to understand and improve their planning process. Read more »
13 December 2011
John Farquhar sources bite-sized pieces of information from around the globe to chew on relating to marketing, PR, advertising and media. Read more »
06 December 2011
06 December 2011
We all appreciate the drive-thru on those days where things have gone from bad to worse, there's nothing in the fridge and the last thing we want to do is speak to another person. Even the thought of queuing up for groceries is triggering major avoidance issues. At moments like this the convenience of convenience foods easily justifies the guilt of scoffing a double cheeseburger with all the trimmings and a super-sized megabucket of carbonated, sugary cooldrink. Read more »
06 December 2011
Capturing and holding the attention of consumers has become a unique combination of art and science. It's no longer simply about researching what people are watching or listening to, or checking where they're logging in and then buying advertising space accordingly. It has instead become a case of conducting research and adapting your marketing message for the medium in such a way that it isn't avoided. Read more »
29 November 2011
29 November 2011
It is generally accepted that product and services have a "life cycle". From the time a product or service is launched into a market, it will grow with increasing sales, before entering a period of "maturity" as its market becomes "saturated", after which sales start to decline as demand decreases and competitive products arrive. Read more »
29 November 2011
There is little doubt that since its arrival, the Internet has become a powerful information, entertainment, and commercial tool. By encouraging direct dialogue between consumers, and with marketers, it has changed society socially. Read more »
22 November 2011
22 November 2011
Four years ago, only 18 of the top 200 companies in South Africa achieved enterprise development (ED) compliance. Dionne Kerr looks at what has transpired since. Read more »
22 November 2011
Traditionally, advertising agencies have always wanted to be either first or last in a competitive pitch situation fearing that they may be forgotten otherwise by the client, but, in our view, position in the pitch order does not matter. Read more »
17 November 2011
The future - at least, the communication end of it - could be in the palm of our hands. That's my reading of recent statistics from the Neilsen Mobile Insights study into the South African cellphone market. Read more »
17 November 2011
Customer service is one of the most powerful customer acquisition tools available to brands. It therefore makes patently good sense that any brand communication strategy should include customer service as a legitimate platform for growth. Read more »
17 November 2011
08 November 2011
In 2004, only 33% of South African adults had a cell phone. According to AMPS data on Eighty20's Fact a Day in 2011 that figure has grown to 80%. As a result not only are more consumers accessible via mobile advertising, but more consumers are now able to comment on what they do and do not like via social media platforms. Read more »
08 November 2011
Google made waves in the search engine optimisation (SEO) market recently with its announcement that it is now hiding the search query data of users that are signed into Google rather than sharing the data with websites as it did in the past. Read more »
08 November 2011
On November 3 I was invited to attend the screening of the 2011 Cannes International Advertising Festival winners' reel, and invite which I accepted with alacrity. Watching examples of creative expression from across the world, generally gives insight into how communication strategy is evolving. Read more »
 
View more articles in this category