Month: November 2018

Following Media Freedom Week hosted by Media Monitoring Africa last week, Chris Louw, Digital Strategist at Caxton Local Newspapers says that the rise of fake news, anonymous advertising and the influence of political leaders on the media is concerning.

As a guest on the panel discussion ‘Are we “post truth” or “post journalism, and does it really matter’ Chris said that number of questions were raised, one of them being, whether or not journalism is under threat.

“Too often the media is deemed to have ulterior motives around their reporting. Due to terminology like ‘fake news’, someone like Donald Trump can look at something that is reported and if he doesn’t like it, he says it’s fake news,” says Chris. “This phenomenon is being repeated around the world. Credibility of things are being incorrectly questioned. The people who say the media has ulterior motives often have ulterior motives themselves.”

 In recent times, brand safety has been in the spotlight, along with credible journalism. Chris feels that accountability is an important solution to this problem. “The media needs to start questioning itself more and asking itself more questions,” he says.

He reiterated that one important aspect to keep in mind is the fact that the media still acts as a fourth estate, and still holds power to account. Local media publications are one example of how the media continues to act as a fourth estate, giving citizens the platform to be heard, as local media is often a first point of contact.

 “Local media should continue speaking to what they know and that’s reporting on local issues without fear of favour. If local media can maintain a standard of quality and credibility, they will be able to stand out from the rest,” he said.

He added that the solution to the current problems faced by media requires a multi-focal approach, with innovation being an important avenue.

“One of the most important things that is not spoken enough about is that we need to innovate. The days of regurgitating are gone. We need to ensure we are more involved with our communities. People don’t feel heard and local media has a massive role to play in that sense. They are the first point of reference.”

Marc du Plessis, Joint CEO of SPARK Media agrees, “Fake news is a global problem and very difficult to identify and avoid. To combat this, an easy solution is to make use of whitelisted, trusted, known publisher market places and websites. We also agree that local media has a crucial part to play in maintaining journalistic credibility, and can confidently say that our local print and online products under the Caxton banner are doing just that.”

SPARK Media

Established in 2015, SPARK Media, a division of CTP Ltd, are experts in retail and location based marketing solutions. The company owns and represents a myriad of print and digital products that deliver locally relevant, effective audiences for advertising clients. SPARK Media are Strategic Partners in Audience Research and Knowledge and offer ‘Insights that Ignite’.

AdColony South Africa has been named Publisher of Year at the 2018 MMA South Africa Smarties awards which honours innovation and creativity, and measures the impact and success that mobile has on business. The company, which is part of the Nfinity Media Group, also walked away with a Bronze in the Product / Services Launch category for Debonairs Pizza in association with The MediaShop.  Sarah Utermark, SA country director for the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) said: “AdColony was awarded Publisher of The Year for its role in addressing critical issues around viewability and brand safety. Both of these impact the efficacy of campaigns as without them, brands could be promoted on publishers’ sites that are either irrelevant, or are published alongside content that promotes terror and violence.

AdColony’s win was 100% backed by the judges. It was a result of a combination of work that stood out from all the submissions, but mostly as an entry that has gone over and above efforts this year – you guys clearly stood out with the judges,” she said.

Andrew Kramer, AdColony South Africa’s Managing Director adds: “Well done to the AdColony team on this amazing accolade! Thanks too to Sarah Utermark and her panel of judges for acknowledging us. We look forward to continuing our work with the MMA to build an equitable mobile video market place for advertisers, agencies and publishers.”

Globally, AdColony is one of the largest video advertising platforms with a reach of more than 1.5 billion users. Known for its unparalleled third party verified viewability rates, exclusive Instant-Play™ HD video technology and proprietary rich media formats, AdColony is passionate about helping brands connect with consumers at scale on the most important screen in their lives.

Nfinity DNA

Headed by entrepreneur Ken Varejes as CEO, Nfinity an innovation hub in the media, marketing and eventing fields. Nfinity is poised as a space for entrepreneurs to grow and better their businesses under the guidance of Ken and his growing management team, each a specialist in their own field. Nfinity currently has established shareholding and presence in the following companies: AdColony, theSALT, Whisky Live, Whizzky App, Orange Block, Reveel, theIntern-Ship, Brand a Tuk Tuk and Nfinity Digital.

Gone are the days when a newspaper publisher just offered newspapers! Thanks to technology, changing media consumption behaviour and the nature of business, newsprint has to adapt. And it has.  

Caxton Local Media is so much more than just newspapers. “We’re constantly changing and adapting, we’re not just a newsprint company anymore – we’re everything local media!” says Jaco Koekemoer, MD of Caxton Local Media & Coldset Printing. “Caxton Local Media are also specialists in social media campaigns, digital display advertising and even an events ‘builder’ within local towns.”

The recent Great Benoni Bakeoff is an excellent example of a local event managed by Caxton Local Media.  The local newspaper, The Benoni City Times, teamed up with a school in its community, sold tables to vendors, assisted with event logistics and provided pre and post event coverage.

Local media is the perfect medium to advertise similar community based events. “We provide the opportunity for local people to connect and also promote local employment. For example, at this event we made use of local sound engineers and of course our Benoni based journalists helped create a full 360 degree localised event. This recipe can be replicated in any community.”

Local printed content is effectively supplemented with digital. “The digital environment and era has provided us with so much more opportunity to engage with our communities,” explains Irma Green, Group Editor, Caxton Local Media. “We can reach people so much faster because of all the platforms we have at our disposal. In addition to that, we are a trusted medium that provides immediacy, coupled with authentic and credible reporting.”

#DidYouKnow that Caxton Local Media is now the second biggest digital publisher in South Africa? Immediate news is extremely relevant to a local community and because of this relevance the publisher now boasts over 6.5 million unique visitors. Combine that with 3.5 million households where local newspapers are delivered and advertisers and brands have access to significant reach!

Consumers go to their local newspapers and websites for local news. Retailers have branches in many of the same areas. Besides the engagement, the ability to connect residents with retailers and other businesses in a localised manner is one the biggest advantages that this advertising platform has.

In a recent Nielsen research programme* that the Publisher Research Council (PRC) made available to the industry, it was clear that reading platforms (digital and print) provides the best Return on Investment for every Rand spent – better even than Television and Radio! “The Print and Digital combination is a potent permutation, especially when there is strong evidence delivered by a truly robust survey,” says Koekemoer.

“We are a multiplatform media company for local communities,” concludes Koekemoer. “Caxton is no longer just a newsprint company, we’re local media and we’re constantly adapting – offering advertisers newspapers, social media campaigns, digital display advertising and even local events managed by our teams on the ground within that community.

There has never been a more exciting time for the publishing and newsprint industries, it’s just up to us to take it to the next level and take full advantage of it.”

*http://www.prc.za.com/2018/10/17/digital-and-print-combined-consistently-deliver-the-greatest-roi/

On the back of announcing its 2018/19 committee, the Advertising Media Association of South Africa (AMASA) has confirmed the appointment of committee member Memoria Masilela as Vice Chairperson, serving alongside Wayne Bishop as Chairperson.

Wayne says: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce Memoria as this year’s new Vice Chair. She has brought energy and passion to both the organisation and the industry and it is just reward for someone so dedicated to the progression of others. I think I can speak for the entire committee in congratulating Memoria and wishing her every success in her new role. Her commitment to education and transformation in this industry is also truly commendable.”

Initially joining the committee in 2016, Memoria heads the Gordon Patterson AMASA Learnership Programme (GPALP).

“Our joined purpose is to bring the next generation of excellence into existence,” she says.  “We cannot afford to keep complaining about a lack of new talent, when we have an immediate opportunity to address that issue.  AMASA is the solution to drive skills and development of the media and advertising industry.

My plan as the Vice Chair is to ensure that AMASA becomes the brand that does not wait for the future to happen, but one that boldly brings the future to the present, to ensure the success of our industry,” she says. “I want to continue to inspire the industry to prioritise on mentoring and grooming young minds.  I believe that those of us with experience have a responsibility to impart knowledge to young minds, because we can no longer complain about a lack of talent when we have not made an effort to groom new talent.”

Memoria goes on to say that “The prevalent advertising media industry practice is to recycle existing skills, instead of grooming fresh talent.  The main reason why AMASA exists in the first place is to address the very issue of talent in the industry.  Through our Education and GP-ALP portfolio we are able to provide the industry with new people, who are trained and groomed by industry experts.”

AMASA is in an exciting next growth phase and over the next 12 months plans to launch the first Online Media Management course to cater to those who are already in the industry and want to sharpen their skills. The organisation is also planning on partnering with other industry bodies aligned with its vision to address the education issues that face our country.

Another focus and passion point for Memoria is increasing transformation in the advertising industry. “I believe that we need to unlearn what we think we know about transformation.  Every generation has its own cause and what is remarkable about our generation is that we are finally addressing the core of our current cause, diversity.  As we engage more and more on the issue of inclusion, we begin to allay existing “fears of the unknown”.

Our dream is to exist in a conscious industry that is not only concerned with advertising as a form of generating revenue, but one that uses it as a vehicle to change mind-sets and unlock consumer’s minds about how unlimited we really are. We have the capacity to lead better lives and fight against poverty and all the social ills that exists in our society.

We are not in the most influential industry by a coincidence, we are chosen for a task to challenge the status quo of our country and it all starts with making selfless and fearless choices – and I believe that as AMASA we are up to that task.”