Month: April 2019

Celebrating its 30^th year in existence, Caxton’s annual Excellence Awards has acknowledged the contributions of its sales and editorial staff and management of its local free and sold newspapers. At this year’s awards, R275 000 was distributed in prize money with George Herald being named the Best Sold Newspaper; The Randburg Sun as Best Free Newspaper and the Polokwane Review Bonus as the Best Emerging Market paper.

 Karen Geurtse, General Manager for Caxton Local Media Regionals said: “Even though the awards are in their 30^th year, we are constantly overwhelmed with the hundreds of entries we receive each year from our teams. The Caxton Excellence Awards celebrate and acknowledge those individuals and local printed products that excel in their market.”

Other winners this year included Lizette da Silva (George Herald) for Best Front Page; Leah Shone editor of Get It Balito/Umhlanga was named the Best Get It magazine while Tereasa Dias (Lowvelder) was acknowledged as the Group’s Best Multimedia Journalist.

The Most Promising Newspaper Journalist of the year was awarded to Arisa Janse van Rensburg (Lowvelder), with the Best Headline Writing accolade going to Kristy Kolberg   (George Herald).

On the photography front, Ettienne van Rensburg from Vaal Weekblad was named overall Photographer of the Year. He also claimed the Best Human Interest Photograph category.  Hugo Redelinghuys (George Herald) won Best Sports Photograph while Wayne van der Walt (Standerton Advertiser) won Best Hard News Photograph.

Ad Designer of the Year went to Geraldine Reyneke (Lowvelder). Field Sales Consultant of the Year went to Tamsin McMaster (Joburg South) and the Best Community Involvement went to Norman Dawe, Daniella Potter Geshika Vorster and Aiden Eksteen from Fourways Review for their feature on the Ark Animal Centre.

“These awards shouldn’t be underestimated as they hold our teams accountable every day to ensure that the best local print products are consistently delivered to our readers and advertisers,” says CEO of SPARK Media, Gill Randall. “Our editorial and sales people live and breathe their community every day, which is why they have such an exceptional understanding of their areas. These awards demonstrate this, and the value that each and every one of these ‘Caxtonites’ bring, not only to the local community, but to the advertisers looking to reach our valuable consumers.

We congratulate all the winners and applaud the quality of entries from each individual and all our teams.”

To contact SPARK Media: call +27 10 492 8391 or email info@sparkmedia.co.za.

SPARK Media DNA

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’.

Each month the Nfinity Group, through its #PowerHour initiative, hosts entrepreneurs that have excelled in their specific fields of industry. They are invited to share their business and life lessons with Nfinity’s clients, media and creative agencies and partners in the advertising industry. This month on the 10^th April, the Group is excited to host Pepe Marais, founding partner and Group Chief Creative Officer of Joe Public United, currently ranked as the number one creative agency on the African continent.

 Pepe has been the recipient of numerous local and international industry awards and was ranked as the number one creative leader by the Loerie Awards in 2018. He was also voted by marketers as the ‘Most Admired Industry Professional’ in South Africa.

The Nfinity Group has grown exponentially in the last couple of years and the entrepreneurs that run their individual businesses under the Nfinity banner are always keen to learn and improve their skills, and to share these powerful knowledge sessions with their clients. It’s for these reasons that the Group hosts successful entrepreneurs like Pepe at its #PowerHour get-togethers, and this edition is sure to be another highlight for guests.

For information on the 10^th April #PowerHour session please contact linda@nfinity.co.za

 Nfinity DNA

Headed by entrepreneur Ken Varejes as CEO, Nfinity is the latest innovation hub to land 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 including in the following companies: AdColony, theSALT, Reveel, Whisky Live, Whizzky App, Orange Block, , theIntern-Ship, Brand a Tuk Tuk, Nfinity Digital and Brand Game Shows.

The concepts of Behavioural Economics, Observed Consumer Behaviour and Neuro-marketing are enough to make any marketer head for the hills out of the sheer fear of not knowing where to begin. Kirsty Dugmore of SugaSpice puts it simply.

The truth of the matter is that evidence-based marketing needn’t be intimidating. Plainly put, this ground breaking interdisciplinary field is the integration of several scientific disciplines into the field of marketing. It’s evolving the marketing industry and offering marketers the tools and insights, based on empirical evidence, on how to achieve brand growth.

SugaSpice was created two years ago with a vision to upskill South Africa’s marketers with increased knowledge of evidence based-marketing and how to apply it.  Marketing and media industries are being offered the opportunity to learn more about the exciting discoveries made by some of the world’s leading and most respected academics in their fields.

Chief Growth Officer for SugaSpice, Kirsty Dugmore, explains that: “Evidence-based marketing uses the disciplines of Behavioural Economics, Observed Consumer Behaviour and Neuro-marketing to better understand how consumers are making the purchasing and brand decisions that they do.”

She further notes: “This promising discipline offers insights into predictable patterns and behaviours, and offers practical advice that marketers can implement in their marketing and media strategies.”

Behavioural Economics, to cite just one example, conducts analyses into consumer decision making based on empirically studied psychological traits.

“Typically, Behavioural Economics says that, as human beings, we are predictably irrational with constant flaws in our decision making processes. Consumers make snap decisions using ‘mental shortcuts’ that are available to them – but memories are stored in a way that aren’t easily accessible. The challenge for brands is to create ways to create mental availability when a consumer is in the market for their specific product or service,” Kirsty says.

“The lesson here is that brands need to realise that their customers are not constantly thinking about them, and that to stay one step ahead of competitors they have to focus on making it easy to be thought of.

With the assistance of evidence-based marketing, brands can make sure that they’re part of the consideration set when consumers consider buying specific products or services.”

Kirsty has spent the last 13 years employed in large corporate media companies and has spent thousands of hours researching the relevant literature now at the forefront of modern marketing. She has taken these learnings and developed accessible and practical course material.

SugaSpice’s Evidence-Based marketing courses offer clients the very latest in evidence-based marketing techniques, assisting them in their efforts to get up to speed with global advancements in the field.

“Evidence-based marketing has the very real ability, through easy to implement strategies, to turn a brand’s growth trajectory around, and I really enjoy sharing with marketers how to do just that.”

For more on SugaSpice and its offerings visit www.sugaspice.co.za