Author: Mark

Sinenhlanhla Jalibane, Digital Campaign Manager at The MediaShop

Load Shedding has once again become one of the most used buzzwords in South Africa. We’re all wishing that Eskom had a competitor or that they worked there themselves to better the crisis being faced.

But while we wait for government to attain a better solution to their “technical problems” and revert with plans to overcome this crisis, load shedding continues to have dire implications on everyone, particularly for television advertisers and broadcasters alike.

Source: pexels.com

Advertising budgets have already been reduced but now with the power out, what does this mean for advertisers, and the media industry in general?

     1.Viewership decreases

Television indisputably remains the largest media consumption channel in South Africa. It is still the most effective way of reaching a higher number of audiences at a high frequency. However, it is no secret that such media platforms are highly affected by load shedding.

Viewership is a client’s first concern when there is a blackout. It means that millions of South African TV households are off, reducing the potential TV audience of a particular channel or programme which has a huge effect for advertisers.

We have been experiencing stage 2 and 4 of load shedding recently. With that said, it is imperative to remember that having these power cuts means not reaching a household for at least two or more hours during each blackout. This is of serious concern especially when power is cut during prime time, which decreases viewership even more significantly. It results in adverts only being seen by a handful of people, who might not even be the target audience for the brand being advertised, which is then seen as wastage by many.

Britta Reid commented on a research article in 2019 published on The MediaOnline from The Broadcast Research Council, on how adult ARs for the 18h00 and 20h00 dayparts were affected. She commented that about 2% of adults on the BRC TAMS panel were flagged as having experienced power cuts during stage two, compared with 15% of adults during stage four . This equates to a huge number of audiences being lost due to load shedding and it doesn’t seem like it will get any better. 

2. Concern over reach

Secondly, clients have become sceptical about whether their brand will be seen by the right audiences as load shedding makes it difficult to plan schedules. I remember once when Eskom had promised two hours of load shedding but it went off for 3h30mins. This left me wondering how many TV adverts were being aired during this time that I would have missed.

Clients will (if they haven’t already) start questioning the value they are getting from advertising if they lose audiences during load shedding.

Yes brands are aware that performance will be affected (not that they’re happy about it) but there is unfortunately nothing that marketers and broadcasters can do at this point, as it is beyond their control. 

3. Even Digital is affected

Lastly, cell phone network coverage has also been getting disrupted and it seems this will continue to be the case during our electricity crisis. It’s making our jobs as marketers even more difficult. Just as we were trying to chase audiences in the digital space, it is now going to be harder to reach them whenever we’d like to.

We all love our smartphones, but their battery life is not as great as we’d like it to be. Power banks and portal chargers can help sustain battery life, but with port connectivity it seems like it would be a struggle to get advertising messages across audiences.

People would also rather save their battery to ensure for instance that their alarm wakes them up in the morning, rather than to scroll through their phones only to come across adverts that will deplete their battery even further. 

So what do we do?

While the country has enjoyed a few days of no load shedding now, there is still an unnerving sense of uncertainty around Eskom’s sustainability. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced during his SONA 2020 address that the Eskom issue was unavoidable. This shows that we’ve got a long way to go and for brands, we need to think of alternative ways to reach our audiences.

It seems like the old school “wireless” radios would be of good use at this point for people to still consume news during load shedding and this, without a doubt will cause an increase in listenership on the radio.

Maybe it’s also time to put more faith into apps such as EskomSePush to plan around most areas that are experiencing load shedding to ensure audiences are not lost. Imagine scheduling adverts to be aired on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at the same peak time as load shedding is scheduled? Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

 Sources:

1. https://www.nichemarket.co.za/blog/geek-chic/keep-track-of-loadshedding
2. http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za
3. https://themediaonline.co.za/2014/12/the-eskom-effect-on-tv-advertising/

Yvette Gengan, Digital Media Manager at The MediaShop

If you had to think back to when AI first became a buzzword across the globe, how many years would you say that was? Three, five, maybe ten years ago?

If you thought of any of the above, you’ve not gone back far enough!

I recently came across an article about a chess game between one of the world’s best chess players and a super computer called Deep Blue, owned by IBM. That was in 1997, 23 years ago!

Garry Kasparov lost his game to the supercomputer. Kasparov had never previously lost a game to a human opponent so his loss to the supercomputer was his only one at 34 years old. The loss came in under 20 moves. (Wired, 2020)

Fast forward 23 years and we live in a world filled with chatbots, smart cars, IoT devices and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. Simply put, AI or Artificial Intelligence “refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions.”

But what’s the general sentiment around AI? Well if we look to Hollywood, we see AI depicted as robots taking over the world resulting in apocalyptic ends or hard at work parents losing their jobs to machines. This is not accurate.

I think that as the dominant species, it is normal to want to retain all control and be the smartest but if we never push boundaries, how do we develop as a species? To share Garry Kasparov’s point of view, “We are comfortable with machines making us faster and stronger, but smarter? It’s some sort of human fear.”

A lack of understanding about technology advances such as AI has created a cult of fear mongers who are conflicted by the speed of AI development and who’d prefer for us to slow it down. But doesn’t this not hold us back as a generation?

No one really knows what the future of AI even looks like and where it fits into our world. It has taken decades to get to where we are now and it is still not good enough, so if we slow down now then aren’t we just delaying the inevitable?

Artificial intelligence is a simulation of human intelligence and therefore it cannot exist without a human.

We cannot press pause on where AI advances are going but maybe we can advance with it. We can create a balanced narrative on the topic so that more and more people move away from the fear and wrong use of AI and focus on how to equip ourselves to utilise it in a positive way. Yes, technology has been the cause of many job losses for those that are being left behind. However, it has also created new jobs and industries.

One of the industries that are benefitting greatly from AI is healthcare. Having a person’s full health history is proving to be vital in research and diagnosis, engineering and patient care. “This field of artificial intelligence is dedicated to representing information about the world in a form that a computer system can utilise to solve complex tasks such as diagnosing a medical condition or having a dialogue in a natural language.” (Prof. Dame Wendy Hall, PhD)

Paint got an upgrade:

The app Deepfake uses face mapping to bring the Mona Lisa to life. There’s a video online – check it out! There has been lots of conversation around the privacy and use of this app, including how everything related to advanced technology should be used with proper controls that protect those that use it.

If we look at AI as a tool then we know that what matters is how we use it just like everything that has some power. There are ethical considerations with AI, as with most tech advances, which should be controlled by human intelligence. AI in the wrong hands and used for the wrong thing is obviously a concern, especially with the mounting issues of irresponsible use of data and lack of privacy. However, this is a human problem not an AI problem. The key focus in this case, should then be forcing firm regulations and controls over the use of AI and actually having people stick to it.

“AI is like a mirror, it amplifies both good and bad. We have to actually look and just understand how we can fix it, not say ‘Oh, we can create AI that will be better than us’.” (Garry Kasparov, 2020).

Garry Kasparov’s loss became an iconic moment in the history of AI and machine learning. What is his message now on the impact of AI, 23 years later? “We have to look for opportunities to create jobs that will emphasize our strengths. Technology is the main reason why so many of us are still alive to complain about technology. It’s a coin with two sides. I think it’s important that, instead of complaining, we look at how we can move forward faster.” (Garry Kasparov for Wired)

1997 also saw Microsoft becoming the world’s most valuable company valued at $261 billion dollars and Steve Job’s return to Apple. The top valued companies currently are Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung respectively. Most of which are significant players in the field of AI.

For me, the lesson is that we should work with AI, not against it.

Thuso Mmotlana, Buyer at The MediaShop

With all the noise and clutter in the market, how can a brand illuminate itself to have a long productive life and make a mark in cultural and artistic history?

On Tuesday the 11^th February I heard the sad news of Professor Bhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala’s passing. He was the founding member of the Is’cathamiya group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Taken aback by the news I listened further as the ENCA reporter gave a short eulogy. Talking about his early life and origin, she went on to say that Bab’ Shabalala founded the band in 1960 – I paused for a moment and thought “1960? That means this year the group will be celebrating 60 years of existence”, which is an incredible feat for a group of roughly ten band members, touring the world and winning prestigious awards without scandalous reports and ego clashes.

My mind started racing as I asked myself what it takes to build that kind of a brand that is consistent, beyond reproach and stands the test of time such as this amazing group. So out of interest I googled ‘what keeps a brand alive over an extended period of time?’ These were the top tips I found on this matter, aka Marketing 101.

Have a distinct brand identity – this includes the visible elements of a brand like its name, colours, design and logo that distinguish it in consumers’ minds. It’s important for a brand to be bold from the onset about who they are and what they do, this sets them apart from their competitors and carves out a unique journey for the product/service. For Ladysmith Black Mambazo part of their ID is in their name and in the visual presentation of their unique Dashiki shirts, formal pants and bright white shoes, which are/ very visible when dancing and lifting their legs in the air.

Relevance and Resonance – another way to keep a brand alive is by identifying a need in the market and continuing to meet it. A sure fire way of remaining relevant is also by constantly being truthful and authentic in all endeavours taken by the brand. LSBM achieved that in its formative years.

Performing during a difficult time in South Africa and with racial tensions quickly escalating, the groups’ purpose was to bring a message of peace, kindness and hope amongst the people of the world, which is still a relevant message today. They also remained authentic to themselves while using their voices acapella style. 

Have a growth strategy or succession plan – if any brand is to live long after its founders have gone its growth strategy should be to groom young talent for key leadership positions and to impart skills to the younger generation. For Bab’ Shabalala and his team the solution was easy – he and his band members taught and trained their children to sing, so now the younger band members are sons of the original band members with one grandson even joining. Thamsanqa is now the lead singer of the band since his father’s retirement in 2014.

The last but not least important tip to keeping a brand alive is Courage and Self-Belief. The courage to stick to your guns and be consistent in who and what this brand is. In an environment where there are many different influences that could’ve enticed LSBM to change their indigenous sound, they were courageous and took a chance on what was true to them. They believed in themselves and over 60 years later, with more than 50 albums released and five Grammy awards won, the Group has toured worldwide with the likes of Paul Simon and Nelson Mandela. They even sang for Queen Elizabeth III and they’re still going strong.

The brand journey is far from over for this band but I’ll park my thoughts about what makes a brand have longevity and stand the test of time right here. There are a lot more aspects of what makes a brand great but I found these to be the most influential in pushing a brand forward, just as it did for the Legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Rest in Peace Professor Bhekizizwe Joeseph Mshengu Mxoveni BigBoy Shabalala,

Award winning media agency, The MediaShop began its evolution into an integrated marketing and communications (IMC) agency in 2019, and is now ready to make the transition final. The move allows the agency to offer business solutions beyond media that will be informed by data and behavioural economics, says Kgaugelo Maphai, The MediaShop’s Johannesburg MD.

Led by Victor Koaho as the agency’s IMC Head, the company’s new direction is promising great insight driven strategies. “We’re massively excited about our new direction which is already yielding positive results,” he says. “As an IMC agency we’re able to truly look at a business from all angles and address any shortcomings that may exist, beyond the realm of media planning. We’ll be taking a bird’s eye view of each client’s business in its entirety and offering workable solutions.”

Kgaugelo adds: “This is the foundation and investment we have made as a business to ensure that we differentiate ourselves, and that we are able to deliver even better results together with our clients in 2020 and beyond. Our vision is to be pioneers in revolutionary communication solutions for brands to connect with consumers — we can only achieve this by truly being in touch with consumers in this diverse society of ours.”

“With budgets being constrained, some brands are sticking to tried-and-tested methods, and therefore limiting the amount of innovation required to break through the clutter,” he says. “We are not seeing as much creativity as a result, which is unfortunate, because this is when we need it most.”

Backing the agency’s new direction is Tirisano Consulting, the agency’s human intelligence business headed by Isla Prentis that underpins all strategic work on intelligence led consumer insights.

The MediaShop:

The MediaShop is South Africa’s most established, most awarded, most transformed media agency, and member of the Nahana Communications Group of specialist agencies, each with their own independent structures, cultures and management teams, and a desire to work together where synergy exists.