Newsletters Archives

Beyond ticking the box: gender advancement needs sustained and systemic effort

24 May 2021

Categories: Newsletters

The odd advertising campaign paying lip service to gender is not enough to address fairness and equity by brands, says GLENDA NEVILL. To really commit to a transformative mindset in marketing strategies requires companies to put their own houses in order inside and out. Recent advertising and marketing missteps have highlighted how brands and their agencies can get messaging so terribly wrong when it comes to advancing gender and race in marketing campaigns. “The time for brands to turn a blind eye to race and gender equity is long past. Consumers and employees demand change, while knee-jerk responses and…

The impact of Covid-19 on income and consumer habits in Africa

30 March 2021

Categories: Newsletters

Sub-Saharan Africa has not experienced as many Covid-19 cases as other regions. But there has been a significant impact on day-to-day livelihoods, with varying degrees of restrictions across countries. Internal and external trade and tourism almost come to a standstill for vast stretches of time. In turn, this economic downturn has had ripple effects on many businesses and individuals’ financial situations. A report by GeoPoll in July 2020 found that 76% of people across six countries in sub-Saharan Africa had lost income due to Covid-19, primarily influenced by the large percentage of the population who operate in the informal…

The rebirth of email as a marketing tool

30 March 2021

Categories: Newsletters

Email engagement rates in 2020 were higher than they have been in six years. And new functionality and data analysis tools have strengthened email as a marketing and customer communication channel. Brands can now be far more strategic and personalised thanks to having a better understanding of what the end-user likes and wants, writes KARYN STRYBOS. Even though many businesses might have been tempted to focus primarily on social media activities, the reality is that this, along with public relations and email, must form part of an integrated campaign to be truly effective. While social media and PR are…

Three principles to reinforce digital trust in supply chains

30 March 2021

Categories: Newsletters

Cyber-threats are increasing with the transformation of digital life in the wake of the pandemic. A risk-based approach is needed to safeguard the software and systems that underlie digital supply chains. The procurement process, third-party agreements and source code are areas of concern, write GEORGES DE MOURA and CHRISTOPHE BLASSIAU. The ongoing digital transformation has opened up a whole new way of living and working. As deeper performance insights and new levels of connectivity allow businesses to reap the benefits of breakthrough technologies, the world is becoming faster, more flexible and more efficient. This shift is creating a global…

Creating strategic, inclusive and sustainable supply chains in Africa will reap benefits beyond Covid-19

29 March 2021

Categories: Newsletters

That there are issues around transporting the Covid-19 vaccines around Africa is in no doubt. A lack of infrastructure, remote rural locations, the need for cold chain storage and under-developed supply chains will present challenges. But, says NACHI MENDELOW, if Africa gets this right, it will set the continent upon on a new and more efficient economic path. Benjamin Kagina, Senior Research Officer for the Vaccines For Africa Initiative housed in UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences, put it in a nutshell when he recently told The Conversation, “Most low-income countries do not have the necessary cold chain infrastructure for…

Is political correctness stifling creativity and humour in advertising?

29 March 2021

Categories: Newsletters

The recent banning of a Windhoek beer ad featuring movie action man Gerard Butler inspired many a conversation. Some say it was harmless, just men in a bar being men. Others believe it was darker, and a fine example of toxic masculinity at play. GLENDA NEVILL asks the Advertising Regulatory Body and advertising agencies whether political correctness is taking the creativity and humour out of advertising. The banning of the Windhoek beer ad by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) resulted in “unprecedented” and “vitriolic” attacks on Twitter. This is true of other ads deemed racist, sexist, ageist or any…

Journal of Strategic Marketing Newsletter – March 2021

29 March 2021

Categories: Newsletters

Journal of Strategic Marketing Newsletter – March 2021 A NOTE ON MARKETING THE FUTURE This issue of the Journal of Strategic Marketing went live just a couple of days after South Africa marked a year in various levels of lockdown. A year such as 2020 demands reflection on so many levels: how society has changed and is managing this change, the wide-ranging impact on education, the need for digital transformation to speed up and the divide to be bridged as soon as possible, how business is responding to a different world and how innovation and agility has never been more…

Journal of Strategic Marketing Newsletter – January 2021

22 January 2021

Categories: Newsletters

Journal of Strategic Marketing Newsletter – January 2021 A NOTE ON MARKETING THE FUTURE It is 12 months since news first started coming out of Wuhan in China about a deadly virus, one that took just a few weeks to become a pandemic. It’s been a year of living dangerously, much of it in lockdown. We have a coronavirus vaccine on the horizon, but are still in the dark in South Africa as to how it will be rolled out, and how long it will take to get the majority of our population vaccinated. The rollout will be one of…

One for the road: Significant business implications lie ahead for the alcohol industry and its marketing ecosystem

22 January 2021

Categories: Newsletters

The advertising and marketing of alcohol is not currently subject to legislation. But the National Liquor Amendment Bill is with the dtic minister, and if it passes, could have a profound impact on the way in which the alcohol industry markets its wares, writes INGRID LOUW. That South Africa is a nation of heavy drinkers is not disputed. The country is ranked as the sixth biggest drinking nation in the world by the World Health Organisation in terms of average alcohol consumption. Excessive drinking poses a significant health and lifestyle risk for many, and has a concomitant negative impact…

Finding the true north of your 2021 brand strategy: The African edition

22 January 2021

Categories: Newsletters

There’s a long road to recovery ahead, which will doubtless see brands face new challenges and opportunities in Africa, and in Kenya and Nigeria in particular. KATE NJOROGI and NDEYE DIAGNE look at how findings from Kantar’s Global Business Compass can help brands navigate the unknown. With CMOs under increasing pressure to prove the effectiveness of the strategies they’ve put in place for the coming months, evidence-based decision-making is more essential now than ever. Kantar’s sub-Saharan Africa findings emanating from our Global Business Compass can help brands navigate the unknown with insights to contextualise, align and inform their recovery…

The Rise of Live Streaming in Marketing: Engaging Your Audience in Real-Time

The Human Element in Supply Chain: How Soft Skills Impact Success

Marketing Fails and Lessons Learned: What Not to Do in Your Campaigns

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Journal of Strategic Marketing Newsletter – March 2021

Journal of Strategic Marketing Newsletter – January 2021

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