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Marketers must live their brand positioning

8 January 2019
Categories: General, Uncategorized

South Africa’s banking sector is facing significant disruption from new technologies, changing consumer habits and aggressive newcomers. Perhaps innovative marketing is the answer. Mike Simpson chats to Nedbank’s Khensani Nobanda. As South Africa’s traditional ‘big four’ banks struggle to meet the challenges being posed by multiple disruptors – ranging from upstart Capitec to the digital-only branchless offering of TymeDigital and the impending launch of Discovery Bank – there is one key strategy that the bank’s marketing teams should follow. They need to live their brand positioning. Khensani Nobanda, Group Executive: Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Nedbank, believes that the…

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Interview with Pepe Marais

21 December 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

Co-founder and owner of South Africa’s largest independent advertising firm Joe Public, Pepe Marais’s recently published book Growing Greatness is part autobiography, part account of the rise, fall and rise of Joe Public, and part how-to guide to discovering the deeper purpose of a business. Tracey McDonald proposed I write a book about entrepreneurship. One of my firm beliefs is that you can’t close the poverty gap in SA without creating more entrepreneurs…[so] the broader intention of this book was to inspire people towards entrepreneurship. But there is a deeper reason behind the book, and that is to inspire any…

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To disrupt or not to disrupt? That is the question

15 December 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

We are living in times of change and unpredictability, and this social milieu translates into a drive to disrupt. Disruption is in vogue within the marketing fraternity and is frequently the go-to for almost every brand strategy. This creates hype, but how many brands actually disrupt their market landscape? More importantly, is it in every brand’s best interest to disrupt, asks Maria Petousis. If we think about how society experiences disruption, it leaves us feeling a little confused, unfocused and disengaged. Disruption brings chaos and uncertainty. It is not closely linked with trust and loyalty, yet brands want loyal consumers…

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Change is inevitable (except from a vending machine)

5 December 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

Boardroom Bingo relieves the tedium of those seemingly aimless and endless management meetings like nothing you’ve tried before – other than a Valium smoothie. The Boardroom version is just like regular bingo, except that instead of someone calling out random numbers printed on ping-pong balls, you mark your card whenever a piece of hideous business jargon escapes from the lips of one of the overly keen yes-men managers smugly sipping their skinny soya cappuccinos around the boardroom table. And believe you me, in this age in which superficiality is admired more than substance, it doesn’t take long for your Boardroom…

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The critical need to improve South Africa’s logistics

26 November 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

The heads of IMM Graduate School’s supply chain and export management believe the future could be in the hands of the young logistics professionals, a view backed up by experts speaking at the recent Transport Forum held at Stellenbosch University.   “Can a logistician be referred to as a professional?” ask Dr Beverley Waugh and Dr Myles Wakeham from the IMM. “We seek to equip school-leavers, and employees and employers already in the workplace, with knowledge and skills to perform their specialised tasks and fulfil their professional roles in the supply chain, in the best possible way…

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Creating sustainable relationships with key clients

19 November 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

Relationships are the key differentiator in the 21st century and brands failing to respond to this will ultimately succumb, write Professors Mari Jansen van Rensburg and Angelo Nicolaides.   Gone are the days of closely guarded designs and confidential pricing structures. Today, it takes a few clicks to download and compare. Markets are global and unhappy clients no longer share their experience with eight friends; instead, they utilise social media and if there is a good story to tell, it may go viral. Transformation is not an option if companies want to evolve so as to thrive in a…

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Technology and convenience define the new face of retailing

24 October 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

Retailing in South Africa is changing dramatically, with the evolution being led by technology and a greater need for convenience. The ‘IMM Journal of Strategic Marketing’ reports in its latest issue (Issue 2 2018) that, in an environment where consumer demands are becoming ever more sophisticated, retailers have turned increasingly to digital technology for solutions. “Digital technology will be the biggest driver of change in retail for the next five to 10 years,” predicts Doug Murray, CEO of The Foschini Group (TFG). Among the group’s brands are clothing chains Foschini and Markham, sports retailer…

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MTN remains SA’s most valuable brand

24 October 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

MTN’s brand value has grown by 8% over the last year to R44.2-billion, maintaining its leadership as South Africa’s most valuable brand, according to the latest report by Brand Finance, the independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy. MTN’s brand value grew primarily because of customers spending more on data services, consistent with a global trend of mobile phones being used to transmit more data at the expense of traditional voice traffic. As a result, MTN’s overall revenue grew by 7.2% last year, with data revenue growing by 34.2%. David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance, commented: “MTN is…

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What matters when marketing to modern moms

24 October 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

Mothers are a powerful and discerning group of consumers, whose diversity demands nuanced consideration by marketers. But, asks the ‘IMM Journal of Strategic Marketing’ in its latest issue (Issue 1 2018) are brands listening to moms? While statistics are hard to come by and consumers are still regularly presented with clichéd images of smiling, supportive moms, Dr Sarah Britten, of marketing agency Labstore South Africa, says that change is afoot in this sector. “Behind the scenes there’s a lot of research into how mothers see the world and what matters to them,” she observes. An example is research undertaken…

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CHOOSE THE RIGHT DISTRIBUTION PARTNER ON THE CONTINENT

3 April 2018
Categories: General, Uncategorized

Companies looking to choose a distribution partner in countries on the African continent face a number of notable challenges – but none of them are insurmountable, the ‘IMM Journal of Strategic Marketing’ reports in its latest issue (Issue 1 2018). Quoting from a Boston Consulting Group study entitled ‘Drawing a Route to Market for Multinationals in Africa’, the magazine says that companies need to be clear on what they expect and must determine the type of partner and type of arrangement they want to pursue. Options that suppliers should consider include the following: Do you opt for end-to-end distribution…

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