POLITICS

"Avatar Durban launches • #BrandFocus: Rooibos Council • Black (owned) agencies left behind by MAC Charter • Snr industry appointments" - MarkLives

And other top advertising, media and marketing news, analysis and opinion on the website for this week and last, including…

On the Radar:

-Wunderman Thompson SA announces chief strat officer
-Heineken SA expands local management team
-SheSays survey on gender representation in adland
-Assegai Awards 2019 winners

Features:

Avatar expands with new Durban office
by MarkLives. Avatar Agency Group (formerly Avatar South Africa) has announced that it is opening a new office in Morningside, Durban.

#BrandFocus: Rooibos — the tea that’s not a tea
by Sabrina Forbes. “Rooibos tea isn’t actually a tea. The plant is from the legume family,” says Adele du Toit, Rooibos Council media and communications director.

Brands & Branding: Brand-building — key lessons & insights from Nashua
by Dr Doug Mattheus. Building a company starts by offering a solution to the needs of others. Building a brand is more complex, with many different approaches to success.

Q5: Cracking open the beer market, with Silke Bucker [interview]
by Carey Finn. The Castle Lite Africa brand director talks change in a gendered drinking environment, as well as where the beer is going. 

#BrandFocus: Snacking made right — from generous joy to sustainability
by Sabrina Forbes. In South Africa, Mondelēz International employs 700 people and Cadbury Dairy Milk (and its entire range), Stimorol, Chappies, Halls, Oreo, Dentyne and Lunch Bar, to name a few, are household brands.

Columns:

By Invitation Only: Black (owned) agencies left behind by MAC Charter
by Mxolisi G Buthelezi. In her book, “Who’s Afraid of Affirmative Action”, Christine Qunta laments that black people still find themselves in need of affirmative action. Adland is no exception.

Masterclass Notes: Why questions matter in client/agency relationships
by Johanna McDowell. Over the last 15 years, it has become clear to me that ad agencies are failing to ask as many questions as perhaps they should — something especially obvious in a pitch process.

Back2Basics: Your B2B brand — distinctive or different?
by Mark Eardley. I’ve been reading a lot in the B2B marketing media about “distinctiveness”. It’s all proclaiming the higher branding power of being distinctive, rather than merely different.

Frank: Freaking out — is it us or them?
by Mimi Nicklin. Every day, I read someone else’s panicked LinkedIn status talking about how we need to adapt to the “changing media landscape” or “diversified consumer behaviour”. Yawn. 

SA TV Ratings:
-SABC 3 — primetime top 20 for Sep 2019

Go to MarkLives.com for breaking news, exclusive industry opinioncompany news and jobsSign up now for the thrice-weekly MarkLives newsletter, including Ramify.biz headlines! Follow MarkLives on TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterest and YouTubeFind an agency that matches your project needs!Ramify.biz — connecting marketers, agencies and service suppliers free of charge in South Africa, Namibia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. Free listings and premium profiles available.