In the cut-throat world of advertising, David is taking on Goliath. Small advertising agencies are defying the odds, gaining traction in the industry and challenging the dominance of their larger peers. With a nimble and often more innovative approach, these small shops are disrupting the traditional advertising landscape through agility, creativity and mostly a more personalised […]
Category Archives: Advertising
16
Apr
Apr
The use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots — computer programs designed to simulate conversation with human users over the internet — is already affecting the local advertising industry. Increasingly, agencies are using the technology to target customers with personalised advertisements and offers based on their individual needs. This will inevitably help reduce the cost of […]
23
Mar
Mar
Stereotyping in advertising is rife, it seems, with certain roles and tasks still being exclusively attributed to men or women. And while it’s nothing like the gender depiction in the 1950s and 1960s, which would be deemed offensive today, women are still shown predominantly in domestic or family settings that bear little resemblance to modern […]
16
Mar
Mar
With South Africa on the edge of recession after a larger than expected contraction in GDP, many senior marketers are re-examining their strategic planning and budget allocation. The country’s economy declined 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2022 — three times more than the market consensus estimate of a 0.4% drop. Several marketers tell the […]
01
Mar
Mar
How a leading South African agency is navigating the challenges of artificial intelligence and using technology to carve out a new agency model The flurry of panic that filled our timelines in the wake of the introduction of ChatGPT was inescapable. Are copywriters redundant? Has the industry been subsumed by artificial intelligence? Do we even […]
23
Feb
Feb
It’s not often those in the advertising and marketing industry are blunt and critical. It’s a sector partly built on smoke, mirrors, spin, and client retention at all costs. And so, when a little honesty is handed down, it’s not only refreshing but should be taken seriously. César Vacchiano, president and CEO of Scopen, a […]
16
Feb
Feb
The purpose of advertising agencies has long been debated. Are they purely in the business of creating, planning, and handling advertising (and sometimes other) forms of promotion and marketing? Or has the remit now moved beyond that — to become a valued business partner, steeped in its client’s operations as well as providing intelligence and […]
12
Dec
Dec
Advertising campaigns are starting to feature more characters who identify as gay or transgender, but there is still a sense of inauthenticity or misrepresentation of queer people in advertisements. This has prompted groundbreaking research by Khangelani Dziba from the agency RAPT Creative. He says while the global advertising industry is adopting a “queer identity lens” […]
Advertising, Awards, Brands, Marketing, Uncategorised
Landing It in Ad Land: The Brains Behind Effective Advertising
07
Dec
Dec
On the Trophies The Effie Awards celebrate excellence in marketing effectiveness. This year’s winners all have one thing in common: a desire to create work that works – meeting key objectives, inspiring positive action, changing behaviour and making a real difference. Clear leaders have emerged, driven by instinct, insight and a healthy respect for long-term […]
01
Dec
Dec
An internal spat at the Association for Communication & Advertising (ACA) over a board director’s public criticism of the annual Loeries Awards has left some in the industry questioning the relevance of advertising’s representative body. One senior ACA board member tells the FM the ACA is seen by some as anachronistic, representing traditional old-school agencies […]