Let's not be distracted by 2010 rumours - Themba Maseko
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] As the 2010 fever grips the African continent and South Africa forges ahead with preparations, it seems Afro-pessimists - western media in particular - have also increased their campaign to fuel subjective reports about SA not being ready for 2010. But, speaking at the 2010 National Partnership Communication Conference (NCPC) in Johannesburg today, Wednesday, 30 July 2008, Government spokesperson Themba James Maseko called on all Africans not to be distracted by these rumours and be united and work together to host a successful 2010 soccer event.

Nelson Mandela Bay, Southern Africa Direct team up for 2010 marketing
Taking advantage of the reach of the UK's Sky Digital channel, Nelson Mandela Bay, representing Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch, is positioning itself as the South African destination of choice for British visitors to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Free-to-air television channel Southern Africa Direct is working with Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, the destination marketing organisation for the area, by building and flighting programming which presents their region to potential tourists to attract interest ahead of the soccer tournament. The channel has a tailor-made package that allows for the sharing of costs between the various entities and advertisers that fall within the footprint of that tourism area.

Senior appointments at Draftfcb Johannesburg
Hot on the heels of the appointment of four new executive creative directors at Draftfcb Johannesburg, Jerry Mpufane is joining John Dixon as joint MD of the Johannesburg agency and Neil Lister becomes GM of its experiential and promotions capability, Draftfcb Impact.


FADA Gallery showcases the art of Humanism
A retrospective of work by Gerry Human, Ogilvy South Africa's chief creative officer, is currently up on exhibition at the FADA Gallery, University of Johannesburg, until 13 August 2008. Humanism - the art of selling exhibition comprises work from his student portfolio in 1983 through to current advertising for major brands.

New offices for Page Three Media
Strategic media planning specialist agency Page Three Media has moved into its new offices at Unit 405, The Studio's, Old Castle Breweries, 6 Beach Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, coinciding with the celebration of its first birthday. “The past year has truly been fantastic for us and we have exceeded our forecast expectations. Our client billings are currently at R230 million, which has been accomplished within the past year alone and include media planning for a mix of direct clients and leading creative agencies in Cape Town. Moving into our new contemporary-designed offices at the Old Breweries building is the next milestone for our company!” says Ilan Lazarus of Page Three Media.

Provantage Media celebrates five years - Provantage Media
Provantage Media is celebrating its fifth dynamic year of brand activation, transit media and experiential marketing in South Africa.


HKLM Johannesburg: a whole lot of heart - HKLM
HKLM Johannesburg will be hosting Orange Day on 1 August 2008, when the entire agency will be setting up camp at Cotlands in Turfontein to revamp this renowned children's sanctuary and host a party to celebrate its 72nd birthday.

Another SABS Stamp of Approval for Conexus - Conexus
After a thorough assessment by the SABS, outsourced call centre company Conexus, once again, received its quality certification, ISO 9001:2000.

Shake Interactive SA spreads spirit of Father's Day with The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Shake Interactive
Shake Interactive SA, the Cape Town-based digital and mobile marketing agency, recently ran an online campaign in North America for The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

MTN 2009 scholarships for Rhodes' Media Leadership Institute
The Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership (SPI) at Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies is inviting applications for four scholarships from South African students who wish to register for the SPI's Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM) in 2009.

Customer Service Communications Training - Janine Lazarus Media Consultancy
Today's technology allows your business to handle more customer service than ever before, but if your team falls short on efficient communications skills, the only thing your organisation will derive from all this technology is a questionable ability to serve your customers. What this means is that you not only lose customers - you lose profits.

Events - building relationships, not just collecting cards
[Karen Ashwin] It used to be that you went to events to collect leads. Nowadays it's not about leads and exchanging as many business cards as possible; it is rather about relationship building and experiential marketing, whereby a consumer is immersed directly in a brand experience.

Mpumalanga tourism title contract awarded
An empowerment consortium led by grassroots publisher HomeGrown Magazines has been awarded a three-year exclusive licence to publish Mpumalanga's official tourism magazine. HomeGrown JV will publish the Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency (MTPA)'s Sunrise magazine and affiliated products launching with a Spring 2008 edition and running until July 2011 - covering the crucial period over the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

2008 Vodacom Women in The Media winners
Talk Radio 702 station manager Phaladi Gwangwa was the overall winner of this year's Vodacom Women in The Media Awards, Redi Direko was presented with the Vodacom Rising Star Award and veteran journalist and well-known social columnist Gwen Gill received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards took place yesterday, Tuesday, 29 July 2008, in Johannesburg.

JD Internet Consulting announces arrival of new Nimue website - JD Internet Consulting
The Nimue website has a completely new look and is intended to be much easier to use, full of new information designed with the salon owner end-users in mind.

The Loerie Awards: Advertising people get plastered - juju
This year's Loeries weekend was the biggest yet and there are already many impressive behind-the-scenes statistics. For example, there were more drunk people covered in juju stickers on Saturday night than at any previous point in the history of alcohol, juju stickers and Margate.

World Cup update - loadshedding, interest rates and inflation reduces optimism - TNS Research Surveys
In mid-February 2008, marketing and social insights company TNS Research Surveys asked a sample of 2000 metropolitan adults (aged 18 years and older) to give their views on some key issues around the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

SACSC honours regional stores
The 2008 Western Cape Special Star Awards gala event took place last week at the Grand West Casino in Cape Town, showing off the best that shopping centres in the Cape have to offer. Introduced by the South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) in 2006, the awards honour those retailers and service providers in each region which deliver an exceptional level of customer service and contribute to the South African shopping centre industry.


South Africa to view live televised open heart surgery - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA
In a move it hopes will motivate South Africans into taking preventative action, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa has announced it will make history by televising a live broadcast of a two-hour single bypass open heart surgery on national television on Saturday, 2 August 2008.

SABC to broadcast 2008 Beijing Paralymic Games
The SABC, through its platform SABC Sport, will also be broadcasting the 2008 Paralympic Games on SABC 2. The Paralympics Games will begin on Saturday, 6 September 2008, with a live broadcast of the opening ceremony 2pm - 5pm. “As the SABC, we are consciously aware of the unifying power of sports and the broadcast of the 2008 Olympics bears testament to the organisation's vision of ‘Broadcasting for Total Citizen Empowerment' through the empowerment of exposure and enjoyment of different sporting codes,” says Kaizer Kganyago, SABC spokesperson.