The founder of PR-Net, Cape Town publicist, Brian Berkman, was pleased with the first Gauteng event, which will be a regular monthly forum to bring the media and PR industry together and promote communication. The Cape Town events are regularly oversubscribed and already a must on the calendar.
Said Berkman: "I am enthused by the support received from Jo'burg, both in terms of the number people who attended and by the positive comments from people. The more I think about it, the more I believe that we get stronger when we share and not weaker - and I hope that the generous spirit on Wednesday will build PR-Net Gauteng into a strong network like Cape Town's."
Berkman also thanked Bizcommunity.com for its support in publicizing PR-Net events.
In her talk, Myburgh stressed the importance of the element of trust between a magazine and its readers. "You know what you're getting every issue and this degree of trust should not be taken lightly," she said.
Myburgh also announced the move by fashion designer, Jackie Burger from FairLady to Elle, cementing the Elle focus on being at the forefront of fashion on the competitive edge of the magazine industry aimed at women.
Elle was born after independence in South Africa and the lack of historical baggage is highlighted by the demographic split between white and black, being 58% and 42% respectively.
Elle turns eight in South African terms this year but has 38 issues globally and is the number one fashion mag in the world.
In identifying the target market and readership Myburgh describes it as: "First and foremost interested in fashion and being a trendsetter, but also interested in news and other topical items."
Elle started in South Africa as a younger woman's read but has matured and grown slightly older to fit with the average age of 30 and LSM 8-10 catering for the independent woman in her thirties who needs to know what is fashionable.
Addressing the PR industry, Myburgh stressed that practitioners should always bear in mind the reader that Elle is catering for and weigh up news and releases based on the fashion conscious independent woman.
In support of regular media reading, Myburgh drew inspiration from Johnnic magazine publisher, Gisele Wertheim-Aymes, writing in the Sappi Power of Print publication and quoting Bill Gates: "It is pretty unlikely that people will become knowledgeable without being excellent readers. Video and sound... deliver information in compelling ways, but text is one of the best ways to convey details. I make a point to read at least one weekly from cover to cover because it broadens my interests. If I read what intrigues me, I finish the publication the same person I was before I started out. So I read it all."
