The Shame of Fools
Whoever did the “Quad Squad” campaign; you deserve to be in a wheelchair. Who in their right mind takes a project like National Disabled Day and turns it into something resembling a lucky packet competition? 10 Mar 2004
Has 5fm chosen the right target group?
Recent changes in the 5fm radio station has caused major changes in the pattens of demographic groups - is their positioning correct? 7 Mar 2004
Patronising Holcim Ad
A real squirming-with-shame ad in which the sum total of a young man's ambition seems to be laying bricks with Holcim cement. 4 Mar 2004
Sasol Milk Bottles
Highly watchable and entertaining ad but does it sell fictitious milk bottles or does it build the brand? 3 Mar 2004
Does one need a PR company to get press releases published?
If the product is innovative and exciting enough, surely newspapers and magazines will be easily convinced to write about it? 1 Mar 2004
Oscar Blunder...Who's to blame?
So, watching the four-hour long Oscar last night was great. It all ended in a glorious Charlize winning, and also Peter Jackson winning best director, making it a first for a Fantasy Film. 1 Mar 2004
Specialists
Advertising is a creative field yet students are still taught to follow one specialised discipline (copywriting, art directing, etc). Can creative people not be creative across a variety of disciplines? 23 Feb 2004
Tobacco Advertising or Not??
Well, Zuma took it away....a few jobs, and a few smaller agencies have seen the effect on the smaller guy, due to the ejection of Tobacco Advertising revenue. Did you feel it? 19 Feb 2004
The Problem with ''Embedded'' Journalists
"The last time he was a 'committed' Journalist, but now a 'high-flying' Public Relations executive". Are these areas the same? 11 Feb 2004
Judging a mag by its cover (and its ads)
The editor of Fairlady, Ann Donald, says that they will no longer be accepting ads for miracle weight-loss products. 9 Feb 2004
The Tastic ad with the Daschund
Can the ASA really take complaints about this one seriously? 2 Feb 2004
SABC's 3Bee Loyalty Campaign
I was already getting irritated with the distracting banners SABC3 continually run across the screen when programming is running late, and now we also have some little character bouncing around ... 2 Feb 2004
Fast foods and obesity
Fast food consumption went up in the nineties in line with the increase in obesity and diabetes. 1 Feb 2004
Job offers and rejections
What if a company advertises for a position, you apply, they show great interest, but then suddenly they stop and go quiet? Is this not poor professional conduct? 28 Jan 2004
Healthcare Advertising - you should be paying attention
As a highly-specialised form of advertising, why does healthcare advertising and the important role it plays in educating and influencing remain the poor cousin of mainstream advertising? 20 Jan 2004
IEC not in touch with SA roots
Is local not lekker for IEC after ten years of democracy? There is an IEC re-registor advert running on radio which encourages people to vote. The peculiar thing is the voice is that of American R&B singer. 16 Jan 2004
Open markets in SA
Are you happy with this monopoly system driving the country's economy, or do we need open markets? We should vote for politicians who will give competition a run in this country. 15 Jan 2004
Bank on South Africa
FNB have a new campaign promoting South Africa with reasons to bank on our country. 13 Jan 2004
Do these 'feel-good' ads really inspire goodwill?
The latest Shell ad lauds Shell's Public Affairs manager for his involvement in developmental and educational projects in Southern Africa. 8 Jan 2004
TV slots and dodgy advertising
What must be arguably THE WORST ad on TV at the moment!! There is an ad that I have seen a few times now on the telly. It is for some funny sweet manufacturer and involves two minutes or so of a kid dressed up as a ringmaster droning on about various examples of sweets. 4 Jan 2004
The new Cell-C campaign
Am I the only one out there who thinks that NO-ONE talks like they do in these ads? Not even the age group projected in the campaign knows what's going on! 16 Dec 2003
Xmas parties - Drinking & driving
I have been in the industry for quite a while and the amount of drinking at industry functions, followed by inebriated people driving home, has never ceased to amaze me. Media owners, clients, agencies etc. invite their guests to come have a good time with them (which more often than not means having loads to drink), but don't seem to care how these valued guests get home. 1 Dec 2003
What's up with retail ads in general?
Sure, you get some good ads - retail - but why are most so crap, that they totally put you off a product. 18 Nov 2003
Original ideas
Is it really true that great minds think alike or is it just that great ideas are adopted over and over again. 10 Nov 2003
Viral marketing examples
There has been a recent debate on what exactly is Viral Marketing. Here is an open forum to list all creative examples of Viral Marketing that you have come accross, not only in the online world. 9 Nov 2003
New DROS commercial - completely inappropriate voice-over
Has anybody seen the new Dros Restaurants commercial in which the people (and the restaurant chain) are portrayed as fiercely patriotic South Africans? 6 Nov 2003
Holding advertising accountable
If advertising is to be seen as an investment and not an expense, surely agencies should do more to show evidence of the link between their work and their client's business imperatives. 16 Oct 2003
''Account managers have become highly paid messengers''
''They do not contribute strategically to my brand, they do not understand the media options and their strengths, they do not provide good service and they defend expensive advertising proposals made by the ad agency without considering alternative solutions.'' 9 Oct 2003
ThisDay launched on 7 October - will it survive?
It is a national daily at R3.00/issue. Will advertisers support it? How does the first few issues look? The focus is quality news with daily copy from the London Times and New York Times. Sharing African focused content with the Nigerian This Day should also raise the quality and reduce costs. 9 Oct 2003
