Last week, in Cape Town and Johannesburg, The SpaceStation, South Africa's premium digital media sales company, hosted Digital Salt, focusing on digital publishing and advertising.
Delegates at Digital Salt in JHB
Jerusha Sukhdeo-Raath, Head of Video at 24.com
Digital Salt's panel of experts
An industry first for the South African media world, Digital Salt was developed as a result of a clear need for insights beyond our day-to-day knowledge around advertising on digital platforms. Says SpaceStation CEO, Gustav Goosen: “While digital is the fastest growing advertising sector globally and is no longer a new addition to SA’s advertising stable, it is unfortunately still seen, by some, as an add-on or after-thought to traditional media. A lot of this perception can be attributed to a lack of understanding and experience around the platform.”
The Digital Salt speakers unpacked topics like (amongst others) online consumer trends that impact business; why mobile and video are so massive and how you can effectively harness that power; how digital publishing is meeting online consumer demands and how data and insight can inform business decisions and refine how we communicate.
Digital Salt’s highly experienced panel of experts included:, Adriaan Basson, Editor-in-Chief of News24, Cathryn Reece, Head of Product Development at 24.com, Willem van der Merwe, Digital Publisher of Media24 Lifestyle, Myles Brown, Head of Brand Studio @ 24.com, Jerusha Sukhdeo-Raath, Head of Video at 24.com and Gustav Goosen, CEO of The SpaceStation.
Some key points from some of the panelists included:
Reece who spoke on mobile trends, tactics and innovations said: “Innovation in isolation is vanity but innovation at scale is gold. Usefulness is a key driver of uplift and engagement – the trick is to know your market (what are the specific dynamics driving your consumer interest and how can you solve their problem?).”
Sukhdeo-Raath who spoke about online video said: “There’s no ‘right’ way to do online video. South Africans are ready to watch different lengths, formats and quality as long as we’re giving them what they want; in the format they want it; when they want it. It’s our job to figure out what that is and meet the demand.”
Van der Merwe talked about the power of content to entertain, inform and engage and the difference between publishers and content marketers: “There is a big, big difference between using content to market your products and services to consumers, and actually being in the business of content. When content IS your product, and not just a means to an end, in other words when you are a publisher in the true sense, the exchange between the reader and the brand is truly authentic.”
Digital Salt took place on the 21 June (Cape Town) and 23 June (Johannesburg).
About The SpaceStation:
The SpaceStation is the largest premium display advertising sales house in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A Naspers’ lead digital media sales company in Africa, through an innovative partnership between 24.com and DStv Media Sales, The SpaceStation is able to offer clients – whether advertisers or media planners – an effective, single point of access to the biggest online and mobile portals in Africa.
Their full service team of more than 40 staff offer creative, customised, innovative and engaging advertising solutions to strategically targeted audiences across a range of premium digital platforms including web, mobile, app, email and interactive TV. This provides the opportunities for powerful cross platform and multi-channel integration of campaigns.
With over 24 million International and 13 million South African Unique Browsers each month, The SpaceStation exclusively represents more than 40 of Africa's favourite websites, mobi-sites and mobile apps, affording their clients unrivalled, strategic and competitive access to Africa's online population.
