Thursday 8 November 2012

Trend-watching online portal launched for local marketing communications industry

Published: 1 November 2012

Leading industry editors and publishers, Louise Marsland and Herman Manson have joined forces to launch TREND. – a trend-watching, market intelligence and research online portal and free resource for the media, advertising and marketing communications industry in South Africa.
The portal goes live on Thursday, 1 November 2012 and will track and publish consumer data and trends across the media, advertising and marketing communications industry, including original in-depth trend reports combining the best of local and international research contextualised for the South African market with interviews with thought leaders and experts.

The focus will be on consumer and media data, consumer and industry trends and market intelligence, across retail, media, marketing, digital innovation, and so on.

Marsland, a media veteran with 25 years’ experience across print and online journalism, who has edited industry media brands such as AdVantage, Bizcommunity.com and Marketing Mix, honed her critical thinking skills with a Masters of Commerce degree in Strategy and Organisational Dynamics through the Leadership Centre of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The degree was presented in conjunction with the UK’s Open University and the Copenhagen School of Business.

TREND. will be the ‘go-to’ place for the media, marketing and advertising industry, as well as business leaders and anyone else seeking rich data, research and in-depth analysis of local and international trends across the industry. We will interrogate industry data, presenting it in an exciting and accessible format, in conjunction with the expertise of our content partners and own journalistic acumen. Reports will range from weekly impactful, trend reports, to in-depth exclusive research with drop down menus for easy search on a variety of relevant industry issues and topics,” says Marsland.

Manson, who edits and publishes the independent and widely respected media, marketing and advertising industry website, Marklives.com, is a former publisher of Brand magazine and editor of Media Toolbox. MarkLives will serve as a strategic publishing partner to TREND.

TREND. will serve as a central curated resource for local and international marketing and media research as well as create its own unique in-depth reports that sources and charts influential modern trends marketers and their agencies need to note,” explains Manson.

The duo have had positive feedback from the market already, with leading industry brands taking up an initial advertising sponsorship offering, including: Machine, John Brown Media, Quirk Education, Ornico Media and 60 Layers of Cake.

Content partnerships with agencies and research houses will see TREND. providing exclusive research and predicting trends, as well as reporting on them.

The first in-depth Dissect report to be published on TREND., ‘Socialising Enterprise’ focuses on social media. Compiled by Marsland and sponsored by Quirk, the report sets forth the effects of a socialised consumer base and how modern enterprise needs to adapt and integrate ‘social’ across all platforms. Content is broken down in readily digestible pieces for the busy executive.

TREND. will also be trendsetting in itself, setting benchmarks with design elements and online advertising with full screen display ads.

“The intensive research and process thinking my degree demanded made me a better journalist, interested in research and how innovation and ideas emerge in organisations. With TREND. I’m combining my love of journalism and passion for the media, marketing and advertising industry, with my fascination for rich data and the thought leadership and creativity around how trends emerge,” concludes Marsland.

For more information, visit
www.trendlives.info.