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.

Collect-a-Can rewards tertiary students

Collect-a-Can's Artistic Expression Competition, which has been running for a number of years as a school competition, has now been opened to tertiary education students instead and will reward students' creative efforts with prizes, which include an Apple MacBook, an Apple iPad and an Apple iPhone.

This new competition, aptly named the Art-Can-Win competition, encourages students to create a print advert for the brand. The winning entry will form part of its 2013 national advertising campaign.

"South Africa's youth mean a great deal to the company and we relish the opportunity to engage with tertiary level students," says Zimasa Velaphi, PR and marketing manager of the company. "The competition encourages entrants to become cognisant of the important work that the company is doing through the recovery of used cans, not only by benefitting the environment but also by creating jobs and building environmental awareness."

The competition will run until 31 October 2012 and is open to tertiary level students only. Entry forms are available on the website www.collectacan.co.za.

Calling all writers

As a writer, you have stories which need time and space to be told - more than the 1200 words you might be able to get in a newspaper or magazine, right? And the burden and cost of writing a book make it difficult to go this route. Right again? Mampoer.co.za is offering a solution, a new format which will allow you to write with depth but at a length that is great for both writers and readers. We believe this is the format of the future: between 5000 and 15 000 words, something which can be read in a single sitting, delivered electronically.

Mampoer.co.za will offer top quality South African non-fiction writing, sold directly to the public via the Web. Run by Anton Harber, Irwin Manoim, Fred Withers, Antony Altbeker and Noko Magkato, it will produce and market the material and writers will earn a cut from ever copy sold.

It has commissioned some work to be ready to launch but it needs more writers and topics. It wants sport, and health, business and politics: life in general. It wants great material with a South African flavour. And this is where you - the writer - come in.

Fastest rising search terms from South Africans on Google

With the help of Google Insights for Research we are publishing the top 10 searched for phrases (minus the sexy stuff of course) by South Africans on Google over the previous seven days. A look at the fastest rising searches show the weather was top of mind for most South Africans as snow and heavy rain blanketed the country. The Olympics featured with searches for Caster Semenya and Usain Bolt making a bolt for it.

Fast Rising searches

1. snow in johannesburg Breakout 2. curiosity +1,500% 3. caster semenya +550% 4. weather 24 +300% 5. usain bolt +250% 6. sa weather +160% 7. weather +130% 8. psl +120% 9. news 24 +60% 10. cape town weather +50%

Note: Curiosity – name of Mars rover
Top 25 search terms

1.facebook

2. google

3. you

4. youtube

5. facebook login

6.weather

7. gumtree

8. games

9. olympics

10. gmail

11. news

12. game

13. yahoo

14. absa

15. fnb

16. love

17. olympics 2012

18. standard bank

19. news24

20. sars

21. whatsapp

22. maps

23. mxit

24. cars

25.samsung

Source: Google Insights for Search
* The Insights for Search map is intended for general analysis of volume patterns.
* When you see Breakout listed instead of an actual percentage, it means that the search term has experienced a change in growth greater than 5000%.

12 Lessons from KONY 2012 from Social Media Power Users

The KONY 2012 video has clocked more than 43 million views in only two days on YouTube, which is fairly amazing considering 1) it’s about something most people have never heard of and 2) it’s a half-an-hour long. (The average viral video on YouTube is two minutes or less.) This earnest effort to bring Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony to justice and free the thousands of “invisible children” that he has abducted and pressed into soldiering and sex-slavery has encountered a fair amount of blowback as well.

Most criticism focuses on their finances and the relatively small proportion of donated funds that go to actual in-country programs in Africa. The group behind the video, Invisible Children, Inc., (IC) has issued a detailed rebuttal to the backlash including a detailed breakdown of its finances. Most of the issues go away, I think, if you look at the group as a social media startup (whose main product is conflict reduction) rather than a purely humanitarian organization.

More troubling are the possible unforeseen implications of the project’s success. First, some critics have pointed out that IC’s presentation of the situation in Uganda is dangerously oversimplified. Joseph Kony, for instance, has not been in Uganda for many years and could be hiding in the bush in one of three neighboring countries. My favorite of the debunkers is Jack McDonald on his King of War blog, who shows that the area to be reconnoitered is equivalent to the size of the State of South Carolina. Think of how long we looked for Osama Bin Ladin in similarly murky circumstances. Second, what happens if this effort succeeds? Will foreign policy be guided by social media fiat? Think of how the citizens’ initiatives have bolloxed  up California politics. I am not a foreign policy expert. I am interested in how IC is using social media to achieve their goals, not in debating those goals themselves. Suffice to say, even the harshest critics acknowledge the group’s good intentions. And in terms of their use of media, they clearly know what they are doing or else this current debate would not even exist.
IC make their vision of activism seem joyful and unconflicted. As 350.org founder Bill McKibben says of changing the world, “the secret is to have more fun than other people have.” ICs visibility projects owe a lot to the successes of 350.org in mobilizing people around the world to address climate change. There large-scale public actions have shown that doing social good doesn’t have to involve self-flagellation and hair-shirts. What both groups have in common is a native embrace of the virality of social media to get their message across.

In fact, if IC has any real hidden agenda it is less likely about wanting to draw the U.S. into armed conflict in Africa and more likely to be an advertising relationship with Facebook. Feature by feature, from the like counter to the new timeline, KONY 2012 shows how Facebook can be used to engineer social change.

So what can social media startups, and practitioners of social media of all sorts, learn from KONY 2012? Here are 12 lessons in the order that they appear in the video (with time markers for easy reference):

1. Be Positive: The first part of the video just shows people connecting with each other, the birth of a baby, the pride of parenthood and the value of friendship. Joseph Kony doesn’t even appear until 8:46.

2. Get Their Attention: Early on [1:38] the voiceover tells you, “The next 27 minutes are an experiment. But in order for it to work, you have to pay attention.” A bit presumptuous, but you’ve been warned.

3. Make It Personal: At 1:55 we see a child being born in what looks like an American hospital, and by 2:39 we understand the identity of the voiceover and the baby: ”My name is Jason Russell and this is my son, Gavin.”

4. Invoke the Mainstream Media: KONY 2012 is peppered with references to “old media” for validation. ”This has been going on for years?” Russell says on camera in Uganda. “If that happened one night in America it would be on the cover of Newsweek.” [5:56] There’s and a fake TIME cover of Kony that reads “Worst in the World,” next to a real TIME cover of supporter George Clooney [23:35] and a fabricated New York Times front page that reads “KONY CAPTURED” [22:27].

5. Pull the Heartstrings: Russell uses his son, Gavin, and his young Ugandan friend, Jacob, for raw plays on emotion: Jacob’s is introduced through Gavin’s pointing to picture on wall and saying, “Jacob is our friend in Africa” [3:56]; Jacob is the first thing you see on the Invisible Children’s Facebook timeline [4:00]; Jacob breaks down in wailing sobs when discussing his despair at living and the murder of his brother [7:14]. It’s manipulative, yes, but boy does it work.

6. Make it Time Sensitive: at 8:40 the screen announces, “Expires December 31, 2012.”  There is no explanation in the video of what that means, or what the benefit would be of the video being vaporized from the internet at the stroke of midnight, but the expiration date is clearly meant to convey a sense of immediacy. The theme song also reinforces the sense of compulsion with the refrain, “I Can’t Stop” [26.52].

 7. Make It Simple: In what is perhaps the video’s greatest coup (and also, perhaps, its undoing) we see five-year-old Gavin’s reactions to father’s explanation of who Joseph Kony is and what the war’s about [9:19]. The “bad guy” forces these children to do “bad things” against their will. How does he feel about that? “Sad.”

 

8. Make It Real (Briefly): After he explains Kony to his son in a simplified manner, he gives the grownups a bit more detail. “Kony abducts kids just like Gavin,” we are told [10:50]. “For 26 years Kony has been kidnapping children into his rebel group the LRA, turning the girls into sex slave and the boys into child soldiers. He makes them mutilate people’s faces.” We see a rapid fire slideshow of ten horrifically slashed faces. “And he forces them to kill their own parents.” OK, I get the point, really bad guy.

9. Give it Scale: “And this is not a few children. It has been over 30,000 of them.” We zoom out from a closeup of a few Ugandan children to a crowd of thousands. [11:39] Similarly, the point of the video is to get Kony’s name and picture in front of millions of people around the world through hundreds of thousands of posters, stickers and (since it’s election time) lawn signs.

10. Use Celebrities: IC has identified 20 “culture makers” and 12 “policy makers” to “target” to help get the word out (20 + 12, get it?) [23:16]. The 20 culture makers run the psychographic gamut: Oprah, Mark Zuckerberg, Lady GaGa, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Gates, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Rick Warren, Ellen Degeneres, Ben Affleck, Rihanna, Stephen Colbert, Warren Buffet, Taylor Swift, Ryan Seacrest, Tim Tebow, Rush Limbaugh(!) and Bono. The 12 policy makers cant somewhat to the right: George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, John Kerry, Bill Clinton, Harry Reid, John Boehner, Kay Granger, Mitt Romney, Stephen Harper, Ban Ki-Moon, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Patrick Leahy. Although Clooney appears on camera, it is unclear what the rest of these people’s relationship is to IC, though their visual inclusion does imply a certain assumed validation.

11. Create Events: The video wheels out poster artist (and now convicted criminal) Shepard Fairey to say, “Here are these really simple tools. Go out and rock it.” [25:00] This sets up the major focus of this viral video effort, to get people to sign up and receive “action kits” to be used on the night of April 20th for an overnight postering session called “Cover the Night.” [26:36] Widely publicized public vandalism in the name of political change is not the kind of event every social media entity would choose, but it seems to fit the ethos of this group. The fresh faced activists in the video seem to be unconcerned that some of their wheat pasting might be considered vandalism, but so be it.

12. Make It Easy: The video ends with the obligatory call to action: “The better world we want is coming. It’s just waiting for us to stop at nothing. There are three things you can do right now.” [29:25] “1. Sign the pledge to show your support” (that’s easy) “2. Get the bracelet and the action kit” (how?) “3. Sign up for Tri to donate a few dollars a month” (oh, that’s easy too) BUT, when you click on the donate button there’s a message below the donation options that says, “A minimum monthly commitment of $15 is required to receive the Kony 2012 Action Kit with your TRI membership. Due to the overwhelming response to KONY 2012 your kit delivery is not guaranteed before April 20th.” Not quite the same the “few dollars a month” they keep referring to in the video! And if you don’t sign up for the monthly plan you can’t order a kit a la carte. You can, however, download and print kit materials for free (easy!)

What’s impressive about KONY 2012 is the craft of all the pieces of their campaign: the film making, the graphic design, the web sites, the Facebook page, Twitter hashtags, you name it. But, like any practitioners of craft it’s always possible to be self satisfied or to think, like Socrates’ tradesmen that one knows more than one does. Will they make Kony “world news”? They already have. Will a bunch of people poster in April? Fairey [sic] likely! Will all of that visibility translate into Kony’s capture and trial? Not at all clear.

The fact is that social media has changed the world, but perhaps in more superficial ways than we first assume. Far from leveling all hierarchy, it just shifts it around some. Joseph Kony is so manifestly evil because he commits crimes of hierarchy: forcing the child to kill the parent, making children soldiers and sex slaves (in other words, making the child not a child). But in this new global social media hierarchy, it is still these American practitioners that are calling the shots.

So despite the assertion that, “The people of the world can see each other and can protect each other. It’s turning the world upside down and it changes everything.” [27:32] Or the head investigator for the International Criminal Court saying, “We’re living in a new world. A Facebook world in which 750 million people are sharing ideas. Not thinking in borders. It’s a global community, bigger than U.S.” [27:41] Or “That the technology that has brought the world together is allowing us to respond to the problems of our friends,” [28:15] there is always the risk that Invisible Children, and all social media efforts, will win the battle but lose the war.

By AW Kosner

The First Social Media Olympics

by Tom Wright

- According to Twitter, there were 9.66 million tweets about the Olympic opening ceremony.
- Team GB’s tweet congratulating Danny Boyle for his opening ceremony was retweeted more than 44,210 times.
- According to statweestics.com, over 10% of tweets globally on 27 July included the hashtag #London2012.
- The Olympic Games Facebook page has 3.5 million likes whilst Team GB is up to 714,000. Both are gaining thousands of likes each day, as people look to share photos and the latest updates.

These facts prove just how important social media has been to the London 2012 Olympic Games. People love connecting with the athletes and sharing the emotions that come from following the Games from day to day with both friends and strangers. The power of social media, and especially Twitter, is its immediacy with ordinary people sending messages to medal-winning athletes and commenting on events as they happen, alongside journalists and celebrities.

Of course there have been some negative aspects to this boom in social media use.

Spectators using Twitter were blamed for disrupting television coverage of the Olympic cycling road races as electronic updates about timing and positions failed to reach commentators.

And journalist Guy Adams wrote in The Independent about the experience of having his Twitter account temporarily suspended after including the publicly available email address of an NBC executive in tweets criticising the US TV network’s decision to show time-delayed coverage of the opening ceremony.

Then there was the high profile story of one Twitter user being arrested and cautioned by the police after sending a malicious tweet to diver Tom Daley relating to his late father.

In a similar vein, Olympic weightlifter Zoe Smith blogged about the “trolls” who’d given her a hard time on Twitter and, after a record-setting Olympic performance last Monday, she told the Daily Mail that she was putting “two fingers” up to the people who’d abused her. “What are you doing with your life?” she said. “I’ve just competed at the Olympics! Have some of that, trolls!”
But overall it looks like the positive side of social media is winning out as people have loved seeing Bradley Wiggins tweeting pictures of his drunken gold-winning celebrations (see picture above) and President Obama congratulating Michael Phelps via Twitter on his record-breaking medal haul.
Who knows whether Facebook and Twitter will still be around in four years time, but one thing’s for sure, social media is

Top Brands Survey out now

The annual Sunday Times Top Brands Awards were announced late last week at an event in Sandton. Unathi Msengana, media personality, musician and SA Idols judge, announced the winners of the survey, conducted on behalf of Avusa Media by TNS.

The researchers interviewed 400 senior business people, as well as 3500 consumers over the age of 18. The results reveal a general trend that, in many instances, category usage has increased significantly from last year, with consumer optimism emerging from the recessionary mind-set.

Neil Higgs, senior adviser and head of innovation at TNS South Africa, said that the company's consumer confidence measure shows that South Africans were relatively bullish regarding the first quarter of the year, "with consumers willing to spend more on luxury goods such as cars, sports clothing and cosmetics."

The survey evaluated overall brand familiarity, user experience, non-user perception and actual brand presence in the South African market. The combined results of these aspects delivered the winning brands in 38 consumer categories, and 13 business sector categories.

Favourite winner

Once again, Koo walked away with the Grand Prix Overall Favourite Brand Award. Coca-Cola placed second while also winning three prestigious Top Brands Grand Prix awards as the brand that has done the most to uplift the community, the brand rated most environmentally friendly and the brand considered most-desirable to work for (a new Grand Prix category in 2012).

Based on the runaway success of the 'Steve' campaign, the Top Brands Marketing Personality of the Year accolade went to Bernice Samuels, chief marketing officer for FNB. The influence of this campaign also undoubtedly pushed FNB up into second spot in the retail banking category, with currently beleaguered Absa still maintaining the lead.

Consumer results showed some differences from that of the business leaders, with SAA claiming the award in the consumer sector and British Airways taking top place in the business sector for airlines. Similarly, Nokia is the leading cellphone choice for consumers, while the business sector is more aligned with Apple. Vodacom is South Africa's top rated telecommunications service provider in the eyes of both the business sector and consumers.

Other category winners include Rama, Bakers, Pyotts, Panado, Clover Krush, Red Square, Johnnie Walker, Hansa, Hunters, Ricoffy, Cadbury, Tastic, Shoprite, KFC, Avon, Vaseline, Sunlight, Handy Andy, Samsung, Defy, Toyota, Engen, Old Mutual, Hollard, Avis, Tsogo Sun, Momentum, Investec, DHL, Talk Radio 702, Nike, OUTsurance and Spur. The Sunday Times remains the top weekly newspaper.

Brand Agency of the Year

The Robyn Putter Top Brand Agency of the Year Award, which recognises the creative agencies behind the big brands, is calculated on a points system for agencies with clients that achieved first, second and third place in the Top Brands Survey. This year the award went to Draftfcb.

"With every survey commissioned, the results continue to deliver real insights into the consumer market in South Africa and it's a privilege to be able to provide our clients and the public with these interesting findings," concludes Trevor Ormerod, GM of advertising sales, Avusa Media.
Full results

Domestic Airline*	1. South African Airways
	2. British Airways
	3. Mango
Car* (significant increase in category usage) Positions were shuffled in this growing category with Toyota making a great leap into first position. Volkswagen pushed Mercedes out of second position with its overall improvements and even though BMW improved its scores, it was outperformed by its competitors and fell from first to third place.	1. Toyota
	2. Volkswagen
	3. BMW
Petrol Station* (significant increase in category usage)	1. Engen
	2. BP
	3. Shell
Convenience and Grocery Store* Shoprite is once again in first place with Pick n Pay stable in second place. Woolworths' score has declined, which has allowed Spar to move into its place in third.	1. Shoprite
	2. Pick 'n Pay (Supermarket/ Hypermarket/ Family Store)
	3. Spar/KwikSpar/Super Spar
Fast Food* (significant increase in category usage)	1. KFC
	2. Nando's
	3. McDonald's/McCafe
Chocolate*	1. Cadbury slabs
	2. Lunch Bar
	3. Ferrero Rocher
Sweet Biscuits (new category)*	1. Bakers Tennis Biscuits
	2. Bakers Eat-Sum-Mor
	3. Bakers Romany Creams
Savoury Biscuits (new category)	1. Salticrax
	2. Pro Vita
	3. Pyott's Mini Cheddars
Essential Food* (significant increase in category usage)	1. Tastic
	2. Albany
	3. White Star
Tinned Food* (significant increase in category usage)	1. Koo
	2. Lucky Star
	3. All Gold
Fat Spreads (new category)	1. Rama
	2. Stork
	3. Flora
Household Cleaning* (significant increase in category usage)	1. Handy Andy
	2. Sunlight
	3. JIK
Laundry Care* (significant increase in category usage)	1. Sunlight
	2. Sta-Soft
	3. Omo
Personal Care*	1. Vaseline
	2. Protex
	3. Ponds
Headache Tablets	1. Panado
	2. Grand-Pa
	3. Disprin
Beauty and Cosmetics* (significant increase in category usage) The cosmetics category grew in 2012 with Avon capturing the crown from Estee Lauder, driven by improved user perceptions. Yardley upheld its position in second place and Revlon's improved user ratings pushed it up into third place.	1. Avon
	2. Yardley
	3. Revlon
Sports Clothing Brand* (significant increase in category usage)	1. Nike
	2. Adidas
	3. Puma
Hot Beverage* Ricoffy is still number one and Joko maintains third place in the hot beverages category. The Five Roses score has improved considerably and has thus swapped places with Freshpak, moving from fourth to second place.	1. Ricoffy
	2. Five Roses
	3. Joko
Fruit-based Drink*	1. Clover Krush
	2. Tropika
	3. Liqui-Fruit
Soft Drink* Coca-Cola still dominates in first place by far and improved its score from last year. Fanta and Sprite remain in second and third place respectively; however, Sprite is narrowing its gap with Fanta	1. Coca-Cola
	2. Fanta
	3. Sprite
Beer*	1. Hansa
	2. Heineken
	3. Castle Lite
Alcoholic Spirit* Johnnie Walker has moved into first place. Amarula made a great leap from tenth to second position facilitated by having the highest usage of all the brands tested in the category. Jack Daniels went from sixth to third place.	1. Johnnie Walker
	2. Amarula
	3. Jack Daniel's
Cider (significant increase in category usage)	1. Hunter's Dry/Gold/ Extreme
	2. Savanna Dry/Light
	3. Redd's Dry/Original
Alcoholic Cooler Red Square remains on top in this category through its increase in usership as well as improved user and non-user ratings. Second and third place have new recipients with Brutal Fruit jumping up from fifth to second, and Smirnoff moving up from fourth to third place because of the large declines of Hooch Fox and Bacardi Breezer.	1. Red Square
	2. Brutal Fruit
	3. Smirnoff Spin/Twist/ Storm
Retail Bank* (significant increase in category usage) Absa holds its position in first place in a growing category, while FNB knocked Standard Bank out of second to third place due to its greater improvement in overall ratings facilitated by their successful 'Steve' advertising campaign.	1. Absa
	2. FNB
	3. Standard Bank
Short-term Insurance (significant increase in category usage) The top three positions have changed since last year with only OUTsurance remaining and it has been pushed out of first to second place. Hollard has jumped from fifth to first place. Sanlam moved into the top three, taking third place.	1. Hollard
	2. OUTsurance
	3. Sanlam

Effective communication begins with the 7c's

The 7c’s of communication, which was first provided by Scott Cutlip and Allen Center in 1952 in their book, Effective Public Relations, is an often quoted list. There is a valid reason for that. As much as this list was first proposed 60 years ago, it is one that has aged well.

By Darren Gilbert

In fact, it’s a list that anyone working within communications, let alone PR should know and understand to ensure that their messages remains on point and deliver the right results for their clients.

It needs to be remembered that PR is hard work. As FoxPR MD, Kate Thompson-Duwe says, it’s not something that can be done overnight or quickly. Good, effective PR comes from a deep insight, understanding and telling a good story. In a piece on Top Story Public Relations, Anthony Mora talks about just that: “Effective public relations comes down to compelling storytelling. The more compelling the story, the more effective the PR campaign.” This kind of story is what the media and public want to connect with.

And this is where it comes back to the 7c’s. In using them, compelling stories can be told. According to MindTools, they also provide the checklist needed to ensure everyone gets the message. They’ve been spoken about by just about anyyone, including Muhammad Naveed Shakir, who gave a presentation at the International Islamic University Islamabad.

The first ‘C’stands for Completeness. As Shakir points out, this is all about ensuring that the message that any PR agency sends out is complete. In containing all the facts that any reader or listener needs, it paves the way for the right reaction and thus the desired outcome. It also allows for a future relationship because your audience knows that they don’t need to go anywhere else to get what they need. This leads to the second ‘C’ – Conciseness.

PR professionals need to communicate their message in the least possible words. That is of course without forgoing the other C’s of communication. As Prateek Chopra says, in being concise, it saves both the time for you as an agency and your audience as well. “A concise message is complete without being wordy”. This in turn slots in with the third ‘C’ – Consideration.

“Keeping the receiver in mind while preparing the message is what defines the quality of consideration.” It’s about putting oneself in the place of the audience, as he continues. In focusing on the end user and how they can benefit rather than the business who wants to make money, one creates a pleasant and positive experience. In doing that, focusing on how it helps the audience, the idea that this is just another product or experience falls away.

The following ‘C’ is known as Concreteness. As Chopra continues, concreteness is about being vivid, definite and specific rather than obscure in the messages that you send out. “When you talk to clients, always use facts and figures instead of generic and irrelevant information.” In doing this, though, one needs to remember the fifth ‘C’ – Clarity. “In effective business communication, the message should be … clear.” This means that precise words, and those familiar to your particular audience need to be used.

“Courtesy means not only to think about the receivers reaction but also his/her feelings,” Chopra. The second last ‘C’, Courtesy, goes hand in hand with ‘Consideration’. “Be sincerely tactful, thoughtful and appreciative.” One needs to remember that your audience is taking time out of their day to read your message. In receiving your message, they need to notice it. In following this ‘step’, your audience will better appreciate what you are attempting to achieve. “Use expression[s] that show respect,” says Shakir.

The final ‘C’ for effective communication links in with a recent article I wrote for Publicity Update on bad press releases. The article was the result of a couple of error-strewn and badly written press releases that I received. Before communicating, ensure that you are correct. As Chopra says, its about three things: “Use the right level of lanaguage; Check the accuracy of figures, facts and words; [and] maintain acceptable writing mechanics.”

Effective communication, and by association, public relations begins with a firm foundation based on Cutlip and Center’s seven points. That is not to say that they encompass everything that one needs to know to create effective campaigns. But they will certainly take you far along the path of delivering your message successfully.

What are your thoughts? Is there anything else that one should keep in mind when communicating?

What does it take to become a successful event manager?

By Mandy Ross
Modern people are born jugglers. We juggle careers, interests and families, often with more success than we give ourselves credit for. That’s why a career in events management is more possible than ever – most of us already possess the vital skill of multitasking.

The question: “What does it take to become a successful event manager?” is one that is frequently asked. It is also a very difficult question to answer. There are so many skills and traits that are necessary to become an effective event manager.
As such, this question has many answers. One answer is that you have to be versatile. As an event manager, you are the manager, the decorator, the “go to” person for all others, the operations expert, the negotiator and the accountant.
There are many facets that go into producing an event. As such, this is a job that requires a special set of skills.
One of the most exciting elements of event management, is that it is a constant process of improvement to one’s skill sets and knowledge. In events, the day you feel that you have nothing left to learn, is the day you should retire from the industry.
Between the conception of the event and its execution, three distinctive skill sets are involved, namely creative and operational planning and marketing. The ability to sell an idea, vision or concept, is utterly vital when working in events.
Charisma and confidence assist good planning in allowing the event manager to sell their idea to their clients. Even the most potentially incredible event may never materialize if it is not marketed or articulated successfully.
A good event manager understands that they need to be involved in every step of the planning process, whether as chief decision maker or merely as the overseer.
This is, in essence, the ultimate skill of project management, because at the end of the day the success of the event lies in your hands. You are the one that needs to execute each step correctly and make sure each supplier and contractor is doing their job in working towards the greater goal – a successful event.
If one thinks of an event as a well-oiled machine, each cog has a part to play and each one is reliant on the other to create a successful event. If one cog is not working or is absent, the machine cannot function.
Creating the budget for an event and securing the funding is another crucial cog. The ability to work with figures and the understanding of some basic accounting and finance skills are very important.
As most events are businesses, their goal is to make money. Even events, which are not financially motivated, require financial planning and capital to be produced, such as product launches or charity events.
Working creatively within a budget is a key skill, and knowing where to source the best and most unique stock at the best prices is a skill learnt primarily through experience and good research.
Risk management and operational planning are another two key skills that an event manager must acquire. Events, by their very nature, are risky.
There are many bylaws and regulations, which need to be adhered to over and above all other planning. Large scale outdoor events require a vast amount of operations and logistics planning.
This is where the event manager gets to wear the hat of the electrician, the plumber, the landscaper, the infrastructure manager, the lighting consultant etc. You don’t need to be an expert in each field, but you do need a basic understanding of each area in order to successfully manage the event.
It may sound rather daunting, and it can be at times, but it is most certainly not boring! Events management is a challenging and rewarding career for those with the drive and passion to take it on.

Media Excellence students

Congratulations to our Media Excellence students of 2012. You must please remember to meet Carike in Room 8 on Friday 27 July @ 13:00.
Here is the list of the Media Excellence students:

Student no	Surname	Name	Specialisation
15012866	KUNENE	GCINA	Advertising
15013127	MATABOLA	KATISO	Advertising
15013084	KOTSOKWANE	PRISCILLA	Advertising
15012897	NGUBENI	BLESSING	Advertising
15012950	WOOD	LAUREN	Advertising
15012893	HUMA	KHOMOTSO	Advertising
15013149	CELE	AYANDA	Advertising
15013484	MIYA	MXOLISI	Advertising
15013445	WITBOOI	BONGO	Animation
15012065	DE JAGER	JACOBUS	Animation
	Canham	Ryan	Animation
15012848	GOODSON	STEPHEN	Animation
15013321	MARTINS	ANA	Graphic Design
15013441	RAMATHEBANE	BONOLO	Graphic Design
15010061	BUTHELEZI 07.	THANDEKA	Graphic Design
15012871	SEKGOPI	NEO NOZIPHO	Graphic Design
15013302	MDLULI	DALINCEBO	Graphic Design
15013333	MOKGOSINYANA	LEBOGANG	Journalism
15013002	KHUNOU	KGOMOTSO NEO	Journalism
15013418	MAHAHLE	BAFEDILE GRACE	Journalism
15012983	MOGOTSI	TSHEGOFATSO ANGELA	Journalism
15012890	BOOI	EUGENIA	Journalism
15013152	NKOSI	UNATHI OLWETHU	Journalism
15012625	BUNGANE	BABALWA	Journalism
15013315	PHIRI	FATIMA	Journalism
15013404	MALOBOLA	AKANI LEN	Marketing
15013048	TLAKA	MAHLODI	Marketing
15013070	MOLETE	KATLEGO	Marketing
15012922	NKOSIYAPHANTSI	MDUDUZI	Marketing
15013019	HATTA	CHARMAINE	Marketing
15013081	NODADA	ZINTLE	Marketing
15012906	NZAMA	SIBUSISO	Marketing
15012198	MABUSELA	THABO	Marketing
15012824	NGWENYA	KHANYISILE	Public Relations
15013388	GOUNDEN	TYASHNEE	Public Relations
15013387	DIRATSAGAE	KEONETHEBE	Public Relations
15013040	VAN DER MERWE	THEODORE	Public Relations
15013215	KHANYILE	NOTHEMBA	Public Relations
15012966	RALEPHENYA	AZANDE	Public Relations
15013135	KUNENE	NQOBILE	Public Relations
15013411	ZIQUBU	NONHLANHLA	Public Relations
15013573	TIRIBABI	KUDZAYI	Radio
15013466	MOKOENA	MAKOENA	Radio
15012813	RAMOTHATA	KOPANO	Radio
15013419	TOMBEEN	DENE	Radio
15013424	KHOMO	SIZWE	Radio
15012899	MTAMBO (NOTES)	BUSISIWE	Radio
15013429	LETHULE	KAMOGELO	Radio
15012945	MADONSELA	NTOMBESINE	Radio
15012392	MSIMANGO	KAGISO	Video
8002200	KALEMBA	ESAU	Video
15012823	KHUMALO	NOKUTHULA	Video
15012737	MABASO	NOTHANDO	Video
15013249	MAOTA	AOBAKWE	Video
15013338	NDLANGAMANDLA	MANTUNGWA	Video
15012194	TSOTETSI	REGINA NTHABISENG	Video
15009766	MAKHADO	KHATHUTSHELO	Video