Digital has claimed its place in Africa's emerging economies, but those traditional platforms that are innovating to keep fresh will remain relevant, and will survive. Mobile dominates connectedness and print's refusal to expire has birthed inventive ways of packaging information and engaging consumers.
These are just some of the insights offered in The Media Report, a new annual for brand owners, advertising agencies and marketers by brand intelligence firm Ornico and The Media Online, the online affiliate to The Media, published by Wag The Dog Publishers. Championed by Ornico CEO Oresti Patricios, who is the managing editor of the resource, and The Media Online Editor Glenda Nevill, who is guest editor for this collaboration, The Media Report provides a clear view of the ins and outs of media in the year that was, the coming year 2014 and beyond.
The Media Report says that television and online's love-hate relationship continues, but presents mammoth opportunity for integration. Meanwhile on the social networking front, the hyperactive social landscape calls for cautious yet extensive navigation on the part of intelligent brands, in order to stay ahead of the pack.
The Media Report is a celebration of technology, the possibilities of digital, the magic of mobile, but also investigates the challenges that South Africa's more traditional media face as they move towards the new year. With contributions from some of the media industry's greats, The Media Report touches on some precarious issues and paves way for continued discourse.
In this inaugural issue, Patricios interrogates the credibility of future data sets in light of NAB and SAARF's debacle. He urges that debate around this issue not die, but continue until a favourable resolution is reached, otherwise we are in danger of entering a research wasteland. Nevill interprets the rocking but ever present ship that is the South African media landscape. She iterates PDMTTT's recommendation that we should all begin to see digital as "the great leveller that can transform access to information for all classes... in a fundamental way."
Journalist Jonathan Pienaar tackles the rising trend of online against traditional television, touching on the dark side of online where peer to peer TV material downloads have claimed 5% of American broadband subscribers. Gordon Muller, the media planning maven who suggested sticking ringleaders of the NAB & Saarf debacle in a naughty corner, urges on the importance of training, otherwise a move to Orania may be warranted. Other highlights in the The Media Report include:
- Radio's Power Punch according to Joanna Wright
- Reading Habits of Tablet Users
- Social TV: How do Twitter and TV measure up?
- The Media Report toolbox
The collaboration cuts through the clutter and the noise in the media landscape to provide an in-depth analysis of the South African media landscape. So for everything there is to know about the media landscape, download The Media Report here and here, or read it online here.
