18 May 2009

 

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Survival of the fittest brand

It is hard to believe that Zimbabwe used to have one of the strongest economies on the African continent. Zimbabwe was a thriving nation until 2000 when the Mugabe regime introduced the land reform program, and price controlling. Hyperinflation, unemployment and poverty sucked the country into an inescapable spiralling abyss. It's only now, in 2009, that there may be some light at the end of the tunnel with the coalition government of Mugabe and Tsvangirai. There is once more a flicker of hope for the people as well as for businesses that saw their profits plummet during the crisis. Companies like Delta Corporation, which plans on rebranding its products, have a chance to turn their businesses in the right direction. However, Zimbabwe's recent economic turmoil is not the only mountain they need to climb but the global economic crisis too has businesses worldwide on a shaky ledge; only those well-balanced enough will see it through and remain stable. What all businesses need to ensure is that their corporate image and name offers “a credible personality to its customers and shareholders alike,” says Naseem Javed, author of Naming for Power. So if your company's image doesn't stand out from the rest and project a positive, inviting, trustworthy image , you may be in trouble. Competition however, is healthy and just as it is in the wild; it all comes down to the survival of the fittest.

Cheers! Sindy Peters, Content manager

Send all your Africa marketing news to africanews@bizcommunity.com.

Top stories



Editorial news

2010 FIFA World Cup


WEST AFRICA
2010 media training programme underway in Senegal
Last week sports journalists began a programme sponsored by FIFA to provide mid-career training to more than 300 reporters and photographers across Africa. The programme is part of FIFA's "Win in Africa with Africa" development programme. Read more >>

Advertising


AFRICA
The Hardy Boys to drive Sunlight in Africa
Unilever's Sunlight brand plans to expand across Africa, Middle East and Turkey, with the campaign driven by South African advertising agency, The Hardy Boys. The announcement was made earlier this month in London that Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) had landed the global account for the brand. Read more >>

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MOZAMBIQUE
2009 Maputo International Ad Festival deadline looms
Numerous agencies have confirmed their participation in the 4th Maputo International Advertising Festival, 25 - 27 May 2009. The event is promoted by AMEP - the Mozambican Association of Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations companies. Read more >>

Branding


SOUTH AFRICA
Why corporate images are on fire
[Naseem Javed] Overnight, things have suddenly changed; over-exposing of corporate credibility and governance, like Richter scales gone wild, are thumping the global populace in sheer panic while shattering thousands of mega corporate name brands worldwide. The good and sober companies of the world not only must weather these credibility quakes but also must project their clean image and stay protected during these monstrous shifts of global image. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE
Beer maker to take off tired labels
[Sam Hungwe] Demand for beer had turned out to be so strong that the market is undersupplied, says Joe Mutizwa, CEO of beverages group, Delta Corporation. And now the group, an associate of SABMiller, is commissioning a new lager line, which will help push volumes, as well as plant refurbishment and equipment replacement. Read more >>

Digital


CENTRAL AFRICA
Malawi to benefit from World Bank program
[Gregory Gondwe] Malawi has become one of the African countries earmarked to benefit from a major World Bank funded submarine communications connectivity project called Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (RCIP). Read more >>

ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe increases efforts to revive ICT sector
According to a Zimbabwean government minister, efforts are underway to bring information and communication technologies (ICT) to the rural areas of the country. Read more >>

SOUTHERN AFRICA
Mia Telecoms introduces Samsung Ubigate iBG series in sub-Saharan Africa
Mia Telecoms, distributor of Samsung telecommunication and PABX equipment in sub-Saharan Africa, has introduced the Samsung Ubigate iBG series. The Ubigate iBG series is a converged data, voice, security and mobility enterprise networking platform. Read more >>

Direct Marketing


UGANDA
Japan automakers energise direct marketing in Uganda
[Walter Wafula] Japanese online car dealers are becoming more aggressive in selling off their cars to people in Uganda, in the wake of the economic crisis. The most aggressive marketers include; Japan Auto Trade, Click n Buy and Pick n Buy24. Read more >>

Education and Training


AFRICA
SA hosts international business school conference
Business school leaders worldwide and stakeholders from government, foundations, civil society and the private sector will be attending the Global Business School Network's (GBSN) fourth annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa from 8 - 9 June 2009. Read more >>

Media


EAST AFRICA
Sudan journalists blast press law
Sudanese journalists have condemned a proposed press law saying it will restrict media freedom. If passed, the new law will give greater powers to the media regulator, the National Press Council, to control media activities. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe media defense lawyer arrested
NEW YORK: Police in Zimbabwe should immediately release Alec Muchadehama, a prominent human rights lawyer targeted for his work on behalf of journalist Anderson Shadreck Manyere and others, the Committee to Protect Journalists said yesterday, 14 May 2009. Read more >>

ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe: Laws used to "criminalise journalism", minister
HARARE: A senior Zimbabwean government official has admitted that laws passed by the previous administration were still being used to "criminalise journalism" and needed to be changed, after two more journalists were arrested earlier this week. Read more >>

EAST AFRICA
Four journalists injured in press conference shelling
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has called on warring sides in Mogadishu to cease hostilities and respect the journalists' rights to do their job without being harmed as the fighting in Mogadishu resulted in four journalists being wounded in a shelling on 10 May, 2009. Read more >>

AFRICA
2009 CNN Multichoice African Journalist finalists
The finalists in the 14th CNN MultiChoice African Journalist competition were announced on Tuesday, 12 May 2009, by Azubuike Ishiekwene, chair of the independent judging panel. The competition received 836 entries from 38 countries, including French- and Portuguese- speaking Africa. Read more >>

BOTSWANA
Botswana: Publishers challenge Media Practitioners Act in court
Botswana publishers, on 6 May 2009, registered a statutory notice with the attorney general and the Ministry of Communications Science and Technology, challenging the Media Practitioners Act of 2008. Read more >>

Mobile


ZIMBABWE
Zimbabweans queue for mobile phone lines
[Sam Hungwe] Hundreds of Zimbabweans joined long queues as they waited to buy mobile phone lines released on the market by Econet Wireless earlier this week. The lines are retailing at US$25, against US$100 on a thriving black market. Read more >>

NIGERIA
Gateway to expand Etisalat footprint in Nigeria
LONDON: Gateway Communications has been appointed to provide Etisalat with cellular backhaul for its Nigerian mobile network. The deal, worth US$6 million over a two-year term, aims to connect three major cities in Nigeria. Read more >>

Newspapers


AFRICA
Positive forecast for African newspapers
In many parts of the world, the newspaper's permanence is appearing increasingly ephemeral. However, in many parts of the developing world, the traditional newspaper remains a foundational news source. Read more >>

CENTRAL AFRICA
NPL rebrands its three newspapers
[Gregory Gondwe] The Nation Publications Limited (NPL) has rebranded The Nation on Sunday, Weekend Nation as well as their daily publication The Nation. Read more >>

Online Media


AFRICA
Facebook users hooked in 'phishing' scam
WASHINGTON: Facebook on Friday, 15 May 2009 was blocking links to bogus websites set up to look like the home page of the popular social network in a "phishing" attack by hackers. Read more >>

AFRICA
Future of books and newspapers looks bleak
[Magda Wierzycka] Since my musing on technology seems to have evoked some interest, I thought it might be worthwhile to look in more detail at the trends which threaten the very survival of that iconic establishment, the printed media. Read more >>

Printing


MAURITIUS
Imatech purchases first digital production press in Mauritius
Harel Mallac Bureautique, Bytes Document Solutions' representative and the Xerox distributor in Mauritius, have announced the sale of a Xerox digital production press to Imatech Limited. Imatech Limited claims to own the first digital printer, the Xerox DocuColor 5000AP, in the country. Read more >>

Radio


CENTRAL AFRICA
Zodiak Radio appointed Malawi's elections broadcaster
[Gregory Gondwe] The Electoral Commission (EC) of Malawi has appointed Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) as the country's official independent broadcaster for the 19 May, 2009 elections. Read more >>

Research


ZIMBABWE
Study names Zimbabwe as software piracy culprit
A recent study by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has detailed the state of global software piracy, and has named Zimbabwe as one of seven countries with the highest rates of illegal software usage. Read more >>

Retail


ZIMBABWE
International Monetary Fund experts visit Zimbabwe
[Bathandwa Mbola] HARARE: A team of International Monetary Fund (IMF) experts are in Zimbabwe to begin a mission to heal the country's troubled public finances. Read more >>

CENTRAL AFRICA
Engen wins deal to supply Kenya Airways
Engen, an African energy multinational, recently won a tender for the year-long supply of aviation fuel to Kenya Airways, at the Democratic Republic of Congo's Lubumbashi airport. Read more >>

KENYA
P&G launches Pampers Magic in Nairobi
NAIROBI: Pampers recently released a new product they claim is a much thinner but highly absorbent version of the brand, aiming to provide dryness for a longer period. Pampers Magic, coined to support its "magical" absorption of faecal releases by babies, is a Procter & Gamble (P&G) brand. Read more >>

AFRICA
Turning agriculture into a business
COPENHAGEN: A plan by the Africa Commission to side-step African governments and target the private sector to invigorate the continent's business and agricultural capacity, thereby stimulating job creation, was launched in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on 6 May 2009. Read more >>

WEST AFRICA
Mali: How to boost spending on children in a global recession?
DAKAR: In an effort to safeguard and even bolster spending for children and health during a global recession, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) opened a three-day forum on national poverty in Mali's capital, Bamako, on 12 May, 2009. Read more >>

MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique: Researchers ponder value of cash transfers
[Mercedes Sayagues] MAPUTO: Their mud huts perch precariously on the eroded, high embankment of the Zambezi river, in the provincial capital of Tete, in central Mozambique. But watching their homes be washed away by erosion or floods is just another risk for the residents of Matundo and Matheus Sansao Muthemba bairros. Their lives are as precarious as their homes. Read more >>

TV


AFRICA
Pule Molebeledi joins CNBC Africa
Pule Molebeledi has been appointed CNBC Africa's new head of sales, effective 1 June 2009, the broadcaster announced yesterday, Thursday 14 May. Read more >>

AFRICA
Africa 24: Putting African news in the global media
Likened to CNN or the BBC, Africa 24 officially launched in Paris, France on 11 May 2009, bringing together a couple hundred media professionals, celebrities and ambassadors from around the world. Read more >>

AFRICA
HiTV forms consortium to bid for EPL Rights in Africa
HiTV, an African digital satellite operator, on12 May 2009, announced its intention to acquire the broadcast rights to the English Premier League for the African continent alongside 11 other pay-TV operators in Africa. Read more >>


Company news

Out Of Home


SOUTH AFRICA
Fly anywhere in Africa for free! - Big Eye Branding
Big Eye Branding is offering a free pull-up banner with every 10 flying banners ordered. Read more >>

SOUTH AFRICA
Alliance Media scoops award for best outdoor advertising company in Namibia - Alliance Media
Alliance Media was awarded the highest possible ranking, the Gold Award for being the best outdoor advertising company in Namibia, at the prestigious PMR Awards ceremony in Windhoek last week. Read more >>


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Events to diarise
  • International Cultural Intelligence Global Prospectus - Sandton, 25 May
  • 30th SAMRA Conference 2009 SAMRA - Stellenbosch, 28 May
  • AMASA monthly meetings INM Outdoor - Sandton, 3 June
  • Markex and World of Events 2009 Specialised Exhibitions - Johannesburg, 9 June
  • Mediatech Africa 2009 Thebe Exhibitions and Projects - Johannesburg, 23 July

  • Upcoming events

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