Africa has many strong, innovative, capable thought-leaders across the continent. From educators to entrepreneurs, they inspire us all to aspire to more. Researchers and opinion leaders now have an opportunity to share their knowledge on an
online platform called Africa Portal. Available to the public, this project in itself is inspiring as a young ambitious Zimbabwean could potentially have access to the works of a successful Egyptian professor - the sharing of knowledge will have a chance to grow even wider and as such become more valuable to the people it reaches.
Africa Portal is yet another giant leap in the right direction for the continent.
If you are a thought-leader in Africa within the media, marketing, advertising arena and would like to forecast possible trends in 2011 for the industry, either in your specific country or for the African industry as a whole, please contact me at
africanewsbizcommunity.com. These pieces will be published in early 2011 as part of the Biz 2011 Trends initiative on Bizcommunity Africa.
We're on the homestretch to a much anticipated festive season; as said in sunny South Africa,
hou vas (hold on tight).
Viva Africa, viva,
Sindy Peters, Africa editor
Responses to this column welcomed in our
online editor's column archive.
Send all your Africa marketing news
africanews@bizcommunity.com.
Top stories
Special focus on media freedom
[Gregory Gondwe] The Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA Malawi) has written President Bingu wa Mutharika, appealing to him not to assent to the proposed amendment of Section 46 of the Penal Code, as it is inconsistent with the Republican Constitution.
Read more >> Marketing
JOHANNESBURG: Frost & Sullivan's third annual African Excellence Awards banquet was held late last week at the Hilton Sandton Hotel in South Africa. Companies across a variety of sectors including energy, healthcare, ICT, industrial automation and chemicals were awarded.
Read more >>[Yoray Narainpersad] Getting traffic to any website is the most important task of a webmaster. Getting this traffic repeatedly is the key if you want your website to rank so you can reap the benefits. Here are some internet marketing techniques that will get your website traffic at no cost.
Read more >> [Yoray Narainpersad] Over years of assisting many in optimising their websites, I have come across many instances in which SEO specialists don't follow simple SEO techniques. These techniques, if not implemented correctly, can have a negative effect on your website's ranking. Here are the top 10 SEO mistakes that people generally make.
Read more >> Advertising
[Dumisani Ndlela] The Population Services International (PSI) Zimbabwe is to withdraw all advertisements discouraging promiscuous behaviour by men after women's rights activists condemned it as sexist. The PSI, which has been at the forefront of campaigns against the spread of HIV/AIDS for over a decade in Zimbabwe, said it would completely pull out its billboards on the campaign by the end of November.
Read more >> AFRICA
Ogilvy Africa scoops AdFocus Agency Network of the Year againOgilvy Africa has been awarded African Advertising Agency Network of the Year for the 2010
Financial Mail AdFocus Awards for the second year running. The awards ceremony was held earlier this week at the Alexander Theatre in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa. For more read
Ogilvy Joburg: third time AdFocus Ad Agency of the Year.
Cinema
[Sylvain Béletre] Ask the average American, European or Asian person to give you African film titles (Out of Africa does not apply), and you're lucky if they can name just one. African films are not well-known outside of Africa, but there is a legitimate and growing interest around the world for good quality African audiovisual content.
Read more >> Design
NYC/ Woodcliff Lake: South African artist Esther Mahlangu's 1991 design of a BMW 525i will be displayed at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City until 15 May 2011. The BMW Art Car is a part of The Global Africa Project which explores the impact of African visual culture on contemporary arts, crafts and design worldwide.
Read more >>Digital
[Issa Sikiti da Silva] The African continent will have 13 submarine cables by the end of 2011, a process that will redefine the technology environment and set the continent on a major broadband explosion, Sadiq Malik, director of operations at Broadband Communication Technologies (BCT) told a workshop at the Africa Media and Broadcasting 2010 Congress at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Read more >> [Carmia Lureman] Facebook caused quite the stir when it revealed 'Project Titan' - its new messaging system (apparently referred to as the Gmail-killer by Facebook employees). Across the interweb this has sparked either one of two outcries: "Facebook is killing Gmail!" or "Facebook is killing email!".
Read more >> [Rosebell Kagumire] KAMPALA: The rapid growth of the ICT market in Uganda has been greeted with optimism over its potential to boost the country's development. But less attention is being paid to the increase in gender-based violence due to the use of information and communications technology.
Read more >> [Dumisani Ndlela] The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) is pushing for drastic cuts in internet tariffs, which critics have said are "the most expensive in the world".
Read more >> SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook is asking US trademark officials to protect the leading online social network's "face."
Read more >>[Erik Hersman] A couple of years ago you didn't hear the words "Africa" and "innovation" paired up quite as much as you do today. But just look at my schedule for the coming week, and you'll see how much things have changed.
Read more >> SAN FRANCISCO: Google has been gradually adding professional content to YouTube in a bid to attract advertisers and turn a profit with the site it bought for US$1.65 billion four years ago.
Read more >>Education and Training
[Linda Hamman] It's reassuring to think that leaders are born. Frankly, I don't buy that. Oh, there may be some exceptions, mostly in history, but good business leaders do not feature among them.
Read more >> PARIS: The Knight Centre for Journalism in the Americas has just completed an online course as part of an agreement with UNESCO to help journalism professors in Africa with training on digital media. More than 20 professors from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe followed the course.
Read more >>Media
Launched this week, the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist 2011 Awards gala ceremony will be be held next year in Johannesburg, South Africa, in June 2011. The competition is open to African nationals who are professional journalists, including freelancers, across print, television, Internet, photography and radio.
Read more >>NEW YORK: Outstanding journalists at the forefront of the battle for press freedom in Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela were honoured Tuesday evening, 23 November 2010, at the Committee to Protect Journalists' 20th Annual International Press Freedom Awards benefit dinner.
Read more >>Mobile
OSLO: According to the Opera State of the Mobile Web report released on Wednesday, 24 November 2010, most 18-27 year-old Opera Mini users use their mobile phones to browse the web more often than they use a desktop or laptop computer for the same purpose.
Read more >>Former chief officer: international business of the Vodacom Group, Willem Hendrik Swart has taken over the mantle as CEO of Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM). Swart has been given a three-year contract succeeding Werner Schrijver who has been at the helm since 2008.
Read more >>[Dumisani Ndlela] Zimbabwe's Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) says it has opened investigations into alleged abuse of monopoly by the state-owned fixed-line telephone service operator, TelOne. In a public notice, CTC said it would embark on the investigation in terms of the Competitions Act.
Read more >> Newspapers
The November/December 2010 edition of the
WAN-IFRA Magazine, published by the World Association of Newspaper and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), details the learning points from the expo and its associated conferences, as well as reporting on the Golden Pen of Freedom award and how it illustrates the role of social media in highlighting the plight of press freedom in Iran.
Read more >>Online Media
SAN FRANCISCO: British tycoon Richard Branson will unveil a digital magazine tailored for viewing on Apple's popular iPad tablet computers, according to press conference invitations.
Read more >>WASHINGTON: After months of top secret development, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. appears poised to take the wraps off a digital newspaper for the iPad called The Daily.
Read more >>Production
The 2011 Durban FilmMart will take place 22-25 July 2011 during the 32nd Durban International Film Festival (21-31 July). The filmmart is a partnership project between the Durban Film Office and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
Read more >>Public Relations
The African Press Organisation has signed a contract with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) encompassing virtual press conferencing and media monitoring services.
Read more >>Research
WATERLOO: The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) late last week announced the launch of the Africa Portal, an online knowledge resource offering researchers and opinion leaders a forum to share their insights on Africa and publish their work on areas of concern to policymakers and the public.
Read more >>[Dumisani Ndlela] The Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation (ZARF) is inviting bids for the Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey (ZAMPS) over a two-year period from 2011 to 2012. The ZAMPS is a continuous survey commissioned by the Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation to provide information on media consumption and products.
Read more >> Retail
NIGERIA
Western Union, United Bank for Africa expand relationshipThe Western Union Company and United Bank for Africa (UBA), a pan-African banking group with operations in 19 African countries, announced late last week that the Western Union Money Transfer service is now live across more than 500 UBA locations in Nigeria. This adds to their existing joint offering in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Senegal, Tanzania with Gabon and Kenya soon to be added. The announcement brings Western Union's Agent network in Africa to nearly 21,000.
[Gareth Vorster] South African consumer goods group Tiger Brands said on Wednesday (24 November 2010) that its acquisition of a 100% interest in Deli Foods Nigeria, a manufacturer and marketer of biscuits, represents the first phase of the group's entry into Nigeria.
Read more >> TV
[Sylvain Béletre] African arts constitutes one of the richest human elements of the continent. African people, societies, and civilizations each have a unique and special art culture, sometimes quite different from the West. Art from the African diasporas in America and Europe is also very unique and adds to the diversity.
Read more >> [Emeka Enyadike] Pan-African television company, M-Net has announced its success in the study that has seen a Soweto community become the pioneers of a new television experience for Africans across the continent.
Read more >> MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS: The European Journalism Centre has announced the winners of its TH!NK 4: Climate Change blogging competition. More than 173 bloggers and journalists participated in the competition from around the world, reporting on both global and local climate change issues.
Read more >>MUMBAI, INDIAN: The arts and crafts industry in India employs 60 million children. Starved, tortured and abused, consumers are often unaware of the treatment to which these children are subjected.
Read more >>RESTON, US: comScore yesterday, 28 November 2010, reported US retail e-commerce spending for the first 26 days of the November - December 2010 holiday season.
Read more >>RESTON, US: comScore has reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 21 days of the November-December 2010 holiday season, as well as its official spending forecast for the season. For the holiday season-to-date, US$9.01 billion (about R63 billion) has been spent online, marking a 13% increase versus the corresponding days last year.
Read more >>CHICAGO, US: Black Friday is upon us and as a result, many shoppers will be combing their favourite stores for the best bargains in an effort to save money during the pricey holiday season. Exclusive online sales, door busters and coupons are also ways to save, and according to Mintel, roughly a third of coupon users now cite the Internet or email as a source of coupons.
Read more >>BRASILIA, BRAZIL: Fragrance marketing is as much about image as it is about the actual scent itself, arguable even more so. When Axe wanted to launch a new fragrance, named Music Star, the image of the scent was all important.
Read more >> More International news...
[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] "Every cloud has a silver lining", the saying goes and right now Land Rover is hoping (and probably praying) that a few new fancies, nip-and-tuck surgery and a touch of silver could give its new-look Freelander the extra traction its needs to get it out of the low-sales mud it has been stuck in for some time.
Read more >> [Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Serious homework awaits all future buyers of the reshuffled, prettied up, extended and considerably enhanced Fiesta range because Ford now offers its popular oval badger in 13 model variants including three-door, four-door and five-door options and the choice of manual or automatic transmission.
Read more >> More Motoring news...
Opening in April 2011, the brand new Long Beach Hotel on Mauritius' east coast, on the Belle Mare Peninsula, is situated right where a powerful urban feel meets the ultimate in ocean, beach and indulgence.
Read more >> More Travel news...
[Daphne Cooper] Evita is a big production and Theatre on the Bay is a small theatre. How would the grand theatrical scale of the adoring or mourning crowds, for example, be conveyed? Would we lose something of the power of this rock musical in the intimate setting of the theatre? These kinds of questions were obviously considered by Paul Warwick Griffin who directed the show.
Read more >> [Ruth Cooper] Born eight years ago, long before Jack Parow and Die Antwoord, Corné and Twakkie are probably the first satirical zeffers ever, maybe. What with their porn star mo's, tight shorts (that are dangerously far from the knees) and mangled Afrikaans accents and sayings, Corné and Twakkie are the epitome of zef. Well aware of this they included a quick parody of Die Antwoord's Enter the Ninja in their Most Amazing Show last Friday night. (Aiie aiie aaa, I am your dragonfly.)
Read more >> [Riccardo Spagni] When was the last time you spent Sunday lunch at a place that made you never want to leave? I mean, when was the last time you felt so comfortable and so blissful that you genuinely wanted to stay till supper and for a few hours thereafter? Just recently I dragged my wife to Robertson on a blistering Sunday to review Fraai Uitzicht 1798, and it was just such a place.
Read more >> More BizLounge news...
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- Adobe Photoshop CS5 2B Studio - Johannesburg, 29 November
- African medical waste conference TG CORPORATE - Johannesburg, 1 December
- Journalism 2.0: Introduction to twitter/blogging Institute for the Advancement of Journalism - Johannesburg, 26 January
- GCX certified carbon footprint analyst - level 1 Global Carbon Exchange - Cape Town, 2 February
- Advanced debt collections and recovery AMC International - Nairobi, 16 February
- MBAconnect.net business thought leaders event MBAconnect.net - Johannesburg, 19 February
- Part 4: Event design/decoration and decor styling The Hedgehog Event - Johannesburg, 22 February
- GCX certified green your office course Global Carbon Exchange - Cape Town, 24 February
- Achieving excellence in supply chain and tenders SNH Business Seminars - Pretoria, 24 February
- Effective pump optmization masterclass UNI Strategic Pte Ltd - Cape Town, 28 February
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"There is a great deal of advertising that is much better than the product. When that happens, all that the good advertising will do is put you out of business faster." - Jerry Della Famina
"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." - Emile Zola
"Don't be afraid to take time to learn. It's good to work for other people. I worked for others for 20 years. They paid me to learn." - Vera Wang
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