Happy 2012, whoops...it's 2013!So it's back to the grind as many of us return to our respective workplaces in drips and drabs. Here at Bizcommunity, we're going at full throttle as of today, with most of our staff reporting back to the office. I can assure you that there are some exciting times ahead in the marketing and media industry. 2012 has come and gone with all its successes and challenges, but most of all - the learnings! As the new year slowly opens up it's doors to new possibilities, let's work together and embrace those opportunities that lie ahead. Here's wishing all our readers, old and new, every inch of success for 2013! As we bring you the very first newsletter of 2013, here are just some of the stories that you may have missed out on since our last newsletter of 2012: MTN reveals latest global brand campaign MTN re-launches MTN Play portal World's press welcomes African Parliament Resolution to promote press freedom iROKING partners with Eskimi, launches new site
We've also compiled a 2012 Most Popular lists for Bizcommunity Africa which includes the most popular articles, those that drew the most comment as well as the most-read contributors.
Here's to the start of a great new year!
Evan-Lee Courie @evan1985
PS Responses to this column welcomed in our ed's column archive. Send all your Africa marketing news to africanews@bizcommunity.com, exclusive opinion pieces to contributors-africa@bizcommunity.com and international news to internationalnews@bizcommunity.com; also take a look at our guide "How to contribute to Bizcommunity, from op-ed pieces to news". Don't forget to follow @Biz_Africa on Twitter and join us on Facebook!
Top stories
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121590.jpg) Here they are, Bizcommunity.com Africa's 2012 lists of most popular articles and those that drew the most comment as well as our most read contributors. Read more >>
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has welcomed a pan-African Parliament resolution to protect media freedoms, calling it a tool for African governments to dismantle criminal defamation and 'insult' laws that remain widespread on the continent. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121326.jpg) Whereas the trend for multinationals is to produce generic campaigns for use across their markets, often with minimal or no localisation, MTN has done the complete opposite with its latest global brand campaign, "Welcome to the New World" which was launched last week. Read more >>
[Donna Rachelson] ![](https://www.bizcommunity.com/b/1108/105830.jpg?1) Fact: Social media is not a bubble that will burst anytime soon. It's here to stay and it's influencing the way people communicate and do business. It makes sense, then, to ensure you know how to use it as a tool in your own career. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121409.jpg) Orwa, an orphaned elephant has been adopted through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust last year by the staff at Jenman African Safaris. Read more >>
An awareness campaign on cybercrime will launch in July 2013, culminating in the first Africa ICT Cybercrime Convention in September 2013 in Cape Town. Read more >>
[Wesonga Ochieng and Philip Mbaji] President Kibaki and prime minister Raila Odinga yesterday accused the media of irresponsible reporting ahead of general election. Kibaki said the media should practice responsible reporting so as not to stir ethnic tension. Read more >>
A day after the 14th anniversary of journalist Norbert Zongo's murder in Burkina Faso and two days before the 8th anniversary of journalist Deyda Hydara's murder in Gambia, Reporters Without Borders accuses the authorities in these two countries of sabotaging the investigations into their deaths and encouraging impunity. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121320.jpg?1) iROKING, the online distributor of African music and movies, has announced that is has joined forces with mobile social network, Eskimi, to bring African artists directly to users' mobiles. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121290.jpg) MTN has launched its revamped content portal, MTN Play ( www.mtnplay.com), in line with its commitment to enhance users' experience and its delivery of digital products and services. Read more >>
[Johan Botes] ![](https://www.bizcommunity.com/b/1108/110380.jpg?1) Here are some resolutions for 2013 for you that you, as an employer, may well find useful. Get them right now - and avoid any unpleasant surprises during the year. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121582.jpg) The Rwandan government has ambitious goals, as part of its Vision 2020 plan, to bring financial services to the majority of the population. MobiCash is supporting Rwanda in its mission and will help deliver programs and technologies that extend access to financial services for people throughout the country. Read more >>
[Nomaswazi Nkosi] Popular radio and television personality Bonang Matheba is excited at having made it into the list of Forbes Magazine's 13 most influential artists in Africa and has promised to work harder to make her star shine brighter. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121588.jpg) DUBAI, UAE: The annual Dubai Lynx Awards, currently in their seventh year of setting the benchmark for creative excellence in communications in the MENA region, are now accepting entries. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121543.jpg) NEW YORK, US: Millward Brown, a global research agency, expert in helping companies grow great brands, has released its annual top 10 digital and media predictions, highlighting growing trends in the media sector. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121507.jpg) NEW YORK, US: Happy New Year! January means new beginnings, but it also means the One Show deadline is only a few weeks away - you have until 31 January 2013 to get those entries in. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121505.jpg) RESTON, US: comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, has reported the final 2012 holiday season retail e-commerce spending totals. US$42.3bn was spent online during the entire November-December holiday shopping season, marking a 14% increase from 2011. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121501.jpg) SAN FRANCISCO, US: Al-Jazeera has acquired Current TV, a struggling cable channel that will give the Qatar-based broadcaster the access to millions of US homes it has long sought, it was confirmed on Wednesday. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121473.jpg) LONDON, UK: Global M&A (US$2174bn) has pivoted on the fear of a eurozone break up due to the Greek bailout. This has been the lowest in deal values since 2010. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121471.jpg) PHOENIX, US: iAcquire, a Phoenix and New York City-headquartered digital marketing firm, says it has experienced a year of evolution and growth. In 2012, iAcquire's organisational structure and tactics have transition to earned media and holistic SEO services. The organisational evolution brought the appointment of more than 50 employees, strategic business changes to support holistic enterprise SEO needs, improved client offerings, and solidified promise to its 100-plus clients. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121457.jpg) MOSCOW, RUSSIA: Kaspersky Lab's experts have outlined key security trends of 2012 and presented their views on the core threats of 2013. The most notable predictions for the next year include the continued rise of targeted attacks, cyber-espionage, and nation-state cyber-attacks, the evolving role of hacktivism, the development of controversial "legal" surveillance tools, and the increase in cybercriminal attacks targeting cloud-based services. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121450.jpg) CHICAGO, US: As the final countdown begins, Mintel gets into the holiday spirit with a variety of festive stats and figures covering food and drink, health, alcohol, shopping, household goods and personal care. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121448.jpg) NUREMBERG, GERMANY: The 'GfK Purchasing Power Germany 2013' study shows that in 2013, Germans will have around €554 more per capita in nominal disposable income than in 2012. However, there are strong regional variations in the consumption potential of the German population. For the first time, Baden-Württemberg will overtake the federal state of Hesse to take third place in the ranking. Read more >>
[Peter Koeppel] ![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121435.jpg) LAS VEGAS, US: With the rapid changes that happen in the advertising industry, deciding how to spend your marketing dollars can be a challenge. We make that choice easier with our infographic: "Advertising in the United States - Television vs Online". Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121433.jpg) LONDON, UK: The introduction of analytics to Google+ pages and communities will be key in ensuring that brands continue to invest time and resource into the social network, according to integrated PR, search and social media agency Punch Communications. Read more >>
[Veronica Clyde] SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, US: VPN services, while not pricey, can be perceived as an inconvenient expense. You may wonder if it's worth buying a VPN package when you can just use anonymity services for free... Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121400.jpg) CANNES, FRANCE: The TV experience is now extending well beyond the main screen as broadcasters explore innovative ways for their audience to engage with content and brands - on-air and offline. Download an exclusive white paper by VAST MEDIA, which highlights some of the most innovative examples of digital TV brand extension. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121394.jpg) COLUMBIA (SOUTH CAROLINA), US: Newsroom leaders including Raju Narisetti of The Wall Street Journal (@rajunarisetti) and analyst Ken Doctor will convene online January 16 to discuss the news industry's future in a free, two-hour webinar hosted by World Editors Forum (WEF), the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association (SNPA) in the United States and the University of South Carolina College of Mass Communications and Information Studies. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121392.jpg) LONDON, UK: According to the latest research from Informa Telecoms & Media, almost two-thirds of the handsets sold in China this year are powered by the Android OS: China is its largest single market, a third of the Android devices sold in 2012 were sold in China. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121387.jpg) MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND: In about five years' time, the amount of money spent online in the developed world will surpass expenditure in physical locations. These bricks and mortar retail transactions are being assisted by recommendation engines, content experiences and social comment. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121357.jpg) KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: British billionaire Richard Branson will finally wear a red skirt and serve as a stewardess on Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia next May after losing a Grand Prix bet with the founder of the airline. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121341.jpg) NEW YORK, US: The Midas Awards, for the World's Best Financial Advertising, announced the award winners for the 2012 competition. This year's Midas Grand Jury awarded one Grand Midas, 26 Gold Ingots, 46 Silver Ingots, and 63 Finalists. The 2012 Midas Awards competition received entries from 28 countries and is reputed to be the only international competition that recognises excellence in financial services communications on a global scale. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121339.jpg) LONDON, UK: Informa Telecoms & Media today revealed its Top 10 trends for 2013 for the telecoms and media sectors. Five of the predictions relate directly to telecoms operators and the other five cover the TV, digital media and OTT communications sector. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121274.jpg?1) NEW YORK, USA: New advertising in Facebook and Twitter have given the US mobile market a boost, bringing revenues for the sector to more than US$4bn this year, a research firm says. Read more >> More International...
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121558.jpg) Where there's smoke, there's disease? They're little more than a pile of burning sticks with a stew pot atop them, but these open fires or basic cook stoves have been linked to the premature deaths of 4 million people annually, many of them young children, writes Cheryl Dybas, of the National Science Foundation. Read more >>
[Katlego Moeng, Crime Reporter] ![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121550.jpg) A man and his son have been arrested in connection with the illegal possession of copies of Sowetan's matric results supplement the night before the official release. Read more >>
South Africa, on 31 December 2012, concluded its second term as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco). Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121485.jpg) A total of 73.9% of the matriculants who sat for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in 2012 passed their exams. Read more >> More Government news...
[Alexander Parker] Motor vehicle manufacturers, retailers, sales and marketing executives in South Africa will look back on 2012 with some satisfaction after sales levels recorded about 10% growth this year. Read more >>
[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] ![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121374.jpg) There is a new kid on the entry level small car playground and it is more than capable of upsetting all the others when it comes to class and comfort, ride quality, looks and price. It's the brand new Honda Brio and it represents the Japanese carmaker's first appearance in a market segment it has not competed in before. Read more >> More Motoring news...
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1301/121482.jpg) Etihad Airways has surpassed its target of carrying 10 million passengers in 2012 and is set to achieve a 22% increase on the total of 8.41 million passengers for 2011. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121404.jpg) Air Seychelles has announced an additional weekly service to Johannesburg, effective 24 March 2013. The change brings return services between the Seychelles and Johannesburg to a total three per week. Johannesburg services will also move to daytime departures and arrivals, shifting from the current overnight services, which will greatly enhance connectivity across South Africa. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121389.jpg) South African Airways (SAA) has won Global Traveler's highest honour, being named "Airline of the Year" by the publication for global business travellers and fans of luxury travel. Read more >>
![](https://biz-file.com/c/1212/121334.jpg) Joining up with a travel group is a great way to see Idaho. In the winter, there is plenty to do and numerous ways to enjoy the snow, including skiing. This is the perfect location to get some fresh air and enjoy the outdoors. And you'll find it a great deal cooler than South Africa right now. Read more >> More Travel news...
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