The festive season is the season for giving, while spending time with family, enjoying ample entertainment and receiving gifts galore. The sad thing is that there are so many children who will not be receiving gifts or love this festive season. In the spirit of generosity and the fact that children are such a huge focus of the Spur Group, Spur Foundation is coordinating a national toy collection drive to put a smile on some underprivileged children’s faces.

Between 1 December 2014 and 16 January 2015 collection boxes for new and pre-loved toys will be available at all Spur, John Dory’s and Panarottis restaurants countrywide. These boxes will be allocated to a Spur Foundation beneficiary per province. The beneficiaries are:         

• Gauteng: ASHA Trust: A South African NGO that establishes and supports formal and home-based early childhood centres in economically challenged communities by providing daily pre-school care, meals and educational stimulation for less-fortunate children aged 2–6.        
• Western Cape:    
  • Durbanville Children’s Home: A home providing a safe haven for children who have suffered from physical and emotional abuse.    
  • Umnqophiso Pre-primary: A nursery school and aftercare centre in the disadvantaged community of Lwandle in the Strand.   
  • House of Grace: Place of safety for abandoned and abused children who have been through tremendous hardship and previous neglect.        
• KwaZulu-Natal: Durban Children’s Home: A home providing love, care and shelter to abandoned, neglected and orphaned children throughout KwaZulu-Natal since 1905.         
• Free State: Botshelo Centre: A centre aimed to prevent HIV infection and distribute information relating to HIV/Aids.        
• Eastern Cape: Inn Safe Hands: A safe-house and foster home that cares for vulnerable children brought to us from abused, abandoned or molestation backgrounds.

Spur Foundation runs this campaign on an annual basis, due to their commitment to the welfare of children in South Africa. The Toy Drive, supported by CourierIT, Longstreet Media and Nampak, collected 77 boxes filled with toys in the 2013 period.

“According to a 2014 National Adoption Coalition Report, there are 18.5 million children in South Africa. Orphans are estimated at about 5.2 million children. Over 13 000 live in residential care facilities and an estimated 10 000 live on the streets of South Africa. And that excludes the children that are with their families, but in such dire circumstances where they cannot afford basic necessities, never mind toys,” says Ronel van Dijk, Chairperson of the Spur Foundation.

The Spur Foundation was founded on Mandela Day in 2012, with an initial R670 000 donation from the Spur Group. Spur’s value of generosity and focus on family will be carried through to the Foundation’s various initiatives throughout the year, which are committed to Nourish, Nurture, Now!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

NAME: Ronel van Dijk, Chairperson of the Spur Foundation and Chief Financial Officer of Spur Corporation Limited    
TEL: 021-5555100
E-MAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
WEBSITE: http://www.spurfoundation.co.za
TWITTER: @SpurRestaurant #SpurToyDrive #PanasToyDrive #JDsToyDrive
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SpurSteakRanches

Ornico Launches The Media Report 2014  

Sandton, South Africa – Wednesday 26 November 2014. Brand Intelligence™ and media research company, Ornico, today launched its second annual edition of The Media Report. Aimed at helping brands, marketers, media companies and advertising agencies better understand the forces that shape the sub-Saharan media sector, The Media Report 2014 is an electronic magazine available free for download from MarkLives.com or Ornico.co.za 

With over a hundred pages of insights on Africa’s media and research industry, The Media Report 2014 includes contributions from amongst South Africa’s most influential editors and advertising personalities. Gareth Cliff, SA’s ‘enfant terrible’ of radio, talks about streaming media and the reinvention he and his team effected with CliffCentral.com.  

Undoubtedly the most influential and powerful woman in the media in South Africa, former Editor-in-Chief of Huisgenoot, You and Drum, Esmaré Weideman – the CEO of Media24 – speaks about her responsibility for the commercial success of Africa’s largest publishing group, and talks about freedom of expression, advertising, independence and media monopoly. 

Other contributors include Chris Roper, Editor-in-Chief of the Mail & Guardian, who answers questions about editorial independence and honest information. Herman Manson, founder and editor of Marklives.com, talks about the marketing site’s investigative approach to trade media. Anton Harber, Adjunct Professor of Journalism, writes on the fine balance that delivers autonomy in newsrooms and enables journalists to produce more interesting, impactful and useful journalism. 

The Eyewitness News Editor-in-Chief, Katy Katopodis, answers 15 questions on her life, her values, the hurly-burly of daily news, and media independence. But that’s not all. Paulo Dias of Primedia Broadcasting explains the difference between technology and trust in radio, while Lyn Jones, Marketing Manager of Continental Outdoor Media, explores effective out of home advertising in Africa. 

The theme of The Media Report 2014 is independence. “Despite the fact that media independence and open information are the hallmarks of democracy, what we’re seeing is that there is an ongoing attack on media freedoms both in Africa and across the globe,” says Oresti Patricios, CEO of Ornico. 

“The most recent findings of the World Press Freedom Index, which is undertaken by Reporters Without Borders annually, shows that media freedom is on the decline on all continents,” bar Asia. “Africa is one of the biggest culprits and the freedom index indicates that when it comes to media transparency, this continent is in real trouble,” he says.

“Independent media is critical to Africa’s growth, not only because the press can be a watchdog that reports on abuses of power, but also because it educates and informs. Media independence is important to Africa because the media sector plays such an important role in economic growth and social development. Which is in part why we’ve invested resources in creating this media annual,” says Patricios, who adds that this media annual will become a permanent feature of SA’s publishing landscape.

Download your free copy The Media Report here: http://website.ornico.co.za/newsletters/  

-ends-

ABOUT ORNICO:

Ornico provides Reputation, Media and Brand Intelligence™ research across the African continent, making sense of the tsunami of brand, advertising and media information flooding the media space. By collecting and analysing media data and brand publicity across many media channels, Ornico helps put marketing decision makers in the know about the most important strategic decisions they'll ever make regarding their brands. Ornico employs a dedicated team of over 120 people in offices in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, and has clients that include many of Africa's top companies.

Ornico - Know how. To grow.

CONTACTS: Oresti Patricios – CEO

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Twitter: @orestaki  

Mongezi Mtati – Marketing Manager

Call: 011 884 5041

Ornico Head Office: Tel: +27 11 884-5041

Fax: +27 11 783-6931

Twitter: @OrnicoMedia

Web: www.ornico.co.za

I spoke with Prof EN Barkhuizen from the Talent Management Blueprint Conference and asked her for some of the Key Takeout’s from the conference held on 16th and 17th of October which unpacked Talent Management and Organisational Energy and behaviour

‘Are we making a Difference? ’Was her biggest question for Industry Leaders.

‘There are Only about 100 scientific publications on talent management. ‘There are 32, 4 million people aged between 15 and 64 years (working age population) in South Africa.

Of these 13, 1 million (40%) were employed and 4, 5 million (3, 8%) were unemployed.

This report further pointed out that 41, 0% of the unemployed were students

15, 0% were discouraged work seekers.

38 236 doctors and 5 560 dentists.

The doctor-to-population ratio is estimated to be 0.77 per 1 000.

But because the vast majority of GPs – 73% – work in the private sector, there is just one practicing doctor for every 4 219 people.

(Source: RSA.info, 2014)

From the above stats, it is apparent that we clearly need to become more Talent Intelligent.

Other staggering Stats from hashtag Marius Meyer were the following:         

Human Capital is the biggest concern for CEOs (PwC).        

Only 18% of CEOs feel confident that they have the right people in place to execute strategy (CEB).        

Human Capital is the biggest risk in business (HCI Africa).        

Skills crisis is the top obstacle to economic growth.        

Strikes cost SA R 200 million+ per day.        

SA losing R12 billion a year due to absenteeism.        

Only 19% auditors feel they use HR optimally (CG Index – Institute of Internal Auditors)        

Only 5% employees understand business strategy.        

World-wide 13% of employees actively engaged.        

Companies with engaged employees outperform others by 202% (Dale Carnegie).

Companies with good HR Practices outperform others by treating HR as critical business function, these companies are 105% more profitable.

Average ROI on wellness programmes: 300%.

‘So what do we do about all this? ‘I asked like Dr Lynne Derman, who is a renowned expert in the field of organisational energy and whose Doctoral Study was the first to investigate organizational energy in the South African context.’

‘I am passionate about employee well being, in fact managing talent effectively gives business a competitive advantage.

Aligning Talent Management with Business Strategy is imperative. It is equally important to be equipped with the correct tools‘.

For more information on individual and organisational well-being visit goldfish-consulting

Link: http://goldfish-consulting.co.za/services/talent-management

Have you ever tested yourself to the extent that you felt like giving up? That there is not a drop of energy left in your body, yet sheer willpower pushes you to persist and complete what you have started?  

Actor, Ivan Zimmermann plans to add a new dimension to mountain biking – he will depart from Cape Town on 9 January 2015 and plans to reach Cairo by 9 May 2015 as part of the Tour d’Afrique 2015.   

Zimmermann will ride with a team of Tour d’Afrique, a Canadian group known for organising bicycling trip through Africa.  Tour d’Afrique has been recognised as the world’s longest and most challenging mountainbike stage adventure. This will be the 13th edition of the Tour d’Afrique – a test of a  mind, body, and bicycle that will stretch through ten countries.  

“I have always dreamt to travel through Africa for a good cause,”says Zimmermann. “I initially thought I would do it on a motorbike, but I have done several mountainbike races during the past year and have subsequently decided to cross Africa from one point to the other on a bicycle.”  

The main sponsors of Zimmerman’s venture are SAICA (the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants), who will be running an internal motivational campaign, Leaders Never Quit, in conjunction with the trip, and SAGE Pastel. Ivan will also attempt to raise 12 000 tins of food for the Can-a-Kilo initiative as part of the adventure.  

“I plan to raise one tin of food for each of the 12 000 kilometres covered by the Tour d’Afrique. This food will be distributed by the Hanna Charity and Empowerment Foundation in South Africa,” says Zimmerman. Collection points for the tins can be found at www.ivanzimmermann.com  

“At this stage I am the only South African in the group,” he explains. “I will be responsible for setting up my own tent and will have to service my bicycle myself, but there will be a support team should I need assistance.”  

Ivan says tongue-in-the cheeck, “I think I might need all the support possible to finish.  I know it is going to be tough, but I am determined not to give up at any point. Leaders never quit, despite how difficult the circumstances are. There might be days where I ask myself what I let myself into, but it will be on days like those that true leaders are born. Leaders never quit!”  

The trip to Cairo will stretch through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Zimmerman will take photos and videos and will share that with media on a regular basis. He is also planning to follow the trip with motivational talks countrywide.  

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a dream that has become a reality,”says Zimmermann. A dream that will test me to my limits. But also a dream that will show the world that leaders never quit.”  

About Ivan Zimmermann  

Ivan was born free and with a great sense of adventure. He is known to the South African public as actor, for roles in Egoli, 7de Laan, Interrogation Room and Dit wat Stom is. He also starred in movies like Platteland, Verraaiers, the Egoli Movie and Spook van Uniondale. During next year he will be starring in Villa Rosa between January and March 2015 and in Vlug na Egipte between January and April 2015, both on kykNET. In his free time Ivan is a keen sportsman, participating regularlyinmountain biking, surfing and stand-up paddle boarding.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION  

NAME: Ilza Roggeband
E-MAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.         
CELL: 083-448-2102
WEBSITE: www.ivanzimmermann.com
TWITTER: @IvanZimmermann1, @CANaKILO (#leadersneverquit, #12000km, #tourdafrique, #12000cans)
INSTAGRAM: eyevanzimmer
FACEBOOK: /Ivan.Zimmermann

The end of the year is marked by the termination of lease agreements and the increasing traffic of accommodation seekers on classified ads websites. As the traffic increases internet fraudsters see an opportunity and start creating false advertisement to take advantage of desperate seekers and rob them their money. These criminals put the life of internet users in danger.

Red Diamond World in partnership with various police stations has come up with a solution to combat these crimes, especially in student areas and is dedicated to bringing this negative exposure to an end. The company's main protected areas at the moment will be Hatfield, Sunnyside and Arcadia in Pretoria and internet users looking for accommodation or anything advertised online are advised to use the Red Diamond World Ads directory to find what they need since this web application only displays verified ads, supplied only by agencies which will make it easier to assist the users should the user be cheated online.

The company urges internet users to be very careful when searching for flats and apartments on the web. Users should be conscious of the fact that anybody post ads on other online advertising websites, allowing criminals to post anything and exposing you to crimes. The number of internet fraud victims is worrying and has been mainly a result of the numerous flexible and popular ads websites everyone runs to when they have a need.

On Red Diamond World Ads advertisements are sent to the website admin by companies and agencies the company has contracted with, which include real estate agencies around Hatfield, Sunnyside and Arcadia. No user has the ability to post any advertisement and no individual or person is allowed to contract with the company to publish ads on the web app, the company only works with other companies and agencies.

We are confident that this will reduce the number of internet fraud victims. Red Diamond World Ads will protect internet users and we encourage students in Pretoria to use it when searching for accommodation.

Website: rediamondworld.com

Your brand has value. You might not be sure how much or where it comes from, but it still has value. This value usually relates to the products, people, and reputation surrounding it. Brands can, however, be diluted and lose value when customers feel annoyed, cheated or disappointed – when the brand fall of its pedestal and is reduced to “just another ordinary” one.

With the help of media intelligence providers, like ROi Africa, your brand’s value can be monitored and corrective actions can be planned pro-actively, all by knowing what the public and media think and feel about you.

Besides Lance Armstrong, who is the one sporting brand that came crashing down during the last two years – from a R21 million per year icon to a shamed brand liability? Oscar Pistorius!

This famous Paralympic athlete, who even competed successfully against able-bodied athletes and was seen as a role model for people facing severe challenges in life, was recently sentenced to five years in prison on a charge of culpable homicide for killing his girlfriend, model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp.

His murder trial caused a media frenzy, in one hour alone (sentencing hour) ROi Africa saw over 110,000 unique items published in over 200 million platforms.

It was a landmark case in more than one way. A court application by media houses allowed for live coverage in the form of Tweets directly from the court room. On the top-yielding day of the trail, the verdict, over 400,000 unique items were reported mentioning the words “Oscar Pistorius” or “Oscar Trial”.

Tonya Khoury, the Managing Director of ROi Africa was the first media intelligence provider to start delivering reliable statistical analysis of media coverage worldwide, becoming a regular face on Channel 199 and SABC Newsroom.  

Mathapelo Matjokana, the producer of the Afternoon Talk with Ashraf Garda Show on SAFM, was one of the first media to use ROi Africa’s statistics on a regular basis, says that, “With the arrival of these statistics and analysis people were able to understand, for example, the Oscar Trial better as complex legal matters were broken down into simpler terms. It also allowed us to follow major events like these through a bird’s eye view with these analyses.”

“The Oscar Pistorius brand – like any other business brand – had to cope with the effect of an incorrect decision and the aftermath thereof. In the media coverage of the trial, it was evident how the media’s reporting affected Pistorius’ brand value. One can, as an example look at his sponsorships that have declined to zero. Well-known brands like Nike, Oakley, Thierry Mugler and BT have suspended sponsoring Pistorius, Nike came under fire after a 2011 billboard campaign with the wording'the bullet in the chamber” which proved to be almost prophetical.

The brands were mentioned regularly during the trial and jokes featured on social media which also negatively impacted Nike, resulting in the suspension of large sponsorships for Pistorius” says Khoury.

When looking at all media (news and social) over the past 100 days and in all languages, these four brands received the following publicity, in relation to Oscar Pistorius.

As the former sponsor with the biggest percentage of media mention, Nike’s coverage during the past 100 days can be broken down, the highest percentages of publicity was achieved on 14, 15 and 16 September, with all reporting on Nike dropping their sponsorship contract with Pistorius formally after he was found guilty by Judge Masipa and thus became a brand liability. These are insights that can be extremely valuable for any brand.  

“With these mentions, sponsors like Nike have gained publicity, but for the wrong reasons, which made Pistorius a brand liability. His brand value thus impacted negatively on a few other brands,” Khoury adds. According to media reports Oscar Pistorius was once the second most popular athlete, after Usain Bolt, but that is history now. During and after the case, he actually received more publicity compared to athletes that have experienced some kind of crisis in their careers,” she adds.  

OJ Simpson: 64.75%
Usain Bolt: 18.42%
Lance Armstrong: 9.04%
Tiger Woods: 7.78%

As with any other brand, ROi Africa also looked at aspects like who and what were mentioned most with Pistorius, which is also an indication of his brand value. Smart Technology, managed by knowledgeable analysts enabled them to generate new angles and comparisons,like these,to keep the media and readers engaged.

“This technology, combined with personal input, identified key trends across all media platforms worldwide - over 2000 print titles that are taken from hard copy to digital format - and converted using the finest global reading technology. Broadcast media is converted from the verbal word to text within 2 seconds of it being aired. Immediate coverage is drawn from an excess of 200 million platforms in online and social media,” explains Khoury.

She adds, “Keeping track of what is being said about a company or brand, their industry of operations or specific topics of interest, and even their competitors can provide a much-needed competitive advantage,” adds Khoury.

Media intelligence on key competitors, main issues in the industry, top journalists reporting on your brand, top-yielding regions, comparative timelines and trends results in valuable instant insight. The successful use of media intelligence during crises depends on the severity of the crisis – in some cases most of the damage cannot be undone, but can be managed – as in the Oscar Pistorius Trial. But on the other hand one wonders what the influence of media coverage was on the eventual outcome of the case,” she says. "In the corporate world one would have a much better chance of using media intelligence information to minimise the onslaught of a crisis.

In conclusion, what Google (as probably the most prominent search engine for online media) says about you has become an important part of brand value management in a digital age – and it is better to monitor and analyse media coverage in your brand than being surprised by an onslaught by a crisis.

FOR MORE INFORMATION  

Tonya Khoury: 073 874 5377
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Twitter: @tonyaroi / @roiafrica
Facebook: Facebook.com/roiafrica
Website: www.roiafrica.com

One of South Africa’s foremost media intelligence service providers, ROiAfrica’s website www.roiafrica.com has just been listed on the Drupal Site, as “Editor’s Pick” for the ‘best looking” sites.

ROi Africa’s site was developed by Adappt UK, headed up by Jon Antony, combining technical expertise, creativity and passion. ROi Africa is a unique company with a unique site, which can inspire innovative use of the Drupal technology.

According to ROi Africa Managing Director, Tonya Khoury, “The ROi Africa site was developed specifically to drive traffic to start a sales conversation, but also to showcase the ability of the smart technology we provide.”

“We are honoured to be showcased by Drupal, and more importantly we are delighted at the ease of Drupal’s functionality to keep our content fresh and relevant,” she adds. Drupal, an open source content management platform, powers millions of websites and applications worldwide. Drupal is used as a back-end framework of at least 2.1% of sites worldwide.

Drupal allows non-technical users to add and edit content without knowing anything about web design. This is perfect for an organisation, like ROi Africa, which operates in the media industry, and need to constantly update their site to link back to main news and social media items.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

NAME: Tonya Khoury
TEL: 073 874 5377
E-MAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
TWITTER: @tonyaroi / @roiafrica
FACEBOOK: /roiafrica
WEBSITE: www.roiafrica.com

Local digital marketing agency 'The Media Image' has been shortlisted for one organic search (SEO) and two paid search (PPC) awards by international body the 'UK Search Awards'. This international recognition comes at a time when many industry observers are operating under the assumption that the local digital search industry is several years behind their overseas counterparts.

In September 2013, search engine giant, Google, introduced an algorithm change called Hummingbird and began blocking keyword data from their tool 'Google Analytics'. This made accurate reporting a challenge for most search companies. In addition, and again in 2013, the search giant also launched its 'enhanced campaigns' pay-per-click (PPC) upgrade – making it a year of rigorous adaptation for digital marketers on a global scale.  

In the face of this year of change, many search and digital marketing companies folded. Many local agencies were already in the process of merging with larger, international bodies and others began merger processes after these updates occurred. On the whole, South African search marketing agencies are often considered to be several years behind their overseas equivalents and lacking in experience, but one of the primary reasons for this actually cited by insiders as being related to the lower internet penetration levels of the local market.  

Lower internet penetration, however, has not slowed all local agencies or businesses. The most successful search campaigns have capitalised on the growth of mobile marketing, display innovations, advanced attribution and measurement systems, as well as advanced marketing or strategically targeted PPC (pay per click) ads. The statistics show that globally, medium to large businesses have increased their online marketing budget for 2014 and will do so again in 2015 – and South African companies hoping to pull ahead of local competitors are doing the same.  

In the face of The Media Image's nominations for work on Gracewell healthcare, Virgin Active UK as well as international gaming operator Coral, co-founder and managing director Pete Brooke-Sumner had the following to say,

"TMI is very proud of the positive and continual impact we have made on the local search market. Beyond this we are particularly proud of our impact and recognition in the competitive UK market, where we have been short listed for three UK search awards, competing against some of Europe's top search agencies. We see this as testament to the fact that strong, experienced local agencies like TMI can compete and succeed in established foreign markets. We are excited to continue to innovate and drive awareness and growth in both the UK and SA markets”

09 October 2014 | Durban, South Africa

Social By The Sea presents

A social media evening  for Durban #SocialByTheSea  

Coming soon is a social media evening for Durban.  Delegates will be able to learn best case practices. This event is perfect for those in advertising, marketing experts, ceo’s, government departments, school heads, ngo’s, entrepreneurs, small business and anyone who wants to learn about social media.  The workshop will feature leading industry speakers, including Fred Felton (Falconscove) and Nazareen Ebrahim (Socially Acceptable). Emma Sadlier –Media law consultant and speaker will be joining us.  She is the co-author of ‘Don’t’ Film yourself having Sex’.  Mike Wronski will also be joining us via Skype to chat South African Internet and Social Media Stats.

Date: 15 October 2014    

Time: 6:30pm  Cost: R50 (Discounts to IDEA Members)
Venue: IT Varsity, 8th Floor, Sage Life House, 21 Joe Slovo Street (Old Name – Field Street)
DurbanTopic: State of Social Media in South Africa for Business                                                                                                                

Please RSVP by 14 October 2014

Tickets and more info: www.socialbythesea.blogspot.com 

About Nazareen Ebrahim Socially Acceptable is headed by Nazareen Ebrahim who has a long career in media & communications. The agency, under the umbrella of Naz Consulting – Corporate.Media.Academia, offers the core services of digital media content, PR and Media liaison.  Socially Acceptable has worked with: Topco Media, Picasso Inline, DUT, South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, Harbour View Super Spar, Radio Al-Ansaar, The Journey Foundation, Durban Chamber of Commerce, Newsclip Media Monitoring, BWA, immedia, among many others.

About Fred Felton Falconscove is headed by Fred Felton who owns this media agency based in Durban.  With over 10 years in the business you can be assured of professional work.  The agency provides services such as digital media, social media, copywriting, pr, publicity, blogs, media consulting and communications strategy.  Falconscove has worked with:  Durban Chamber of Commerce, Native, Twitter Blanket Drive, PSASA among many others.  

For more details or sponsorship enquiries: 

Website: www.socialbythesea.blogspot.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Cell: 076-977-5788
Twitter: @socialbythesea
Facebook: Social By The Sea
#SocialByTheSea

Media Enquiries and Interview Requests: Fred Felton, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , phone 076-977-5788, twitter @fredfelton  

This day marks the launch of cybatar.com, a new social network created by another internet start up company. Cybatar enters the social networking market not to try and substitute Facebook and Twitter but to offer a few features which are not available on them.

The social network is not in a competition and is in it for the long-run. The company responsible for the product believe that the website will offer users convenience and will also ease communication between people all over the world.The website, being built through open source software caters for both Facebook and Twitter users.

It offers an in between service and also carries other features. Users will not only be able to share audio, video and image files but will also be able to share document files which brings relief to users and cuts the extensive need for email.The company promises a quality product and believes that users will enjoy "cybing".

Visit www.cybatar.com to register your account today.