Since its inception in 2020, The Marketing Mill has trained nearly 50 young people in content writing, SEO, web development, and digital marketing, hiring more than half of them. And they plan to double this number by 2022 by offering paid internships and SEO and writing courses.

The company was founded in South Africa but has since spread its roots to other places in the world. Many members of the team have operated from places such as Greece, Bali, Amsterdam, Spain and the USA, but most are back in SA now.

In 2020 Travel Tractions expanded its business offering to include The Marketing Mill and improve its rapidly growing internship program. At the same time, the agency created and implemented an online content marketing course with a strong focus on SEO copywriting to be used internally.

Now in 2021, a second course focussed on SEO has been created to advance the internship offering even further. As explained by founder, Matt Davison, "we are very passionate about showing people how to make an income online. And when Covid-19 hit our travel marketing agency, we had a lot of free time on our hands. It made a lot of sense to develop a course to formalize our learnings in a structured way".

The team has plans to create even more courses and release them to the public at a later date to educate even more people. To stay in the loop on all things related to the digital marketing course, you can sign up for course updates on learn.themarketingmill.com.

More about the paid internship 

As many graduates will tell you, finding an entry-level position after graduation is no easy task, especially if you have no prior experience. Standing out from thousands of other applicants is nearly impossible without a giant neon sign saying “pick me”. 

Most graduates also dream of traveling the world, but can’t afford to do so without working. With The Marketing Mill, not only can you earn money but you can also work from anywhere in the world. It is not unheard of to find Travel Tractions team members typing away while camping in the bush or at a beachside cafe. 

With a focus on learning and remote working, an internship at Travel Tractions offers the perfect entry-level job for graduates or even students. With part-time and full-time options as well as flexible hours, gaining work experience and knowledge about digital marketing has never been so convenient for young adults. 

Plus, the interns get one-on-one mentorship from a senior team member during their first six months, helping them to expand their skills and deepen their knowledge. During this time they learn a range of tasks including writing, editing, SEO, social media, and other aspects of digital marketing. And if the individual shows dedication and ability, there is a potential for a longer-term employment. 

Contact Details:

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

Websites: https://traveltractions.com/ and https://themarketingmill.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Travel Tractions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traveltractions/ 

Clockwork’s interactive communications campaigns continue to make waves in the South African advertising and marketing industry, with five solid nominations at the annual IAB Bookmark Awards – the benchmark for tech, digital and leading edge innovation.

With the Microsoft XBox Hall Of Fame campaign as the forerunner with three nominations, alongside Acer’s #Instapitch with two, the recognition is testament to holistic creativity with high impact executions that delivered strong and measurable results for the clients.

The categories that Clockwork received nominations for are a direct reflection of the company’s strength in the industry and perfectly highlight areas of expertise in which Clockwork continues to excel.

The nominations are as follows: Microsoft XBox Hall Of Fame  Campaign: Digital Strategy Channel: Email, Direct, Inbound MarketingChannel: Use of CRM, Loyalty & Gamification Acer #Instapitch

Community: Use of user-generated content
Community: Social Media Innovation The awards takes place on the 29th July 2021.

Pixelsmith Studios has always been about connecting, promoting and celebrating South African creatives. This brainchild of Ruan Smit, Matt Davison and Neal Strydom has become a design-oriented hub for over 800 creatives. Used by Animators, illustrators, VFX artists, game developers and more, the online environment encourages sharing, learning and expertise development amongst local creatives. Since its inception in 2010, the site has become a popular place to find reliable tech reviews, networking connections, local and international artist interviews and more.

2021 has seen the site be redesigned, optimised and given a whole new purpose. More recently, The Marketing Mill made a strategic investment in the site. This was done to enable creatives to make money online through services on the site and help to create an income for digital creators in South Africa. Now if you head to http://pixelsmithstudios.com, you’ll be able to choose from a selection of proudly South African digital products for your creative projects.

While we’re initially opening our doors to Illustrators and Graphic Designers in South Africa for free, we’re also setting the foundations so that we can expand to assist Animators, Game Developers, 2D and 3D Modellers and VFX artists, encouraging them to open stores on our platform. Signing up is completely free for a year, and artists will take 90% of the proceeds for the sale.

While not the first digital marketplace in South Africa, Pixelsmith Studios aims to be the best for both sellers and customers. Ruan Smit explains that “there’s not currently a beneficial place where South African creatives can promote and sell their work. We wanted to create a site where we could empower designers in SA to sell designs and services to an international audience.”. The goal of the site is to build a network and digital marketplace not just in South Africa but one that has international opportunities. Pixelsmith Studios was started to help creatives gain more exposure and essentially help build their career. The team behind Pixelsmith Studios has always had a passion for helping people and looking after fellow creatives. This has become increasingly important over the last year during this difficult time. Covid-19 hasn’t made things easy and creatives need a way to sell their products online and that’s what we have adapted our site for.

But this doesn’t mean that the original purpose of the site has been abandoned. Creatives will still be able to promote themselves, network, find jobs and help each other out on the subdomain, creatives.pixelsmithstudios.com or hop on our Discord server. Here you can find a like-minded community of over 100 creatives who are passionate about what they do. If you need feedback on your creations, advice or are looking for work, our Discord is the place to go. 

YouTube has grown rapidly over the past few years in South Africa. However, the channel is still an enigma to many brands, especially in South Africa. How, when and why to use it as part of a marketing strategy is something brands tend to struggle with, and it is often reduced to a platform to populate only when ads and other video content is available. With YouTube being the second most used platform in SA after WhatsApp, are brands missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with a much broader local audience?

Local YouTube statistics to consider

While YouTube might not be a priority for many businesses, there are some statistics you can’t (and shouldn’t) ignore. YouTube has certainly come a long way since its official 2010 launch in SA. Over the past few years, the channel and its use in SA has grown exponentially. In 2020 particularly, YouTube enjoyed the benefits of the increased screen time that resulted from lockdown and social distancing.

Here are just a few stats:  Between 2020 and 2021 YouTube overtook Facebook in terms of usage, likely due to cheaper data costs and greater accessibility to dataYouTube is the third most visited website in SA The platform saw a 24% increase in visits during lockdownThe android app has an average of 43.9k downloads per month in SAAccording to Kantar, if YouTube were a TV channel, it would be the fourth largest channel in South Africa, since it currently has a higher viewership than SABC3 and any individual DSTV paid channel.And according to the Digital 2021 Report,YouTube has the largest potential advertising audience in SA, with 24 million potential users (1 million more than Facebook).

How South Africans are using YouTube

Despite the slow start, there has been a definitely rise in local content creators on the platform - further propelled by YouTube’s active collaboration with African creators. The top trending content creators in SA include MDM Sketch Comedy, The Ndlovus Uncut, Lasizwe and Leon Gumede – all who are enjoyed by SA audiences for their ability to make viewers laugh with high quality sketch comedy and relatable storytelling. South African audiences are getting a chance to see themselves represented in more ways – not just making content accessible but making diverse local stories accessible.

This quote by 10and5.com sums it up quite nicely:  “The ‘golden age’ sub-culture of comedy skits and memes are redefining and democratizing the internet. Minorities are able to see themselves reflected in a space that can often be alienating and aloof. Local ‘twelebs’ and the ‘instafamous’ bring awareness to current affairs – like the recent #COVID19 with the right amount of amusement to keep us all going (while we self-isolate)”.  Local brands are uniquely positioned to tap into viewers’ need to be seen in content collaborations as much as partnering with influencers on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Brands engagement on YouTube

People are watching more YouTube than ever — on mobile, laptops, and even the TV. Brands should definitely get in on the views whilst be conscious of their presence on the platform. Because consumers expect a lot more from brands than faceless sales pitches and heavy-handed advertising these days. Thus, YouTube has emerged as a platform uniquely suited for forging genuine connections and fostering brand loyalty in creative ways.

Top brands on YouTube are proving daily just how rewarding a YouTube channel with a clear strategy can be. Some of the success behind brand engagement on YouTube lies in brands understanding what their particular audience wants or needs to see and hear. What’s great about YouTube is the growth of niche groups – fashion and beauty to motoring and farming. These days it’s less about “is my audience on YouTube?” and more about “what is my audience creating and consuming on YouTube – and how can we tap into that?”.

Tips for approaching your YouTube strategy

YouTube is making it easier for brands to create their strategies with YouTube analytics, YouTube Playbooks, access to YouTube Trends and Culture and even a YouTube Space for Brands that offers a range of videos and courses (events) where brands and creators can learn how to leverage the power of YouTube. Other ways to really are to:  Find creative ways to extend existing content.

For example, if you have a podcast, why not film it? Take advantage of user-generated content. Brands like GoProdo a great job of showing their product through the eyes of their consumer – telling stories while showcasing the product beautifully. Use staff and other brand advocates – add genuine faces to your content by featuring your staff in different content formats.

Use your audience insights to create content. For example, if you know the kind of questions your audience asks frequently, create videos answering these questions. B2B brand Accenturedoes this particularly well. Don’t be afraid to venture into new territory with content formats. Whether B2B or B2C, if brands apply themselves they could find ways to popular formats to increase interest and engagement.

There’s a variety of communities on YouTube and with a bit of creativity, brands can certainly reach theirs. Remember that viewers are willing to engage more with a brand that taps into the type of content they would like to see and creates conversations with them. Like every social platform, the key to success is listening to your audience, tuning into their actions and reactions and responding with content that resonates with them and factors in their interests and challenges. The rewards of getting this right could be significant for brands, improving reach, presence, sentiment and ultimately, sales.

FNS Global Ventures has today released a free report titled: “Get a website report detailing why your website is not ranking higher in the search engines”.

The main aim of the report is to show site administrators why it is not ranking or being organically found in the search engines. It also aims to provide the information needed to rectify missing or outdated information on a website. Using the information gathered from the report a site administrator can begin the process of getting a company website to start producing results that bring about brand and product awareness by getting ranked on the first page of a search engine.The report has been made openly available and at no cost by FNS Global Ventures. It's available to small and medium businesses, thought leaders within the Digital Marketing market and anyone with an interest in getting a Free Website Performance Report.

The report was also written with a specific focus on small to medium business owners since Farhad Sarang, author of the report, believes “We wrote this report for small to medium business owners in mind because we understand the frustration experienced by having a website and not knowing why and how to get it ranked higher in the search engine results page ( SERPs).

”When asked about why they released the report at this time, Farhad Sarang, Digital marketing strategist at FNS Global Ventures said: “People who read and implement the findings of the report will now have a clear understanding why their site cannot be easily found in the search engines. What keywords are and how it all ties together. Basically what optimization is needed to be done to a site, for it to be found on the first page of a search engine for a chosen keyword, one that will ultimately bring more buying customers through the business doors.

”Interested parties can find the report ready to download, for free, at https://www.fnsglobalventures.org/discovery-application FNS Global Ventures was founded in 2014, The business is thought of as an innovative digital marketing agency within the Digital Marketing industry. It is best known for providing results in advance, it is something rare in the digital marketing space.

Its unique position within its industry gives it the authority to produce such a report on Free Website Performance Report because The business is in a unique position of truly understand the digital marketing needs of small to medium businesses, FNS Global Ventures knows first hand the best and most cost-effective way of creating a digital marketing strategy.

For example, as the report aims to solve 'how to be found by potential customer online' Each unique report provides details to a site administrator the reasons why it is not ranking or being found organically in the search engines, it gives valuable information to the reader that will ultimately benefit them by knowing what steps are needed to execute the SEO guidelines needed to make a website visible in the search engines. A website is an asset to any company, without it being visible to potential customers and clients it becomes a liability, by implementing the suggestions provided in this report a site owner will be able to increase revenue by growing a loyal customer base. This insight simply wouldn't be possible, or their advice nearly as effective, without the five years spent in the Digital Marketing world so far.

More information on FNS Global Ventures can be found at https://www.fnsglobalventures.org

Idea Hive, Johannesburg based brand storytelling specialists have partnered with Digitex Solutions, a local information technology company to provide cutting edge digital storytelling marketing solutions. This in response to the growing need for value driven marketing disruptions. In this ever-evolving digital world that sees brands needing to adapt to a new way of telling stories, this is exciting news.

The specialised art of storytelling has kept Idea Hive relevant and has created the special position that they hold in the branding world. The huge changes that technology has brought about in recent years have affected not only the way that brands communicate with consumers, but also the way consumers are engaging with the stories of the brands they love.

‘’This relationship also forms the bedrock in crafting AI Data-Driven brand strategy and campaigns for our clients’’, says Yaw Dwomoh, CEO of Idea Hive. “New technologies have created fresh opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations. Online storytelling involves creating and sharing stories using digital tools, hence the partnership provides a holistic solution for our clients”, Yaw adds.

Everyone can have a great idea but transforming that idea into a digital masterpiece that sends the client into definitive action at a touch of a button, is what makes all the difference. Our marketing decisions will now be driven by real-time data analytics and intelligence,  adapting to a range of market conditions. Our customers may now take advantage of being informed as key data drivers change, based on our niche AI algorithms. 

“We are very excited about the opportunity this partnership affords us, enabling us to adapt into the marketing advisory service provider brands have been looking for,” says Dwomoh.

According to an old Native American proverb, “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” Good stories do indeed draw people in. They are narratives that connect, engage and move us to laughter, to tears, and most importantly to action.

While the fundamental values and principles of storytelling remain unchanged, how we tell these stories is quickly evolving. Rapidly changing technology is redefining what makes a story captivating. There are now more ways than ever of delivering the message and your brand’s story. Idea Hive, along with Digitex Solutions, can now converge the two, making the marketing experience one that leads to measurable action.

About Idea Hive 

At Idea Hive we create and execute pioneering Brand Storytelling Solutions to illuminate your brand’s power. We apply a strategic framework which extracts and aligns all the key components of your brand’s story. Our team of curious, creative, driven and critical thinkers mould all the elements into a cohesive Brand Storytelling Solution that will change how the market sees and experiences your brand. We craft and execute heartfelt and character-driven Brand Storytelling campaigns that position your brand/and or organisation to achieve its full market potential. We offer an array of tailormade solutions around our services which includes branding, design, influencer marketing, visual content and communications. All solutions are anchored in ensuring that each Brand Story is told exceptionally, uniquely and to the right audience.Imagine a world where brands defeat normal and ideas inspire change.When we change, we change the world around us.

For more information please visit: Web: ideahive.co.za

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IdeaHiveBST/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idea-hive-brand-story-tellers-149335176/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IdeaHiveBST
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ideahivebrandstorytellers/

Press Office
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Proven Tips on Celebrity Social Media Management

Managing social media can be tough for a celebrity. It’s difficult to juggle promotion and intimacy and to respond to so many fans. Often, a large audience also means more potential for abuse, which may drive some celebs away from social media completely.That said, a celebrity social media strategy is important. This is because the benefits of social media outweigh the drawbacks. By building a presence online, you can:Promote primary and secondary projectsSpeak to fans on a channel you controlBuild up sponsorship dealsGet to know your fans—and let them get to know youSo, are you interested in social media but unsure of where to begin? Let’s learn how other celebrities are using their social platforms.

Pick the Right Celebrity Social Media Platform

A celebrity social profile serves as an important tool for marketing, promotion and forging a connection with fans. This means you need to go where your fans are. Each social network features different media and attracts different demographics.For example, Instagram’s strength is providing an intimate glimpse at life behind the scenes through images. Snapchat does the same with video and messaging. Twitter places you in direct contact with your fans, letting you converse in the moment. Pay attention to age, too: Snapchat’s crowd, for example, skews younger than the one on Facebook.Picking the right social media platform

Develop a Voice and Content Strategy

Planning a celebrity social media strategy begins with choosing the content you’ll produce and how you’ll share it. A celebrity social media profile should strive to:Be engaging with fansBe candid, fun and unexpectedBe open, honest and intimatePromote the celebrity’s projects (without too much focus on promotion)

How Celebrities Use Social Media: Be Candid!

Your number-one priority should be honesty. Because you control this channel—unlike those through partnership brands, project reps, interviews or tabloids—you’re free to let down your guard a little a strike a connection. Afraid of being too candid and making a faux pas? Just look at how celebrities use social media: Adele has a manager approve her posts before publishing, letting her be sincere without worrying about saying the wrong thing.Have fun! DJ Khaled became a bit of a meme when he broadcasted his bizarre but captivating “jet ski adventure” via Snapchat. The move was funny for portraying Khaled in a vulnerable (but still tongue-in-cheek) situation that left his audience on the edge of their seats all throughout. It’s a great example of how creative thinking and a touch of drama can generate buzz.Celebrity Social Media Management TipsCelebrity Social Media Requires IntimacyWhen it comes to intimacy on social media, perhaps no one pulls it off better than Kim Kardashian. This star handles her celebrity social media management all on her own, and it shows: she often speaks directly to her audience via Instagram stories, and just recently invited her Twitter following to help her daughter name their new puppy over the course of a few days. This is an example of giving her audience agency, which is important in forming a connection.Another shining example of how celebrities use social media to provide behind-the-scenes glimpses is Jessica Alba. Alba’s Instagram is full of casual, homey selfies—a stark contrast to the glitz and glamour you might expect from celebrity social media. Her social media presence is humbling, and she feels like a friend we know.

Engage with Fans—or Your Celebrity Social Media Strategy is Worthless

An important tenant to celebrity social media management is that it be a conversation, not a one-way broadcast. As a celebrity, your audience is probably too big to respond to everyone. Still, when fans reach out, you should engage with them. This makes them feel appreciated, and makes you seem more approachable. Taylor Swift positioned herself as America’s best BFF by engaging with her fans. Meanwhile, Iggy Azalea’s celebrity social media strategy is startlingly frank about the difficulties in her career, which her audience appreciates.Don’t be afraid to give back! When managing social media for a celebrity, be sure to include charitable works and projects. Need an idea? Nicki Minaj leveraged her Twitter audience to pay off tuition and debt for straight-A students. She did this live on the platform, inviting her fans to share their report cards. Surprise acts of goodwill like this—directly benefiting the community—are an amazing use of social media that we should see more often.

Protection & Comment Moderation are Essential for Celebrity Social Media Management

Finally, be sure to protect yourself when putting yourself out there. Celebrity social media abuse is a big issue. Your celebrity social media strategy should include comment moderation to avoid trolls, spam and abuse.When you have thousands of fans responding to everything you say or do online, it can be difficult to moderate it all alone! When managing social media for a celebrity, invest in an artificial intelligence-based comment moderation tool like Smart Moderation. This tool provides 24/7 protection across all of your favorite social media platforms, blocking spam and harmful language according to your needs. You can learn more about integrating comment moderation into a celebrity social media strategy on our blog

The key to recovering from our current unemployment crisis and stagnant economy will be Small, Medium & Micro Enterprises, now more than ever it is vital we put concerted focus and resources into SMME development and support.

The Kuba vision is two-fold; to facilitate access and trade between the informal market and formal businesses on the marketplace and supporting SMMEs by providing them with the necessary tools and resources to formalise their businesses to compete in the broader formalised economy. There are many ways to measure needs and growth, working in the informal market space we’ve learned that entrepreneurs and SMMEs have varied needs and their own ideas on what growth is that the market is often not offering. Our Kuba users have been clear that access to market and marketing their businesses effectively are their biggest challenges and so we developed the Grow My Biz packages.

The Grow My Biz packages are designed for SMMEs in various stages, the free Starter package only requires business owners to sign up on the Kuba marketplace, use the free invoicing software and contact us on anything they need via Kuba’s dedicated WhatsApp support. The Popular package is a good investment including company registration, a personally designed website, web hosting, business email addresses and a digital flyer for R550 per month. Not enough small businesses focus on online marketing as South Africa is still developing access to affordable internet and the skills required to effectively use it. For less than R1000 a month with the Premium package Kuba provides SMMEs with Search Engine Optimisation & Marketing with Google Ads, giving them business support and a Digital Marketing service while also promoting their business and services on Kuba’s social media platforms.

This is what Kuba’s Grow My Biz is about, giving SMMEs of all shapes and sizes options that suit their budgets and needs by extending the tools to reach their full potential and facilitating access to an organised marketplace full of customers in need of reliable local services. When we invest in local SMMEs we improve the quality of products & services, we expand entrepreneurial vision of what is possible and ultimately empower our communities to take control of their economic future.

For more information on Kuba
Mihlali Mbobo
Public Relations & Communications
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://kuba.services
+27 (0)83 960 1127
9 Portswood Road,
Waterfront,
Cape Town
8001

Nando’s joins the Loeries to celebrate design Design from Africa and the Middle East finally gets the recognition it deserves with the expanded Nando’s Design category at the Loeries in 2019. This year’s category has been extended to recognise design from a much broader range of creative professionals. “We’ve expanded the design category beyond only brand communication to include areas of design such as retail furniture and product design, fabric, wallpaper, lighting, architecture and interior design, and even the design of signage programmes,” says Loeries CEO Andrew Human. He adds that the Loeries has long been recognised as the highest accolade in advertising and brand communication.

“A strong design award has been lacking for our region and this is a great opportunity for all designers to showcase their work and achieve recognition.” Design is woven into the Nando’s DNA, making Nando’s a natural partner for the Design category. “Design and creativity have been an intrinsic part of the Nando’s way of doing business.

Nando’s is the first local brand to collaborate with local designers at the scale it does,” says Deirdre King, Nando’s Brand Experience GM. She adds: “Putting our support behind the design community is important to doing business well. Our PERi-PERi power has charted new paths and careers for many local artists and their art. Putting that same fire behind the extended Design category for the 2019 Loeries gives us a chance to spice things up for the wonderful designers who will imprint their names onto this exciting category. According to Gaby de Abreu, Loeries board member and creative head of Switch Design, the awards are invaluable because they offer a chance for designers to showcase their work to a far greater audience.

“The Nando’s Design category at the Loeries is an opportunity to showcase excellence across disciplines in countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. For independent designers, it’s a unique chance to achieve recognition across the industry, reaching creatives internationally,” says de Abreu. “For a furniture designer working in an independent workshop or a graphic designer outside of the agency network, this year’s Loeries offers a chance to show the world what you’ve achieved,” he adds. The Nando’s Design category at the Loeries is open to designers across all the main disciplines. The entry deadline is 15 May and more information can be found on loeries.com.

About Nando's: While proudly South African, Nando’s is an international flame-grilling, PERi-PERi chicken restaurant group. We offer a twist of Afro-Portuguese with an upmarket and comfortable dining experience. Two friends, Robert Brozin and Fernando Duarte, opened the first Nando’s in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. All Nando's PERi-PERi chicken is marinated for 24 hours, locally sourced and never frozen, ensuring our customers only get the finest flavours.

Our unique PERi-PERi recipe includes herbs, spices, garlic, lemon juice and bird’s eye chilli. Nando's authentic PERi -PERi has captivated its customers all over the world, making it the largest South African restaurant group to expand internationally. DEADLINE FOR 2019 LOERIES ENTRIES EXTENDED TO MAY 31 About Loeries Africa Middle East: The Loeries, a non-profit company, is Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry.

As the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region, the Loeries promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking.

Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in Africa and the Middle East, Loeries Creative Week Durban brings together the best innovative minds from our industry for a festival of networking, inspiring minds and recognising great work. Our region's creative economy is world-class and has great potential to grow and to offer employment both to our talented youth. The growth occurring throughout Africa and the Middle East is very exciting, and a major focus of the Loeries is to increase the standard of brand communication in the region.

Major Partners of the Loeries: DStv Media Sales, Gearhouse Category Partners: AB InBev, Barron, Brand South Africa, Facebook, Gagasi FM, Google, JCDecaux, Nando’s, Tsogo Sun, Woolworths Additional Partners and Official Suppliers: AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Backsberg, BEE Online, First Source, Fresh RSVP Guest Logistics, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Grid Worldwide, Hetzner, Mama Creative, Newsclip, Paygate, Rocketseed, Shared Value Initiative, Shift Social Development, Vega School, VQI Communications Nigeria Endorsed by: Association of Communication and Design, Brand Council South Africa, Commercial Producers Association, Creative Circle, EXCA, IAB, South African Institute of Architects, IID Official Media Partners Between 10and5, Bizcommunity.com, Book of Swag, Brand Communicator Nigeria, Business Insider by Pulse, Campaign Middle East, Film & Event Media, Modern Marketing The Redzone. Twitter: @loeries Instagram: Loerieawards Facebook: The Loeries

Distributed on behalf of the Loeries by: Riana Greenblo Communications: 011 3256006

For more information, interview requests or high-res images please contact: Gina McLoughlin: 0113256006 (mornings only)or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Riana Greenblo: +27 82 5675159 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Africa has creative talent to burn. We spoke to African creative leaders about how pan-African showcases like the Loeries, help promote African talent to the world – and why awards like these, inspire brands to be bolder, and do more creative and effective work.

There is a very human voice to African brand communication, as well as a sense of fun. Lesibane Mohale, Group Creative Director of Ogilvy Africa Group, in Ghana, admires the way “humour is weaved into communication messages”. In Africa, “telecommunications brands thrive on humour and simplicity to connect with consumers,” he says.

Many African creatives are driven by a belief that we can tell better stories by taking inspiration from each other, particularly from the unique and diverse creative resources across the continent. Angolan graphic designer Hilma Sassa feels that Africans don't yet fully value their creative industry and its importance in society, making it harder to get noticed, “As a creative, you may have more luck getting noticed beyond your country, and outside the continent, if you share your work on the international stage.”

That sentiment informs the work of the Loeries, the most prestigious creative awards across Africa and the Middle East. “Our mandate is to showcase the best creative work from the continent, of course. But, it’s equally about helping brands find the right creative team to help them realise their business goals,” says Andrew Human, CEO of the Loeries. “Countries such as Brazil and India are great examples of markets that have entered work into international award shows and won by leveraging locally relevant ideas backed by solid local consumer insights,” says Mohale.

“As a continent, we should champion work that feels unapologetically African so that we can showcase to the world what the continent is truly about.”

As Sassa puts it: “I am stimulated by the diversity of work created in Africa, which is deeply inspired by our culture and tradition. That signature makes it unique and different from the things we see out there.” A similar impulse drives Human, who urges more creatives from around the African continent to enter the Loeries. “The Loeries is the only award in Africa that is recognised by the global WARC Report, which makes the Loeries a unique platform for African excellence on the global stage.” Human says the international standing of the Loeries is the result of a commitment to high standards and an independent and objective judging process. “Every year, we host some of the world's top creative leaders to act as jury presidents, coupled with panels of leading experts from throughout the region. Their objectivity and expert insight is part of what makes the Loeries the benchmark.”

“Entrants know that their work is being held to the highest global standards, and it’s a unique opportunity for African creatives to show the world just how good they are.” About  Loeries Africa Middle East:    The Loeries, a non-profit company, is Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry.

As the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region, the Loeries promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh  thinking.  Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in Africa and the Middle East, Loeries Creative Week Durban brings together the best innovative minds from our industry for a festival of networking, inspiring minds and recognising great work. Our region's creative economy is world-class and has great potential to grow and to offer employment to our talented youth. The growth occurring throughout Africa and the Middle East is very exciting, and a major focus of the Loeries is to increase the standard of brand communication in the region.

DEADLINE FOR 2019 ENTRIES EXTENDED TO 31 MAY
Major Partners: DStv Media Sales, Gearhouse
Category Partners: AB InBev, Barron, Brand South Africa, Facebook, Gagasi FM, Google, JCDecaux, Nando’s, Tsogo Sun, Vodacom, Woolworths

Additional Partners and Official Suppliers:    AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Backsberg, BEE Online, First     Source, Fresh RSVP Guest Logistics, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Grid Worldwide, Hetzner,     Mama Creative, Newsclip, Paygate, Rocketseed, Shared Value Initiative, Shift Social Development,  Vega School, VQI Communications Nigeria

Endorsed by:    Association of Communication and Design, Brand Council South Africa, Commercial Producers     Association, Creative Circle, EXCA, IAB, South African Institute of Architects, IID

Official Media Partners    Between 10and5, Bizcommunity.com, Book of Swag, Brand Communicator Nigeria, Business Insider by Pulse, Campaign Middle East, Film & Event Media, Modern Marketing, The Redzone.

-- ENDS --

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Distributed on behalf of the  Loeries  by:    Riana Greenblo Communications Date: May 16, 2019

For more information, interview requests or high-res images, please contact: Riana Greenblo on 011 3256006; 0825675159 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.