In 2020, big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, several big gaming companies and Facebook skyrocketed in value – largely due to COVID-19. Daniel Kibel, Founder and Director of CMTrading, discusses whether these players look to be maintaining momentum in 2021. 

“Having seen the FANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) do so well in 2020, we can only expect it to continue. There is a big ‘BUT’, though. US congress has already targeted them for being monopolies and far too big. There are threats of taxes and monopoly commissions that could affect them significantly – particularly Google and Facebook. 

“Amazon continues to grow. They are expanding in so many different directions now – like groceries for example. But as COVID dissipates, the big question is, can people wean themselves off online shopping and will they return to the supermarkets and the high streets or shopping malls? It is difficult to predict entirely, as lockdown fatigue may set in in some measure. But the online shopping boom has made convenience an everyday reality, and it’s probably unlikely to disappear anytime soon. 

“The biggest players in tech have pulled the market up. Google, Amazon, Tesla, Apple and the other mainstays continue to grow their market share. Sales are consistently going up and it is difficult to see past them. But to play Devil’s Advocate, they are potentially also the companies that could fall the hardest. These companies have real, high-stakes incomes and as they use this to build the future, there is a lot to lose too. It’s going to be an interesting ride. 

“As COVID vaccinations roll out, we need to look at a number of things. Not every country has received all their vaccinations. I think we can safely say that South Africa won’t have everyone vaccinated by the end of the year. This will probably apply to the rest of Africa, parts of Asia, certain parts of Europe and South America as well. This will have a knock-on effect in terms of big tech performance. We’ll probably see the big players continue to grow. Diversification, mergers and acquisitions will be on the menu because there is a lot of opportunity to expand into new products and markets that could be used as a competitive advantage. 

“What we may see in the near future of stand-out tech companies is a big boom in cyber security. As things consistently become more online-based, everyone from small businesses to big governments are doing everything they can to hack and access information. Cyber security companies are stepping in to curb this. 

“In closing, in many ways, the world is moving towards an ‘alternative’ economy. Cyber security is still relatively new but is critical in today’s economy and people are investing big money to protect themselves. Alternatives to meat – a different kind of tech but still very notable – are taking off. The likes of Beyond Meat have hugely grown their market share and more people in the world are turning to alternative food products that are more ‘responsible’. 

“Then, we have alternative fuel tech. Tesla has electronic cars but it’s important to remember that they aren’t the only players and they are market capped, in that they can only make so many. Other players could potentially introduce far more electric cars. If you’re watching tech investment, ‘alternative’ thinking may be the way forward in years to come”. 

For more information on CMTrading, visit their official website at www.cmtrading.com or call +27105008026, and one of their friendly staff will assist you. 

CMTrading is the brand name of Global Capital Markets Trading Ltd (A Seychelles company, company no. 104785)

Recent stats* released to The SpaceStationby Google Ad Manager show that their overall ad viewability sits at an impressive 71%, which is a much higher than the South African market standard, over the same period, of 51%. 

The same stats also showed an above-the-fold viewability of 82% compared to a market rate of 65% and a below-the-fold rate of 60% compared to 43% clocked by the market. 

Viewability is an essential metric in online advertising. It tracks impressions that can actually be seen by users and helps advertisers understand the Opportunity to See (OTS) performance of each ad placement – in essence it measures whether consumers are actually seeing ads. 

The IAB qualifiesa display ad impression as viewable if 50% or more of the advert’s pixels appear in the viewable space of an in-focus browser tab for at least one second post render. 

“Viewability is one of the most logical of metrics, and one of the most important when it comes to campaign success” says Craig Nicholson, Regional Sales Director, Joburg at The SpaceStation. “There have been numerous studiesdone that have shown an inarguable link between viewability, CTRs and the material impact on offline store visits and conversions.  While viewability is not a reflection of an ad’s effect or engagement, it is all about whether the consumer has been given the opportunity to see the ad – an essential factor in a campaign’s success.” 

The SpaceStation’s viewability rating can be credited to a number of things like the nature of the platforms the company offers as well as the innovation and scale found through their campaigns. 

Adds Gavin Ruiters, The SpaceStation’s Regional Sales Director in Cape Town, “At the end of the day, advertisers want to see campaign results that show tangible conversions, in other words they want their ads to lead to sales.  Our ad viewability results are allowing that to happen.” 

*Date range: Q3 2018 

For more information go to www.thespacestation.co.zaor follow them on Twitter @SpaceStationZA.

Gauteng based digital marketing agency Stilt Media are making waves as one of the few completely black women owned and led agencies in the current South African marketing and advertising landscape. The agency is already disrupting the typical client/agency relationship by using technology and data to add real value and return on investment to clients’ bottom lines. 

Founded in 2015, Stilt Media headed up by Marketing Director Mimi Mphaphuli and Managing Director Tina Manyanya. Both women come from impressive leadership and management backgrounds, with Manyanya having headed up her own department at Publicis Media and Mphaphuli having lead a department at Ogilvy.

The pair decided to start up Stilt Media after noticing a gap in the current digital marketing environment in terms of service and delivery. They aim to use their unique backgrounds to create better processes and build better strategies to boost clients from an operational and business development point of view.
So what makes Stilt Media different?

“To start with, we believe in the power of technology and data and how it can be used to add measurable value,” says Manyanya. “We’re used to seeing the scenario where a client comes to an agency with a bunch of cash and tells them to run a campaign without having an understanding of what they agency is going to do and why. We want to use the data, analytics and tools at our disposal to demystify what we do, so clients can see that everything we recommend is from a strategic point of view. We don’t want to waste the client’s money.”

“So many South African agencies just take their client’s funding and rely on automated tools to do the heavy lifting for their social media and search campaigns,” adds Mphaphuli. “We’d rather dig deep into the data, so we can understand how to constantly better optimise our campaigns.”
“We’re very interested in where technology is going and in investing in tools that can help make things easier and more affordable for our clients. Whether it’s more efficient reporting tools or more efficient programmatic processes, we’re always looking at ways to get more insights without cutting corners.”
The pair acknowledge that the current advertising industry has a reputation for a lack of transparency, and hope to build trust through becoming strategic partners to their clients – and not just another agency. 

“We understand that the industry has for a very long time operated without transparency and clients have been kept from seeing where their money is going and how it’s being spent. What we are doing is telling them what the work we’re doing will do to their bottom line,” says Manyanya.
“We are interested in being strategic partners and taking things beyond a typical client agency relationship. We’re asking ourselves, ‘how can we assist you and partner with you to help your business grow holistically?’”
Stilt Media also believes in fostering the next generation of black, female digital marketing leaders, and have created a paid internship program to facilitate this.

“Having both grown up in agency environments, we understand what the typical internship can be like,” says Mphaphuli. “We don’t just want to give them meaningless jobs to do. We want them to understand the thinking behind what we do and take ownership of it. We want to encourage a spirit of entrepreneurship.”
Stilt Media is currently taking on clients across verticals, and already has partnered with several major South African agencies as well as clients in the technology, automotive, financial and entertainment sectors.

To get in touch with the company, contact 011 463 5767