SEO & Online marketing solutions for small businesses On the 22nd of February, SERP SEO Solutions launched it's host of out-of-the-box marketing solutions via it's innovative online store.

Along with the launch they are running a competition giving away web design vouchers valued at R1000. SERP is a provider of Marketing Services for website developers. They offer a powerful range services aimed at providing website owners with access to tools & services used to help improve a websites local search visibility. To celebrate their launch they are giving away vouchers to be used at their site. Some of their many services include- Article writing, Web Design, Monthly SEO Packages and more.

Visit their web-page at www.serp.co.za/competition and read the competition guidelines to stand a chance to win a R1000 voucher which can be used for any of their services. Competition closes on the 18th of March 2015.

Contact Information:

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

www.serp.co.za/contact-us

Dance exponent and entrepreneur, Versha Magan prides herself in being the best – in the last two decades she has led the change in the dance industry in the country.  

Magan’s passion and drive for dancing has earned her a respected name in the entertainment industry and she is leaving behind evolutionary footprints in dance.   With her latest production, Badtamasti Returns, she will transport her audience to the bustling streets of Mumbai, the home of Bollywood – with her vibrant and spectacular dance performances. Her production, of Badtamasti, last year bears testament to her new and innovative styles of dance which she is constantly creating.  

She received much applaud for her show last year and due to public demand she is back with an unforgettable performance. The show will be staged at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City on February 21 and will show case a diversity of movement, complimented with talented dancers and beautiful costumes.   Magan’s work is evident of her commitment to the industry – having quit her job in the corporate world after 15 years to follow her heart.

“Badtamasti Returns” has much to offer the audience – while listening to the vibrant music the dance sequences will be interpreted in a beautiful South African, Bollywood and contemporary styles. The concept is fun through dance which creates moments of laughter and joy – the uniqueness of the production is in the choreography. We have professional dancers who have joined us to elevate the standard of dance from the youngest to the more experienced,” she said.   Magan’s business model developed from the idea of spreading the knowledge of culture and arts to the youth who had little opportunity or needed to travel  to Lenasia for dance classes. She set the trend with the idea of travelling to places where she saw the need – an idea other dance schools followed. Magan said through this effort, much opportunity has been created for many who are passionate about dance.

“I wanted to make a difference by developing the youth and woman of our community – and it’s been a gratifying experience for me. I wanted to provide opportunities for others that never had it before, by creating platforms for them to soar to greater heights. My first success was a personal goal to step out of a nine to five job and follow a dream - my passion then was the idea of the dance academy,” she said. She said the challenges she faces with her job is the pressure of academics that takes priority - but she said some parents need to understand, giving a child the freedom to express through a talent or art form other than academics assists in creating a holistic child. The mind is balanced and has an opportunity to develop differently, she said.  

“Dance helps with discipline, balance, exercise, co-ordination, muscle tone, direction and allows a person to go within and connects you with the divine,” she said.   Magan is a seasoned dance instructress, choreographer, artistic director and actor – her latest role sees her making a debut in the upcoming Afrikaans film Stom, where she plays a doctor.   Dancing from the age of eight, Magan was first drawn to the graceful art of ballet and then moved over to modern dance. Later she was bitten by the Bollywood bug and was fascinated by the energetic dance style.  

She has taught dance at the Jhankaar School of Dance for the last 21 years, has been dancing for 35, teaching the art for over 25, and doing choreography for almost 17. Magan is the director of Jazzy Masala Creative and runs a talent agency– which prides itself in teaching various dance forms with a strong base in kathak and also includes ballet, jazz, hip-hop, Bollywood jazz and contemporary dance to keep up with an industry that is constantly evolving and always looking for something new.  

“South African Indian dance has very few, if not any, platforms where the beautiful art can be performed and enjoyed by artists and audiences. Jazzy Masala Creative’s aim is to create these opportunities and allows professionals together with students to perform on the same platform which enables them to learn and progress from each other. My students are from across all race groups and love Indian dance.”  

She said Jazzy Masala Creative is the first to give opportunities to choreographers who are eager to create new and innovative moves to Indian music, under her guidance. Choreographers Douglas Sekete, Thulani Chauke and Steven Phele have worked with her on productions.   Part of Magan’s training has been in the north Indian kathak style of dance, which she learnt in London and later ventured into contemporary Bollywood jazz. For her, teaching dance and creating new ways of moving has been the “most rewarding experience spiritually, physically and mentally”.

Her corporate marketing background has also put her in good stead to make her business a success.   Magan says that she owes much of her success to founder of Jhankaar School of Dance, Dr Ranjit Lalloo, who made her childhood dream become a reality by offering her the chance to choreograph dance sequences for 18 of his productions. Two of her acclaimed dance pieces, Garam Masala and Traffic were born from working on Lalloo’s Mumbai Nagari.   For media queries, interview requests and access to high resolution publicity photos contact Dee’s on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (011) 788 7632  

Issued by JT Communication Solutions on behalf of Versha Magan and Jazzy Masala Creative  

EDITOR’S NOTE   Among her many career highlights her choreography with Surya in 2007 and Garam Masala a year later which was showcased at the FNB Dance Umbrella. She assisted with the choreography for the internationally acclaimed 2006 production of Red by Raza Jaffrey who performed in Bombay Dreams with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Magan also assisted with the choreography in the production of Fusion, by Tyrone Watkins and choreographed the Bollywood dance scenes as well as played a supporting role in South Africa’s comedy king, Leon Schuster’s, Mr Bones II – Back from the Past. Magan also played a role in the popular local soapie Isidingo where she played the character of Meera.  

Her previous productions include Naach (2009), Dil Se (2010), Desh Ya Pardes (2010), Armaan (2011), Rang (2012), Footprints of a Dancer (2013) and Badtamasti (2014).

By Antoinette Pombo

Millennials are commonly defined as those born between 1981 and 1996. That currently puts them at between 19 and 34 years of age.

The youngest of this generation will be in the throes of finding their own feet in the big wide world of employment or tertiary education…

Whilst many of their older counterparts will be settling down with their partners – some starting a family. But what does this really mean for South African marketers and brand managers?

Individuality, independence and career growth are extremely important to this generation at this stage of their lives. And their unique spending habits seem to be shaking things up fast.

The most significant contributing factors to this shake-up are the sheer size of this population segment as well as the rise of multimedia and networking.

The millennials make up about 26% of the South African population. To put this into perspective, the rest of the entire working population under the official age of retirement only makes up about 28% of the population in South Africa.

And although these percentages aren’t very different from 10 years ago, the actual numbers are significantly different. As marketers and brand managers, we have over one million “new” potential customers we can attract in this segment.

But that’s not all! This new up-and-coming generation has an extremely powerful force behind them: Instant communication and HUGE networking capabilities.

Consequently, as these millennials rise through the echelons of young adulthood, they’re shaping the future of brands, business and the economy – VERY fast!

Here’s your three-point checklist to ensure your brand is in the running to gain from this incredibly powerful generation…

• Take a little extra time to test the market to make sure your marketing touches the right emotional chords, otherwise, it could fall on deaf ears.
• Mellennials will read up on products and services of interest and compare brands much more so than past generations. Is your website packed with USEFUL information they can use to make their purchase decision? Do you target this generation specifically on your site or have you lumped the entire South African population into the same ‘box’? A message directed at a 50 year old is unlikely to be identical to a message targeted at a 20 year old.
• And finally, with the revolutionary expansion of the social networking landscape in recent history, millennials aren’t just connecting with friends online. They’re also connecting with thought leaders, idols, experts and other figures they’re interested in. Do you have a presence in this space? Here’s how to do that: You’re an expert on something if you provide a service or sell a product. So find a way to share your expert knowledge and advice with those who need it most – young potential customers. If you’re not the expert, find one! Hire idols or brand ambassadors the millennials aspire to in order to bring your product or service alive for this generation. Encourage this young generation to talk about your product/service and related topics. If you can get them personally involved in your brand, they’re more likely to engage with it. Of course, they’ll either love it or hate it so be sure you’ve worked out all the other bits, like your value proposition, customer service, return policies etc. There you have the most important reasons to sit up and pay attention to millennials.

If you don’t have a dedicated marketing strategy for this segment, you’re missing out. And worse, your brand’s future is at stake.If you need assistance getting to know this segment well and niching your marketing to this sector, speak to Youth Dynamix, Africa’s leading youth authority.

Website: www.ydx.co.za

Broadband will be the deciding factor as soon as Broadband becomes faster the Internet will change overnight. The Internet is destined to become a fully audio visual medium like TV but better as people will be able to interact live with each other. The future of the Internet will be a video platform.

People don’t want to have to read as much as they currently do whilst browsing. Our weakness as humans is that we expect information without having to work for it, reading is more work than just watching a video so we prefer to do that. Already youtube.com is the second largest search engine after Google for South African audiences and they are not watching YouTube they are watching a video.

If you want to fix a leaking pipe without calling a plumber then watch a video how to do it. If you want to cook a delicious meal and are looking for a particular recipe then watch a video, if you’re looking for health advice watch a video, if you want to see the latest fashion trends then you can watch a video, if you want to know how to extract DMT from Mimosa Hostilis and use it to awaken your pineal gland watch a video.

The benefits to your business If you have a business and provide a service to clients let them watch a video of what you have to offer, the same with a product show your customers how to use your product. With video on the web you can create a better relationship and more trust for visitors to do business with you from your website.

The winners will be the ones that have recognised that people would like to be “spoon fed” information rather than have to work for it by reading text. Today on YouTube there is tons of this content already, people are able to search on any topic they like and can find out more information. People make their own video about plumbing and cooking etc. No matter how good or bad the video quality is people want information and they don’t want to have to read much to be able to get it.

Do these videos have your brand on them? No they don’t. Brands in South Africa today need to wake up and produce their own content, not for YouTube alone but for all social media and more importantly for their websites. Even now before the year 2020 bandwidth has becomes faster video is growing and is starting to overtake everything you see on the web. The TV stations are already gearing up for this as well as other major media players in the South African industry.

You only have to look at DSTV, SABC and NETFLIX to see how growth in this sector has already caught on here. The massive investment in live streaming is overwhelming and new technology is created every day. Corporations are all working on video solutions it is happening all around us with new technology and new hardware being announced almost daily. Video Production for the Web. Video for the web is more like a TV news or Reality news it is more unrehearsed and instantly produced, unlike your company developing a TV commercial which has a really high degree of production values which also comes with a high budget requirement. This will affect how we communicate with each other. Cost of live streaming and video production has drastically reduced due to lower cost of entry. Companies can purchase very good quality High Definition cameras. You no longer need to bring in expensive film crews and with HTML5 video technology as well as software devices like SKYPE which exists today but other software which will be faster and better. SKYPE and Google Hangouts will not be the only Apps. to be able to run visual communications’ it will become normal on every website and web platform. With new hardware solutions you will be able to see and talk to your customer directly from your website. Or at the very least, due to privacy issues, your website visitor will be able to see and talk to you.

Imagine being able to have a one on one live video chat with a customer instead of the usual written word chat. How we will market ourselves in the year 2020 is happening now in South Africa are you ready for this? People want VIDEO they do not want to have to read tons of words, the winners in the future will be the websites that take this into account. Sure the written word will always be important but the web is going to be a video platform and nobody can stop it or even want to stop it.

Search engine optimisation in the year 2020 Visual rankings Search engines will read the video content and your site will rank accordingly. Content on the web will be in the main, how to fix a leaking pipe, how to cook the best roast duck, how to approach your bank manager, how to, how to… Reading and ranking your content Even today YouTube has significant ability to read the content of any video you upload.

Music sound tracks have a digital signature which can be read for copyright reasons however YouTube can even read background music played at a wedding reception by the DJ with the main soundtrack of people talking and generally enjoying themselves in the foreground. There is no digital signature on this “noise” however YouTube can read the music. I know because I have uploaded such a video and YouTube pointed out that I was using the exact songs in my video, how do they do that? Profanity is also recognised by YouTube. So in the future, as YouTube is owned by Google, they will rank you according to your content but this will include your Video content as well. Homeland Security in the USA uses this technology where “chatter” is monitored across the globe.

It’s not people listening for this chatter it is computers that have been programmed to monitor in various languages certain keywords or key phrases and once alerted an operator will take over and examine it. Same as you will be doing on Google by 2020 you will search for keywords and they will produce a list of “chatter” from videos in your keyword search results. YouTube Viral Video An example of the Power of video.

Here is a link to YouTube for the, Dover Police DashCam Confessional (Shake it Off), although your videos don’t have to go viral this guy has had nearly 27 million views in just 1 week, and it cost nothing to produce? Whilst these kinds of videos are exceptional it just goes to show how much interest and how large an audience and opportunity is out there for your own marketing.
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XFBUM8dMqw

Website: www.epnet.co.za

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

Johannesburg – December 2014 ‒ 21 ICONS South Africa in conjunction with its proud sponsors, Mercedes-Benz South Africa, will launch a series of activations and exhibitions at various consumer touch points around the country.

The events will demonstrate that the project has built an integrated, multimedia platform to impart key attributes and messages of extraordinary South African leaders of the past and present to the public and to connect with local and international audiences.  

The 21 ICONS project is an initiative aimed at documenting the lives of iconic individuals through fine art portraits, intimate conversations and short films, behind the scenes photography, written narrative as well as feature length documentaries into a truly converged visual experience to shape perceptions and transform societal norms, and impacting the communities around them. 

The first leg of the campaign kicked off on Saturday 22 November at the Cape Town and OR Tambo international airports where promoters handed out copies of the City Press, the projects chosen print media partner, and created awareness and hype about the ‘Me & My Icon’ selfie competition. Members of the public are encouraged to snap a selfie with a 21 ICONS collectable portrait poster inserted in the newspaper and post the picture alongside a short personal message to the featured icon on the 21 ICONS Facebook page. Readers can enter the selfie competition until 7 December 2014 and on 10 December an official draw will be held at Media 24 head offices and the winner of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class will be announced. Each week the ten best entries are selected by the City Press editorial team and 21 ICONS South Africa will ensure that all the personal messages reach the relevant icon. Weekly prizes are awarded to the top three entries including Momentum Asset Management unit trusts, Nikon Coolpix cameras as well as 21 ICONS Season I collectable coffee table books. The 50 overall winners will then be entered into a lucky draw for the chance to drive away in a new luxury Mercedes-Benz C-Class. With an extended entry period until midnight on Sunday 7 December, readers can enter during this period using either the poster of Paralympian athlete, Zanele Situ who appears in this week’s issue or next week’s icon, writer Miriam Tlali whose portrait will be revealed. 

The airport activations will continue until Sunday 30 November and Monday 29 December at Cape Town International Airport and OR Tambo International Airport respectively where Season I’s unique short films and exquisite portraits as well as the latest Mercedes Benz C-Class will be on display.  

The winner of the ‘Me & My Icon’ competition will emerge from a lucky draw and be given the keys to a new Mercedes-Benz C-Class during the car handover scheduled to take place at The Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town on 13 December.

Supporting competition content will be aired on the V&A Amphitheatre screens ahead of the competition closing date and the Season I short films flighted during the competition period.   

Early next year the 21 ICONS project will also be showcased at the V&A for an extensive, full-spectrum indoor and outdoor exhibition.  

The promotions intend to encourage the community to actively engage with the icons and these platforms offer a unique opportunity to align the brand with a remarkable collection of South African leaders. 

About 21 Icons South Africa21 ICONS South Africa is an annual collection of photographs and short films of South Africans who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in their fields of endeavour. These men and women have been an inspiration through their extraordinary social contribution. It is not a definitive list and does not denote any ranking. 

The short film-series documents the conversations between Steirn as the photographer and filmmaker and the icons. Each short film provides insight into both the subject and photographer's creative approach to the portrait. 

Season two of 21 ICONS South Africa is proudly sponsored by Mercedes-Benz South Africa, Momentum Asset Management, Nikon, Deloitte and the Department of Arts and Culture. Season two debuted on Sunday 03 August continuing for another 20 weeks, one of 21 short films will be screened every Sunday on SABC 3 at 20h27.  

On each of these Sundays, a poster of the icon’s portrait, taken by Adrian Steirn and his creative team, will be published in the City Press to form a memorable collection that everyone can own.Media partners include SABC 3, City Press (Media 24), Provantage and Mxit. 

Social Media:21 Icons engages with the public through:Twitter: @21Icons Website: http://www.21icons.com Mobisite: www.21icons.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/21Icons Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/21ICONS/ iTunes App Store: http://tinyurl.com/lf3cfzm Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/ovtcy45 

On behalf of 21 ICONS South Africa 

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

Adding significant value to its already sterling reputation as a leading supplier of transformational business and individual solutions to the technology, consulting and financial services sectors, the Transformation Capital Group (TCG) has recently acquired Dracore Investments.Based in Honeydew, Gauteng, Dracore provides a diverse and dynamic set of market focused and business operational solutions to customers in the financial, data sciences, social media and communications spheres.

This provides its customers with the necessary resources and expertise to effectively manage their customer lifecycle at every level and maximise market penetration. The new management team of the enlarged TCG company is - Mike Eslick, Reg Bath, Richard Peasey, Chantelle Fraser and Francois Meyer. Dracore can now tap into TCG’s global resources and specialist skills to enable its visions to establish and develop all-encompassing business services and solutions for clients across Africa.

‘Most significantly, TCG shares our long term vision of developing sustainable business solutions by focusing on sustainability, socioeconomic empowerment, profitability and communal reinvestment,’ comments Chantelle Fraser. ‘I’m happy to report that we’ve already made significant progress and, with our combined market knowledge and innovative approach, we’re perfectly positioned to offer any enterprise, large or small, the very best solutions to optimise future opportunities and generate combined benefit to both TCG and its customer base.’

For more information, visit www.tcg-sa.co.za

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

Clem Sunter, the now legendary futurist and strategist, is the keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual project and Construction Project Management Professions conference on the 20- 22 October 2014. Sunter will provide unique insights into the latest global economic scenarios and the possibilities they hold for the South African construction industry.  

This event is the industry’s only Project and Construction Project Management event endorsed by the department of Public Works where you will hear from industry thought leaders about the latest construction and project management trends, the role of built environment professionals in Infrastructure development and the 2014 construction regulations.  

The 2014 conference will address growth , development, and transformation of the Project and Construction Management Professions in South Africa and the continent.   Clem will offer the delegates his view on the world & South Africa beyond 2014 and the implications for the construction industry, how a fox sees it!  

For conference registration and information visit www.events.sacpcmp.org.za     

Event Information:

Date: 20 – 22 October 2014

Venue: Gallagher convention Centre, Midrand  

Contact

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

Tel: 011 318 3402   Book your seat to the conference!