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.

In South Africa, approximately half of the population is under the age of 25. Due to the size and buying potential of the youth market, the segment is of great significance to brands planning to stimulate new demand and reach and engage with a highly diversified collective of young sub-cultures.

Miguel Correia of The Zinto Marketing Group comments, “Research conducted by our team of field marketers indicates that South Africa’s youth want authentic, meaningful experiences and interact with real people in their homes and communities. For this reason, youth marketing has become more about engagement and dialogue and less about pushing product information and talking at them. We realised this trend and adapted our approach and marketing efforts to keep pace with youth culture through active and dynamic engagement and carefully constructed, interactive promotional drives.”  

Brand activation can be used to create new approaches and unexpected, chance encounters between brands and young consumers. An experiential showcase gives youngsters the opportunity to interact with (and be part of) the consumer journey. Correira highlights trends for marketers to consider when targeting the youth market in South Africa:

Participatory culture

The evolution of consumer to creators and disseminators of information means the youth view themselves as extensions of important and popular brands and that they have played a role in creating connections and forming perceptions of well-known brands. The interaction is personal, and rather than imposing product information on them, they expect brands to facilitate authentic connections and real experiences.  

Truth seekers

Real relationships are important to the youth and brands’ consumer promises must be perceived as open, honest and transparent. With an abundance of brands, communication and touchpoints competing for their attention, the youth is growing increasingly sceptical of advertising and media messages and marketers’ attempts to capture their loyalty. The young people are socially aware and will not support brands that contradict their personal values and beliefs – attributes  such as integrity, truthfulness and trust are held in high regard and they will not support brands that are perceived as dishonest or do not live up to expectations.  It is important to achieve a more authentic role in these consumers’ lives using technology and social platforms but understand that young consumers will expose any false claims using  the same communication channels and  networks to make their ‘voices’ heard. 

The power of connection – driving brand and peer engagement simultaneously

Not only is technology a true enabler for Millennials – connection and experiential appeal extends beyond digital mediums and the ability to share with peers and others around them, it also creates a sense of belongingness and relationships within the community.  From a marketing perspective, the brands that have been most successful in capturing young consumers’ attention and imaginations are those that have leveraged and facilitated the sharing of experiences utilising young consumers’ voices and participation. 

For more information about Zinto, visit www.zinto.co.za  

By Miguel Correia, marketing manager of established brand activation, entertainment and event company, The Zinto Marketing Group

The term stokvel originated from local stock fairs in the Eastern Cape in which five to 50 members of colleagues, family and friends pooled resources to trade livestock with English settlers. 

Today, the stokvel acts as a saving society where money is collectively shared in agreed amounts among members belonging to the same shopping basket. A weekly, bi-weekly or monthly contribution makes up a joint investment ‘kitty’ where savings are generated for the benefit of the group. The money is used to pay for everything from burials and celebrations to school fees and groceries.  

This method has a very effective way of ensuring that low-income consumers are getting bang for their buck and that their hard-earned cash is buying them quality and quantity at the best possible price. 

Understanding stokvels

A stokvel can be started by anyone from the community but members are usually carefully selected by invitation and based on honesty, openness and trust. The underlying thread is conviction that all selected members will reinvest their monies once they have received their pay out. The accumulated money/savings are drawn by members in rotation or in time of need. Stokvels can also act as an informal 'banking industry' where members deposit money into a savings brokerage while still being able to take out loans at an affordable interest rate. 

Reaching the stokvel marketThe stokvel market represents a place in which all purchases are made under great scrutiny by opinion leaders who have the buying power and influence to sway the purchasing choices of a larger group of consumers. To get opinion leaders to buy in, marketers need to use (create if necessary) communication channels that respect and incorporate traditional South African thinking and values, reaching consumers on a more personal level.

A method that has proven to be very effective to this segment of the market is experiential marketing and/or brand activation; the consumer’s real experience of a brand, product or service which drives sales and increases brand image and awareness. Gaining a large share of voice through consumer-based outlets in targeted communities can help create a sense that the brand is at the forefront. This is a valuable tool for building brand loyalty and can persuade customers to follow through on an intended purchase.

Stokvel Open Days or Store Parties at wholesalers take place nationwide from September to December each year and are effective ways of reaching thousands of stokvel members. These days are set aside to inform, educate and entertain members in a fun and easy-going manner; sampling opportunities are vast as well as competitions and giveaways which create ‘talkability’ and hype about brands and the companies that manufacture them.

For more information about main market activations visit www.zinto.co.za

Introduction

Lorge Consulting Services – has been frequently making headlines following a streak of noteworthy philanthropic endeavours and client success stories. The company has also featured at various single and multi-industry events, on national and international platforms. This time, however, the Premier Certified Sage Partner is sending shockwaves throughout the Southern African business landscape by expanding its product line. This is courtesy of a new addition to the existing suite of cutting-edge BMS solutions: Sage Evolution (SE).  

Following much preparation and planning, the company is proud to announce the official addition of Sage Evolution to the existing family of Sage products offered to the market. This is in-keeping with the company vision to be thee leading provider of innovative, business and industry-specific BMS and BI software. The company’s comprehensive range of sought-after solutions under one umbrella, together with proven industry expertise for more than 30 years, and an unstinting commitment to service excellence - all attest to Lorge’s reputation as a pioneering and forward-facing organisation.    

Sage Evolution – “Next Level” Business Management Resource    

The launch of Sage Evolution in South Africa represented a direct response to the unique and ever-evolving needs of businesses operating in dynamic markets, with intensifying competitive forces and rapidly growing consumer needs. This called for a progressive software solution with sophisticated tools and capabilities as well as the ability to enhance user-experience.       

The latter is a key factor addressed by SE as the software is intelligently designed for exceptional ease-of-use. Additionally, there are a host of important reasons why Sage Evolution is the software of choice for leading industries within South Africa, the continent as a whole and for that matter – globally.  

Consider these 5 compelling reasons why your business development, customer-service and administrative systems can widely benefit from this particular Sage product in 2017 and beyond.    

These features and benefits although considerable, only begin to scratch the surface of SE. For more comprehensive insight contact our experts here.    

1. The features of SE provide for a holistic and fully integrated software solution:  

An effective BMS cannot stand alone as an isolated system that isn’t compatible with others and refuses to factor in the influences of all operational elements. This is where SE’s advantages kick in, as an all-encompassing product that instinctively connects with other applications.  

This means that SE is not only a robust financial management system, but one than can seamlessly network and align to existing third-party programs - wherever required. There is a science to it and a deeply technical side, but this is where the expertise of trained technicians and the comfort of reliable service support come in. SE can therefore work harmoniously with an existing CRM tool, for instance – and the same would apply to any current system that has to be considered. This enables efficient installations as well as tailored products suited to individual business needs.  

2. SE offers ease-of-use - despite its advanced capabilities:  

This is a massive consideration in that, while the software handles complex integration and manages a host of important business functions, the end-user experience is highly intuitive. For instance, the main system manager features an easily navigable System Tree. This welcoming interface caters to everything from system set-up, to control, to multi-level password security, online help and so forth. Such simplicity and functionality foster greater productivity, efficiency and security.  

3. SE allows for the implementation of dynamic Industry and business-specific solutions:     

Since every business differs as do its needs - a scalable and customisable solution is required for peak performance. SE enables one to create business-specific modules that complement the software’s core functions. So whether you need to incorporate a high traffic ecommerce platform into your business management system, or whether you need to collate and analyse data from multiple offices with hundreds of users – unique modules can be created or set-up to cater for these demands.  

4. Flexible Report generation and real-time updating:  

Successful businesses are largely incumbent on the meaningful assimilation and interpretation of various sets of data. This relates to every facet of the business, and in order to be achieved, requires relevant report generation for internal use or sharing with stakeholders. Instances include the need to monitor or report on sales trends, expenditure analyses, inventory movements, wage and salary schedules, debtors or creditors figures and much more.  

Standard reports can be customised by employing the Report Writer module and scheduled reports can be automated to generate and be emailed periodically to specific persons. Furthermore, vast data volumes can be securely pulled and analysed from multiple sources in excel with figures updating in real time. Simply refresh in order to update to most current data. Controlling accessibility and Alert Management for notifications are some of the other useful features.      

5. Superior Inventory Control and Optimisation:  

Inventory monitoring or tracking and management as a whole are fundamental in developing sustainable business success. The SE Inventory Optimisation feature is included as part of the core SE modules. It allows for stock levels to be set and synchronised with preferred suppliers linked to each item. In this way ordering processes can be automated.  

Factors such as lead times and reorder quantities can also be integrated within the system criteria. Even internal stock distribution or movements between divisions can be managed via the Inventory Issue feature. Then the main Inventory module empowers any business to exercise virtually unlimited control over stock. From summarised management reports to detailed operational reports - all can be customised to the requirements of each user.    

Find out more about the benefits and features of Sage Evolution by dialling 010 594 9800 today.    

Why Lorge is a trusted supplier of SE and other Sage solutions  

SE is a powerful tool with user friendly features. However, in order to ensure the most effective solutions, tailored to your specific business - the right technical expertise and after-sales support is vital in harnessing SE’s full capabilities. This will ensure you have the most appropriate solution for your enterprise, efficiently installed and backed by knowledgeable and dedicated service professionals. This translates to optimum system performance and prompt technical assistance when required.  

Here are only a few reasons why Lorge is your service provider of choice when it comes to Sage Evolution:  

• Lorge has earned a reputation of excellence, being trusted by over 10,000 users in the broadest spectrum of industries.
• Lorge has a Dedicated Sage Accredited In-house Training Centre.
• Lorge is an award-winning enterprise and therefore recognised as a leader by the industry.
• Lorge adopts a client-centred approach with all customers. This has allowed the organisation to expand its footprint nationally as well as internationally.
• The in-house knowledge and expertise of Lorge has been firmly entrenched over a number of years. This is evidenced by the comprehensive suite of Sage and related BMS products that    the organisation specialises in.  

Account Manager at Sage South Africa, David Jones, discussed a plethora of Sage Evolution features and benefits with our media representative – a few of which are discussed above. Additionally, David discussed that strict criteria is applied to suppliers wishing to become Certified Sage Partners, of which there are several tiers. Customers enlisting Lorge will have the comfort of knowing that the company is a Premier Certified Sage Partner.           

For further information on Sage Evolution, or to discuss your current enterprise needs, contact our Sales Department on 010 594 9800.

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