Marketing & Selling

In the world of social media influencers and content creators, a face can sometimes be more valuable than gold. Through strategic commercialisation, public figures now build empires based on their identity. This is possible because of one powerful tool: image rights. To understand image rights, we must first understand the right to identity.

Foot traffic in traditional malls has declined significantly in recent years. According to the South African Council of Shopping Centres, centres that rely solely on retail have seen slower recovery post-COVID, while mixed-use destinations have rebounded faster.

Once upon a primetime, advertising had its place. It was neatly slotted between soapies on TV or nestled between the pages of your favourite magazine. Sure, it interrupted, but in a predictable, acceptable, run-of-the-mill kinda way. Then the internet age arrived. Along with it came borderless content and collapsing licensing windows.

In any boardroom, agency or war room, leadership is the lever that moves the team. In advertising, where deadlines are brutal and the spotlight is always on, the difference between a manager and a true leader shows up fast. You can’t fake it. You either bring the spark or you don’t. I didn’t learn how to lead from a textbook. As such, I learned it in midnight pitch preps, delayed approvals, hard conversations, and the quiet post mortems that followed.

Data is full of hidden clues. If you can find them, you can use them to solve difficult business challenges. Detectives solve mysteries, and business is full of them. For example, you may know who your best channel partners are, but do you know exactly what makes them the best? Can you replicate their success across other partners? Are there early warning signs that a once-loyal partner is drifting away?

When it comes to online searches, these days people and especially younger people, are letting their fingers do the talking on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Brand marketers should be changing their tack to follow these consumers, shifting their chief efforts from website Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), to ensuring their social media is visible online. 

Retail discounters show double-digit growth while e-commerce continues its surge. Our new grocery retail data reveals key shifts in South Africa’s FMCG retail landscape, with discounter and e-commerce formats outperforming other channels in 2024. Despite easing inflation, South African shoppers remain under economic pressure, leading to changing missions, increased cross-channel behaviour and format diversification among major retailers.

We live in a time when information is everywhere. Consumers are savvy and seek information and reviews about products and brands to make informed purchasing decisions. Consumers no longer want to be convinced; they want to be informed.

Online shopping may be convenient, but there are pitfalls for the unwary consumer. This is especially true when transacting with online platforms that host third-party suppliers, commonly referred to as a ‘marketplace’. Fortunately, the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) provides some protection against poor online trading practices. This protection is important for buyers.

In today’s hyper-digital world, content is everywhere. Brands are producing more than ever before – videos, blogs, reels, emails, podcasts, you name it. Yet the question we need to be asking is: is any of it working? This is a question people ask often. The answer? Not always.