Marketing & Selling

Connected TV (CTV) isn’t new. It’s simply the next step in how we watch television. For media planners, that shift unlocks bigger budgets, sharper targeting, and more engaged viewers.The media industry loves shiny acronyms. Over-the-Top (OTT), Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD), Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) – and now CTV. But in the rush to label every shift in viewing habits, we often forget something simple.

The much-anticipated Fan Insights Report reveals how live sports consumption is rapidly evolving. Shifts in fan behaviour, expectations and engagement are reshaping the live event experience. These changes reflect broader trends influencing what sports fans want today.

The often-cited and widely disputed claim from a 2015 Microsoft report, that today’s consumers have the attention span of a goldfish, may lack scientific credibility. Still, it remains a compelling metaphor for the fragmented nature of modern attention. Add to that the erosion of trust caused by fake news, exaggerated claims and constant digital noise, and it becomes clear why traditional sales strategies are losing ground.

From TikTok to Instagram, South Africans are increasingly exposed to posts claiming to offer financial tips. However, many blur the line between education and exploitation. As misinformation spreads, financial advisers have a clear opportunity: step in with the credibility, structure and ethics that the public is missing.

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.