Tag: marketing

In the business world, nothing stays the same for long. This makes an entrepreneurial mindset not just helpful, but essential. So what does it take? How can eager entrepreneurs tackle the complexities of the modern market and come out stronger? Having walked this path myself, I know the road to success is rocky and rarely straightforward. But I have found it's this unpredictability that best hones the skills and fuels ambition. 

Black Friday is almost here, raising stress levels for everyone involved. Shoppers rush to find valuable deals. Retailers need to achieve sales targets to satisfy shareholders. To succeed this year, organisations must maximise their retail technology investments and offer real value and superior customer experiences.

So, your idea has taken off and is wildly successful. Next step is to franchise it and make some serious money, right? Not so fast: while the franchising model can be applied to almost any industry, not all businesses are ‘franchisable’. The first step to building a successful franchise is having a concept that has been growing well as a freestanding business, and being able to understand how the business operates and what is at the root of its success.

A few years ago, as whispers of artificial intelligence (AI) began permeating the marketing sector, there was a palpable buzz. Part excitement, part scepticism. Across industry gatherings and in hushed conference calls, professionals half-joked about AI potentially rendering traditional skills redundant. However, as we ventured into this new terrain, our initial apprehension gave way to a profound realisation: AI wasn’t here to replace us; it was here to enhance our capabilities and extend our reach. 

Digital advertising in South Africa is on the rise, driven by business-oriented trends. The annual report, conducted in partnership with PwC, seeks to accurately measure the total revenue generated by domestic online media, including mobile advertising. While we have witnessed how the digital ecosystem has become a lot more creative, driving performance and connecting with audiences to build trust, the power of generative artificial intelligence (AI), retail media and social communities continue to provide opportunities for marketers and business growth alike.

So you’ve come up with a killer business idea and you’re ready to turn it into a side hustle or startup. What now? What do you need to do to bring it to life? Whether you’re looking to earn some extra money on the side or dreaming of starting "The Next Big Thing", Side Hustles and Startups is packed with the information you need to take this big step into your bright future.

Third-party cookies – a source of contention for brands and marketing teams since Google first announced that it would be phasing them out on Google Chrome as part of its strategy to resolve ‘competition concerns’ and prioritise consumer privacy. As of January 2024, Google was already restricting their use on some sites with the goal of eliminating them completely by the end of the year. Until last week, when the company announced that it would not be deprecating third-party cookies.  

Measuring attribution has been a long-term challenge for the media industry across the ecosystem, both online and offline. Relying on simple attribution models that often overestimate the impact of direct response ads – such as those that include call-to-actions like "click here" or "buy now"– ignore the myriad influences on the consumer journey.

Adtech organisations sit at the very edge of innovation and the evolution of marketing. Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, the rise of data alongside the demise of the third-party cookie, have reimagined contextual messaging, creativity, and campaigns at scale.

With brands recognising the power of conversations, AI-driven solutions, and phygital experiences, consumers can anticipate more personalised, seamless, and satisfying engagements with businesses this year. As technological innovations continue to shape the business landscape, 2024 is poised to be a transformative year for customer experience (CX).