TREND SPONSORS 2015 is a year in which momentous change will coalesce around TOP TRENDS rapid technological developments, economic reinvention, socialBIZTRENDS2015, AFRICA, BRANDING, CONSUMER revolution and political upheaval driven by rising social activism. SA MEDIA & MARKETING TRENDS RESEARCH SPONSORSHIP This era is akin to the moment in history when the horse-drawn MARKETING SPONSOR carriage made way for the automobile, predicts our lead sponsor, Interbrand Sampson De Villiers. STRATEGY SPONSOR As a journalist and B2B editor working for over 20 years in the GLOBAL TRENDS MEDIA SPONSOR media and marketing industry in South Africa, consumer and brand DION CHANG EXCLUSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA SPONSOR trends have always fascinated me. Curating the 2015 trends in partnership with Bizcommunity.com for #BizTrends2015 has been a SPONSOR’S FORECAST YOUTH SPONSOR real labour of love as it is a hugely creative undertaking. TREND CATEGORIES Consumer insight and media and marketing trends are something every single person with a business and in business should be on 1.ADVERTISING top of. The accelerating pace of change in society today impacts on 2.AFRICA everything in work and play. We’ve done some of the work for you by curating the top trends from around the globe, locally, and from 3.BRANDING our generous industry influencers who participated. 4.CONSUMER RESEARCH We so appreciate our sponsor support in helping make this happen and taking this project to a whole new level: Interbrand Sampson De Villiers, Brand Alive, Millward Brown, Yellowwood, Meltwater, Branded Youth. Thank you too to everyone at Bizcommunity who worked hard on 5.DIGITAL making this special project work, with its apps, event, associated 6.MARKETING print products and social and marketing elements: Dries, Andre, Terry, Rod, Bev, Ilse, Megan, Jason, Leigh, David, Ruth, Lesley, 7.MEDIA Brandon, Mike and Graeme. 8.SOCIAL MEDIA Please do forward this PDF to your clients and network in the industry and in business. A very happy, bright and shiny 2015! 9.STRATEGY Louise Marsland 10.YOUTH Specialist Editor: Biz Trends 2015.
TOP TRENDSYour 2015: The consumer, Brandingstrategyinsider.comcontent and collaboration Pattern: Human society is experiencing a fundamental shift in culture as the speed of change and technological innovation trumps even industrialisation.Louise Marsland Everything is up for review: our political and economic systems, religion, gender, family structure, race relations, culture, society... It is a time like noIt's all about me, you and what we want. Now. No waiting around. This is the other to renew, refresh beliefs, start something.year the consumer and content will dominate and brands learn the meaning oftrue collaboration. Influence: Become the creative powerhouse of Africa, producing unique, global, culturally-relevant work that truly reflects an understanding ofIt is about tapping into the stories we all have to tell: individuals, brands, consumer culture and nuance. Every global ad agency network is trying to gaincountries, continents. Our past, our present and the future we want. It is about traction in Africa. Let's show them how it's really done. The African way.our legacy, our craft and working togetherThese are our top South African media, marketing, advertisingcommunications trends for 2015 from all our interviews with the leadership ofour local industry, research and the past year, following consumer andindustry trends both locally and internationally.This is what you need to keep on your agenda for this year (for more detail oneach trend and links, click through to each trend category and the industryleader contributions):1. ADVERTISING: TransformationThe industry has had more than a decade since the first parliamentaryhearings into lack of transformation in the South African advertising industrytook place, to get its house in order. This year there are no more excuses asthe Triple BEE codes take effect and pressure is put on agencies by their clientsas regulations bite. It will be an industry \"game changer\" for 2015, warnsOgilvy & Mather South Africa CEO, Abey Mokgwatsane. A second trend forSouth Africa is true digital integration. We've lagged at international awardsshows in recent years because we have fallen behind in this trend.
TOP TRENDS2. AFRICA: Land of Opportunity longer enough to understand each individual consumer. Data is the answer, analytics, the solution. \"Your brand is no longer what you say it is. Your brandOne billion consumers. Burgeoning, aspirant middle class numbering 15 million is what your customers tell each other it is,\" says Euphoria Telecom's CEO,in 11 of Africa's largest economies. Youngest population. Increasingly George Golding.urbanised and connected via mobile. Africa's gross domestic product will growby 50% to US$3.7tn over the next five years and Africa's consumer facing Influence: Be really good: do good. Make a difference. Solve problems. Saveindustries are expected to grow by more than $400bn by 2020. 93% have the world. Be true to your consumer. Tell the truth. Keep your promises.access to a cellphone and 334 million new smartphone subscribers are People actually care about such things. Really.predicted in the next three years. A secondary trend is mobile adoption. The`timing needs to be right for brands launching into Africa and affordability is 4. CONSUMER RESEARCH: The Experience Brandkey. Listen to Africa. Conspicuous consumption is a trend damped down somewhat by thePattern: Growth. GDP per capita has grown 26% in the past decade. Incomes recession. Consumers have cut back radically on spending during theare rising. African consumers, many of whom have very little, are used to recession, particularly since food and petrol prices began rising locally.'hacking life', coming up with innovative, makeshift solutions to problems. We Consumers are buying less stuff, but they still want brands to charm andare the original 'Maker Economy'. Mobile adoption is accelerating and the entertain them, find solutions to societal ills. This time it is all about thedemand for home grown entertainment and content is insatiable. There is a experience a brand gives, how it makes their consumers feel, the positivenew pride in African culture - look at the wholesale rejection on the continent impact on their lives. We may still have a dominant mall culture in Southof the latest sycophantic boy band/old rocker collaboration of that tired old Africa, but we also go there to be entertained, which feeds into this trend.ditty 'Do they know it's Christmas' to raise money for the fight against Ebola. Pattern: Consumers are gravitating towards source - they want to know theInfluence: 'Made in Africa' - create home grown brands for Africa. We need to origin of ingredients, suppliers, the brand back story. It is why newer, craftcome up with solutions to our own challenges. Brands need to collaborate brands or brands that hark back to their artisanal roots are doing well.with consumers to find those solutions. A Nielsen analysis found that productsdeveloped or tailored specifically for Africa's consumers achieve a success rate Influence: This feeds into the society we need to create after this apocalypticof 40%, well above the standard 10%. It's our time. Now get on with it already. recession, political and economic upheaval. Brands that come up with solutions to real problems, will win their hearts and leave a lasting impression.3. BRANDING: Brand Personalisation 5. DIGITAL: Mergers & AcquisitionsThis is the era where humans are plugging into technology with wearables andbrands are trying to become more human by listening to their consumers and As the media and agency land grab continues in Africa by the global agencytaking on board the influence of the crowd. Brand personalisation is a current and media networks, 2015 is the year the big mergers and acquisitions of 2014mega-trend which is fuelled by brand storytelling and purpose-filled branding. need to prove themselves and perform. The measure will be in the integratedBrands want to be seen to be good. We want them to do good. work that wins awards.Pattern: Mass production, stereotyping, lifestyle measures, profiling is no Pattern: The acquisition assault is not yet over, as the global networks pay
TOP TRENDSattention to other media types such as out of home (Continental has been 7. MEDIA: Programmatic Media Buyingbought by JCDecaux, it was announced in December); merchandising (WPPacquired Smollen) and experiential (again, WPP, bought EXP.) Programmatic Media Buying is being seen globally as the media buying tool that acts as a magic bullet to solve all online advertising issues. eMarketerInfluence: Competition will be fierce locally as there are only so many clients predicts that advertisers in the US will spend $3.36bn on \"real-time bidding,\"to go around, but it does present an unparalleled opportunity for many of the up from $2bn in 2012. \"Programmatic is a catchall term that many people areyounger, formerly digital-only agencies to head up North to opportunity that using to categorise everything from behavioural and intent-based targeting toawaits in Africa. And of course there are some global brands that they will real-time bidding and exchange-based buying of inventory,\" Peter Naylor,probably get to work on too, given that the talent in our local industry is right former EVP at NBC Universal, tells AdWeek. \"Programmatic is advertising'sup at the top there with the best in the world, creatively and digitally. newer, better mousetrap.\" There you have it. But marketers still need a demand-generation strategy. It is not email marketing.6. MARKETING: Content Marketing Pattern: The fact is, that marketers will continue to be confused by it, mediaThis will also be the 'year of content' without a doubt on the nitty gritty of owners will champion it, and media planners will rail against it. And it willcampaign implementation. Almost every one of our contributors to this trends dominate 2015.report has referenced content as a trend. The trick will be producing contentthat consumers want to engage with, share, and which will generate leads. Influence: Anyone who actually understands it and can coherently explain it,Because this is also the year content marketing becomes content selling. Great will be our industry person of the year. Thankfully, AdWeek has done acontent can build a compelling business case for potential customers, can be Programmatic for Dummies series. I can recommend it!targeted and results measured. 8. SOCIAL MEDIA: Hashtag Social ActivismPattern: Yes, there is a difference between brand storytelling and contentmarketing. Brand storytelling is defined best by Aesop agency: \"In essence, it's Social activism is a growing trend as our world becomes more connected andthe application of narrative thinking and storytelling techniques to define physical boundaries disappear. \"Hashtag activism\" is a way for people to rallybrands, inform strategy and structure creative activity\". According to around a cause, an issue, or a \"Bashtag\" in which a person or organisation arethe Content Marketing Institute. \"Content marketing is a marketing technique trolled instead.of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attractand acquire a clearly defined audience - with the objective of driving profitable Pattern: In the early days of social media, brands made mistakes and werecustomer action.\" often on the receiving end of trolls, rightly or wrongly so. It is our current narrative as a society - this global trend to transparency and 'having our say'Influence: Curating content is still a sought-after skill. Opportunities abound on everyone and everything, including brands.for brands which become owners of their own content channels as the mediaindustry continues to implode and audiences fragment between different Influence: Social media amplifies issues and people's concerns and causes. Somedia and channels; and social media platforms keep changing the rules. social listening strategy and tools are key for brands to gain traction in thisBrands have to work hard to engage their consumers for longer than 30 volatile space.seconds in the places they are both comfortable with.
TOP TRENDS9. STRATEGY: Brand Storytelling Pattern: A key trend is that they are pushing back against brand marketing - but do believe brands have the power to influence change and are supportingBrand storytelling across every channel, be it earned, paid or owned media, the ones which do make a difference. They expect a lot from brands; bravery,will dominate 2015. The same buzzwords will be thrown around: authenticity, collaboration, authenticity. This is a generation hard hit by the recession andtransparency, narrative, content, collaborative, etc. It is the storytelling era: financial uncertainty they have witnessed or experienced. They are delaying\"People don't have 30 seconds to be interrupted - but they always have 30 many of the customary rites of adulthood as a result: marriage, parenthood,seconds to hear a great story,\" reports SayQuarterly.com. career.Pattern: The influence exerted on brands is immense. In this wired, Influence: Brands need to help millennials navigate this rapidly changingnetworked, socially-cohesive world, where truth is everything - from fake-real world. Work with them in creating new solutions to societal ills. They are thereality shows to social media - people's lives, including their fantasy lives, are most educated generation in history, they see you, really see you. There is noon show and that includes brands. In order to friend your consumer, you need space for brand confusion. Work with them. Ask them what they need. Theyto share too. Your values, your history, your craft, your 'family'. Brands will will tell you. (A side eye here to Generation Z, the teenagers still at school, whostop faking stories of fictitious founders and kindly uncles, or embellishing the seem much nicer, more empathic, philosophical, tolerant and entrepreneurialnarrative. It's time for the rawness of real life. than their older millennial siblings. We expect big things from them in the next decade).Influence: Brands that crack that rich narrative, provide the awesome storiesand surround them with considered and informed content marketingstrategies, will win 2015. No doubt.Brands getting it right, including the ad everyone references, and everyonewishes they'd done: Coke Rainbow. Some more examples from eConsultancy.10. YOUTH: The Millennial EffectWe have been bombarded the last couple of years with reports and surveys onthe current Millennial generation, also known as the 'boomerang' or '3G'generation (three generations) because they are having to move back in withtheir parents due to the recession - joining their grandparents who can't copeon their pensions. The most important point about millennials, no matterwhere they fall into the large age grouping - they are our first generation oftruly digital citizens and they are currently in the workforce. They are the oneswho have to fix things: economically, politically, culturally. So that is why whatthey do and say carries incredible weight. They have to try give us a future.And they do have a need to want to leave their mark on the world.
TOP TRENDS15 global trends for 2015 2. Maker movementCurated by Louise Marsland One of the mega-trends to note is the Maker Movement which has been credited with the rise of the Maker Economy - a more collaborative, creativeFrom the Sharing Economy to Virtual Reality Marketing, a Tactile Internet and economic model for the future. 'Maker culture is a contemporary culture orThought Control, these are some of the trends which will influence business subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture, includingand brands for years to come. art, crafts and creativity. 'Maker culture' emphasises learning-through-doing (constructivism) in a social environment. The rise of the maker culture isWhile there are very specific trends for 2015 in consumer insight for the South closely associated with the rise of hacker spaces, Fab Labs and other makerAfrican and African market, we can't ignore the mega-trends and shifts in the spaces, of which there are now many around the world, including over 100marketing landscape internationally. each in Germany and the United States. Hackerspaces allow like-minded individuals to share ideas, tools, and skillsets.' (Source: Wikipedia).This is our list of some of the most interesting trends ahead, curated from top Mainstream business publications like Time and Forbes, as well as marketingmarketing, branding, advertising and tech brands and media, internationally, and technology media, are now starting to follow the Maker Movement andwith all the relevant links for further information and sharing: highlight this burgeoning substrata of mainstream business and culture.1. The sharing economy 3. Internet of ThingsAs the internet enables the efficient sharing of information with With wearables going mainstream and the internet connecting our devices tounprecedented ease, the idea of a sharing economy is potentially huge, says everything else, there is the need for \"deep knowledge\" of smart devices andEricsson Consumer Lab in its annual mobile consumer 2015 trends report. It the \"rise of DevOps\" in advertising agencies, along with the acquisition of newbasically enables consumers to enjoy the benefits of use without the hassle of talent in the form of hardware engineers to get involved in the development ofownership in areas beyond that of transportation only. \"In our research we product design and 3D printing and \"prototyping products so that a creativefound that more than half of smartphone owners are already open to renting idea may now be given some physical form,\" reports AdAge in its trend reportother people's leisure equipment, rooms and household appliances. 46% could for 2015.even imagine using a smartphone app to book a dinner in someone else'shome.\" Download 'Hot consumer Trends 2015' by Ericsson Consumer Lab.
TOP TRENDS4. Predictive marketing 7. Tactical InternetJWTIntelligence's Future 100 report for 2015, reports that big data is enabling JWT Future 100 describes the 'Tactile Internet' as a \"Sufficiently responsive,extreme personalisation and also predictive marketing and retail, to track reliable network connectivity which will enable [haptic technology, robots and\"serendipitous discovery\" which resonates with consumers and is what the Internet of Things] to deliver physical, tactile experiences remotely.\" Theymarketers need to unlock. \"There's a tension between the convenience and refer to the Tactile Internet as a \"true paradigm shift\" which will be able toopportunity offered by predictive retail and advertising, and rising recognition interconnect with the traditional wired internet, the mobile internet and theof the importance of randomness, chance and surprise. Innovators and Internet of Things- thereby forming an internet of entirely new dimensions andtechnologists will increasingly focus on incorporating chance discovery to capabilities.\" Watch.complement prediction and automation.\" 8. Virtual reality marketing5. Visual content marketing Virtual reality is one of the trends from CES 2015 that could change advertisingVisual content marketing is more successful than any other form of forever. While still mainly part of the 'trade show' floor, Virtual Realitycommunication, says Reuters. Marketers who embrace visual content reap the Marketing got a shot in the arm with the cheap cardboard headset released byrewards of higher returns - in terms of more fans, followers, readers, leads, Google which could put it in reach of the consumer. It is envisioned that virtualclients and, of course, revenue. \"Visual content drives engagement. reality \"experiences\" for consumers will contain advertising units, much like inNeuromarketing science confirms it.\" video games and television advertising, reports Portada-Online.6. WearablesAd Age reports that wearables will change how agencies operate, as wearablesand smart devices will produce a lot of data and agencies need to know howthose devices work and mine that data for insights. \"Most importantly,wearables will provide marketers and agencies with data that has moresituational context than adland has previously seen.\"
TOP TRENDS9. Cognitive technology patterns are no longer defined by 'traditional' demographic segments such as age, gender, location, income, family status and more. \"Successful products,It's not quite AI (Artificial Intelligence), but cognitive technology is about services and brands will transcend their initial demographics almostsystems that \"learn over time to predict and intuit human desires that are instantaneously. Never stop scanning all demographics for relevant newbeing integrated into consumer devices. With the advent of intelligent innovations.\"personal assistants like Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana and Google Now,we're moving toward a future in which mobile devices harness AI and the rich 13. Behavioural economicsdata contained in a phone - calendar, search history, payment history andsocial media activity - to anticipate their owners' needs, JWTIntelligence There needs to be a new research model that looks at the problem of whyhighlights in Future 100. people have stopped buying your client's product. The Guardian reports that advertising and marketing are a little too fixated with changing the way we10. Third-way commerce think about brands, rather than changing the way we buy and urges that behavioural insights could help agencies and brands stand out in a crowded\"Charity and profitability have traditionally been viewed as mutually exclusive, category.but a new wave of business models is establishing a 'third-way' that combinessocial good with sales and marketing-and it's proving popular with ethically 14. Collaborative creativityminded Millennials.\"JWTIntelligence advises brands that rather than focus their efforts on self- People will seek genuine inspired collaboration - and the chance to bringserving content, brands should increasingly use innovation and social together the best minds, ideas and opportunities, predicts Added Value. \"Theinitiatives with genuine merit to tell their stories, and let social media do the connections people make will aim to give new perspectives, new insights, newrest. stories, even new skills. They will be deep, rich and enlightening.\"11. Culture of enrichment 15. Thought controlThis year will also be the year that people seek to get the very best from A vast majority of consumers think we will be able to use our thoughts tothemselves and the most from their lives, reports Added Value. \"They will be control domestic appliances by 2020. Ericsson Consumer Lab found that over aincreasingly aware that they only live once - and want to squeeze every last third of consumers are interested in using a smart watch that conveys touchdrop. They will want to be actively involved, deeply enriched and want to seize gestures or their pulse to others. Interestingly, 40% of smartphone usersevery single day.\" would like to use a wearable device to communicate with others directly through thoughts - and more than two-thirds believe this form of12. Post-demographic consumerism communication will be commonplace by 2020. 72% of those surveyed think we will also use our thoughts to control household appliances by 2020.People - of all ages and in many markets - are constructing their own identities Download 'Hot consumer Trends 2015' by Ericsson Consumer Lab.more freely than ever and post-demographic consumerism is oneof Trendwatching.com's top trends for 2015. The outcome is that consumption
TOP TRENDSBusiness and consumer 'Privatisation' is the recurring buzzword as citizens seek alternatives for postaltrends for 2015 service, electricity and more. Not a new idea in the global space, the implementation of privatisation, involving a genuine transfer of public assets By Dion Chang to the general population, would not only be a constructive solution to citizen frustration, it would also significantly help to create a real sense of Trend strategist, Dion Chang, is the founder of research trend participation and inclusion in the economy. specialists, Flux Trends. He is an innovator, creative thinker and walking ideas bank. He takes the unique view of \"trends as 2. Social media commerce 2.0 the sociable way to shop business strategy\". Flux Trends - specialises in understanding the consumer mindset and identifying unexpected business The term Web 2.0 was used in the first Web 2.0 conference held in 2004 and opportunities within shifting trends. For more trends as business defined as a second generation of technology development and web design. strategy visit: www.fluxtrends.com. @dionchang | View profile Social media commerce is the evolution of social media - the next generation of online shopping - with the hot spots being Instagram and Pinterest joining\"All rise for standing boardrooms.\" last year's Starbucks' Tweet-a-Coffee and Amazon's #amazoncart.Social activism and the underpinning of digital solutions to major market Evolving into a shopping catalogue, Pinterest joined the social media e-innovation will characterise this year, according to renowned South African commerce fray last year with the introduction of its Rich Pins feature. Thistrend analyst, Dion Chang, in this exclusive list of 2015 trends for Biz Trends enables brands and retailers to include metadata like real-time pricing, stock2015. availability and a 'Buy This' link to product images to make pins more purchase-friendly. Categorised under the sub-heads: Place Pins, Article Pins,1. Active citizenry in South Africa - AKA 'Yes we can' Product Pins, Recipe Pins, and Movie Pins, the Product Pins include real time pricing, availability and where to buy.Irritated, annoyed and fed-up with the lack of service from Governmentmonopolies and parastatals, South African citizens are doing it for themselves. Over on Instagram, Curalate (a marketing and analytics suite for the visualParkhurst, Johannesburg, was one of the first suburbs to get high-speed fibre- web) have now introduced a \"like2buy\" app, which now enables users to buyto-fibre home broadband last year, supplied by a Stellenbosch-based start-up directly, via an Instagram post with registered brands.company. 3. Click and collect. Fetch and goAnd then there is the ongoing e-toll saga. The people of South Africa havespoken and rejected the implementation of e-tolls; creating debate, discourse A survey from Which?, a company that reviews products and services, foundand the rise of The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance, the driving force that over 60% of people shopping online last year had problems with delivery.behind the e-toll opposition. Enter Click and Collect. A convenient solution for online shopping that offers customers the option of collecting their purchases at convenient locations like shopping centres or petrol stations.
TOP TRENDSIn the US, Amazon has installed Click and Collect lockers in shopping centres. Image via 123RFPioneering Click and Collect in South Africa, Makro finalised an agreement withSasol last year, which will provide nationwide access to Sasol's extensive 5. Fast casual restaurants eat into fast food market shareforecourt network. 'Fast casual' is still a niche but it's the segment expanding the quickest. In theMakro is also acquiring access to other sites to enable click and collect US, there are roughly seven times as many fast-food restaurants as fast-casualdelivery. Using a proven technology already deployed in other markets (a code eateries-yet both categories notched roughly a $9.3bn increase in sales oversent to customers' cellphones opens the locker) these lockers will be located in three years.safe and accessible locations including fast food restaurants, office parks andother Makro stores. Positioned somewhere between fast food restaurants and casual dining restaurants, the fast casual restaurant is a fast growing concept. Being a hybrid4. Wi-Fi - Maslow's new hierarchy of needs of the two concepts, they provide counter service and offer more customised, freshly- prepared and high-quality food than traditional QSRs (Quick ServiceMaslow's Hierarchy of Needs most basic needs has been adapted to the new Restaurants), in an upscaled and inviting ambiance. Brands such as Chipotleworld order. Wi-Fi is now a serious contender as a basic need. As we live in a Mexican Grill, Panera Bread, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Baja Fresh areconnected world, people feel vulnerable when they're without a Smartphone considered the top restaurants in this category.or can't access a wireless network. As the traffic growth in the fast casual segment surpassed that of every otherJust how intense is the need for Wi-Fi? Some Londoners unwittingly signed segment for the fifth consecutive year, Big QSR brands such as McDonald's,over their firstborn children in exchange for access to free Wi-Fi last year. An Subway and KFC have been facing a huge threat by the leading fast casualexperiment was conducted whereby an unsecured, free Wi-Fi hotspot was set restaurants.up in a busy London district so they could see who would fall victim to the\"Herod Clause\" and other forms of IT theft. The 'Herod Clause' was put intothe Terms and Conditions of accessing the free Wi-Fi. In agreeing to gainingaccess to the free Wi-Fi, users had to sign away their first-born child. Sixpeople clicked \"Agree\".If you give people free Wi-Fi, they might not willingly give you their first born,but they'll happily give you their (increasingly rare) loyalty.
6. Wearable tech becomes 'computational couture' world, we discover there is still an entire offline life to live. Living in two worlds means that we actually work doubly hard - so at the end2014 was wearable tech's big debut but 2015 sees a high tech fashion romance of the year, you've not worked 12 months but essentially 24.blossoming. Style met wearable technology with 'smart' jewellery at New YorkFashion Week last year with novel accessories like an 18k gold-plated ring 8. Sit, stand, move. Agile action in the workplacefeaturing semiprecious stones that connects to a Smartphone and alerts theuser to any notifications. With the high level of technology used to communicate and work, the concept that an employee needs to be positioned at the same desk in the same officeBut wearable tech is moving beyond smart watches and jewellery, and into every day is changing.smart garments and wearable textiles. Agile working creates a flexible environment, which leads to greater productivity. By creating different working areas within an office, the staff has\"Companies are making gadgets that are attached to your body. That's not the freedom to work wherever they want, whenever they want.innovation, really,\" says product engineer, Amanda Parkes, of SkinteractiveStudios. She's designed a dress that uses piezoelectric material to generate Image via smh.comelectricity from wearers' body movement. The energy is then stored in abattery that can later be used to charge a device. The sports industry has been Giving the workforce the freedom and autonomy to make individual choicesthe frontrunner in using nano technology in textiles to monitor athletes' ignites creativity and fresh thinking. Fluidity creates new ideas andperformances. 2015 sees this technology move from the laboratories and onto perspectives, improves communication and boosts productivity across diversethe streets. departments. Google and Unilever have adopted agile working with measurable results in productivity.7. Digital burnout. Mobile meltdown All rise for standing boardrooms. Nobody gets too comfortable and everyone is alert enough to be focused on setting a goal before they leave standingRecent research has found that we now spend more time on our devices (onaverage, eight hours and 41 minutes) than we do sleeping. This 'always on,always connected' lifestyle is what is fuelling digital burnout. It has rewired ourbrains to be in a permanent multitasking mode.Our new default reaction to any spare time is to delve into cyberspace. No onesimply stares into space any more. This leads to digital addiction, a newhealthcare threat, which is being formally listed in some countries.Digital addiction keeps our minds hyperactive. Once you're on yoursmartphone, you get tunnel vision: it's like delving into a cyber rabbit hole.This not only blurs the boundaries between work and play, but we become lessaware of the physical world around us. When we do come back to our physical
TOP TRENDSboardrooms. With no chairs, meetings are limited to a maximum of 30 the use of drones for commercial purposes without a special license, but theproductive minutes, after which everyone leaves with a specific plan of action. drone revolution is unstoppable. Drones are already widely in use in South Africa for commercial filming and9. Doctors go digital. Healthcare 3.0 anti-poaching operations. The City of Cape Town have plans to test drones which would be used to monitor land occupations, crime, scrap yardsRemote patient monitoring - a trend linked and enabled by wearable tech - is suspected of harbouring stolen copper, shack fires and disasters.poised to revolutionise the healthcare industry. Cisco, a multinationaltechnology corporation, presented their offering of remote patient monitoring Image via 123RFat My World of Tomorrow in Johannesburg last year. A Pretoria-based company is developing a drone that could spray tear gas andA system whereby a satellite clinic in a remote area run by nursing staff, is able fire rubber bullets at protesters. The company revealed that an unnamedto consult with a network of doctors for patients who have ailments that they mining company ordered 25 units.can't treat or who need further diagnosis. A patient's vital signs are uploadedinto a cloud-based system, which the doctor accesses in real time and viawebcam, and allows the doctor to speak to the patient and nurse.By March this year, South Africa will be introduced to My Doctor24, a localonline service that puts you in touch with a doctor who will assess the urgencyof your ailment, via remote consultation.For healthcare professionals, 'Figure 1' is an app for discussing medical issueson a global scale, and is already proving invaluable in South Africa, connectingdoctors in rural areas with city centres.10. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's just another droneFrom delivering pizzas to saving lives, the sky's the limit for drone technology.Ambulance Drone is an all-purpose medical toolkit that can be automaticallyflown to any emergency situation and used to guide people to make non-technical lifesaving procedures.A courier service in China is currently testing high-tech drones that can deliverpackages to remote locations. With a built-in navigation system, these dronescan go where trucks can't. Amazon has promised drone delivery by 2016.Last year the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) clamped down on
TOP TRENDS2015: On the cusp of a New Horses and carsAge In the early 20th century, life was changing at a pace never-before seen. FromJez Frampton and Doug de Villiers the introduction of electricity, indoor plumbing, and refrigeration to washing machines, telephones, and life-saving medical breakthroughs, modern\"The future of business is personal.\" progress was raising the standard of living on all fronts. And then there was the development that turbocharged modern civilisation's ascent: theDigital technology is ending the long reign of the book as a repository of automobile.knowledge and ushering in a world of interconnectedness, intelligentmachines, vast data sets, and powerful algorithms, says Jez Frampton, global For thousands of years, the most efficient mode of transportation usuallyCEO, Interbrand and Doug de Villiers, Group CEO, Interbrand Sampson De involved a horse. By revolutionising mobility, the car made things possible thatVilliers. simply weren't possible before. People now had more freedom to choose where they could live, where they could work, who and what they saw - and It's sometimes hard to appreciate the power of a how often. It ignited a desire to travel, to explore. The car moved us historical moment. An era isn't always defined by collectively from a limited, static state of being, to a more dynamic, expansive one seismic event, but sometimes by a thousand one. It catalysed an evolutionary leap. little tremors shaking - and reshaping - the world. But did people at the time perceive it that way? When the car emerged, were We are living in such a moment, quite literally on the they aware of its profound implications for society? Probably not. If they weren't, it was because the transformation, though rapid from a historical cusp of a new age. As futurist David Brin theorised in standpoint, was gradual - and the new, for a time, still mingled with the old. Yet, among the most perceptive there was surely a moment, a \"horses and late 2013, each century effectively begins in its 14th cars\" moment, when the trajectory of the future and magnitude of the oncoming cultural shift became evident. year. However dominant influences and technology In this transitional space, a period when horses and cars co-existed on city from the previous century appear to be, new streets, a torch was passed. The long agrarian epoch that had defined and governed human life for so long was coming to a close, and a completely newDoug de Villiers elements come to the fore and shift the mood. The chapter in human experience was about to begin. arc of the riding century becomes perceptible. If that The shifting of the agesis so, then 2014 was no ordinary year. Given the rapidity and immensity of the changes we've witnessed since theFor those of us in business, it may well have been a pivot point - a time to dawn of industrialisation - and the degree to which these changes altered thepause, connect the dots, gain a broader view, and align our visions and our way we began to live and do business at various points - our modern era canplans with the unstoppable currents carrying us forward. be divided into distinguishing features and events. Through the lens ofBut what will those currents be in 2015? Which great advances and ideas havealready set the future of business in motion?
TOP TRENDSbranding, we at Interbrand have defined and reshaped business: the Age of FreeDigitalPhotosIdentity, the Age of Value, the Age of Experience, and the forthcoming Age ofYou. Benefitting immensely from the rise of digital and, later, mobile technology, savvy brands like Apple grew stronger and new category-killers like Google,Many of us in business know that the term \"branding\" referred originally to a Amazon and Facebook, soon reset customer expectations and significantlycrude mark of ownership, literally burned into the hides of cattle. While this is raised the bar for brand experiences.an interesting bit of trivia, it also gives us some perspective and helps usrealise just how far the art and science of branding has come and how Today, the multiplication of channels has pushed brands to strive for thesophisticated it has grown. greater levels of clarity and consistency across touch points; and necessitated the creation of ecosystems of integrated products, services, information, andIn the post-World War II era, this mark of ownership evolved into a powerful entertainment: both physical and digital. And, due to another game changer -symbol of differentiation and identification in the period we refer to as the Age social media - consumers are more empowered than ever before, moreof Identity. Mass communication media like TV, radio, and widely circulated influential than ever before, and expect seamless interactions, responsiveness,print material that characterised this age elevated the status and significance 24/7 accessibility, customisation options, and high levels of personalisation. Inof brands among both consumers and business owners. Here is where a a sense, they increasingly expect brands to know them.relationship was cemented, trust was built, and a symbiotic evolutionaryprocess began to accelerate. In the Age of Value, beginning in the late 1980s, The Age of Youquantifying the intangible aspects of branding proved beyond a shadow of adoubt that brands had concrete value - and that leading companies needed to As digital technology continues to weave its way into every aspect of our lives,take these business assets seriously. and more of who we are is captured on servers and hard drives, the Age ofAs products and services multiplied exponentially and businesses gained adeeper appreciation of the role brands play in delivering satisfying anddifferentiated experiences to consumers, a new age - The Age of Experience -was under way. But coinciding with these deeper realisations about theimportance of experience was the emergence of a phenomenon that wouldchange the world forever: the internet.
TOP TRENDSExperience is giving way to a new era - one of ubiquitous computing. The shift All this activity, of course, generates massive amounts of data, which, ifin this direction is observable nearly everywhere and virtually unstoppable. In analysed properly, can reveal the insight brands need in order to understandfact, we have reached a \"horses and cars\" moment of our own. Think, for who customers are and what they really need. As more of us come online asinstance, of people casually reading in a train or in a café these days. Some are data repositories, machines get smarter, and all devices are working inreading books and magazines, and a growing number are engaging with a concert, supply chains will reorganise around individuals. Ecosystems willdevice - smartphones, tablets, laptops and e-readers. The significance of this is become \"Mecosystems\" - ecosystems that revolve around and cater to you.greater than it appears. From the way we manage our personal brands and share pieces of ourselvesThe nearly 600-year-old innovation that kicked off the original information through various social media platforms to the increasingly personalised worldage, the printing press - widely regarded as one of the most influential events of commerce - which uses purchase histories and location-based services toin human history - has surely passed its peak and is swiftly being replaced by tailor products, events, services, and offers to whoever we are, wherever wetext via digital interface. In the way that the automobile effectively ended the are - our data is creating value for ourselves, for brands, and for the system atlong agrarian period and ushered in the comforts, conveniences, and wonders large, every second of every day.of modernity, digital technology is ending the long reign of the book as arepository of knowledge and ushering in a world of extreme speed and Brands that seek to lead in the Age of You, ruled by Mecosystems, will have toefficiency, instant access, interconnectedness, intelligent machines, vast data recognise the human in the data, uncover genuine insights, and create a trulysets, and powerful algorithms. personalised and curated experience.Like the printing press in its day, digital technology is revolutionising the way To put it simply, the future of business is personal.we live and process information, impacting modes of production, impactingtraditional work processes, and increasing the demand for core devices that *Interbrand Sampson de Villiers is the lead sponsor of Biz Trends 2015.can do more things for us. And the key to getting our devices to do more for usin our data.Now that the world is filling with devices and more people own not only one,but several (including wearables), the world is quietly being filled withsomeone elses: sensors. As ecosystems become more fully integrated, thesesensors (on our bodies, in our homes, and in our devices) will be able to talk toeach other in new ways. Already, our devices can check our pulses, count thecalories we have burned, and calculate how close we are to our personalisedfitness goals; they can save energy in our homes by controlling thermostatsand lighting; they can allow us to pay our bills and remind us when ourpayments are coming up; they can track where we go and makerecommendations based on where we are; and they keep us connected toeveryone and everything we care about most.
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ADVERTISTINOGP TRENDSTREND: Transformation While the educators such as Dr Ludi Koekemoer, CEO of the Triple A, urge the industry to develop the talent pool; talent retention also needs to beIndustry pundits across the globe and locally believe the industry is encouraged within the agencies, emphasises Odette van der Haar, CEO,experiencing the greatest shift it has ever known, as the scale of change across Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA).business, politics, technology and consumer culture accelerates. In SouthAfrica, this is also the year of transformation, as the revised Triple BEE codes Jonathan Deeb, executive creative director, FCB, says content seems to havetake effect in April. killed the commercial, but what it really means for agencies is that there is an opportunity for agencies to create uniquely South African content with culturalAbey Mokgwatsane, CEO of Ogilvy & Mather South Africa, emphasises that nuances to excite and engage consumers.compliance with the new BEE codes will be a gamechanger in 2015. Coupledwith a tough trading environment, agencies will have to \"operate with a value In the end, it is also clients who are creating this paradigm shift in the agencymindset\" and work with marketers in aiding transformation in the industry to model as everything speeds up and brands become \"content\", and agenciesreflect the reality of South Africa's diverse population, he adds. have to understand their clients' business and operations like never before, offers Felix Kessel, CEO of OwenKessel Leo Burnett. However, Brett Morris,This search for black talent is the biggest challenge facing advertising agencies CEO of FCB South Africa, warns the industry not to forget the basics ofand marketers and is already impacting on brand relationships, adds Neo marketing communication - that the challenge is to still create that emotionalMashigo, co-executive creative director, Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg. work that moves people.The creatives are also all agreed on the fact that true integration of digital into *Trends curated by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz Trends 2015.South African advertising agencies has to follow global trends in this regardand that the industry has to deliver on it this year in order to start deliveringaward-winning and effective work of an international standard. Says XolisaDyeshana, Joe Public executive creative director (ECD): \"Every year we havethese kinds of polls and everyone talks about integration, but I don't think wehave cracked it yet. Imagine how we could make our single idea live on allthose screens? Now is Africa's time!\"And firmly on their radar is the need to highlight the good that brands do.Purpose-driven branding needs to move from talk to action, says Pepe Marais,chief creative officer and senior partner, Joe Public Group. \"The more theworld feels devoid of meaning, the more people are attracted to brands thatdisplay a deeper sense of purpose.\" ECD of 1886, Stu Stobbs, is more blunt,saying 2015 is the year that \"brands will grow a conscience and deliver workthat shows they care\". In some cases they really will.
ADVERTISING TRENDSWe need more magical more. Hence we need to evolve how we look at everything and ensure that wethinking are always resonating and engaging.\" By Xolisa Dyeshana For 2015, Dyeshana wants to see more of: Xolisa Dyeshana is the executive creative director at Joe Public. @XolisaDyeshana | View profile • More people-centred digital solutions: \"We are still grappling with overwhelming technology. We are not seeing enough of how\"This will be the year of survival of the most innovative.\" technology enables humanity. We are missing storytelling on those channels, missing those connections. We start to put the technologyWill this be the year of true integration, with digital woven seamlessly into before the idea, rather than the idea before the technology.\"campaigns and integrated into the fabric of all agencies? Xolisa Dyeshana,executive creative director, Joe Public, certainly hopes so. • A truly South African aesthetic: \"For a while now, our work has lacked a truly South African aesthetic - it wasn't based on truly South African\"Every year we have these kind of polls and everyone talks about integration, insights, or solving South African challenges. I am finding we are nowbut I don't think we have really cracked it yet. Imagine if we could make our doing work grounded in insights that are uniquely South African. Thesingle-minded idea truly live on all those different platforms?\" net effect is that our work starts to have an identity, much like South America or India and I hope we go on to define that even more inDyeshana joined Joe Public in 2006 as creative director. He was chairperson for 2015.\"the Loerie Awards in 2014. He believes the industry has been changing thingsup for a while, but there is still much to be done. \"We need pieces of work that Dyeshana's advice to industry for 2015: \"I think for me this will be the year oflook at old mediums in new ways and address the reality of South Africa, such survival of the most innovative. We have to, now more than ever, beas the Coca-Cola Rainbow campaign.\" pioneering in our thinking, no matter which medium we are using. We need to give our clients more bang for their buck. For my peers and colleagues,\"If you look at the reality of SA - as much as the digital side of things is picking hopefully this will be the year of calculated risk taking that leads toup - traditional media still has its space, but it's competing with a whole lot breakthrough business solutions.\" His advice to clients this year: \"I feel that to a large extent, what has transpired these past couple of years, because of trading conditions, is that marketers have become extremely cautious and a lot of the work we are seeing is extremely logical and there is very little magic coming through. That goes especially for the bigger mediums like television.\"
ADVERTISING TRENDS\"In this economy, the only way to stand out and to make people fall in lovewith your brand is to bring back the magic. Because when that is there, evenprice becomes a secondary factor, just look at brands like Apple. Clients needto allow us to do groundbreaking work and be brave enough to buy it.\"*Xolisa Dyeshana was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.
ADVERTISING TRENDSThis is the content era On the brand side, Mashigo says we will see a continuation of genuine storytelling efforts and consumer engagement. By Neo Mashigo Neo Mashigo is the co-ECD at O&M JHB. @neomashigo \"There will be less dependency on music and dancing and shallow stuff, View profile celebrities. Brands will find more ways to engage... to demonstrate why this brand is relevant to your life. As communicators we will have to dig deeper, to\"Stories need to feel real, fresh, consumers are demanding more honesty the brand itself.from brands.\" \"Most of that is driven by how much more we are engaging with onlineThe search for black talent to tell the real stories of South Africa is the biggest content, because content forces you to allow people into your space. Itchallenge facing advertising agencies and marketers in the next few years and chooses when people engage online. It forces a closer relationship with peopleis already impacting on brand relationships, says Neo Mashigo co-executive and the activities we have been seeing with FNB and Cell C, where consumerscreative director, Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg. put up billboards to express their dissatisfaction... We will see more of it.\"Brands need to understand that a closer relationship with their consumers is The real South Africa and African perspective will be visible, reports Mashigo.now the current status quo - and those consumers will let you know, very \"My sense is we have been working with a pretentious South Africa where wepublically, when they are dissatisfied, as brands have seen with public create a world in our ads that won't work anymore. That fake combinedbillboards and the like on social media in recent times, says Mashigo, who has diverse lifestyles. Stories need to feel real, fresh, consumers are demandingworked across top brands at agencies O&M, Draftfcb, Network BBDO and at more honestly from brands and to reflect more our reality.the SABC. \"The era of sensationalising things is over. Our world is too close to us. If youMashigo says the closer consumer interaction is forcing brands in 2015 to be are going to sell washing powder, your story needs to be more real than amore careful about how they talk to their consumers. \"We are going to laboratory demo, for example, how do you talk to three guys in a flat aboutdefinitely see consumers engaging on what they like and don't like about washing their clothes?\"brands - vocally. Consumers never used to complain much, especially the massmarket, but that has changed and it will force brands to be more careful and Talent searchthink through how they talk to consumers.\" Mashigo also believes 2015 will be more interesting when data prices drop and people engage more on a mobile device and online. \"This is the era of content. Content requires more detail, a more genuine
ADVERTISING TRENDSrelationship. You are either my friend or not my friend. It is very difficult tocome back from that. That is what is coming. It is a challenge for us.\"The biggest challenge for agencies is the need for black talent, in terms ofgetting into the core of consumer insights that are more genuine. The thingalways driving a fake world, is when you don't know what to do with the realworld... because we don't have enough talent to talk to the real world.\"Mashigo's advice is that agencies need to be more open to people nottraditionally trained in advertising: \"We need to find room for them in ouragencies or we won't be able to tell those real stories.\"Africa is no longer going to ask permission from the world to determine howwe view and see ourselves. We will be seeing - from fashion to music - a wholenew 'sound' from brands and consumers!\"*Neo Mashigo was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.
ADVERTISING TRENDSThe year of transformation \"If we get 3% growth in 2015, we will be very lucky. We will learn to operate in a low-growth market, which is strange for South Africa. Clients will be a lot By Abey Mokgwatsane more frugal, want more return on investment (ROI), they will be looking for efficiencies, more integrated solutions. Abey Mokgwatsane is CEO of Ogilvy & Mather South Africa (www.ogilvy.co.za; @OgilvySA). Apart from being one of South \"It's going to be a tough time for us in the industry. I don't think it is doom and Africa's Mail & Guardian top 200 young leaders in 2011, he was gloom, I think we are going to have to operate with a 'much more value' voted one of the country's top 25 \"game-changers\" in The mindset.\" Annual 2012. Mokgwatsane also founding of Young Business for South Africa, Think Tank Initiative and Experiential Industry With the new Triple BEE codes, Mokgwatsane says clients are now asking the Association of South Africa. Tel +27 (0)11 709 6600, email questions they should have asked the industry 20 years ago, such as: \"what is [email protected] and follow @Abeyphonogenic on our scorecard, where is the black talent, how are we developing and training Twitter. View profile our staff, where is our sustainability plan?\"\"The biggest thing we get asked (by clients) is, 'where are the black \"Clients never gave two hoots before. So much black market work is still beingcreatives?'\" produced by 'white agencies' where there is no black creative talent. The pressure is now on for 2015. Triple BEE is forcing clients to take empowermentThe pressure is on the local advertising industry in 2015 with the more seriously as it is impacting on them now, more than us. Our marketingimplementation of the new Triple BEE codes, warns Abey Mokgwatsane, CEO clients, the ones giving us the money, are now asking us the hard questions.of Ogilvy & Mather South Africa. It will be a game changer, forcing the industry The biggest thing we get asked is, 'where are the black creatives?'\"to redouble efforts to invest in black talent and gender diversity. He indicates that clients are happy to participate in developing staff andThe B-BBEE Codes of Good Practice, according to the DTI, \"are to be applied in \"getting the industry right\".the development, evaluation and monitoring of BEE Charters, initiatives,transactions and other implementation mechanisms. The Codes contain basic \"Agencies themselves can't take the risk alone. On the one hand, marketing isprinciples and essential considerations, and provide guidance in the form of starting to take the BEE conversation seriously; on the other hand, marketersexplanatory material\". The transition period for compliance with new BEE are realising that in order to create genuine diverse work that connects withcodes was extended to April 2015. the consumer, the industry has to be diverse too. The same 'okes' that cracked the work five years ago, aren't going to do it today.\"The emphasis on empowerment this year will be coupled with a tough tradingmarket as only moderate growth is expected in the global and local economy,says Mokgwatsane, a seasoned marketer and agency stalwart who becameCEO of O&M SA in 2011 and who headed up VWV after acquiring a majoritystake in the company; previously having been part of the senior marketingleadership at SAB and VWV.
ADVERTISING TRENDSIntegration African footprintDigital becoming mainstream is a massive point of friction for the entire Mokgwatsane says agencies and brands were looking at a far more integratedindustry, Mokgwatsane also highlights. \"There are ECDs and CCOs who are African footprint, with the international agency groups building stronggoing to be trying to understand what their role is in a modern marketing networks on the continent, and global brands building business capabilityagency. They have to develop themselves, and their studios. across the continent. \"More and more we will be asked to apply our craft across the motherland, Africa.\"\"Linked to that, clients will stop looking for digital solutions from only digitalspecialist agencies. It is about integration - digital has to be part of the agency He also feels that there has been a bit of a lull in South African work beingenvironment. Clients will want to see one unified solution. That is why we celebrated across the world, as it was a few years ago: \"I want us to punchmerged with Gloo - we didn't keep them as a standalone business.\" above our weight again. We used to dominate international awards shows. I want to see our work pushing us forward again.\"Mokgwatsane's biggest game changers for 2014 were the significant digitalagency acquisitions by international agency groups such as VML, WPP and Mokgwatsane believes the context in which we operate is somewhat to blame,Publicis; as well as the \"wake up call\" for the industry on empowerment and with low bandwidth, but that the industry was also overtaken by \"moderntransformation; and the focus on Africa. marketing\".\"The digital acquisitions were significant in the industry this year: the Native \"The digital evolution of our space overtook our own capabilities, we were stillVML deal happened, the WPP-Quirk deal, Publicis Machine, and our trying to crack amazing scripts and campaigns, when the world integrated. Weacquisition of Gloo. The next stage is how those respective businesses behave were caught napping. Now that bandwidth has improved, we have anpost-acquisition. Everyone has made their bets and we need to see how they incentive.\"materialise into businesses. Although locally, only 20% of brand spend is on digital, while globally, that\"We will continue the empowerment and transformation conversation into number is 50%.2015. 2014 was the first time we had Government saying with the SAA tender,for example, that the agencies had to be 50% black-owned. The Empowerment His advice going forward into the new year? \"It is about investment inCharter is going to be put into law and a committee will oversee the becoming agencies of the future. Becoming an employee of the future. Weimplementation. We are more progressive than most - the industry is at an need to be hybrids: we need to invest in digital, training, research, analytics. Asempowerment level of 42% and O&M is sitting at 43% - we have credible black an industry we have forgotten to invest in our people... we need to create aleaders as part of our management teams. Gender transformation is also part diverse pool of digitally sussed talent.\"of that.\" *Abey Mokgwatsane was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz Trends 2015.
ADVERTISING TRENDSThe rise of brand worlds Amstel, KOO, Business Day and MultiChoice DSTV campaigns. By Felix Kessel These are Kessel's top trends for this year: Born a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, where writing was the 1. Brand worlds: 'Consumerland' is about this need for guidance - only way to survive the suburban ennui of his homeworld, Felix everyone out there is trying so desperately for betterment and brands wrote his way into a strange land called advertising. In 2008 he that are going to play in this space need to offer valuable self moved to a different universe co-founding OwenKessel and then improvement to consumers. It plugs back into this trend of brands now merging with international network Leo Burnett. focussing on their own eco-systems, i.e., tech brands like Samsung and (www.owenkessel.com), to tackle the holistic communication needs Nike have a brand world they invite you in to. What is your brand of brands. Contact Felix tel +27 (0)11 705 0200, world? What is your brand eco-system? How can I become more email [email protected] and follow @FelixAK. View profile participatory in your world? There is this chase for improvement.\"\"Clients today are reshaping entirely the agency model.\" 2. Social currency: \"There is a new kind of status in the world. We've always looked at status and as an agency we do some luxury brands.2015 will be a paradigm shift for agencies, says Felix Kessel, CEO of Nowadays status seems to be driven by social media. There is a newOwenKessel Leo Burnett, as the clients of today are entirely reshaping the kind of social currency that has to do with impact: how much impact Iagency model and will change the face of advertising. can create in a social space in a 100-character tweet. People are being chased down for their wit alone. Brands need to understand that more.Kessel says agencies have to partner with clients much more at a fundamental There is no money or fame associated. It is only about 'how muchlevel to gain an understanding of what they need, so that agencies have the disturbance I can cause'. The EFF are pulling exactly the same trick, buttime to do great creative, as everything else speeds up. in parliament. How much disruption and reaction they can cause. Brands are going to have to try understand that space. We have heard\"Everyone needs to be creative, to understand and work across digital. Writers for ages about brands becoming more human... I don't think that isneed to shoot film, and so on. We need to be 'hybrids'. quite true. Brands need to learn to interact better with humans so brands can facilitate the link between people in their own worlds.\"\"That is the final frontier for brands. As they become content, the rules thatgoverned products and services and even brands, before the internet, no 3. Impatient culture: \"One of the online e-commerce sites is claiming tolonger apply. It's a world with new rules. And we're writing them,\" says Kessel. deliver in Cape Town in under three hours. This is the impatient culture: people are tired of waiting for everything. People want speed. TheyOwenKessel aligned with Leo Burnett, a Publicis Worldwide-owned entity, in want results now. The Internet of Things that has connected everythingApril 2014, becoming OwenKessel Leo Burnett in South Africa. OwenKessel results in people being overloaded and they want it to be curated. Theywas launched by Vaughan Owen and Felix Kessel in 2008 with one client, want to be satisfied now. Everything is doubling in speed, in terms ofAmstel. In 2014, they won numerous international and local awards for
ADVERTISING TRENDS our lives and lifestyles. More brands will find ways into consumers' lives and experiment and discard what doesn't work.\" 4. Freeing of information: \"We will start seeing people being a lot more free with their information. We have the right influx of millennials into the market who don't safeguard any of their info. The only way to function in the digital world is to offer up intimate information. People are becoming more and more risk adverse and more aware of the benefits of sharing. They start opening up more. More services will spring up focussed completely on you. Mega brands like supermarkets will do that with personalised retail products. People want to be known and want that personalised customer service.\"*Felix Kessel was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.
ADVERTISING TRENDSShifting the traditional content that appropriately brings their brand message to life. South Africa isagency model far behind the rest of the world in terms of content creation. And with such a great opportunity to create content that is uniquely South African with cultural By Jonathan Deeb nuances and will engage and excite people with its relevance, this is an Jonathan Deeb is executive creative director, FCB, Johannesburg. opportunity that can't be ignored. Follow @JonathanDeeb on Twitter. View profile Q: Your 'game changer' trend in 2014?\"Surround yourself with the best, most talented people.\" A: Brands utilising technology in communication, not for the sake of the tech side of it, but to enhance an emotive experience. BA Billboard Cannes winnerQ: Your most significant industry trends for 2015? was a good example of this. The Print ad for Nivea (Cannes Grand Prix forA: Mobile) - shifts from communication that people connect with, to communication that actually enhances people's lives. We need to see more of • Different models of operation - the scope of offering of the this kind of useful approach happening in communication. \"traditional\" agency seems to be widening and shifting. • Incorporation of production capabilities into agencies. Q: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year? • The ability to be a more robust, nimble operation for our clients. A: Less communication with no idea. Weak production... Advertising pollution • CONTENT, CONTENT, CONTENT - Content killed the commercial. doesn't achieve clients' objectives and isn't welcomed by the consumer... soIncreasingly, we are exposed to the latest trending video to watch. A life hack let's put a stop to it. Then, speed and accessibility of tools to createor an inspirational story/video on Buzzfeed. We find them on all our social communication has allowed for the creation of weak idea-less ads.media platforms and this content has become so much a part of our daily livesthat it is spoken about on radio, TV shows and sometimes even the news. Q: What do you hope to see more of in 2015? A: More appetite for experimentation with the role that communication plays;So, has content killed the commercial? No, I don't believe so... but it does more communication that leads initiatives that positively enhance lives;present a huge opportunity for brands to take advantage of this content. creative agencies taking back some power and producing more content theyEither in terms of creation of their own content or utilising and sponsoring believe in. Q: What advice do you have for your employees/peers for the next year? A: Surround yourself with the best, most talented people and spend time and effort to build close bonds with your clients to forge true partnerships - with aligned objectives, because then you will truly make magic.
ADVERTISING TRENDSQ: What would you like to tell your clients?A: Continue to be more focused on the idea that will solve your businessproblem rather than a pre-determined idea of what that solution looks like/The power of ideas these days is transcending what we associate with thetraditional commercial.
ADVERTISING TRENDSNewsflash: TV will not die 3. Brands will invest big budget By Stu Stobbs Despite the economic climate, some brands will spend more on bigger and Stu Stobbs is executive creative director, 1886. Stobbs started in more lavish productions. When I look around me, I see clients and agencies advertising in the 90s after a failed drag queen career. Worked coughing up more than ever on big productions - be they brand or even above, below and all around the line - but never quite product pieces. Clearly, both feel the investment is justified and the results understood why it was there in the first place. Has won forthcoming. numerous local and international awards including Cannes, Caples and Loeries and has judged extensively, both locally and 4. There will be greater emphasis on results abroad. View profile Today, it's very easy to see when a campaign is working or not, because it is\"Brands will strive to deliver work that shows they care.\" becoming easier and easier to measure performance regardless of the metrics. In 2015, there will be more focus on results and campaign performance, so it1. TV will not die will be important for the client and agency to agree on the relevant metrics from the outset. That may sound rather obvious, but in a sea of metrics, fromEvery year, someone predicts the death of TV ads. They claim the evidence is net sales to Facebook likes or YouTube views, it's important to know just whateverywhere, from rising digital media consumption to the increased popularity will constitute 'success'.of the PVR, to the common (if not absolutely 100% legal) practice ofdownloading movies and series. The only thing is that no one seems to have 5. Brands will grow a consciencetold TV. In fact, I have created more TV ads in 2014 than I have done in the lastfew years combined. TV will continue to march on strongly through 2015. In 2015, brands will strive to deliver work that shows they care about the environment, communities, South Africa and its people, or animals. The cynics2. Digital will not replace TV will claim this is an easy way to buy goodwill (of course that is the aim), but I have witnessed brand custodians putting out these campaigns because theyI have also heard many times that digital content will replace the TV ad. Nah. also want to do some good, and to find more meaning in their jobs. When theBut brands will invest more in content, albeit off the back of TV shoots and big opportunity arises, they grab it with both hands and work beyond the call ofcampaigns. So, TV and content will spur each other on with longer versions or duty to ensure these campaigns succeed.offshoots, or out-takes or behind-the-scenes of the TV ad, running online. Thetwo bounce beautifully off each other and the client and brand get so much In conclusion, like every year before it, 2015 will throw us numerous curveballsmore out of a single production. and land us with loads of hard work. But there'll also be amazing opportunities. We only need to grab them.
ADVERTISING TRENDSGreat talent is a driver overall. Client approach is one of seeking business solutions; they have realised the benefit of investing more in education and training so as to better By Odette van der Haar understand the industry and the business of advertising. We see greater levels of cross-consulting taking place as a means of getting more 'bang for their Odette van der Haar is CEO of the Association for Communication buck', which helps drive a more effective and professional industry. Creative and Advertising (ACA) (www.acasa.co.za), the industry body of the effectiveness requires strategic partnerships between clients and agencies, SA advertising and communications sector. She is also a current and case studies such as the APEX Grand Prix award assists all parties to craft board member of Brand Council of South Africa (BCSA). Odette creative executions rooted within firm economic principles. previously headed up Sentech's Advertising, Events and Sponsorships and worked for SAPO, Siemens, BP, Mutual and Q: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year? Federal. Contact details: tel +27 (0)11 781 2772 | A: The profession has had to remain quite dynamic and inclined to change as email [email protected] | Twitter @odette_roper | View profile technology continuously drives new developments. There needs to be a change in the awarding of business where partnerships and deeper\"Creative effectiveness requires strategic partnerships.\" understanding of client as well as consumer needs and insights prevail. We have to strive to reduce the number of 'nonsensical' pitches and eliminate theQ: Your 'game changer' trend? scourge of clients asking for 'quotes' on a project-by-project basis. As a sector,A: For a number of years, no Grand Prix was awarded at the APEX awards. we hope for less government regulation and greater reliance on self-regulationHowever, that changed at the 2014 gala event when DDB South Africa and through the existing industry structures.their client, FNB, were awarded the coveted prize for their 'FNB Switch'campaign. The radio campaign drove creative innovation within the banking Q: What do you hope to see more of in 2015?sector and, as the year progressed, other creative brand executions on radio A: Great talent is the driver within our industry and we will be doing more todrove not only consumer interest but also creative effectivity from an ROI attract new talent into the profession, encourage talent retention in agenciesperspective for the brand owners. Our industry witnessed Grand Prix awards in as well as continuous training and development of talent going forward.respect of Radio Campaigns later in the year at both Loeries and Cannes,where South African agencies won 21 of the 49 radio campaign awards. Q: What advice do you have for the industry for the next year? A: My advice to agencies is as follows: pay attention to the MAC Charter;Selecting the correct medium in order to avoid waste is key to any campaign respect and adhere to the ASA Code - self-regulation is better thanseeking to provide effective creative results. In the case of the FNB Switch Government regulation or legislation; and invest in talent.campaign, the creative effectiveness was not present simply in its execution,but rather it transcended this to envelop the entire creative process frominitial concept through to strategic, media and budgetary planning.This dovetails into the issue of education and training within the advertisingindustry, which is the key driver of a stronger and more effective industry
ADVERTISING TRENDSCreate work that moves high-frequency content to the fundamentals of more powerful, emotionalpeople work. By Brett Morris \"It is hard to do as we are having to produce it more frequently. What I find Brett Morris is the CEO of FCB South Africa. interesting about that is how everyone will have to change their models. Entire @brettwrote | View profile industries need to shift.\"\"Do something that resonates on an emotional level.\" Linked to that, Morris adds, is insight. Big data. The key for him is what they doThere are shifts in the industry - this is the era of disposable content and a with it, as he believes the insights to be gained from all the data beingdemand for high-value content - the challenge is to still create the emotional collected is still being treated quite robotically, rather than with intuition.work that moves people, says Brett Morris, CEO of FCB South Africa. \"Clients are not embracing insight as they should - it is one thing having accessMorris says that while everyone is predicting the big trends for 2015, it is to the data, but they need very smart people to marry the world of numbersimportant not to forget the fundamentals of what great work is made of. and creativity. It will be interesting to see how big data impacts on our livesMorris took over the reins of FCB South Africa a year ago after serving as and who will crack the puzzle and make it come alive in an intuitive way. I'mexecutive creative director. very interested in how that plays out from a brand point of view.\"\"As an agency, as much as we are exploring a lot of new marketing theory, we Storytellingare also going back to our roots of what we do and a lot of it is emotionalwork. According to the Gunn report, emotional work is 11 times more The 2014 game changer for him was without a doubt the trend towardseffective than rational work. Emotional work moves people. storytelling, Morris recounts.\"We are in the era of disposable content. The trend is towards the need for \"There is a new marketing theory emerging: people making informed andmore content, high frequency, high-value content, particularly in the digital intuitive decisions. We are going back to the fundamentals of storytelling,space, but what I'm interested in is the challenge of marrying the world of including more emotion. There was a study done by McDonald's in the US, in which they measured their award-winning campaign work with their stuff that didn't win awards. They found that the award-winning creative work was 40% more effective in impacting on sales than their other work. \"That is great for me - seeing creativity, emotional work, storytelling - those kinds of fundamentals for great work, becoming a part of the conversation. Brands are taking the initiative with their agency partners and pushing that
ADVERTISING TRENDSagenda because they can see the results. Cannes is always a good acid test andthat was certainly on everybody's radar. It is part of the global conversation.\"What he would like to see more of in 2015 is a conversation around value,rather than remuneration.\"Agencies are under pressure and I'd love us to be judged on the value we add,rather than commoditised. It is a difficult one to leave behind, we are in atough economic period and I think it will get worse before it gets better.\"Morris would also love to see digital content truly come of age in South Africaand take its place in the engaging content space. \"Do something thatresonates on an emotional level.\"*Brett Morris was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.
ADVERTISING TRENDSA purpose-filled future Q: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year? A: Meetings. They are the number one destroyer of ideas and are mostly By Pepe Marais frequented by naysayers who add nothing. Meetings in their current form are holding our world back from moving forward. Look at Parliament. It's a prime Pepe Marais is chief creative officer and senior partner, Joe Public example of a very long meeting with no galvanising outcome. If a meeting is Group, ranked as the largest independent and fastest growing South not in place to find constructive solutions, then it will fast become the most African advertising group, including a brand design agency (Shift Joe destructive forum within a corporate structure. Public), a business activation agency (Ignite Joe Public) and a PR agency (Engage Joe Public) in Johannesburg, as well as offices in Q: What do you hope to see more of in 2015? Namibia (Cornerstone Joe Public) and Amsterdam (Joe Public Take- A: More creation. After all, it is what we are paid to do. Within an economic Away). @pepemarais | View profile climate drenched in fear, where the growth rate of our country has halved in the last quarter, and where fat cats are renovating their homes at the expense\"People are attracted to brands that display a deeper sense of purpose.\" of the masses, there can be only one rudder to weather the storm: Creativity.The more the world feels devoid of meaning, the more people are attracted to Q: What advice do you have for your employees/peers for the next year?brands that display a deeper sense of purpose. A: Find greater meaning to your life. Yes, this may sound a bit deep, but it's when you dig deep that you grow as a human being. Search within andQ: My 'game changer' trend in 2014? uncover who you really are. Remove the mask, the brave face, the smile youA: My 'game-changer' trend for 2014 is very far from being a trend, but it sure show the world, the \"I'm fine\" when you know you are not.as hell is a game-changer. There have been rumours of it in talks at Cannessince 2012. The ongoing recession simultaneously seems to be opening the Be brave. Be brutally honest. Because honesty is the only path to greatness.minds of business leaders and marketers to this new idea. Yet, it remains And hey, it's when you dig deep that you are more likely to strike gold.something people just talk about, as they are not clear on exactly what itmeans. I am talking about the concept called Purpose. Q: What would you like to tell your clients? A: Start trusting your instinct. Trust your gut. Stop operating from your headIt is becoming clear as we catapult into the future that something larger is at and follow your heart. Yes, it may be easy to say, because it is not my money.play. And the more the world feels devoid of meaning, the more people are But your business is our business and your growth is ours. It's as a creativeattracted to brands that display a deeper sense of purpose. One business that business person that I have learned that the power of the heart is much, muchgets this is Unilever. This can be seen in the way they are starting to market more likely to add bottom-line value than that of the head.across their brands. It is my personal intention to take this concept forwardinto the business world over the coming year, because it's only through Remember, at the end of the day, after the countless meetings, the endlessleading by purpose that your brand can add real value to your customer's life. discussions, the briefs, the re-briefs and the research, the consumer only gets to see our ads. And if an ad doesn't emotionally connect with them, or move
ADVERTISING TRENDSthem towards your brand, then the entire preceding process was an absolutewaste of time. Steve Jobs once said, \"People don't know what they want untilyou show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research.\" It's hardlysurprising that Apple is the most valuable brand in the world today. It's time toread things not yet on the page. Let's become the Apple of our consumers'eyes in 2015.
ADVERTISING TRENDSA new breed of advertising The economy is under severe pressure, there are few job opportunities... but this is an industry that employs fewer, but better people.creative needed What are employers looking for? Graduates with a sound knowledge and skills By Dr Ludi Koekemoer foundation, passion, that drive to make a difference, hard working, dedicated young talent that will be an asset to the employer. And new technology Dr Ludi Koekemoer is CEO of AAA School of Advertising and a (digital) skills. seasoned academic and consultant in advertising, marketing and brand management. He is also a visiting professor of advertising at the University of North Carolina and California State University, USA, and professor of marketing at UJ and the University of Pretoria. He has authored six textbooks and co-authored another 10. View profile\"Many moons ago, advertising was fun.\"A look into the future demands a look into the past. Many moons agoadvertising was fun, agencies provided serious strategic input and mediaplanning, they received 16.5% commission, made money and were respectedfor their knowledge, creative skills and traditional media expertise.Today, ad agencies no longer provide media plans, they've lost their edge onstrategic input, they have lots of pressure to be more effective and to providemeasurable results and they have largely been reduced to suppliers ofcreativity. There's huge pressure on the bottom line and they have to deal withnew technology in a media fragmented world.They face more demanding clients with a new breed of consumers, lowerbudgets for classical media advertising and a changing legal and self-regulationscene. Just think of the possible impact on clients and ad agencies with a banon alcohol advertising and foodstuffs...
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AFRICA TRENDSTREND: Land of opportunity including the development of mid-tier cities; develop locally relevant, quality products for local markets based on an understanding of the preferences of\"With over one billion consumers - a number growing faster than that of any their African customers in the various regions; and hit the right price point - re-other continent - Africa boasts a wealth of potential.\" engineering products to ensure they provide the African consumer withAfrica has unique stories to tell, its own problems, it needs its own solutions. affordable products.Brands need to understand this and collaborate to create homegrown brandsin partnership with the African consumer to harness the opportunity These are the key curated African consumer and industry trends:presented by the fastest growing middle class in the world and the continentwith the youngest population. 1. Growth potential: With over one billion consumers - a numberSince 2000, the middle classes of Africa's 11 largest economies have grown growing faster than that of any other continent - Africa boasts a wealthfrom 4.6 million households to 15 million today (Standard Bank, August 2014). of potential. The young and quickly growing population, paired with aAfrica's consumer-facing industries are expected to grow by $400bn by 2020, rising gross domestic product (GDP) that has grown faster than the restrepresenting the continent's largest business opportunity, as the much of the world every year since 2001, make Africa a vital market brimmingreferenced McKinsey Africa 'Rise of the African Consumer' research study with opportunity. Traditionally viewed as an impoverished continentrevealed in 2012. with little discretionary spending, Africa's middle class is growing at an astounding rate and the GDP per capita (PPP) has grown 26% in the pastImage via 123RF 10 years. With its steadily rising incomes, Africa offers vast potential and rewarding growth opportunities. (Nielsen, June 2014)McKinsey urged companies to: focus where it matters in urban centres, 2. The rise of the African consumer: Africa's consumer-facing industriesAFRICA TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS are expected to grow by more than $400bn by 2020. That would account for more than half the total revenue increase that all businesses are expected to generate by the end of the present decade. The world has caught onto the potential of this burgeoning consumer market. Africans are more optimistic, connected, discerning and brand conscious. (McKinsey, FCB, Jan 2015) 3. Digital usage is growing fast: In a 2012 study, 50% of Africans said they had accessed the internet in the past four weeks; a percentage on par with rural China and Brazil. This number is likely to have increased to well over 60% now. (FCB, Jan 2015) 4. Buying power: On average, half of all household spending in Sub-
AFRICA TRENDS Sahara Africa goes to consumer packaged goods. (Nielsen, Feb 2014) assets and true goodwill. It's no longer sitting in the cost column,\" Naidoo says. 5. Homegrown solutions: A Nielsen analysis found that products It is not enough to \"tweak\" international campaigns and product launches for developed or tailored specifically for Africa's consumers achieve a the African consumer. Marketers looking to learn about Africa need to engage success rate of 40%, well above the standard 10%. (Nielsen, Feb 2014) at source, 'listen' to the \"sound\" of Africa, a continent entrenched in oral storytelling, movement and vocal expression, advises Sampa Diseko, strategy 6. Made in Africa: African consumers want tangible, visible and director, Y&R SA Advertising. wearable manifestations of cultural heritage embedded in African brands to celebrate their cultural heritage and favour products 'Made in For Henk Swanepoel, CEO, MeMe Mobile, mobile will become the leading Africa'. (Trendwatching.com, Dec 2014) mass media channel in Africa as the continent moves to full adoption of mobile marketing. 7. Price point: Quality and brand matter to the African consumer but they must be delivered at the right price point. Price and promotion \"More people across Africa have access to a cellphone network (93%) than sensitivity are high given lower income levels. Private consumption in they do to electricity (64%), piped water (59%), or a police station (38%). Africa is higher than in India or Russia. (FCB, Jan 2015) Africa's gross domestic product will grow by 50% to US$3.7tn over the next five years as the continent's rapidly expanding middle class helps drive faster 8. Optimism: Africans are exceptionally optimistic about their economic rates of urbanisation and increased consumer demand for goods and services. future; 84% say they will be better off in two years. (Source: FCB, Jan It is also predicted that the expansion of Africa's economy will see mobile 2015) subscription penetration grow from its current 72% to 97% by 2017, as the continent adds 334 million new smartphone subscribers over the next three 9. Purpose-led brands: Brands need to ensure they also benefit the years. society they are selling to, to earn the trust and gratitude of the next generation of middle class consumers. (Trendwatching.com, Dec 2014) \"The scope of a mobile media and marketing channel will offer enormous benefits, opportunities and value to African consumers. For some, theseWayne Naidoo, founder and managing director of agency, Duke, predicts benefits are not available in any other way - or are certainly not as accessible,unique Africa solutions born of new African networks: \"Original, potent African present and inexpensive. 2015 will be the year full advantage is taken of thesolutions to African problems. Already we are doing things with mobile that mobile opportunity,\" says Swanepoel.are precipitating tectonic change. Much more will follow. Africa is rising. FCB's strategy team has this advice for brands in 2015 expanding into Africa on\"Hot new thinking is delivering hard business results. We now have the chance the strategies that need to be considered:to combine inventiveness and understanding with technology andmeasurement. We can learn what works, what's useful. We can innovate upon • Focus where it matters: 53 Countries, 2000 dialects and over a billionit. For the first time, engagement with the market will yield platforms and people... Brands that view the continent as a single market areAFRICA TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
AFRICA TRENDS exceptionally foolish. Most marketers focus their efforts in the megacities of Johannesburg, Cairo and Lagos, but the \"middleweight\" cities of Abidjan, Khartoum and Rabat allow for faster growth with less competition. • Get the timing right: Brands should focus on \"hot zones\" where disposable income is on the rise and demand accelerates between three to five times. Avoid the \"chill zones\" where incomes have peaked and market saturation has occurred. • Build locally relevant, quality products: This does not imply launching entirely new brands but rather understanding local nuances. For example, LG removed the \"frost free\" functioning from its refrigerators in Nigeria as frosting is seen as an indication of proper functioning. • Create strong value propositions at the right price points: Affordability remains critical. Brands should strive to reach optimal price points within their respective categories through a combination of price engineering, smaller pack sizes and lower cost operating models.*Trends curated by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz Trends 2015.Sources:'The Road Ahead - Macro Trends Shaping 2015 & Beyond' (FCB, Jan 2015)'10 African Consumer Trends' (Trendwatching.com, Dec 2014)'The diverse people of Africa' (Nielsen, June 2014)'Why marketing to consumers, not the masses, is the key to brand success inAfrica', Nielsen, Feb 2014.AFRICA TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
AFRICA TRENDSThe 'sound' of Africa with the source of sound, because we are entrenched in oral storytelling, movement and vocal expression. This avenue is increasing, with more cultural By Sampa Diseko groups having the option to engage in this art form as a respectful avenue to Sampa Diseko is strategy director, Y&R SA Advertising. build one's future. View profile 2. The future of nostalgiaAfrica is entrenched in oral storytelling, movement and vocal expression.Marketers need to engage with the source of that sound. The current speed and integration of technology is reshaping what we knowSome 'different' thoughts on Africa: about nostalgia and the degree of influence nostalgia has in relationships it forms with consumers. The current youth between the ages of 10 - 24 years1. Reclaim the funk old account for 1.8 billion of people in the world, and they are growing up in the age of instant communication and engagement. Nostalgia is generallyThe South African electronic music culture is extremely powerful, influential framed and explained under a duration of time where a brand and consumerand loved not only in Africa, but throughout Europe. An industry that often builds and establishes deeper connections. These relationships often havepumps some of the hippest, hottest and coolest beats is going un-credited. deeper meaning, not only because of the product, but the context of'Gcom,' the KZN flavour with a heavier base has broken through the speakers engagement.and is truly representing a different flair, and this is only one of many. So oftenare these electronic and music trends layered with local vocals and Yet, with the speed of instant communication, nostalgic relationship building isappreciated by the crowds of 'cool' and those up-and-coming. The song is then becoming difficult. Brands that have been able to hone and create productsripped and repeated globally, but the vocals are stripped and removed. that have been entrenched before this immense technological injection andUnnoticed and unaccredited. necessity for instant gratification will be the brands that truly have an additional point to leverage off of, as a value-added point of difference. WeThe culture interest amongst Africans from different demographic believe we will be moving towards authentic nostalgia. Marketers must not getbackgrounds is strengthening and so is the integration between art forms, confused between heritage and old, neither should there be confusionwhich will feed the 'African trademark of sound' so as to ensure to be between point of emotional relevance and repetitive consumption.recognised globally. Marketers looking to learn about Africa need to engage 3. The gap between educating and communicatingAFRICA TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS Southern Africa and Africa is on the 'list' for multinationals' expansion plans. In an economically lean market, supply, production and ease of operation is also lean. In the time of tighter marketing budgets, we see that global campaigns are tweaked ever so slightly so as to slip into the African market. It saves time,
AFRICA TRENDSsaves money and sure, it may make overall business sense, but it doesn'talways make brand sense. Things cost more and the point of differentiation inFMCG is becoming increasingly tougher.The next two years is in no way going to be financially easier, as we areexpecting financial constraints. The constant strengthening of the middle-income bracket is growing rapidly and their behaviour and product purchasecycles are changing, but the degree of understanding and rationale on how toconsume or use the product is lagging. There is still a big gap behind productknowledge amongst consumers, and running an advert that is merely based ona global campaign driving the 'feeling' of the brand, will do very little to shiftand change usage patterns.The magic will be between the traditional production function messaging andthe brand-driven essence. Soft points of communication will assist in recallingthe brand, and product knowledge will assist in driving conviction when theconsumer is at shelf.AFRICA TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
AFRICA TRENDSPower to the have-nots ideas. The hegemony of big brands using big media will fall away and their constituencies will begin to massively fragment. By Wayne Naidoo Wayne Naidoo is the founder and managing director of South Groups will form, break apart and reform. It's digital Darwinism. The digital Africa's newest agency, Duke. He previously served as chief divide is already a generational one. More people will be creating their own marketing officer at AFB and prior to that was CEO at Lowe & habitats, fed by news that interests them, people they like or admire, Partners SA. He served as chairman at the Association for entertainment and information, which align with their own beliefs. Such Communication and Advertising (ACA) and was also a board director personalised news may indeed constrict people's understanding of the world, for the AAA School of Advertising. Follow @WNaidoo on Twitter. rather than expand it. With so much selective information on hand, we'll View profile choose and need to know less.\"Original, potent African solutions to African problems.\" Recent clashes between the US police and the public suggest big powerful movements can swell into existence overnight. Issues, beliefs and valueAs conventional models of reaching consumers become radically undermined, systems will be in contest, not just brands and corporations. Celebrity will beinitially by mobile, the very notion of what a consumer is will change. Before, more potent than patriotism. The world will try to close down radical Islam'swe believed this was 'of products and services', now it is of new networks, digital excesses.ideas and alliances. Of course this has been fully anticipated, though the outcomes are uncertain.I've spent the last two years working across several African countries. Whatbegan as a simple money-transfer solution between individuals has now Reputation mattersbecome a socio-economic revolution. Money can be lent to the previouslyunbanked, almost anywhere, in seconds. All cashless. All via mobile money. What is certain is the threat to that most valuable asset: reputation.Millions upon millions of Africans can be uplifted, small businesses created,people employed. Almost nothing has been spent on advertising or media. No longer concealed by the one-way-mirror of structured media, brands, businesses and the people which lead them will, for the first time, be subjectThe meek are inheriting the earth. to scrutiny and exposure. Whether Kim Jong-un ordered it, or it was the action of righteous, wounded patriots, or simply mischievous employees, a countryThe vocal audience with allegedly less than 2000 official URLs*, humiliated Sony and had the world's most powerful man spluttering.Once mute audiences are transforming into cutting-edge digital experts, co-authoring and fearlessly vocal. The world is their mall. They're also buying Bigger than films, bigger than music, gaming's X-box and PlayStation were hacked and taken down. Sommer mos.AFRICA TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
AFRICA TRENDSAgainst such arsenals, how well defended are brands neatly placed on their Hot new thinking delivering hard business results. We now have the chance toshop shelves, in their showrooms and banking halls? Change will occur combine inventiveness and understanding with technology and measurement.instantly, news cycles will shrink to seconds, there will be no time for a We can learn what works, what's useful. We can innovate upon it. For the firstmanagement committee to assemble and deliberate. Something stronger, less time, engagement with the market will yield platforms and assets and truetransient, will need to offset this. goodwill. It's no longer sitting in the cost column.The role, reputation and actions of the CEO become increasingly critical. He Top 2015 trendsand she is now vulnerable and accountable for every promise made by thebusiness, every interface with once-loyal consumers. They need to get down 'n • More oracles, more sound bites, fewer truths.dirty. They may need to 'fess up. They'll need a bank of good deeds and good • More mergers and acquisitions, particularly in digital.ideas from which to make withdrawals and new investments. • Decoupling of long-term client-agency relationships. • Agencies will seek to un-encumber themselves of staff and overheads.What they once sold they will now have to consider giving away. Packaging will • Greater ROI demanded by clients.not be the box in which the product comes in, but the total experience around • The five-second ad.it, the stories, the engagements, the rewards, and the values which inform • The victory of the 'vloggers'.them; what needs they actually feed. • Fewer and fewer will make more and more money. • The foundation of low-cost supermarkets.Inactive corporate visions, generic mission statements will collapse under • Outsourcing of unique skills.pressure. Who you are, what you stand for, your reason for being, will be the • Emergence of the effective, proactive, agile, accountable in-housereal test of your survival and success. 'Content' is not a strategy or an idea; it's agency, seamlessly knitted into the business.not a substitute for relevance. It still needs to compel and engage. The ability • Unique Africa solutions born of new African networks.to persuade remains paramount. The primacy of brands within these formats • Platforms replacing media strategy as key means of delivery.is, however, less certain. • Engagement, participation, customerisation, metrics and learning replacing advertising and promotionAfrican solutions • The super-premium for BEE talent. • Powerfully re-engineered corporate PR capability.Original, potent African solutions to African problems. Already we are doing • New administrations in South Africa, Africa, the US, the UK, will bethings with mobile that are precipitating tectonic change. Much more will accompanied by a new electorate, few of which will ever visit the ballotfollow. Africa is rising. box.AFRICA TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
BRANDING TRENDS SPONSORED BY
BRANDING TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
BRANDING TRENDSTREND: Brand personalisation Pavel Losevsky via 123RFCreativeBloq.com calls it 'human era' branding, this time when the focus is all The reason consumers are seeking out purpose-filled brands - that stand foron the individual and their patterns and brands discover their 'human' side out something - is because they have the power to choose what to use andof need. Brand personalisation, brand storytelling and purpose-fuelled consume and the social conscience and social platforms to make theirbranding all feed into this mega-trend for 2015. influence count.\"We've seen a fundamental shift from 'institutional era' to 'human era' brands. \"Consumers have developed a buying conscience and seek brands thatToday's admired brands are flatter and less centralised than those before vindicate their purchasing decision. Everyone is looking for more fulfilmentthem. They listen to the world around them and are open to their customers' and ways to improve their lives. This also applies to their choice of brands,\"input. Their delivery is more intimate and personalised, and also more says Ann Nurock, a former CEO of Grey South Africa and Grey Canada, andinclusive. They realise that customers seek not just to buy something, but to now South African partner in Relationship Audits and Management, which aidsbuy into something,\" reports Creativebloq.com in '5 big branding trends for agencies and corporate brands on increasing the value, trust and thought2015'. leadership of their business relationships.Gaby de Abreu, creative director, Switch Brand Communication, calls it Higher brand purpose is a brand promise that truly improves the lives of the\"mindboggling\". \"In brand communication, 'knowing your target market' will consumers it aims to reach, says Nurock. This also feeds into the currentcease to be about drawing an average everyman in outline, but will rather be storytelling trend, as \"how a brand conveys the narrative matters. Its success isabout speaking to every individual customer who comes into contact with your dependent on its authenticity and relevance to the consumers\".products. It's mindboggling. For Giles Shepherd, chief executive, Brand Alive Group, understanding the\"We have to tailor mass production to the individual. We can't just understandour target audience, broadly speaking, but have to try to find ways of speakingdirectly to every individual that makes up that audience. It's a daunting task,and one that requires us to be experts not only in branding, design andcopywriting, but also in the media, social sciences and psychology, to solveproblems in a global market of products and ideas,\" explains De Abreu.BRANDING TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
BRANDING TRENDSpower of the individual was a game changer in 2014 for both external andinternal brand communications. \"What's new is the realisation that the bestform of promotion of the business is getting customers to passionatelyadvocate the brand, due to the positive experiences they are having.\"Shepherd's advice to brands is that they keep their brand promises:\"Remember that brands are conversations, and those conversations areinstant and global. Things won't always go well, but if you manage theconversation with integrity, even a bad situation can work in your favour.\"George Golding, CEO, Euphoria Telecom, adds that brand power will continueto shift from the corporation into the customer's hands. \"Your brand is nolonger what you say it is. Your brand is what your customers tell each other itis. Ethical, transparent brands have begun to gain favour with consumers andthis trend will continue to gain traction and momentum. The greatest brandsof the future will be the ethical brands that deliver on what they promise.\"Golding wants to see more South African brands standing by their brandpromise in 2015, instead of just advertising it. \"Brands need to start doingwhat they say, removing complexities and simplifying our daily lives. If yourproduct has value, customers do not need to be tricked into buying it.\"*Trends curated by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz Trends 2015.BRANDING TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
BRANDING TRENDSTrends with tension Image via 123RFEvery year, the planners at Y&R share insights about how the world around us 2. Genderis changing. But the reality is that it's never black and white. At a macro level,every behaviour, observation and perspective has an inherent tension. Every THE NEUTRALISATION OF GENDER - gender will soon become a defunct term:trend has a countertrend. We're eschewing the typical 'male' and 'female' categories for a gender- agnostic approach that allows for self-expression outside of traditional lines.1. Brands There's no doubt that men's and women's roles have become less strictly defined; many families have made the male and female roles more egalitarianBRANDS WILL SERVE US - we will become one with technology: The era of when it comes to jobs, housework and childcare. From unisex baby names andseparate devices is over, as technology is embedded in everything we wear - toys to fragrance and clothing, we're clearly moving toward a world whereand potentially even ourselves - technological and human intelligence will gender will be an archaic distinction.become indistinguishable. Mainstream adoption of wearables is merely thebeginning of a sweeping transition to technology that is no longer distractingly THE RETURN OF GENDER - the days of gender neutrality are over: In a worldvisible, but seamlessly invisible. where men and women can be whomever and whatever they want, we see a future where each gender returns to the security and predictability ofBRANDS WILL CONTROL US - brands will become the next generation of traditional norms - purely because they can. Whether it's men proving theirlobbyists: As public trust in government hits new lows, brands are encroaching manliness through Tough Mudder, or women electing to return to the days ofon the roles and responsibilities of our governments. But instead of advocating bodice-slimming corsets, the future of gender lies in the past.on behalf of the consumer constituency, brands will become synonymous withthe interests of corporations and shareholders. 3. TechnologyBRANDING TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
BRANDING TRENDSTECH WILL ENABLE CONNECTIONS - technology creates and deepensmeaningful connections that would otherwise be impossible: Grandma can bepresent at your Thanksgiving table, even when she's three thousand milesaway. From shirts that help convey our emotions to operating systems thatadvise on relationships, technology continues to evolve in ways that fuelhuman relationships.TECH WILL DISCONNECT US - in a hyper-connected world, we will becomeincreasingly disconnected: As our virtual networks explode, our comfort withinterpersonal intimacy plummets. Spontaneity and vulnerability are replacedby premeditated responses and painstakingly curated public personae. Astechnology becomes increasingly sophisticated, we will only become more andmore isolated - leading to the demise of empathy and collective society.Credit: The Y&R team who contributed to this article are: Mary Anthony;Vanessa Cameron; Juliette Cilia; Jeremy Daly; Tara Fray; Mary Mazza; RebeccaMenges; Susanne Raymond; John Swan.BRANDING TRENDS SPONSORED BY INTERBRAND SAMPSON DEVILLIERS
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