BizTrends2015

MARKETING TRENDSPR's conversion rate we have already seen how social media and digital media (Facebook, Twitter, Mxit as well as bloggers), have changed the face of PR campaigns in 2014. By Bridget von Holdt Bridget von Holdt is managing director of Glasshouse Visual content no longer a nice to have Communication Management and a stalwart of the PR Industry in South Africa. View profile Visual content has become an imperative. Consumption of video across the incredible array of available mobile devices and social media platforms keeps\"PR can be more effective than branded content.\" on growing and mobile devices will also continue to transform the newsPR is evolving at a rapid rate: these days, 'public relations' encompasses environment. The rise of the so-called second screen phenomenon, in whicheverything from social media to content marketing. According to users log onto the internet on their tablet or smartphone while watching TV, isFastcompany.com, \"PR's data shows that PR generates conversion rates 10 to creating a new mind-set where consumers and business will grow more willing50 times that of advertising conversions\". to interact with brands through social channels in the coming year.PR can be more effective than branded content. This is the case in the US and Social media grows upthe UK, and South Africa isn't that far behind: The disciplines of public relations and social media will be housed under oneWritten content is the way to go functional silo. PR professionals will use a mix of traditional, digital and social media, blended together and tailor-made for companies to reach their targetLike the rest of the world, the media landscape is shrinking in South Africa, audiences. PR professionals will be able to make deeper connections and towith newspapers and magazines struggling to meet advertising targets and build relationships, loyalty and advocacy through any number of channels -restructuring at every turn. Journalists too, are changing from being reporters this side of digital is growing up quickly.to becoming content generators, and in turn many are attracted to contentwriting and looking at PR as a new career choice. 'Media' is all media, including print, radio, TV, digital platforms, journalists, bloggers, radio, TV as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp,Creating compelling content that is informative, yet pleasantly consumable WeChat, YouTube and more. These media are all doing well and growing at aand user friendly, is what PR agencies should be focusing on for 2015. After all, rapid rate in South Africa, but there are new innovations that will pop up sooner than you expect that will be used to deliver valuable content toMARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE audiences. Upskill in digital media South African public relations practitioners are under-utilising digital media

MARKETING TRENDSand the industry needs to catch up fast. Social media is now fully integratedinto most businesses at some level.Businesses have long realised they need social media representation becausemore and more consumers are searching for them on Facebook, sendingtweets, posting pictures on Instagram as opposed to interacting with theirwebsites. PR needs an aggressive push for better use of digital media which isa powerful and effective tool. The industry will grasp the effectiveness of thistool and upskill their employees in 2015.Talent pool becomes specialisedCreative and analytics skills will be in greater demand than ever before. The PRtalent pool will become more specialised simply because of new developmentsin monitoring and measurement. PR will be able to gather and analyse dataeffectively and accurately to assist innovative communication, relationshipbuilding, reputation management and crisis management.PR agencies will employ younger thinking specialists who have anunderstanding of the effective use of the many digital platforms available tothem. Another specialist will also emerge - one who understands strategy -and these specialists will lend their skills to monitoring client needs, unraveldata measurement and provide innovative factual data to hone in on the righttarget media to promote the message to the right audience to fuel the client'scampaign.MARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MARKETING TRENDSMega-trend: Overt customer producing interesting, useful and entertaining stories and campaigns thatobsession consumers want to engage with and share. By David Blyth But we are approaching the point of sensory overload. Most of us are drowning in emails, we get irritable when things are too long to read or David Blyth is CEO at Yellowwood. His focus at Yellowwood to date review. We are looking for quick answers, insights and entertainment - not has been on building thought leadership and a pan-African client more demands on our time. footprint. David is a prior chairman of 'think' (South African Communication Design Council), the Digital Interactive Media In 2015 we will continue to witness the rise of curated content and Association and is a current director of the Brand Council of South infographics, but good curation is still a rare skill and even infographics are Africa (BCSA). Follow @dvblyth on Twitter. View profile becoming pervasive and invasive. We will see the increasing use of video. We will also see more people unsubscribing from everything they don't find\"Content marketing is the industry's hottest topic.\" valuable.The fundamentals of marketing excellence will never change. Just like theshopkeepers who earned their customers' trust before the age of branding, What it means for marketerspowerful brands are those that understand and relate to people, listen and • Create better, more punchy content - it's not just about 'more', butrespond with high emotional intelligence and generally make the customer about more relevance.feel good about him or herself. • Serialise your content - smaller, more regular doses. • Be smart and offer solutions to problems.However, the ways in which marketers can do this are changing fast. Here areour top four predictions for marketing in 2015 and beyond - and they're all 2. Overt obsessionagreeably alliterative... You can't create great content without understanding your audience's1. Content contradiction interests, passions and problems. The second mega-trend of 2015 will be overt customer obsession. Marketers will need to invest in truly understanding moreContent marketing is the industry's hottest topic these days. Consumer- about their customers and potential customers - through traditional research,generated content is everywhere and, as Eric Schmidt pointed out, humanity but increasingly also through ethnographic research and real-time data fromnow produces more information every two days than we did from the dawn of transactions, movements and conversations.history until 2003. Marketers are getting serious about this content tsunami - What it means for marketersMARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE • There is a fine line between observation and stalking - respect privacy while hunting for insight.

MARKETING TRENDS • Consider forums and panels that reward customers by showing them provide value for money. We will see a return to functional proof points that how their feedback makes tangible changes to products and campaigns help customers navigate and close the value equation loop. Brands in the food - it's not just about financial incentives. and beverages categories will be first to make the switch, and other categories • Customer collaboration can provide great insight that does not feel will follow. intrusive. What it means for marketers3. Economical experience • Build resilience into your brands by highlighting your functional proof points.Brand experience is the next wave of change in marketing. What started with • Think about how quality intrinsics, such as taste or durability, can beglobal retailers and carefully crafted immersive experiences (think iStore or the linked to factual information like provenance, chain of custody andmodels at Abercrombie & Fitch) have now crossed into product and service awards for quality.brands and multimedia experiences. The shift has been stunted by the difficult • Be wary of positioning yourself on heart alone.economic times, but smart marketers are using participation to creatememorable and unique experiences. The Magnum pop-up store in 2015 will remain a tough year for marketers focused on domestic markets, andJohannesburg, for example, lets customers create their own perfect Magnum - attention will continue to shift towards regional economic growth in the restand these kinds of participatory experiences also provide ideas for new of Africa.product development. Staying focused on customer needs, ensuring there are strong functionalWhat it means for marketers benefits to your products and creating content and experiences that are • Find efficient ways to create memorable experiences - it doesn't need relevant, simple and attitudinally engaging, will allow marketers to build to cost a fortune to strike a chord with customers. resilient and powerful brands that weather economic storms and position • Don't redesign the entire customer journey - focus on the right them for growth on the continent. moments for maximum impact. • Wearable tech is worth watching, but for now, human experiences beat tech in Africa.4. Functional fortressBrand purpose and positioning are hugely important, but many brands havetipped too far into the emotional and esoteric space without any connection toreality. In our difficult economic climate, marketers need to ensure that theirbrands connect emotionally but that they also make rational sense; that theyMARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MARKETING TRENDSIt's not all about the money online before you even get in the car. Shopping centres have a great opportunity to play a leading role here, unlock several revenue streams and By Doug Mayne embrace online/omni-channel to stay relevant for the modern shopper. Doug Mayne, MD of Primedia Lifestyle, founded his marketing and Trend 2: The customer experience advertising career at Ogilvy Durban, where his leadership qualities ensured his progression from account executive to group account I know we've heard this before, but brands and retailers that focus on taking director. Joining Primedia Lifestyle in 2007 as KZN regional the shopping experience to another level will win. As human beings, it is our marketing manager, Doug was appointed MD in July 2011. His nature to want to touch, taste, feel and interact. It makes sense then that no particular area of interest is the digital and CRM space within retail, matter how amazing an online experience is, we will still want to engage with and the use of mobile, social and loyalty tools to drive customer people, and retailers should leverage that. engagement and personalised retail experiences.Website www.primedialifestyle.co.za. @Darkwing555 | View profile An example of really focussing on customer needs and great customer experience that I've noted in the banking world is FNB, because of several\"Consumers expect marketing solutions to be tailor-made for them.\" reasons. They deliver their banking cards free of charge to customers who'd rather not stand in an actual banking queue at lunchtime. They also offer theMalls are crazy places where anything can happen. Most importantly, the bulk consumer a host of other benefits including being able to switch your accountof this country's retail spending takes place in this environment. Here are online in 'under 10 minutes'. It's clear that this is a key focus area for the bank,some of my key trends for 2015: and this, along with aggressive marketing, is definitely improving market share and customer acquisition numbers.Trend 1: Omni-channel in malls Trend 3: Mobile retail marketingI believe that the malls that are more forward-thinking and innovative see theopportunity in this space and will benefit financially. The more astute mall Mobile and phones ruling our lives will be in every trend spotter's report. Theowners will be able to encourage online retailers to rent physical space in their major opportunity for landlords is to capitalise on this by embracing themalls. Alternatively, malls should work with them to increase their offerings, mobile revolution, especially with regard to mobile payments. This wouldlike offering a 'click and collect' service, for example. include a move from physical loyalty cards to a mobile application. The advantages of doing this are numerous: the card can't be left behind at homeOther opportunities for malls include integrating their current offerings into and malls can make e-vouchers available for shoppers.omni-channel platforms. For example, allowing consumers to manage certainservices online before they even enter the mall. Good examples include being As mentioned previously, parking spots, movies, dining options, etc. could beable to book your parking spot, buy a gift card or book a dinner reservation, all booked ahead of arrival. That's not to mention all the analytics that come withMARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MARKETING TRENDSthe reporting, which will make a world of difference in showing shopping Trend 5: It's all about me!centres who is spending what, where and how often. We are no longer dealing in a world of USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) butMobile payment options such as FlickPay and SnapScan are also becoming in a world of MSPs (My Selling Proposition). Consumers expect marketingincreasingly popular. These allow shoppers to scan their credit cards onto their solutions to be tailor made for them and retailers and landlords should bephones through an app and use QR codes to make payments at participating taking note.merchants. Apple Pay is another option recently launched. It's no longer just what we as marketers or landlords think, it's about what theTrend 4: Social media shopper wants and thinks. The recent Coca-Cola name campaign was a resounding success because the brand made it all about the consumer,Reuters reveals some interesting upcoming trends for social media. These personalising each product with a different name. The Nike website is anotherinclude that people may be able to send money to each other from Facebook's brand that has achieved 'me marketing'. The website allows consumers toMessenger; the birth of (potential) new social networks including Ello and Nik personalise their shoes. Superga recently ran a campaign at The Zone thatYak; wearables and household devices sharing notifications to Facebook and allowed shoppers to purchase a pair of shoes and give them to an artist toshopping finally coming to social media. customise. As a further example, the Magnum Pleasure Store that recently opened as a pop-up shop at The Zone allows shoppers to customise their ownThis last trend will allow consumers to purchase goods directly from social Magnum ice creams.media sites like Facebook and Twitter through a 'buy' button, without losingany crucial browsing time. Deals could also be time-sensitive, which urges Brands that truly understand their shoppers and provide solutions that makeconsumers to act fast - clever! We can expect a lot more online retail therapy shoppers feel unique and appreciated will once again be the winners.coming our way next year, especially given the analytics and reporting thatcomes with online.Pinterest and Instagram shouldn't be discounted - these platforms are beingutilised to great effect by marketers that realise these platforms are beingused more and more by consumers and marketers alike. YouTube is anotherunder-utilised platform, considering that shoppers around the world and inSouth Africa are demanding more video content as bandwidth becomes lessrestricted. Vine is increasingly being referred to as a 'go-to' for creating videocontent. This platform allows the user to create short videos and evenprovides editing software. For me, it's about a strong engagement level, notthe amount of followers or likes that a brand has.MARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MARKETING TRENDSTrend 6: Doing good as wellGlobally, marketing efforts are already embracing mobile retail marketing andthere is an increased awareness by marketers and retailers to do good withinthe communities they operate in. The Exchange Campaign, recently executedat Cavendish Shopping Centre, where consumers could only purchase clothesif they became an organ donor, or the Empty Shop (second hand clothes aredonated and used to dress mannequins on a daily basis) concept in SandtonCity, mirrors this trend.In conclusion, the retail landscape is an incredibly exciting one that keepsmoving forward - and it's doing so at an incredible rate. Retailers and landlordshave a host of new marketing opportunities at their disposal. The race is on tosee who can do it right, and make it sustainable.MARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MARKETING TRENDSBrands vs Publishers ensure that it really adds value and builds an audience in the long-term. By Melissa Attree Brand as (vs) publisher Melissa Attree, director: content strategy, Ogilvy & Mather Cape We need to accept that brands are no longer just competing with other Town, is a creative digital and marketing consultant who has worked brands, but rather competing with publishers (the smart brands are starting to on many major brands, including ABSA, Adidas, Big Blue, work with publishers to understand what content consumers want and how to MasterCard, Nando's, Nedbank, SAA, SAB, Toyota, Vodacom and develop that.) This links to another trend of 'brand as publisher'; by trying to Woolworths. Attree began her career as a copy writer, before adopt an integrated approach to communications it means that more brands managing the local strategic transformation of the Kérastase brand than before are trying to extend their typical campaign thinking by publishing for L'Oreal and then providing the social media strategy for 5FM for content that customers choose to spend time with. four years. @MelAttree | View profile Native advertising (advertorial)\"Smart brands are starting to work with publishers.\"We need to start making better long-term decisions when it comes to building In the interests of #savingyouasearch, let's call this 'advertorial'. The trend forcommunities with real social business and CRM strategies. brands to adopt paid-for content that seamlessly blends with editorial is a big one in the digital space (it's something we've seen in print for many years so itBuy or rent? seems odd to call it a trend, BUT I do think that the New York Times and brands like General Electric, in particular, have changed how we present paid-There's a concern that brands are building large communities on islands that for content and have it blend seamlessly with editorial content.don't belong to them. Brands are renting space but I feel that we need tosupplement this with our own dedicated spaces. I do believe that platforms Watch this!like Twitter and Facebook are necessary in the marketing mix - I just don't feelthat we should be placing all our faith and community-building efforts in them. Taking its lead from the 'snackable' trend, like Danny de Vito, the mostWhat happens if they decide to close those platforms? Where do all those successful videos are short and funny, like #runtoOldNavy, starring Amycustomers go? Poehler and now Julia Louis-Dreyfus; BUT we have also seen a move towards longer, more film-like, beautifully shot and produced commercials, likeDistribution gains importance the Johnnie Walker Blue Label campaign starring Jude Law.It's not enough to just create good content - we need to pay attention to how Location-specific storytellingthat content is packaged, repurposed and, most importantly, distributed, to It's been spoken about previously as a trend, but 2015 I do believe will see usMARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MARKETING TRENDSusing geo-targeting to categorise and tag content to deliver very specificadded-value messages in specific locations. The layered content opportunitiesin this space are exciting, where we can deliver personalised 'click and choose'stories.Understanding dark socialA lot of the best content is shared via platforms that analytics typically cannottrack, think about how much content you share via email, SMS or instantmessaging apps. This massive use of 'dark social' is not going unnoticed by thebig publishers and Buzzfeed has even started to hire people whose job it is tofocus on how to best distribute media through direct messaging apps.MARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MARKETING TRENDSBack to basics Q: What do you hope to see more of in 2015?communications A: Great content across the correct platforms that shows that brands andengagement corporates themselves have realised and acknowledged that their consumers and influencers and stakeholders live in more than one place, and need more By Keri-Ann Stanton than one message. Keri-Ann Stanton heads up the PR division at Joe Public, bringing her Q: What advice do you have for your peers for the next year? experience of local and global corporate and consumer brands, A: PR has asked for a seat at the table. Now prove your worth as across all platforms, to the table. The chosen name for the division is communication specialists. called Engage, with a vision to grow brand belief through authenticity. @KAmuses | View profile Q: What would you like to tell your clients? A: The word 'campaign' does not belong in PR. Where is your stakeholder\"Be careful which space you choose to play in.\" engagement plan? What is your communication vision for your company andQ: Your 'game changer' trend in 2014? brand? A campaign is just one tab on that plan.A: Growing brand belief. Not spin-doctoring. Not launching then disappearing.Not campaigning then falling off the radar. The core of public RELATIONS is Q: Your most significant industry trends for 2015?developing meaningful, relevant, sustainable relationships with media, A:influencers and consumers. Relationships that will see you through the badtimes, as well as the good times. • Writing - we need a return to good, clear, concise writing. Sad that this is noted as a trend, but Twitter didn't help us, and the myriad ofQ: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year? bad press releases haven't helped. Ironically, Instagram is showing usA: Badly handled reputation management scenarios: from corporate investor the way back to good storytelling via great copy accompanied byrelations level to consumer. Yes, the consumer has become more and more visuals.powerful, but equally, that does not mean that brands need to be at their • Engagement versus influence versus manipulation. It's called publicmercy, especially when there is misinformation and plain bullying involved. RELATIONS for a reason - be careful which space you choose to play in.What is needed is communication - quality communication. • The return to the stakeholder plan - there cannot be one message across one medium, we know that. But there also cannot be just oneMARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE message across a stakeholder plan, there are segments within segments: right down to employees who have been with a company for 20 years versus employees who have been there for only six months. • The rise of EQ over IQ: if you are in communications (at board level or at brand manager level) and you can't read a situation or pick up on the unsaid, IQ will not save you. • Actions are where it is at. It is no longer about what you say or how

MARKETING TRENDS you say it, but about what you do. Leadership that sits behind a desk and is too terrified to engage with their fans (or their foes) are doing themselves out of so many learnings • Time to think. Clients, suppliers, peers who send emails followed up by a call, do no one a favour. We ALL need to become clearer about what is important versus what is urgent. • Integration no longer belongs just in an agency or agencies collaborating on a brand or a solution, it belongs in the company/corporate itself - integrating across corporate, product / services and employees. • We have seen the effects of the new switching economy - brand loyalty is nowhere and nothing any more, and that will only be exacerbated by the rise of the Millennials who have seen what recessions have done. The challenge is to try turn the tide, or how to play in a non-brand-loyal space. • \"The best stories come from the people you are trying to reach...\" we really do need to get back in touch with the man on the street. • More PR teams will add designers and videographers to their team: it is becoming necessary to be able to develop content on the go, reactively and proactively, just as one would issue an urgent media statement. • In a nutshell, the industry does not need a saviour, a new platform, new tools - it simply needs to go back to basics.MARKETING TRENDS SPONSORED BY BRAND ALIVE

MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY



MEDIA TRENDSTREND: Programmatic media Image via 123RFbuying His major trend for 2015 is the fact that the investment by the internationalProgrammatic Media Buying is the local trend that will dominate in 2015, agency networks in media and agencies in South Africa, is creating analthough revitalising their businesses for growth is also what most media international playing field overnight and tight competition.owners will be focusing on this year.Media owners are mostly in agreement that 2014 was a shocking year as It is programmatic media buying that will continue to evolve and we see morebrands cut spend due to the economic downturn, rising costs due to rising fuel private ad exchanges playing a role in the market, says John Bowles, co-MD,prices, a slowdown in consumer spend and national events like the miner's NAB.strike which hit satellite towns hard. Paula Raubenheimer, MD, SouthernX, explains further: \"Programmatic buyingWe've heard of big media contracts being cancelled and profits down at media has been a learning curve for South Africa in 2014. While there are noagencies. Of all the interviews we did, the media owners were the most meaningful statistics available on the quantity of revenue flowing through realcautious about the operating conditions in 2015 and those that seemed to be time bidding (RTB) platforms in SA, based on discussion with buyers in thein need of a holiday the most over the festive season! They hope for a better industry, there has already been huge growth in programmatic buying in 2014,trading conditions in 2015, but are not sure they will get it. but that is off a very low base in 2012 and 2013. With the global trend, as always, dictating South Africa's way forward, the market is poised to see aMedia owners like Jacques du Preez, MD of Provantage Media Group, don't growth of spend in this area at a steeper curve in 2015.\"pull their punches when talking about 2014 as one of the toughest years in thebusiness, when brands cancelled contracts and pulled back on spend during While brands are still allocating small budgets to this, many major mediathe Platinum Miner's strike, etc, and the recession. buyers are adding programmatic buying to the marketing mix and including it in their strategies, she says.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSThe Media Shop had a list for marketers on what not to do with programmatic 5. Not producing enough targeted content (creative): Getting demandmedia buying, by digital strategist, Dylan Roberts: \"Though programmatic generation teams and content teams to work together is a key elementbuying has exploded with expected growth numbers in the billions, too many of programmatic success. Too often, content teams live in isolation,marketers are at risk of falling short when it comes to implementing and using without much interaction with their demand generation counterparts.these tools. There's no denying the power of programmatic - but it isn't amagic formula that will instantly solve all your issues.\" 6. Tracking the wrong metrics: It's easy to get stuck in analysis paralysis. At each stage of the funnel, identify the key metrics that matter.This is his advice: Initially, it might be email opens and click-through rates, but as people move deeper into your sales funnel, customer conversion is all that 1. Have a documented strategy: Be sure your strategy is in line with the matters. company's overall goals and with the tactics and activities you're going to be using. Programmatic media buying tools are a means to execute 7. Running on autopilot: Despite the name, programmatic doesn't the strategy - not the strategy itself. mean you can go on autopilot. A good demand-generation strategy will focus on continually optimising everything from email marketing 2. It is not a glorified email marketing tool: Email marketing can be workflows to lead scoring and even landing page layouts. A good incredibly effective, but programmatic media buying tools like Cadreon, demand-generation marketer will also dig deeper into the database and for example, also do SEO, lead scoring, landing page tracking and uncover leads that need to be re-engaged or leads that should be metrics and reporting. passed along to the sales team. 3. Include other teams: Setting up an effective lead nurture campaign *Trends curated by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz Trends 2015. can't be done in a silo. You must talk to your counterparts in sales, content marketing and even customer relations. Getting better insight into your audience, leads and customers is essential for crafting campaigns that will ultimately convert visitors into customers. 4. Selling instead of nurturing: Stop selling, and start nurturing... Lead nurturing is one of the most powerful aspects of any programmatic tool and is designed to help move people along the sales journey to purchase. An effective programmatic tool will allow you to identify who needs to be nurtured versus those that may be ready for a more direct approach.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSBrand safe programmatic than before. It is a case of working out how best to use that data to makeenvironment grows in SA intelligent buys that requires a deeper understanding. So it is just a new way of purchasing an already tried and tested product. By Paula Raubenheimer Image via 123RF Paula Raubenheimer is managing director of SouthernX, a recently launched local private ad exchange made up of a coalition of local From the publishers' perspective, while spend differs depending on the goals publishers, intent on creating a media marketplace. SouthernX has of the advertiser and the media mix created by the media buyer, any publisher partnered with AppNexus and is part of the WPP Group. The which is not offering this as a solution is already losing digital budget. In 2015, customised platform allows both publishers and buyers to as more media buyers equip themselves with the tools to make programmatic intelligently sell and buy with custom categorisation, rules of buys, they will be losing out on even more digital media spend. A very engagement for sale and purchase, granulated targeting, reporting important aspect for publishers is that they have the technical know-how to and hands-on support. @paularaub | View profile retain control of the data collected from their users and then leverage that data to provide valuable, data-rich inventory to buyers.\"Programmatic buying has proven that it's not a fad.\" We hope to see, as we have in developed markets, that publisher-digital sales teams use the efficiency of programmatic to sell the commodity of impressionsProgrammatic buying has been a learning curve for South Africa in 2014. While and then enhance their premium sales offering by selling more creative digitalthere are no meaningful statistics available on the quantity of revenue flowing solutions.through real-time bidding (RTB) platforms in SA, based on discussion with With the launch of very private (between single buyers and sellers) and privatebuyers in the industry, there has already been huge growth in programmaticbuying in 2014, but that is off a very low base in 2012 and 2013. With theglobal trend, as always, dictating South Africa's way forward, the market ispoised to see a growth of spend in this area at a steeper curve in 2015.While most brands are either testing or looking to test the programmaticwaters, they are currently allocating small budgets to many major mediabuyers in South Africa to add programmatic buying to the marketing mix.Those who are not spending at the moment are certainly includingprogrammatic spend into budgets and strategies to be implemented in theNew Year. While the medium is no different to digital buys they have beenmaking to date, programmatic buying allows buyers access to far more dataMEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDS(a number of publishers and specific buyers) ad exchanges in the localenvironment, mitigation of risk is possible to avoid low CPMs for sellers andunsafe brand environments for buyers. Controlled, more exclusivemarketplaces that local buyers and sellers can tap into will allow South Africato grow programmatic buying in a safe environment.The benefits of buying media in a brand-safe programmatic environment(speed of sale, impression price determined by the market and safe, accurateuser data) will bring with it investment into the skill, technical ability andexperience that is required for effective programmatic buying. There will beagencies or even brands that either invest time and money into creating skilledteams or make the decision to rather outsource to experts.Either way, programmatic buying has proven that it's not a fad. We believethat an increase in understanding will grow programmatic spend as a portionof digital spend in 2015, but more importantly, grow the digital spend as partof the full marketing mix.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSInternational networks shift to fight a lot harder for the business.\"SA media landscape So it became a year of introspection for them, in which they relooked at their By Jacques du Preez own business model. \"It was a pitiful year for most media owners. No one Jacques du Preez is managing director of Provantage Media Group. could control the economy. Business underestimated the impact on the mid- He is the founder and a shareholder of the group, which is one of LSM consumers. Brands are definitely spending less, taking longer to spend, Southern Africa's leading out of home and transit media and want more for their money.\" marketing companies. View profile Du Preez believes, unfortunately, that 2015 will see another round of\"It's back to the coalface - we need to sell product.\" retrenchments, this time at media agencies, which were some of the hardestAlmost overnight, local South African media owners and advertising agencies hit, he believes, losing multi-millions in turnover, as well as continuedhave become global players as international agency and media networks retrenchments at media owners nationwide.continue their acquisition spree in southern Africa, preparing for a strongerpush into Africa, the last continent for true growth. He counts his business fortunate in that they began their digital conversion and investment early on in the curve and are set for expansion into Africa andThis is the view of Jacques du Preez, founder and managing director of other opportunities.Provantage Media Group, which dominates in the out-of-home and transitmedia environment in southern Africa. Within all of this, there are always opportunities, says Du Preez. \"In today's world where nothing is certain, where things are in flux, we look forMedia owners like Du Preez don't pull their punches when talking about 2014 resourcefulness. If you are resourceful and entrepreneurial, there are lots ofas one of the toughest years in the business, when brands cancelled contracts opportunities. It's about keeping positive. \"and pulled back on spend during the platinum miners' strike and the recession. Du Preez's key trend predictions for 2015 are:\"We reduced our own visibility, putting our marketing spend into pitches anddirect client events and presentations. We applied a lot more focus in our own 1. Globalisation and business unusual. The South African mediabusiness, understanding the environment we work in. In this economy, we had landscape is becoming part of the global set up very quickly, with WPP, Publicis, VML and others, buying into local agencies and media houses.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN They are changing behaviour. WPP used to be an advertising agency owner, now they have bought into Smollen merchandising and field marketing, and experiential agency, EXP. So how far are they buying down the media value chain? Where is this vertical integration trend going? Africa is the last growth continent left in the world. If you are in the industry, you can't say it will be 'business as usual' going forward. It

MEDIA TRENDS might be that they change buying behaviour and marketing overnight. 9. Top-end TV viewers will fragment as broadband to the top-end These are mega-trends. And now I'm not competing against local market will become what it is supposed to be. That market will companies, but with global players. Overnight. There is no doubt it will fragment. lead to further consolidation as smaller players will have to align with larger players to be competitive. 10. Media agencies are under pressure with smaller budgets and shrinking margins. I predict they will be pulled back into advertising 2. Scale up North into Africa. Clients are expecting a sub-Saharan Africa agencies - that scenario has been coming for a while. footprint, they don't want to deal with 17 different businesses in each company. It makes sense to establish a hub in South Africa, with a 11. Advertising direct: advertisers will almost want a back to basics footprint up North. approach with campaigns. They want hard-working campaigns to move product and talk to the consumer at grass roots levels. It's back to the 3. Smaller budgets: Budgets are smaller and commitments shorter. It is coalface - we need to sell product. rare to get an advertising contract longer than three months these days. 12. Total media transformation: It will take two years, but SAARF will 4. Broadband will get a lot better and that will change consumer be gone and there will be new measurement models across media. patterns. *Jacques du Preez was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz 5. Integration: What we haven't seen properly done is integration with Trends 2015. other media types and online media. 6. Budgets under pressure: Consumer and advertising budgets will remain under pressure. There will be a slow recovery over the next 24 months, depending on our political leadership. 7. Media consolidation: We will see consolidation of media ownership. More print titles will die. 8. Mid-LSM going online: With the broadband access a lot of cities are rolling out, we will see a lot of activity on the web from smartphone consumers. They will be more skilled at using the internet on their mobile devices than higher-LSM consumers. It is a big opportunity for brands and retailers.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSInvest in communication and Content counts: Having your content stand out amongst the ever-presentcontent media formats that are converging, with digital leading the way, increasing the number of times and ways that a single brand can be experienced by By Dawn Rowlands audiences in the same place - from highly interactive and immersive content- Dawn Rowlands is the of CEO Dentsu Aegis Network SSA. She has rich mobile experiences, to stimulated visual engagements on digital networks over 20 years of experience in the media industry and has most in airports and other high-dwell time environments. Quality content notably been a shareholder founding partner of Nota Bene, a partnerships that allow you to leverage a consistent brand story across your strategy agency in South Africa, and is also the founder of media ecosystem will count! Quantity won't. Content is everywhere and Posterscope SA. Contact Dawn on [email protected]. consumers want and need a relevant custodian. Make sure you are that View profile custodian in order for your message to penetrate the market.\"Truly innovative and uniquely African concepts and ideas will place your Q: Your 'game changer' trend in 2014?organisation in the driver's seat.\"Q: What do you hope to see in 2015? A: In 2014 we saw that applications no longer act in isolation, they are now integrated. Apps behave more like the 'www', for example, Uber has an APIA: Make a mark: Brands that stand out will create commercial success by that lets other companies put an Uber button into their own apps. Theattracting more users, more often. Brands that make it easy for consumers to Starbucks' app has an Uber button on the page to find a Starbucks - so thatrecognise them (and love them) will win. Truly innovative and uniquely African you can immediately call a cab to take you there. These integrations haveconcepts and ideas will place your organisation in the driver's seat and stand made it possible for different apps to talk to each other; likewise we began toout amongst the rest. see last year that Mac started making its software more compatible with other technologies and programs, allowing for convergence and ease ofInvest in communication: Organisations need to speak one language and communication.integrated communications is the way to ensure two-way engagement andinteraction, both internally and externally. Brands that invest at a lower rate Q: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year?than their market share in the trade and on communication will decline fasterthan ever before. You'll need to be available at multiple points 24/7, as will A: Clients/marketers who ask us to generate Facebook likes and not a fullyyour brand content. functioning communication ecosystem that delivers results.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN Q: What advice do you have for your peers in 2015? A: Incubate ideas: Incubation of technology ideas that provide rich brand experiences will create a massive competitive advantage. The creative use of technology in a retail environment will enhance brand love and drive sales. Up-

MEDIA TRENDSscaling will become less difficult as the cost of technology declines. This can be discussed. Having sporadic peaks of excellence in certain regions or averageseen at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the prices of 4K performance will only view DAN SSA as inconsistent. I would like to see ourresolution TV screens have previously been extremely expensive. This year it is talent focussing capability, curiosity and be determined to drive change.expected to see more affordable versions in more realistic sizes. This is just Capability to drive consistency. Curiosity to inspire innovation and enoughone example of how organisations will be able to up-scale using technology as drive to bring that change about.they come into your consumers' reach as well as that of your business.Creating stories: Data alone, without insightful and consistent brand storiesand ongoing management, will deliver poor results. Data centres, made up oflayers of data, will help brands refine their story, create immediacy/relevanceand reduce the cost per contact dramatically. Your data needs soul. Data isavailable to everyone, but captivating an audience with the data which yourelease is the challenge.The future: different and better: Looking to the future and the type of talentwhich DAN SSA needs to attract clients to our business, as well as the mannerwe communicate and approach clients, is of utmost importance, we spend alot of time thinking about how we can be different and how we can be better...so if we've got the best people with the best tools, we can win.Q: What would you like to tell your clients?A: Challenging conventions - ensuring that our clients are completelymesmerised by our offering is one of the facets that's of utmost importance. Itis crucial for our employees to question briefs, as this is ideally what clientswant from us - they want us to take them on a journey, to an end destinationthat gives them a really solid business outcome. We cannot simply bemediocre in order to be better than our competitors. Standing out will becrucial to our success in 2015.Q: Your most significant industry trends for 2015?A: Within the 2015 plans, consistency is one of the key driving forcesMEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSThe consumer is in control the back-end of all of this, there will be a lot more development around retailer apps, mass customisation, and harnessing the big data behind that. It By Craig Page-Lee is time for retailers to take centre stage, he says. Craig Page-Lee, is managing director of Posterscope SA, an Out-of- Page-Lee's further trend predictions for 2015 are: Home communications agency. He is an architect and retail designer by qualification. With 21 years' experience across the fields of • Connecting retailers to consumers: Retailers will be in the 'always on' marketing, branding, advertising, media, retail and design, he has space too. Connecting retailers to the consumers and having more of worked on some of the world's leading brands, including managing that purposeful, meaningful dialogue. the Vodafone and Cannon global brand accounts while living in London. View profile • Virtual world: Augmented reality has had a good run. It will be coming into play at the shelf. In some catalogues these days, you can point your\"More consumer groups will start bartering with their data.\" phone to the catalogue and then point it to a wall and see the product in situ, see the product come to life, see your product in your life...The consumer has to be at the centre of brand decisions because they are in Awesome stuff. We will see some dabbling in that in South Africa. It iscontrol, at the centre of the experience and information flows, says Craig on the up in Europe and America.Page-Lee, MD Posterscope SA. • Wi-Fi, utility of Wi-Fi, free Wi-Fi for consumers in any long-haul\"There is an overarching concept, a turn of phrase we are using more: 'fluidity spaces, from parks to malls and transit areas... all provided by cities.of time, place and platform'. This is about putting the consumer in control or There will be rewards systems around that.at the centre of brand decision and brand experience. Really plugging into the'always on' concept. Not in the sense of a technology platform, but literally • Consumers definitely understand the value of data: More consumermanaging the experience around brands.' groups will start bartering with their data and getting further rewards.\"Consumers are able, through technology, to conduct conversations on social • Brands of association partnering: No brand exists in isolation andmedia, purchase food online, live seamless lives, from machine to machine, powerful brands will link up with other powerful brands and createfrom device to machine, not just from laptop to desktop to mobile to tablet, cross-marketing platforms because they understand the power ofbut also with, for example, mannequins in-store pushing data to you in the supporting their brands, but while budgets are under pressure, smallerfuture as you walk past into a store... A seamless integration of product, brands will come together to collaborate.machine and data,\" explains Page-Lee. • Real time bidding on the back-end of digital banner space will appearAll of this comes down to experiences, not just product, which means that at in the TV space and OOH space, as the world is demanding more and brands will be able to bid in real-time based on consumer behaviour atMEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDS the time, to buy networks and buy space to push a product, based on real-time trends. • Good behaviour: Organisations with a social conscience will remain relevant. • Content creation: We are all content creators and aggregators, connected consumers need to be at the heart to enable the construct of fluidity of the time-space platform.*Craig Page-Lee was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSMedia/brands on demand Trial. \"It didn't attract advertising, due to the controversial nature of the content. But it's likely that other pop up channels will come along, with more By Chris Hitchings ad friendly content, for the 'bite sized' consumption trend.\" Chris Hitchings is chief executive officer of DStv Media Sales. View profile What Hitchings would like to see less of in 2015, is regulation on advertising. \"The latest move to ban or restrict high fat, high sugar product advertising\"We need braver clients and braver agencies.\" affects a huge category. I'm hoping that there will be realistic \"soft touch\"After an exceedingly tough year in 2014, it's important for media owners and regulation, not draconian, over the top implications.\"brands to continue to explore innovative ideas. In the TV environment, we areinvestigating new commercial opportunities within guaranteed trading, video Central to success in 2015 is more commonsense planning - less paint byon demand; second screening; and long form content to maximise viewer numbers, he emphasises. \"Data is important, but it has to be current, accurate,engagement, says Chris Hitchings, CEO, DStv Media Sales. and correctly used. Data should be used to support intellect, common sense and gut decisions - not replace them. There has been a bit of a shift away fromWhat stood out for him in 2014 was the shift downwards in consumer and that and we need braver clients and agencies.business confidence; and the resulting shift downwards in advertising spend.\"Consumers are under pressure and that knocks on into business, it has \"Media planning and strategy has become a commodity and that can only bebecome a tough environment. South Africa was (to some degree) protected corrected within the client-agency relationship. It's a perennial, sensitive, issueeconomically from the global recession by the 2010 World Cup being held in and it's really important: clients need to value what their media agencies doour country. Post 2010 there has been a slowdown in adspend, and 2014 has and paying them accordingly. It is not a commodity, it is a skill.\"been a particularly tough year for many media owners. Television seems todoing better than most, now taking over 50% share of total adspend in South Ahead in 2015Africa.\" Hitchings' trends for 2015 include:Another trend they did well from a viewership perspective was theintroduction of 'pop-up channels' the best example being the Oscar Pistorius 1. Guaranteed Trading: We're now offering a variety of packages whereby we guarantee audience delivery against an agreed price andMEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN target market. This eliminates risk and takes out the guess work for the agencies and their clients. 2. Second screening: In SA I think we've paid lip service so far to the second screen trend. I am not sure any brand has yet grabbed opportunities in this space to push content and engage viewers via multiple devices.

MEDIA TRENDS 3. Brands on demand: We are working on commercial opportunities within our Catch Up and other VOD (video on demand) services and will soon be launching an exciting new service called Brand on Demand - essential a catch up service for brands. It'll be a place where we can host long form content, competitions, deals of the month, special features for brands etc. 4. TV/digital collaboration: TV remains the best way to build and make a hero of a brand - and it's interesting that many digital brands are now using TV to grow acquisition and usage. Digital is providing an excellent way to activate. TV and Digital can work in tandem for brands in building awareness, and then getting a response. 5. Take up of over the top (OTT) players like Netflix will obviously depend on the evolution of broadband speeds and costs - as well as the content offering. South Africa has seen the launch of various players in recent month and we are obviously watching these trends and considering our own options in that regard.*Chris Hitchings was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSe-Sports outstrips 1. Growth of e-Sportsmainstream sports Online gaming is now recognised internationally as an e-Sport due to its By Vincent Maher ratings, viewership and prize money. This is a fascinating trend as various stats Vincent Maher is the chief innovation officer at Kagiso Media. Read in the last couple of years show that viewership of e-Sports is doubling year- more on his blog at vincentmaher.com, follow him on Twitter on-year, with over 70 million people now counted as viewers, according to at @vincent_maher or connect on LinkedIn. View profile new research released in 2014 by Super Data Research and NewZoo, reports Ongamers.\"Majority of media buying will switch to programmatic buying.\"While big data, content marketing and the cloud are up there in his trends for Maher predicts that in 2015, e-Sports will overtake mainstream sports2015 too, Vincent Maher, chief innovation officer at Kagiso Media, has also audiences on television. Popular contests include games such as Dota 2,highlighted the growth of e-Sports (competitive online gaming), programmatic StarCraft, League of Legends, and World of Warcraft.media buying and a tapering off of the mobile apps market as trends not tomiss. \"The prize pool for the international Dota tournament was $10 million,\" says Maher. \"They have become real online and offline spectator sports. And a lotMaher was appointed chief innovation officer at Kagiso Media in the latter of the emerging genres of games fit into the sports category. What makes it apart of 2014. He has worked in the online media industry since 1996 at mobile sport is that the environment is static, there is a predefined map - like footballoperators, start-ups, print media and universities. During the past decade he or rugby.\"has focussed on product development in the social media and mobile appsspace in emerging markets, including at Vodacom and Mxit. In 2010 Maher co- As broadband becomes more mainstream, it has become a spectator sportfounded Motribe. online, but also, Maher says, a stadium sport. In June 2014, a former world cup football arena in Cologne, Germany, hosted an ESL1 tournament. \"AudiencesThis is what he particularly wanted to highlight for 2015: are becoming physical audiences, digital audiences are growing and broadcasters are starting to broadcast the games as sport on TV.\" Ongamers.com reports that the massive growth in online gaming as an e-Sport provides the opportunity for advertisers to connect with affluent males, although female gaming numbers are increasing, as players and spectators.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDS2. Programmatic buyingMaher believes that the majority of media buying will switch to programmaticbuying. \"The media buyers and media strategists are disintermediated, whichnow means that digital advertising is bought through dynamic platforms andyou are not dependent on having a large audience any more to sell advertising.But the thing that fundamentally changes, is that there is an additionalcommercial category or piece of that transaction - the data aspect to thefinancial transaction where the source of the demographic tagging gets a pieceof the transaction, too.\"You have a website, someone comes on your website and you tag them. Youpublish your data into the advertising engine and someone else books an adusing your data, but the ad is delivered on another media site, but as youtagged that user, you also get a piece of the revenue.\"It has been brewing with the ad networks for a long time, but is becoming thepredominant trend in media buying, he says.3. Mobile apps market plateausThe apps market on mobile is going to start plateauing in terms of volume ofadoption, Maher says, as the novelty wears off in the apps space. \"We arestarting to see increasing reports of people limiting the number of apps theydownload - either the level of variety is tailing off, or people are forming habitsaround the apps they use and are not that experimental any more.\" Thebarrier for entry for new apps is also getting harder as an app developer andthere is increased reliance on digital advertising to grow app audience sizes,Maher says.*Vincent Maher was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSThe disruption of media \"People will produce and share content all the time. A lot of it is bullsh*t, butmodels there is a lot of amazing stuff as well. To change our environment, we need to find out what our customers are doing, and what they are willing to do.\" By Omar Essack Omar Essack is the group deputy CEO of Kagiso Media. Essack became the youngest managing director of a private radio station in View profile South Africa in 1998 at 32. He devised and led the strategy to make East Coast Radio the first station in South Africa with a multi-ethnic audience mix. After a\"There will be nothing that can't link into the one screen.\" successful stint at East Coast Radio, he was promoted to head up the group'sTraditional media models are broken and new business thinking is required broadcast media assets in 2004. He developed the group's digital media focus,going forward, urges Omar Essack, group deputy CEO of Kagiso Media. and in 2013, spearheaded the launch of Kagiso Media's first wholly owned free-to-air TV channel, Glow TV. He was promoted to deputy group CEO after a\"We are looking at our business very differently. There will be real shifts in our 10-year stint as CEO of Broadcasting.business model and our business thinking for this year. The game changerwithin our company is the appointment of a chief innovation officer (Vincent \"The current trend is that we have excess installed capacity in business. That isMaher). Everything else has been evolutionary and incremental.\" what companies like Uber respond to and what the sharing economy is all about. That is creating the disruption. The excess installed capacity as regardsThe outdated traditional media model consists of weighty head offices, Uber, is the fact that I live and work in the same city, yet own a car. It ispermanent staff, provident funds, and so on, Essack explains. Content creation wastage, inefficiency. Cloud responds to the fact we have these huge serversgoing forward will be more creative and require vast talent pools, not narrow installed. We buy this capacity as business, but we are not using it in antalent pools. efficient way.The traditional media model has excess installed capacity to support the \"We create all these huge buildings to house workers - but many of us areorganisation, when things are moving towards a shared economy. Here Essack knowledge workers and there is so much tech to allow us to communicate. Wereferences services such as Uber and Airbnb. could work from home more. The 'sharing economy' is a progression of these trends. We need to create efficiencies in the world today - there is too muchMEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN installed capacity. All of that creates the problems we have in our environment: a lot more wastage, a lot more pollution. The whole efficiency of resources, it is born out of the recession we find ourselves in.\"

MEDIA TRENDSBusiness disruption companies are under pressure, the cloud is there for everything now, including music, which will render some devices obsolete. \"Radio was responsive, we didEssack, who recently completed an advanced management programme in a lot of things that worked in the past decade. We have to now work outmedia and entertainment at the IESE Business School, with UCLA Anderson, what's next...says he can see the sharing economy gaining greater momentum. He is alreadyreconsidering whether he needs a second car in his family, since he lives and \"DStv, Xbox, Sony Playstation all want to 'own' the home. The large screens inworks in the same suburb. our environment in the future - as walls or wallpaper - will deliver TV, internet, calls, gaming, news, music, everything. There will be nothing that can't linkIt is all about creating efficiency without more waste and technology is the into the one screen. It will be all about personalisation, recommendation,enabler in the developed economies, where there are apps for everything and access. We need to be ready.\"responsive technology makes it possible for people to connect for shareddinner in places like New York where restaurants are expensive; to share their *Omar Essack was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Bizhomes through services like Airbnb, which only started a couple of years ago, Trends 2015.but is becoming a global phenomenon; like Uber, teething problems aside,recounts Essack.This disruptive trend has an impact on business in most sectors and Essacksays he is looking at how his business can respond to this trend and otherinnovations.\"The most obvious way, and all media businesses are doing this, is that it's allin the cloud - on-demand video, music, and so on. Previously we had capacityissues, now we do not need to keep anything on site any longer. The cloud isthe best way to deliver. You don't need a PVR. Now people are streamingmusic into their cars - it happened to me in a car in Spain where broadband ischeap and fast. Radio has to respond to that.\"Our problem in South Africa is still high broadband costs, but when weovercome that, many of our devices will become obsolete. This generationdoesn't want to horde. How will business respond to that?\"The shifts are inexorable, says Essack. Cars, which were a bastion for radioMEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSThe African digital revolution BMW i8 in South Africa, shows that while the user has control of the vehicle, the smarter car will be able to make accurate and faster By Ravi Bhaya decisions for you. Ravi Bhaya is managing director of The Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG). He recently moved to South Africa from the South East Asia • Healthcare (+wearables): Samsung Gear, Fitbit, Apple Watch will region markets where he spearheaded operations in Indonesia and continue to revolutionise the industry. A health-conscious user directly Vietnam. In his role as the MD, SMG SA, Ravi is responsible for the contributes to the sporting attire and shoes industry - Asics, Adidas, P&L of SMG South Africa and the Africa RHQ as well as the Nike, etc. integration with Lighthouse Digital, South Africa's largest digital agency that SMG acquired in 2014. @Bhaya • Transport: Uber (a $40bn valuation company), which has become View profile integral to our offline lives, will continue to revolutionise the commercial transportation business in spite of the flack they have taken\"2015 could be the tipping point for the African digital revolution.\" towards the latter part of 2014. Things will start to get interesting when Lyft, Sidecar, Flywheel etc. make their competitive presence felt in ourQ: Your 'game changer' trend in 2014? region and the diversity of their expanded service the users will benefitA: Facebook Autoplay - especially the impact it had on the ALS Ice Bucket from.Challenge, and Uber that has made its presence felt, globally impactingcommercial transportation as we know it. • Big data: Though still a buzzword, this will soon become a standard requirement for/from organisations. With the above-mentioned trendsQ: Your most significant industry trends for 2015? in home automation, healthcare wearables, transport, and soon mobileA: As the world gets more inter-connected, the Internet of Things will become payments, data and information will be required to be better mined andmore of a reality in the emerging markets of Africa. We have moved into the structured. This data will also become more accessible allowinginformation space where it needs to be useful, organised and accessible. And I organisations across industries such as media, entertainment,am not talking about 'search', but a continued trend towards home telecommunications, finance, etc. to enhance the personalisation ofautomation, auto-mation, healthcare and transport in the African region. services offered to the end-user. •Home Automation: Apple and Google are both transforming Q: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year? themselves from handheld devices to remote controls, putting the A: Although radio, TV and OOH will continue to play a pivotal role in the media power in the hands of the users to connect and control home mix for clients, social and digital should not be seen as isolated channels of appliances from their mobile phones. media distribution. • Auto-mation: Nissan Leaf and the soon-to-be released BMW i3 and Q: What do you hope to see more of in 2015?MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSA: With Facebook's plans to provide free satellite internet access across Africa(part of the internet.org plan), and the governments' plans to build morepipes, 2015 could be the tipping point for the African digital revolution. Theopportunities will be immense from a communication, content and consumerperspective.Q: What advice do you have for your employees/peers for the next year?A: Consider every day as a new learning. Work hard to up-skill yourselves sincethere is a plethora of information, tools and resources available to do so.Understand how consumers are evolving their consumption of media andcontent across devices, enrol in a Google certification programme, ensure yourFacebook news feeds are serving the information that you find relevant(although their algorithms are working hard at knowing this better than you)!Q: What would you like to tell your clients?A: Let's create magic in the African region. Let's create benchmarks that theworld takes note of and imitates and build stories that are award-winning.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

MEDIA TRENDSProgrammatic media-buying of their marketing investments.surge Q: What advice do you have for your peers for the next year? By John Bowles A: Forget the past, worry less about the future - LIVE IN IT NOW! John Bowles is the joint managing director of the Newspaper Q: What would you like to tell your clients? Advertising Bureau (NAB). With a combined newspaper print order A: Let's try and understand the path to purchase better. Let me help you reach of over 3.4 million copies freely distributed/sold across South Africa, buyers where they live and tap into their multichannel lives. Help them help and over 1.3 million copies distributed weekly across Southern shoppers shop! Africa, NAB enables advertisers to communicate with the critical mass and economically active in Southern Africa. @Bowlzeee | View Q: Your most significant industry trends for 2015? profile A:\"More channels and less reach for media buyers.\" 1. Local, local, local. 2015 will be the year that there is less fuss aboutJohn Bowles, joint-MD, of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau (NAB), predicts pure play e-commerce and a focus on the nuts and bolts for retail andmore private ad exchanges playing a role in the market. brand custodians. Brick and mortar stores will be accepted as the primary destination for shopping and marketers need to drive marketQ: Your 'game changer' trend in 2014? share or sales, area by area, to win the battle. Therefore national brandsA: The convergence of digital and traditional in the media landscape. For too will get more scientific about local battles.long these two worlds were separate silos for agencies, marketers and media 2. Fragmentation overload - more channels and less reach for mediaowners. buyers. This year will see a move to more relevant sites than simply to big numbers.Q: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year? 3. Customised video serving will grow.A: Poor consumer confidence, political instability, recessionary talk, negativity, 4. Mobile search and display will continue to grow but emphasis will benegativity, negativity! serving for local call to action. 5. Programmatic buying will continue to evolve. We see more private adQ: What do you hope to see more of in 2015? exchanges playing a role in the market.A: Change in attitude and renewed passion. Love to see a clearing of the slate 6. Daily and weekend circulation will continue to decline, with adand a back to basics approach on marketing strategy. No jargon, no revenues following suit. Local newspapers should remain relevant anduninformed self-opinion, just a revisit of what businesses want to achieve out stable, catering for local communities while rolling out their digital assets.MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MILLWARD BROWN

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SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSTREND: Hashtag social Image via 123RFactivism Social media is an opportunity to spread the word about various causes at a faster rate, to a bigger number of people, than through traditional methods,\"Mediums like Twitter give people the platform to amplify their concerns, reports the Huffington Post, which describes social media as one of the mostdemand authentic storytelling and create dialogue.\" powerful forms of activism.Social activism is a massive social media trend and doesn't just pertain to The reasons are simple: social media allows more people to be reached, andglobal events as we saw in early January 2015, but can also target brands. And around the world. There are no boundaries, no borders, no perceived freedomthe influence and reach of social media and those who know how to use it of speech issues, no overt censorship, no bias. Everyone gets a say, good orcorrectly, will only increase, particularly as another 2015 trend grows: that of bad. And when an issue moves people - like any other great content thatmobile social media marketing as more people access social media from engages them emotionally - they share it. Again. And again. Until it trendsmobile devices. around the world.According to Statista, there are already about 1.79 billion users in social media \"Social media gives people the power to call out injustices, inaccuracies andin 2014. And it is projected to reach about 2.44 billion by 2018. Social media is misrepresentations and brings about better understanding of other culturesbecoming the most effective platform to get your message out, across the and people. Mediums like Twitter give people the platform to amplify theirglobe. concerns, demand authentic storytelling and create dialogue that may eventually dispel stereotypes,\" reports the Huffington Post.The question of whether social media is being used and measured correctly inorder to derive maximum benefit from it, is another question. There is nodoubt that social activism is on the rise because of the popularity and globalreach of social media.So-called \"Hashtag Activism\" has gained popularity worldwide. 2014 will beremembered for the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, among others, and 2015 isalready trending with #JeSuisCharlie, referring to protests over the Parisattacks on a satirical newspaper.SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MELTWATER

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSSocial investment reports Time magazine. Mobile payments are a huge global trend. • Social shopping: Both Twitter and Facebook began testing 'buy'For brands and services, it takes investment in specialists and software to buttons to allow users to purchase from brands online. (Time)ensure their brand message gets across in the manner they want it to, to • Investment: More money will flow into social networks as socialachieve a return on investment (ROI). media companies become more than just networks, to fully fledged digital platforms, reports Techrepublic.com.Socialmediatoday.com's top trends for 2015 are: • Smart social: The explosion of smart devices collecting data and pushing it wirelessly to various apps, including social networks. The • Social media will be designed more for mobile devices. smart marketing of that data and harnessing it is another chapter yet to • Images will be used in a more extensive manner. unfold. (Time) • Short videos will be more in use. • Converged media: Social media will integrate into live events, • Companies will go for viral marketing. including television. Tweeting while watching shows, television, live • Real-time marketing will rise significantly. events, etc., can push them to the top of ratings (Techrepublic). • Instagram and LinkedIn will be the most popular platforms. • Content marketing: \"In 2015, marketers will finally realise that there • Creativity will be the need of the hour - content needs to be visual and are two core pillars of a content marketing strategy: publication and creative. distribution. Marketers will learn that social media is the most effective method of expanding the reach and visibility of their content, andVisual content will in particular have a major impact for marketers and video because of this, will come to view social media as more of an 'amplifier'marketing in 2015 will be big. \"The use of visual content on social media is not for their published content rather than as the content itself,\"going to be limited to images only. Companies are likely to create short but reports Forbes magazine.informative videos on their products and services. And this is going to be oneof the best ways to connect with the target audience within the shortest What is always very interesting is that internationally, much of the researchpossible time. Interactive videos are also expected to rule the roost in 2015. done into social media comes from public relations companies - quite theSites like Instagram, which offer excellent video marketing opportunities, are opposite in South Africa, where the PR companies are largely being sidelinedlikely to become more and more popular during the year,\" reports by the digital agencies as regards championing social media, both in research,SocialMediatoday.com. solutions and implementation.Innovation Measurement is a huge trend this year. Heidi Myers, Meltwater's head of marketing and communications across Central Europe, Africa and the MiddleSocial media growth is also being fuelled by innovation: East, poses this question: \"If a tweet falls in a forest and no one is around to share it, does it make a sound? The short answer is: nope. If your content isn't • Mobile payments: Facebook has built a hidden (for now) payment shared socially, it simply isn't social marketing. It's long-format advertising. As feature inside its Messenger app, which will allow people to send social media marketers, driving word of mouth (going viral) is our primary goal. money to each other using debit card info, free of charge,SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MELTWATER

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS\"We want people clicking on our content to share it. Once they share it, that'sviral word of mouth - and that's what we're after. Top tip: don't be the guywith the megaphone. We as marketers decided on a static target message, andwe broadcast it to a target audience. This is fine for traditional advertising andsome PR initiatives: basically, if you want to control the message and that'smore important than having it shared, this broadcast model works,\" Myerssays.However, the traditional monologue marketing model doesn't work for socialmedia, she says. \"You can't just broadcast a message at an audience and hopeit resonates, because we're trying to start a conversation. Social media is adialogue marketing model.\"*Trends curated by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz Trends 2015.SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MELTWATER

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSThe importance of social the point, how do you find actionable insights in all the noise?listening in 2015 There is no way to keep track of the billions of conversations happening at By Heidi Myers once: really good insights are dependent upon really good tools. You're not Heidi Myers heads up marketing and communications for Meltwater superhuman, so you need a tool to sift through the noise and find the joyful across Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She was formerly nuggets of business intelligence that will make you a hero to your boss. (And managing director of Meltwater San Francisco and opened the then you can wear a cape.) Meltwater Wales office as managing director. Meltwater specialises in software for organiations to help master the social business Social search environment and increase online intelligence. @HeidiMyers | View profile The better your social marketing tools are, the easier your job is. Social media monitoring, at its core, is a social search. And our tools are our search engine.Social listening is arguably the most significant technology to hit marketing What we do with the search results is what makes us mighty.since social media itself. It will be a huge trend in 2015. So, what is sociallistening and why does it matter? Social listening informs better business Ideally, you want a comprehensive social media marketing tool that does fourdecisions. things:But marketing isn't the only department that can utilise social listening: your 1. Monitor conversations on all the major social media networks ANDentire business organisation can use social listening to inform its programs, blogs, comment fields and message boards.products and business decisions. If you want to learn more, download 2. Publish content and engage with influencers - engagement.Meltwater's free e-book. 3. Segment people - community management. 4. Measure results of your social efforts - analytics.Put simply, social listening is a way to see what people are saying on socialnetworks. Think of it like traditional news clipping for PR. By effectively Interesting question: If a tweet falls in a forest and no one is around to share it,listening on social media, we are able to easily and consistently find does it make a sound? The short answer is: nope. If your content isn't sharedinformation on our company, competitors, customers and industry. socially, it simply isn't social marketing. It's long-format advertising.Big data is really, really big: there are billions and trillions and gazillions of • As social media marketers, driving word of mouth is our primary goal.conversations happening online at any given time on worldwide social mediachannels. So how do you keep track of all those conversations, and more to \"Going viral\" is just another term for word-of-mouth marketing. What that means for us as social media marketers is that we want people clicking on ourSOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MELTWATER content to share it. Once they share it, that's viral word of mouth - and that's what we're after.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSTop tip: don't be the guy with the megaphone. share it through their social channels.We as marketers decided on a static target message, and we broadcast it to a The main difference between a social community and an audience is that theytarget audience. This is fine for traditional advertising and some PR initiatives: talk to each other: they engage one another in dialogue.basically, if you want to control the message and that's more important thanhaving it shared, this broadcast model works. Whereas an audience is attuned to a singular content source, a community isHowever, the traditional monologue marketing model doesn't work for social attuned to each other, and they share content among themselves.media: you can't just broadcast a message at an audience and hope itresonates, because we're trying to start a conversation. Social share gives us word-of-mouth, and that viral word-of-mouth gives usWith that in mind, social media is a dialogue marketing model. earned media on the personal broadcast network that is someone's FacebookDialogue marketing as a principle is a really big shift from traditional page or Twitter stream.marketing, in which we broadcast a static message to a target audience andhoped it resonated. But the big question that people have been asking about social media is:Dialogue marketing is about finding and starting relevant conversations within where's the ROI?target social communities (as opposed to an audience) so that its membersSOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MELTWATER

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSAnd this is just another way of asking, \"Why does word-of-mouth matter?\"Here is why: • A typical sales funnel starts with awareness and ends in purchase, but an ideal customer journey ends in advocacy. • Relationship marketing disciplines like social marketing and PR typically touch the customer at the top and bottom of this funnel. • When people share your content, their social community may or may not be entirely targeted in terms of your usual target audience demographics, but that community is hyper-targeted in terms of attention span. • People are simply more inclined to pay attention to someone in their online community than they are to a pesky marketer trying to sell them something. • So, with that in mind, it's crucial that social marketers be part of the community by providing value. Content that is engaging, helpful or entertaining in some way is the key to success in starting a good social conversation.SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MELTWATER

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSOnline influencers are the Q: What do you hope to see less of going into a New Year?billboards of 2015 A: Less talk about 'this year being the year of mobile' and agencies/clients truly understanding the right handset to talk to the right audience. Less of Africa By Mike Sharman being referred to as a country. As we continue to target more consumers across the continent, we realise how diverse each state is. Africa is not an Mike Sharman is the owner of Retroviral Digital Communications, an individual so let's stop being arrogant/ignorant South Africans and make an online communications consultancy specialising in communication effort to dive into learning about the amazing cultures that populate this strategy, social media and content creation. continent filled with opportunities. @mikesharman | View profile Q: What do you hope to see more of in 2015?\"The kids play in dark marketing spaces.\" A: Continued investment in online video - with high production quality andInfluencer marketing, Africa and reaching the Millennials in the hidden, dark greater commitment to purchasing the media to support remarkable content.spaces they inhabit online, means brands need to enhance their cult status to Campaigns need to be seen and the only way this will happen is with mediawin over Generation Z. support.Q: Your most significant industry trends for 2015? Q: What advice do you have for your peers for the next year?A: Influencer marketing will continue to grow exponentially, globally; better A: Consider the sales funnel more and how you can continue to createvideo content, more South Africans are consuming video on the go; Millennial remarkable content that elicits emotion/consideration and develop themoola - the kids have more cash to burn, but they play in dark marketing rationale for consumers to purchase the product featured within the content.spaces - IM apps and closer knit groups. Penetrate the closed groups by Our job as marketers is to connect people with our brands. Let's be moreenhancing your cult status. awareness plus consideration plus commerce.Q: Your 'game changer' trend in 2014? Q: What would you like to tell your clients?A: Influencer marketing and the monetisation thereof. A game changer for A: Hold my hand and let's continue to create tomorrow what didn't existpreviously 'amateur' publishers, which now have the opportunity to today. Thank you for being more friend and less client.professionalise the passion through which they have built engagedcommunities. In this revolution of media... online influencers are the billboardsof 2015.SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS SPONSORED BY MELTWATER

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STRATEGY TRENDSTREND: Brand storytelling Source: Distilled.netOne of the biggest shifts in marketing communications recently has been the \"The best brands will not be those with fictional or made up stories, but thoseshift towards telling the authentic stories of brands and their consumers. that will give an accurate, real time picture of what they are doing forBrand storytelling is a result of a shift in consumer behaviour, driven by the consumers, at any given time,\" says Johanna McDowell, founder and managingtransparency of a socially connected world. director of Independent Agency Selection (IAS). Transparency has become theChanging consumer behaviour and improved data analytics is dictating most important tool in marketing today.strategic brand change, while at the same time, marketing fundamentals suchas using authentic consumer insights to build brand resonance through In her key trends piece, McDowell provides a smorgasbord of top trends forstorytelling, must be embraced by marketers in 2015, top brand and marketing the industry, including a new role for media agencies in the data race and thestrategists urge in exclusive opinion for Biz Trends 2015. need for \"agility marketing\" from marketers to manage that stream of data.In the insightful 2015 macro-trends report by FCB, published first by She urges marketers to engage in \"silo-busting\" and to simplify their internalBizcommunity.com, strategy director, David Smythe, is optimistic that despite structures in order to become those agile deities who know every move ofan economic downturn in South Africa, opportunities exist for brands on the their consumers before their consumers know it themselves!continent of Africa; and for those brands that are open to the rapid change inthe market, which includes transparency, authenticity and consumer The key take out for 2015 for expert contributor, Adene van der Walt,engagement - primarily through brand storytelling. executive strategy director of agency Ireland Davenport, is that brands need to deliver products that are up to date and innovative whilst remaining true toSTRATEGY TRENDS SPONSORED BY YELLOWWOOD

STRATEGY TRENDStheir brands' core values. Transparency, authentic consumer insights andemotional connections through campaigns, both earned and paid-for, willdrive brand resonance and value, in consumers' minds, she says.It is this emotional connection with consumers and a movement back to theorigin of things: craft skills; brands with a back story; authentic products; realfood with ethically sourced ingredients and packaging, that is driving theartisan trend of the maker movement. It is these inventors and creators whoare creating a new economy around the 'maker culture', predicts AlayneReesberg, CEO of the World Design Capital 2014: Cape Town. This deep need,particularly among the Millennial generation, is to \"live a more sustainablelife\" with purpose. Brands that tap into this zeitgeist have a future.Yegs Ramiah, responsible for group brand, corporate affairs, marketing andcommunications at Sanlam, says brands need to help consumers make betterchoices by focusing on the real issues consumers face, ahead of the bottomline and marketing plans. Coming from a financial institution, this is a distinctshift in thinking.Not to be missed in the Strategy trend category is one of Bizcommunity's mostpopular columnists for over a decade, strategy guru Sid Piemer, who tells theindustry to relax because \"no one will see the next big thing coming\". Even thecurrent big things, like Facebook and Twitter, started as something else beforeevolving into what they are today. That's the thing about the speed of changeand evolution of current business thinking and strategy - the only thing thatwill save you is your strategic thinking ability.*Trends curated by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of Biz Trends 2015.STRATEGY TRENDS SPONSORED BY YELLOWWOOD

STRATEGY TRENDSFCB's 20 macro trends for \"The relationship consumers are having now with brands has shifted2015 fundamentally. Brands that tell credible stories to the target market will be positioned better in the future, rather than brands that ram functional By David Smythe messaging down the consumers' throats. Storytelling is a very powerful way to David Smythe is strategy director of FCB Cape Town. get across brand messaging.\" View profile More brands will start playing in this space and this trend is expected to play\"Africa's consumer facing industries are expected to grow by more than $400 out over the next five years.billion by 2020.\"Brand storytelling, purpose-driven brand building and increasing choice are Purpose-driven brand buildingsome of the mega-trends for 2015 identified by FCB Cape Town's strategyteam in this exclusive presentation published on Bizcommunity.com first. Secondly, at the top of the marketing check list is purpose-driven brand building. \"What that links to is the fact that consumers expect brands to standFCB strategy director, David Smythe, told Bizcommunity.com that they spent up and hold a credible place in society,\" says Smythe.the last quarter of 2014, isolating 20 macro trends, which will shape 2015 andbeyond, in four key areas: Social; Economic; Tech; and Marketing. \"We have The sub-trends linked to that are:taken a fairly optimistic view and of the three most powerful that we havehighlighted, two of them play directly into the marketing space and one into • Consumers expect brands to sacrifice on their behalf, i.e., brandsthe tech space.\" stripping out ingredients; and sacrificing a portion of their profits to help causes. Millennials in particular are expecting brands to play in thisBrand storytellers and curators space. • Radical openness is another trend in this regard isolated by the FCBThe first one is the role brands play as engaging storytellers, qualifiers and strategy team. \"Brands are expected to be candid these days... aboutcurators, says Smythe. how they managed their supply chains, source ingredients, their suppliers. It is in the brand's best interests to be as open withSTRATEGY TRENDS SPONSORED BY YELLOWWOOD consumers as possible, IP and trademarks notwithstanding. Brands have a responsibility to build trust with their consumers,\" Smythe explains. • The pursuit of 'healthiness'. Helping consumers create healthier lifestyles is also linked to purpose-driven brand building.

Connectivity creates choice STRATEGY TRENDSThe third key trend highlighted by FCB falls into the tech space and it is all societal demand for sustainable energy solutions gathers momentum.about how connectivity opens up choice for consumers. 9. SOCIAL: The pursuit of healthiness. Consumers want products that aid their health and enable them to make smart, sustainable choices.\"It is a simple human truth: we are incredibly globalised and the world is a 10. MARKETING: The diminishing importance of brand heritage meansconnected space. There is an abundance of choice open to consumers and that international brands have to adopt a local flavour.they are really putting brands under the microscope before they make their 11. SOCIAL: Radical openness means consumers want to knowchoices.\" everything about the products they use and consume: ingredients, sourcing, manufacture, distribution. Smart organisations and brands willIn the presentation, titled \"The Road Ahead\", the 20 trends are listed as build bridges to their consumers rather than walls.follows for 2015 and beyond: 12. MARKETING: Brands as engaging storytellers, qualifiers and curators reflect a powerful trend. 1. SOCIAL: Connectivity opens up choices and consumers no longer go 13. MARKETING: Value and price justification means true innovation for brand name only when making their purchases. must hold real tangible value. 2. ECONOMIC: The rise of the African consumer - Africa's consumer- 14. SOCIAL: The ageing consumer - brands are ignoring the ageing facing industries are expected to grow by more than $400bn by 2020. consumer because perhaps marketing to them isn't 'sexy' enough, but Brands need to build locally relevant, quality products with strong value. they are extremely loyal consumers and the baby boomer generation 3. ECONOMIC: The continued rise of the East includes the development have an enormous amount of discretionary spend in some cases. of a rural middle class, which is fuelling consumer demand. 15. TECH: e-Listening. Brands need to invest in the right tools to track 4. TECH: Technology continues to define convenience as information what their customers are saying about them online. and knowledge impact on shoppers and online retail growth becomes a 16. TECH: Retail develops a sixth sense as data becomes a prominent prerequisite for transacting with consumers in the next two to five trend. Learning how to analyse it correctly produces endless years. possibilities. 5. SOCIAL: Guilt-free status/brand sacrifice: consumers are looking for 17. SOCIAL: Millennials 'push back' as the financial insecurity created by brands to make sacrifices for them so that they don't have to. the global recession creates scepticism towards brand marketing. 6. MARKETING: Community is increasingly the new trusted source and Brands need to collaborate with this generation to reach them. peer-based networks continue to exert influence on purchase decision- 18. MARKETING: Purpose driven brand building gives brands a bigger making. reason for being and it is what matters to consumers, fuelling deeper 7. SOCIAL: The rising creative class are influencers and problem-solvers connections between the consumer and their brands. and want their brands to focus on finding innovative solutions to global 19. MARKETING: Poly-cultural luxury sees the emergency of home- problems. grown luxury brands. 8. TECH: e-Mobility is a mega-trend that will gather momentum as 20. MARKETING: Neuromarketing comes of age as psychology and the science of the brain is used in analysing consumers and behaviouralSTRATEGY TRENDS SPONSORED BY YELLOWWOOD patterns.

STRATEGY TRENDSSmythe concludes: \"I think brands need to become far more focussed andclients need to become far more focussed. When times were good, brandswere able to employ enormous innovations, have brand programmes over theyear... now marketing budgets have shrunk; they need to do things properly,rather than stretching resources too thin.\"View the full presentation for further reference (pdf).STRATEGY TRENDS SPONSORED BY YELLOWWOOD

Empathic work that solves STRATEGY TRENDSproblems is critical traction. It centres around creative people turning their hobbies and By Alayne Reesberg talents into businesses, inventing things. 'Makers' and the maker economy spurred on by a more collaborative Millennial generation are Alayne Reesberg is the CEO of Cape Town Design, NPC - the predicted to assist the global economy in recovering after this implementing agency for the World Design Capital 2014. Reesberg recession. In Africa 'making' is a way of life, Reesberg points out, and followed a career in diplomacy and after a Master's degree in that in some ways, Africa was here first and is primed for 'maker Communication studies, moved into management consulting. She culture'. joined the Microsoft Corporation at its Seattle headquarters in 2001, where she worked for six years in Bill Gates' Enterprise Division. 3. Artisan food: The reinvention of craft products and services, skills @reesberg | View profile that were lost, is driven by a \"deep need to live a sustainable life\", Reesberg explains. Becoming a creator and inventor gives joy, releases\"Design needs to be human user-focused instead of policy-focused.\" one from the treadmill of consumerism. \"In a way it is a return and remembering of the past, honouring the memory of skills andThe future relies on the youth of today, creative people who can 'make', crafts relearning. I would argue that the way it also resonates so deeply, isfrom the past and a commitment to get involved and solve problems from the because politicians and governments are not going to solve problems,ground-up, predicts Alayne Reesberg, CEO of the World Design Capital 2014, we have to get on with it. Self reliance is a core frontier skill. This is aCape Town. frontier country.\"These are her trends for the coming year: 4. Urban equality: More people are now living in cities than rural areas and the younger citizens of cities are demanding better amenities: 1. Youth tsunami: Pay attention to the youth, says Reesberg, and find a public spaces, public amenities, etc. These new citizens want a quality of way to tap into the exceptional potential of more than half the life in urban centres, and are driving the need for affordable housing, population of South Africa, and Africa. \"Not empowering them in a transport, entertainment and crowdsourced events to tap into that paternalistic way, but meeting them where their needs are. This is need for an enhanced quality of life in the city. Generation Y or Why Not? They will challenge everything... look at Julius Malema. Get over yourself, they will dig us out of this hole we are in, 5. Urban greening: Parks, farming co-ops - where there is a patch of this global recession. This is a youth tsunami.\" green land: plant something. 2. Rise of the maker movement: The global maker movement is gaining 6. Cross-silo collaboration: Cross-silo collaboration is becoming a norm rather than an exception. \"We have an active and engaged citizenrySTRATEGY TRENDS SPONSORED BY YELLOWWOOD who are willing to show up. Citizens can voice their need and demand what they need. The World Design Capital created inspiration. 2014 for me has forever banished any kind of idea about Afro-pessimism. When

STRATEGY TRENDS you focus on something at the human level, it gives you perspective,\" Reesberg recounts. 7. The core of good design is empathy: Design needs to be human user- focused instead of policy-focussed. It restores a sense of agency when people can act effectively, locally. It is dangerous for politicians, as an engaged citizenry is critical, Reesberg reiterates. 8. Celebrating handmade, homemade: The texture, the care, the joy... \"For artists, instead of merely producing the way they do, they need to create less expensive, but affordable art.\" 9. Collaborations: The development of created curricula to train designers in terms of their problems solving capability, is going ahead in Cape Town, Reesberg says. \"It is a combination of developed market knowledge and expertise, technology transfer, using deep knowledge, but challenging global solutions with our frontier knowledge and needs.\" 10. Design as a problem-solving discipline: People need to move from an activism role to an implementation role. \"There is an urgency to resolve things definitively. Keep iterating on the ground and that will eventually impact up, on national government. At the Policy Design Conference last year, academic Hester du Plessis, asked the question: 'What if we took the National Development Plan and turned it into a set of design challenges?' What if, indeed.*Alayne Reesberg was interviewed by Louise Marsland, specialist editor of BizTrends 2015.STRATEGY TRENDS SPONSORED BY YELLOWWOOD