MarketingMix

M E A S U R A B L E M A R K E T I N G I N S I G H T S I Vol 27 Issue No. 5/6 I 2009 I R25.00 incl. vat

 [ contents ]

02 ed’s note 22 a new era in direct marketing by Rick Joubert, Vodacom

04 legislation update by Gary Simpson, DMASA
Gary looks at the pieces of legislation that will affect the
direct marketing industry.
06 the do-it-yourself corporate bailout kit by Dennis
Armbruster, LoyaltyOne Consulting
Dennis discusses how to fine-tune marketing plans during
uncertain times.
07 the skills dilemma by Debi Loftie-Eaton,
Wunderman
Debi discusses the challenges facing skills in the direct
marketing industry.
08 how to develop an effective data strategy for your
organisation by Marco Lopes, TransUnion
Marco looks at how to get the right segmentation models
from your database.
Rick explains how the introduction of smartphones, whilst a
disruption force, can also be a major opportunity for
marketing.
24 personalisation by Mark Angus, Innoviate
Mark describes how personalising digital media can
provide huge direct marketing benefits.
26 social media and the paradigm of one-to-one
selling by Alistair Fairweather, 24.com
Alistair explains how social media can be used in direct
marketing to influence buying behaviour.
28 tweeting yourself into an empty nest by Walter
Pike, AAA School
Walter investigates the impact of Twitter and how it can be
used for effective marketing.

10 the real challenge of direct marketing is measuring direct marketing case studies
effectiveness by Francesco Mariola, MBTS
Francesco explains why measuring the engagement of
29 sapo direct mail
direct marketing is key.

11 direct marketing and the youth by Nadine Sharp, 30 adidas/air miles

Personal Branding
Nadine looks at how the youth market is looking for 31 unilever/microsoft/sab
one-to-one marketing.
32 betterbond/sapo
12 creative elements by Nina Daniel-Gruber, Oscar
Tango Marketing
33 lexus/mweb/unilever
Nina looks at best creative practices in relationship
marketing.
34 mitsubishi/lexus
13 best practices for e-mail by Barbara Ulmi,
GraphicMail 35 revlon/saica
Barbara details how to get e-mail marketing right and
within the law. 36 gay marketing
How to market to the influential and often wealthy gay and
15 indirect direct – the new direct? by Andrew
Ambrogioni, Action Ambro’s lesbian audience.
Andrew looks at how indirect direct fits in with direct direct.
42 expert opinion: Dr Maria Dos Santos
16 loyal publishing by Bridget McCarney, New Media Maria explains how to going green can help reduce costs.
Publishing
Bridget looks at the relationship between customer 44 expert opinion: Richard Duncan
publishing and loyalty.
Richard looks at the phenomenal growth of small agencies
and consultancies that are staffed by experienced
17 interactive marketing summit
A reportback featuring comments from some of SA’s marketers and ad executives.
leading interactive thinkers.
46 expert opinion: Benon Czornij
18 location marketing by Vincent Maher, Vodacom In the final column from hello Computer, Benon looks at
Vincent explains how location advertising is the next the measurability of online.
frontier in marketing.
48 services seta
20 facing facebook by Ryan Silberman, Popimedia
Ryan looks at how Facebook can be implemented to great A comprehensive 16-page guide to the Services SETA and
success for one-to-one marketing. its offerings.

direct > 2009 1

 [ ed’s note ]

Direct marketing. An art and a science; creativity married to

measurement and driven by a focus on results. Direct marketing has
become more complex, thanks to interactive media (social networks,
blogs, mobile platforms, etc), that are allowing the brand to connect
with the consumer in new ways, and reach them where a direct mail
pack or an e-mail simply cannot venture.
The rules are changing too – legislation is making it tougher for
brands to get away with unethical practice, on the one hand. On
the other, consumers are demanding that brands respect their rights
and don’t overstep the boundaries of acceptable etiquette.
The Direct Casebook 2009 brings together the direct industry’s
thinkers and strategists, as well as a few new media experts, to drive
the focus to some of the platforms and media that are on offer, and
could be integrated into campaigns.
Some of these are not traditionally considered direct marketing
tools. But, if used in the right way, to speak to the right customer,
they can certainly go a long way to enhancing a campaign by
giving it the kind of multi-touch point consistency and presence that
can be so powerful.
What’s more, the case studies in the book allow SA’s agencies to
showcase campaigns that work. Thanks to our consulting editor,
Nici Stathacopoulos, for her assistance and smart thinking.
The Gay Marketing feature sheds light on a niche audience that Oops! In the March/April 09 issue, Marketing Mix quoted circulation
is valuable, and yet undervalued. The tips from the top are almost figures for the Top Print Performers. The figures for SA4x4 were
expected – get close to this market, understand it; the usual. But I incorrect: the figures for the corresponding previous period are actually
think what brands are missing is the pressure to do this, to actually 17 670 and not 107 329 as stated. Marketing Mix apologises for
develop a marketing strategy that addresses the gay and lesbian any confusion.
market. I think that as mass marketing recedes even further into
history, and niche markets come to the fore, so brands will have
to start recognising the power of this market (of any niche market,
in fact).
What the LGBT market also needs is real research data. In an
ideal world, census studies ask one important question to define the
sexuality of respondents, so that nationalised, independent and Workshop dates
consistent data becomes available. But until the research fraternity

can be convinced that there is a market in this niche, and until it CRM Masterclass: 18 June 2009

can get the funding to carry out such research, we’ll remain far Young Adult Communications Workshop: 24 June 2009

from that ideal world scenario. Don’t get me wrong: the existing 2nd Mobile Marketing Summit Joburg: 20-21 July 2009

research in this market is doing a fine job, but I still want to see 2nd Mobile Marketing Summit Cape Town 23 July 2009

niche markets becoming more prominent in marketing thinking. OTC Pharmaceutical Marketing Workshop: 12 August 2009

Maybe I’ll challenge the research gurus when I attend the SAMRA Digital Marketing Masterclass: 24-27 August and
conference! 4 September 2009

Happy reading!

proprietor and publisher:

editorial staff Systems Publishers (Pty) Ltd.
1st floor, North Block, Bradenham Hall, Rivonia
publisher: terry murphy
T e l : (011) 234 7008
consulting editor: nici stathacopoulos
managing editor: michelle sturman © 2009 Systems Publishers.
The opinions in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of
editor: fulvia becatti the publisher
advertising sales: lethabo tloubatla Printed by: ContiPrint

layout: spencer van graan

2 direct > 2009

 [ legislation ]

getting to grips
with legislation
By Gary Simpson, Direct Marketing Association of South Africa

This report covers the following aspects relative to legislative issues than
directly affect direct marketers:

 Laws (Acts and Bills) which affect direct marketers

 Consumer Protection Bill – an update
 Protection of Personal Information Bill – an update
 Database sub-committee report – an update
 Call Centre ‘Best Practice’ sub-committee report – an update
 The DMASA Code of Conduct.

Laws (acts and bills) that directly

affect direct marketers
The DMASA has identified 12 different Acts and Bills that directly affect
direct marketers. Recent press exposure highlights the obvious ones such
as the Promotion of Access to Information Act No. 2 of 2000, the
Electronic Communications and Transactions Act No. 25 of 2002, the
highly publicised National Credit Act No. 34 of 2005, the Consumer
Protection Bill and, finally, the Protection of Personal Information Bill.
But, this only equates to five pieces of legislation. The DMASA has
identified a further seven pieces of legislation it feels direct marketers
should be aware of. The purpose of this report is not to take you through
the content of all 12 pieces of legislation, but rather to highlight to you
that they do exist and that they have an impact on your business practices.

Consumer protection bill

The Consumer Protection Bill (CPB) was approved by Parliament on
3 October 2008 and was then forwarded to the Council of the Provinces for
its input and approval. It is currently on the desk of the President for signature.
The current status is that we are in the implementation stage which
includes the writing of the regulations in respect of the pending Act.
The time frame to complete this is 18 months after signature by the
President. It is acknowledged that the Department of Trade and Industry
(dti) fully intends to interact with business in this regard, for which
business and the industry is very grateful.
the DMASA has identified 12 different
Acts and Bills that directly affect
direct marketers.
The DMASA has a voice at Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and
we will work with its members on implementation and regulations. To
this end, a BUSA Consumer Protection Task Team has been appointed
that will workshop aspects of the overall strategy on engagement with
the dti, prioritisation of areas requiring regulations, allocation of work
and engagement with the Department of Environmental Affairs &
Tourism (DEAT) on waste provisions.
One of the action plans identified by the BUSA committee is to
circulate the DMASA Code to the full BUSA task team. In general,
the DMASA Code is in line with the legislation but consumer issues
are scattered throughout the Code at present. The dti has a copy of
our Code and we are working together so that in the interim, it could
use our Code as a guideline in dealing with consumer queries and
complaints.
Protection of personal information bill
The fifth draft of the Bill was adopted by the South African Law
Commission (SALC) and submitted to the Minister in February, who will
look at it after the elections and decide when to send it to Cabinet. The

4 direct > 2009


State Law Advisor will then check the draft to ensure that it complies
with the Constitution principles. This is then followed by the
Parliamentary process (dates still undetermined) with public hearings
before the National and Provincial Assemblies Portfolio Committees.
We are not sure when this process will be complete and ready for
signature by the President.
It will then take some time before the start of its implementation,
because like the Consumer Protection Bill/Act, regulations need to be
drafted and the establishment of a National Information Regulator’s
office and other support structures need to be put in place. Accordingly,
there is time for the industry to familiarise itself with the legislation and
begin getting its house in order.
The main aim of the Protection of Personal Information Bill (PPI) is to
give effect to the constitutional right to privacy, to regulate the manner
of processing personal information and to fall in line with international
(mainly EU) standards for trans-border data flows.
Opt-out versus opt-in
As it stands now, the Bill has an ‘Opt-Out’ rule surrounding telephonic
communication (not automatic diallers) but an ‘Opt-In’ ruling with other
means of electronic contact (SMS, e-mail, fax, etc). But, this is not yet
cast in concrete – things can still change given the process that must
still be followed. Possible new clauses for the PPI include new sections
on unsolicited electronic communications and automated decision also
to be included in the ECT Act, but wider and only Opt-In; the collection
of children’s information; security safeguards become more critical in
this age of identity theft, compromise of databases and websites
(regulations); directories and trans-border information flow.
Database sub-committee
The DMASA has established a sub-committee under the Legislative
Portfolio which is writing a Code for the regulation of list owners.
among other things. This Code is included in the DMASA Main Code
under section 10.6
Basically, list owners must only rent or transfer their lists where they
have a contractual guarantee that list users will abide by the relevant
privacy laws in South Africa.
Further, list owners should adopt a list of rental and data transfer
policies that limit rental of the information only to organisations that
agree to comply with Sections 10.3 and 10.4 of the DMASA Main
Code (the DMASA Do Not Contact List and Opt-Out facilities).
The following seven principles apply:
 A list owner/broker should be able to provide a source of all data
that is provided by the list owner
 A list owner/broker must prove that the data has been de-duped
against the National Opt-Out Register as provided by the DMASA
Further, the list owner must also have internal ‘do not contact’ data
 The list owner/broker must prove that the data is stored securely
and that it cannot be removed from site by unauthorised personnel
 The list owner/broker must have comprehensive audit tools that
trace the usage of the data. All data must have date stamps for all
processing/update etc on each record
 The list owners/brokers must have a client service platform to deal
with consumer queries within a stipulated time
[ legislation ]
the main aim of the Protection of
Personal Information Bill (PPI) is to
give effect to the constitutional right to
privacy, to regulate the manner of
processing personal information and to
fall in line with international (mainly EU)
standards for trans-border data flows.
 All data must be supplied with a service contract that stipulates all
of the above
 All list owners/brokers must sign a commitment to adhere to all
legislative frameworks as stipulated in the CPB, PPI and general law
in RSA.
Members of the DMASA who do not currently comply with the above
principles should submit a time frame to the Association committing to
rectifying the situation. Once the legislation is finalised the DMASA will
draft guidelines for the implementation of these principles, including
Consent Marketing and Opt-Out Guidelines.
Writing the rules is only one element, policing is a very different issue
and the DMASA realises that rules without policing is not self-regulation.
Accordingly, the DMASA is workshopping the policing and enforcement
aspect in great depth and a prototype code inviting your input will be
made public shortly.
Call centre ‘best practice’ and code of
ethics
Like the above-mentioned sub-committee, a further committee has
been established to address Call Centre Best Practice and Ethical
Behaviour – if we don’t regulate ourselves, we cannot complain when
government steps in with new regulations. The ball is in our court now!
The signing into law of the PPI could arguably see an influx of companies
establishing their call centres in South Africa given language, cost and
time line benefits. Accordingly, the committee, under the chairmanship
of Andy Quinan, is well advanced in the drafting of these guidelines
and they will be made available to members for comment in the near
future. The point of departure of these guidelines emanates from those
principles written into law in both the UK and Australia, and adapted to
South African conditions.
The DMASA code of conduct
This Code is a ‘living and working’ document. It includes all existing
legislation (Acts) and already incorporates the requirements of draft
legislation such as the CPB and the PPI. A copy of the Code is
available to members of the DMASA on request.
Report by Gary Simpson, chairman of the Legislative
Sub Committee of the Direct Marketing Association of
South Africa (DMASA)
direct > 2009 5
 [ loyalty ]
the do-it-yourself
corporate bailout kit
Like it or not, we’re living in a do-it-yourself world.
Empowered by a bottomless pit of digital information, anyone can
find the know-how to bypass a professional and save money with just a
little elbow grease. Sweat equity, I think they call it.
The latest tax software allows me to prepare my annual returns in my
underwear. A little advice from the home and garden station on TV and
I’m adding on to my back deck. What better time than a recession to
embrace this money-saving, go-it-alone philosophy?
While Washington saves the day for Wall Street and Detroit, millions
of other companies must face the bleak economy without superhero
assistance. Now that the US has officially entered a recession,
cost-conscious companies are bound to be scrounging budgets for
spare change.
The tendency to take a hatchet to your marketing budget may be a
knee-jerk reaction that could leave a company suffering when it should be
on the favourable side of an upswing. Rather than furious cuts, companies
should be fine-tuning their marketing plans for maximum efficiency.
The following strategies provide a blueprint for marketers to operate
during uncertain financial times while making an investment in the next
economic comeback.
Move from mass to targeted
It’s no secret that during a recession every division will most likely be
asked to tighten its belt. The scenario presents an opportunity for
marketers to invest more in their best customers. We know that regularly,
20 per cent of a company’s customers represent 80 per cent of total
sales. Any significant fallout with this core group could mean a serious
hit to total sales volume.
Marketers should allocate dollars to target their best offers and
communications to their most loyal customers. Too often, mass marketing
efforts are catch-alls that ignore the groups that are familiar with your
company. It’s the ‘bread-and-butter’ customers that need a reminder of
how much they enjoy your product to motivate a buy. You’ll need to
make some hard decisions – like shifting focus (and dollars) from the
more costly goal of activating new customers. But a down payment on
your most frequent shoppers is the best bet to keep the register ringing.
Leverage your loyalty programme
Your loyalty programme is already an established communication line
between your business and your best customers. What better time than
in a down economy to remind consumers of your value proposition
with a casual ‘we’re still here’ poke? Use customer data to extend
relevant offers that your customers cannot refuse. And sweeten the pot
with soft benefits that are relatively inexpensive to offer but make a wary
consumer feel like they’re being pampered.
6 direct > 2009
by Dennis Armbruster, LoyaltyOne Consulting
Detect early warning signs
When it comes to an economic recession, those that are last to know
(or last to accept) are usually left out in the cold. Changes in customer
purchase velocity are the first signs of trouble. If a customer’s buying
trends lessen as the months go by, your customer retention alarms
should be sounding. An event-triggered e-mail with a relevant offer is
the ideal tactic to get a valued customer back in the store when their
interest appears to wane.
Be warm. Not fuzzy
It’s important when marketing in a recession to know which battles to
pick. For example, it’s fine to know that being green is a hot topic – but
the only green that weathered consumers want to hear about is the
extra money they can save.
Now is the time to combine a message of value with an empathetic
payoff, all while staying true to your brand. Let the customer know that
you understand their plight and your company is in their corner. You
may need to temporarily abandon that cutting-edge green campaign,
but the consumer will reward you when they know that your focus is
firmly on them.
OPM is a good thing
OPM – or partnering your marketing spend with Other People’s Money
– can be an effective way for suffering companies to join forces and
combat sagging ROI. Pooling marketing dollars with logical allies to
create relevant offers is an oft-overlooked way to cut costs while not
reducing overall visibility.
OPM not only benefits your company or the partner, it’s also a win
for the consumer. Often retailer-manufacturer partnerships will yield
double rewards, bonus points and overall extended value.
Dennis Armbruster, managing partner, LoyaltyOne
Consulting and COLLOQUY contributing editor
darmbruster@loyalty.com

the skills dilemma of the
direct marketing industry
There’s a state of irony in SA’s direct marketing industry. While it’s a
growing multibillion rand business, it faces a skills crisis, which the
Services SETA identified in 2006 as ‘one of the key occupational areas
that could hinder future economic growth’.
The Direct Marketing Association of SA (DMASA) has focused on
fostering new talent in the industry over the past two years by attracting
competent youngsters to learn from some of the country’s top direct
marketers. That said, in 2008 the Services SETA’s national scarce skills
list showed a shortage of marketing professionals.
So, what’s the problem?
Well, historically the direct marketing (DM) sector has been
monopolised by the direct mail business, which offered limited usage
of through-the-line channels. This affirmed the idea that DM was all
about junk mail.
There’s a general perception that although direct marketers may be
the ‘brains’ of the advertising industry working on communications that
work (results driven), they’re also seen to lack creativity and the
perceived glamour and sexy environment that the world of brand
positioning and TV advertising offers.
What’s more, if talented youngsters are intrigued enough to explore
DM as a career choice, the option of entering blue-chip corporates is
far more appealing than the idea of working at a small to medium
sized marketing services agency.
It’s all based on perceptions and a need for industry promotion.
While interviewing DMASA selected candidates for internships at our
agency, we realised that youngsters are not aware of the opportunities
that exist in this industry. It wasn’t until we shared our brand story and
scope of work, that they even considered working within a DM agency.
The flip side of the skills shortage is that it’s resulted in a culture of
strong competition for those who have DM skills under their belt.
Skilled direct marketers are highly sought after and hard to find. Those
who have joined the industry recently and mastered basic entry-level
DM skills soon realise their value and tend to get their CVs out to
move and grow their income. So the juggle between cost of staff and
specialist skills becomes an ongoing balancing act for agencies.
while interviewing DMASA selected
candidates for internships at our
agency, we realised that youngsters
are not aware of the opportunities
that exist in this industry.
[ skills ]
by Debi Loftie-Eaton, Wunderman
Inevitable staff churn impacts on the longevity of client relationships
and the understanding of business issues, while the cost to manage and
service accounts can spiral. The HR aspect in DM agencies is not an
enviable task as the retention of great resources takes on a whole new
meaning.
Now more than ever, the industry needs to change mindsets with a
good helping of creativity and strategic insights.
Solutions to this industry issue are being tackled head on by the
DMASA, which launched an intern programme in 2008 and continued
this year with even more innovative initiatives for marketing graduates.
DM is one of the fastest-growing marketing disciplines. We need a
collaborative industry effort to promote the value our direct marketing
techniques offer the marketing mix. We should also dispel any myths
about our industry, especially the one about being the poor cousin. The
responsibility also rests with all DM service providers to be true to the
promise of our business.
DM…
 Is not dull, boring, formulae-driven communications
 Is an exciting, creative, insightful, industry that generates results and
builds brands Embraces leading-edge technology like digital that is
growing at a phenomenal speed
 Is a highly professional industry where we understand the issues that
drive business, which enables us to develop strategic, data-driven
insightful, conceptually strong campaigns that deliver results
Only by working together can we build and catalyse the changes that
will ensure our industry continues to grow and play a key role in the
sustainable economy of the future.
Debi Loftie-Eaton, MD, Wunderman
debi_loftie_eaton@za.wunderman.com
direct > 2009 7
 [ customer intelligence ]

how to develop an
effective
data strategy
for your
organisation
by Marco Lopes, TransUnion

Why is it that concepts like CRM and marketing databases work really
well when conceptualised in a boardroom or on a piece of paper, yet
when it comes to execution many of us fall flat despite securing an
army of binary code we call data?
Part of the problem is not knowing specifically what we want to
achieve with a database or how we will acquire and maintain the
information. Just like managing marketing spend on shoestring budgets,
we need to step back to the basics to determine our strategy and prioritise
which areas of the database will be most important.

why is data important?

Ultimately, you want to collect customer data that tells a story about
your prospects and customers that empowers you to interact, engage
and transact with them. Knowing more about these people isn’t just a
marketing ‘nice to-have’ – it’s an objective that underpins the successful
functioning of a marketing strategy.
The following are key issues to consider when developing an
effective data strategy for your organisation.
gathering data
Many companies don’t take a long-term view of a database. Some buy
a database outright; for others, the first point of customer contact is the
only view stored in database. Many companies are now discovering
how to leverage customer touchpoints as ways to enrich and update
data – for example, having call centre agents ask customers to confirm
contact details. Far too often, policies like this aren’t successfully
implemented because a) the company hasn’t got a clear strategy with
respect to data enrichment, and b) call centre agents are often
compensated/measured by revenue, which undermines the perceived
value of data in the organisation.
a database can be a valuable
In building a data strategy or reaffirming current policies and procedures,
there are some simple questions to ask:
 What data do you need?
 Where can you get it?
 How often?
 How will you get it?
 What will you do with it?
Simply having a database and collecting information on customers
and prospects will not automatically yield dividends. These activities
must be defined by and directed toward a measurable purpose.
security
This is one of the biggest risks in database management. Simply put, it
comes down to securing two elements – storage and transfer. Many
companies have extensive security for data storage, but the more
typical area for theft and fraud to occur is in data transfer. To address
this, begin by identifying ALL data transfer points and how it is transferred.
When you know the scope of potential exposure, implementing security
measures to limit access and creating encryption processes will be
much easier and more effective.

asset, and policies for collecting, “Do you expect me to talk?”

maintaining and adding to this (the need for good analysis)
Fred Menger once said, “If you torture data sufficiently, it will confess to
resource should reflect this almost anything.” Despite technological advancements, one of the
importance. biggest obstacles to extracting value out of data is that often its potential

8 direct > 2009


isn’t understood. Analytics is key to getting the full potential out of your
data and enabling the database to begin paying for itself.
Analytics should NEVER be limited to giving averages and
headcounts of gender and age. Applied correctly, analytics allow you
to look deeper, refine segments and identify clues to the most efficient
ways to reach each group, what to say to them, even the designs and
imagery that may resonate most powerfully.
treating different people differently –
segmentation of your data
Consider for example that you have a view of affordability on your
database (for example, incomes of your customers) and customer
value (for example, their spend to date). Taking these two variables
together allows you to build a matrix like the one below where you can
refine segments and vary your marketing activity for greater effect.
For example, if you have customers with good affordability and
good historical value – keep them spending at current levels! On the
other hand, customers who have good affordability but a poor historical
spend represent a clear opportunity for revenue growth, especially in
economic conditions where new customers are hard to come by. In too
many cases such differences are NOT taken into account, with a single
‘generic’ marketing campaign targeted to all customers. The result is
far too familiar – the campaign tries to be everything to everyone, and
ends up achieving less than the desired results.
Segmentation allows an organisation to ‘thank’ customers who
spend well and reward them for their loyalty, creating potential
ambassadors for the brand in the process. For those customers who
have NOT spent so well, segmentation can assist to highlight them,
empowering campaigns to incentivise them to increase spend.
knowledge is power – if you apply it
strategically
The example above is very basic in terms of segmentation, but far too
few marketers apply even this approach in their direct marketing and
CRM strategies. It’s one thing to know that there is a portion of your
base that represents your top 20 per cent of customers. It’s quite
another to market differently to them because of it. If we, as marketers,
expect the data to ‘talk to us’, we really need to be prepared to listen.
For example, even if we are multi-lingual, we may have a language
preference. Why then, do so many marketers insist on using English to
audiences who prefer Afrikaans, Zulu or another language? It may cost
more to create a marketing piece in different languages, but what if
accommodating the various languages preferred by your customers
[ customer intelligence ]
improves ROI? In times like these, the answers to this type of question
will distinguish the marketers who survive from those who do not
achieve positive results.
if you can’t measure it, you can’t
manage it
Integral to the process of database management is learning from new
data. Databases and related technology have to be pliable enough to
record changes and take them into account for future campaigns. The
key is to track response rates for all campaigns. With each new effort
take a segment of previous non-responders and try something different
– maybe a competition, or a discount to incentivise spend, possibly a
different creative execution, or even a different medium altogether (for
example, direct mail vs. SMS). Tracking these results and trying new
things each time is important because it identifies alternatives that can
serve you like aces in the hand when times are tough.
privacy – do you know your customers
too well?
In all of this, a common thread of responsibility is woven. Customer
information is very useful and powerful, especially when you have
secured permission to use the data or contact the customer for marketing
purposes. However, a fine line does exist, amplified by various concerns
about privacy and human rights, which serve as the impetus for the
Consumer Protection Act and the pending Protection of Personal
Information bill.
One acid test (apart from legal reviews) to find out if you possibly
have too much information is to come back to the purpose for which it
is used. For example, for a marketer of baby products a list of new
mothers links directly to the business activity. But for a marketer of
running shoes such a list is not completely useful or appropriate.
There are already significant trends of ‘green marketing’ around the
globe, driven by consumer rights, and environmental concerns being
highlighted in media such as Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth. In
database marketing and CRM, the key ethical measure will be where
we draw the line. After all, privacy is one of our basic fundamental
rights, and the next few years will determine more rules of engagement
about which data has freedom of ‘marketing’ expression.
what does your data have to say?
A database can be a valuable asset, and policies for collecting,
maintaining and adding to this resource should reflect this importance.
By applying sound strategies for analysis, segmentation and testing,
your data can reveal truths about your customers, prospects and market
that can increase loyalty, spend and profitability.
Marco Lopes, product manager, TransUnion
mlopes@transunion.co.za
direct > 2009 9
 [ measuring engagement ]
the real
challenge of
direct marketing
is measuring
effectiveness
by Francesco Mariola, MBTS
Direct marketing has not received the respect is deserves. Many
perceive the medium to be the ‘poor cousin’ of marketing. However
you see it, this medium like any other, has a lot to offer.
Today, direct marketing encompasses print as well as online and
mobile media, to mention a few. To engage directly means just that –
one-on-one communication with your target market. No matter which
direct marketing option you choose, any major retailer, or other
business wants to know a) what it is going to cost and b) what return is
it going to get.
So including direct marketing in the media schedule is a good place
to start but marketers need to work closely with their agencies to
determine which areas are going to be targeted, who lives there and
will they be in the market to buy what it is you’re selling? Importantly,
every bit of communication should be tracked and its effectiveness
assessed to validate its future existence.
To measure any type of marketing activity involves tracking resultant
sales data against initial input. But more than this, marketers need to know
exactly where their money is going and not accept ‘we’re covering the
whole of Gauteng’ or ‘we’ve got about a million SMSes going out to
the mass market – it’s going to be brilliant!’ – not very scientific.
Let’s say a retailer is spending R500 000 on a direct marketing
mobile campaign, another R500 000 on pamphlet distribution and
R300 000 online for one month. The retailer will determine, together
with its agency, which areas the print portion will cover – that’s easy
because retailers can define by suburb the catchment areas it wants to
target, down to which streets the pamphlets will be distributed in,
the future of direct marketing and
indeed, the famed words ‘return on
investment’, need not just be thrown
around the boardroom but actually
put into action, cause and effect.
Ultimately, if you’re going to spend it,
track it!
10 direct > 2009
therefore the ‘where’ can be measured but still the ‘what happened’ is
left unanswered.
Mobile and online are very different. While cellular operators are
able to provide loads of cellphone numbers for any direct marketing
campaign, with the premise of knowing the demographics of the
people receiving the retailer’s SMSes, how do you measure the sales
resulting from that mobile platform? How many people went to that
specific retailer and bought the promoted offer?
Similarly, online can measure the amount of clicks per page, per ad,
number of unique visitors and where they surfed, but what does that
mean for the same retailer who simply wants to move product off
shelves? What if there have been many click throughs but no sales or
how many actual sales have been generated off the click throughs as
opposed to mobile and pamphlets?
Measuring direct marketing campaigns, and any communication
platform for that matter, has its challenges; however, the benefits are
enormous as it allows marketers to spend wisely and minimise wastage.
Another factor to consider is the choice of media used for each campaign.
While the same retailer may have spent over R1 million in one month,
next month it may cost a great deal more to move the exact same
number of products perhaps because a completely different media mix
may have been used. Different media mixes provide different results – that’s
a fact. Also, increasing or decreasing budget spend will impact results.
While a contentious issue, measuring engagement and all
communication spend, is crucial throughout the year and a company’s
existence, not just in times of financial strain.
I am amazed at the amount of data retailers and marketers have at
their disposal and how little it is being used. Instead, I propose using a
tracking system which by inputting communication spend and overlaying
actual sales data, on a day-to-day basis is able to effectively assess
what is working and what is not by product, category, area, outlet, even
media used by comparing results against actual delivery.
The future of direct marketing and indeed, the famed words ‘return
on investment’, need not just be thrown around the boardroom but
actually put into action, cause and effect. Ultimately, if you’re going to
spend it, track it!
Francesco Mariola, CEO, Media and Business Tracking Solution
(MBTS)
franscesco@mbts1.com
 [ youth ]

how do we talk to the

next generation? by Nadine Sharp, Personal Branding

When last did you try to get into the heads of the next generation?
I did a small study of my own with my two teenagers and their
friends, 16-18 year olds.
I asked them some simple questions…
Q: Why use MXit and not just pick up the phone and call your
friends, mommy and daddy pay anyway?
A: On MXit I can talk to at least seven to 10 people at once.
Q: What is your e-mail address?
A: Which one? I have one for spam which you can have with
pleasure but if I give you my other one you must promise not to
send me rubbish.
Q: What keeps you interested in a website?
A: It must load within 10 seconds or it has no chance, it must give
me free stuff and be updated all the time, dude…
Q: What cellphones do your friends have?
A: Nothing short of the latest technology, the kind we get and need
to ask them how to use it.
Q: Where do you and your friends buy their software and games?
A: DUH! No need to buy, my friend has a friend who has a nine-
year-old brother who can get anything we want. our beloved youngsters and future shapers of the world.
This is very scary for the future of marketing. These are the guys The power of simply putting someone’s name on a media is
who will be paying our salaries in the not-too-distant future. mind-blowing. Take the example of a grocer store that launched a
The biggest revelation I had with this little practice was that they new store and sent out a mailing to potential customers to come to
all feel if we can target them individually, we have more chance of the new store and receive a sandwich with their name on it. The
getting through to them. Get to know them on a one-to-one basis. store ran out of sandwiches within two hours.
Cross-media and multichannel marketing will target all the human Think about it, what is the big fuss about Facebook and social
senses: sight through powerful creative, sound from mobile marketing? People want to tell others something about themselves.
and Internet applications; smell, touch and taste from print They want to tell us how they are feeling, what they like and dislike,
and sampling. WHO THEY ARE.
This is where direct marketing will play a big role for these future Why are we not listening and making use of it? We should be
brainiacs. While it’s easy enough to talk to them on various forms listening to find out what makes them tick, where they live, how old
of media – social being the strongest at the moment (MXit, they are, their previous buying habits, etc so we know how to make
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, delicious etc) – the most important our message relevant to them.
factor is to be relevant and ever changing. Say what they want to They want personalised and relevant one-to-one communications
hear and how your product will increase their status in life. via the channels that they use: e-mail, SMS, personalised URLs on
We feel we don’t have enough time in the day now, imagine how personalised websites (PURLs), mobisites.
much worse it will get? I believe mobile is very powerful, the So how do you do it? Can we even do this in SA? The answer is
cellphone is the one thing youngsters will never leave behind. It yes and it is not too difficult. I’m already doing it – and it works! –
sleeps with them, showers with them and even the schools are I’m using a local supplier to run multichannel, one-to-one,
giving up on trying to control it. measurable and interactive communication. The results speak for
I don’t think this generation is out of control; we’re simply trying themselves – higher response rates and tracking of who has read
to communicate with them in the traditional way. my e-mail, what links they clicked on. In other words, I can now see
Think about mediums such as a web page with a teenager’s who is interested in my messaging and what they were interested
name on it, it will ensure they pay attention for much longer than in. When was the last time a TV or print ad was able to give you
before. Or a printed piece with their name on will at least be shown that information?
to friends. All of the combined mediums of highly personalised Nadine Sharp, Personal Branding
direct will dramatically increase the chances of getting through to nadine@pixelpainter.co.za

direct > 2009 11

 [ creative elements ]
best creative
practice in the world
of relationship
marketing
Nina Daniel-Gruber, Oscar Tango Marketing
Many moons ago, a famous someone or other had this to say,
“Nothing is as dangerous as an idea, if it’s the only one you’ve
got.” Fair enough, but when we’re talking about best creative
practice for relationship marketing, a single, strong concept will
always ensure sunny skies in Customerville.
Relationship marketing has the following phases at its core –
customer acquisition, retention and extension. Get the customer to
make their first purchase, let them buy for a second time and,
finally, get them to make regular purchases. This is asking a great
deal of Mr or Ms Does-This-Have-My-Name-On-It. What happens
in the studio to ensure the sound of ringing cash registers?
The consumer should be at the heart of everything we do.
Engage them, absorb them, allure them, arrest them, bewitch them,
captivate them – call it what you may. It’s got to be done. Add to
this a good dollop of visual language that speaks to the target
market, makes them think and appeals to their intellect. Stay within
the brand’s identity, be it the font or the general tone that is created.
Talent is one thing, but it cannot flourish without the study of
human behaviour. Good ideas marinate in everyday life… and how
you expose them. Take your idea and develop it into something far
better than you originally thought it would be. The conversation that
you overheard between the cashier and the packer about die
naweek se karaoke in die Heideveld Inn, might just set off a thinking
process for Job Bag 3356. Never underestimate it. If you believe in
your idea, fight for it. If it’s good and it connects with people, then
speak in the mic.
12 direct > 2009
are you branding or do you want to
elicit a direct response? Sift through
all the ingredients, and then set to
work. Most of all, enjoy. It’s with
good reason that relationship-
marketing agencies allow ample
shelf space for coffee and sugar.
Also, next time someone knocks any initial idea uttered during a
brainstorming session, chase them from the building with a pack of
salivating hyenas at their heels. What seems like a mad idea might
just be the spark that leads to The One – this idea development is
known as ‘teasing the afro’.
It is not the entire story of relationship marketing, but it needs to
be effective, speedy and focus on the needs of customers. If you
want to tell your life story in the e-mail’s subject line, think twice.
Use a maximum of 60 characters or even better, write the subject
line and e-mail it to yourself. Just imagine if the bard’s famous one-
liner read as, “To be or not to be, that is the…” Infuriating or what!
Thank you very much, off it goes to the trash folder – trendy design,
unbelievable competition, welcome pack and all.
As for the actual content, less is more. If you’re asking them to
scroll down, you’re asking too much of the reader. Make it concise
and make it directional. There’s a very good reason why the word
‘spam’ rhymes with ‘damn’. Customers are sighing ever heavier
sighs when it comes to the content of their inboxes. You’re competing
with the e-mail concerning salary reviews or gossip from a best
friend trekking in Kathmandu.
Should you go the route of print communication, keep the following
in mind – inspirational writing and world-class design. End of story.
If you’re going to ramble on to fill up spaces, rather head for politics.
You’re competing with top-class printing executions. Anything less
and your sweat and toil lands up at the bottom of the birdcage.
Worst of all, you devalue your brand. What paper do you choose to
print on? Beware of paper show-through – it’s the equivalent of a
petticoat sticking out. Chew the ear off your print, production and
repro manager. You’re a team. They are there to help you produce
a masterpiece – nothing less.
It is said that the best relationships – friendship or, in this case,
relationship marketing – tend to be those where you can say
anything to the other person, but you don’t say everything. Are you
branding or do you want to elicit a direct response? Sift through all
the ingredients, and then set to work. Most of all, enjoy. It’s with
good reason that relationship-marketing agencies allow ample shelf
space for coffee and sugar.
Nina Daniel-Gruber creative director, Oscar Tango
Marketing in Cape Town
nina@oscartango.co.za

best
practices for
e-mail acquisition
by Barbara Ulmi, GraphicMail
‘Aesop once penned a story about a boy and a jar of nuts. With so
many nuts so tantalisingly close, the boy cried tears of frustration as
his fat and full fist remained stuck in the jar. So it is sometimes with
e-mail marketing. If only we could send more e-mails to more
addresses. But the permission jar has a narrow neck. If we get too
greedy, we end up with nothing.’ – Mark Brownlow, Aesop and
email marketing denial: an essay, Oct 16 2007.
(www.email-marketing-reports.com/iland/2007/10/aesop-and-
email-marketing-denial-essay.html)
Acquiring e-mail addresses is probably not Greek to you, but do
you know the art of proper acquisition? Acquiring quality opt-in
addresses is key to your e-mail marketing campaign in order to
build a list of recipients to whom your e-mail marketing is of value.
Opt-out proponents will counter this by saying that opt-out is fine as
long as their e-mails to those folk are relevant. However, these
marketers often suffer from misplaced self-estimation – they are
convinced that their product or service is so good that people would
be grateful to hear about it. The reality is, that on a scale of 1 to
10, the sender thinks his opt-out e-mail scores a 9, the recipient
thinks its closer to 2, and the recipient’s ISP most likely places the
value at just above 0. Basically, opt-in is offering friends strawberry
tart at the dinner table and those who put their hand up get it, like
it and might even want more. Opt-out is picking out friends on the
basis that they eat food and then forcing them to eat strawberry tart.
So what is best practice for e-mail
acquisition?
Firstly, it is important to have a working knowledge of international
spam laws. Spamming can be equalled to theft because if someone
receives e-mail that they did not sign up for, their e-mail address
in South Africa, it is crucial to give
the recipient the option of cancelling
their subscription to your mailing list
and for you to indicate how you
obtained their personal information,
on their request.
[ e-mail best practices ]
has effectively been stolen. Keep in mind that complaints from over-
seas subscribers are filtered through to local ISPs because their
‘upstream’ providers are obliged to comply with international laws.
At the same time, adhering to local e-mail marketing legislation is
crucial as it helps you to maintain your credibility.
In South Africa, it is crucial to give the recipient the option of
cancelling their subscription to your mailing list and for you to
indicate how you obtained their personal information, on their
request. Remember that nobody gives away their e-mail address
lightly as it has become some sort of a modern personal attribute.
Secondly, create your own, clean house list. There is no point in
creating an amazing e-mail campaign and having no one to send it
to. Start building your database by creating a sign-up form and start
pointing people to it. You might even think of offering an incentive,
prize or loyalty points if customers refer friends to you. In this case, opt
for a double-opt in (DOI) sign-up process or at least a confirmed opt-in
(COI). DOI minimises bad addresses and malicious subscriptions
and also helps to ensure that those referred friends really do want to
receive your e-mails.
DOI and COI help with deliverability and by applying these
processes you pretty much avoid your e-mail practices running foul
of an ISP. You might want to consider adding a link to your sign-up
form in the e-mail signature of everyone in your company, printed at
the bottom of your invoices, or post it to your blog; and why not
collect e-mail addresses over the phone when clients call you?
Thirdly, optimise your opt-in process. In your sign-up form,
provide a clear link to your privacy policy with links to past newsletters
or eflyers. Make sure you have a thank you page or pop-up when
new users subscribe. Welcome them, and tell them where to go for
direct > 2009 13
 [ e-mail best practices ]
the latest release or when to expect their first e-mail, newsletter or
flyer. For double opt in, provide them with the link on which to click
to confirm their subscription. Once confirmed, take them to a
confirmation page where you might want to include an incentive
such as a white paper, promotional code or gadgets to download.
Top six things to avoid when acquiring e-mail addresses
1 – avoid using an opt-out process
While financial pressure encourages more marketers to send bulk
e-mail to those who didn’t sign up to them, these e-mails are usually
neither relevant nor valuable to the recipients. A bigger list doesn’t
necessarily mean a better list. Problems caused by the opt-out
process are not immediate or obvious but can have a long-term
negative effect on your brand and future deliverability. People who
receive e-mails they have not voluntarily opted for may not directly
complain to you, but they’ll complain to their ISP or their social
network. Twitter and Facebook are great platforms on which such
complaints can be posted and you need a pretty strong and fast
reacting PR strategy if you want to iron out propaganda.
2 – avoid purchasing e-mail lists
Sending unsolicited e-mail messages is a big mistake. Lists might
have been gathered during market research, from financial
institutions or even scraped from websites by automated crawlers.
All you will get is a lot of spam reports which damage your
reputation both with ISPs and potential clients. E-mail campaigns
are about ongoing relationships over more than one campaign, so
take the time to build a good list.
3 – avoid using e-mail appends
You can easily get bad data on your recipients if the information
doesn’t come straight from the owner’s e-mail address. If you collect
e-mail addresses through e-mail appends, you can land up with
addresses and data that actually belong to other people, and not
your customers. An e-mail append means to merge a database of
customer information that contains everything but their e-mail
addresses with a third party’s database of e-mail addresses in an
attempt to match the e-mail addresses with the information in the
initial database. Even if you don’t use e-mail append and think that
you have a lot of usable data on your customers, never presume
that you have accurate knowledge of what your customers are really
interested in – their likes and dislikes, and geographical destinations;
their life situations do change just like yours. Don’t presume that if
someone’s female, they want to get mails on beauty products. Once
again, it is safest to go with an opt-in strategy, as opt-out just leaves
you with cues and clues that are based solely on speculation.
4 – avoid neglecting inactive addresses
Once you have built your house list and have started sending e-mail
marketing campaigns, track your sends to see if there are any
recipients that haven’t purchased, opened or clicked on an e-mail in
a long time. What you consider a long time depends on the nature
of your business. However, it is important that you keep your list
clean. Some of your older inactive addresses might lead to blocking
or filtering by ISPs if not removed. So, either remove the inactive
14 direct > 2009
it helps to remember that it costs
more to acquire a new customer
than to cater to the ones you
already have. In challenging
economic times, keeping your
existing customers loyal; deepening
their relationship with your brand
is critical.
addresses from your list or concentrate on retention marketing. For
instance, try reactivating them by sending some special offers,
surveys or messages specially targeted to that audience. Or mail
them less frequently and with different content. The key is to
segment your database into inactive and active addresses and send
them emails accordingly.
5 – avoid expecting too much
Be realistic about the type of list you have built. E-mail campaigns
have to be tested and retested over and over. Don’t expect to strike
it rich instantly. Remember that your campaign is not just a major
drive for sales, but it also helps to cement your customers’ loyalty to
your brand. Ask for advice from experts, listen to your peers and
check out your competition. A very large but generic e-mail list
might only average a response rate of 0.3 per cent while a highly
targeted, customer segmented niche list might score more than 50
per cent.
6 – avoid keeping your e-mail
campaign separate from your overall
marketing strategy
To acquire e-mail addresses and build your database and online
community, consider integrating your e-mail campaign into your
overall marketing strategy. Make full use of alternative marketing
channels such as media releases, articles, above- and below-the-
line campaigns, attendance of trade shows, competitions or event
sponsorship.
It helps to remember that it costs more to acquire a new customer
than to cater to the ones you already have. In challenging economic
times, keeping your existing customers loyal; deepening their
relationship with your brand is critical.
Barbara Ulmi, marketing communication, GraphicMail
barbra@graphicmail.co.za
 [indirect direct ]

– the new direct?

Indirect direct
by Andrew Ambrogioni, Action Ambro’s

A couple of years ago I began monitoring some of the world’s

awards and an interesting fact began to emerge. Internationally, the
greater number of award entries and awards in the Direct categories
is going to above-the-line agencies. Why is that?
Over 50 per cent of international awards last year went to
traditional agencies rather than direct specialist agencies; that alone
identifies a new trend. There are now two kinds of direct marketing
that have developed – ‘Direct Direct’ and ‘Indirect Direct’. Now I love
both of the disciplines and both allow for truly spectacular work, but
they are worlds apart.
Unfortunately, a lot of the work classified as direct doing the An example of the way direct is moving was an indirect piece that
rounds, is nothing more than brand advertising by another name. It walked away with the Grand Prix for Cannes Direct – the Lead India
uses direct techniques to drive traffic to websites, drive click throughs campaign. Oddly enough, it was entered as a response advert in the
in the digital environment or engage consumers in measurable ways. Direct Marketing category, but under closer scrutiny what the advert
You may ask, is that not direct? To a point it is if you are an specified was a call to entry for a game show on TV that was initiated
uneducated marketer or advertising practitioner that believes your and sponsored by the Times of
sole job is to get the viewer to simply say ‘Hello’. But get them to India – a national newspaper.
buy something and suddenly the approach changes radically. The campaign seemed to be
The Tesco chain of retail outlets has a quarterly mailing that has a brilliantly orchestrated piece
had no less than 150 000 variations each designed to stimulate sales of communication moving a
of products of specific interest to the recipient – Direct Direct at its nation to declare a new sense
most complex. It’s NOT sexy, but it works and it has been embraced of purpose and yet all it did
as a principle, a culture, a department in the organisation that was ask a few brave souls to
continually tests and tracks the efficiencies of each communication logon to a website and lead
against the bottom line. their country from the front,
Not an easy prospect for a marketer. It’s hard work and easy to rather than from an armchair.
shy away from. WOW, big idea. And yet, the
All too often, I have found marketers trying something just once, smallest thing of this whole
allocating a singular budget and a singular resource. Often they die a campaign was the website
slow death because of a lack of commitment to the process. True address – in 7 point teeny type
direct is not a once-off, but a commitment to a process and at the bottom of the ad. In
continuous testing. defiance of all direct principles.
Unfortunately, Direct Direct is widely misunderstood and very Yet, it led to 874 000 videos
seldom given the priority it deserves, mainly because of the three uploaded on to YouTube,
missing links – good marketers, good lists and good metrics. 50 000 column centimetres of PR and editorial content, and 34 000
So, how did Indirect Direct come into being? I’m happy to say that applications to Lead India. Measurable? Yes. Just very different to
traditional agencies and marketers finally woke up to the fact that at direct marketing ROI models.
the very least, the communication should gain a physical reaction I believe here lies the direct marketing industry’s biggest
and some form of trackability. opportunity for a very long time. Because of our understanding of the
So again I ask why Indirect Direct? Simple! No databases, thanks fulfilment process (Direct Direct), it is up to us to take the traditional
to the introduction of legislation and opt-in proceedings. Further to ATL budgets and convert them into actionable communications by
this, the digital world exposed itself as a marketing medium and applying ATL mediums to our communication mix.
suddenly one could track clickthroughs and page impressions. After all, what good is a brief ‘hello’ if you have nothing to say
See where I’m going with this? Eventually, a full-circle solution thereafter?
where two disciplines could work together seamlessly (ATL and Andrew Ambrogioni, CEO, Action Ambro’s
direct tactics). andrew@ambros.co.za

direct > 2009 15

 [ customer publishing ]

loyal publishing
by Bridget McCarney, New Media Publishing

According to the UK’s Association of Publishing Agencies (APA), it is

estimated that the value of the total UK customer customer publishing
industry will reach just over £1 billion by 2013, despite the current
economic slowdown. The APA’s Advantage Study also found that
customer magazines keep consumers’ attention for 25 minutes,
which is significantly more than the eight seconds spent looking at a
poster or 20 to 30 seconds spent listening to a radio advertisement.
Customer magazines are found to increase brand loyalty by 32 per
cent, as the readers of customer magazines are more likely to hold
positive views of the brand. It’s clear that customer titles are
effective long-term loyalty tools, that have the potential to carry
brands through boom times as well as a recession.

Already in print
A recession highlights the need for an effective media strategy, as
clients demand more return on investment and customers search for
more relevance in their read. Therefore, those brands with
established customer magazines have the advantage of continuous
engagement to see them through tough times.
The key for these titles is to remain relevant, especially in a
market where consumers are bombarded with marketing messages.
Content remains king and a well thought out editorial structure with
bespoke content relevant to the target market remains the most
important aspect of customer customer publishing. If you can add
value and personalise the message beyond that, then so much
the better.
Retailer Ackermans is a good example. Not only does Ackermans
engage with its customers through a magazine on a bi-monthly
basis, but it also produces decor and baby supplements, which
have been so successful that they’ve led to baby, fashion and decor
workshops.
Considering it…
For those brands that don’t have a customer title, but are
considering launching one, the basic rules of marketing still apply.
Objectives need to be clear and target markets identified; there has
to be a return on investment and a firm strategy should be in place.
The decision around the viability of launching a custom title
actually has nothing to do with the size of the brand, nor the
budget. Instead, it has to do with the quality of the database. After
all, relevant content plus accurate data equal no budget wastage.
Segmentation plays a role both as a means of managing an
existing database as well as offering cost-saving opportunities to
clients and a better product to each market. Globally, pay-TV
companies use their monthly magazines to prevent churn. Dish
magazine, produced for MultiChoice, was recently split into three
magazines according to each subscriber’s package. Dish Premium
lists the full bouquet of channels, Dish Compact goes to subscribers
who pay for the smaller bouquet and Dish Commercial is mailed to
hotels. Instead of all subscribers getting the programming for all
DStv channels, they now receive information relevant to their
programme choices.
What to consider when launching a
customer title
Editorial: The key to great customer publishing is great editorial.
Essential in identifying an editorial strategy is understanding the
customer’s needs. That doesn’t mean you need to know what they
want to read about – most marketers worth their salt will have a
pretty solid understanding of their customers: how they think, what
they want from the brand and why they buy it. It’s the publisher’s
job to match that understanding with a solid editorial and publishing
strategy. Plus, this content needs to be purpose created, not just
repackaged from other sources.
A multiplatform approach: The target market has to be
engaged in an environment in which they feel comfortable. HIP2B2
interacts with teenagers wherever they are. This means that when
they are at home, they are reached on their cellphone, through the
website and on TV. While at school, they receive the magazine and
enjoy one-on-one time with the roadshow and brand ambassadors.
The important rule to remember here is that we’re still communicating
with humans! They need to feel comfortable with whichever medium
is used – the channel must be appropriate for the reader.
Frequency: It has been proven that the frequency of a title has a
direct effect on the amount of time the customer spends reading the
magazine. The higher the frequency of the magazine, the more time
the customer spends reading it, although this is specific to each
industry. The APA’s Advantage Study has proven that magazines
published one to three times per year are read an average of 20
minutes, while customers who receive a title 10 to 12 times per
annum spend 30 minutes per month reading it.
Bridget McCarney MD,
New Media Publishing

16 direct > 2009


interactive
marketing
summit
Marketing Mix recently hosted the 3rd Interactive Marketing
Summit. This year’s content focused heavily on social networks and
networking, and mobile – all of which indicates a change in direction
for marketing, more specifically direct marketing. And this is a good
direction – not only providing even more measurable media, but
allowing instant one-to-one marketing to occur. It’s also a way to
access the youth market, using their tools and on their level.
As Charl Norman, co-founder/ops manager, Blueworld
Communities points out, there are simple tools that can be used to
keep youth interested in a social community and online – videos,
free SMSes integrated to competitions only available online, and
allowing users to customise website are some of the winners. “Don’t
forget to track the influencers on the website as well,” he says.
Pete Case, creative director, Gloo says that the future of the
Internet is media that has been created specifically for it and agrees
that most downloadable stuff is pre-made instead of allowing users
to create their own stuff. The lesson here is to put the power of
creativity in the hands of the consumer, particularly when dealing
with the youth market as the response is much greater.
Creating a microsite for a campaign is a creative way of allowing
consumers to design and make their own content, and the microsite
can be used for more than a particular campaign. “If you create a
microsite, don’t shut it down after the campaign has finished, simply
redirect the site to the main site and share the content,” says Rob
Stokes, CEO, Quirk. “Also, make sure to share content socially on
your website,” he adds.
The shift to social media, including blogging, social networks
such as Facebook, and the most recent, micro-blogging in the form
the shift to social media, including
blogging, social networks such as
Facebook, and the most recent,
micro-blogging in the form of
Twitter, is driving the next evolution
of marketing.
[ interactive marketing ]
of Twitter, is driving the next evolution of marketing. But, as Alistair
Fairweather, social media manager, 24.com points out, it’s amazing
that while advertising and media agencies have departments
devoted to traditional media, social media might have one full-time
person looking after it – if it’s lucky! He also says that marketers
should not be put off by the technology side of social media, but
instead concentrate on the fact that it’s merely another way to have
a one-to-one conversation with consumers, something marketers
are familiar with.
All of this is well and good of course, but whether it’s the youth
market, the mass market or a niche market, the basics still need to
be put in place with interactive media, the same as with any other
media. The basics pertinent to interactive media such as social
networking, e-mail, online and mobile is the trusty database and the
input of the ad agencies to use the available mediums. Both of these
key elements are sorely missing. “Specialist agencies are way ahead
of the traditional agencies, and it is vital that ad agencies are
involved in the digital realm,” says Adrian Hewlett, chairman of the
Online Publishers Association (OPA).
The database, particularly gleaning information through the use
of interactive media, can be filled with rich customer intelligence.
“Marketer’s haven’t interrogated the data properly,” says Marco
Lopes, product manager, TransUnion Credit Bureau. For Lopes,
customer intelligence is gained when analytics is added to customer
data. “Marketers need to know their base, what data is needed,
where and when, how often, how to get it and what to do with it.
“Intelligent segmentation can provide useful demographic,
behavioural, financial, geographic and timing data, for example,”
he says.
But, as Russel Stormin, founder of Strike Media points out, all too
often, agencies ask for an SMS campaign, for example, but then
never return for the database once the campaign is finished! A
wasted opportunity. Rodney Kuhn, co-founder and director, MyBeat
Interactive backs this up, saying that while SMS is still one of the
most powerful media around, marketers need to optimise the
database.
It is certainly agreed that mobile marketing and advertising is key
to reaching South African consumers; even Google agrees: “Mobile
is expanding and exploding in SA, there is huge potential out there.
But you must map customer intelligence for interactive media,” says
Dave Rooney, industry manager, Multi Sector, Google SA.
The integration of online and mobile is rapidly becoming
apparent with more mobisites appearing, and the fact that for the
majority of the population first-time access to the Internet will be
through a cellphone. “Mobile is now mainstream; it’s a real
alternative to traditional media. It’s an amazing way to bond with
consumers,” agrees Kuhn.
The following pages offer expert insights into the world of
interactive marketing that will help to explain and guide marketing
campaigns to success.
direct > 2009 17
 [ interactive marketing ]
location: the
next frontier for
digital advertising
by Vincent Maher, Vodacom
The digital advertising industry is falling over itself to come up with the
next big thing that will magically make users do exactly what advertisers
want them to do, despite a few hundred years of experience that tells us
this will never happen. Some are making ads bigger, some are putting
video into them, some make them more interactive but those who are
truly going to succeed are those who can make their advertising more
closely resemble information.
One of the major obstacles to even thinking about making
advertising relevant to users is the old-school media paradigm of an
audience, the heterogeneous mass of consumers that supposedly is
formed when receiving a message. Even the notion of audience
fragmentation is troublesome; the fact is that the living history of each
consumer is different.
location-based advertising is only
one way to increase the relevance of
an ad, but it goes a long way to
fixing some of the problems with
regional allocations of advertising
budgets, local relevance and getting
people to walk into buildings and
transact.
The bottom line, however, is that digital advertisers have a lot of
information at their disposal about the person they are serving ads to,
and the more relevant the ad is to the user the more likely they are to
click on it. When a user sees an ad on a page the advertiser can know
detailed profile information about the user from the website displaying
the ad; fuzzy information about the contents of the page; basic
geographic information about the user; the time of day and much more.
These are the basic building blocks for increasing advertising relevance.
From a completely different perspective, the global nature of the
Internet is also one of its major shortcomings when you’re trying to sell
web advertising to a plumber in Kimberley who works within a 20km
radius of his house. This plumber knows that the yellow and white
pages, along with the local newspaper and word of mouth are all he
18 direct > 2009
needs, why should he spend money marketing himself to people in
Johannesburg and Cape Town?
Making web advertising truly local is difficult if you don’t start asking
users where they are and, even then, they move around a lot so that
information gets out of date quickly.
This is where cellular networks and mobile phones come in. One of
the experiments I have been running on The Grid, Vodacom’s
location-based social network, is to use cellphones to help target web
advertising. The way this location-based advertising works is fairly
simple – each time a Grid user requests a page on the website we
check the latitude and longitude of their phone and serve them an ad
that best suits that location. The user does not need GPS on their
phone, just a switched on SIM card, because the cellular network
triangulates their position relative to the cellular masts.
It seems like a fairly minor adjustment but it makes a big difference
to the experience for both the user and the advertiser. On the one
hand, the user can now roam around a city and get ads for shops and
services within metres of where they are. These ads can be connected
to walking directions and a map. On the other hand, the advertiser
now has an opportunity to promote local products and pricing without
the normal worries about wastage. Of course it means more work on
the production side too, because location-based ads need to have
something location specific in them to make them interesting in the
first place.
It’s a very new way to serve advertising and so far it looks like the
response rates are going to be much higher than the normal click
through rates. This means the users get more value from the ads and
the advertisers get a quicker response to their campaigns. Needless to
say, there is no single magic bullet that will fix the low response rates
web advertisers currently ponder daily. Location-based advertising is
only one way to increase the relevance of an ad, but it goes a long
way to fixing some of the problems with regional allocations of
advertising budgets, local relevance and getting people to walk into
buildings and transact.
Vincent Maher, portfolio manager, Social Media, Vodacom
vincent.maher@vodacom.co.za
 [ interactive marketing ]
facing
facebook
by Ryan Silberman, Popimedia
What better way to do direct marketing than if it is sent directly from a
friend. Would you rather act on the call to action from a company or
from your best friend? This is what Facebook can add to traditional
direct marketing campaigns.
If Google is the ‘Yellow Pages’ of today’s world, then Facebook is
the ‘White Pages’. It has become the biggest trend in the world with its
200 million users, growing at a rate of five million per week.
Facebook has turned its newsfeed into a stream of information
flowing from each user’s network. If the Facebook user becomes a fan
of a product or brand then this brand, in essence, is part of their
network. This means that content is consumed on a many-to-one basis
as opposed to a one-to-many strategy that is more common of
traditional media. Consumers create a stream of information that is
their own that they find relevant.
Business cannot afford to ignore Facebook. Consider that the
average Facebook user has 120 friends; imagine the result if this user
encourages their network to engage with your brand, creating credible
and widespread word-of-mouth referrals.
Add to this – through third-party applications and systems – the
ability to track friend-to-friend referrals, and to collect rich data on a
real-time basis and what you have is a powerful direct marketing and
market research tool.
Rules of engagement
Businesses can interact with Facebook in any number of ways from;
among others; social competitions; applications; widgets; and standard
advertising banners to creating a fan page or group. However, before
selecting a strategy to engage with users, the following should be
considered:
 Identify objectives – sales, leads, conversions, brand building, etc.
 Outline a time-frame (short term, campaign based or long term)
 Consider budget
 Creative concept
 Decide whether to leverage trusted referrals.
The most common initial engagement with Facebook has been the
creation of a fan page or group. Problems manifest when companies
try this on their own and find that it does not work because there are a
lot of added features, applications and rich content options that can be
added, including custom applications that will pull in information from
other content sources. The main issue is that consumers are not always
passionate enough about a brand to become its Facebook fan.
Businesses therefore have to keep their page relevant, simple, and
perhaps add an incentive such as a competition.
20 direct > 2009
The basic steps to follow in creating a Facebook fan page for
a brand or company:
 You should already be a Facebook user – if not, sign up it’s
free
 Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages and browse some of
the more popular pages to understand what makes a page
successful
 Then visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php which
will take you through the step-by-step process.
Once the initial engagement has brought a user to the brand’s
fan page, it is important that they opt in to receive communications
from the brand – there’s no point in having a one-sided conversation.
Thus over time, the brand starts to build up a database of users
and, hopefully, will also segment this base in a richer manner
than traditional methods might allow.
Other media and negative sentiment
Integration of the Facebook platform with other media is a viable
means of bringing the brand alive, as well as making its profile more
interesting and attractive to the user. A movie or sound clip can appear
on the fan page and be integrated into the campaign. A television or
radio advert can promote the fan page of the product and in doing so
create more interest and drive traffic.
Widgets that can be embedded in Facebook pages and across the
Web enable and optimise common online tasks, such as research and
basic transactions, as well as providing entertainment and unique
content. The use of widgets can translate into relevant offers,
cross-selling opportunities and a real return on investment.
A concern for brands is what level of control they should have over
the interactions and conversations. Facebook does allow the fan page
owner to delete negative comments about the brand. But the more
brands try to control a conversation in this manner, the more harm they
are actually doing. Brands should grow with their consumers and will
find if they listen and address negative comments, the brand will
inevitably get stronger.
Measurement
Measuring the impact of a Facebook campaign will depend on the
brand’s objectives. However, the traditional online measure of click
through rates (CTR) needs to be transformed into cost per click (CPC ),
cost per acquisition (CPA) and cost per sale (CPS) metrics. These should
be implemented at campaign launch.
Ryan Silberman, chief operating officer, Popimedia Group
ryan@popimedia.com
 [ interactive marketing ]
the impact of
smartphones
on the development
of mobile media
by Rick Joubert, Vodacom
The smartphone is rapidly accelerating the convergence of computing
and telephony and taking the phone as a converged music player,
gaming device, camera, GPS navigator, web browser and wallet to
another level.
It is also beginning to disrupt some cosy legacy marketing value
chains, for example, in the traditional retail space savvy smartphone
owners are increasingly engaging in in-store price comparison behaviour.
Operating systems from Microsoft, RIM (Blackberry), Apple, Nokia
(Symbian) and now Android (driven by Google) combined with some
pretty sexy hardware from a range of vendors are radically changing
the way that people work, play, consume and create information.
Being within arm’s reach of most of the information you need and
desire 24/7 creates a level of stickiness which is almost addictive and
probably also makes us pretty lazy.
For example, a well-known ‘ad man’ told me recently over lunch that
he almost never uses Facebook on his PC anymore because the
Facebook application for his Blackberry is so great and never more
than a few seconds away. In addition, he gets to create and upload
content in a seamless way using only one small device.
Talk about personal media.
i would recommend that brands look
for opportunities to include the
capabilities offered by smartphones
within their mobile strategy –
particularly brands serving primarily
affluent market segments.
It is, however, the recent emergence of the Apple iPhone, which has
truly transformed the way we think about the mobile ‘phone’ and has
forced competitors in the hardware, software and mobile operator
space to raise their game. It has also forced a wave of innovation (and
reverse engineering!) which has made a lot of very powerful products
available at increasingly affordable prices.
Add to this the Apple application store which, on 23 April 2009, saw
its billionth application download – ranging from utilities like weather,
navigators and song identifiers to games and information resources –
there are over 35 000 applications available in the App Store.
22 direct > 2009
The success of the Apple application store has driven a range of
competitors like Blackberry, Nokia and Google to follow suit and the
recently announced Vodafone application store clearly signals the
determination of mobile operators not to be marginalised by the
Internet and handset brands.
Although the browsing of the regular Web is a far better experience
on most high-end smartphones than on a regular cellphone, the
application stores with their massive diversity are causing the creation
of an ‘application-based Internet’ for mobile, which implies a very
user-friendly mobile Internet experience as well as more often than not
an aesthetically pleasing ‘rich media’ experience – all of which is
driving dramatically increased mobile Internet session frequency, session
time and page impressions.
It is interesting to see how once advertisers have been seduced by
the marketing possibilities in smartphones, they soon become converts
to the broader mobile media opportunity and start to seek much larger
reach than currently offered by the smartphone population, even at the
expense of dazzling creative executions.
Brands have opportunities to engage the typically high-end
smartphone audience in a variety of ways some of which are classic
display advertising, brand sponsorship of applications and utilities and,
most interestingly, brand applications, where brands are able to create
their own applications allowing customers to engage with the brand in
a meaningful way.
A radical and successful example of a brand application is an
iPhone application from Kraft where rather than merely ‘sponsoring’ an
application Kraft has had the temerity to develop and brand an ‘iFood
Assistant’ application featuring recipes and tips, and place it in the App
Store charged out at a price of US$0.99! This application is among the
top 100 App Store applications by download.
It is worth mentioning a few other interesting (and this time free)
recent brand applications: Audi A4 Driving Challenge (370 000
downloads in first two weeks!) and Zippo Virtual Lighter application –
yes, now non-smokers no longer need to feel left out when the lights go
out at rock concerts (number one free application in the lifestyle category).
Current smartphone offerings clearly show the future of mobile
advertising but it will be some years before smartphones have a sufficiently
deep penetration in developing markets to allow for mobile campaigns
with the kind of reach required by most mass market brands.
Meanwhile, I would recommend that brands look for opportunities to
include the capabilities offered by smartphones within their mobile
strategy – particularly brands serving primarily affluent market segments
– but not at the expense of the more ubiquitous mobile media which
today provides meaningful and large-scale mobile engagement
opportunities with the mass consumer population.
Rick Joubert, executive head, Vodacom Mobile
Advertising and Social Media
rick.joubert@vodacom.co.za
 [ interactive marketing ]
a new era in
direct
marketing by Mark Angus, Innoviate
One-to-one marketing is essentially a four-phase process: identifying
potential customers; determining their needs and their lifetime value to
the company; interacting with customers so as to learn more about
them; and customising and personalising products, services, and
communications to individual customers. It is the personalisation aspect
of the process that can reap the biggest rewards.
Cross media
A personalised campaign requires more time and resources than a
less targeted campaign, but by using advances in communications
technology, direct marketers can track, analyse and refine one-to-one
marketing campaigns and deliver true return on investment (ROI).
An effective campaign starts with identifying the audience. Then it
must be determined how to get the desired message to the targeted
audience, using personalised direct mailers, personalised e-mail and
personalised SMS and MMS to drive customers to their own customised
and personalised websites or URLs.
Personalised websites or URLs (PURLs)
PURLs are essentially personalised Web portals set up as landing pages
and can be used by direct marketers to target customers with their own
marketing, sales and promotional offers, advertisements, invitations to
events, and vouchers. Content should be delivered on a one-on-one
basis, showcased alongside personalised images and videos, and
customised information.
By linking integrated cross-media systems with PURLs direct
marketers have powerful reporting tools for tracking, analysing and
refining multiple touch-point campaigns and marketing activities.
PURLs also provide a self-service and interactive medium for
customers and can be used by direct marketers in five main areas:
 To deliver segmented sales, marketing and promotional offers to
targeted market sectors and customers
 To ask customers to respond to specific surveys whereby they are
polled, answer questions and respond via their PURLs
 To provide corporate profiles, white papers, information and
corporate Web pages for each customer, essentially turning each
website into personalised business communications portals
 To up-sell and cross-sell value-added services
 To embed statements and invoices – offering integrated eBilling
services – within each personalised website.
Versioning
Versioning facilitates a creative framework whereby the look and feel of
all one-to-one marketing and material can appeal to each customer as
the models are people who look like them, are their gender or age, or
work in the same vocation.
24 direct > 2009
Versioning enables direct marketers to produce designs, images and
photography within cross media and PURL campaigns that can target
customers based on their market (career or vocation), the information
that would appeal to them, gender, ethnic grouping and age, for
example.
Measuring, tracking and ROI
Clients must ensure that they track and measure campaigns in real-time
and refine as needed. Individual customer behaviour should also be
tracked so that the campaign remains relevant and nimble. Measuring
ROI is made simple when each campaign or promotional offer remains
focused in this manner. In addition, any calls to action or special
custom offers from each PURL can be tracked and measured.
Solution triggers, application forms and any custom offers can
activate calls from a contact centre, while other offers can enable
customers to self- service and receive instant gratification.
Challenges
Since an effective campaign is reliant on customer data, this can
sometimes be a problem. The customer data may not be accessible or it
may not be clean enough to execute personalised marketing. Renting or
buying lists is a solution to this problem, but in this case, the data should
be cleaned, analysed and segmented before a campaign is deployed.
Managing and manipulating this data can be more costly, but the
pay-offs are that customers receive customised, segmented offers and
direct marketers can build more intelligent customer data that can be
fed into centralised CRM programmes. The entire ROI has to be taken
into account and the campaign has to be viewed as a lifetime value.
Another challenge is the societal shift towards privacy and the concern
of the so-called database nation. There are already many regulations
preventing things such as telemarketing and faxing to certain numbers.
Many e-mail users have active spam filters, although advances in
communications technology can now enable marketing messages to
pass through firewalls and filters, as well as tracking the e-mail (did the
customer open it, read it and respond). Permission marketing must be
initiated in this process, enabling customers to opt in or opt out of any
new acquisition campaigns, while also informing them of how their
contact details/data was obtained.
What customers want
The future of marketing, and indeed the future of direct marketing, is in
delivering what customers want: the best possible customer experience.
One-to-one marketing and cross-media campaigns are certainly
becoming an eye-catcher in an age of information overkill enabling
consumers to take back their ‘marketing power’.
Mark Angus, ceo, Innoviate
mark@innoviate.net
 [ interactive marketing ]

alone together:
social media and the new
paradigm of one-to-one selling
by Alistair Fairweather, 24.com

In a world saturated by media, many of us struggle to fathom how

anyone has the time or energy to spend hours on Facebook or Twitter,
let alone blog or post videos online. All of these sites seem like giant
time sinks, designed to amuse teenagers and layabouts.
Yet more and more research is proving that people not only use
social media to make purchasing decisions, but that it’s fast becoming
the most important channel for those decisions. Research by social
media marketing agency DEI Worldwide shows that ‘70 per cent of
consumers have visited social media websites such as message boards,
social networking sites and blogs to get information about products’
and that nearly half of them made purchasing decisions based on
these visits.
Research like this underlines the essential power of social media: it
takes normal human interactions and strips out the friction of factors
like distance, time and research cost. Whereas before consumers
could only rely on their acquaintances and the mainstream media, now
they can instantly reach out to like-minded people on the other side of
the globe.
On the one hand this is exciting – social media can help you to
attract customers via a global word-of-mouth network. On the other,
it is sobering – one angry customer could damage your brand message boards/forums
irreparably. These are an older form of online conversation, but still a vibrant one.
Luckily, there is a way to make the best of both of these situations. The key here is finding and scanning the forums that matter to your
Social media is essentially about conversations. The only way to make it customers (‘listening’), and then responding appropriately to both
work for your brand is to join those conversations, and like any good complaints and compliments, and linking back to your blog or site
conversationalist you must listen as much as or more than you speak. wherever appropriate (‘talking’).
Listening means different things depending on the channel – as we will
see below. social networking websites –
The first step to joining the conversation is to understand the facebook, LinkedIn etc
channels and tools available to you: Because of their broad appeal these sites are the richest ground for
scanning and engaging in conversations, but they are also the most
blogs sensitive of all the channels. You wouldn’t walk up to a stranger at a
Successful bloggers are committed thought leaders with a proven ability cocktail party and try to hard sell them your product and you shouldn’t
to analyse messages and express their own opinions. In other words, a do the equivalent online. Rather use the public machinery of the
very tough crowd! To join their conversations in any meaningful way sites – systems like groups and fan pages – to attract and stimulate
you need to have your own blog on which you can respond and also conversations. With many established brands you will find users are
inject your own messages into the blogosphere. In the context of using this machinery to praise or attack the brand. Not only does this
blogging, ‘listening’ equates to scanning the blogosphere for mentions offer you a chance to convert new customers, but it also amounts to
of your brand or product (sites like Amatomu and Afrigator can be free market research.
helpful), and then commenting on those blog posts. You should also
respond to significant conversations (particularly those that involve twitter
several blogs) in posts on your own blog, and link back to the bloggers Twitter may seem like a baffling fad right now, but it has changed
who started the dialogue. This ‘link love’ is the oil that lubricates the media forever. Even if the brand does not survive, the idea of
blogosphere, and you ignore it at your peril. ‘micro-blogging’ is here to stay. Why? Because this simple mechanism

26 direct > 2009


encompasses so many human urges: to broadcast your own thoughts
from anywhere, to hear the thoughts of peers and thought leaders
across the globe, to watch the rise and fall of trends and tap into the
global zeitgeist, all instantly. It is fast becoming the ultimate real-time
resource for scanning a brand’s reputation. You literally cannot afford
not to have a presence on Twitter.
The thought of scanning and updating all of these channels might
seem daunting, but it can be made a lot more manageable if you
follow some simple principles:
 decide on a tone and stick to it
Your brand has a personality – let your communication speak in a
voice that reflects that personality. Remember these are individual
human beings you’re talking to – not media companies. Dry,
formal business language just isn’t going to cut it and neither is
marketing-speak.
 be personal
People like to talk to other people – not organisations or machines.
Appoint real people to manage your channels and make sure they talk
to the world from that perspective. These ‘talkers’ are essentially online
brand ambassadors.
 link, link, link
All of your channels should constantly refer to all your other channels.
Tweet about your blog, link to your site from your forum posts, put your
blog feed on your site’s front page next to your Twitter feed. Your
social media communication strategy should be an interlinked ecosystem
of channels. This will dramatically increase the ‘surface area’ of your
channels and thus make you that much more visible.
 position yourself as an authority
In the new ‘attention economy’ people are constantly re-evaluating
who they should be listening to. You know your industry and your products
better than anyone else. Make sure people realise that by giving good,
fair advice and prompt, helpful responses to complaints or questions.
 never argue
Inevitably, someone out there will take potshots at your brand, some-
times with little material justification. The way to handle these cyber
bullies (or ‘trolls’ as they are called) is to remain calm, state your case
and offer to make amends for any wrongs or inconveniences caused. If
the troll refuses or carries on, they end up looking petulant and irrelevant.
But if you engage in a war of words with them you will always lose.
 be transparent
The Internet is all about openness, and telling white lies or half truths
will only get you into deeper trouble. When everyone is connected to
everyone else, and the world’s information is a click away, secrets don’t
remain that way for long. Don’t try to bluff or obscure the issue – rather
own the problems and commit yourself to solving them. This approach
isn’t always easy, but it is always the most fruitful.
[ interactive marketing ]
on the one hand this is exciting –
social media can help you to attract
customers via a global word-of-mouth
network. On the other, it is sobering –
one angry customer could damage
your brand irreparably.
Okay, so you’ve got all these tools and principles, but what about the
sales leads you’re supposed to be generating? Well, that’s the beauty of
the game: by concentrating on having meaningful conversations with
customers (and potential customers), you are essentially converting
those customers into a sales force.
Remember, all social media does is speed up and distribute
instinctive human interactions like word of mouth. As soon as a happy
customer sees another person with the same problem that you solved
for them they will direct them to one of your channels and bingo,
you’ve got a lead.
And because you’re active in a range of social channels, these
potential customers are that much more likely to find you, have a
conversation with you and convert to your product or service. This
applies even more cogently to unhappy customers. If you can find them
quickly and deal with their problems, you have a chance of converting
them back to your army of happy advocates.
The DEI Worldwide study also shows that ‘consumers who visit a
social media website are more likely to make a purchase decision than
those who do not’. And this is further born out by an interesting case
study by market research experts Marketing Sherpa.
In the study it explores the social media strategy of BreakingPoint, a
technology start-up. In a six-month period, using the channels and
techniques described above, it achieved:
 10 230 unique blog page views in its last quarter
 280 Twitter followers
 141 members of its LinkedIn Group
 155 per cent increase in unique Web visitors.
All this attention has made ‘inbound Web’ the most important part of
its pipeline, accounting for over half of its new leads.
Its success is not unusual – hundreds of companies are seeing similar
results. All you need is the will to implement a strategy and then stick to
it. It could just revolutionise your business. After all, word of mouth is
still the most powerful form of marketing – the ‘mouths’ have just
become digital.
Alistair Fairweather, manager: Social Media,
24.com
sources:
DEI Worldwide study:
http://themarketingguy.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/
dei-study-engaging-consumers-online-summary.pdf
BreakingPoint case study:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=30946
direct > 2009 27
 [ interactive marketing ]
tweeting
yourself
into an empty nest
by Walter Pike, AAA School of Advertising
Twitter is the hot online topic today. The community is growing at a rate
of over 1 000 per cent. The Twitter owners have even recently turned
down massive offers from Facebook (half a billion dollars worth of
Facebook shares) and Google and, as I write this, there is speculation
that a rumoured offer from Apple will also be turned down. Twitter is
the hottest property in the digital world.
Its also exactly 10 short years ago that Seth Godin was ridiculed by
the marketing industry, especially the direct marketing industry for
suggesting the concept that you should only market to people who ask
to be marketed to. The cornerstone of permission marketing is trust. It’s
like dating. When I get into a relationship with you I do so with an
understanding of the expectations of that type of relationship. When
someone follows me on Twitter, they do so with some expectations as well.
Spam is voyeurism or infidelity or a pick-up line. There is no trust
involved whatsoever, there is no relationship; you just interrupt me and
try to get me to do something like buy your product.
Twitter is an engagement tool, it builds relationships.
Twitter is a simple concept. Simply the answer to the generic question
“What are you doing?” given in 140 characters or less, to be read by
your followers and people who search the database. The 140 character
tweets can also be accessed using the Twitter API and mashed up
onto blogs, web pages etc; it can also be accessed and updated my
multiple devices such as cellphones.
28 direct > 2009
People choose to follow you because you add value to their lives
with your humour, your thoughts and the way you share stuff. It’s a
relationship. It can be a strictly commercial relationship as well but it’s
entered into knowingly with expectations.
So is it or any social media, a direct marketing tool? The answer is
only if I have that kind of relationship with my followers.
The concept of writing this article had bothered me for a while and
so I asked my followers what they thought, (my Twitter feed updates a
whole bunch of networks simultaneously). This came from Facebook,
but was a typical response. “No. Is Twitter even a marketing tool? And
what’s the difference between using Twitter as a DM tool and just
spamming people?”
That was the answer I expected.
The answer is true, however you gained your followers. It’s even true
if you have used artificial techniques to grow your list; for example, the
strong push marketing that allowed Ashton Kutcher to hit a million
followers as the first person to that mark – beating CNN to that
milestone using some strong push marketing.
People join Twitter primarily as a source of information; very few
serious business users actually answer the “What you are doing
question?” Instead they use the space to distribute information, as a
resource panel and as a method of building engagement. Followers
follow you because you have something valuable to offer, if you break
that trust then they simply un-follow you. If you have a two to five per
cent response on a Twitter ‘mailing’ that could mean that you lose up to
95 per cent of your follower base.
Twitter superstar, Zappos, the online shoe store famous for its
365-day return policy and free shipping, is also famous for its superior
customer service. The company understands the power of engagement.
It believes that it’s personal and emotional connections that turn into
sales. Its use of Twitter is legendary, but most of its tweets are about
getting to know its customers and them getting to know Zappos and its
staff as people.
Twitter and other social media tools offer opportunities to engage,
to have conversations with customers. Out of the conversations
come loyalty.
The best way to use Twitter is as an engagement tool to build
relationships, to build a sense of community, to listen to what people
are saying about you, to use it to improve the customer experience (like
the Houston coffee shop that takes orders by Twitter).
One of the mega blocks to understanding, what we could call new
marketing, is the mindset that digital media and the Internet are just
another media channel and can fit into one of the current ‘old
marketing’ mindsets. It just doesn’t. Sure, you can use the tools to sell,
the tools will work but the context and the consumer mindset doesn’t.
This is what Seth Godin spoke about 10 years ago.
So if you are going to use Twitter for your marketing do it within the
context it operates in. Build relationships, build trust, build liking, build
loyalty. It’s not a short-term project and it’s definitely not a campaign.
You just don’t do social media campaigns.
If you do, and you break the trust in the relationship, exactly the
same happens as happens in your dating relationships. Lonely nights.
Walter Pike, head of the faculty of marketing and
advertising, AAA School of Advertising
walterp@aaaschooljhb.co.za
Follow Walter on twitter at www.twitter.com/walterpike.
 [ case study: sapo: direct mail centre ]
client: south african post office: direct mail centre
campaign: advertising that’s seen and not just heard about
agency: action ambro’s
The Post Office DMC (Direct Mail Centre) wanted to reach out to
marketers and communication specialists in an attempt to change the
perception of direct mail, emphasise SAPO’s commitment to this
medium and create positioning that encapsulates the significance of the
medium as a communication tool.
solution: Direct mail, advertising that is seen and not just heard about.
This is the message that was used to reposition the medium. To educate
brand managers and creative staff to embrace the possibilities of direct
mail as a medium, a series of mail shots showcased the different
mediums in a manner that gave each its own personality and unique-
ness. The medium had a one-on-one conversation with the recipient:
‘I am a letter, I am an envelope’ etc, so that each told its own story. have achieved greater exposure had direct marketing (DM) been used
The activation part of the campaign used a blank sample element instead of traditional channels.
of each communication piece that could be used as a template to This was followed with a series of DM elements that were
win a trip to Cannes. To maximise the number of direct mail introduced to the audience – a letter, envelope, stamp and a parcel –
campaigns through the postal streams, advertising agencies were that were humanised and used a quirky tone and speech to get
communicated to over a six-week period incorporating all the direct mail their messages across. They were also used to introduce the DMC
mediums. A microsite and online campaign integrated the message and its services.
across all elements results: The campaign is still in progress and so far there has been
Taking the target market into consideration, the campaign had to a response rate of 25 per cent in terms of participation and
adopt a tongue-in-cheek approach to get the message across. The registration on the competition microsite.
campaign started off with a teaser that adopted the ‘missing person’
approach – award-winning print adverts were placed on milk cartons
and posters and then sent t directly to industry big wigs – asking the
question ‘Have you seen this ad?’ They were then told that the ad would
sapo direct mail
 [ case study: adidas originals/air miles ]
client: adidas originals
campaign: 60 years of soles and stripes
agency: posterscope
A direct marketing campaign was launched as part of a global
campaign to each global market.
In spring/summer 2009, adidas Originals truly celebrates the past 60
years of originality in different interpretations of products, offering a
broad spectrum of highlight themes, including a 60th anniversary range:
‘60 Years of Soles and Stripes’ plus a monumental women’s, fresh
coastal and summer offer topped off by a new partnership.
The objective of the campaign was to catch the target market’s
attention, create hype around the house party and motivate them to market to the stores where they could find out more about how to
participate in the celebration and house party held at the end of April stand a chance of winning this prize. Selected campuses included:
2009. Of equal importance was driving consumers to the adidas stores, UCT, University of Stellenbosch, CPUT, WITS, RAU, University of Natal
where they could enter the competition to win tickets for themselves and (DBN campus), University of Natal (Westville campus)
10 friends to the house party. Target market: Selected stores included Sportscene, Crosstrainer and Originals.
 15 to 24 year olds Distribution in the ‘hot spot’ areas revolved around a ‘guerilla-style’
 Trendy and fashion-conscious campaign, where promoters were briefed to distribute leaflets and put
 Music inspired up posters at will in the following areas over a three- to four-day period:
 Sport inspired. results:
solution: Graffiti murals, ‘hot-spot’ poster campaign and leaflet Campus posters handed out 1 300
handout, poster campaign in bars. The campaign needed to be Campus postcards handed out 25 000
communicated directly to the student market to generate hype. Tools Hot spot posters 1 500
used were A3 posters and A5 postcards that communicated the Hot spot postcards 15 000
campaign title. Strategically selected promoters (who fitted the Originals Six hundred people attended the house party with 3 500 people
profile) were used to approach the target market, chat to them and ask entering the in-store retail competition for them to win tickets to the
them what they think of the adidas Originals brand, give them a house party.
postcard and inform them that adidas is celebrating 60 years of soles
and stripes and this was their chance to get involved and win tickets to
the house party. The promoter’s main objective was to drive the target
adidas
client: air miles
campaign: flying high
agency: epsilon
The AIR MILES Reward Program is North America’s premier coalition
loyalty programme.
The eBusiness Group at AIR MILES sends a monthly newsletter,
eNews, to programme members promoting the latest sponsor rewards
and bonus point opportunities. Programme members are segmented
according to specific variables (for example, region, age group,
language) and versions are sent to both English- and French-speaking
members. As the primary vehicle of the AIR MILES e-mail campaign, the
newsletter is a vital conduit between the programme and its members.
While the e-mail newsletter historically performed well, with
above-average open and click rates, the challenge was to further boost
engagement rates.
solution: The decision was made to use Multivariate Creative Testing Once the analysis was completed, the recipe for the ‘Super E-mail’
(MVT) as a way to produce the creative design to best elicit the desired was determined – the combination of all winning factors that would be
response from consumers. MVT is an analytic approach that allows for used in future e-mail campaigns.
the testing of multiple factors simultaneously to determine which drive results: AIR MILES tested the Super E-mail with both the English and
common e-mail responses like opens, clicks and conversions. MVT is far French language audiences against the previous control version. In the
superior to the traditional means of testing, A/B split testing, because it sample group of 300 000 members, the English Super E-mail
can test multiple factors simultaneously, and thus arrives at the optimal outperformed the English control by 30.7 per cent in terms of total opens
creative execution faster and with fewer resources. and 48.6 per cent in terms of total clicks. For French, those numbers are
Epsilon reviewed past versions of the AIR MILES newsletter and 25.2 per cent and 39.9 per cent respectively.
proposed a list of factors to consider for the testing. Beginning with the AIR MILES has seen average lift of 25.8 per cent for e-mail opens and
June 2008 newsletter, MVT was used to test 12 factors of both the 43.2 per cent for click rates.
English and French versions of the e-mail newsletter. The analysis
showed that a personalised subject line, the placement of the ‘points
balance’ box, and a certain order of its navigation bar were leading
indicators of higher click rates. air miles
30 direct > 2009

client: unilever
campaign: cornetto – ‘flip the lid’
agency: habari direct
The objective was to create a promotional
campaign to cement Cornetto as the
‘Expression of Love’ ice cream among
teenagers in South Africa.
client: south african breweries
campaign: hansa board of approval (hba)
agency: mick&nick
The brief had two objectives, firstly to launch the Hansa Board of Approval
(HBA) directly to the consumer in a fun and engaging way and, secondly,
to drive volume during a notorious ‘dry’ spell in winter.
solution: The campaign was designed to bring the HBA to life by giving
the consumer the chance to ‘win a seat on the board of the HBA for one
year, with a salary of R600 000. This message was printed on bottles and
cans, and helped to drive the massive participation and volume. This was then
complemented by the activation where real HBA interviews were conducted
at over 230 taverns, clubs and bars. So consumers could take part in the
promotion via the bottle if they couldn’t have a one-on-one interview.
results: Due to the highly competitive nature of the beer market, exact
figures are unavailable; however, it can be confirmed that Hansa saw
double-digit growth in volume over the promotional period. This far
exceeded the original volume growth objectives.
This promotion, during the notoriously dry winter season, saw sales
equivalent to Easter – a peak sales period for the beer market.
Having a chance to experience the HBA concept beyond above-the-line
media, consumers’ understanding of the brand grew exponentially,
strengthening the messaging for the entire 360 campaign.
 Over one million SMS entries proved unequivocally how the
communication inspired consumers to interact with the brand, wanting
not just to win cash but to become a member of the HBA
 Of the 3.2 million people in the Hansa core market, receiving
SMS entries accounting for over a third of that population set new
SABMiller records
 Within the first week a phenomenal 109 725 SMS entries were
received and these numbers remained consistently above 65 000 in all
13 weeks, seeing the highest number. of entries in over the first 10 weeks
 Over 5 200 individual interviews were conducted in 231 outlets over
the promotional period
 Incremental growth of 6 per cent in volumes
was achieved over the promotional period.
south african breweries
[ case study: unilever/microsoft/sab ]
solution: Instant SMS and win promotion communicated on pack. A website
and Facebook application was developed as well the use of MXit and
promotional activity on campus to increase awareness. Fifteen iPhones were
delivered over three months and instant rewards, including two-for-one dinner
vouchers, free movie tickets, airtime vouchers and VIP nightclubbing were
given away.
results: Cornetto saw a 400 per cent increase in traffic to
www.cornetto.co.za during the campaign period. There were over 28 000
SMS and MXit entries, and 3 587 586 impressions of the Facebook ad
were served.
unilever
client: microsoft (windows mobile)
campaign: office in your pocket
agency: wunderman
Microsoft wanted to introduce its Windows Mobile product to the small,
medium and micro enterprise (SMME) segment. This was quite a challenge
as these decision-makers are bombarded with mobile business offers and
Microsoft was not part of their consideration set for a product of this nature.
As a result, an impactful mailer that really dramatised the offer and moved
Microsoft out of the PC-only space needed to be created.
The objective of the campaign was threefold:
 To introduce Microsoft’s mobile offering to the SMME segment
 To highlight benefits of the products and demonstrate how it could make
life easier for SMMEs
 To reinforce the importance of mobility to the target audience.
solution: A direct mail campaign was developed that dramatised what it
means to use Microsoft’s mobile solution. The campaign played on the
insight that in order to make an office truly mobile business would need
more than just a cellphone or laptop. In line with this, Microsoft offered true
mobility through a complete range of solutions that allowed SMME owners
to manage all their business information from one device, no matter where
they are.
To dramatise this, an attention-grabbing 3D mailer was created, which
introduced prospective clients to their ‘new office space’. Inside a box was a
real trouser pocket made from suit material, containing a brochure
resembling a cellphone and a personalised letter explaining Microsoft’s
mobile office solutions. On the cover of the cellphone brochure was the
headline ‘Your office can now truly be mobile’.
results: The campaign achieved the highest response rate of all campaigns
run for this product segment by Microsoft South Africa, with a 17 per cent
response rate. It also facilitated considerable word of mouth and awareness
of the offering.
microsoft
direct > 2009 31
 [ case study: betterbond/sapo ]
client: betterbond
campaign: blue door
agency: lesoba difference marketing
Betterbond required a unique, dynamic relationship programme to
ensure it is ‘the originator of choice’ for estate agents. The Blue Door
programme was launched, which fulfils both the vital retention role as
well as attracting new estate agents, that is acquisition. The full estate agency universe for participation in Blue Door,
The main objectives were: including those registered with the competition, has been defined as
 Build a sustainable database of individual agents 15 000-20 000.
 Improve communication – generate ‘dialogue’ between parties via The direct elements include:
direct engagements/communication Blue Door launch packs for estate agents, principals and consultants,
 Relationship building between Betterbond and all participants including brochure, application, FICA requirements and wall clock
 Retention and acquisition initiatives driving brand differentiation (principals – “share-of-desk” item), Posters for estate agents’ offices,
 Add ‘freshness’ to internal and external market engagements – a e-mails and SMSes at various intervals, Monthly and grand prize
reason for regulation communication communication, Website, Betterbond Visa Electron Card mailers,
 ‘Top-of-mind’ awareness Card carrier mailer, PIN carrier mailer, Outbound calling, Regular
 An initial ‘pilot’ period of a year was established to gain learnings events/activations, plus more.
and understanding from the programme, providing invaluable
insights have since been applied to the rollout. results: Within a short timeframe, registrations total in excess of
solution: The programme architecture is structured around cash 6 500 estate agents – this equates to a phenomenal conversion sign-
deposits into a Visa Electron, Betterbond-branded membership card up of 32 per cent.
which revolves around three pillars: Registered estate agents’ contribute over 60 per cent of all
Pillar 1: Cash earnings (Visa Electron Reward Card) Betterbond business that is. R320 million per month = R3 .840
Pillar 2: Structured awards for leading estate agents billion, since inception, proving a key differentiator and huge bottom-
Pillar 3: Recognition of agency principal line contributor for Betterbond.
 Additionally, there are unstructured awards for estate agents A cost return ratio of R1 spent: R1 104 returned.
 Estate agent receiving spontaneous recognition rewards that ‘surprise
and delight’
 Incentivised registration into the programme also attracts reward.
betterbond
client: south african post office
Campaign: celebrate!
Agency: lesoba difference marketing
Postbank residing within the South African Post Office is positioned as a
‘bank for all South Africans’. Among its financial service offerings is
Smart Save – a book-based savings product.
Three primary objectives were identified for this national campaign:
 Reactivate dormant accounts
 Acquisition – focus on growing the number of active new accounts to
reach clients’ stated target
 Existing accounts – additional savings /raise balances by R500 per
account.
solution:
The market was segmented into two distinct groups:
Primary market (male and female, urban and peri-urban): A nationwide three entry mechanisms. A national road show with trailer, loud hailers,
promotion was originated based on a Lucky Draw with 1 000 prizes and scratch cards and prizes visited schools. Promoters educated, put up
substantial grand prizes on offer (two new Chery QQ cars and 10 prizes posters and distributed packs.
of R100 000 each). Integrated marketing communication elements:
To participate, individuals were required to fulfil one of the three following: TV, Print ads, Radio, Posters, Spaza shop collateral, Taxi activations,
 Open a new account and deposit R500 national schools programme, Flyers with application forms via Speed
 Deposit R500 into their existing Smart Save account Services (Post Office’s direct distribution channel), internal incentive with
 Deposit R500 into their unused Smart Save Account. competition focused on branches; e-managing support and staff
Once the account was opened/deposited into, the account holder participation, Posters, Instruction booklets, Button badges.
would SMS their surname and the number found on the back of their results: Within the three-month campaign timeframe, the promotion
Smart Save book to a short dial code – R1.50 per SMS. Each week saw thousands of participants SMSing. In addition to this:
participants were SMSed to reveal the winners. Monthly ads announced  New accounts generated capital inflow of close to R70 million
the winners.  New average balance per Smart Save customer saw an increase of
Secondary market (scholars, primary and high school students whose 98.80 per cent
parents were opening an account on their behalf): Learners were used  Received 8773 smses in total.
as vehicles for the promotion with specially designed ‘school packs’
originated for them to take home to their parents. Packs performed the
role of driving parents to participate in the promotion via one of the sapo
32 direct > 2009

client: lexus
campaign: the best of both worlds
agency: action ambro’s
Lexus was launching two new ‘Luxury Performance Hybrid’ vehicles to the
South African market – the Lexus GS450h sedan and the Lexus RX400h SUV.
solution: It needed to be established upfront that there are two ‘sides’ to
Lexus hybrid vehicles – performance and eco-friendliness. This concept was
carried through the entire mailer, starting with the envelope:
Outer envelope
The mailer was designed in an unusual ‘oblong’ format to make it stand out
from the usual ‘clutter’ that fills a mailbox. The strong grey colour further
separated it from traditional mail. The envelope was printed with the words
‘Power or Sensitivity…’ which would you choose?’ – words that intrigued the
recipient and encouraged them to open the envelope.
The letter was folded in such a way that the first thing the reader saw was a
response to the line on the envelope: ‘With Lexus you can have the best of
both worlds’. The letter itself was ‘split’ down the middle:
1. The ‘split’ section on the left related purely to the vehicles’ performance;
client: m-web business
campaign: the lightbox
agency: primaplus
MWEB Business clients had to be convinced that Hosted Exchange makes
more sense for their business.
solution: The best way to communicate a complicated product like
Hosted Exchange is directly – with a hand-to-hand communication
delivered directly to decision-makers. Something big was needed to get to
its target and then be opened immediately. Conceptually, the execution
needed to be high-tech, in line with the brand and the product. It also
needed to be jargon free, as easily understandable as possible and
creatively portray a complicated product as simple and user-friendly.
So the ‘Lightbox’ was created. The Lightbox demonstrates the ultimate
truth of the product – that a small switch (from Exchange bought outright
to Hosted Exchange) makes a big difference to your business... and then
it literally demonstrates the fact that when the recipients flick the switch
themselves to see all the benefits displayed on a backlit lightbox screen.
A personalised letter and a business card for the target’s MWEB
Business Account Manager were provided as well a strong call to action. A
letter is included from the general manager of MWEB Business, and a
brochure that expands on the benefits of Hosted Exchange. To highlight
that adopting Hosted Exchange isn’t as expensive as expected, an online
[ case study: lexus/m-web/unilever ]
2. When the left-hand flap was closed, it could also be read across the page
(in conjunction with the grey section).
The brochure element expanded further on this theme, with the outside
inviting the recipient to be the ‘first to experience the merging of two great
powers’. In the first half of the brochure the inside pages were split
horizontally – with the top section of each focusing on the performance
aspect of the vehicles and the bottom section focusing on the environmental
benefits of hybrid technology. Visually, different aspects of the vehicles were
showcased with beautifully photographed and relevant images. The latter half
of the brochure served as an educational piece on hybrid technology without
losing the ‘Performance and Sensitivity’ concept. The last page highlighted
the vehicles’ specifications.
results: It resulted in over 510 preview test drives booked and 415
completed, which was above and beyond the original target of 260 preview
test drives. That’s 196 per cent over target!
The lead generation campaign was targeted at specific individuals and this
showed in the overall results, as out of the 900 registrations, 510 were hot
leads, 230 were warm leads, and 160 were cold leads. Almost 60 per cent
of the customers were driving competitor vehicles and had never been into a
Lexus dealership.
lexus
calculator that would calculate the cost-savings for their specific company
of Hosted Exchange vs Exchange, is also included.
results: The campaign is rolling out over time. So far the response rate
is sitting at 25 per cent. This is based on confirmed appointments with an
MWEB Business account manager, which was the measure of success set
in place by the client
m-web business

client: unilever
campaign: magnum mini and eva longoria
agency: habari direct
The client’s objective was to drive sales and increase awareness of its
new variant, Magnum Mini and to create instant gratification with an
immediate reply SMS.
solution: An instant SMS and win promotion was communicated via
on-pack stickers as well as a fully integrated and interactive promotional
website which tied in to the global MyMagnum theme. Consumer solutions
and prizes included ‘All things Eva’ and indulgences such as spa Website stats:
treatments, yoga, dining, cooking lessons, nightclub passes and Desperate Total impressions: 27 808
Housewives DVD box sets Unique visitors: 2 679
results:
Magnum Spar entries: 2 289
unilever
direct > 2009 33
 [ case study: mitsubishi/lexus ]
client: mitsubishi
campaign: pimp my ride
agency: old shanghai and cellsmart
The launch of Mitsubishi Lancer aimed at first-time car buyers. The
objective was to create awareness, facilitate test drives and build a
database for future communication.
solution: ‘Pimp My Ride’ mobi site. The solution was influenced by the
TV show Pimp My Ride, which this target market was very fond of and
familiar with. This concept was used to drive users to interact with
Mitsubishi and to create excitement around the campaign.
To create awareness, banner advertising was placed on V-live as it
has a high reach (2.3 million unique monthly users) and is in line with
Mitsubishi Lancer’s target market.
Once the user clicked on the banner ad, they were directed to the
Mitsubishi Lancer mobile site which allowed them to interact with  Refer a friend to the site, which was a viral element to grow the
Mitsubishi; the user was able to do the following on the mobile site:
database
 Find their nearest dealer  Download wallpapers to be used as wallpapers and screensavers.
 Book a test drive, once user booked a test drive, based on the selected
location, an e-mail would go straight to that dealer to facilitate results:
test drives  Two-week campaign with 657 000 impressions served on V-live
 Check out the stylish Mitsubishi Lancer range  A total of 93 863 hits were recorded for the duration of the campaign
 ‘Pimp it up’; here the user was presented with a plain grey Mitsubishi (2.71 per cent click-through rate)
Lancer which they could detail by choosing the body colour, the  The highest number of hits was 16 766 hits recorded on 3 August
rims/mag wheels and background. Once the Lancer was detailed, it  Average time spent on the site was 4 min 37sec.
could be sent on to friends to brag (the recipient would receive a
personalised SMS with an embedded link which they could click to
connect to the mobile site) and save as wallpaper
mitsubishi
client: lexus
campaign: the scenery will change. the experience won’t!
agency: action ambro’s
The car industry is not in good shape. New car sales figures in South
Africa are on a downward spiral – down 32.9 per cent since August
2008. It’s especially difficult for a relatively new luxury car manufacturer
to break into the South African market. Trends show that consumers in
this segment prefer to upgrade their current model to a newer one within
the same brand rather than move to another brand.
Lexus stands for the pursuit of perfection. A premium brand in the
luxury-vehicle sector, it offers an outstanding driving experience. Every
Lexus model is designed around the concept of L-finesse – Lexus’
signature design elegance that optimises aesthetics and ergonomics to
cushion drivers in the height of comfort and luxury. It’s almost like every
trip in a Lexus becomes an event. The IS250 and IS250SE models are
no exception. The agency was tasked to design a direct mail pack that
invited 15 000 individuals to test drive these models.
solution: It was decided to emphasise the experience of driving the
IS250 and IS250SE, so the campaign started out by putting the recipient
behind the wheel of the car.
The envelope carried a visual of the interior of an IS250, with the
windscreen die-cut to reveal the inside of a garage, as if the vehicle was
parked within. A sign in the garage read: ‘The scenery will change. The Once the recipient was behind the wheel of the car, they were put in
experience won’t’. As the card was removed, the view through the the backseat. A competition element was included where recipients who
windscreen changed to a tar road and a cityscape to illustrate the idea test drove the vehicle before 31 July 2008 could stand a chance to be
of varying journeys, but one exhilarating driving experience. chauffeur driven for a week in an IS250 SE.
The mail pack comprised a square envelope, spec card, competition results:
card, a Z-card with a map of South Africa and a personalised letter. Quantity mailed: 15 000
The Z-card map of South Africa invited the recipient to ‘choose their Eighty-nine per cent of the leads generated applied for a test drive.
journeys’ in a short, punchy letter with the Lexus tone. The main message
was that journeys undertaken in the IS250 would vary, but the
experience of exhilaration would always be 100 per cent Lexus.
lexus
34 direct > 2009

client: revlon
campaign: beyond natural
agency: cellsmart
Revlon along with Cellsmart created a campaign whereby users were able
to receive information on Revlon and the Beyond Natural range as well as
the types of make-up suited to their skin type.
The objectives of the campaign were:
 Launch range
 Push product
 Build database
solution: A virtual make-up artist gave tips on how to apply make-up and
the best products to use based on skin type. Users clicked to a mobi site.
The campaign was well integrated into other supporting media (a call to
action was strategically placed on the TV and print ad prompting users to
SMS in to access the mobi site).
A bulk SMS was sent to 37 037 numbers on the day of the launch.
client: saica
campaign: the job from hell
agency: action ambro’s
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants noted a marked
decrease in the number of applicants to its designation. Teenagers are
hard to market to as they don’t play in the same space as the older
generation, plus data needed to be acquired that would help track and
encourage the most eligible candidates for the CA (SA) designation.
Maths from Grade 8-10 needed to be ‘sold’ to the students and then
make learners applying for university believe that a CA (SA) is the
designation of choice as it opens up career opportunities.
solution: ‘Choose maths. Don’t get stuck in one career’. Both maths and
the CA (SA) designation were positioned as the choices to make now to
provide more career choices later in life.
Channels and media that were relevant to the youth market such as
MXit, the Web and gaming were used. The crux of the campaign was the
online game Escape the Job from Hell. This helped to do two things: the
back-end allowed data to be gathered (the learners had to register in
order to play) plus their maths skills could be tested in an engaging way
without it seeming like a maths test.
This addictive maths-based escape game allowed players to climb up
the corporate ladder and improve their virtual lifestyles by solving
problems. A very tongue- in cheek approach was used to keep it
entertaining. The entire communication mix had a call to action that led
the learners to the game with a cash prize as an incentive.
The campaign was split according to target market and message.
For Grade 8-10 learners, the reason for taking maths was made
attractive rather than the subject itself. This was achieved with the
tongue-in-cheek campaign. This idea is illustrated by showing ageing
people who got trapped in the same awful job for life. The execution
translated across a variety of media, including posters for schools that
[ case study: revlon/saica ]
For the three days following the start of the campaign a bulk message
was sent to all the users that registered on the site as well as all the referrals
that occurred on the site prompting them to visit the site to view a video clip
with tips shown by a virtual make-up artist.
Mobi site: On the landing page users had to choose their hair, eye and
skin colour via a drop-down menu in order to access the Beyond Natural
mobi site where they were presented with a page giving them a selection of
products that would best suit their features.
Users were able to view the entire Beyond Natural product range as well
as the prices of the products.
Tips were also put on the site so that the user was able to download
video clips showing them how to apply foundation and make-up to their
lips and eyes.
Users could also refer two friends and stand a chance to win one of
1 000 Beyond Natural lip glosses.
results:
 SMS entries: A total of 12 663 entries were received. The highest
number of recorded entries was 918 on 9 October
 Mobi site: A total of 41 211 hits on the mobile site. The highest number
of recorded hits was 18 588 on 18 September
 Registered users: A total of 3 482 users registered. The highest number
of registrations was 2 030 on 18 September
 Referrals: There was a total of 3 487 referrals recorded for the duration
of the campaign with the highest number of referrals, 2 026, occurring
on 18 September.
revlon
consisted of a tear off – each leaf torn off revealed the same man progressively
ageing in the same bear suit.
For the Grade 10-12 learners it was decided to tap into their
competitive nature, as high achievers are most suited for the academically
challenging CA (SA) course. Since they had maths as a subject, they just
had to be enticed to take up the CA (SA) course.
results: Although this campaign is still running there has been a marked
increase in the number of students that have taken up both maths and
opted for a CA (SA) course. The number of click throughs is in the
thousands and SAICA now has a database of potential candidates.
saica
direct > 2009 35
 Gay marketing

Winning pink
If the globally adopted estimate that 10 per cent of the population
is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT), holds true, then
in SA, the market is potentially around 4.4 million, yet only a
handful of brands are engaging with this market with real
commitment and understanding.
The belief that supporting the LGBT market will alienate a
brand’s mass markets is unfounded – consumer research
proves that straight consumers don’t care
(http://www.mambaonline.com/article.asp?artid=384). It’s the
lesbian and gay consumers who do care, and if the research is to be
believed, then this is a market whose loyalty brands want to have.
In understanding this market, the first fact that needs to be
acknowledged is that gay and lesbian consumers are (on a
superficial level), like any other consumer. They buy the same
groceries, at the same stores as straight consumers; they
expect good service from brands and companies, and they
want to feel valued. However, it is the nuances of the LGBT
market that brands need to understand in order to really make
a connection.
36 Research
Until the census and AMPS studies include questions that address
this market, and are provided with sufficient budgets to carry this
research out, it is up to the smaller niche agencies such as Pink
Advertising and Hot Salsa Media, and LGBT media to survey
their customers.
The result is pockets of research data, a lot of which has
found the gay market to be white, wealthy English/Afrikaans
speaking. “With this kind of research, one is seeing just
the little picture,” says Luiz de Barros, publisher/editor
MambaOnline.com.
This is acceptable for a brand that wants to target this upper
LSM demographic or get a better understanding of the customer
of the organisation carrying out the research. But it is not helping
us to uncover who the average SA gay or lesbian is, nor how they
compare with the rest of the SA population. Pink Advertising’s
research has begun to measure its survey data against AMPS data
in an attempt to paint a more comprehensive picture, although
there is still the need for an independent, nationalised study as well
as segmentation models.
“Marketers don’t understand how to address this market, and
each of the different segments within it, or how each segment
migrates through different life stages in ways that are different to
straight consumers,” says Morne Ebersohn, CEO, Pink
Advertising, and publisher, Wrapped magazine. It’s not about
sexuality; ultimately, it’s about lifestyle.

GLBT: insights into ‘pink’ spending power

Pink Advertising commissioned Freshly Ground Insights (FGI) to conduct a study into the LGBT market in 2008, to profile the gay and lesbian community
in SA, and verify its spending power. The study was a Web-based self-completion study, and according to Morne Ebersohn, publisher of Wrapped
magazine and CEO of Pink Advertising, this explains the higher LSM profile of the average respondent. The high male bias is also due to the fact that the
questionnaire had been circulated mainly in gay men’s media.
Results for the second phase of the study are expected in the next few months.
The study reached a majority white respondent, aged between 18 and 44 years. The study was conducted nationally (66 per cent of them live in
Gauteng and 21 per cent, in the Western Cape).
Some of the findings:
 40 per cent have degrees
 73 per cent work full-time; 20 per cent are self-employed
 R23 342: the average income of the respondent
 51 per cent are single; 37 per cent live together
 78 per cent have no children/dependants
 55 per cent claim to be the household decision-maker
 65 per cent live in Gauteng and 21 per cent in the Western Cape
 In the past four weeks, 91 per cent ate in a restaurant; 86 per cent bought take-outs; 73 per cent watched DStv; and 61 per cent went to the cinema
 Walking/hiking, jogging, dancing and swimming rank as the most popular activities.
 86 per cent have purchased small electrical appliances and
56 per cent have purchased furniture in the past 12 months. The majority purchase with cash, rather than credit. The stores they frequent for these
goods are Game, Makro, Pick n Pay Hyper, Hi-Fi Corporation and Incredible Connection
 Woolworths, Truworths, Edgars Mr Price and Markhams are listed as the stores most frequented for clothes purchases
 Cape Town, Durban and Europe are the most popular holiday destinations.

> p38

marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009

 Gay marketing
>> p36

LGBT media It needs to have a wider appeal and make people

There are a handful of LGBT media out there, including
newspapers, magazines, websites and a few TV offerings for this
market. “Surely, the SABC, as the national broadcaster, should be
obligated to provide something for this market. In the US, HBO
has produced the programme Queer as Folk, and locally, we were
told M-Net was looking at buying programming, but I have yet to
see anything from them,” says De Barros. The programme The
L Word is screened on DStv, featuring a lesbian character cast, but
there is little beyond this. In the US, for example, there are
dedicated channels such as Logo for gay and lesbian audiences.
Wrapped Magazine
Wrapped magazine is a monthly glossy mag. It was redesigned earlier
this year, and publisher, Morne Ebersohn says it is eliciting a very
positive response from advertisers. The mag is multimedia in its
positioning: the team behind the mag have also made it available on
www.mymag.co.za, to allow for online subscriptions to the
magazine. The magazine’s website is also going to be redesigned.
“We suspect the website attracts a younger audience, but we have
not tested it yet,” says Ebersohn.
Ebersohn says the team behind Wrapped is currently testing the
feasibility of a gay TV programme. “We understand from our
research that this programme cannot be exclusively gay in its focus.
feel comfortable to watch it,” he says. In May,
the group began shooting the pilot for a gay
soapie, which Ebersohn hopes to sell to global
channels. “We find that gay channels around the
world have the capital to buy content, but not
to produce it, because the production is so
costly,” he says. Another project that Ebersohn
and his team have up their sleeves is the
establishment of a gay TV channel, which will take content to air in
live format. “We would produce content for the local market, with
the aim of selling it to the international market,” he explains.
Gay Pages
A glossy lifestyle magazine published quarterly with a print run of
12 000. Once a year a large format collector’s edition is published
as a standalone annual special summer holiday edition.
The demographics of the readership are wide ranging. Age varies
from late teens to men in their 60s and 70s, but most are aged
between 20 and 55. Over 70 per cent have tertiary education. More
than 85 per cent consider themselves techno savvy and 94 per cent
are Internet users. Ninety-five own a car and almost half buy new
cars within a three-year period. Over 70 per cent of readers are
frequent travellers locally and internationally. Approximately seven

ABNSA Gay Consumer Profile

The Associated Business Network South Africa (ABNSA) Gay Consumer Profile 2008 saw 15 000 printed questionnaires being distributed countrywide
38 (printed in the Gay Pages magazine and mailed) with around 2 000 questionnaires e-mailed and circulated online. The majority of respondents were
male, with a median age of 29 years.
Some findings:
 70 per cent live in Gauteng and the Western Cape
 34 per cent have a degree/diploma
 75 per cent work in management; 47 per cent are self-employed
 R30 000: the median monthly income
 47 per cent live with a partner
 73 per cent own pets
 77 per cent own residential properties
 43 per cent bank with ABSA; 84 per cent have credit cards
 58 per cent dine out five or more times a month
 58 per cent are wine drinkers
 63 per cent consider themselves brand loyal; 47 per cent are label conscious
 74 per cent are consumers of luxury goods
 43 per cent buy groceries at Spar
 95 per cent own a car (Mercedes-Benz is both the most owned car and the most desired car brand)
 51 per cent read mainstream men’s magazines; 90 per cent read Men’s Health as well as decor magazines (top titles include Garden & Home, and
House & Garden)
 44 per cent are DStv subscribers (M-Net, BBC channels, Discovery Channel and e.tv top the list); 75 per cent would pay extra for a gay channel
 79 per cent have hobbies (art, reading, crafts, music, cooking and gardening, hiking)
 76 per cent would be more aware of a specific ad targeting gay people.

Some local LGBT websites:

WWW gaydating.co.za
flirtcamp.co.za
manspin.co.za
gaysa.co.za
q.co.za
gmax.co.za
oia.co.za
lesbiansouthafrica.tripod.com
mask.org.za.
wrappedmag.com
gaypages.co.za
pinktongue.co.za
gaysouthafrica.net gala.co.za
> p40
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
 Gay marketing
>> p38
per cent are female and approximately 50 per cent are
white males. Readership from other racial groups is
growing rapidly. Most readers fall into the upper LSM
brackets and 60 per cent of readers share their homes
with life partners. The two provinces with the largest
distribution are Gauteng with approximately 50 per
cent and the Western Cape with approximately
25 per cent.
The Pink Tongue
A community leisure and lifestyle newspaper
for the gay/lesbians of the Cape Town,
published monthly.
15 000 copies of the Pink Tongue are distributed for free to the
gay/lesbian community, on the last Wednesday of every month, via
a network of gay-friendly bars, clubs, and venues in the Cape Town
area.
There are also a handful of Johnnesburg venues that distribute
the paper in Gauteng (though the paper is firmly a Cape
Town-based publication).
Exit newspaper
According to publisher, Gavin Hayward, the
newspaper’s audience ranges in age from 16-76
years, with a core audience of 25-35 year olds;
about 60 per cent white/coloured/Indian, and
about 60-70 per cent male. They range from the
unemployed and students to CEOs and Supreme
Court judges, says Hayward. Circulation is 20 000
40 copies, and the paper is distributed primarily as a
giveaway in clubs and bars. The paper covers local
news, entertainment, health, classifieds and
personal ads.
A 2002 survey of Exit readers yielded the following results:
 R10 000 plus monthly income, and banks with ABSA
 Has clothing account at Edgars (Levis, Diesel and Wrangler are
the preferred jeans brands)
 Most likely to fly SAA to Cape Town, US or Europe
 Uses the Internet for information, to chat, or to find porn
 Listens to 5FM, 94.7 Highveld Stereo or Classic FM.
MambaGirl.com
MambaGirl.com is an online community portal for the lesbian
market. However, according to De Barros, it is one tenth the size
of sibling portal, MambaOnline. “Anecdotally, lesbians consume
less gay/lesbian media and are less proactive than gay men. We need
to find out why,” he says.
MambaOnline.com:
A lifestyle website for gays and
lesbians. Aimed at 18-to-45 year-old
urban, trendsetting Internet-connected
gay men and women (74 per cent are
aged between 21 and 35 years). An
annual highlight is Mambaonline’s Sexiest Man Survey (for which
the MambaOnline.com team is looking for sponsors). The
platform’s weekly e-newsletter reaches over 9 000 subscribers, while
the online dating service reaches over 18 000 members.
MambaOnline.com will be revamped over the course of 2009,
with enhancement to the dating section. The MambaBiz section
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
(a gay-friendly business directory) is a new section, but is proving
fairly successful. It has around 200 suppliers listed; criterion for
inclusion is that the business must be gay or lesbian-owned or
gay/lesbian friendly. There is a growing diversification among the
dating site user base, with an increase in the number of black and
coloured users. This also signals the growing diversification of the
online market in SA.
Rules of engagement
A few tips for engaging this market:
 Get to know the different gay/lesbian media and understand the
role that each plays within its community (ie feature articles
versus personal ads). “The purpose of each medium is an
important factor to be considered in terms of both whether or
not to advertise as well as how to advertise,” explains Gavin
Hayward, editor, Exit newspaper. Consider the distribution
of each.
 Work closely with the gay/lesbian media that you want to
advertise with.
 Commit to a long-term campaign to build trust. “I’ve seen it
happen – a great brand comes in with all the right advertising
and indicators, but then, out of ignorance, it holds back,” says
Rubin van Niekerk, editor of Gay Pages and MD, Associated
Business Network. “Corporate advertising is not
just branding, it’s a form of acknowledgement.”
 Multi-touch point advertising makes a brand relevant across all
platforms.
 Advertising that features an alluring image and a catchy phrase
will probably work. This is a very well-connected community –
word of mouth is big.
For campaigns that run across more than one gay/lesbian media,
tailor the creative and the messaging to each. “Advertisers need to
question how their creative is going to be interpreted by the
different audiences of each of the gay media,” says Ebersohn.
Support advertising with activations and events, and hand out
samples where possible. The Pride Parades in Johannesburg and
Cape Town represent viable branding and sponsorship opportunities
(and are becoming tourist attractions too). Other such events
include gay pageants, for example, and contests as well as
fundraisers. “The Pink Loeries festival in Knysna is possibly the
greatest undiscovered gem. Thousands of festival goers commute,
locally and internationally, for this festival,” says Van Niekerk. 
Tiger of Sweden launch
Fashion brand Tiger of Sweden launched in SA via Wrapped magazine
exclusively. Says brand manager, Nitsa Comninos-Rose, Wrapped approached
the brand, and proved that it was complimentary to the product and its lifestyle
positioning. “We target any demographic that loves clothes, style and
workmanship,” she says. And the brand found this in the reader of Wrapped,
she says. And as to the fact that the Wrapped reader is gay, she adds, it just so
happens that this reader tends to have a more astute understanding of fashion.
“We’re not isolating anybody by advertising in Wrapped first,” she explains.
Wrapped prepared a fashion shoot for the brand to showcase and introduce it to
the SA market, in a joint venture with Samsung Electronics (the shoot also
featured Samsung products). Since Tiger of Sweden makes high-end laptop
bags, it was decided that there was healthy synergy between the two brands.
“My advice to any brand wanting to make an impact in the top-end gay market
is to find a partner that understands how the brand wants to be interpreted.
The outcome should be beneficial to both parties,” says Comninos-Rose.
 Expert opinion
Going green to cut costs
Since most of SA’s energy is produced
through the burning of fossil fuel, any
business that reduces its consumption of
energy automatically contributes to a
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
while at the same time saving money.
According to a news report in the local
media, the government is going to place
increasing pressure on South African
businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions as they are seen to be the largest
contributors. This is of concern to South
African businesses and brands as increased
government regulation and legislation mean
greater expenditure in terms of compliance
and increased penalties for non-compliant
businesses.
SA’s over reliance on coal and fossil fuel
as an energy source make it the largest
contributor (41.9 per cent) of greenhouse
42 gas emissions in Africa. If one corrects
greenhouse gas emissions for income and
population, the results reveal that SA
pollutes the atmosphere 20 times more
than the US. This contribution to
greenhouse gases makes SA vulnerable to
social and political pressures from the
international community particularly as
members of the International Panel for
Climate Change are stating that the planet
is warming at a faster rate than anticipated,
and the European Union is threatening to
introduce stricter emission and carbon
footprint controls in the future.
This is particularly significant for South
African businesses that export to countries
where stricter emission controls are
imposed as importing businesses will
expect exporting companies to comply
with their environmental regulations.
This has been experienced in China where
it is estimated that the country lost
approximately US$20 billion in exports
due to ‘green barriers’ imposed by
Dr. Maria Dos Santos
importing countries.
senior lecturer, department of
Pressure on South African businesses to
Marketing Management
reduce their carbon footprint will also
Faculty of Management,
come from internal sources as the
University of Johannesburg
country’s major businesses strive to meet
(011) 559 1278
their voluntary sustainable business
mariads@uj.ac.za
objectives and commitments. These
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
businesses, including retailers, expect their
suppliers to implement more sustainable
practices and to collaborate with them as
they strive to achieve their objectives. Any
supplier in SA who is able to do this will
achieve competitive advantage and retain its
corporate customers.
Consumers will also expect South
African businesses to become more socially
responsible in relation to the natural
environment, particularly as the South
African mass media continue to comment
on the negative impact of climate change
on their lives: for example, the increased
frequency of natural disasters in SA. There
are businesses in SA that are successfully
and profitably focusing on the emerging
green consciousness of consumers by
providing organic produce and promoting
sustainable business practices.
On the plus side, any local business that
is able to reduce its consumption of
electricity and fossil fuels will save money
and earn brownie points for reducing its
carbon footprint. A recent chat with the
recruitment manager of a major retail chain
in South Africa revealed that the savings
won through reduced electricity consumption
strategies, for example, are substantial (in
the millions). Plus, this retail chain
was able to tangibly demonstrate its
commitment to the Department of
Minerals and Energy’s Efficiency Accord
as wells as to Eskom’s request to reduce
energy consumption.
Large South African businesses usually
have an advantage over small and medium
sized business in terms of the resources
they have available to them. However,
small and medium sized business can gain
valuable insights into ways of reducing
their greenhouse gas emissions through
networking with other businesses and
building partnerships with their suppliers
and customers who are interested in
sustainable business practices Business
owners can also gain insights into the issues
surrounding greenhouse gas emissions and
their reduction by exposing themselves to
articles and programmes in the mass media
that discuss these issues. 
 Expert opinion
Little giants
It’s neither a new phenomenon nor confined
to Australia, but it’s one that seems to be
gaining considerable momentum across
the globe.
I’m talking about the birth of small agencies
and consultancies staffed by experienced
marketing professionals and disgruntled
agency executives disillusioned by the big
multinational corporate machines.
The advertising industry has over the
years seen growth in the big multinationals
and the successful rise of new challenger
brands that in time joined the ranks of the
big five. This model has managed, against all
odds, to survive many internal and external
challenges to its future. However, now a
combination of factors has given rise to a new
threat which will force the big multinationals
to review the way they work, structure and
staff their companies in the future.
From creative hot shops to virtual agencies,
and integrated marketing communication
specialists and brand consultancies, never
before have marketers had as many to
choose from than they do now when selecting
44 their advertising agencies or consultants.
The growth in these highly skilled hired
guns is as much a factor of the economic
global downturn as it is driven by labour
force dynamics in each country, and the
trend seems to be as pronounced from London
to Sydney as it is from Johannesburg to
Cape Town.
One of the most common and long-
standing complaints voiced by marketers
about their agencies is that they tend to
only see the senior management when there
is a review, problem or pitch. For the most
part, their accounts are staffed by junior to
middle-level staff under the supposed guidance
and supervision of senior management. In
reality, few agencies can offer the level of
senior management involvement clients
would ideally like in the agency’s day-to-day
activities as their model just doesn’t allow
for it. Remove all the smoke and mirrors
that senior agency management will give as
assurances and you are left with stark reality
that the day-to-day contacts on the account
are unlikely to have more than 10 years’
experience under their belts.
Enter the new force from stage right.
Richard Duncan The Little Giants I call them. They are
The Partnership, Sydney, Australia small, nimble and highly skilled groups of
richardd@thepartnership.com.au senior and experienced agency and marketing
+61 411 549 791 professionals who have forgone their
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
‘guaranteed’ monthly pay cheques for the
prospect of gaining their independence and
doing what they like best; solving their
clients’ communication challenges.
For many of these new highly experienced
consultancies and communications companies,
their senior staff seems to relish being
involved in the daily cut and thrust of working
on the briefs and challenges thrown at
them. Their clients in turn have enjoyed
much comfort and reassurance at having
such skilled staff on their business and in
return seem much more willing to pay
lucrative fees. It’s not hard to understand –
who wouldn’t pay the same fees paid to
multinationals with their junior to mid-level
staff, heavy overheads, and overseas
management and structure costs, to a small
dedicated and highly skilled group of
seasoned professionals dedicated to your
account, without the exorbitant overheads.
The insight and knowledge that the big
multinationals constantly promise clients
through their extensive networks and sheer
size rarely seems to materialise and in reality
is little more than an illusion or hopeful
mirage. That’s not to say that there are
exceptions. There are, but in my career I can
count on one hand the number of agencies
that I have seen properly leverage their
network and staff complement to deliver a
tangible benefit that has warranted the fees
they have charged their clients.
In the past few years I have seen a number
of major advertisers give far greater chunks of
their advertising business to this new breed of
advertising professional. The results have
almost always been impressive and served to
encourage the allocation of greater chunks of
marketing budgets to these Little Giants. I
don’t see this trend stopping, but I do see it
forcing the big multinationals to adapt to
meet this new challenge.
This doesn’t signal the demise of the big
multinationals, but it does suggest that
there is room at the main table for these
small, integrated and specialist consultancies
with their experienced and senior-level
client-facing staff. It won’t be every marketer’s
cup of tea, but it will appeal to some. After
all, what marketer wouldn’t want the support
of such seasoned professionals on their
payroll, for with them at their side, they can
have the sort of vision that Isaac Newton
envisaged; “If I have seen further, it is by
standing on the shoulders of giants.” 
 Expert opinion
Measurability
This is the final column in a series written by the Hello Computer team outlining the core
competencies of website creation.
This is the final column in a series written by
the HelloComputer team, outlining the core
competencies of website creation.
‘Measurability’ is a word that has crept
into most marketers’ vocabularies lately and
with good cause. It is a word we use to
describe a horde of variables that when
monitored and combined, allows us to gather
far greater information and insight than say, a
simple click through or conversation rate.
Tools like Google Analytics offer even the
most rudimentary Web user the basics, and
are surprisingly easy to use. All you need is a
Google account...
Without undermining the value of accurate
cost-per-user acquisition figures or any other
online metrics, I shall introduce you to the
individual components that should make up
a good measurability report (as well as
explaining how to use this to mine trends
and insights that might not be apparent at
first glance). The greater insight is not
46 achieved through some dark art or fancy new
technique, but rather in a new methodology,
often overlooked, called Campaign
Optimisation.
In the traditional media environment, the
ATL campaign is launched and then forgotten
about; the success of the campaign is
analysed after it has ended. This approach is
often applied by traditional agencies to
digital campaigns (they consider the digital
battle won merely because they’ve succeeded
in being present online with some fancy Web
2.0 gadgetry).
This approach is totally wrong. Since a
digital campaign provides almost instant
feedback on its effects in the market, one can
see which pieces of digital communication
are working well and which ones are
providing low conversion rates. You can also
monitor which websites are providing low
conversions on banner impressions or which
sites are providing the lowest cost per lead.
In other words, you can tell which website
that you are advertising on is most likely
to generate a conversion or sign up in
Benon Czornij
your database.
technical director
Now since digital is so malleable and we
HelloComputer
have all these instant metrics available to us,
(011) 477 3304
a campaign can be adjusted in real time,
benon@hellocomputer.net
hence Campaign Optimisation.
www.hellocomputer.net
Underperforming creative elements can be
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
replaced, sites that are providing low
conversion rates can be substituted with
better performing sites. This is the single
most under-used facet of the digital medium.
The result of this is a campaign that shows
better conversions over time and is more in
touch with the end-user’s current preferences
and behavioural habits. Growing a campaign
is a concept that more marketers are going to
have to start adopting as we all compete in
what is fast becoming a very busy, banner-blind
marketplace. The growing of a campaign
should involve the same principles applied in
growing anything: constant attention and
love. The more frequently these are applied,
the healthier the growth experienced.
Maximising your ROI and online budget
should be a daily concern and not a campaign
after-thought. Social media campaigns
too, only succeed with a relevant and smart
idea coupled to constant daily campaign
management.
A final thought on measurability: question
what you are measuring. We all know about
the basics of accountable online adspend. But
the one thing I would advise any brand manager
to do is to put their finger on the digital
pulse of our communities. Be active where
your users are and if you can’t be bothered to
do so, invest in someone to do it for you.
There is an unknown element of
measurability that we have yet to maximise
effectively in South Africa. That is the ‘voice’
of the Internet or buzz. It exists on the
message boards and news feeds of social
networking sites as well as in your inbox and
the comments section of a product review
somewhere. Monitoring what is being said
online about your brand on a daily basis is
not something that you can ignore for long.
If you’re a small to medium sized start-up
without the capital to invest in proper Online
Brand Custodianship or Campaign
Optimisation, use the free tools available
to you.
Get an RSS feeder, if you don’t already
have one, and sign-up for Google Alerts
(www.google.com/alerts) using specific
keywords that are relevant to your brand.
These two very easy, and most importantly,
free services will give you heads up to some
of the activity that could be affecting your
brand and its reputation online. 
 Services SETA

Chartered Marketer SA –
Mastery in Marketing
The Chartered Marketer SA (CMSA) designation
recognises and positions marketers who have reached a
level of “mastery” in marketing in South Africa. The
CMSA designation has been in existence since the late
1990s and is now, courtesy of the Services SETA and a The first new cohort of potential
dedicated team of individuals drawn from the marketing
industry, taking off again after the demise of the
Marketing Federation of South Africa (MFSA). chartered marketers are approaching the
Existing Chartered Marketers have been through an
extensive CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
process and those that completed this process were
re-certified with their certificates presented by the
end of their CMSA process at the end of
Services SETA at a ceremony in Johannesburg in
February. These CMSA’s and the ones yet to come are
recognised not only in South Africa, but also in 16 March 2009. The designation is set at
48 countries in Europe through the European Marketing
Confederation (www.emc.be/activities_rss.cfm). The
first new cohort of potential chartered marketers are Level 7 on the NQF.
approaching the end of their CMSA process at the
end of March 2009. The designation is set at Level
7 on the NQF.
Becoming a Chartered Marketer SA is no walk in the
park. It is not a tick-box process, but a rigorous
examination of a candidate’s marketing life. It is not just
about producing and structuring many years of evidence to achieve the ultimate career and income distinction,
of one’s successes in marketing. It requires the Marketing Practitioner South Africa (MPSA) is the
candidate to undertake a process of self-reflection that perfect primer. While the 10 years experience is not
makes one question and deliberate the reasons behind mandatory, it provides a good guideline of the requisite
the actions that were taken, what was learned and assess skills base and experience needed to successfully
how these learnings been applied subsequently. It also complete the CMSA process. Registered at level 5 on
challenges one to learn as much from your failures as the NQF in June 2008, the MPSA is the first
from your successes. You will need at least 10 years Professional Designation for mid-level marketers and is
experience at a senior level to qualify and get through targeted at individuals who have around three to five
the process. Thereafter CMSAs need to maintain their years of practical marketing experience at a tactical level
status through ongoing CPD involvement. in the “doing and implementing” of marketing
strategies. Such individuals should also have some
Bridging to CMSA status management experience at a supervisory level.
For young marketers who do not yet have around 10 The MPSA designation is internationally recognised
years of coal face experience as a marketing professional with the EMC (European Marketing Confederation)
to become a CMSA, but who have ambition and desire that represents marketing across the European Union.

marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009

 Services SETA
On completing the process you gain yourself a South
African certificate from SAQA (South African
Qualifications Authority) and Services SETA, as well as
one from the EMC.
What do I have to do?
The process leading to the CMSA or MPSA designation
is based on Recognition of Prior Learning. This means
that you have to produce evidence that you are competent
when assessed against the outcomes that are specified in
the registered qualification. The evidence is compiled in
a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE). This is a structured
process which has an ongoing set of quality assurance
checks to ensure that those who complete the process
are worthy of the designation.
The process is dependent on the enthusiasm
of the candidate and the availability of
evidence. For individuals who are totally
50
committed to achieving either designation
and have good access to evidence, then
it could take three months. Others have
taken six months or more.
The steps in the process for CMSA and MPSA are:
 Attend a full day Initial CMSA/MPSA Workshop.
This explains all aspects of the process so that you
can decide whether you want to continue with it.
 Start gathering evidence against the specified
outcomes and associated assessment criteria and
consider the self reflections that led you to taking
those actions. The specific outcomes for MPSA are
at a tactical level while CMSA outcomes are at a
strategic level.
 Attend a half day Evidence Review workshop at
which you work both in groups and on a one-to-one
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
basis with RPL advisors to discuss and evaluate the
evidence that you have compiled and to see whether
there are any gaps. If any are identified, then you
make plans to remedy these.
 Complete your portfolio and submit it.
Your portfolio is then assessed by registered
constituent assessors.
If anything is seen as not meeting the requirements
you will be advised and will then correct the situation
(remediation).
You attend an hour long session where you make a
15 minute presentation to a panel on why you should be
awarded the designation and answer questions from the
panel.
Your portfolio and the video recording of your
presentation and panel interview are then finally assessed.
MPSA Designation: If found competent you are
advised and are awarded the Marketing Practitioner
SA designation.
CMSA Designation: Write Board exam based on a
case study. If found competent you are advised and are
awarded the Chartered Marketer SA designation.
How long does this take?
The process is dependent on the enthusiasm of the
candidate and the availability of evidence. For individuals
who are totally committed to achieving either designation
and have good access to evidence, then it could take
three months. Others have taken six months or more.
Once you commit to the process, you have one year to
complete the CMSA/MPSA.
What does it cost?
The total cost for the MPSA is R6 000 (excl VAT).
The total cost for the CMSA is R12 000 (excl VAT).
Services SETA are offering various subsidies to
candidates.
How do I find out more? What do I do next?
Contact Recognition of Prior Marketing Learning
(Pty) Ltd. at info@rpml.co.za – the company handling
the designation process for Services SETA. You will be
sent documents that describe the process in more depth
and what happens at the Initial CMSA/MPSA
Workshop that all candidates are required to attend.
This includes a list of dates and an application form so
that you can choose which workshop you want to
attend.
For more information about either Chartered
Marketer SA or Marketing Practitioner SA e-mail
info@rpml.co.za.
 Services SETA

CPD calendar June 2009 – 31 October 2009

SPEAKER TOPIC JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

Various Role of marketers in

CMSAs current economic climate 10 (JHB)

Interim CPD submissions 31

Prof. Marketing in an age of 27 (JHB)

Leyland Pitt consumer collaboration: 28 (DBN)
when the customer 29 ( CT)
controls marketing

Prof. Russell New approaches to 26 (JHB)

Abratt Product and Brand 27 (DBN)
Strategy 28 (CT)

Prof. Geoff Marketing 29 (JHB) 1 (DBN)

Bick Metrics 2 (CT)

Prof. Mike Marketing

22 (DBN)
Ewing Communications
23 (CT)
26 (JHB)

Final CPD submissions 31

CPD forums will also be scheduled, but all costs will be sponsored by CMSAs.
Registration for workshops
CMSAs need to register for each workshop. Any
changes that might occur due to unforeseen
circumstances will be communicated to delegates that
are registered for the workshop that is affected.
Workshop Content
Details of each workshop are provided on the Services
SETA website under the Chartered Marketer.
Cancellation
Please advise the Regional Administrators if you are not
able to attend an event. The SSETA incurs costs per
candidate and needs to be advised of cancellations at
least 48 hours prior to the workshop. Failure to cancel
will results in a penalty being raised to the candidate
who has not notified the SSETA.
Programme Changes
Programme details are provided in advance. These
arrangements are given in good faith. However, the
SSETA reserves the right to make changes to the
presenters or to the course content. Confirmed
delegates will be notified in advance.
CPD points / Compulsory Attendance
Each workshop is allocated 3 CPD points. A Chartered
Marketer therefore needs attend 4 workshops in order
51
to gain all the points required in the course / seminar
category of the CPD requirements.
Interim Submission of CPD Record Cards
CMSAs are able to submit their record cards on the
dates indicated for each region. This opportunity is
granted to allow us to give everyone feedback on their
progress and the content of their record cards.
Submissions are made electronically to
michele@bdtcc.co.za and feedback will be given via
e-mail. CMSAs are NOT obliged to participate.
However, less lenience will be allowed for submissions
made on 31 October for candidates that did not make
use of this opportunity.
Exemption from Attendance
Candidates who are unable to attend at least 3 of the
4 workshops will not be able to meet the CPD criteria
for this period. Should you have a valid reason for not
being able to attend the sessions, please submit a written
application for exemption to Ms. Dharmisha Govind at
the Services SETA. E-mail her at
DharmiG@serviceseta.org.za or send a fax to
011 718 6920.
Contact Details
The CPD project manager is Dr Michele Serfontein.
She can be contacted on 083 287 3383 or by e-mail on
michele@bdtcc.co.za.

vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009 marketingmix.co.za

 Services SETA
CPD presenters
Prof. Michael T. Ewing
Mike Ewing is Professor and Head of the Department
of Marketing in the Faculty of Business & Economics,
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Ewing’s
research interests include marketing strategy, brand
management, marketing communication, health
promotion and the technology-communications
interface. He has published more than 80 articles in
refereed international journals, including Information
Systems Research, the Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science, the Journal of Advertising Research,
the Journal of Advertising, the Journal of Business
Research, the International Journal of Advertising,
Business Horizons, Industrial Marketing Management,
the European Journal of Marketing and the Journal of
Small Business Management.
Mike has received numerous awards and citations for
research including a Curtin Business School ‘Researcher
of the Year’ award (1997), various Academy of
Marketing best paper awards (Derby, England, 2000;
52 Cardiff, Wales, 2001 and Nottingham, England, 2002),
and the inaugural Dean’s Award for Excellence in
Research Quality and Impact at Monash (2007). In
2008, he was appointed a Governor of the Academy
of Marketing Science.
Over the past 16 years Mike has taught in Australia,
Austria, Brunei, China, the Czech Republic, England,
Finland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Netherlands,
Singapore, South Africa, Sweden and the Philippines. In
2004 he won the inaugural Dean’s Teaching Award in
the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash. He
particularly enjoys graduate instruction and has taught
MBA courses at the London Business School, the
Helsinki School of Economics, the Rotterdam School of
Management, the Australian Graduate School of
Management, Lulea University of Technology (Sweden)
and Tongji University (Shanghai).
Prior to entering full time academe, Mike was the
marketing research manager for Ford Motor Company’s
South African subsidiary (SAMCOR). He also held the
position of Marketing Manager, Jaguar for a brief period.
More recently, he has consulted to such organizations as
Coca-Cola (Asia), Hakuhodo (2nd largest ad agency in
Japan), Unilever (Europe), Jollibee (the Philippines),
Telekom Austria, Holden, Saab, BMW Financial
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
Prior to entering full time academe, Mike
was the marketing research manager for
Ford Motor Company’s South African
subsidiary (SAMCOR).
Services, Argyle Diamonds, Levi Strauss & Co., the
CEO Institute, Isuzu-General Motors, Nissan and the
West Australia State government.
Prof. Leyland T. Pitt
Leyland T.P.H Professor of Marketing, Segal Graduate
School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver,
Canada, and Senior Research Fellow, Leeds University
Business School in the UK. He has also taught on exec-
utive and MBA programmes at schools such as the
Graham School of Continuing Studies (University of
Chicago), Columbia University Graduate School of
Business, Rotterdam School of Management, and
London Business School.
The author of over 200 articles in peer-reviewed
journals, his work has been accepted for publication in
such journals, as Information Systems Research, Journal
of the Academy of Marketing Science, Sloan
Management Review, California Management Review,
Communications of the ACM, and MIS Quarterly
(which he also served as Associate Editor). In 2000 he
was the recipient of the Tamer Cavusgil Award of the
American Marketing Association for best article in the
Journal of International Marketing.
He has won many awards for teaching excellence,
including the Dean’s Teaching Honor Roll Simon Fraser
University, best MBA Teacher, Copenhagen Business
 Services SETA
School, and Best Professor, Joint Executive MBA,
University of Vienna, and Carlson School of
Management, University of Minnesota. In 2002, he was
awarded the Outstanding Marketing Teacher of the
Academy of Marketing Science. In 2006 he was named
TD Canada Trust award for outstanding teachers, and
listed as one of Canada’s top MBA professors in
Canadian Business, 2005.
After four years of consulting, Geoff
joined ASEA Electric as group
marketing manager, which subsequently
merged with Brown Boveri to become
54
ultimately ABB.
Prof. Russell Abratt
Russell Abratt is Professor of Marketing at the
Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at
Nova Southeastern University in Florida, USA and
Visiting Professor of Marketing at the Wits Business
School. He holds degrees from the University of the
Witwatersrand and the University of Pretoria. He was
the Academic Director of Wits Business School for a
number of years as well as head of the Marketing and
Strategy area. He has also taught on MBA and
Executive programmes at Warwick Business School in
the UK, Rotterdam School of Management in the
Netherlands, and Melbourne Business School in
Australia.
Over a 20 year period he has completed consulting
assignments for many of South Africa`s largest
corporations in marketing and related areas. He has had
short-term consulting assignments in Russia, Ukraine,
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
U.K., Australia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ivory Coast and
China amongst others.
He has over 70 scholarly publications and his work in
the areas of corporate identity, communication and
reputation has been published in some of the worlds
leading journals in this field, including the Journal of
Adverting Research, Journal of Marketing Management,
International Journal of Advertising, Corporate
Communications: an International Journal, Corporate
Reputation Review; European Journal of Marketing and
the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
His article ‘A new approach to corporate image
management’ in the Journal of Marketing Management
in 1989 is regarded as a classic as has been cited by other
authors over 110 times. He has been the recipient of a
number of teaching awards at Wits and Nova
Southeastern University, and has run workshops for the
Chartered Marketer for a number of years.
Prof. Geoff Bick
Geoff Bick is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the Wits
Business School, and Area Head of the General
Management area. Geoff initially worked in engineering
on the mines and in industry. After completing his
MBA in the USA he joined Hayes/Hill, a firm of
management consultants, specializing in marketing and
strategy assignments in the engineering industry. After
four years of consulting, Geoff joined ASEA Electric as
group marketing manager, which subsequently merged
with Brown Boveri to become ultimately ABB. He then
moved to XeraTech (now Xerox SA) to head their
marketing operation, which he ran for several years
before moving into business development during
sanctions, and then on to managing the engineering
systems division. He has been lecturing part-time since
1982 on various adult education and post-graduate
programmes in the fields of marketing, economics and
business policy. He joined the Wits Business School
full-time in 2000, where he lectures marketing to the
MBA and other students. His areas of specialisation
include industrial marketing, the impact of technology
on marketing, and marketing planning.
Lecture & research interests: marketing; measurement
of marketing effectiveness (marketing metrics, brand
equity, customer equity); relationship marketing; impact
of technology on marketing; e-commerce (marketing
perspective); business-to-business marketing; marketing
strategy and planning; branding; general marketing areas
(services, segmentation, consumer behaviour etc).

Boards and Qualifications
Why they are so important?
Industry boards are important to ensure good
governance and fair representation. The Skills
Development Act provides for professional bodies to enjoy
representation in the industries they represent. SETAs
prepare sector skills plans and industry boards need to
prioritise their objectives, elucidate their industry
mandates and ensure the best possible representatives
drive strategic imperatives for their industries.
The Services SETA has over 120 000 member
companies paying levies. Of the companies paying
levies, 3% are large companies, 1.4% medium companies
and 95.6% small and micro enterprises who do not
contribute to skills levies.
Why are boards important for Public Relations
and Communication (PRC)?
The Public Relations and Communication industry is
diverse considering the myriad of services and levels of
professionalism on offer. The SETA industry board
provides a collective voice that determines project
initiatives for the industry in relation to skills
development and consequently the acceptable
professional standards within the industry.
How do you formulate a board for the PRC?
The board is comprised of elected representatives whose
term will end in 2010. The board is responsible for
industry issues pertaining to skills development within
the industry.
Representatives are nominated in terms of the Skills
Development Act and Services SETA constitution.
Representation from organised business and labour,
professional bodies, government institutions and bargaining
councils is of utmost importance. Restrictions are obviously
placed in line with corporate governance requirements.
To prevent the advancement of self interest, the Services
SETA prohibits representation on boards from individuals
or organisations that are service providers to the SETA,
as well as accredited training providers.
How do you find the right kind of
representatives?
Representative bodies must ensure that their elected
Services SETA
Representation from organised business
and labour, professional bodies,
government institutions and bargaining
councils is of utmost importance.
representatives are well versed in the legislative and
55
industry requirements. Industries should not abdicate
this pivotal role to an individual with no technical
acumen or drive to secure the best possible options
for its industry. In short: select the best possible
representatives that have credibility and are mandated by
the industry.
Once the board is established, how should
members go forward in being involved
with the industry?
The board represents organised business and labour,
professional bodies, government institutions and
bargaining councils. These individuals are expected to
work towards a common goal and be appropriately
mandated by their constituencies. Professional bodies
are an important step in realising a uniform standard and
common objective.
Is recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) the
way forward to understand what the
human capital of our industry is?
Qualifications and professional designations offer an
opportunity to individuals to obtain formal status and
recognition. RPL is unfortunately under-utilised in most
if not all industries.
vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009 marketingmix.co.za
 Services SETA
SAQA describes RPL as “a process whereby, through
assessment, credit is given to learning which has already
been acquired in different ways.” RPL is not intended
for new entrants to the market place. These individuals
would have to undergo training both on and off the job
to obtain formal recognition.
RPL is intended for candidates who are immediately
able to demonstrate knowledge, skills and behavioural
(attitudinal) competence. The RPL candidate would be
someone who has been doing a job for three years or
more and is able to demonstrate that they have acquired
the behavioural requirements, skills and knowledge
mastery against a registered qualification. These
candidates would not have to redo all classroom training,
but would be required to produce predefined direct and
indirect evidence to demonstrate their competence to
obtain a qualification or skills programme.
Why are qualifications being
de-registered? How does this affect
competence in the qualifications offered
in the industry?
Qualifications are reviewed every three years to ensure
that seminal influences are incorporated in the redesign
of specific qualifications. The review process is primarily
56 influenced by the Community of Expert Practitioners
(previously Standards Generating Body) of an industry
and the SETA.
What are the roles and responsibilities of
the PRC board, or any committee?
Standards & Qualifications:
 Assists the Chamber in identifying suitable subject
matter experts that would be appropriate to
participate in specific industry task teams.
(e.g. qualification development).
 Identifies industry demands by actively participating
in PESTEL exercises, identifying scarce and critical
skills, contributing to the OFO (Organisational
Framework for Occupations) process where
necessary, suggesting market trends, and addressing
qualification needs in terms of learnerships.
Learnership Design & Assessment:
 Identifies experts as per SAQA and QCTO
requirements.
 Ensures that the industry has a regional presence of
accredited training providers through marketing
and promoting the Chambers activities.
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
RPL is intended for candidates who are
immediately able to demonstrate
knowledge, skills and behavioural
(attitudinal) competence.
 Identifies suitable industry assessors and moderators.
 Participates on SAQA appointed committees/ETQA
task teams to provide advice and guidance on the
relevance of the assessment tools.
Certification Activities and CPD
 Identifies a Professional Body to represent the
industry within the skills development arena.
 Identifies suitable training providers to assist in
industry certification.
Discretionary Grant / Funding Windows
 Offer suggestions on industry/regional projects that
may be funded through the Chamber’s discretionary
grants.
 Advising on Chamber activities and expenditure
linked to the NSDS targets.
Establish Learnership Categories
 Identifies industry criteria for selection by participating
on the SAQA appointed/ETQA task teams
Policies & Objectives
 To be aware of all relevant Services SETA policies and
procedures especially the PFMA.
 To adhere to the rules and regulations of the Services
SETA constitution, as well as to the roles and
responsibilities of a board member.
NSDS & Services SETA Targets
 To have an awareness of the NSDS and the Services
SETA targets in order to guide the Chamber
Manager on meeting the relevant industry targets.
 To ensure attendance at the various SETA
sub- committee meetings, eg. Audit committee,
ETQA, Finance, Transformation etc, to fully
understand the strategic objectives of the Services
SETA.
 Services SETA

Marketing and Communication  To cooperate and interact with government on behalf

 To promote industry projects and activities to the
relevant constituencies.
 To promote a positive and sound image of the
Services SETA at all times.
 To encourage industry to liaise with the Services
SETA in terms of a partnership in advertising in the
industry trade journals, sending out newsletters,
writing editorials etc. with regards to relevant
industry success stories.
 To communicate Services SETA activities to the
relevant industry members.
 Participates in roadshows, launches, special projects
and own industry activities.
Regional Government Interaction
 To form strategic partnerships with Government eg
DoL, DTI, SEDA, etc
 To mobilise relations in the region.
of the Chamber and the Services SETA. If a board
member is attending meetings regarding the
Chamber or the SSETA with Govt departments, they
must ensure that the Chamber Manager is informed
and invited to the meeting. If the Chamber Manager
is unable to attend, the Regional Manager is requested
to attend.
Customer Service
 Promote chamber industry activities.
 Ensure member buy-in.
 To promote and support the Services SETA.
 To co-ordinate and co-operate in the region and to
keep the Chamber Manager informed of all activities.
 To submit quarterly reports on regional activities, as
well as the Associations activities, these are presented
and discussed at the Chamber Board meetings.
 Board members to ensure attendance at a minimum
of 2 SIC code meetings.

Why are professional designations important?

Eg Chartered Public Relations Practitioner (CPRP) and Public Relations Practitioner (PRP), as well as the internationally
recognised Accredited in Public Relations (APR)
Individuals in all job categories should be recognised for the skills sets, qualifications and level of experience they
58 exhibit within an industry. Professional designations and membership holds individuals accountable as they are
required to comply with a uniform set of rules and code of ethics that have been established by the industry
professional body.
In mid-2005 the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) commissioned research to investigate and
compile a detailed report on all qualifications currently registered as “professional” on the South African National
Qualifications Framework.
The National Qualifications Framework Bill 2008 defines “professional body” as a statutory or
non-statutory body of expert practitioners in an occupational field, which is recognised by SAQA in terms of this
Act, and includes an occupational body.
“Professional designation” means a title or status conferred by a professional body in recognition of a person’s
expertise and right to practice in an occupational field. SAQA describes a “professional designation” as a “title/
status that is conferred by a professional body, which indicates the professional status of the individual and the
right to practice in the particular field of expertise governed by that body.”
Retention of this status is dependent upon compliance with the stated requirements of the body concerned.
These would typically include compliance with a Code of Professional Conduct, compliance with Continuing
Professional Development requirements and the payment of fees. An important corollary to this is that a
designation is not a permanent status and may be revoked if non-compliance with any of the specified
requirements occurs.
The award of the professional designation or professional title, for example Professional Lawyer or Chartered
Accountant, is a result of a separate competency assessment procedure. An applicant must exhibit competency
against the standards prescribed for registration. This assessment is decoupled from any study programme
followed by the applicant and is performed exclusively by the profession or by a body accredited by the profession.
The Services SETA has registered the Chartered Public Relations Practitioner (CPRP) and Public Relations
Practitioner (PRP) as professional designations with SAQA.

marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009

 Services SETA

Understanding the Services

Sector and Skills Development
The services sector is one of the largest and most diverse
economic sectors in South Africa. It consists of over
20 different industries, including Public Relations,
Project Management, Communication, Marketing,
Events, Professional Bodies, Associations and
Federations, Hiring, and Cleaning etc.
The Services SETA has approximately 180 000
registered member companies, of which only 18 000 are
levy paying. Like the public relations and communication
industry, the majority are SMEs with the highest
concentration in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the
Western Cape.
While the Services SETA concentrates its skills
development initiatives on levy-paying members, it is
59
legislatively obliged to assist SMEs wherever possible. It
therefore offers workshops across all sectors, especially
at managerial and professional occupational levels.
PRISA is working with the Communication
Management Services Chamber Manager, Dharmisha
Govind, in planning workshops for the latter half of
this year.

What is the Business Coalition South Africa Dharmisha Govind, Communication Management Services Chamber Manager
(BCSA)?
BCSA started out as an idea in 2007 and now has the public relations and communication sector is
membership of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) represented.
and thus NEDLAC. This is great news for SMEs as it BCSA committees include:
gives them a voice and meaningful role as a social partner  Social Policy
in socio-economic policy.  Transformation Policy
This Services SETA initiative proves its support of  Trade Policy
SMEs across all sectors. PRISA members have responded  Economic Policy
to its call for representation on BCSA committees and  SME Policy.
 Services SETA

For comments, issues to be addressed by BCSA or to

become a member, contact Sanet Ramsaroop on
(011) 276 9600 or sanetr@serviceseta.org.za

Occupational profiles, the OFO and

standards generation
The Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO) is a
skills-based, coded classification system. It captures all
jobs in the form of occupations and groups them based
on similarity of skill specialisation and skill level.
The OFO for Public Relations and Communication
Management was developed in consultation with
industry representatives (consultants, academics,
corporate and government practitioners) and lists the
skills required by strategists, managers, practitioners
(tacticians), assistants and clerks.
These levels of practice were utilised as the basis for
the development of the NQF Level 4 Certificate and
NQF Level 5 Diploma in Public Relations and
Communication.
Information on the OFO is available on the Services
SETA website, www.serviceseta.org.za

Quality Council for Trades and

60 Occupations (QCTO)
QCTO is meant to strengthen the implementation
of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

Ivor Blumenthal, CEO, Services SETA

The Services Sector is one of the largest
and most diverse economic sectors in
South Africa. It consists of over 20 different
industries, including Public Relations,
It is based on the OFO of the Department of
Labour (DoL).
The QCTO is the body which will ultimately register
the Professional Designations and Professional Bodies.
In the case of Public Relations and Communication, the
designations for PRP (Public Relations Practitioner) and
CPRP (Chartered Public Relations Practitioner) have
already been submitted and are awaiting registration.

Project Management, Communication, Learnerships and internships – what’s the

Marketing, Events, Professional Bodies,
Associations and Federations, Hiring,
Cleaning etc.
difference?
A learnership is a contract between a learner, employer
and a training provider for a maximum of 12 months
where the learner receives both training and workplace
experience.
An Internship is a programme where an individual
works in a temporary position with an emphasis on
on-the-job training rather than employment. An
internship project runs for six months.

marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009

 Services SETA

Services Sector Marketers Association

Recognising the need to increase
marketing skills levels in the services
sector, whether carried out by a dedicated
marketer, or by a general manager
responsible for the marketing function,
the Services SETA has established a
registered schedule 1 employee body,
which also can be the formal mouth-
piece of services sector marketers as a
collective, whenever such representation
is required.
Says Colin Hudson, project leader of
this initiative, “The SSMA already has
600 members, 200 of whom have
attended the monthly training sessions
presented free to marketers in companies
registered with the Services SETA.
These have covered the fundamentals
of marketing, marketing and sales,
customer service and the marketing
mix.” This benefit arose from the
initial research survey conducted,
which indicated skills transfer as the
number one requirement.
“I’ve chosen practical on-the-ground
trainers who can connect with people
who mostly have not had the benefit
of acquiring formal marketing
qualifications, and yet are responsible
for the marketing function in their
organisations.” The programmes
have been delivered in Cape Town,
Port Elizabeth, Durban and
Colin Hudson Johannesburg.

61

Regional leader: TIM SHIER is the marketing manager at Quirk eMarketing’s Cape Town office, from where
he oversees the company’s international marketing department and Quirk’s Online Reputation Management
programme. He is available on 083 302 7737 or tim.shier@quirk.biz

vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009 marketingmix.co.za

 Services SETA

Regional leader: Assisting in Port Elizabeth is EDDIE YATES, edkay@absamail.co.za

62

Regional leader: In Durban, a good contact is SIBUSISO MSAWONI, 079 331 1845, or
msawonis@durbanchamber.co.za

marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009

 Services SETA

Regional leader: PETER IVANOFF, CMSA, is a Johannesburg based marketing professional, with a record of
success in the management and implementation of innovative communication strategies. He may be contacted on
082 716 2419 or peter@genesisfitness.co.za
63

“In discussions with the Chamber Manager, Dharmisha

Govind, we’ve agreed to retain the focus on skills
development – we’re not trying to duplicate benefits already “This is going to be the thrust of the
offered by other marketing and communications
associations, but rather to arrange access to such professional SSMA regional development, as there
services. The DMA has stepped forward, as has PRISA,
offering opportunities to SSMA members to attend
selected educational programmes and networking events at are excellent programmes already in
attractive rates.”
“This is going to be the thrust of the SSMA regional place, for example, organised for small
development, as there are excellent programmes already in
place, for example, organised for small business owners by
local chambers and other associations”. business owners by local chambers and
“Delegates are also being advised about the process to be
formally recognised as a registered Marketing Practitioner. other associations.”
As the MPSA designation is acquired through a Recognition
of Prior Learning (RPL) programme, this suits many SSMA
members, many of whom have learned their skills on the
job” says Hudson. “There must be thousands of junior to
middle management marketers who could achieve the
benchmark of Marketing Practitioner.”
Looking to the future, Hudson looks forward to extending
the SSMA model within future clusters of SETAs.

vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009 marketingmix.co.za

 Expert opinion
What’s to stop us?
My last article posited the thought that the
time for direct marketers in now based on
the premise that we have already entered a
new era where direct marketing is the most
appropriate form of communication. After
some reflection I would like to change my
position slightly. I believe that our time is
nigh, which means that it could be imminent
but there are a number of factors which
might just be standing in our way.
Business issues ...
Globalisation of brands
The desire for my brand to look the same
in the UK and the United States and
Khuzbekistan is natural. One of the
implications of this is that the strategising
is taking place in fewer and fewer places
and our ability to influence it is therefore
limited. Globalisation is still seen as
business for the mass marketers.
Implementation vs creation
If the real thinking is being done
somewhere else you don’t need thinkers on
the ground (not true of all multinationals
but it is true of many). The local marketing
team therefore doesn’t see it as part of its
64 function to challenge the given wisdom and
the given strategy.
High staff turnover
We need to bear in mind that direct
marketing is an iterative process (ie test and
learn). It’s not easy to get a client to take a
long term view when they know that they are
likely to be moving on in six months time.
Short term focus
Being a CEO these days is more precarious
than managing a football team in the UK.
This is hardly likely to encourage you to
use direct marketing, improve customer
service or implement a genuine CRM
programme since these all of these require a
longer term perspective.
Industry issues ...
Lack of new blood
When I visit direct marketing events
abroad, I am impressed by the number of
young people I see. When I look around
me in South Africa I see a very different
picture... for years, it’s been the same
people heading up the agencies, judging the
awards and speaking at the conferences.
Lack of training
Many Direct Marketing Associations are
Keith Wiser
doing their best but we simply do not have
MD, 5th Dimension
enough young blood entering the profession
(011) 781 6396
and the consequences of that for the future
keithw@5thdimension.co.za
should be self evident.
marketingmix.co.za / vol 27 / issue 5/6 / 2009
Changing technology
We shall of course get more young people
entering our profession through the
computer and IT routes. Last year I decided
to run an internal course on direct marketing;
none of the development team joined in.
Coming from the technical background they
obviously figure it’s sufficient to possess the
technical competence without needing to
understand why they are doing what they
are doing. That, to me, makes them about as
useful as a chocolate fire engine.
Insufficient resources
In the more developed markets we do not
have enough techies, yet digital direct is
growing faster than the available resources.
The legal stuff ...
I saved the biggest challenge for last. I don’t
need to reiterate all the legal and paralegal
issues facing our industry. But if we are not
really bad guys, and in most instances I
don’t think we are, then why are we
constantly under attack. I can only hazard a
guess. Consumerism was not a factor when
other media were coming to the fore. So in
part my answer is that that data collection,
data storage, data manipulation and data
usage all pretty much arrived on the scene at
around the same time as the groundswell for
consumer protection. And if we cannot
self-regulate effectively then we deserve
all the rules they throw at us. My fear,
however, is that we may do everything
right and the powers that be still decide the
throw the Rule Book at us simply because
they can.
There are two rules which, if applied,
ought to make many potential problems
go away:
Rule #1 – The right to know
All consumers have the right to ask and be
given answers to questions like where did
you get my information or how do you
protect my data or can I be certain that you
have deleted my data from your database
when I asked you to ?
Rule #2 – The right to NO
My position on this might be politically
incorrect but it’s my belief that we, as direct
marketers, have the right to approach
everyone at least once BUT unsubscribe, go
away, bugger off – or any other way the
consumer wants to tell us – should be
sufficient reason to stop.
So whilst our time is imminent, maybe,
with hindsight, I should have said our time
is nigh.