media m
on
Publicity
UPDATE
Expose. Educate. Empower.
PUBLICITY NEWS
On Friday, 18 July,
Newsclip's Alma
Maxwell agreed to ‘go
to jail’ for CANSA, at
the request of Kamille
Padayachee of
Progressive PR.
Maxwell, along with
others who had been
selected by the
association or nominated by colleagues, was placed
'behind bars' from 14:00 to 16:00 at the Pavilion
Shopping Centre in Westville. In order to be 'bailed'
out, friends, family and associates needed to show
their unending love and/or support for the
participants and pay a donation to CANSA. Maxwell
comments, “I managed to not only have a great time
Lhere
but raised nearly R5 000 for the Cancer Association of
SA. A fun afternoon spent supporting a worthy cause.
My thanks to everyone who paid for my bail”. Joanne
Hayes of Tumbleweed PR, a representative from the
PR industry, also took part in the fundraiser. CANSA's
annual 'Jail and Bail' drive has now been running for
10 years.
The next PRISA CPD course,
titled Protocol and Etiquette,
takes place on 14 August. Social
protocols are the behavioural
norms that are the unwritten rules
of social interaction in workplace
or community settings. These
include etiquette relating to rank and position, and
cultural norms including greetings, dress code, and
what constitutes polite and impolite behaviour. A lack
of awareness of or appreciation for social protocols
can undermine effective working relationships, as
this may be construed as rudeness, disrespect or an
intolerance of people of different cultures and
here for more.
persuasions. ClickLhere
Aspiring writers are invited to take part in
Allaboutwriting’s Writers' Circle Course. The
course, which will take place over twelve evening
sessions, will stimulate creativity, and assist each
writer in finding their unique voice. Several skills and
techniques will be covered throughout the course. It
begins on 3 September, and will run from 19:00 to
21:00 on Wednesday evenings in Johannesburg.
Writing 'dos and don'ts' will be covered in the first
hour of the meeting, while the second hour will cover
workshops, mentoring opportunities and
troubleshooting tips. The cost of the course is R4 800
per person. For more information, please contact
Tr i s h o n 0 8 2 6 5 2 4 6 4 3 , o r e m a i l
allaboutwriting@worldonline.co.za.
Lallaboutwriting@worldonline.co.za
newsclip
itoring
managing media intelligently
July 2008
Wwww.publicityupdate.co.za
Roughly 500 delegates are
attending the 2010 National
Communication Partnership (NCP)
conference, held at the Sandton
Convention Centre. The conference,
now in its third year, aims to make it
possible for African communicators to
exchange ideas and practical suggestions on how to
project a positive image and reputation of our
continent to the world, using the opportunities
presented by the FIFA Football World Cup in 2010,
said Nkwenkwe Nkomo, Co-Chairperson of the
National Communication Partnership. The conference
is themed 'Africa's time has come: Mobilising for 2010
and beyond'. ClickLhere
here for more.
Samantha Louis has recently been elected vice-
president and member of the PRISA board. Click
here for more.
Marcus Brewster is the first
columnist on MONEYWEBLife, a
new lifestyle section for the well
heeled that launched on Friday, 18
July. Each week on Friday,
MONEYWEBlife will speak to
sophisticated consumers about everything that’s not
work. Brewster will be contributing a regular section
called Brewster’s Best where he proffers his top picks
of various categories. In the launch edition, the
award-winning publicist weighs in on the world’s top
here for more.
ten luxury labels. ClickLhere
This year, the IABC
Africa’s 15th Annual
Conference programme
predominantly features
local experts, including:
keynote speaker Santie
Botha, MTN's Executive
Director of Marketing;
marketing analyst Chris Moerdyk; Dr Barbara Jensen,
Gautrain; Amanda Patterson, CEO and founder of The
Write Co; and Daniel Munslow of Newsclip. They will
share with audiences how they have met
communication challenges in Africa. International
speakers include IABC International President Julie
Freeman from San Francisco, as well as Jeffrey D Ory,
Senior Communication Strategist for Deveney
Communication. Guiding the whole process will be
MC Udo Carelse, 702 and Cape Talk presenter and
sports media personality. The IABC is a global
network of communication professionals committed
to improving organisational effectiveness through
strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC
serves more than 15 000 members in over 65
countries and 100 chapters. For more information,
visitLwww.iabc.co.za
www.iabc.co.za.
1

A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
A launch does wonders
for your company and
your products. The secret to
success lies in knowing how
to plan a launch. PR for
Professionals, written by
Laura Boon Communications, gives valuable
advice about planning a launch, among other things.
Some reasons to consider holding a launch are:
•A launch promotes the specific product or service ‘on
show’;
•A launch helps build brand awareness;
•A launch often boosts sales;
•A launch starts word-of-mouth advertising;
•A launch gives your company exposure; and
•Inviting media may lead to coverage in the local
papers.
ClickLhere
here for more.
There’s been a lot of discussion
about changes to the format of
press releases. The reason being that
traditional releases don’t make
provision for digital and social media
technologies. To date, the social
media release has been used
primarily by the tech industry. But,
according to Guerrilla Marketing, if
you have a cutting-edge marketing philosophy, then
using the new release could even be viewed as a
benefit in itself - positioning your brand as
progressive in your industry. This being said, the
most important aspect of attaining PR visibility is still
in the quality of your content, regardless of the
format. Writing a strong release with newsworthy
information relevant to your target publications and
target markets should always be top of mind. Finding
the best format for your content will then naturally
here for more.
follow. ClickLhere
A proud Mari Lee
from DevCom
was honoured on
stage at the 2008
IABC International
Gold Quill Merit Awards held in New York on 23 June.
“It was a fabulous experience to step on stage with
the likes of Ogilvy PR, Disney, Shell, Deloitte, Pepsi,
DDB, Caterpillar, Mercer and Rolls-Royce,” said an
overwhelmed Lee after the Awards. Lee says that she
hadn’t realised the significance of winning an
International Quill until she stepped into an elevator
where a winner said, “I’ve been trying for 10 years,
and I finally got it right”. She says it’s only then that
you realise how privileged you are to win two Quills on
your first attempt. ClickLhere
here for more.
Amanda Patterson of
The Write Co., who has
run the Writers Write course
for four years shares “The
five most common
problems” for first time writers. “I have learned so
much from teaching novelists to dream their books
into life. I have watched people struggle as they
decide whether or not they need to attend a writing
course. After many rejections and lots of reflection,
they join. Writing teachers and mentors, and writing
courses, have been popular for longer than most
here for more.
people know”, states Patterson. ClickLhere
Publicity
UPDATE
Jenny Handley
Promotions has once
again been appointed to
assist The Sunflower Fund PR
Team with the media and
publicity for its 2008 National
Bandana Day campaign.
2007 saw the launch of the Ambassadors of Hope
campaign in which celebrities stood up in support of
The Sunflower Fund. These included Mark Bayly of
Survivor South Africa fame, Baby Jake and Colin
Moss. 2008 sees the launch ofThe Ambassadors of
Strength campaign whereby loved ones of patients
and survivors are heralded for their strength and
tenacity. Free placements for television, radio and
print advertisements were generously donated in
2007, and would again be appreciated this year.
Support The Sunflower Fund National Bandana Day
campaign and show your solidarity with the patients
and their Ambassadors of Strength by wearing your
here for more.
bandana on 23 September. ClickLhere
In support of the South
African National Blood
Service’s (SANBS) Blood
Donor Month, ChilliBush
Inroads held a blood donation drive for all staff at its
offices in Forest Town. Blood Donor Month supports
World Blood Donor Day, which is an international
initiative held annually on 14 June. Historically, June
is also the month when the SANBS experiences its
most critical blood shortages due to schools being on
holiday, and therefore can not hold blood donation
clinics. ClickLhere
here for more.
High quality chocolate
producer Chocolates by
Tom e s h a s r e -a p p o i n t e d
Purple Pine PR, after the agency implemented a
successful and effective campaign during the last six
months that had a dramatic impact on the brand's
sales, awareness and profitability. The campaign
resulted in such a dramatic increase in sales that the
company now has to invest in new machinery to cope
with all the orders. ClickLhere
here for more.
On 15 May 2004, South Africa was chosen as the
official host for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, one of the
world’s most popular sporting events. While an
honour to be the first African country to host the
event, it meant South Africa would have to go beyond
its limits and experiences to host the approximate
three million international visitors. Not only has 2010
boosted the nation’s economy through spending and
development of new jobs, it has also provided us with
the opportunity to change the image foreign
countries have of South Africa. Clicklhere
here for more.
Independent public
relations agency,
Pure Communications
has announced its
merger with Indaba
Productions, a brand development and advertising
agency. Indaba's CEO, Tumi Ndaba, will join Pure as a
Director, sharing executive responsibilities with MD
Gregory Serandos. This unique blend of skills will
make Pure Communications a dynamic force in the
communications field, and one of the few black-
owned communications companies in the industry.
here for more.
Clicklhere
2

A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
R e d C u b e
P o r t e r
Novelli, an
independent brand
PR communications agency and Vega The Brand
Communications School, through their partnership
InCube8, announced the launch of the “Win Your Own
Agency” challenge. The project’s aim is to nurture,
train and fund talented individuals, to provide them
with the holistic skills necessary to start their own
below-the-line agencies. ClickLhere
here for more.
Cape Town-based PR
c o m p a n y, T r o j a n
Horse has again been
appointed to handle the
publicity for the South
A f r i c a n O p e n
Championships, which take place at Pearl Valley Golf
Estates from 18 to 21 December this year. “We’re
thrilled to be appointed again, it’s important for our
business to establish long term relationships, and
previous knowledge and experience of an event
brings additional value to the client”, said MD Kim
Barty. The confirmed golfers to date are Ernie Els,
Justin Rose, Retief Goosen, Lee Westwood, JM Singh,
Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy. ClickLhere
here for more.
K a d o r o
Events and
Communication
s recently brought
its magical touch
to a series of brilliant launches across the country, to
unveil Radiant Lighting’s revised industry catalogue.
“Working closely with Fine Script, Radiant Lighting’s
branding strategy and activation company, Kadoro
executed these unforgettable events by handling all
logistics in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and
George”, explains Kadoro MD, Amanda Maynard.
Clicklhere
here for more.
The Boikanyo Foundation is a NGO that aims to
reduce the number of disadvantaged and
underprivileged children awaiting life-changing heart
surgery. It has a small budget to allocate to the
preparation of a marketing and implementation
strategy, and seeks an agency or consultant who is
willing to partner the Foundation in promoting its
cause and putting the organisation on the map. Click
here for more.
lhere
NEW ACCOUNTS
The world renowned
environmentalist and explorer,
Lewis Gordon Pugh, has appointed
Marcus Brewster Publicity (MBP)
for media liaison around his latest
record-breaking adventure. Pugh
has announced his return to the Arctic for another
pioneering environmental mission - an attempt to
become the first person to kayak to the North Pole to
show the drastic loss of sea ice. The expedition will
launch Pugh's new Polar Defense Project, founded to
raise awareness for greater protection of the Arctic
and climate change. The project receives support
from Investec Asset Management. MBP was
appointed directly to the account, which was not put
out to pitch. ClickLhere
here for more.
Publicity
UPDATE
MASSIV TV, an interactive TV system for
commuters, taxi owners and the advertising
industry, has appointed Marcus Brewster
Publicity. MASSIV has spent four years developing
unique technology that aims to tap into a vast
potential daily audience estimated to be worth R20
billion in fares annually. ClickLhere
here for more.
Total South Africa, part of the multinational
French-based energy company, has appointed
Marcus Brewster Publicity (MBP) as its PR agency
of record. The Total Group, together with its
subsidiaries and affiliates, is the fourth-largest
public-trading, integrated international oil and gas
company in the world, and has the largest retail
service station network on the African continent.
here for more.
ClickLhere
Countryhouse and
spa, Mount Grace has
appointed Headlines to
spearhead its public
relations at a time when it is rebranding and
undergoing a R135 million facelift of its
accommodation, spa and conference facilities. Click
Lhere
here for more.
The Rosebank Hotel, currently undergoing a
R254m refurbishment, has appointed Headlines
as its public relations partner to drive its
communications strategy as it repositions itself. The
hotel's general manager, Rick Berendsen, said
Headline's energy and fresh thinking was in line with
the vibrancy, passion, innovation and new style the
hotel has in mind, ahead of its re-opening in August.
Headlines has been operating for the past 14 years in
industries ranging from information technology and
here for more.
retail, to media and marketing. ClickLhere
Hetzner, South Africa’s largest
specialist web hosting
company, is the latest addition to
Greater Than Public Relations’
ever-expanding and diverse client
base. Greater Than specialises in
consumer PR and as such will be
specifically handling the launch
c a m p a i g n f o r S i t e B u i l d e r,
Hetzner’s easy-to-use website
builder which is available with all
web hosting packages, and is ideal for small to
medium-size businesses and entrepreneurs.
G r a p e v i n e
Communications has
become further entrenched in
the FMCG market by adding food
giant, Foodcorp, to its portfolio.
Foodcorp is Africa's largest black-
owned food manufacturer, and the world's fourth-
largest wheat milling complex. Grapevine has
extensive experience within the FMCG sector, and has
established strong media contacts with the
respective media.
Grapevine Communications has been
appointed to handle the communications for
Rosebank College, part of The Independent Institute
of Education (The IIE), which is a registered provider
with the Department of Education.
3

A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Capsolys, a rising hip-
hop star on the African
skyline, has joined the
Alerting the Media!
Celebrity Division. The 25-
year-old, who uses spiritual philosophy and real-life
experience in his lyrics, poetry and music, will be
launching his first-ever music video at an exclusive
premiere in Johannesburg in July. Alerting the Media!
will handle all the publicity for Capsolys and his record
company, Bouge Records, as well as the event
management of his music video launch. For more
www.alertingthemedia.co.za.
information, visitLwww.alertingthemedia.co.za
R e d R i b b o n
Communications'
r ec en t l y o p en ed
Johannesburg office has
clinched two major ICT accounts:
• Channel Data, a specialist information technology
(IT) distributor; and
• Powermode, a leader in the field of advanced power
management systems.
Clicklhere
here for more.
Lingerie brand, Triumph International, has
appointed Atmosphere Communications to
handle all its public relations requirements in South
Africa. The consumer division at Atmosphere will be
working with Triumph to profile its latest lingerie
ranges, and international activations and events in
the local media. Atmosphere will handle strategic
campaign development, internal communications
Lhere
and media relations, as well as online PR - including
the development of video blogs and social network
here for more.
marketing. Clicklhere
In the City, a company that offers boutique four
and five-star rental apartments in Cape Town’s
CBD, has appointed Atmosphere to manage its
strategic public relations. The company says that
Atmosphere has taken a unique approach to their
portfolio of high-end serviced apartments, supported
here for more.
by a strong Web 2.0 campaign. Clicklhere
Publicity
UPDATE
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Guerrilla Marketing recently appointed two new
designers, Sandile Nkosi and Ntokozo Mabaso.
Thomas Siyabanda Mboya is a new Business
Development Guerrilla, armed with a degree in public
relations from the Tshwane University of Technology,
as well as extensive marketing, business
development and client relationship building
experience. On 1 July, Alet van Zyl was appointed as
PR Manager at Guerrilla Marketing. Alet left the
journalistic battalions to intensify Guerrilla’s PR
here for more.
strikes. ClickLhere
The following appointments have been made at MV
Communications:
•Hercu Botha has been appointed Graphic
Designer;
•Jaco Botha has moved from the Graphic Design
Department to the Web Development Department;
and
•Hanlie Smuts has been appointed as Public
Relations Manager.
Angela Botha has joined Rivonia-based PR agency,
Glass Slipper Communications, as joint partner. The
agency sports an eclectic mix of property, consumer,
and pro-bono accounts.
Total Media has promoted Bradly Howland to Account
Executive, and has appointed Nikki Versfeld as an
Account Manager. ClickLhere
here for more on Bradly, and
here for more on Nikki.
Kim Webster has been appointed Virgin Active's CSR
Manager. ClickLhere
here for more.
The Johannesburg office of Marcus Brewster Publicity
(MBP) has appointed Simon Letanta and Viwe Yoyo
as Junior Account Executives. ClickLhere
here for more.
Lange Strategic Communications has appointed
Zenzile Hlongwane as Senior Account Manager at its
Johannesburg office. Clicklhere
here for more.
4

A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Measuring and monitoring the success of
social marketing campaigns
By Leigh Andrews
“Viral marketing refers to marketing techniques that
use pre-existing social networks to produce increases
in brand awareness, through self-replicating viral
processes, analogous to the spread of pathological
and computer viruses” - Wikipedia.
This definition of viral marketing introduces the
relevance of social marketing, and due to its elusive
nature, the need to measure the success of such a
campaign. After all, the responsibilities of a public
relations company extend beyond merely promoting
a n d f o c u s i n g o n i t s c l i e n t s ' b ra n d a n d
communications- the agency also needs to monitor
and measure the success of any PR campaigns and
communications undertaken. This is particularly the
case now, as the popularity of social media PR
campaigns has never been as influential.
Social Media Market Optimisation
Ltwitter
According to Cosmedia, having presence in the very
online environments that your target audience
populates is priceless. The power of peer-to-peer
referrals means word-of-mouth or viral marketing is
one of the most effective advertising methods
available to your brand. Social Media Marketing
(SMM) focuses on creating opportunities for
customers to associate themselves with your brand.
It is also a proactive activity that monitors customer
dialogues - both good and bad - about your brand,
through media monitoring and evaluation
methodologies; which in turn leads to being proactive
in engaging in the conversations that comprise social
media marketing.
Once you're in their
space, SMM gives you
the opportunity to
discover your target
market's feelings and
experiences about
your product, which
again gives you
c o m p e t i t i v e
advantage. This is evident in ABSA’s Facebook page ,
which allows consumers to comment on the bank's
wall, and spark debate on any issue - good or bad.
Measuring Social Media Campaigns
Social media
specialist Gino
Cosme explains
an effective social
o r o n l i n e
m a r k e t i n g
campaign must:
“generate a lead;
communicate an
important message; improve reputation; cut down
costs; and/or establish a relationship with current
and potential customers, brand enthusiasts and
supporters”. Social media marketing takes this into
account by engaging visitors with genuine, relevant
two-way conversations and interactions related to
FoodCrEATions, the new baking
their business. FoodCrEATions
community homepage sponsored by Stork, is a good
example of this. The site offers users the opportunity
to create profiles, blog about baking, and load their
personal favourite (Stork) recipes on the page.
Publicity
UPDATE
The site is an excellent communication tool as Stork
fans often check the page for inspiration, and the
clear branding on the website results in top-of-mind
reinforcement when the users are next shopping for
baking goods.
Forms of social media campaign measurability
The success of traditional media campaigns was
primarily achieved through determining return on
investment (ROI) through attaching a Rand
equivalent to the exposure obtained; assessing the
advertising value equivalency (AVE) of editorial
generated; and by reputation analysis reports to
better understand the effect traditional media
exposure, such as print ads and TV and radio
commercials, has on the brands' reputation. Many
organisations now look at not just ROI but also return
on relationships (ROR), also known as media return.
This is why media profiling is so important - to ensure
the correct target markets are reached.
Well known international social media sites include
twitter, a social messaging/ microblogging utility;
Stumbleupon, a social web content delivery site;
Technorati
Technorati , a social media search site; and
Upcoming, a social event calendar. These can all be
used to measure the effectiveness of campaigns and
literally interact with your audience, by posting the
social media content, and later responding to your
audience's comments.
Popular South
African examples
include social
bookmarking
service Muti; social
media sharing site,
Zoopy; and the
popular social
media aggregators
Amatomu and Afrigator
Afrigator. MobiBlitz has also added a
Mobizone portal, thus repositioning itself as both a
content aggregator and a mobile platform. This is
essential in today's world of social media marketing
and nomadic marketing, where consumers want to
interact with the companies they see portrayed in the
media, and have their say.
Afrigator, SA's social media aggregator
Afrigator is a local
social media
aggregator and
directory for
Africans to publish
and read local content. It recently released its revised
Beta 2 version, including a revised ranking algorithm
which uses visits; pageviews; and links from other
blogs and Afrigator posts to determine rank. CEO of
Afrigator, Justin Hartman, comments on Bandwidth
Blog: “Since launching our public beta site four
months ago we've focused a lot of our attention on
usability, functionality, and most importantly
relevance”.
The way forward
For ease of use, online PR and ad campaigns can
include a simple counter on the site to note how many
times the page is viewed, and embark on pay per click
advertising. This refers to advertising on search
engines and third party websites though text links or
website banners that get billed for every click made
by consumers.
5
 Publicity
UPDATE
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative

Measuring a company's overall exposure in the media

could be seen as one of the most influential factors in
building corporate reputation.
Therefore, it is important for PR firms to monitor and
measure all of their clients' exposure, both traditional
and social, and assess this data to construct the
company's perceived reputation. According to Gino
Cosme: “By measuring all your social media activity,
gathering as much research as you can find,
analysing it, and then incorporating it into your
overall campaign plans; social media marketing is an
excellent addition to almost any business where
relationships and buzz play a pivotal role”. The PRISA PRISM Awards

The PRISA PRISM Awards celebrate the successes

and achievements of the public relations and
communication industries which have successfully
incorporated strategy, creativity and professionalism
into their public relations and communication
programmes and strategies.

For the first time in its decade-long history, the PRISA

PRISM Awards is introducing new award categories.
These new categories are: Best Creative PR
Professional; Best Media Liaison PR Professional;
Best PR Educator; Best Strategic PR Professional; and
Best Up-and-Coming
Lwww.prisa.co.za PR Professional.

In addition to these new categories of excellence,

smaller PR consultancies operating in South Africa
will also be recognised through the addition of the
new “Best Small PR Consultancy” category to the
awards line-up, which caters to PR consultancies with
less than five employees.

Gold Medal

The PRISA Gold Medal is awarded to South African

citizens who, through their profession, raise the
profile of the country by using outstanding public
relations techniques to place the country on the
global map.

Continuing Professional Development

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a

global trend, and professions around the world have
EDITOR’S CORNER
been developing and implementing methods for
lifelong learning. At the same time, they give senior
Newsclip is a proud supporter of PRISA and
professionals a formal method of gaining CPD points
communication professionals in South Africa.
by contributing their expertise.
Through Newsclip’s monitoring service, PRISA is able
to receive feedback of the media exposure it receives,
In essence, CPD is a way in which seniors: "give to
and effectively calculate its communications
and develop the young professionals", and the young
strategy.
professionals: "take from seniors and develop
themselves".
About PRISA
Thus, the profession grows globally, the status of
PRISA - The Institute for Public Relations and
both the practitioner and the profession is enhanced,
Communication Management - was founded in 1957 and its value is firmly established.
by a handful of public relations practitioners.
Membership grew over the years and today stands at
3 510, including students.

The institute represents senior practitioners and

consultants, as well as student members. It is
dedicated to delivering dynamic, value-added
services to members and to ensure continued growth
and ‘professionalisation’ of the industry.

6
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
Publicity
UPDATE

EDITOR’S CORNER It is best to plan major events in advance. There will

The issue of professionalism in the PR industry has
been a hot topic for some time now, with various
industry bodies coming forward calling for
professionalism and ethical behaviour among
practitioners.
We live in trying economic times, and a company’s
reputation must be guarded to ensure a positive
maintenance of share of voice. To achieve this, the
communications department at any company
needs to ensure a direct line internally from the top
down (after all, the reputation of a company is the
responsibility of the CEO, and the communications
people are there to work with the media to develop
positive relations).
I believe integration is a key concept. Far too often,
public relations is splintered into various
departments and forms a support role for human
resources, the legal department, etc. One
department should handle external media relations
for key offices that carry high media visibility, thus
promoting a meaningful cross-functional
communications process.
The second crucial point is having the right people
in the right place. A public relations department
needs people who are not only good at writing
press releases, but also good networkers and up-
to-date with all the latest happenings in modern
communication methodologies (such as blogging;
the social media press release; the online press
office; and others).
be breaking news stories that a company must deal
with, but a year plan is not that difficult to set up. It
will include: scheduled launches; the annual report
release; set meetings; EXCO appointment
announcements; pre-planned crisis communication
texts; and so on. Then, when crunch time arrives, it
will not be unreasonable for the department to
update the relevant content and be on top of its
game, rather than scrambling for the press release
and press conference at the last minute.
This then leaves ample time to ensure a good turn out
at the event, and provides opportunities to better
enhance media relations.
Another positive aspect of planning is that it provides
time for unforeseen events. When a crisis strikes, a
good communicator has the answers ready, having
compiled a risk analysis in advance and prepared for
the worst. One would hope that press releases never
need to be used, but it is folly not to have them at the
ready.
There are many good resources available to expand
on these ideas and really go into the nuts and bolts of
strategy (such as audience profiling; measurement;
project management techniques; and more). Sadly, I
can barely touch on the tip of the iceberg in one page.
I will end off with this: for these elements to be
recognised as important, the profession must see
public relations as strategic communication
management - from planning to execution. The rest
will follow.

It stands to reason that the people who reside in the

communications department must be of top calibre,
as they are the face and front of the organisation.

With the right people in the right places, a concrete

communication plan must be set out to support the
company’s business plan and marketing objectives.
This also requires good internal communication and
relatively stable benchmarks. It is of no use to
structure a strategy only to change it weekly.
Obviously, in a dynamic environment, there will be
changes along the way, responses to crises, and so
on, but the core mandate must be logical.

A successful communications plan will begin with

research - into the industry, the trends, the
structures, etc. One must set out clear standard
operating procedures within the department so
other business units are aware of the procedures to
effectively communicate their role. Various work
flow structures must also be in place.

The research process is lengthy, involving many

elements of communication strategy, from the
identification of the relevant target markets
through to the monitoring of the planned exposure
relative to a desired media profile. This must all be
scheduled in advance and the correct measurement
techniques applied to ensure an objective feedback
loop.
7
 Publicity
A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
UPDATE

EDITOR’S CORNER In addition to our mainstream presentation,

Communicating effectively is a challenge at the best
of times - a communicator has to contend with the
multitude of media available and the changing
dynamics of the demographics they are targeting.
With this in mind,
Newsclip has embarked
on a journey to share
m e d i a a n d
communication
knowledge through
business breakfasts
that will be held
quarterly in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Our first round of talks in Durban in May went down
extremely well, with guests from across the
province attending the talk titled ‘Understanding the
Media’. Now it’s time to build on that.
In our upcoming talks, we plan to elaborate on the
shift toward trend-based analysis, based on
mathematically-certain information and statistical
reporting. We will also share some exciting
developments in the field of media engagement
opportunities, which will assist communicators in
identifying relevant media for their public relations
strategies.
The issue of measurement is hot. Newsclip recently
launched its COOL platform, which allows
companies to assess their media profiles
graphically, using the clips from their monitoring
service as the basis of the information. This makes it
factual and objective, and allows a communications
specialist to then breakdown the profile against their
prescribed communications strategy that would
have been conceived from the outset. We will
elaborate on this methodology.
Newsclip was invited to give a presentation to the
staff and management of the Zululand Observer in
Empangeni as part of its staff development.
The presentation in this case focused on trends
within
the media, with some interesting examples of how
new media trends will impact on traditional and, in
particular, community media.
It is important to remember that traditional forms of
communication still have a very valued place in the
communications and marketing process. At the
same time, new methods are being identified that
can supplement the reach of brands and their
engagement with the audience.
Slow adoption of some of these techniques is due to
resistance from agencies and clients, but for the
most part, is based on sound marketing strategy that
depends on the nature of the audience being
targeted.
The recently launched Shine2010.co.za is a good
example of marketing through the provision of a
useful service. While the website will have a good
reach, the think-tank behind the portal is already
considering sms and mms technology to supplement
web-based content. This will open up the market
reach exponentially.

A seriously hot topic at the moment, which is to be

expected, is the recession and its permutations.
Using engagement opportunities and identifying
new vehicles to reach target audiences has never
been more important. The key to the survival of a
business during these trying times is its ability to
build share of voice, and consequently, market
share.

To make this even more complex, these trying

economic times are compounded by an era that is
seeing consumers moving away from traditional
forms of advertising, towards new media
technologies such as social networking and
experiential marketing. It is up to the
communicators to find ways of ‘getting people to
love the land’. When all is said and done - that’s what
it’s all about. You need to get people to love and
connect with your brand to make it top of mind.

Guaranteed- there are probably a dozen

publications that each and every single brand could
be mentioned in, even though they are not the core
focus on the publication. This opportunity for
greater exposure cannot be ignored.
8

A Newsclip Media Monitoring Initiative
EDITOR’S CORNER
The International Association of Business
Communicators has confirmed that its 15th annual
conference will be held on 14 and 15 October at The
Vineyard in Cape Town. The theme for this year will
be ‘accountability in communications’.
Among the speakers to address the delegates this
year are Santie Botha of MTN, Chris Moerdyk, Dr.
Barbara Jensen, Amanda Patterson, Daniel Munslow,
and others.
IABC Africa Region believes that South Africa and the
continent have so many excellent ideas and case
studies, that it’s time to look inward for
communication expertise. International conferences
are often able to provide very good insight into global
trends and overall implementation ideas, but lack
the experience of localised application methodology.
On a continent with so many different cultures and
ways of thinking, understanding and adapting
communication strategies for each environment is
crucial.
For these reasons, this year’s IABC conference
programme will predominantly feature local experts,
including keynote speaker Santie Botha, Group Chief
Marketing Officer for MTN Group. She will share how
MTN has met communication challenges across the
continent.
To add as much value as possible to the conference
delegates, top class international speakers will
feature over the two-day event, but will be briefed on
the requirements of our local audience to ensure that
their examples and anecdotes are of relevance to the
current local context.
With environmental, political, economic and
sociological issues taking front seat around the world
at this time, communication professionals need to be
particularly mindful of the manner in which they
communicate - to all stakeholders.
In addition, the macro-economic climate is bringing
about changed behaviour and more positive
communication patterns. From Newsclips
experience, we are seeing that people are more
inclined to move with the positive.
Lwww.shine2010.co.za
Using recent communication examples, Shine2010
is the first that pops to mind. www.shine2010.co.za
is an initiative of FNB (put together by Fleishman
Hillard), that carries positive news about the
developments taking place around the country in the
run up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The idea behind
it, is that consumers are interested in positive news
about countrywide developments, and that such
news is not always available to them.
Through the use of creative forms of
communication and the introduction of new media
technologies to engage with the public, the team
on Shine2010 was able to come up with an
innovate concept that serves all sides and
disseminates positive content to those who are
interested in receiving it.
Publicity
UPDATE
Through the use of innovative communication, one
is able to realise one’s strategic objectives and
convey relevant information to the consumer, as
well as to journalists, bloggers, and others.
Another communication challenge is the
identification of relevant communication tools for a
particular audience. While online may be the
perfect tool in one country, mobile is in another. It is
imperative for communicators to understand the
dynamics of their surroundings and engage with
their audience in a way that is meaningful to them.
With over 35 million cellphones in South Africa,
versus an internet penetration of about 12%, the
former would seem to be a better option to
communicate with a mass audience. At the same
time, one must cater for the needs of the web-
enabled minority, given the demographic and
behavioural patterns they display.
It’s all about engaging the right audiences through
the use of the correct communication tools- locally.
See you next month.
DANIEL
GET TO KNOW THE TEAM
EDITOR Daniel Munslow
DEPUTY EDITOR Pat McClelland
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Stefanie Jason
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Leigh Andrews
MEDIA RESEARCHER Roane Booth
MARKETING MANAGER Vanessa Evans
Publicity Update is published by Newsclip.
Daniel is a member of the Public Relations Institute of
Southern Africa (PRISA), the Public Relations
Consultancy Chapter (PRCC) and the International
Association of Business Communicators.
GET IN TOUCH
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to hear from you.
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publicity@newsclip.co.za or call
us on (011) 288-6600.
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PUBLICITY UPDATE IS A NEWSCLIP MEDIA MONITORING INITIATIVE