I remember watching a movie about Gladiators a while ago, in during one of the cliffhanger scenes in the movie, the following statement is uttered by the Gladiators as the greet the great Caesar before their big epic battle, “We who are about to die, salute you”. If I look at the advertising and brand building industry today, it resembles this scene. Not wonder the shape we are in if you just look at the things people are saying about us, not to mention the treatment the majority of us receive – I am not going to reference any recent industry happenings where two big agencies where dealt a very rough hand by a very BIG client. I do not know the details, I do not want to know the details – but the fact remains that what has now transpired will echo through our industry and the repercussions will be felt. A benchmark has been set on how to treat agencies.

But today, the situation has changed. As Niall Fitzgerald, CEO of Unilever, famously said a few years ago: “There is an alarming discrepancy between what our brands are going to need and what agencies are good at.” The concept of ‘branding’ has moved far beyond communicating product differences and building ‘image’. This means that advertising agencies need to shift from creating advertising to providing high-end strategic advice about not only marketing, but about the business as a whole.

However, personal experience and studies suggest that brand owners do not yet believe that agencies are delivering at that higher level; good news for consultancies providing brand strategy advice. – Philip Kotler – B2B Branding 2006

In his now very famous book, The Want Makers: Lifting the lid off the world Advertising Industry: How they make you buy (1989), Eric Clark stated a few very interesting things. One of the parts that grabbed me the most, was at the end of the book. It was a small paragraph were he listed famous peoples’ perception of the advertising industry. I would like to share a few of these with you.

“It is an Evil Service” – Aneurin Bevan
“History will see it as one of the evil things of our time” – Malcolm Muggeridge
“Young People should be weary of the advertising, through the evil use of advertising techniques that stimulate the natural inclination to avoid hard work by promising the immediate satisfaction of every desire” – Pope John Paul II

He then closes the section by saying that with advertising budgets becoming increasingly massive, is it not a case where advertising is becoming a weapon that benefits the large at the expense of the few.

The general sentiment about the advertising industry is that it is in trouble! I would use more expletive words, but will refrain from committing social media Seppuku or Harakiri! It is the one thought that is on everybody’s mind. Especially if you have salaries and overheads to cover.

The truth is that our industry is at a crossroads – nay, a Tipping Point. Everything we do is being questioned and as a result everything we recommend is being questioned. Budgets are decreasing, stress levels are increasing and the statement that it can be done cheaper (but at the same professional level and output as last year) is becoming common place. To date, however, I am not seeing any industry leader standing up and saying, enough is enough, this is how we are going to solve it. It seems that the stigmas and sentiments I shared with you at the beginning of this post are going to be legitimised and proven to be true. Us “pirates” will continue to be cut throat and it is every man for himself! It is incredibly difficult to define yourself in this industry, or to deliver sound strategic advice or direction when you are constantly being questioned or ridiculed.

Just think about it, if there is a perception about the industry you are in, you will be painted with the same brush – take a closer look at those perceptions above again! Anyone hear any good lawyer jokes lately? Well the fact is, that not many lawyers are being treated like advertising or Brand building agencies.

But, like my 8 year old niece always says – “All is not lost”. Let me just put this down for the record. I love my job, I love what I do and the things that we create. The World of Branding is changing, the very constructs we use to define the reason for Brand Success are changing. So we have two options. We either evolve, or go the way of the dodo. I for one still have a little fight left in me, so I want going to propose 5 ways of how we can rebuild the industry – some more obvious than others. But, at least I am saying something.

Solution One – Become Business Minded, but Consumer Focused
As a industry, we have been focused on the big Idea, the wild Television advert that is going to win THAT award. The impactful below the line campaign that went viral. But, did any of us stop to consider the impact on the Brand?

Campaigns are one thing and I love amazing creative ideas, but I love them even more when they are backed up by solid, focused and effective Brand Strategy that is in it self long term focused and rooted in good old fashioned consumer focused thinking.

We need to start remembering the consumer again – they are the reason we exist, and this goes for our clients as well. Treat your consumers like people and human beings, and not consumers, and they will love you for it.

Solution Two – New Business Models and Regulation
As an industry there is very little regulation or even standardisation and as a result we can undercut and change prices any way that we want. This makes the BAD paint brush even bigger and the end result is all of us loosing credibility.

If we are to survive, we will need to rethink how we make money as an industry – our prices will have to be regulated and agreed upon – not by some council, but we amongst ourselves. This also means more collaboration of not only intellectual property, but also of resources and ideas. If we do not work together we will fail and the Bad sentiment will increase until we are simply reduced to Mac operators and job bag carriers.

Solution Three – More Human Brands
It is the new buzz word. I and my esteemed colleague Thys de Beer have developed a new Strategic Methodology specifically developed to build better Brands that are more human focused and more engaging.

This speaks for itself, the new call from consumers is that Brands need to be more authentic, more real and credible. This means treating consumers/ people with more respect and give them more value and better experiences. If you think this is fool hardy, then go and ask Mr Price how their new campaign is doing? Pretty well I think. The Brand we create will need to be principled, credible, true individuals, stable and stand for something more than a great price and competitive edge.

This means we need to shift our thinking. If you give people a great and relevant idea and dream, and you make it real for them, they will follow you forever as committed consumers.

Solution Four – More True Strategic Focused Offerings
Everything we do, will have to become more strategic, we are seeing the death of the twelve month communications plan and clients calling out for a 2 – 3 year business/ Brand plans on how to grow and evolve their business.

As an industry, our thinking will have to shift towards strategy and more strategic offerings to increase business success. If you do not believe me, please revisit the Kotler comment above.

Solution Five – Be Brave in Everything we Do.
This is something that Mike Abel stated on this blog a week or so ago (http://mikeabel.wordpress.com/). This is the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in. Being Brave should go for everyone in this regard – the clients, us and all the other partners from research agencies to the online guys (which are growing).

Being Brave means looking at business, collaboration and how we create in a new light and through new glasses. Being Brave means that we need to work together to restore respect and integrity in our category and our service offering. This should also apply to the work we deliver. The consumer is rapidly changing, their wants, needs, desires and the way they communicate and engage with our Brands. Therefore, we need to meet them more than half way and create Brands that do more than engage or connect, but that create truly committed Brand relationships.

Rambling this might, be, but as I have said, I think I have a little bit of fight left in me. The industry is in trouble, but we can only make it work for everyone if we work together to change not only the perceptions about the industry, but also how we make money and also the type of work that we deliver.

We need to become more credible, through becoming even more strategic and consumer focused. We are not in the ripping off business – the world has become far too open for that. To me, we are in the creating amazing value adding, life changing experiences and through this life long relationships between consumers/ people and Brands that truly want to make a positive difference.

I am sure, there are a lot more direct and realistic things we can do to rectify the situation – but these are my two cents.

–
Andre Le Roux authors a blog called The Whole Brand Truth.

As we commemorate the first elections held in 1994 in which voting rights did not depend on race, may we encourage you to remember the story that bought us as a country to this place of freedom.

Together, let’s be inspired by the stories of our heroes – thinking of the sacrifices they made and the price they paid; humbled by the many stories themed with injustice; and let’s honour those who shed light on wrong doings even though it may have cost them dearly.

Especially on this day, let’s enjoy the full spectrum of culture that our beautiful country has to offer and let’s remember that if we don’t want history to repeat itself we must occupy this freedom. Cherish it. Use it.

Stop.

Look around.

Take in what we have.

And be free.

As an academic institution, we probably don’t have to explain too much about why we love books. So we’ll let one of Refiloe’s own poems do it for us.

–

Look in a Book
by Refiloe Mosikidi 

Look in a book
and you will see, you will find, you will discover that time can never erase that moment, that centre of magic sparked the discovery of a beautiful word.

And when you realize that like a door, a book is your pathway to new discoveries.

In life you go through changes that certain explanations beyond your expectations
start to make no sense…

But wait before you listen to your friend, web search your answers
or consider what you neighbour says…

Look in a Book.
For it speaks with your mind, body and soul,
whether it be the bible, a novel or diary. Just,
Look in a Book.

A book is the extension on a marked degree of your independence.

Misinformation only gets an invitation to those who have no conviction towards ignorance.

Look in a Book.

And you will find…

Not only for answers but for sense, wisdom, clarity and understanding.

At the time Shelley was still preparing for the pageant and dreaming about possibilities. We’re happy (read thrilled) to report good news

Vega Durban student crowned Miss Deaf SA

: Shelley has been crowned as Miss Deaf SA.

She is currently running sign language workshops in Durban and will be travelling to the Miss Deaf World competition this year. On the career front, Shelley completed her internship at East Coast Radio, after which they offered her a full time position.

That something is the main difference between the print ad you ignore as you skim through a magazine; the radio advert that consistently drives you to change stations; the TV spot you fast forward through on PVR; and then, quite to the contrary, the kind of work that you’ve seen win awards, go viral on youtube and cause real sales for companies.

We’d like to propose to you that it’s not simply about the quality of writing. It’s about the concept. Thinking. The revolutionary kind of thinking that has been put into the work. The kind of thinking that causes people to stop and listen. The kind of thinking that causes people to rethink how they do things. The kind of thinking that causes people, in the words of Bob Dylan, “to question, to overturn tables, disconnect cables, in places and things that don’t make sense no more”.

That’s what Vega teaches in the Introduction to Conceptual Writing for Brands. If you are a passionate writer and you’d like to grow your conceptual skills, then join us on the next programme starting 19 March on all Vega campuses.

Visit this link for more information on Introduction to Conceptual Writing for Brands.

Here are a few pictures of the event showing Brand Strategy Navigator, Simon Grainger, teaching about brand awareness. After the presentation we usually have one of our photographers take a few snaps (you’ll notice the exquisite lighting conditions).

If you are in the pictures below and would like to tag yourself, you’re welcome to visit the album on the Official Vega School page on facebook.

Image by Michael Burnett. Left to right: Dr Charles Mironko, Tsepho Moime, Gordon Cook.

The first stage of genocide is classification of humans according to groupings such as ethnicity, religion, gender and culture. This can already occur in childhood where one group bullies another. Secondly, symbolism is attached to the classifications, such as the yellow star that Jews had to wear during the holocaust. In the third stage, the victimized group becomes dehumanised when terms such as rats, cockroaches and snakes are used to describe the group. They are thus not viewed as human but rather as animals. Organisation is the fourth stage of genocide where powerful leaders and militia begin to form groups and build their supremacy. Next, polarisation follows as the dominant group begins to distance themselves from the dehumanised group. The divide between these groups thus enlarges. In the sixth stage, preparation occurs by death lists being drawn up and plans being made to kill others. This leads to the seventh stage of extermination. The last stage of genocide is denial where perpetrators justify their actions and deny any wrongdoing.

Image by Michael Burnett. Left to right: Dr Charles Mironko, Gordon Cook.

None of us are exempt from genocide if we fail to notice the various stages, which might take decades to develop. We can walk blind and mute through each stage and find ourselves at stage seven being the victims or even on the side of the perpetrators. Genocide can be prevented if the early stages are dealt with effectively.

The central message to Dr Mironko’s presentation is this: Instead of being blind and mute citizens, let’s open our eyes to circumstances around us and let’s voice our concerns and opinions. What measures can we put in place to prevent or rectify each stage of genocide?

Review by Yolande Rossouw. Presented by Dr Charles Mironko at Vega Bordeaux, 09 November 2011.

What’s the inspiration behind the name? When we were busy putting the site together, the question was raised as to what the blog would be about to which I replied: “Everything from elephants to Easter… ” and so the name was born.

There has never been a set plan behind what to do with e&e, it’s a great way to play and  build a brand in a digital space, have a good time doing it and discover a whole world of daily/weekly/monthly cool. Our entry into the SA Blog awards I guess is just about exposure, the more people that read e&e the more we can do with it; grow the blog, it’s exposure and hopefully exposure to our local creatives as well.The SA Blog awards are an interesting beast: few categories, public vote go get the process going and effectively all of us gunning for the same piece of the pie… It’s going to be an interesting ride.

The South African blogging culture is growing, it’s vast and normally pretty entertaining, so if you think you have something interesting to say….join the conversation.

Feel free to mail us your hopes, thoughts and dreams or anything South African talent that we could feature: hello@elephantsandeaster.com

To vote in the SA blog awards, please visit your favorite South African blogs and click on their vote badge.

The work is on display in multiple rooms on campus, with guest speakers and a gathering of Durban’s top industry professionals looking to discover the next Bright Young Thing in Branding.

Light snacks and refreshments will be available, and an after-party at Sasha Nightclub follows the event.

The Showcase will also be open for viewing 8am – 4pm on Monday, 14 November.

Event Details

Friday 11 November 2011 from 6:30pm
Vega Durban campus (*for directions, see below)
Grid Building16, Imvubu Park Place (off Queen Nandi Drive)
Riverhorse Valley

More than a decade down and Vega’s vision of what business was to be has come to pass. In the process we have helped shape that environment and continue to help shape the future.

Vega constantly strives to embody wisdomwithmagic, to find ways for brands to not only exist as “Enlightened companies and CEOs… the purpose of business being the creation of value as uniquely defined to meet the needs and wants of key-value shareholders such as staff, customers and the broader community. A brand is the ultimate vessel to deliver this value.” Gordon Cook, National Brand Navigator.

The Durban campus consists of a tight group of students, lecturers and support staff who all add their own unique flavour to the world of branding. Lots of hard work and some fun have again seen fantastic results this year with a D&AD finalist going to London, flying with two Loerie awards and snapping the top NPC photographic award. Our students featured in and wrote newspaper articles, our graduate students held six exhibitions in galleries such as Gallery 415 and The Collective. Our talent is on display so join us for some inspiration and a few drinks.

* Directions
To get to our campus from Durban, the easiest is to come along Umgeni Road, take the Connaught Bridge into North Coast Road, and turn left into Nandi Drive. Almost exactly 2km along, turn left at the robots at Imvubu Park Place. Proceed a short distance over a small railway bridge and three speed humps. Immediately after the third one, turn right into the Grid Eye Building. Through the security gate, sharp right and through the boom – go to the very end of the building and our entrance is on the left hand side. To get here from the North Coast / King Shaka International Airport: take the N2 South, and take the Queen Nandi Drive offramp. Turn LEFT at the robot at the top and continue until you reach the robots on the corner of Imvubu Park Place. Turn right and proceed a short distance over a small railway bridge and three speed humps. Immediately after the third one, turn right into the Grid Eye Building. Through the security gate, sharp right and through the boom – go to the very end of the building and our entrance is on the left hand side. To get here from Westville, the Highway area or Pietermaritzburg – if you are on the M13 coming towards Durban, turn left at 45th Cutting – proceed along, pass St Georges Hospital on your left, to the robots at Alpine Road. Turn left. To robots at Umgeni Road, turn right, take the Connaught Bridge into North Coast Road, and turn left into Nandi Drive. Almost exactly 2km along, turn left at the robots at Imvubu Park Place. Proceed a short distance over a small railway bridge and three speed humps. Immediately after the third one, turn right into the Grid Eye Building. Through the security gate, sharp right and through the boom – go to the very end of the building and our entrance is on the left hand side.

Great news! Two silver Pendorings for Vega Bordeaux.

Alison McAlinden for her digital entry: Beer, ‘n storie van…
Thabang “Tipi” Manyelo and Kirsten  Morgan for their truly South African entry: Young, gifted and 14%

It was a good evening – were are really chuffed with the students. Once again, I have noticed that it’s the hard workers, the ten thousand hour crafters, that will become the outliers (Malcolm Gladwell).

Great to see that Vega alumni of the years are doing well. We’re keeping a look out for work this year that could be entered next year.

More details on the Pendoring website.

-Roela