Gerald Mahinda, MD of brandhouse says, “brandhouse is deeply committed to responsible drinking and support various interventions driving this important message. The brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards, the first initiative of its kind in the country, forms part of our ongoing efforts to inform and raise consumer awareness about the potentially devastating effects of alcohol abuse.”

The objective of the awards is to encourage journalists to use their individual approach and messaging influences to proactively gain traction with their readers and shape perceptions and behaviour around drunk driving, as well as other alcohol abuse-related issues such as under-age drinking, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and binge drinking.

The awards are open to all South African journalists who consistently demonstrate efforts to support and promote responsible drinking. Articles must have been published in South African media (print, broadcast, online) and can cover any stories on responsible drinking including issues related to alcohol abuse and its consequences.

For more information on the 2012 brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards and how to enter, go to www.brandhouse.co.za or email entries to rd.media.sc@fticonsulting.com.  Entries close at 12pm on 30 April 2012 and only media who have entered will be reviewed. Entrants need to build a portfolio of published work dating from 1 May 2011 until 30 April 2012.

The entry categories for the 2012 brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards include:

• Journalist of the Year (Prize money of R10 000)
• Best Magazine (Prize money of R10 000)
• Best Newspaper (Prize money of R10 000)
• Best Broadcast  -Radio/TV (Prize money of R10 000)
• Best Online (Prize money of R10 000)
• Best Blog (Prize money of R10 000)
• Best Community (Prize money of R10 000)

There will be three finalists per category.

Journalists entering the brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards will be judged on the following:

• Ability to highlight, profile and engage with the issues around Responsible Drinking
• Approach to the various campaigns (proactive / unique / relative)
• Level of support (balance between quality and frequency)
• Level of influence (creating awareness / challenging target audience / encouraging change)

Enter now!

Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.

Related posts:

1. South African Blog Awards
2. SA Blog Awards Ceremony
3. The Biggest Evidence Bag in SA – The Drive Dry Campaign

MicroStrategy’s new tools claims to allow brands to unlock information from Facebook’s 800 million-strong user base, slice and dice relevant market information, and connect directly with customers. And all with the customer’s permission.

MicroStrategy (Nasdaq: MSTR), a provider of business intelligence (BI) software, claims that its Facebook solutions, MicroStrategy Wisdom, MicroStrategy Gateway and MicroStrategy Alert, give marketers more relevant, valuable and up-to-date market information than they have ever had access to before, and allows them to use it for direct and immediate customer interaction.

Showcased at MicroStrategy World 2012 in Miami, these tools deliver on a growing need among marketers for a simple way to mine the consumer mother lode.

The CEO of MicroStrategy, Michael Saylor, told delegates at the annual MicroStrategy conference that 50% of world GDP would be transformed by mobile, social, cloud and big data technologies.

MicroStrategy claims to be ahead of the curve, with solutions already in place to help enterprises capitalise on these trends.

Saylor’s pet focus is Facebook, which he describes as “an ever-refreshing database of anyone with wealth or power on Earth”. To monetise this resource, MicroStrategy has developed Wisdom and other social intelligence tools.

Measuring interaction with customers

Mark Bannerman, Country Manager at MicroStrategy in South Africa, says: “These solutions are going to revolutionise the way that enterprises market to consumers. They will enable them to take brands to the next level in terms of the way they interact with consumers.”

The three offerings form part of MicroStrategy’s social intelligence toolset, work together to allow brands to “listen, learn and act”. MicroStrategy Gateway for Facebook allows brands to track trends and place the information in a rational database. Says Bannerman: “It gives a 360-degree view of a brand’s Facebook app users and allows marketers to synchronise the data with existing enterprise applications.”

MicroStrategy Wisdom Enterprise offers market information about their Facebook app users according to criteria such as likes, whereabouts, events, activities and networks. It allows marketers to segment the app user population and analyse the results based on demographics such as gender, age bracket, relationship status, urbanicity, metro area and language. A marketer could, for example, ask: “Which users in the Johannesburg area are aged between 22 and 35 and are new parents?”

Insight into trends

Bannerman continues: “It also allows for real-time insights into trends in areas such as consumer brands, entertainment, sports, music and activities. MicroStrategy Alert adds the marketing and commerce component, giving marketers one-on-one interaction tools with customers and allowing them to offer tailored specials, vouchers and news.”

Bannerman says the innovations focus on Facebook, since this is essentially the world’s biggest market database. Because the social media platform includes options to ‘like’, ‘friend’ and comment, this market information is more comprehensive and valuable than that on many other social media platforms.

Opt-in system

By incentivising users to opt-in to the system, marketers can extract information on the users’ Facebook likes, dislikes, activities, check-ins and friends. Not only does this allow for up-to-date demographics, psychographics and trends information, it allows marketers to deliver desired and on-time information about new products, competitions and special offers.

“If a user happens to like love songs, for example, the marketer could deliver an alert about a special offer on a love song CD to the consumer, or could send a discount voucher directly to them when they check in to the area of a music store,” Bannerman says.

In line with the Consumer Protection Act and Facebook user privacy settings, customers can opt out to communication at any stage, and will be automatically removed from the system. The information is also secured against unauthorised access.

The data collected using MicroStrategy’s new solutions can be easily integrated into existing CRM databases, adding vast amounts of in-depth information to existing data.

The suite, launched in Q3 last year, has six major customers in the US using it to interact with around 4.2 million fans, says Bannerman.

Bannerman says the possibilities are now being introduced to marketers in South Africa too.

MicroStrategy also delivers Usher, a free, “friendly” event management app linked to Facebook Events, which includes tools such as door management and mobile ticket delivery.

Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.

Related posts:

1. With Facebook Insights Comes Social Media Enjoyment
2. A new platform in Facebook: Community Pages
3. Is linking Twitter to Facebook a good idea?

When MetropolitanRepublic were commissioned to create a radio advertisement for Ed Hardy energy drink, they merged the ‘Party Hardy’ proposition with a stereotypical “hard oke” to create a character so hard-core he even gets tattooed while recording the radio spot. And that’s just one of many extreme actions the character loves to endure.

The first of the three ads centred on the coming of the New Year. “People have been tuning me that 2012 is gonna be even harder. That means I’ve gotta make my new years jol proper hard. You gotta look 2012 in the eye and let it see that you’ve got tiger blood coursing through your veins.”

The second ad had the character telling listeners: “If you wanna hang with the hard dogs, you can’t sip like a softy.”

In the third ad he tells listeners that he’s just stolen 10 seconds from the next radio ad. “Why? Because I’m hard core.”

“We created a spokesperson who is as edgy as he is entertaining, someone who embodies the party spirit and attitude of the brand, “ says Avital Pinchevsky, Creative Director at MetropolitanRepublic.

“The Ed Hardy brand is edgy and fresh and offers a great opportunity for creatives to be free and creative. We leveraged the end of year party scene and made it resonate with the target audience, keeping the tone relevant and humorous,” says Pete Khoury, Executive Creative Director at MetropolitanRepublic.

Listen to the ads here (click on the link below).

mix Ed Hardy Radio Hardest Spot Ever

Pinchevsky says of the agency: “We are a through the line agency that understands the moods, languages and idiosyncrasies of South Africa and Africa. For us, consumers are people we like to have conversations with by creating successful campaigns. With success, we mean business success. The kind of real, measurable success that grows businesses, creates jobs and delivers profits.”

Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.

Related posts:

1. Career opportunity: get paid to drink
2. Effective Leadership & Personal Energy
3. Local Group Buying Company CityMob Introduces In-Facebook Deals

When we receive a brief and the client wants to achieve viral reach we know that the one sure way to tell if we are doing our job is if the client has that look in their eyes that says they’re scared. It’s rare for the client to move ahead regardless. To put themselves aside and realise they aren’t necessarily their target market. As they say – no guts, no glory!

We all know the feeling we get when we pass something on via e-mail, SMS or word of mouth and the person/ people receiving it have a reaction similar to what we experienced when we first saw it.

For a moment we have been able to add value, change a perception, entertain or educate – ultimately have an impact on the recipient’s life, and get the credit for it.

What’s interesting is that we don’t only pass on funny stuff like “Badger” or “Baby laughing hysterically at ripping paper” but also share serious matters like “I have something to tell you…” or ridiculous, bordering on insane stuff like “Leave Britney alone”.

How many motivationals, Fails, remember the 80’s, clever inventions and presentations on 3D pavement art have you received and passed on via e-mail, how many times have you had someone Bluetooth a video or image to you or send you a link to something via SMS that you viewed immediately because it came from a trusty source?

And the numbers are mental – “Charlie bit my finger” is sitting at over 411 million views on YouTube! Die Antwoord’s “Enter the Ninja” – over 10 million views! Goldfish’s “We come together” – 1.4 million.

It seems that user generated content and music videos dominate though six days ago VW launched a video called “The bark side” – a brilliant piece of viral content that’s currently sitting on over 7 million views. Well done VW!

How are they doing it and why are so few brands in SA getting it right?

Mathew Bull once said “If you are scaring your client, then you are heading in the right direction.” And I think that’s the problem – when it comes to viral, agencies aren’t presenting work that scares the client enough. Everyone is playing it safe and the result is a boring, wasted attempt at engaging consumers and giving them an experience they can get anywhere else.

So instead of going with some awesomely produced viral content that entertains the audience we are left with branded wallpapers or a ringtone recorded in a celebrity’s voice that one could easily find on Google.

The crazy thing is that as much as the client insists on going this way the success of the campaign lies in the hands of the recipient. The result of your viral  campaign is a direct reflection on how engaging it was. You can’t force someone to like something or share it and people won’t risk their reputation by passing on something that should be left for movie day at the local old age home, where it doesn’t matter if the content is engaging because anything is better than watching grass grow while waiting for your next cup of tea.

I really applaud VW for their video – if you look at the comments you will notice that someone said “What does this have to do with a car” and that’s the point, it doesn’t have to have anything to do with a car. It can just be an awesome, entertaining, engaging piece brought to you by a company that is already renowned for manufacturing brilliant automobiles.

Next time you are pitching something to a client, or next time you are receiving a revert on your brief think of how serious you are about the mobile/ viral element achieving results. If you are giving the consumer an experience they can find elsewhere online then rather don’t bother. The budget could be better spent elsewhere.

If, however, you want to see mobile really deliver on its promise then push the limits – be scared but don’t let it stop you. Your target audience will be impressed with your brand’s ballsiness and forward thinking and they will feel rewarded for their support, time and loyalty.

When browsing the mobile web the consumer comes across thousands of ad banners – if they clicked on yours then something compelled them to do so, if they feel let down when they get to your site then you have failed them and your campaign ends there. Who knows how many people they would have shared their experience with.

And that’s the beautiful thing; if your campaign is viral you can turn a mobile media investment of X into 200% or 500% or 1000% X. Every hit you get above your spend is free.

So when you start preparing for your next campaign, put on your big person pants, toss an extra teaspoon of java in your cup, have a bowl of jungle oats and do something meaningful and memorable.

If you find yourself yawning after the first slide of the pitch send it back and if the client pulls back the reins on a crazy idea remind them of why you are there and what’s at stake.

If your brand doesn’t grab at every opportunity to be great then a competitor will and all that will remain will be another poor excuse for a campaign that could have been more, and we all know how much the boss loves underachievement.

Also see, 5 Steps To A Viral Mobile Campaign – Step 1: Merge Left And Right Brain Thinking and 5 Steps To A Viral Mobile Campaign – Step 2: Cater for Quantity

Ryan van Jaarsveld is the founder of South Africa’s first mobile-only, full-service ad agency, 7Dffrnt Knds of Smke. Ryan cut his teeth in companies like Wizzit bank (SA’s first mobile bank) and Cellsmart, before venturing out on his own, quickly landing clients like Cell C and Tropika, amongst others. Ryan writes about doing mobile right. View more articles by Ryan Gandalf van Jaarsveld.

Related posts:

1. 5 Steps To A Viral Mobile Campaign – Step 2: Cater For Quantity
2. 5 Steps To A Viral Mobile Campaign – Step 1: Merge Left And Right Brain Thinking
3. How to reach a million people

The survey, conducted in November 2011, revealed that 75% of the respondents actively participate in and recognise the important role that e-commerce will play in shaping South Africa’s future economy. In the three months leading up to the festive season, 85% of the respondents also claimed to have shopped online.

According to CEO of PayU MEA, Mark Chirnside “research indicates that consumers are beginning to recognise the benefits of online shopping, and the more popular it becomes, the greater the opportunity for South African businesses to reap the economic benefits of reaching new customers online.”

The online survey also revealed that 77% of respondents feel that a payment gateway service provider adds credibility to a website. South African retailer and long time PayU SafeShop customer, Pick n Pay, recognise the role that a secure payment gateway has in ensuring peace of mind for their online shoppers.

In addition to Pick n Pay, PayU Payment Solutions (Pty) Ltd, a division of multi-national media giant Naspers, also processes online payments for Groupon, Kalahari.com, NetFlorist and four major airlines, to name only a few.

Take a look at the PayU Survey infographic below:

Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.

Related posts:

1. DMMA Research On E-commerce In South Africa Shows Surprising Results
2. Is e-commerce alive in South Africa?
3. PayU Opens Up New Markets For South African Online Businesses

Established in 2006, My Destination is a start-up business that’s grown on a shoe string budget, out of the university dorms of their two Co-Founders, to a business that is now trusted by over 10 million travellers a year and has franchised in 120 destinations and is still growing.

We’re always interested in start-ups! Tell us in two lines what My Destination is.

My Destination is a global travel resource powered by a diverse community of local experts on the ground, providing unrivaled local knowledge and unique local deals. We make travel experiences more enriched, more enjoyable and quite simply, better.

Social media has become a vital part in growing your business. You have successfully used social networking to grow the business – can you share some secrets?

So far we have utilized social platforms to better ingratiate ourselves into the travel community, build meaningful relationships with key online travel influencers and used social channels as a key promotional tool for all our unique content. Twitter and Facebook have been especially great for us as each franchise destination has their own accounts from which they can provide local knowledge or answer real time queries about their destination, thus providing customer service that truly is ‘locally informed, globally inspired’!

The introduction of a new blog has given the site some social traction, as well as being the perfect tool to attribute a more informal voice to our brand – one our customers can really relate to on a more personal level. We have also been using LinkedIn to help promote our unique franchise model and offering – helping us to capture some great leads for potential new partners.

We plan to be innovative in the coming year and plans for on-site social as well as off-site will be just as important to our growth as anything else

What other online businesses do you admire?

We greatly admire how Groupon have expanded so quickly across the world, they really were an overnight success. They were the fastest company in history to reach 1 billion dollars in revenue and you can see why – they make it very easy to spend money with them. The model is absolutely genius and we are implementing our own voucher system called My Destination Exclusives which is our take on the deals model. The differentiating factor being that our deals are limited in number, are one a week to our subscribers and are of a high quality sourced by our local experts who have great relationships with businesses in our destinations.

How did you become entrepreneurs?

We started My Destination just before the economic downturn and so leaving our University degree a year before we graduated was the best decision we made contrary to a lot of belief at the time. Had we started amongst it we may have never have managed to get people investing in a relatively new concept which was online franchises.

I think being an entrepreneur is in your blood and it is one of those things where you either have it or you don’t. A friend asked me I want to leave my job and start my own business but I don’t know what to do. In my mind that is not the entrepreneurial spirit. We could of started any number of businesses when we left University, we first decided to become an entrepreneur before deciding on the business. I think too many people sit in a job they do not enjoy trying to find the next Groupon or Facebook idea which is never going to happen, both of those businesses were spawned out of trying other things before and then evolving. Going into the travel guide space you would think it would be saturated by big brands such as Lonely Planet we have brought a fresh approach to it and with the unique twist of having people on the ground in all of our destinations who are able to provide content that is comprehensive and fresh. Whatever you decide as long as you have that differentiating factor then you have something.

What markets are you looking at in order to expand?

We are pretty well spread across the globe now certainly by the end of this year the majority of major tourism destinations around the world will be operated by teams on the ground. The U.S. has been a tough market for us to crack and so this year we will be focusing our efforts on continued expansion in the country.

Thanks a lot James and Neil for taking the time to share your story and insights with us.

Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. Fred is the CEO of web marketing company World Wide Creative and the co-founder of online learning portal Heavy Chef. Fred loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. Follow Fred on Twitter here. View more articles by Fred Roed.

Related posts:

1. 1 min. with a Superhero: Property Auction Online’s James Thorburn
2. 1 min. with a Superhero: James Thorburn from Cape Realty
3. 1 Min. with a Superhero: Jody Aufrichtig from Daddy’s Deals

The event will take place on 29 February and 1 and 2 March 2012, at the prestigious Indaba Hotel in Fourways, Johannesburg.

Attending the event will benefit professionals dealing with marketing, branding, customer relations, customer loyalty, CRM, CVM, loyalty and customer communications, digital communications, brand development, customer development, multi channel marketing, loyalty marketing, rewards and loyalty programmes, client management, business development, account management, on-line marketing, mobile marketing, and digital media.

“The South African loyalty sector is growing at a rapid pace. Influencing factors include our economic down-turn to more specialized, focused, client orientated service. The conference will lend itself to the birth if innovative ideas, technology, implementation, and the opportunity to network with industry leaders in an exhibition environment.” said Danie Herbst, Project Manager, Trade Conferences International.

With a proven track record, TCI’s 2011 conferences, namely Mobile Banking Southern Africa, Payments Southern Africa, IT Architecture, Call Centres, just to name a few, attracted more than 600 delegates collectively. With more than 200 events organized since 2002, and with the guidance of a highly experienced and dedicated team, Loyalty and Rewards Conference and Exhibition 2012 promises to be another benchmark event for Trade Conferences International.

To register for this conference or to find out more about the Loyalty and Rewards Conference and Exhibition, contact Danie Herbst on 011 803 0009 or alternatively email info@tci-sa.co.za.

Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.

Related posts:

1. Major On-line Retailing Conference goes to Cape Town
2. Don’t miss the On-line Retailing Conference and Exhibition!
3. Google Comes On Board For Online Retailing Conference Cape Town

1) Use Twitter for its most powerful application: marketing.

As you are no doubt aware, Twitter is a micro-blogging network that has taken over the Internet (and most other channels) with its pop-culture-friendly, 140 character messages. But many people still do not use Twitter properly as a marketing tool. Social media of any kind does not necessarily have to be used for commerce, but if you’re involved in advertising or are launching a startup or small business, using Twitter can be a powerful addition to your arsenal. Drive traffic to your site, promote your business, and attract new followers. (We’ll cover more of that in posts to come!)

2) Use Facebook to get back in touch with old friends.

Who knows, they could be your next business partners. A simple ‘find friends’ search on Facebook may leave you shocked at how many old, familiar faces pop up. People you knew ten years ago still actually exist. Befriending them through ‘the social network’ may trigger an avalanche of fresh business opportunities. Your skill-sets may be exactly what they’re looking for in their newest endeavor, or vice versa.

3) Treat LinkedIn as more than just an online resume.

There’s virtually no advantage to posting your resume and employment history online if you’re not going to set them into motion and use them to network with other professionals and entrepreneurs. LinkedIn is a powerful way of interacting socially, but safely with people who may be your next colleagues, investors, and clients.

4) Become place-based.

The next phase of social networking is upon us and it is location- or place-based social graphing media like Foursquare, SCVNGR, Jambo, Rabble, Wayn and others. They’re multiplying rapidly and the reason is clear: they are goldmines for businesses, marketers, and advertisers alike. And consumers seem to adore them for their promotions, discounts, and shopping deals.

5) Discover niche networks.

There are an abundance of social networks out there that could be your next cyber-home. If you’re an artist, you should be frequenting DeviantArt.com. If you’re a financial analyst, try Tipd.com. If you’re a craft-maker or e-commerce amateur or professional, you should have your own shop on Etsy.com. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of vibrant social media communities out there just waiting for you.

Don’t get further behind the curve of social media this year. Take the Internet by the reigns and steer it towards your own entrepreneurial success.

Ideate is one of South Africa's biggest business blogs, with a team of authors all of whom have had entrepreneurial experience. Ideate is read by entrepreneurs thinking BIG. Follow us on Twitter here. View more articles by Staff Reporter.

Related posts:

1. How to Start Monitoring your R.O.I from Social Media
2. Using ‘word of mouth’ marketing in social media
3. 3 Quick Social Media Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs

Make up a small hamper, and send it on to your best/most regular clients, with a little note thanking them for their business.

Do the same for those clients who did support you before, but have been lacking of late – wish them a great holiday season, and mention how you hope to see them again in the New Year.

If a hamper’s going to put too much strain on your marketing budget, even a hand-written note or card is a great way to keep in touch.

It’s the little gestures like this that help to keep you top-of-mind in your customers’ (or potential customers’) thoughts, and can go a long way to maintaining, and building, your business…

Gareth Cotten is one of the growing breed of SA entrepreneurs with that ‘world-domination’ look in his eyes. Gareth runs the coaching and consulting practice 'Good Advice'. Gareth is also the 'course convener' for the University of Cape Town (Law@Work) Start and Manage a Small Business course and the University of Cape Town Basics of Financial Management course. View more articles by Gareth Cotten.

Related posts:

1. Enjoy Your Holiday!
2. Buy a party bus for your business
3. Introducing Gareth Cotten!

[This is the 2nd of a 5 part series; read part 1 here] When we started 7Dffrnt Knds of Smke we knew that mobile was a viral touch point and we therefore knew that if we were to be a successful mobile ad agency we would have to produce viral campaigns. Though, we also knew that just because consumers have the ability to pass something on doesn’t mean they will.

Brands don’t make viral campaigns, consumers make campaigns viral.

Whatever you are putting out there has to be worth sharing and easy to share.

So therefore the checklist we refer to when launching a campaign is as follows:

1. Is it a creative piece – does it add value, is it entertaining, is it well crafted?
2. Does it tie into the brand’s objectives? It must deliver ROI.
3. Is it supported by media? If no one knows about it how will they pass it on?
4. Is it easy for the consumer to share, and will the person they are sharing it with be able to experience it? (Otherwise what’s the point of sharing it in the first place?)

Mobile marketers keep going on about mobile media vs. traditional media. Stats keep being passed around shouting about how everyone has a mobile phone and how there are more mobile phones in SA than television sets. All the brand really cares about is how this equals reach and sales.

If a brand is launching a mobile campaign where all the above points have not been checked then the campaign is not going to achieve the kind of reach the brand needs. Thus mobile continues being the ugly step child – despite its wonderful features and beautiful personality.
The evolution of the mobile industry is really interesting. As technology gets smarter it gets easier for agencies to divert from true creativity (in a traditional sense) and instead come up with clever technical solutions that have the potential of engaging a few hundred thousand consumers as opposed to millions of consumers.

Just take a look at the sudden explosion of brands asking for app development. Sure, apps are cool and people with smartphones love downloading these nifty gadgets, but is the brand really going to be happy spending a couple of 100K on something that gets them into the pockets of 10,000 people because it’s too much effort to download the app and it only works on smartphones? What does the brand think about mobile after a campaign like that? What does the mobile budget look like next fiscal?

The argument from the agency during post campaign might be that the brand is ahead of its time and that SA obviously has to catch up. The same argument could be applied to why campaigns that require consumers to make their own TV ads to win a prize, don’t work.

What if that same brand invested that same amount of money and built a mobi site that contained some really entertaining, well-crafted interactive videos that worked on 14,000 different handset models (smartphones and non-smartphones) and ended up reaching 1,800,000 consumers – wouldn’t that be a better result for the brand, the agency and the industry?

Now I am not saying that brands should favour mobi sites instead of apps, what I am saying is that clients and agencies should take care of the brand’s foremost objective – reach as many consumers as possible within the target market.

The more accessible the campaign is, the wider the audience and the more consumers there are sharing the experience with each other.
Bottom line is, the more mobile campaigns achieve viral reach, the more brands will realise the power of mobile and why it needs to be given the same level of attention, love and budget traditional channels receive.

Ryan van Jaarsveld is the founder of South Africa’s first mobile-only, full-service ad agency, 7Dffrnt Knds of Smke. Ryan cut his teeth in companies like Wizzit bank (SA’s first mobile bank) and Cellsmart, before venturing out on his own, quickly landing clients like Cell C and Tropika, amongst others. Ryan writes about doing mobile right. View more articles by Ryan Gandalf van Jaarsveld.

Related posts:

1. 5 Steps To A Viral Mobile Campaign – Step 1: Merge Left And Right Brain Thinking
2. Five Steps To A Viral Mobile Campaign – Step 3: Achieving Viral Reach on Mobile
3. How to create a viral campaign