Archive
News & Opinions
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Let’s talk about sextech and how it’s redefining the communications industry
February 29, 2016
I recently watched The Drum’s documentary “The Big Turn On”, which talked about the fast-growing “sextech” industry and it got me thinking and reading more about what a powerful driver sex has been in developing innovation in the communications industry. What is sextech, I hear you ask. Just like fintech and edtech, sextech is a technology-driven way to innovate and disrupt in every area of human sexuality. You just need to search #sextech on Twitter...
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Managing business reputation – a luxury or necessity?
February 29, 2016
Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, delivered his 2016 Budget Speech on Wednesday 24 February. Key to the minister’s speech was allaying fears of a possible recession and staving off a possible ratings downgrade. Hailed beforehand as the most important budget speech in 21 years, Minister Gordhan used the opportunity to outline how Government would cut spending and increase revenue. Following a tumultuous end to 2015 regaining the confidence of the international markets shaped much of...
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Going the extra mile, when you are miles away
February 25, 2016
Key factors to consider when doing business abroad. We’re at the end of the love tunnel that was February, taking a look at our personal and professional relationships we work on daily, as we aim to grow positive and beneficial co-dependencies. So among all the left over Valentine sweets, and puppy dog cards and e-cards, I think it’s good to recap on what makes one of the toughest kind of relationships - long distance...
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Facebook Reactions now available worldwide
February 25, 2016
Facebook has just announced the availability of ‘Reactions’ – now accessible globally. For a long time now, we’ve been anticipating the potential introduction of the ‘dislike’ button on Facebook. However, the Facebook team had something else in mind. Why stop at that? Late last year we were told that ‘Reactions’ would be coming – a full range of emoticons, ensuring you can express your feelings about a post in any way you like...
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Now you can experience a moment in time with Twitter
February 23, 2016
One of the many reasons Twitter is still the most unique social platform around is its ability to connect everyone without restrictions. Being able to read and respond to the thoughts and opinions of celebrities, world leaders, politicians, and admired artists brings people one big step closer to a connected world. Being the number one channel for sharing breaking news, means we all need to follow a lot of global and local news handles to...
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Is the communications landscape where it needs to be?
February 22, 2016
The prestigious Bookmark Awards have been presented annually for the past eight years honouring the industry’s best digital work. According to Kevin Welman, managing director of FleishmanHillard South Africa, the Bookmark Awards play a significant role in the communications industry. “The Bookmark Awards, like other awards programmes, serve as a mechanism to test the creative ability in the digital landscape and affords agencies the opportunity to benchmark themselves against international and local standards.”...
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A conversation with FleishmanHillard’s Kevin Welman (Part 1)
February 8, 2016
A curiosity of Kevin Welman’s career, in the context of today’s fluid job market, as he has been with global communications agency FleishmanHillard for just over 20 years. Now the general manager of its Johannesburg office, Welman spoke to Media Update about his career and management style, among other topics. This is part one of a two part series. By Adam Wakefield - Media Update...
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Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
February 3, 2016
As of late, things in South Africa have been quite interesting. People offended, debates sparked, movements encouraged and law suits laid (and won). It’s been encouraging to watch the intensity of individual beliefs spark conversations, transparent conversations that needed to be had As individuals, this is great. But as employees of brands, things can become a little blurred. Most of us represent someone else’s reputation and image in the companies we work for or represent...
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In 2016 the most successful PR professionals won’t be PR professionals
January 28, 2016
Kevin Welman, MD of FleishmanHillard, shares insights on the direction of the public relations industry. During a recent Breakfast Presentation hosted by PRISA, Kevin Welman, MD of FleishmanHillard, spoke about the direction in which public relations is headed, and what practitioners need to do to remain relevant… “I don’t like the term public relations, and I don’t refer to FleishmanHillard as a public relations firm,” he explains. “It is a communications firm that helps clients solve...
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So you want to know what the big deal is about Snapchat
January 22, 2016
The revolution will be Snapchatted. At least, that’s according to the Most Contagious 2015 report. Over the past year, the disappearing-message app has shaken off its sexting reputation and has become a content discovery platform every brand should be taking seriously. In January 2015, Snapchat introduced the Discover feature, a section of the app that allows brands to publish videos, articles and ads. Of course, this feature is reserved for a few curated brands that...