Creative Mess

In my opinion, the most effective and exciting medium in South Africa. A diverse range of stations means that your target market is one well planned advertising campaign away. I'll be able to place your advertising on any and every major commercial radio station in South Africa which means your ad spend will hit your target strategically. My years of experience working as a producer of an award-winning breakfast show on South Africa's most profitable station (East Coast Radio) ensures that my creative and technical understanding of what makes a campaign work is a powerful benefit. 

Ready to talk Radio? Click Here

The new buzz acronym in global advertising is AFC (Advertiser Funded Content or Programming) as the consumer gets used to a new way of interacting media. Web, TV and Radio all have opportunities for this medium of branding. With PVR and a blur of advertising campaigns hitting the consumer every single day how you stand out. The answer is, in a word, "content". Carefully crafted program, viral videos and programming can take your brand to a new set of eyes and ears where the consumer is happy to watch and listen to your content because it adds value to their lives and is authentic. 

Interested? Click here.

It's here to stay so jump aboard the online train and embrace it. How you do this is up to you (and me as the right application of digital is not always what the theorists will tell you). HTML5, Community Management, Social Strategy, Adsense. Where to begin and where to end? No need to rush in. If you're serious about entering the web space then proper planning and a sound strategy is essential. The time you take up front will determine the success you see later down the line. The industry is filled with some hair-brained theory and unauthentic attempts at monetising social media traffic and the likes aren't going to earn you any long term reputation points with your consumer. 

Ready to talk Web? Click here.

Strategy is an often overlooked but vital element in your creative campaigns. The correct platforms chosen and coupled with correct usage of these platforms is not a process performed by sucking one's thumb or making emotional decisions. I offer strategy that lines up with and works towards your executive goals. A properly written strategy document will ensure you aren't paying for advertising without tactical nous. It also makes sure the creativity of your media is lined up with your corporate objectives and not being created for the sake of winning awards or feeding the wrong bottom lines.  

Want to explore strategy further? Click here.

As mentioned earlier I've been at the helm of a lot of professional radio work from content creation to show production to advertising. Giselle and I offer professional service in any of the following areas:

- Generic Scriptwriting

- Voice Work

- Airtime Placement 

- Generic Campaign Design and Implementation

- Content Design and Show Production

- Specialised Airtime Purchases

- Custom Radio Workshops and Training 
 

Case Study 

McCarthy Volvo Durban went from the 17th ranked group dealership in South Africa to the 2nd in just 3 months. The secret of the campaign was to advertise obscure elements about the dealership in order to communicate key strategic points. The goal of the campaign was to increase feet through the door and I remember in my consultative meetings with them that their coffee was always a highlight for me. With this in mind the first advert to hit the airwaves simply spoke of their coffee while the other dealerships fought it out trying to advertise their vehicles:

After this initial salvo was fired we began to work on advertising the location of the dealership. Again lateral thinking was used and I immediately drew on its proximity to a few famous durban landmarks. The goal was that by using these as the key points of the adverts (Kingsmead International Cricket Stadium and Durban Police Station) whenever a consumer drove past one of the locations an association with the dealership was made.  

It's always great to receive this sort of feedback. 

A Sound Media Strategy is often one of the hardest things for a business to produce. Why do I say this? Firstly because staff members within the business who do have the aptitude to design strategy are often too close to the coal face to see the company objectively. Secondly there is often little differentiation between strategy and tactics which often makes the strategy obsolete. Thirdly a lot of Media Strategies are written purely as an exercise in blue skying creative ideas and often do not line up correctly with the corporate objectives of the business. 

The truth is that a comprehensive media strategy is developed when other consultative processes are put in place and respected. The following steps are vital:

- Consultation and Needs Analysis Sessions

- Workshopping with Respective Stakeholders

- Active Communication around Operational Support for the completed strategy's Tactics

These are just a few vital steps and many hours of research and consultation end up producing a water tight strategy. "What is the point of a media strategy?" you may ask.  

1. A media strategy outlines potential platforms/channels and the activations/campaigns that would best suit your business in those respective spaces.

2. A media strategy outlines how activations on particular platforms contribute to the attainment of your businesses executive and corporate goals.

3. A media strategy defines and contains the scope of work and the tactics necessary to see your business's media investment properly focussed. 

4. A media strategy provides tactical direction to media professionals responsible for respective roles in the activation of the strategy. 

Case Study 

Gagasi FM needed a fresh think about their website. The argument was on, one school of thought in the radio world suggested that a brochure website was good enough for radio stations, the other school of thought said that radio stations should be turning their web space into powerful content portals and driving traffic from on air promotions. A strategy was needed before any major amount of development budget was spent. What was produced was a document filled with the opinions of experts from around the globe and South Africa. Hours of research and careful planning ensured that all bases were strategically covered before a single line of HTML had been placed on the screen. 

Cover Page

Table of Contents

Page 10 - Measurable Targets

Page 20 - Content Creation

Page 22 - Competitive Analysis

Page 28 - Sales Tactics

Strategic Media 

Strategic Media can also be produced to accentuate your pitches or presentations. Here's an example of a video we produced as part of our project to design Rhema Television's sales brochure as they went on a global content partner drive.

Where to next?

As prime time stops being prime time through the advent of PVR and video-on-demand services, brands have begun to explore new avenues of advertising. The most exciting to me as a creative personality is Advertiser Funded Content or Programming. 

What is It?

The advent of social media has meant that end-users and consumers have become used very used to authenticity in their media interactions. Brands can no longer throw direct advertising messages out and expect the same Return-on-Investment; the consumer has become more media savvy and can smell a false pretense from a mile off. 

Enter Advertiser Funded Content. In short: 

A brand spends money on producing great content and then looks to partner with a media platform rather than spending their entire budget on generic airtime purchases. Through the content a brand "experience" is created. Remember this word is key when it comes to media today - "Experience". Experience and not flowery language will win you followers and customers. Content that has soul will relate and translate into strong brand association and appreciation.

A great example of a recently huge piece of AFC was this video by OK Go which was funded by Chevrolet. In just two weeks it has amassed over 14 million views, and remember that is 14 million conscious choices by consumers to click and watch as opposed to the traditional "generic airtime" purchase. 

Case Study

Locally, 2011 offered an opportunity for us to create a property for Cell C. The World Cup of Rugby was on and so we contracted some of the world's greatest legends to cover the tournament from their smartphones. Greats like Jake White, Murray Mexted, Matt Burke and Scott Hastings (to name a few) sent us three to four videos a week. We created a single upload point and then created the content before running it through a Facebook Application. Remember though that Advertiser Funded Content is not just a web-based opportunity. TV and Radio platforms are always looking for content to make them more competitive and attract more viewers/listeners and so the opportunity to create powerful programming often at a fraction of the prime time cost is great. 

The Cell C Scoop did very well garnering tens of thousands of views for the branded content with minimal optimisation.  

One particular video that stood out was the coverage from the players after the controversial semi-final match between France and Wales. 

Jake White, Springbok legend was also a regular contributor with highly analytical inserts.

Where to next?

The World Wide Web is not a new animal. In fact it is very much like the other media platforms. End users and consumers are looking for the same qualities they expect from their other media sources: authenticity, innovation, creativity and value. There are a number of opportunities and tools that I have access to that can enhance your web media. I work with clients from around the world giving me access to technologies and development skills of the highest calibre. It all depends what type of solution you're looking for. Do you need:

- Social Media Community Management and Strategy

- Web Content Creation

- A Website

- Online Marketing 

- Online Sales Tools 

- Online Data Tools 

- Free Web Advertising 

As you can see the list can become quite extensive which is already a good enough reason to get in touch with me or Giselle to assess your need correctly. Trying to explain our extensive digital network on a website designed to initiate contact with you is a bit like trying to apply lipstick while driving (Giselle tells me this is rather futile). So pop us a mail and let's get talking - as Steve Jobs liked to say "Conversation is Strategy". 

Where to next?

Current Projects

www.ibrick.co.za

www.gagasirado.fm

www.gallantconcrete.com

www.tidihose.co.za

www.stixandstonesgolf.co.za

I've worked with some of South Africa's top minds in media. Just click on a name below to see what they said about the experience.

South African Radio Master - Daryl Ilbury

South African Media Legend - Darren Scott

CEO Kagiso Broadcasting - Omar Essack

National Sales Manager, YFM - Greg Norgarb

CEO South African Music Association (SAMA) & Idols Judge - Randall Abrahams

Further

Start the Conversation

Giselle Bussiahn
Mobile: 0844444362
Email 1: giselle@happymedia.co.za
Email 2: gisellebussiahn@gmail.com

Travis Bussiahn

Mobile: 0784534909
Email 1: travis@happymedia.co.za
Email 2: travisbussiahn@gmail.com