Proteas Netball Legend Dumisani Chauke and Springbok Legend Victor Matfield boost the 2022 Absa Wildeklawer Sports Tournament

 

The 2022 Absa Wildeklawer Sports Tournament is underway with High Schools scheduled for Kimberley from the 29th of April to the 2nd of May. The opportunity to meet and discuss tactics and lessons with the likes of Dumisani Chauke and Victor Matfield is the ultimate opportunity for aspiring netball and rugby players.

 

The prestigious tournament is designed to give young athletes the opportunity to showcase their skills and compete against some of the top-performing schools in the country. With the appearance of the Absa Wildeklawer ambassadors, Dumisani Chauke and Victor Matfield, the athletes will get the opportunity to learn from the best and tap into their unlimited wealth of knowledge.

 

Matfield is aware of what is at stake for the rugby youngsters as the under-18 Craven Week is coming up in a few months' time, and many of the players will be using the opportunity to cement their position in the team. But it will also be netball that Matfield will be taking a keen interest in this year as his daughter will be competing. 

 

"My visit to the Absa Wildeklawer Sports Tournament will be completely different this year," he said.  "Firstly, I am interested to see how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected our South African youth in terms of skills and overall performance on the rugby field. Not being able to play competitively for two years is not ideal and can set us back when it comes to sports development. Secondly, I will be viewing both the rugby and netball tournament through the eyes of a parent. I have three girls, and this is the first time I will be watching a tournament of this magnitude as a parent. I understand the pressures that the kids face, and I am hoping to chat to some of the parents (rugby and netball) and help them understand what their children are going through."

 

“I will be supporting my daughter on the netball court as a parent that wants her to enjoy the sport, I am not there to add extra pressure on her. I will be doing the same thing at the rugby tournament where I will be supporting the boys and providing guidance,” said Matfield.

 

Chauke also expressed her excitement to experience and watch the Absa Wildeklawer Sports Tournament. "I am looking forward to seeing the excited faces of the netballers as they begin competing at the highest level of the game again.  At last, we are back in action, and now is the time to up the level of skills as these are our future stars and heroes of the game.  It will not be long before they start vying for their place in the national team. My message to them all is to enjoy every game and appreciate the experience and opportunity that they have been given. Celebrate the wins and learn from the losses.  I am expecting to see some fierce competition on the court, and new friendships developing off the court," said Chauke.

 

This year, Absa has also introduced many innovations that have enhanced the experience for all involved, such as the Absa MegaU Luxury Bus: with free Wi-Fi, VR rugby games and PlayStations. These will all be available for players and fans to entertain themselves. In addition to the bus, Absa has also introduced the Absa Kuierkamer; an area for invited guests to sit, relax and watch games.

 

On the 29th of April, Matfield can be found at either the Absa MegaU Luxury Bus or the Absa Kuierkamer while Chauke is scheduled to attend the tournament on the 30th of April and 2nd of May.

 

For more information on the Absa Wildeklawer, visit https://wildeklawer.com/absa-wildeklawer-sport-2022/

 

Ends.

THE ERA OF ‘THE PRODUCER ECONOMY’ – THE EVOLUTION OF INFLUENCERS

 ‘The Producer Economy’ refers to the evolution of influencer marketing and companies opting to take control and become their own ‘influencers’.  They will have more control over messaging, and the same messaging can be taken through the entire brand journey and not necessarily only social media. 

 

This is a natural progression as there must be a lifecycle to an influencer campaign.  I am not saying bringing in influencers is not a great strategy, because it is.

 

The role of an influencer is to create brand credibility, but the secret is to do it in a way that is authentic to the influencer, using a tone that the person uses to communicate with their specific community. Hence the influencer should have some say in the way the message is portrayed.  Macro, micro and celebrity influencers are extremely important and make a great difference.  As a PR agency we have seen huge successes, but this cannot be seen as a ‘forever’ strategy.  Hence the introduction of The Producer Economy and this is where PR agencies can be extremely valuable.  It is the role of PR to use the goodwill generated from an influencer campaign and integrate into corporate and brand messaging.

 

The Brand being its own ‘influencer’ has numerous benefits.  Creating its own messaging, the distribution of such (what platform to use including email, OTT, TV and anything else) and the speed with which it can be changed or built upon.  Companies also believe this is the ‘safest option’ and can prevent any backlash from an influencer or the way the messaging is portrayed.

 

It is all about greater control.  However, here is a caution:  Influencers attract attention because of who they are and brands on their own can be passed by as ‘just another ad’. 

 

The best advice we can give – combinations!

·        The Producer Economy is a natural progression in the world of the influencer – a good strategy!

·        Using influencers, whether macro, micro or celebrity in campaigns is essential – they are invaluable and create instant awareness. 

·        Create partnerships!  Use an influencer image, quote, meme and build your own story around it between campaigns and for continuity!

·        If budget allows, use multiple influencers

 

The landscape out there is cluttered!  Extremely cluttered and very busy!! Being your own creator is hard work and needs extremely creative thinking!   No sooner has one brand managed to get heard above the clutter and the competitor takes it that one step further.  Influencers can be heard above the clutter!

 

And finally, ALWAYS bring in the creative PR team.  After all, a PR’s job is to tell stories.

 

·        An interesting stat:  Brands spent over $6.5 billion in 2019 and this doubled to $13.8 billion in 2021. (report compiled by Statista)

 

 

PR Expectations for 2022

Our thoughts on PR to mull over this week

Going into February, here are some of our thoughts on what to expect in 2022.

It is predicted that the year will bring more normality to the world with countries opening up completely, and the dreaded Covid will change from a pandemic and become endemic.  We are all going to have to live with Covid in our midst, just as we live with the flu.

There is no magic wand that will tell us how we will all adapt to the change, or what will happen in the world of commerce, theatre, sport and other, but we can bet on the fact that we have to be ready for anything!  Covid has taught us that change happens at the drop of a hat.

We believe that the need for public relations will remain high on the agenda of any company this year, whether big, medium or small.  The fight to be heard above the clutter will continue, in fact it will be needed even more than ever!  Brands will remain online, and the need for sublime creativity as well as  aggressive, pragmatic, authentic and thrilling over-the-top (OTT) thinking will be required, and that is the role of the PR guru.  Such dramatic and daring strategies can go wrong very quickly, and the experienced PR will be needed to advise on the right approach to take to travel that fine line successfully so as not to create any negative retort.  If there is a negative comeback, then crisis management and corrective measures can be implemented extremely quickly with minimal, if any, fallout.

The explosion of TikTok changed the landscape with audiences, particularly the GenZers, looking for outrageous, unusual and humorous campaigns and posts.  Look, most brands will not take that brash and daring route, and there are plenty of other platforms to use, but the point is brands need to find that sweet spot that will resonate with their community. And a fickle community it is!  Do something that doesn’t sit with them, and you will feel their wrath quickly.

To sum it up, 2022 is the year of OTT thinking, taking those daring leaps of faith that brands have traditionally shied away from.  And experimenting!  Brands traditionally hate experimenting as this is very scary territory they do not want to dabble in! But that has to change and PR expertise, experience and the ability to turn all staid and traditional brand thinking and messaging into wonderful and creative storytelling is essential to navigate this new untested and continuously evolving world. 

Contact Intune Communications and we will put your brand PR strategy together for you!  We are here at your service.

 www.intunecom.co.za

 

 

 

Neil Tovey Talks about South Africa's chances at the Olympics

 

If you want to listen to our webinars live register here https://bit.ly/3uWlr8g Video Editor Cyberlink this will help for content creation and video analysis for athletes: https://bit.ly/3ysQ5bR Audio by Cyberlink

Looking at the changes in how content is used on Twitter - Intune Communications and Entertainment July Blog

 We are into the second half of 2021 and many of you might be wondering where on earth the year has gone. We’ve been dodging the Covid-19 virus; waiting for our age group to be called for the vaccine; and online schooling and zoom meetings are the new reality. Looking at what is trending on the internet, and wondering how we can trend, have become part of our everyday anxieties.

 

July is the time of the year when many businesses reflect on the past six months. The pandemic has resulted in every business transforming its digital marketing strategy. Measurement of online impact has become critical, and this requires a more thoughtful, scientific and in-depth measurement strategy.

 

Where does #twitter fit into the equation? We all know that twitter should not be ignored, but many corporates are merely using the platform to evaluate what is being said about the company, its brands and its competitors – in other words they see it as a reactive as opposed to a proactive platform. 

 

Gone are the days, however, when twitter was merely an outlet for people to get onto their soap boxes and gripe and complain. It’s not been eradicated, but that relentless negativity has been curtailed somewhat through the ability to stop the comments on a post.

 

What businesses need to know is that twitter has evolved exponentially since the onset of the pandemic. The new developments have, arguably, focused on business applications, in an attempt to climb onto the financial bandwagon that other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook created after companies began diverting their funding from traditional to social media when the pandemic hit.

 

The use of twitter for promoting launches (no matter the size), to push product awareness and in marketing campaigns has shown a steady increase, with remarkable success. It has effectively driven traffic towards websites and ultimately produced sales.

 

Good ‘CONTENT’ creates attention onto every social platform and twitter is no different. But where to start, what to say, how to say it, which hashtags to use and how to use those hashtags has become overwhelming. 

 

There are ways to create effective twitter copy, such as use of pictures, video clips, the use of the media library, effective use of hashtags and tweet threads, Copy needs to be inspiring, and emojis must be used effectively.

 

What is very interesting is the way in which ordinary people, the man in the street, have made the best use of twitter and how it has helped them become influencers. On a micro, macro or nano scale, influencers have effectively turned their twitter presence into money. Companies are starting to encourage their staff to go onto twitter to become relevant for the company. This can particularly be seen in the #beauty industry.

 

The most recent change to twitter is the New Business Profiles function, which enables businesses to ‘Convert to Professional’. It is currently being tested in the USA and will open up globally over the next few months.

 

This option was shared by both @janeManchunWong and @AlexandroPaluxxi, both app analysts. Businesses follow a three-step process enabling them to select a business category and assign either a ‘Business’ or ‘Creator’ profile to their accounts.

 

@Twitter explains it in this way: “Professional Profiles are a new tool that will allow businesses, not-for-profits, publishers and creators – anyone who uses twitter for work – to display specific information about their business directly on their profile. We’re starting with a small pool of businesses in the United States. and will give more accounts access to Professional Profiles in the coming months.”

 

Once converted, more of your company’s details will be made available for view. Further down the line product display panels and picture galleries will also be available.

 

Twitter currently has a ‘boost’ option for revenue generation.

 

Through recently launched ‘Twitter Blue’ (only available in a few markets) Twitter is trying to get businesses to pay for tracking elements such as brand surveys and other analytics.

 

Social media is here to stay and will continue to grow and twitter is giving us an alternative way of getting our message across to a wider audience that we might not have accessed before. After all, it is all about maximising our presence in as many different markets as possible. 

 

The new idea is to get away from the LSM’s and rather target anyone with the same likes.

 

Allow us, Intune Communications, to help you build your social media strategy.  Being a creative agency, we can effectively and efficiently get to work and make your platforms produce results

 

 

Who are the athletes to look out for at the Olympics?

 

With the Olympics about a month away and the deadline to qualify for the Olympics coming up on the 29th June we take a look at athletics and what it means to athletes and schools. We are privileged to have three time Olympian and TUKS lecturer, LJ van Zyl, and content creator and sport journalist Manfred Seidler, talk about the Olympic Games and what we should expect from the games