Economic Development in Africa – Is This “Our” Year?

Lauren Potgieter

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Lauren is the digital wizard behind campaigns for World Wide Creative clients such as The Just Cause and Cape Town Partnership. Lauren likes dancing, fashion, big sunglasses, gypsies and little people. Not only is Lauren is an SEO whiz, but she’s also a writer, community manager and social media extraordinaire. Follow her on Twitter for updates on fashion, marketing and the strange people at World Wide Creative.

Economic Development in Africa – Is This “Our” Year? Posted in Emerging Markets, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter May 23, 2011 1 comment

Recently, South Africa hosted the African leg of the World Economic Forum – a conference that is held in various parts of the globe in order to discuss economic development and the partnerships between countries. In the run up to the event that took place at the beginning of May in Cape Town, the Financial Times looked at the concept of it being “Africa’s Year” in terms of what foreign investment will mean for our continent. Read Further
Emerging Markets are No Longer the Weakest Link Posted in Emerging Markets, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter May 9, 2011

Emerging markets is a term that is becoming more widely used as we see a shift with developing countries, watching them move into a more powerful position as they grow at a rapid pace, therefore being more desirable to other first world economies. Read Further
Mobile technology that is encouraging change Posted in Emerging Markets, Mobile Marketing, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter April 19, 2011

In recent articles, we have been looking at the power of mobile technology and how it has been aiding various companies to expand their services and reach out to a customer base that previously, they never would have been able to reach on such a personal level. We are seeing the use of mobile technology expand from company and brands to organisations, NGO’s, charities and other establishments, all in the name of creating a mobile community that can come together behind a cause.

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The Many Faces of Mxit: Simple Messenger to Multi-faceted Mobile Platform Posted in Mobile Marketing, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter March 29, 2011

Even if you have not used Mxit before or have moved from this messenger service to another chat platform on your mobile phone such as BBM Messenger or Whatsapp, it is highly likely that you know what Mxit is. According to these mobile big-wigs, 27 million users (around half of the South Africa population) use Mxit on a daily basis and this mobile service undoubtedly serves its community well. Its growth from a simple direct chat messenger to a mobile platform that gives you the opportunity to download movie clips, play games, partake in quizzes, win prizes, source news and of course chat; is proud of the fact that it is an all-in-one mobile community.

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The building blocks of creating a Mobile Community Posted in Mobile Marketing, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter March 7, 2011 2 comments

For those of us who are attached to our mobile phones (yes, that’s pretty much everyone), will know it is likely that the device does not leave our side. So it is glaringly obvious that we would want a mobile version of our website to go everywhere with the customer too and be instantly accessible if need be.

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Hear no evil; see no evil – mobile media for the senses Posted in Mobile Marketing, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter February 3, 2011

Mobile media is growing as we speak, and brands all over the country are jumping on the bandwagon and creating user friendly apps that will let their customers connect to a community and get closer to a brand with a click of a button (or a touch of your screen). Today, mobile media is not only about chatting to your friends on Mxit or surfing the web online, it has extended to far further horizons, making mobile media a primary source for social networking, information gathering and idea spreading.

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Social networking on your mobile phone: child’s play or adults only? Posted in Mobile Marketing, Social Media, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter January 13, 2011

Social networking straight from your mobile phone; we all do it. If we see something great, we snap a quick picture and add it to our Twitter or Facebook accounts for others to see. If we want to get in contact with a friend, a phone call is no longer needed, all we have to do is log onto Mxit or Whatsapp and we can chat for as long as we want for the fraction of a price of a regular phone call or a text message. Even though some of us are wary of utilizing our phones for social networking, the truth is that it is not age discriminating and there is no doubt that this applies to all forms of communication today. Read Further
5 Twitter Profiles pushing the Envelope – 2010 Posted in Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter December 15, 2010 4 comments

When it comes to who we follow on Twitter, it is pretty much each to their own. We follow individuals who interest us, make us laugh or make us think, and as a diverse society, we know that each person has their own preferences of who they wish to fill up their Twitter feed. Here are 5 interesting Twitter profiles of 2010 that will surely offer some substance to your Twitter stream, whether it’s for their wit and charm, intelligence or simple Twitter appeal, here are the top 5 contenders for the Heavy Chef Tweeter of 2010. Read Further
Your Twitter Community – Be Nice, Think Twice: Twitter Etiquette 101 Posted in Community Management, Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter November 29, 2010

All of us are impressed with good etiquette. Whether we are called by our surname when signing something at the bank or we are thanked for letting someone in whilst driving – we know that being polite pleases others, especially when you’re representing a brand or even yourself as a brand online. On Twitter specifically, it is imperative to be polite to your community, because even though etiquette is seen as somewhat old fashioned, it will encourage your current community to keep coming back for more. Read Further
How to create a trustworthy Twitter profile: What do the experts say? Posted in Community Management, Social Media, Twitter, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter November 12, 2010 5 comments

There are numerous articles surrounding Twitter and how beneficial or useless it might be to individuals, businesses and brands. The Twitter versus Facebook fiery debate will never end – but the truth is that they cannot be compared because they are so incredibly different.

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ORM And Building Your Community Online – It’s All About Hanging With The Cool Kids Posted in Community Management, Online Reputation Management, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter November 8, 2010 2 comments

Recently, our Heavy Chef girl Yolandi, wrote an article on the fiery Gossip Girl series and how to create and maintain a community in an environment that is cut-throat and competitive. This made me think about my days back in high school and how reputation was a key ingredient to teenage politics. Just as every girl or guy had their own reputation to manage in high school in order to have more friends, so do brands have their online reputation to manage in order to have more followers/likes/interest. One of the ways in which you can build your community and more importantly, maintain the trust of your community is by using online reputation management and keeping an intently close eye on what others are saying about your brand. Let’s take a trip back to our high school days and see what the popular kid had to do in order to be so adored.

The popular kid isn’t always the bad seed.

Do you remember that one guy or girl that represented the epiphany of rebellion in your high school years? Sure, he or she was great for a few weeks, but when they got into trouble, there was no one around to help. It is true that brands get more attention when they are being criticised, but the term “all publicity is good publicity” is not necessarily true when it comes to online reputation management.

The popular kid always knows what is going on in his or her school

Bad or good news, the queen or king of the school knows exactly what is going on in their territory. In order understand and follow your ORM, you must be omnipresent and make sure you have tabs on everything that everyone is saying about you. There are various ORM tools that will make this job easier and when you know what others are saying about you, you are able to take in this praise or criticism and transform it into something that can work for you, just like the popular kid in school makes sure that all news concerning them is turned into good news.

The popular kid encourages “gossip”

In terms of high school politics, gossip has many negative connotations, but in terms of building your community online, gossip can merely be conversation. Just like the kids in the school yard listened to a piece of information intently and passed it on to others, so does an ORM strategy let you listen to what others are saying and pass that information on. An online community is built by sharing of information and engagement – just like the popular girl or guy grows their followers by providing them with juicy tales and encouraging them to pass on the message.

The theme that revolves around building a community and maintaining an online reputation boils down to terms such as relentless engagement and fierce interaction. Strive to be the popular kid – maintain your reputation, keep people talking and keep your followers happy.

Recently, our Heavy Chef girl Yolandi, wrote an article on the fiery Gossip Girl series and how to create and maintain a community in an environment that is cut-throat and competitive. This made me think about my days back in high school and how reputation was a key ingredient to teenage politics. Read Further
Gillette and their Community Management – the best a customer can get Posted in Community Management, Social Media, Concocted by Lauren Potgieter October 22, 2010 2 comments

When we think of good examples of community management, our minds automatically wander to

brands such as Coca Cola and Apple, of which the public cannot help but sing their praises. There are

however, quite a few companies that have stood on the sideline and slowly created a community

that is engaging and responsive, whilst not being overly zealous with their brand approach.

One brand that is getting their community speaking is Gillette. Unlike other brands that are all

about the show, Gillette has the perfect combination of engagement – not too scarce and not too

over-active. They have taken an activity that men dread doing on a daily basis and have created

conversation around this chore.

We know that community management cannot simply focus on one area and Gillette spread

their community activities across all their resources. On their Facebook page, they have created

conversations around the “art” of shaving and recently got Daryl “Moose” Johnston to answer

questions from Gillette Facebook fans. On the Facebook fanpage, they ask questions, post quirky

did-you-know facts and generally interact with whoever is willing to talk. Their Twitter page sings the

same tune as they encourage their followers to be creative and send in videos and pictures of their

experiences. This approach gives a light hearted and creative feel to the fanpage and encourages

the public to submit content and converse about content submitted – perfect for encouraging

community.

Their website lets you choose the type of beard you have and then shows you the best way to shave

with their razors. They have also created the Gillette Success Lab, where you create a profile that will

give you additional advice on how to obtain a smooth shave and what products to use.

Even though Gillette’s Facebook might not compare to the number of likes of other big brands, with

only 312,042 in comparison to Coca Cola’s 10 million and nearly 6 000 followers on Twitter, they are

definitely doing something right and getting their target market (which are males aged 14 and up) to

share their experiences and open the channels of communication between brand and customer.

When we think of good examples of community management, our minds automatically wander off to brands such as Coca Cola and Lady Gaga, of which the public cannot help but sing their praises. There are however, quite a few companies that have stood on the sideline and slowly created a community that is engaging and responsive, whilst not being overly zealous with their brand approach. Read Further