My branded world

so they say education is the key to sucess and that one must do all they can to learn as much as they can in order to live a successful life. well i have recently learnt the biggest glitch in this matrix school of thought! it does not gaurentee a job offer. today companies want people with experience.  yes your piece of paper does look impressive and its all good that you graduated with a high mark, but what can you do? what work experience do you have?

the thing is many companies are not willing to spend thier time and money teaching a graduate skills that they could have learned on thier own. or even worse, what if the graduate decides to leave when they have invested so much in them?

the thing about life and about branding is that one always has to learn the rules of the game and play like a skillfull player, even when you do not know what is going on! as my friend likes to say “just nod and smile”. so you can send that ultimate CV that has been cut and pasted from an online CV maker, and you can show your confident smile in that interview. but if you lack that element that sets you apart from other applicants you are nothing but paint on the wall which will not make an impression on anyone. just becuase your parents say you are special, doesn’t mean everyone else shares the same opinion!

so what skills do most graduates have? becuase this is what companies look for. firstly we have the ability to drink large amounts of alcahol all night long and still meet dead lines, that’s how we got the degree in the first place. we are self motivated in the sense that when it is time to study we get right down to it. our socialising skills are top notch, and we love challanges! the reason why we spend so much time in school rather than university is that we learn skills such as social decorum, and they become so embedded in us that those wild university days can never take them away. we may have a little problem with punctuality, but when we’re there we get into the thick of things.

when you look at it, graduates should be the most ideal candidates for most jobs: we young, eager to please and learn, and we can be moulded into anything the company wants us to be. most importantly we have been taught the latest tricks in every trade and we are ready to try them out. so if you are a big branding wanting to create a dynamic team, take a look at graduates before you look for experienced people!

i had the pleasure of spending some of my time with Timothy Mayrice Webster, a personal brand philospher, this weekend, and we got to talking about not only Vivi, the brand, but the general Woman brand in South Africa.

with all the changes that the government has made in order to empower women and give them the same chance to suceed as well as men have, what is it about us that still stops us from reaching the top? not that  there are not any women out there who are making somthing out of thier lives, but what about the rest of us?

Tim and i both agree that women have so much power, yet they lack the confidence to do anything about it. according to him, the reason why men still dominate us is because we just haven’t challenged them yet.

its a well known fact that any sane man is attracted to a woman who is confident, ambitious and strong willed, they only get turned off once women start being clingy and needy. if there is one thing i would like to learn form the man i am with is his ability to clearly seperate his love life from his career… in my case, the one takes over and the other becomes neglected.

then i ask myself, WHY??? i was brought up by liberal parents who always encouraged me to be the best i can be. not once was i forbidden to do somethin because i am a girl, and i was never expected to fufill any traditional “female” role, and although i have accomplished some impressive things in my short life, i still do not show my true potential in the presence of a guy that i like.

in a way its like that poem by Marianne Williamson from her book, A Return to Love entitled Our greatest fear. this poem explores a human being’s need to be accepted and how they compromise themselves in order to accomodate the other person. this is where i feel wome are. we have been brought up in a society where men are said to be the leaders and women the followers, and although we have been given the oppurunity to correct this imbalance, we are still afraid to offend. what i love about this poem is that it points out the fact that our inability to show our true potential discourages others around us to also reach their potential.

as members of society, we are all the center of the universe, and we all have the responsibility to show our true light so those around us can also shine. and in essence i feel that is what us women need to do, i mean why should child bearing be the only manifestation of our strength? there is only one human organ that differentiates us from men, and although scientists have claimed women have smaller brains than men, it has been proven time and time again that it is not the size of your brain that matters, but how you use it!

now i don’t know how many of you have had the pleasure or the unfortunate experience of seeing coke’s new advertising campaign…. its a picture of the classical coke bottle that upset the little African village in “the God’s must be crazy”, with the slogan running along the lines of “live the coke side of life”. this could be a result of brands becomming more lifestyle orientated than just promising to give you a good product.

now, its not that i don’t have a problem with coca cola the drink, but in a time where drugs, sex and alcahol rule the world, one cannot help but think of the drug known as coke! i have been in many places where a sniffle is enough for strangers to give you that “i know what you’re going through” look and later ask you if you want to join them in the bathroom.

so… what is one of the world’s most popular brand doing encouraging one to live the coke life. i know they mean thier product and not the drug, but come on…what is the coke side of life??? bright multi colours against a back drop of red?

every brand makes a promise to consumers and aligns everything about their communications strategy around that promise. this promise is what we call a positioning statement, and it is this statement that guids all forms of creative concepts. according to brand strategists, this statement should be focused, relevant and differentiated.

the new Nissan advert campaign “more is more” is one campaign that shows that Nissan has finally arrived! instead of showing how they differ to other car brands in terms of the shape of the car, features and all that mechanical stuff, they have realised that just as fashion, all cars do the same thing, yet they can engage the consumer’s minds into looking at life from a different angle.

so the promise that nissan makes is that it’ll shift expectations. just as South Africa’s democracy is young, the only way people can get used to the change that has happened is for them to change their mindset. and being brave enough to step out of your comfort zone and take a new look at whats around you, is a sign that your mind is open to change.

accepting and looking at everything from a different angle from time to time keeps you as open minded as the next person. so in thier tv advert, Nissan shows scenarios where more would be the ideal, in thier radio adverts they paint a picture where bigger is definately better. and why shouldn’t things be more and bigger??? as humans the only true evidence of human progression is getting bigger and better things, so well done to Nissan for shifting mindsets by engaging with consumer’s minds and promoting growth and change!

am i the only one who has noticed that the big almighty Virgin mobile has queitened down… where are you Mr. Branson… my bad, SIR Branson?

its a known fact that when Virgin enters a new territtory in a new place they do it with a huge BANG, and bang it did go for them when they launched the Virgin mobile company in South Africa. not only were we bombarded with countless tv, radio, billboard advertisments, but eh press did their fair share in intoducing us to the dynamic man himself, through the interviews they conducted. so i pose the question again, how come they are so quiet these days.

so what exactly did Virgin offer us that the Cell- C, Vodacom and MTNs of South Africa didn’t have???? cheaper rates? Cheaper handsets and i’m not too sure what else? however i feel where Virgin got it wrong was thier approach to marketing in the South African region. i mean the other cell phone companies have survived this long because they have always been able to be relevant and specific to thier target market. even Cell-C (a brand i will never consume becuase of that dam Cell-C woman’s “come hither” voice) has managed to stay on top of their game and keep going in South Africa.

the problem with Cellphone providers is that although they always happen to claim that they have cheaper tarrifs, they’ve never realy managed to convince the majority of the population who are on pre- paid. sure we all need cellphones these days, but i can’t honestly say that my vodacom provider is really cheaper, to be honest the only reason why i use vodacom is beacause of my beloved number that i have had for a while now. so they all promise this and that, but when you think about it, its all a huge scam…. take the whole vodacom talking points for example… you get one point for every R10 airtime that you buy, and you get rewarded when you have a certain amount of points. now the thing that frustrates me is that it is only after you’ve spent R1 500 on airtime, do you start getting stupid things like 150 sms, when you could be buying a new phone with built in camera and mp3. But the sad thing is, i still need a cellphone to function like some kind of human being.

so getting back to Virgin and thier promises and grand display of wealth and prosperity. if Virgin mobile, and virgin banking, really wanted to take the market by storm and develop (and most importantly, maintain) a relationship with South Africa, he should have tapped into the majority of South Africans… the black South Africans to be more specific. sure thier Virgin money “blingola” campaign showed all the material wealth that one could get with a Virgin Credit card, but their Virgin mobile campaign just doesn’t seem to cut it. despite cute little black girls with angel wings, that’s about it.

the question i ask is why didn’t Virgin look at the trends in South Africa, actually why don’t more brands get an understanding of the average South African, before they bombard them with communications and thier product? if all brands did this, maybe they would have full support of the South african population. but then again the world of branding and communications never was easy.

so Sir Branson, if you’re still interested, there is a huge wealth potential in South Africa, hopefully this isn’t the end of the road yet. just talk to us in a language we all understand, and we’ll give you all the support you need:)  

its a known fact that the majority of South African consumers feel that they are not represented clearly in adverts, either they are depicted as young BEE hot shots, or as domestic labourers of workers.

now i’m one of the few women who never rush home to watch Oprah, not because i have anything personal against her, but becuase most of her talks are about loosing wieght. not that the american public doesn’t need to hear about this (they have the largest fat population in the world) but i personally would love to gain a bit of wieght.

you see african culture and western culture are really divided when it comes to the issue of wieght gain. i am personally the butt of my family’s jokes because i lack the butt, hips and thighs that most of my female siblings have. as my sister put it “if we took a picture of you from the waist down, from behind, no one would be able to say if you are a boy or girl”. if that wasn’t enough insult to injury, my gran keeps going on about how beautiful i was when i was pregnant, and what a shame it is that i have reverted back to my stick insect self.

so… it is true that most women are not happy with thier image, i mean if that wasn’t the case, plastic surgery would have come and gone. look at all the Halle Berry’s of this age who are world acclaimed beautiful women, yet still lack the self confidence and get into abusive relationships time and time again. i complain about my lack of curves and my sisters complain about too much curves. some would say it is the media that portrays women in a certain way and makes others who don’t have that body type feel insecure, but honestly its all about either accepting the body God gave you, or paying to sculpt that body. at the end of the day it should be the little things that matter, the fact that my body is strong and healthy. but on the other hand, nothing personally gives me greater satisfaction than putting on a pair of pants and finding them a bit too tight (which happened this morning).

so i’m happy, not only am i a few days into 23, but i’m also a few centimeters bigger, and that to me is a much needed sign of growth. who knows, i may be able to buy that cat suit and fit into it perfectly soon! the moral of this story is that live life and don’t let appearances rule it, i have met too many beautiful, boring people in my short life!

so… i wake up this morning, waiting for that divine wisdom and strength to finally sink in, its my birthday for crying out loud. and although i may still be a young little chicken (23 is hardly a big number) i think i’ve gone through enough of life’s lessons, thank you very much!

as a young black female, it was a pleasant suprise for me when i opened up true love babe’s launch edition and feel like i’m finally home! i love magazines, and i’ve always thought i was the open minded type, but it is frustrating reading beuaty tips that don’t really apply to you. not that magazines that cater for the young white female are bad, but its nice to see a full beauty page about how to care for my “ethnic” hair. despite the fact that i have a very small part in the mag (they interviewed people from my campus) it really is a cool read!

so what does true love babe and my birthday have in common? its a new phase i’m entering, and thier articles are so relevant to that stage. its time i grow up and start taking advantage of the gifts that God has blessed me with. sometimes its not about what you have, but about the people who surround you everyday. for instance i have the most amazing sister who is not only beautiful (let’s not deny it) but full of so much strenght, wisdom and comfort. if i didn’t live with her this year, i would surely be insane by now.

since gowing up is not an event, but a process, its the little things that gradually happen that let you know that you really are changing. as the saying goes, “now that i’m older, all childish things end” i hope that will be the slogan that drives me this year. childish things in this sense are the things that hold you back in life, the drunken evenings that mess up your entire week and stop you from being productive. not having a great time with people that really make you laugh.

so thanks to true love babe, for giving me a guide to growing up and entering the big bad world, thank yo to my sister for being such a pillar of strength, and thank you Dave for making me set up a blog, start taking myself seriously and making me truely believe that i can fly to the sky wich is only pit stop to my destiny!

Now i know alot of people are going to hate me for what i’m about to say… people, FASHION IS DEAD… no never mind dead, more live DED.. D.E.D!!!!
the reason why i say this is  becuase we’ve been given a brief to track the fashion trends of our time, and see where we think the future of fashion is going. at first i was really happy and excited,i mean i love fashion.. which 23 year old girl wouldn’t?  untill i started surfing the net and seeing that its all the same things, different textures beading, attention to detail and all that crap! i mean there is no diffrence to how i dress and how my mom did when she was in varsity! HOW SAD! and we think we’re advanced!

so where does the future of fashion lie (no pun intended here)? personally right now, its all about what brand label is attached to your pair of jeans! its got nothing to do with the qualtity of material and how big your pockets are, its all about the LABEL!!! i should have seen this comming the day CK dirty jeans were in fashion and i just HAD to have them. my dad couldn’t understand the concept of him paying R500 for a pair of dirty, torn jeans… he tried to convince me that i can take jeans that i already have and go outside and get real DIRTY, but i wasn’t having it… i mean deep down inside, i knew they wouldn’t be the ORIGINAL CK DIRTY JEANS!

now that was one fashion trend i had to join, but the latest ones are just too much to handle. take the whole ballet thing! i mean what sad person decided to delve into thier childhood and declare tutus and slippers were the be all and end all? i HATED ballet, it was something for me to do while my parents were busy being movers and shakers in the board room. that and despite the fact that i was clumsy and Mrs Donaldson (my ballet instructor) said i had no poise and no sense of rythm… if only she could see me on a dance floor now!

so if we all held our breath and decided to be true to ourselves, we’d realise the only thing that realy drives fashion these days is our love for labels, my gucci, your RT jeans and that no name brand are all the same. because we all look the same we use our labels to show how high up (or low) the food chain we are!

the way i see it, the only way fashion is going to change is when the hole in the ozone layer gets too big and we have to wear tempreture controlled clothing. or health freaks get thier way and all clothes become bio-degradable! its all a act of chewing gum when i really think about it!!!! it comes in different packaging, all brands promise to  give you more than something to chew on, but at the end of day, it runs out of flavour, you either throw it away or keep it untill someone in Europe says its cool to wear again!

south africa has really come a long way since the first democratic elections in 1994. although people still argue weather we’re in a better or worse situation… change has come. the rise of the black middle class consumer is one evident change that’s happened, and some like it, some don’t… personally i belive everyone is BEE… not Black Economically Empowered, but Beneficial, Energetic and Emancipated!

we are all Beneficiaries of the change and growth in south africa… the 2010 world cup is just the first event we’re going to use to show the rest of the world how good we are. but instead of waiting for 2010 to come, why don’t we do something now that will help us reap any award? weather its money, status or just plain good old fun. watching my daughter play the games i used to play when i was young not only brought about a sense of nostalgia in me, but reminded me that sometimes you have to call time out, get down and dedicate all your energy on having a good laugh! i know some pre-school teachers may have told you this is unproductive, but its amazing how many muscles you work out when you have a good laugh.

and the same applies to any brand that wants to appeal to people on a mass scale… laughter is the best medicine for anything and everything. to me the brands that stand out the most are the ones that make you laugh! although every brand wants to be taken seriously, sometimes its alright to laugh with the people who keep you in business!

energy for me is essential because its what makes you get up in the morning! not your alarm clock, your neighbour or any member of the family, ENERGY PEOPLE! my dream is to be in a working enviroment that fuels my energy to the extent that it becomes something i truely live for. i’ve watched my dad wake up every morning at 4am to go to the office and make money to feed his children… that hasn’t changed even though his children have grown up and started living thier own lives. he told me the secret to this dedication is the energy he gets from it. brands that fufil me (physically or emotionally) are the ones i’ll always stick to… from the nivea body lotion that makes my skin soft and gives it a glow, to the jeans that hold me better than any man so far!

emancipation is really a state of mind in the current democratic world we live in… if you are reading this blog than you already have the power to find out anything you want (oh the power of technology)! when you  see the changes and trends in consumer behaviour, you’ll really understand how much power we have today. i don’t buy a brand because i’ve seen it on tv and it has promised to give me what i want… i buy a brand becuase i’ve chosen to… weather i’ve heard about it, read about it or bumped into it in the shopping isle, its my choice. there are so many brands out there that bombard us with thier noise, i don’t like being shouted at! ask to have a conversation with me, find out what i’m about, then i’ll give you something in return!

so, we may be living in a time where more jobs, money and oppurtunity are given to others in the name of correcting past injustices, but we all have the power to be part of the BEE family. sometimes its about looking at the small things we take for granted in life that makes you stand out from anyone else… if we are all just drops in the ocean, be brave and be the first drop that takes another route, soon the whole ocean will swing that way… there are so many paths that have not yet been travelled, question is are you up for the challange?

i’ve decided to change my thesis topic after we did a brief about the african language radio stations in south africa… now the thing that suprised me alot was although these radio stations are amongst the top five most listened to in south africa, media planners still don’t see the need to advertise in them more often. after doing research (through interviewing people in the ad world) it became apparent that there are twon main problems…  firstly ad people do not understand these consumers and secondly, the language barrier is too much to handle… so what is the way forward.

personally as a black, female swazi i was dissapointed to note that everyone is not tapping into the new spending power that is always on the rise in the black middle class. i mean just because i live in the location and listen to a community radio, does that mean i don’t have the need to buy levi jeans???

going to the location, one is shocked to see that it is not only tin houses and high crime that is evident, but this is a world that is both vibrent and very, very brand conscious… the amount of brands (from expensive cars with sophisticated radio systems, to highly priced clothes) that are pushed into your face at a time space of 2 seconds is a serious culture shock!!!! i myself was suprised… and these are the people i think i have so much in common with.

so, its clear that people in the media aren’t really sure what they want, what they aspire to have and where they want to be in life. these are people who are well aware that they now have so many more oppurtunities to get anything they want, highly materialistic and determined to set themselves apart from everyone else… weather it means taking my whole salary and spending it all on that mercedes benz that’s going to make me stand out from all the other peeps…

another thing that brands have to understand and realise is that brands have to understand cultural and traditional practices and structures… i’m not talking about the stoned cherrie or the spirit of unbuntu that everyone claims to be in touch with, i’m talking about the fact that my family doesn’t just comprise of my parents, my daughter and i… no! my sister had a wedding this weekend and we had all 1 500 plus people there, people who i consider to be family and who one day i will want to take out a family plan of. if south africa prides itself of diversity, then why don’t we start understanding and honing in on it?

i know there have been so many book, articles and studies done about the emerging black middle class, but there are so many misconceptions and lack of understanding… if any brand wants to be successful in south africa, why not speak to the majority of the population in  a context that they are comfortable with and in a manner that they understand??? its the only simple way to building your brand and getting with the proudly south africans!