The internet and bookshop shelves are littered with advice on the how-to of sales; everyone from Dale Carnegie (yes I am that old); to Richard Branson, Jim Collins and Stephen Covey has the secret to sales success. But I think the real deal can be found on the street.

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Stop at a street light or robot anywhere in South Africa and you are swarmed upon like bees on honey by flag waving patriots of every soccer-playing nation.  These guys have mastered the fundamentals of salesmanship and remind us (or teach us) that by getting the basics right we are more than halfway to scoring.

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Over the past 6 years we have conceptualised and managed events for clients such as Accenture, Quest Staffing Solutions, Nexxus, Private Client Holdings, Stag Property and others. We have created unique experiences with budgets ranging from a few thousand Rand to well over a million Rand. We have liaised and worked with headline entertainers, top chefs and catering companies, audio visual and other professionals. We have hosted events at modest venues as well as 5 star establishments and transformed unlikely environments into the perfect stage. No detail is overlooked; every scene and visual is designed, every experiences tailor-made and every memory captured.

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Power of 9 is emphatic about not starting any brand strategy development without thorough research; this includes key interviews and surveys with brand stake holders such as staff, business partners, current and potential clients or consumers as well as competitor analysis.

Our first tactic in developing the Filippo Berio South African brand strategy was to conduct experiential focus groups.

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We are so happy to announce that we are working with the new to South Africa Kapruka Coconut Oil. Still in its early days, we hope to see Kapruka grow from strength to strength.

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Benchmark has chosen Power of 9 to develop their brand strategy. We are so excited to start the new year with this project.

Watch this space to see what 2010 brings for Benchmark.

Just like most things in life; we get out what we put in. A good brief is the catalyst for sound and focused creative thinking; a bad brief is the catalyst for wasted hours and money.

So, at the risk of copping a lot of flak from my creative team for writing an article on a subject they will argue I am unpractised in, here is my advice on how to write a good brief.

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Although I am possibly one of the most undisciplined followers of routine I know, the one, almost religious habit I do have is my morning click-through to News24. I do this to stay in touch with the happenings of the world and ensure I can hold semi-intellectual conversations when asked ‘did you hear about…’ But on contemplation of this fact, I have started to wonder if this is perhaps more a form of self torture than an investment in knowledge.

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Statistics released in a Solidarity report a few months ago said that a child is abused every three minutes in South Africa. EVERY THREE MINUTES! That calculates to 530 child rapes each and every day.

Take a moment, maybe just three short minutes to let this fact resonate.

South Africa; a  country that easily unites fans around sports fields, TV sets and in bars and restaurants to support and cheer for men in green and gold; a country who mobilises thousands to demand higher wages, and in turn cripple the public transport system in the midst of an economic downturn; a country who tallies up over 2 million SMS votes for the talented (or not-so talented) Idol wannabes; a country so swept up in the trend of plastic shoes called Crocs that millions have been sold in recent years.

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Quest is a leading staffing solutions company with over 30 years’ experience. The Quest vision is to be the leader in meaningful employment; setting candidates and clients up for success.

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Brief

Quest required a high impact, direct marketing campaign designed to market quality candidates on their database to existing and potential clients. A new year brings about change, change that often involves professional shuffling; resignations, promotions and new vacancies. Quest wanted to capitalise on this time of decision making and change.  The campaign was to be cost effective and delivered electronically.
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Stag Properties is a Cape Town based property-development company with many years experience and responsible for many successful projects varying from lifestyle to sectional title to retirement developments.

Brief

Having previously conceptualised, created and managed the marketing campaign for Stag’s Riverside Retirement Village development in Diep Rivier (now sold out), we were asked to do the same for the new units available in their existing Riverside Retirement Manor development in Pinelands.

The obvious difference between the two developments and their respective campaigns was that Riverside Retirement Manor was an existing development with many happy and settled residents opposed to Riverside Retirement Village, which was still to be developed at the time of the marketing campaign launch.
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