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The Sunday Times smack down

The Sunday Times smack down has begun with all and sundry having something to say after the paper retracted its front page story on Transnet supposedly selling most off Table Bay to “foreigners” (‘Transnet sold our sea to foreigners‘- August 24, 2008).

Several quotes to sum up the general mood;

“The paper under Makhanya has lost its credibility, and it is time that readers become activists against gutter journalism and be vociferous in their disgust at the Sunday Times.” – Sentletse Diakanyo

“Never before, in its proud 102-year history, has the integrity of the Sunday Times been under so great a threat. Once again, it has had to retract a sensational front page lead story – this time about Transnet “selling out our sea to foreigners” that appeared last week, ironically on the same day the paper had to print an apology on a story it ran on the Land Bank.” – Chris Moerdyk

It seems that The Sunday Times has messed up big time. This is not as uncommon as you might think. Newspapers as diverse as The New York Times and The Guardian have had to retract major stories in the past. Cost-cutting in newsrooms and plain old fashioned human error are some of the factors that cause fact checking procedures to lapse. Yet these newspapers remain, and more than that, remain authoritative.

I found the Sunday Times headline in question distasteful given the recent xenophobic riots and as a result did not pick up a copy of that paper the week this story broke. Transnets reputation was tarnished (one would think Metro does a good enough job of that) by the story but their speedy response and engagement with the media prevented worse damage.

Getting it wrong is a risk in journalism but one that should be measured against the role a free media plays in the democratic process. The fact that the paper have stepped up and admitted wrong-doing is a positive step towards protecting its reputation. The Sunday Times will be more careful with its fact checking on major stories going forward but must remain a powerful voice against corruption and business and political excess in our country.

The multi-channel book of the future (today)

Lauren Beukes is a much admired journalist who has just released her futuristic debut novel, Moxyland, that plays out in Cape Town and is in her own words a hi-tech fable of the day that “corporate apartheid separates the haves from the have-nots.”

But the really interesting aspect of this publishing venture is the multi-channel approach Beukes took in marketing the book. Apart from the printed title and an album, she also produced an e-book, filled with hyperlinks, electronic bookmarks and even the soundtrack compiled in close collaboration with African Dope to suit the dark and gritty mood of the novel. The compilation, available in music stores and from online e-tailers features the likes of The Tone Deaf Junkies, Taxi Violence, The Real Estate Agents, Mix n Blend, Dank, Mr Gelatine and Jacob Israel.

Beukes even set up a women’s empowerment group in the Klein Karoo to create the cuddly toy that features on the book cover, and which is hand-sewn by the women the project employs.

“Writers have to think about multimedia, about finding ways of elaborating on their story,” says Beukes. “The world we live in isn’t limited to one format. It’s not about flashy gimmicks, but playing with possibilities. I’ve been incredibly lucky to find brilliant and innovative creative partners who were willing to run with a crazy concept.”

Beukes seem to have taken all the lessons from the Internet publishing and applied them to a very traditionally minded industry. The fact that a South African author have stepped so far beyond the expected is exiting for the local publishing industry and an indication of the resourcefulness of a writer well familiar with the opportunities available to somebody who won’t be bound by the status quo.

The unreal world of House & Garden magazine

Much have been said about the mind boggling gap between the haves and the have nots in South Africa. Leaders (like Tutu, not the kind lining their own pockets) warn repeatedly that not addressing this divide will eventually lead to a total break down in our society. With their own long term viability in mind business is finally starting to talk about social justice. Then there is Condé Nast House & Garden who sees it fit to plug “Green-painted wooden LOGS from R3262.58, The Modern Garden Company (top left corner of the image). Yes that is R3262.58 for a green-painted wooden log. The obvious question – couldn’t they round up the 58c? Can anybody in this country really be so disconnected from society that they would create this product, find a market for it, and then manage top sell it to the editors of a glossy magazine? Nasty!

Garbage bins become urban art

Five Cape Town agencies worked together on urban design project that saw five black garbage bins turned into works of art. Designers were briefed to use the bin as a canvas but to take into consideration the context of its surroundings as well. Am I Collective, Cow, Kronk, The President and Room 13 were the five agencies that got involved.

The bins, (if they’ve not been stolen) can be see at the following addresses: 15A Chamberlain, 29 Chamberlain, 4 Devonshire, 13 Cavendish and 37 Balfour.

Open source Chrome vs. No advertising IE 8

Microsoft has already won the desktop battle, but a new war is looming and in a connected world the ultimate end point is the browser, the most intimate interface that people use to surf the web. Whoever wins this round of what is popularly referred to as the browser wars wins the most valuable real estate of the connected economy. As IE and Chrome do battle it is interesting to see what strategies Microsoft and Google are using to try and take the victor’s crown in the battle of the browsers.

What’s key about Google’s open source offering is that it addresses the consumer need for speed and appears to answer the problem many users have with their browser grinding to a halt at the end of the day, or freezing or failing. A frustration that’s becoming increasingly common place because of the myriad of applications and media that browsers now have to deal with as the web leaves text behind and moves into richer and more varied environments. Google’s offering will have an ability to view web pages as thumbnails and a host of other features built for speed in a multi-media environment.

Microsoft isn’t taking the open-source slap in the face lying down. They know Google’s business model is built on the back of an advertising platform and MS are hitting back with a browser that features the ability to block advertising. Still in beta, Internet Explorer 8’s “InPrivate” feature has the advertising and publishing world in a flurry. Imagine the potential harm an opt-in or opt-out type browser could do to the $21.2 billion-plus interactive ad industry? Microsoft Internet Explorer general manager Dean Hachamovitch says that’s not the point: “The point isn’t to block content or ads. The point is to put users in control of what they’re sharing.”

Early days yet in the browser wars, but the first punches have been thrown and it appears that blood has been drawn. There will be one clear winner though and in my mind that will be browser users who for years have been desperate for a solution that speaks to speed and intrusive advertising.

Posted on Marklives.com by Mandy de Waal. Mandy de Waal is a former broadcast journalist who now writes for a broad range of local media. A columnist for MarkLives, de Waal microblogs at Twitter, vlogs at Zoopy and authors her own blog, Artificial Intelligence.

Moonwalking parents into buying a kids mag

“Moonwalk” is the latest in a series of award winning ads for National Geographic Kids magazine by FoxP2. This ad shows parents their kids can experience the world through NG Kids magazine. Hats off to Andrew Whitehouse and Justin Gomes for another charming winner. (Photographer: Andrew Verster Cohen)

Africanising the Nike Dunk

Mick & Nick, part of the Lowe Bull Group, created this instore promotional campaign for Nike’s Cape Town launch of the Nike Dunk. For a South African fit Mick & Nick asked six graffiti artists each to spray-paint a taxi using the Nike Dunk colours. Nike originally developed the Dunk in 1985 to fit in with the colour schemes of various US universities. From US varsities to African taxis – its been a long track for an iconic shoe…

A kids book for grown ups

Wie is Dit? is a quirky picture book of Bible stories launched earlier this year by Vuvu, an imprint of Electric Book Works. Its PR blurb says the book is being marketed to kids “and inquisitive grown-ups of all religious persuasions.”

 

Writer/illustrator Louis Barnard is smart, very smart, possibly too smart for the kids. Mark can see how this book can intrigue kids to read up its suggested text and in that sense the concept works very well.

 

Mark also suspects its real fans will be grown ups gaping at Noah the (rather camp) sailor and giggling at Eve holding an apple pie (remember American Pie?). Kids books for grown ups with Christmas just around the corner – it would be interesting to see if the publisher pursues this market actively or simply allow it to discover Wie is Dit? for themselves.

 

“Do no evil” Google fails own mantra

Google’s famous company mantra “Do No Evil” is being called into question in a complaint filed at the Competition Commission by a South African digital marketing agency called Entelligence.

 

In short Entelligence alleges that Google has abused its market dominance in an attempt to drive a wedge between Entelligence and one of its major clients – The Yellow Pages SA. The aim, according to Entelligence, is so that Google can pick up the client as its own.

 

First Google manipulated campaign costings on its Adwords platform that negatively affected the campaigns performance by pushing up the cost per click through from 60c to R2 without informing Entelligence, the group alleges. Later it informed Entelligence that it was no longer willing to renew its accounts with Google (Entelligence claims it is spending $100 000 on Google every 90 days so this isn’t a small change outfit). This while Google SA pitched directly for the client in question.

 

“Entelligence and many other search engine marketing agencies have represented Google for years in South Africa,” says Sean Riley Managing Director of Entelligence. “Google South Africa is now cherry-picking customers with high expenditure at the expense of companies that have historically supported and grown Google’s client base within South Africa.”

 

Google cannot afford to undermine the two key pillars of its success affected by this story. It cannot afford to make enemies from its friends through corporate strong arm tactics (a very expensive lesson Microsoft learnt the hard way), and it cannot do away with the public goodwill it has built up, or people will start rooting for alternatives. If it has any sense it would resolve the complaint and put in place transparent procedures to ensure a repeat of these allegations don’t occur.