ADVERTISING MEDIA FORUM
PROGRESS REPORT TO THE PARLIAMENTARY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS
19 October 2004
The Advertising Media Forum is a non-profit company, which provides a platform for media strategists, planners and purchasers to co-ordinate a common policy to promote acceptable standards and practices in the media industry. We strive to promote the attainment of these standards and practices by acting as an advisory and consultative body to the advertising, marketing and media industry and other relevant organisations including government organisations such as the Media Development and Diversity Agency; initiating and encouraging policies to achieve meaningful and sustained participation in the media industry by South Africans who were previously discriminated against for whatever reason; and enhancing and upgrading the quality of professionalism throughout the South African media industry.
(Additional information in Appendix A)
Where do we fit in the Marketing Value Chain?
It is for the above-mentioned reasons that our submission will focus on advertising media budget procurement and we offer a solution on how we can plan media spend with BEE targets as a specific objective. With regards to training and transformation, we are guided by the ACA (many of our members either belong to, or are owned by ACA members) and the MFSA, of which many of our clients are members.
Advertising media procurement considerations:
In summary, the value chain starts with the Client’s Marketing Budget. Allocations are made to various communication channels, which include Advertising, Media, PR, Events, Sampling, Sales Promotion, Competitions, Conferences, Exhibitions, etc.
Our proposed solution
Our aim is to motivate for the development of an analysis tool that will reflect the BEE criteria/score of each individual title used within the communication planning process. This would be in addition to the existing tools that provide measurement data on schedule performance such as reach, frequency, cost per thousands, impact, duplication etc. Such a tool/module is to be developed, in conjunction with other relevant parties such as ACNielsen, Telmar and IMS.
The formulation of such a tool is currently in the planning phase. The dynamics of such a tool have been investigated and are deemed possible by the current planning tool software providers.
Solution considerations:
Many questions have been posed. The development process will require experts to consider them and deliver a suitable solution.
AMF Engagement
We would welcome an individual, appointed by Government, with the sole objective of understanding our industry, the way it works and the issues we face within our profession. The AMF offers to amend its constitution in order to offer Government an automatic membership to our elected Board. This member seat will have observer status at an executive level and will be party to all our debates and deliberations.
Our new constitution has been developed around more inclusive membership criteria. We have an open-ended charter. Membership is voluntary and requires commitment and work outside of the individual’s permanent employ.
The Charter of the AMF specifically precludes the organisation from running formal training programmes. By long standing mutual agreement, education is the domain of the Advertising Media Association of SA (AMASA). Many senior members of the AMF serve (or have served) on both bodies. The AMF lobbies on technical media planning issues, whereas AMASA concentrates its efforts on training and upliftment. The AMF contributions to AMASA and other education bodies are:
1] In the form of lecturing, at AMASA approved programmes including the AMASA workshops, AAA school of Advertising, Boston House College and The University of Johannesburg.
2] The setting and marking of examination papers for the annual exam for the formal AMASA/ AAA diploma course. On Thursday 14 October 2004, 67 students wrote an examination set by a member of the AMF, based on the media textbook written by a member of the AMF and the marking of those exam papers was conducted over the weekend, and delivered on Monday 18 October, by a member of the AMF.
3] The textbook, "Media Planning - Art or Science", widely used by tertiary institutions across South Africa and Africa, was written by a member of the AMF, who, in the interests of industry co-operation has ceded the copyright of the book to AMASA. The textbook is the primary revenue source for AMASA's EE bursary programme.
4] The AMF and AMASA have engaged with bodies such as the MDDA with regards to their development programme and have offered our time and commitment through lecturing on the topic of advertising media.
5] The AMF has presented advertising media introduction lectures to Vista University on the Mamelodi, Soweto & East Rand campuses
Note: Media planning is a module within the advertising education curricula. Students select their field of choice once formal education is complete. Interns are recruited to learn media in-depth as part of the media training process.
The AMF continue to engage with bodies such as the MFSA’s media committee with regard to issues pertaining to media rate inflation and media research tools. We are instrumental in supplying inputs into the South African Advertising Research Foundation, who annually conduct the AMPS survey. We also provide time and intellectual inputs into the people meter (TAMS) and RAMS diary research surveys.
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Submitted on behalf of the AMF, by
Joanne Scholtz, AMF Chairman
Appendix A: Background information on the AMF
Who are we: -
The Advertising Media Forum is a non-profit company which provides a platform for media strategists, planners and purchasers to co-ordinate a common policy to promote acceptable standards and practices in the media industry. We previously addressed this forum under the auspices of the Media Directors Circle.
The AMF was formed to:-
Appendix B
The communication Value Chain
Although we are the key inter-face with media owners, many of the important strategic, targeting and creative decisions are made further up the value chain.
Appendix C
Proposed tool will add a new dimension to the existing variables available to planners. An additional column would be provided similar to those circled for illustration