Jacquie Golding-Duffy
THE SABC’s failure to inform viewers and advertisers of what was planned for the new-look SABC because its relaunch was intended as a spectacular and not informative event could cost it a chunk of advertising support.
Mixed reaction by the advertising industry to the SABC’s relaunch and programme reshuffling saw some advertising agencies responding harshly and others pledging support for the corporation.
Young & Rubicam managing director for business development in Africa, Doug Maritz, said the launch would not entice more advertising for the SABC because, although it was spectacular, the extravagance was inappropriate and a waste of money.
I think this [the launch] was a complete waste of money, with anything between R3-million and R20- million spent, Maritz said, adding that the SABC should have concentrated on a television launch for different viewers in a bid to educate audiences on the new programmes and to inform them on reasons for the changes.
The new-look SABC is confusing, and for advertising agencies it is difficult to plan against the new channels for specific target markets. I also understand that there is a lot of channel-hopping by viewers to find something appealing, Maritz said, adding that the agency’s clients were largely instructing it to come off the SABC.
The money is going to radio and print, while M-Net is laughing all the way to the bank, Maritz said.
Saatchi & Saatchi managing director William Leach pledged support for the corporation, saying it was making a good attempt to reach more people. We are urging clients to support the medium and to use common sense, Leach said, adding that he thought the launch was impressive and informative.
No, it was not a waste of money when you consider that the SABC was trying to reposition something that is twenty years old, Leach said.
Saatchis’ media director Gordon Muller said there was support for what the corporation had done, adding that the SABC was not the villain of the piece.
In two years of operation, all the IBA (Independent Broadcasting Corporation) has done has been to hand out 90 community radio stations, while the SABC has created some movement in the market in an attempt to be more representative. Their movement should be welcomed and not frowned upon, Muller said.
If one ploughs through what hasn’t changed instead of panicking at what has, one will see that programmes may be on different channels, but they are still the same, being broadcast at more or less the same times, Muller said.
Media consultant to Mashabela Burrows, Nan Jackson said she was going to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. I don’t think there are going to be any radical changes on television but, so far, SABC3 (formerly NNTV) seems to be good news, Jackson said, adding that it was the channel to go for if you are targeting the upper income group of viewers. I think it will give M-Net a run for its money, while SABC1 and SABC2 will definitely be a let’s wait and see’ for advertisers, she said.
The let-down, however, of SABC3 was its restricted transmission, with only about 56% of the population linked up, Jackson said.
I also think the SABC is missing the mark with its promotional, in-house advertising, because it is not inspiring people to watch, Jackson said.
Eurospace media strategist Alistair Duff said he disagreed with a wait-and-see attitude because agencies could not afford to waste time. I don’t think we can afford to wait and see but should, instead, be making educated guesses that certain programmes will perform well and attract audiences, while others won’t.
He added that his strategy would be to tell clients the SABC situation would balance out because, like any other media, at a time of change there was a period of flux, as was currently happening, but the fluctuation would balance out, particularly in the black market.
I think SABC1 and 2 are going to prove to be very strong channels, while SABC3, in its current format, with programmes from the former TV1, is no longer as strong an entertainment channel as TV1 was. SABC3’s position, I believe, is slightly weakened.
Lindsay Smithers-FCB media director Tony Banahan said the SABC spent a disproportionate amount of money upfront, instead of concentrating on post-launch education for audiences.
The agency is recommending to clients that they place advertisements around good and popular programmes, and to do this at peak times. There is an incredible amount of channel surfing and that is when our advertisements go out, he said, adding that clients had to be more programme-specific, because viewers followed programmes, irrespective of the channel they were broadcast on.
Jupiter Drawing Room media director Belinda Vosloo said the SABC reshuffling was not as disastrous as people made it out to be. We simply have to adapt, and agencies cannot dismiss the broadcaster as a non- viable medium. Where it suits the client and their target audience, we will still recommend the medium, Vosloo said.
At the end of the day, people watch programmes and not stations.