Brett Davidson
Another newcomer on the South African media scene is Hal Interactive, an online electronic media buying system.
It’s a one-stop shop where media organisations can promote themselves and sell advertising slots, while media planners and buyers can check schedules and availability and buy space.
Hal provides information on all major radio stations and recently scooped all the SABC’s stations, says marketing manager Andrew McFarlane. Longer-term plans include moves into the television and magazine markets.
A media buyer looking for advertising time can access the Internet on his or her desktop PC, go to the Hal at http://www.hal.co.za, and log on to the system. The site provides details of about 20 participating stations, providing programme schedules, and audio samples of station programming.
A media buyer using the system can ascertain which time slots are available and book them. Flighting schedules and administration work will be done on Hal, which would also ensure that ads for competing products don’t get booked in adjacent time slots.
Hal Interactive’s director, Mike Goode, says ad agencies pay a one-off nominal fee, while the radio stations pay to be represented on the system.
Many radio stations and ad agencies are hesitant about Hal, but a few have bought into the system. “We’re using it,” says Josh Dovey, managing director of Eurospace Media Direction, and urges other companies to get on board: “It’s a chicken and egg thing. Stations will go on board when buyers use it and vice versa. We think it’s a good thing and someone’s got to take the initiative, so we’re using it and pushing it.”