Doing well by doing good

Doing well by doing good Most businesses these days have some form of CSR strategy outlining how they give back to their stakeholders, the environment or the community. Research even shows that doing good reduces a company’s team turnover rate, increases its productivity and boosts employee engagement and satisfaction. I recently did an audit of our clients and it struck me how many businesses we have in our client pool that do good while also doing well. These are businesses that have ‘doing good’ at their core – the reason they started their business in the first place. I would like to mention a few here as I find it both inspirational and encouraging to do business with companies that ultimately do good, by benefiting our community, the planet, and the people who inhabit it. Faithful to Nature was founded in 2006 with the aim to give ordinary people access to honest, affordable and ethical products. They created a world-first ingredient policy in search of clean ingredient lists and products that were free from toxins. Ultimately the company wants to create a world where the products we use do not harm us, our communities or our planet. Today they have over 100,000 followers on Facebook. Hannah products offer a healthy alternative to sanitary pads and cups for women. Hannahpad offers a zero-waste, chemical-free lifestyle which benefits women’s bodies and our earth. Hannahpad also believes in helping their communities and reaching out a helping hand. As part of this philosophy, they have created a set called the ‘Help a Girl Cloth Pad Set’ to help a girl stay in school. This is only available as a donation and has been discounted to make this affordable to sponsor a girl. Cyber Finance is a leading financial solutions provider offering a range of effective debt counselling services that provide consumers with an affordable repayment solution and ultimately financial freedom. The past two years have been tough economically and many South Africans find themselves trapped in bad debt. To date, Cyber Finance has helped over 5,000 SA consumers become debt free and has been voted the Top 10 National Debt Solutions Provider in the country. Greenfish was founded by two brothers with the intention of providing the restaurant, hospitality and wholesale industry with high-quality, seasonal and locally sourced fish and seafood products. Growing up as artisanal handline and tuna pole fishermen, their combined 60 years of fishing experience has instilled in them a deep respect and connection to the ocean that underpins everything that Greenfish does. In addition, businesses like Earth Natural Hair, Natural Options, Skin Fresh and The People’s Fund all have ‘doing good’ at their core. We are proud to partner with and help grow these brands through our digital channels and offerings and look forward to seeing them disrupt and create change for the better in the world. Onwards and upwards! Daniel Gross – CEO All Interviews and Insights Industry News CEO's Thoughts Interviews and Insights Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before 26 Oct 2022 Why Black Friday 2022 will differ from before Despite current downturns in the economy, evidence shows that the e-commerce industry is picking up and going back to pre-pandemic… Read More CEO's Thoughts Never stop marketing 26 Oct 2022 Never stop marketing There’s a LOT going on in the world right now. This is not a political piece, yet it is diffiult to ignore the world-shaping events… Read More Interviews and Insights Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove 26 Oct 2022 Interview with Sandra Jardim, Blogger/Founder of MammaBearLove Our October profile is Sandra Jardim, mom to twins Gisela and Alaia and blogger/owner of MammaBearLove. She uses her blog as… Read More Prev123Next

Thank you 2021

The last term always feels a bit like a race to the finish line. With private schools starting to close from next week, many of you will be looking forward to some well-earned rest. Some of us will be working right up to Christmas, because for the e-commerce industry this is after all the busiest time of the year. Whether you will be working or taking leave, celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah or just spending time with family, I want to thank each and every one of you for your support this past year; to our publishers for delivering the results, to our clients for their continued belief in us, and to our employees for going the extra mile every day. AdMarula wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t for you. We also wish you a successful Black Friday and hope that it will in part make up for lost revenue during lockdown. It is encouraging to see that some of our programs that were paused have been restarted, and that clients are starting to increase budgets and channels again. (Please note that our office will close on the 23rd of December and re-open on the 3rd January.) We look forward to taking on 2022 with you. Onwards on upwards! Daniel Gross – CEO

How 2020 has changed Digital Marketing

2020 and the emergence of COVID-19 has altered the way we all live and work, including the world of Digital Marketing. While the pandemic’s full impact is still to be determined, its effects on Digital Marketing has been profound as people increasingly go online to meet their day-to-day needs. From SEO to the way businesses interact with consumers, the script is being rewritten for better and for worse. The way we interact with each other has significantly changed, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that companies also need to change how they interact with customers. From giving back to the community by offering free services to putting a positive emphasis on marketing messaging, most businesses have had to shift their digital strategy in order to adjust to this new world order. For many companies who hadn’t already gone online, 2020 was the ‘point of no return’. With customers spending more time online than ever and looking for information and safer ways to shop, online is now a ‘must have’ even for services industries. 2020 has profoundly changed online consumer behaviour. For lunch or dinner options, instead of searching for restaurants closest to our locations, we are searching for delivery options. We are more online than ever before. Online appointments are now the norm for many businesses. Online meetings and Zoom calls are on the rise while face-to-face interactions are on the decline due to the COVID-19 crisis. Consumers are hopping on websites and communicating through brand’s social media platforms more than ever. Digital marketing is one of the best and most cost-effective ways for businesses to reach their target audiences. New behavioral practices like social distancing are accelerating consumers’ use of e-commerce options, forcing traditional marketing to take a backseat. As interpersonal communication declines, businesses are becoming more reliant on digital tools and other accessories to accomplish their goals, I.e., Facebook Messenger, live chat on websites, text message marketing, etc. Brands investing in SEO may have initially seen a decline in revenue when the pandemic began but now may be seeing a rise. 2020 has been a challenging year for most businesses, and marketers have had to put their thinking caps on and adapt quicker than ever. The good news however is that many of these changes, are likely to be with us for the foreseeable future, and in a way this has been a year of accelerated learning and finally executing those plans many have been talking about, but just haven’t had the urgency to follow through on. What will 2021 hold? Only time will tell. The Publisher Management Team