Today’s world is constantly undergoing creative metamorphosis, not only in the way
people consume media but in how they think, behave and interact. Limitations on
how stories and ideas are communicated are slowly dissolving, and in-the-box
thinkers and marketers are headed for extinction.
PromaxBDA Africa 2014, which takes place on 21 November at the swanky Maslow
Hotel in Sandton, will embrace this new organic landscape of content marketing
with the theme “Evolution’.
Tim Horwood, chairman of PromaxBDA Africa 2014 explains: “Today with every new
media platform and device, where and how our audience receives our stories is
constantly changing. So where and how we tell these stories must continue to
adapt.’
Similarly, the 2014 awards have evolved to include awards for Best Sponsor /
Brand Integration Spot(s); The DStv / M-Net Most Innovative Use of Digital; Best
Website Design, Channel Brand of the Year; and Best Radio Promotion.
“We have been enjoying record numbers of entries. Every year it rises as our brand
awareness grows in the market,’ says Vanessa Sheldrick, PromaxBDA event
director. “The Future Award, proudly sponsored by T&W is in its second year and
has doubled in popularity as more media studies at tertiary organisations encourage
their students to enter. Aside from a Promax Trophy, this year T&W are offering a
one-month internship to the lucky winner.’
This year’s SABC sponsored keynote speaker is Michaela Angela Davis, a multi-
talented media legend from the US who has blazed the trail for narratives about
identity, beauty, race and gender in media. Drawing on her experience as an image
activist, writer, conversationalist, editorial director, feminist, fashionista,
community servant and CNN contributor, Davis will offer PromaxBDA Africa
attendees a glimpse into her innovative way of thinking. Her first session, “Diversity
Is So Passe:Enter in The Age of Identity & Intersections’, will explore breaking
through traditional mediums in order to bring unique identities and ideas into the
collective imagination. Her second session, “Women Rocking the World’, will
highlight the most influential “minority’ group on the planet.
Other thought-leaders who will engage and inspire a dedicated audience of over 350
passionate TV professionals include: Charlie Mawer, executive creative director of
Red Bee Media, who will conduct a session titled “Storyworlds: Bridging the Gap
Between Marketing and Content’; Hugo Moss, a designer and motionographer who
will deliver a session titled “Money isn’t Everything’, Ideas are; Glen Urquhart, group
creative director of Foxtel Networks Australia’s LifeStyle channels who will present
a session titled “Evolve Your Inspiration’; Nicole Velik, founder of The Ideas Bodega,
who will speak in a session titled “The Best Of: Idea Generation Masterclass’; and
Tim Horwood, creative director at MTV Networks Africa, who will present a session
titled “World Gold’.
Jens Hertzum, 2014 PromaxBDA New Zealand chairman, says: “Our focus is our
greater need, now more than ever, to produce creative work that engages and
interacts with our audience as we evolve together.’
