Our new notes - the image of Mandela



To our suprise: Nelson Mandela is a man
 that will be honoured through the SA bank  notes.
(www.news24.com)



It came to my surprise when I saw the South African notes having changed from the “Big Five” animals to the former President’s image, Nelson Mandela. This is supposed to be a celebration for a country but there are a lot of critics which I seem to agree with.

According to News24.com read more, the rand dropped by 2.5 percent against the dollar. The announcement came as a surprise to many officials as it was said that, there would be an announcement of ‘national importance’ without giving details except that, President Jacob Zuma, Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan and Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus would be present.

The announcement was made by President Jacob Zuma at the Reserve Bank in Pretoria, the day also being the anniversary of Mandela’s release from prison.



On Sunday Independent the governor commented that “We have changed currency before. It is not a big thing”. The governor’s comments are due to the people’s negative reaction… But do you blame the people. I believe that the changing of the notes should have been announced during the Nation State to emphasise the reasons behind it and for people to expect what is to come.

Comments such as “Everything is called a Mandela something, “South Africa will become Mandelaville”, “This is like play -play money or monopoly money”, were broadcast on the News24 online medium. The thought of thinking about the money being used to buy drugs does bring dishonour to Mandela.

The new design cost an estimation of 2, 5 to 3 million and will be introduced before the end of the year. The Mandela notes will also have newly developed security features. Gill Marcus said so far the R500 note has not been implemented.

Yes, Nelson Mandela is a man of great honour and importance but the way this was done and introduced seemed dodgy. I mean why the secrecy? The Rand also dropped which indicates miscommunication within the government and the market. A publicity campaign could have been done to support the announcement. Perception is always a factor to consider.

Image is everything

The new IPhone 5: Nicknamed the Glass phone, you just
have toouch. (sauce: www.apple.com )

The new Apple IPhone 5 featuring a large screen and boosted computing powers was introduced in San Francisco on 12 September of 2012. Pre-orders open on September 21. “IPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created”, said Phillip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing read more .

The features of the new IPhone:

·         IPhone 5 comes in either white and silver or black and slate

·         8 megapixel with image stabilization and panorama (different aspects of a picture)

·         The IPhone 5 is said to be 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the IPhone 4s

·         The phone features a new 10cm retina display

·         It comes with iOS 6 with new features such as an all new maps applications with Apple designed  cartography and turn-by-turn navigation

·         Supports ultrafast wireless standards read about more features .

You can already imagine the outstanding gadget dubbed the “Glass phone.”

Ryan Block wrote, “Great. Use the IPhone 5 for ten minutes and now my IPhone 4S feels tiny, fat and ugly. And that’s how they get me every time.” On the contrary IPhone continues to excel. Who would have thought? After the passing of co-founder, chairman and CEO, Steve Jobs, consumers thought the brand would fall or poorly produce new devices. Some media was beginning to speculate whether the new CEO, Tim Cook is afraid of bringing something new to the market.

I must say that image is everything a company has to keep, it does not matter who is the new CEO or which one got fired standards have to be met. Apple stores show that image is everything as it still communicates with it's consumers and makes sure that they are happy and satisfied with every new product. Steve Jobs once said “You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” 

Apple is reminding the industry how important it is to maintain relationships with your stakeholders and at the same time maintain the good perception and standards that people have about you as a brand.

Zumaville or New York City of Kwa-Zulu Natal



The development nicknamed Zumaville by the media:
A project that is set to be benefitial. (www.mg.co.za)



Does South Africa want to be the joke of the continent or the world? The government is planning a R2 billion town in President Jacob Zuma’s home village, Nkandla. This development is said to be a rural development by spokesperson Mac Maharaj. This development has already been criticised  by many political people saying that this project is just to benefit Zuma and his family above the priorities of South African citizens.

The former president of the ANC Youth League, Julius Malema, accused President Zuma of building “New York City of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Nkandla however this project is an idea by Masibambisane development initiative which is co-chaired by President Zuma read more

The name of the project is Umlazi-Nkandla Smart Growth Centre which is expected to have:

·         A new school with boarding facilities

·         A recreation centre featuring a swimming pool and tennis courts

·         Government facilities, including offices for home affairs and social development

·         New community facilities including a library, theatre and recreation centre

Now this project will be sponsored by private sector sponsors like Old Mutual and by the millions of South Africans who pay their tax. The government is also expected to contribute by a billion.

Is this a scheme or what? This project shows that in South Africa developments or projects are taken more seriously than poverty, education or health.  A democratic country has a lot to embrace but not by mis-using money and claiming that it is beneficial. The image that is communicated and created is that President Jacob Zama’s projects come first and this means we are a lost nation because of our leader. Where is the public relations expertise when you need one, because certainly the government is succeeding at building the most negative ideas for the citizens?

SABC launches its 24 hour news channel

The SABC logo: Embraced with the colours of the flag.
(sauce: www.google.co.za)

 Reading my daily newspaper, I got to discover that SABC will be launching a 24 hour news channel. The news channel will be sponsored by DStv read more. The SABC is taken as the public broadcast because of its affordability compared to its competitor DStv or toptv. “We are ready”, said Lulama Makhobo the group CEO, on Monday. The news channel will however be firstly available on DStv and then on digital terrestrial television later on.

 Now, SABC launching a 24 hour news channel seems extreme because:

• The SABC is already repeating programmes from the olden days like Yizo Yizo or Bophelo ke Semphego
• The many viewers of SABC are not able to pay their TV licenses



Ready to tranform: Group CEO, Lulama Makhobo assured
the media that the SABC is ready for this one.
(sauce: www.channel24.co.za)



Already the  government is getting publicity from the SABC news that are being broadcast for 30 minutes every day  in all the 3 channels,  because when it comes to the government an angle is applied.  The government is being portrayed in the best way possible, although negative stories are reported like the Angie Motshekga saga or corruption within the government, but not everything is revealed.

Come the elections, what is being broadcast is about what the ruling party is doing or has done to make a better living for the people, and less about other parties. Doesn’t this show favoritism of the ruling party? It is so obvious that the government will be framed in the best way ever.

I therefore think that the SABC is doing this to gain the focus of the audience to ANC. Yes the nation needs to be informed, but at the end of the day this is business, and publicity is on top of the list.

Our sports people and their communication



We love and support our people: The ladies hockey team
celebrating their victory.(sauce: www.google.com)



It is the London Olympics at this time of the year. The Olympics, which started in 776 B.C, occur once every 4 years, almost each and every country is participating or representing. People are talking about Olympics -if they are not they must be ignorant. Communication is the most key in this whole event. Now think about this: You are an athlete from South Africa, Portugal or Spain and you find that you do not know English.

If you are from Britain or USA you have the very most advantage because English is the mother- tongue language or home language.Well... Obviously the government or the planners of this event are aware of this and get to hire translators.

  

Yes, we should embrace our mother-tongue but up to what extent? According to The Economist of 12 January 2011, there was once a motion posed by the South African government that kids in schools should be taught in their mother- tongue language read more. I mean how can you do mathematics in your mother- tongue language? The next best thing you know, you are in tertiary and do not know how to communicate with your peers.  Going for an interview is going to be even harder. Well... These sports people are representing their own countries, but how they communicate has an effect on their image and the younger generation. Playing sports and excelling in it is a talent, it’s a God- given talent, but bear in mind that you have fans that look up to you. Yes there are brands that invest in our respective sports people or sponsor them but communication is just the main objective here.



 One of our best athletes on the 2012 team: Caster Semenya,
giving a confident pose. (sauce: www.google.com) 



I find it disturbing if a well-known sports person especially from South Africa, to be so talented but yet failing to communicate in a proper manner... But who am I to judge, because we all have different gifts? The question posed is, how well do our sports people know the medium of instruction or is it a necessity for them to only know their mother-tongue and not care about English?

The women's month, taken as an opportunity



Avon makes a difference at the walkathon event to raise funds:
Over 30 00 people participate to help women diagnosed with
breast cancer (sauce: www.avon.co.za)

 It is a women’s month and a lot of organisations are doing a lot to seem like a helping organisation especially about breast cancer. Organisations like Avon which has events that are held to empower women to look good and feel better and even have walkathons to generate massive awareness of breast cancer. There are even tertiary organisations like SPRA (Student Public Relations Association) based at UJ ( University of Johannesburg)which are making a difference by volunteering in communities.

Giving back with a smile: Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
sees giving back in the society as a collective effort.
 (www.thegivingorganisation.org)

The only question might be: Are organisations giving back to be seen as caring? Is it altruism in the making or Corporate Social Investment? The industry of Public Relations and Communications requires an organisation to keep abreast, giving is optional but wouldn’t you do so to get the people's loyalty or your target audiences’ positive perception. Do organisations do this because they want to or are they forced to?

Princess Charlene of Monaco will be co-patron with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at The Giving Organisation to give back, this is a collaborative South African good cause organisation.

  One of the biggest and growing ways in giving back to the society was/ is Mandela day. A lot of companies, brands, organisations or even celebrities where giving their 67 minutes.  The University of Johannesburg also contributed to Mandela day, the question is still pending.



Her highness provides a helping hand: Princess
Charlene and her husband. (www.thegivingorganisation.org)

Back to August being a women’s month, an opportunity is out there for organisations to give a helping hand besides expecting anything in return or publicity. Events like ‘Take a girl child to work day’ or ‘Women empowerment’ within undeveloped or developing areas are the key to be seen as caring read more. As a young woman I feel privileged that my “being” is being celebrated but would not want it to be taken for granted for a mere beneficiary scheme.

Organisations are trying but... Is it because they are forced to? Just to have a good image in the public sphere.

I wonder if this is the career for me

  

You chose it: It worse when you confused. (sauce: http://www.slapusidethead.com/)



Have you ever felt like you are in the wrong field, wrong career? Many of us feel like that especially when things go wrong within the workplace or when we are stressed. Well it all goes back to how you chose your career. Did you choose it because it has always been what you wanted to do or because you were forced to. Is it because it was a second choice or was it because you had no option but to study?

Some say a job is different from a career because, a career is the one that you studied for and a job is the work you do just to make a living, what do you say?



One may feel bored or feel like quitting their job because deep down they know that it is not what they wanted to do. The most downside about being in the wrong career is when you start showing. There are nurses for example who are supposed to take care of patients but do not exactly do that, they in fact treat them badly. There are cashiers who you can see right from their facial expression that even if you did not from buy from their shop it would not matter. Then you get to ask yourself why did he/she choose this career if he/she is going to be this rude. A pretend-smile will do!

You have to be careful because what you do in the company or for the company reflects the company’s image. Remember to communicate well at all times because you going to definitely need a reference once you move on.

There is a truck driver who made three accidents and got fired after the third incident, read more. There are so many famous people, so to speak who made bad publicity stunts or were rude to the media. Would you now say that being in a bad mood made you sarcastic or stubborn within your career?  Do you take the blame to the customer and say “She’s the one who was ungrateful for my assistance.”Guidelines on choosing the right career

There is a bright side to being in the ‘supposedly’ wrong career though. You sometimes get to discover your inner-self. Something that you did not know existed in you. You end up discovering that this is actually what you want to do. You end up loving your job.