Telecommunications and broadband are among the most competitive industries in South Africa – and critical for economic growth and improvements in society. South Africa ranks in position 143 out of a total of 230 countries measured across the world.

AVEs have long been the subject of intense criticism but because they claim to put a financial value equivalency on PR and Comms work, and are easy to produce, there is still a lingering demand from some quarters of the communications profession.

Analysing some of the latest global research highlights a few interesting trends which will increasingly affect the public relations and communication industry - particularly from a measurement and evaluation perspective.

Ornico analysed advertising data for new commercials focusing on 1 November 2017 to 31 January 2018, compared to the same period in 2019. Banks took the lead with the highest spend, where findings show a decline of 38% in both the number of commercials and how much was spent.

Ornico research for the periods from 1 November 2017 to 31 January in 2018, compared to 1 November 2018 up to 31 January 2019 shows a decrease in advertising spend among top banks. The two periods show a decline of 38% in terms of new advertisements flighting for the first time.

Analytics and big data can lessen the amount of waste being created. The World Bank predicts that municipal waste generation is expected to reach 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025. Smart waste collection technology is expected to grow globally from USD57.6 million in 2016 to over USD223.6 million in 2025.

This infographic provides key media themes on SONA including #SONA2019 conversations on Twitter, which are geographically tagged as being in South Africa as the time of this research.

Banking in South Africa will see a massive shift in 2019 with, TymeBank, Bank Zero and Discovery Bank all ramping up their services.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of The Nation Address (SONA,) held on 7 February 2019, was mostly a subdued affair compared to the previous years’ major disruptions and theatrics. Brand Intelligence® firm, Ornico, analysed conversations from 1 February 2019 until 12 February 2019, across leading media and social media sources to provide a sense of how this year’s SONA influenced opinions.

Social media is growing rapidly in South Africa, with users constantly finding ways to use each platform effectively and brands finding better ways to engage. Have a look at this infographic for snippets of some of the findings.

Africa is making to leapfrog towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution through Artificial Intelligence and Automation. From drone technology to forward-thinking policy, these organisations take the charge and lead the way.

Africa has seen increased communication blackouts in recent times, especially during times of elections, protests and political unrest. Shutting down social media has greater repercussions than the temporary limitation of communication which governments have imposed.