Woolworths’ TASTE magazine, published by New Media, has won a highly prestigious GOLD Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Award for Overall Editorial Excellence in Custom/Content Marketing. This year’s awards took place on Tuesday, 9 October in New York. TASTE also received three honourable mentions including one for its March 2018 issue in the Best Full Issue category. The title also received honourable mentions in the categories of Overall Design Excellence and Social Media/Community. “Being strategic partners with Woolworths gives us a fantastic opportunity to produce exceptional, relevant and beautiful content. For 20 years the awards have celebrated editorial and digital excellence in brand publishing and we are incredibly proud of the TASTE team and delighted that New Media’s brands and clients continue to be acknowledged on this international stage, alongside the top brands in the world,” says New Media’s Managing Director, Aileen Lamb. Says Woolworths’ Head of Foods Marketing Elizka Ferreira: “Woolworths TASTE magazine is an important part of the Woolworths customer journey and brand experience. The New Media team does an outstanding job in ensuring the magazine and its digital community offer extraordinary value to our readers and that the platforms are truly reflective of the Woolworths brand. I am thrilled that this publishing excellence has been acknowledged through these prestigious awards.” New Media has won 12 Eddie & Ozzie awards and honourable mentions for editorial and design online and in print since 2010. CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za. . . .

Modest living spaces shouldn’t be an upset for homeowners. By using simple yet effective design tips and tricks, you can make your rooms seem far larger than they actually are without the hassle of overspending. One method for sizing up a slightly smaller living space is to lighten up the palette of your interiors, especially your furniture. By doing so, you can give the illusion of a larger room without having to remove any of your favourite accessories. Lighter hues of creams and whites with hints of mid-toned elements from scatter cushions and ornaments are a fantastic way to give your room an extra couple of metres. If you’re looking for more of a minimalistic approach to your living areas, try scaling down with smaller or multi-purpose furniture - you’ll not only have more room to walk, you’ll also have more room to accessorise. If you’re not too keen on scaling down on your furniture, try focusing on your walls. By hanging large mirrors and light-toned paintings, you can add that extra bit of space without having to get your hands on a jackhammer. Use mirror frames as a way to accent your room with warm splashes of colour and creativity. Don’t fret about a modest sized living interior. Easy methods and simple adjustments are all you need to upsize your home without putting strain on your budget. Visit your closest Beetroot Inc. store in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape to see what’s on offer or visit www.beetrootinc.co.za. CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za. . . .

Strategic communications agency, Mikateko Media, has announced that it has won the pitch to publish Sawubona, the magazine brand of South African Airways (SAA), for the next three years. Their first issue will be on flights from today (1 October). With the new Sawubona, readers can expect a complete redesign of the print magazine as well as a significant ramp up of the digital offering. Desireé Johnson, Managing Director of Mikateko Media, elaborates: “Research shows that travellers place increasing value in online information when making their travel choices. Our digital focus for Sawubona will be based on a targeted, intelligent content distribution strategy with the aim of providing prospective travellers with information that adds value and helps them with their travel planning.” The agency has an established background within the in-flight publishing sector and brings this experience to the editorial front. Desireé explains that as media moves from the information to the reputational age, Mikateko Media will prioritise stories from real people and real travellers. “We want to unlock the value of real advice from real travellers,” she says. She and her team also plan to stimulate positive conversation around South Africa and SAA, showcasing the country’s extraordinary talent and offerings to both local and international travellers. Mikateko Media is an award-winning communications agency with more than a decade of experience and highly credible brand titles under its belt. Its associate partner, New Media, is also a content marketing heavyweight. They are thrilled with this new account and plan to create a superb magazine brand for the airline. Says Desireé: “This pitch was a tough race and, as known, many runners take part in a race, but only one wins. I believe we ran the race in such a way as to win the prize. It also takes a village of talented people to win an account like Sawubona and I salute everyone who gave their all.” Says Tlali Tlali, SAA . . .

Ahead of its much-anticipated 100th issue in early 2019, New Media-owned décor, design and architecture brand VISI has been awarded the A’Design Award for Best Design Media. Announced by the A’Design Award team in Italy, the Best Design Media Award is a special recognition granted to leading design publications, which are nominated by designers, artists and architects from across the globe. “This is a highly acclaimed award, which we are extremely proud of,” says Sumien Brink, VISI’s Editor-in-Chief. “What makes it particularly powerful is that the award came as a result of recognition by many of our very talented peers from around the world. We feel truly honoured,” she adds. Differing from the A’Design Award, where entries are peer reviewed and awarded by a grand jury panel, in the case of the Best Design Media Award, recipients are selected by laureates of the A’Design Award who indicate a list of prominent design publications they follow, wish to be featured in and adore. The Best Design Media status is granted once to each publication to acknowledge their role and support in the creation of a better world, and a heightened appreciation and understanding of good design that leads to the creation of better products and services. Says New Media’s Managing Director Aileen Lamb, “VISI is one of our iconic brands and has always been celebrated locally for its distinctive design and high production value. It’s wonderful to have it recognised globally, within such esteemed design circles.” Despite the downward trend in consumer titles, VISI magazine continues to grow. As per the Q2 2018 ABC figures, VISI’s total circulation increased by 10% quarter-on-quarter and an unprecedented 15% year-on-year. CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za. . . .

New Media’s Internal Communications team scooped multiple awards at the SA Publication Forum’s 17th annual SAPF Awards, which took place on Friday. These wins are in the Best Communication Innovation category and the One-off Publication category (where the team took all three places). The Communication Innovation awards recognise two New Media projects – FNB Sync, an enterprise social network app aimed at FNB employees, and Magic Talk, M-Net’s Internal Communications app. Being recognised for innovation, in such a dynamically changing media industry, is very important to the New Media Internal Communications team. The SAPF judging panel said this about FNB Sync: “Everything about this entry is close to brilliant, including images used, article subjects and content, video, infographics. There is nothing new about distributing content via apps, but not all succeed in solving problems, empowering and educating members using this afforded luxury. This is definitely a step forward and we can’t wait to see how this will be put to full use in the future.” In the One-off Publication category, New Media took all three places. First prize went to Centennial, the publication created to celebrate Sanlam’s 100-year anniversary; runner and second runner up were Santam 100 and Sanlam Personal Finance’s Impact 100 respectively. New Media’s Internal Communications cluster was also recognised for Trudie Myburgh’s excellent editorship of the Sanlam account by placing as second runner up in the Editor of the Year category. Last year, New Media restructured to create an internal communications specialist focus area, under the leadership of editorial stalwart Brendan Cooper. The aim of the division was to focus exclusively on effective employee engagement content and strategies. Cooper says: “It's lovely to win awards but what makes us really excited is that the audiences love the content we’re providing. Engagement rates show an upward curve, which ultimately proves . . .

Tune into ETV’s morning show in collaboration with Printing SA who are showcasing the importance of the printing and packaging industry in a humorous yet real life setting. Without the printing industry printing things like books and study materials, reading, studying and the advancement of education could be hard. Very hard! Just imagine being in class where you are asked to turn to page 12 and the page is blank, and not only that page but the entire text book. So what happens now? For the vast majority of South Africa’s younger generation, books will remain the pathway to learning. Data is expensive and, particularly in rural areas, access to the internet is extremely limited and unreliable. Catch Tino Chinyani lecturing a group of “befuddled university students” on Tuesday, September 4 between 6am – 9am. CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za. . . .