Nearly two-thirds, or 62.6%, of media spend in 2026 is being directed toward conversion and awareness, a 10% increase from 2024, according to newly released data from Gartner’s CMO Spend Survey. The findings signal the importance of new customer acquisition and growth for marketers. Loyalty and retention now accounts for less than 15% of overall media spend, a 29% decrease over the same period.
South Africa’s marketing and media sector has a new structural player with the launch of Nobanda Investment Group, a holding company formed by 555 Media Hub founder Nhlanhla Nobanda, alongside Nedbank CMO Khensani Nobanda.
Publicis acquired LiveRamp. Ogilvy invested in sports and creator-focused agency Article 41. At first glance, these deals may seem unrelated or even duplicative. But viewed together, they suggest the agency industry is entering a new era of M&A, one that can’t be judged by yesterday’s playbook.
Media24 has announced a partnership with The Wall Street Journal which will allow South African businesses to purchase bundled corporate subscriptions directly through Media24, thereby combining access to local news coverage by News24, Netwerk24 or Landbou.com with The Wall Street Journal’s global financial and business intelligence in a single package.
Marketers just can’t seem to escape the tyranny of performance marketing metrics. Gartner has just released a survey of more than 400 senior marketing execs and finds that 84% say the companies they work for are trapped in that familiar cycle known as the “brand doom loop.”
Oysterly Media has published research showing that only 26% of Gen Z Australians start product searches on Google. The research, conducted with Oaktree Insights and Consulting, surveyed 1,200 Australians. It found that 74% of young Australians begin product research on social media or AI rather than a traditional search engine. Across the full population, 40% still turn to Google first, highlighting a marked gap between younger users and the wider market.
Made up mostly of Gen Zers with backgrounds outside of traditional advertising, Hex aims to address the industry’s AI skills gap.
Multiple wins at the 2026 MMA Smarties South Africa Awards have placed iProspect South Africa firmly in the spotlight, recognising work that is redefining how brands earn attention.
Understanding where a brand appears, and why, has become essential as AI and agentic services reshape search. Brand and company citations have become increasingly important in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews.
DStv quietly launched a new sports channel across its Access, Family, Compact, and Compact Plus bouquets on streaming and satellite. The addition of SportyTV on channel 236 was recently spotted by a keen-eyed MyBroadband Forum member. SportyTV is a 24/7 channel that offers coverage of a range of sports, with a particular focus on football tournaments.