Henkel South Africa has hosted its inaugural Sustainability Indaba, highlighting that the commitment to a sustainable future has never been stronger. This event brought together industry leaders, Henkel team members and sustainability experts to raise awareness on pressing issues of our time.

Havas, a global advertising and media powerhouse, has appointed Provit Chemmani as the new CEO of Havas Africa. Havas says that Chemmani is set to redefine the agency's presence across the continent. His leadership marks a turning point, bringing global expertise and a deep-rooted belief in Africa's potential to the forefront.

Ogilvy South Africa has announced that it is the most awarded agency at this year's Assegai Awards with 46 awards: 12 Golds, 11 Silvers, 18 Bronzes and five Leaders, across ten clients. This is the fifth year in a row that Ogilvy has led the Assegai Awards tables for effective direct marketing.

Magna Carta, a leading reputation management consultancy, took home the overall award for PR Agency of the Year on Monday, 2 December at the AdFocus Awards 2024. This recognition underscores the agency's contributions to the PR, communications and marketing industry. 

Toluna has released a new study, titled How Load Shedding is Shaping Media Consumption in South Africa. The study has shown that South African audiences are increasingly turning to digital channels and a new era of entertainment is emerging, centred on mobility and interactive engagement. 

Joburg Theatre and CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa have celebrated the first official handover of books collected during their festive season book drive. The event took place at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, where the first collection of books found their new home in the hands of brave children and teenagers undergoing cancer treatment.

Absa has renewed its commitment as title sponsor of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY SERIES, a partnership that began in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic. At a time when many sponsors were stepping back, Absa says that it took a bold step forward, partnering with the series to expand South Africa's premier 10km road running events from three to five cities.

WARC has released its Global Ad Spend Outlook 2024 / 25 — the November 2024 update. The new study has found that global advertising spend is on course to grow 10.7% this year to a total of USD$1.08-trillion — the strongest growth rate in six years and the largest absolute rise on record if the post-Covid recovery of 2021 (+27.9% year-on-year) is disregarded. 

As winter grips North India with biting cold, Go Spiritual and Approach Entertainment have embarked on a blanket donation campaign to aid the homeless and underprivileged. This initiative, aimed at providing essential warmth to those living on the streets, underscores the dire need for collective action during the harsh winter months.

PR pros should always be on the lookout for tools and tips that will make their work more effective. Online media databases have been part of the industry for a while, but some PRs are old-school and prefer having their own lists and updating them manually. If you are undecided about online media databases, learn more about them here!