Tim du Plessis, Head of Afrikaans Newspapers at Media 24, says marketers and big brands must be reminded continuously of the value of South Africa’s indigenous languages, among them Afrikaans. “If need be, we must not hesitate to let our money do the talking. Those who acknowledge Afrikaans must feel it. Like those who neglect Afrikaans. If my language is not good enough, then my money isn’t either.”
"That is why it is so important that Afrikaans maintains its commercial value as an advertising language," says Tim du Plessis, Head of Afrikaans Newspapers at Media 24. Media24 is a founding sponsor of the Pendoring Advertising Awards, and Du Plessis a member of the Pendoring board.
"Together with Pendoring, Media24 endeavours to promote excellent Afrikaans and truly South African advertising. That is why we decided to once again support Pendoring with a gold sponsorship this year.
"Media24 is firmly committed to maintaining and expanding Afrikaans. Some of our oldest titles are in Afrikaans, and our journey with Afrikaans readers started in 1915 with the establishment of Die Burger. We are well aware of the fact that media users want to be communicated with in their mother tongue - the language of their hearts. Excellent creative advertising in Afrikaans is a tried and tested way of not only confirming the commercial value of the language, but also of satisfying the Afrikaans consumer," Du Plessis reckons.
"Our Afrikaans dailies and Sunday papers continuously emphasise the value of Afrikaans when speaking to advertisers and decision-makers over marketing spend. We show them through cold, hard figures how strong the buying power of the Afrikaans community is.
"But at the end of the day, they make dispassionate business decisions. They will only keep investing in Afrikaans advertising if the quality is good and if they see returns on their investments. The Afrikaans advertising industry therefore has to keep up with the best that can be offered in English - a particular challenge, given that English is a global advertising language. Pendoring is an indispensable partner in this process, as it focuses the spotlight on Afrikaans advertising on a very busy, overwhelmingly English stage."
Marketers and big brands must be reminded continuously of the value of South Africa's indigenous languages, among them Afrikaans. "If need be, we must not hesitate to let our money do the talking. Those who acknowledge Afrikaans must feel it. Like those who neglect Afrikaans. If my language is not good enough, then my money isn't either.
"Afrikaans and Media24 are synonymous. Afrikaans is an asset to our country. Just like biodiversity, linguistic diversity is of particular value to humanity. The more languages that exist, the richer the cultural assets of the world as a whole. Afrikaans is indigenous to South Africa and helps to make our country richer and more interesting.
"Media24 and the readers of our publications, like Beeld, Die Burger, Volksblad, Rapport, Huisgenoot, Landbouweekblad and Sarie have got each other, figuratively speaking, in a tight embrace. And we are not planning to let go of each other," he emphasised.
"Afrikaans is a fully-fledged commercial and academic language with a splendid literature that is held in high esteem internationally. Its music, in all its different manifestations, is flourishing in a seemingly endless movement, and the whole world is taking notice. Media24 and Pendoring fall in this same league," says Du Plessis.
Franette Klerck, Pendoring GM, said Pendoring is grateful that a corporate giant like Media24 continuously takes up the proverbial cudgels for Afrikaans and original, creative Afrikaans advertising. "The Afrikaans media, and specifically Media24, play a huge role in the growth of Afrikaans advertising and the language in general. Pendoring not only celebrates Afrikaans advertising, but also South Africa, its people, their creativity, passion and sense of humour. It is an honour to work with a partner like Media24."
