Fashion is what you make it – NOTIVESALE #BrandofTheWeek

Notivsale clothing

Fashion has evolved over the years. Trends come and go, and new designers emerge with every new style that hits the market. Fashion has always been a way to express yourself and ranges from accessories, clothing, footwear etc.


This week we got to speak to Lehlohonolo Inama, founder of NOTIVSALE (pronounced Not for Sale). Lehlohonolo started his brand because he was driven by not finding anything that suited his style and always seeing people doing the same thing with clothes.

Lehlogonolo Inama
Lehlohonolo Inama (Founder NOTIVESALE)

What is NOT IV SALE about?

​NOTIVSALE is a brand that has never introduced change for its own sake. Instead, it has chosen to refine constantly the design of garments. Each development is analysed carefully to ensure that it adds to the luxurious pleasure to be discovered when handling the garment. NOTIVSALE focuses on silhouettes through & through, with more detail and finer finishing. NOTIVSALE is about progressing with infinite care by making certain that the garments give exceptional wear.

Why the name NOT IV SALE?

We actually struggled coming up with a name at first. However, NOTIVSALE popped out when we made our first product and we were like ‘This is not for sale anywhere.’, that’s how the name came about.

  • NOTIVESALE2

What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion to me is not popular, it is what you can create or recreate and make popular. Streetwear is mostly what I relate to and what my brand produces.

​Where and how can people buy your products?

To purchase, you can visit the website www.clearcart.za or visit the NOTIVSALE page on Instagram. Courier to customers around Johannesburg is free, the product is delivered within a day. If the product is not available, the waiting period is 3-5 working days. To customers outside JHB the delivery fee is R100, and door delivery takes 2-3 days.

What are your goals for NOTIVSALE?

My short-term goal is to have a store in my hometown and collaborate with every brand from the East Rand. My long-term goal is to have more than 5 stores around South Africa.

Why do many South African brands suck on Social Media

South African Brands and Social Media

Social media has fundamentally impacted how brands communicate with their customers and many South African marketers are still grappling with this fact. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, they just don’t seem to be getting it right. 

Social media has shifted the conversation between brands and consumers from being a monologue to a dialogue. Brands are no longer required to be talking to consumers, but to be engaging with customers. Contrary to traditional media (TV, Radio, Newspapers), brands need to listen and respond to their customers and many brands suck at this. They take a long time to respond their customers’ queries (if they do respond; or give generic responses to every query. 

This therefore brings me to the top-five reasons why many South Africa brands suck at social media. 

1. Lack of understanding of Social Media best practices 

Based on the research I conducted for my Master’s dissertation, the majority of the respondents indicated that they did not understand the social media best practices. As mentioned above, many brands don’t respond promptly to queries or don’t respond at all. According to a Lithium-commissioned study by Millward Brown, 53% of customers expect brands to respond in less than an hour. When customers have complaints, the figure shoots up to 72%.

2. Deleting negative comment or disabling comments

Social media opens a room for brands to be criticised publicly no matter their intention. The emergence of “Black Twitter” has made many South African brands wary of social media. This is because some social media users tend to hide behind the handle and say nasty things about brands. However, deleting negative comments or not allowing comments on the brands’ posts is not the best solution, as brands may lose their fan base and a negative perception could be created. Instead, brands need to take on the challenge.

3. Using the same creative everywhere

One other common mistake that South African brands make on social media is using the same creative for traditional media on social media. For example, taking an entire TVC and posting it on social media, expecting it to land correctly. Each social media platform has its own unique features. Therefore, the creative needs to be crafted according each platform’s requirements. For example, GIFs work well on Twitter. 

4. Using the wrong influencers

Most South African brands fall in the trap of selecting influencers based on popularity instead of alignment. When a brand uses an influencer that is not aligned to the brand, not only does the brand run the risk of not getting their return on investment from using that influencer, but it can also have an adverse impact on the brand’s reputation. 

5. Not understanding the audience 

Communications 101 requires brands to have an understanding of the audience they are talking to. By gaining an understanding of their social media audience brand, they will be able to deliver better messages that resonate with their customers. A post that does resonate with the audience is as good as no post at all. 

Social media will continue to dominate how brands and consumers interact and it is up to marketers to make the process seamless and ensure that it works in their favour. In order to achieve this, South African marketers will need to work hard in avoiding the aforementioned common mistakes. 

South African brands that won the 2019 Cannes Lion Awards

South African Brands Cannes Lion Winners

The Cannes Lion Awards took place this past week in Venice. They are a global yardstick of creative excellence.  In short, the Cannes (as the they are popularly known) are what the Oscars are in the movie industry. They are a big deal and if your brand’s creative communications wins a Canne it means if you have done the damn things (only South Africans will get this).

The Cannes have been running for 66 years and is attended by thousands of people from different parts of the world. And each years they get bigger and better.

There are twenty categories that campaigns get nominated for. The categories range from print and publications to social and influencer lions.

As in the past South African brands and campaigns were nominated in this year’s Cannes. Here are the South African winners of the 2019 Cannes Lion Awards:

Alan Gray – Film (Consumer Services: Business to Business)

Alan Gray’s “Father’s Share” won a Silver Canne and their creative agency was King James Group Cape Town.  Watch here:

City Lodge – Radio Lion

City Lodge won a Gold Canne for their “more lodgy – less dodgy” radio campaign. The campaign was the work of TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg. Take a listen to the ad here:

Doom – Radio Lion

Tiger Brands’ Doom won a Silver Canne for their “You Should Have Used Fast, Deadly Doom: ‘Revenge of the Cockroach’ and ‘Revenge of the Mozzie” campaign by Ogilvy Johannesburg. Listen here:

Edgars – Entertainment Lion

Edgars’ “Don’t Tell Me What To Do” featuring Sho Madjozi campaign won on a Bronze. The ad agency behind this was VMLY&R South Africa.

https://youtu.be/7LH2yCyJcmQ

Mercedes Benz SA – Entertainment Lion

Mercedes Brands SA won a Bronze for their “Return to Chaman’s Peak” film where the focus was on the S-Class. The ad agency behing this film was Net#Work BBDO. Wh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CRBaalkhLs

Nike South Africa – Lion for Change

Nike South Africa won a Bronze of for the “Just do it: Caster Semenya” and the ad agency behind the campaign is WIEDEN+KENNEDY Amsterdam.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UW-VgxlIZI

A big Pat on these brands for representing South Africa at the Cannes.

The impact of xenophobic attacks on South African brands.

You are probably wondering what the xenophobic attacks have to do with brands. Well… the answer is EVERYTHING, because in this world nothing ever works in isolation. The impact may be direct or indirect and its magnitude may differ but the bottom line is that there is an impact. According to Otto Sterlik founder of the Protea Group, xenophobic attacks not only have an effect on the tourism industry but the entire South African economy.

A report by Ernst & Young states that Africa is an important growth market that no consumer products business can afford to ignore. More and more global companies are establishing business in Africa. South Africa, being one of the largest economies in the African continent, is often used as a “gateway” to Africa. The companies first set up base in South Africa before penetrating other African markets.

South African companies are also making inroads to the entire African continent as part of their growth strategy. The spell on fellow African brothers and sisters is therefore not only detrimental to the foreigners but to the companies that have already established themselves in other African countries and those that have plans to enter other African countries.

Over the weekend I received a very disturbing voice note from a friend. The man speaking on the voice note (whom I assume is a Nigerian national) is calling on all other African nations to “bomb” South African businesses in foreign countries if the South Africans don’t stop attacking foreigners. Last week, the MTN Head Office in Abuja, Nigeria had to shut down after they were invaded by anti-xenophobic protesters.

Nigeria is MTN’s largest and most profitable market. In 2013, MTN Nigeria reported more profits than MTN South Africa.

MTN is not the only South African brand that could be adversely affected by the wake of the xenophobic protests. Shoprite, a leading retailer in South Africa has about 7 stores in Nigeria compared to the 600 store in South Africa. The giant retailer sells more bottles of Moet and Chandon Champagne in Nigeria than in all liquor  South Africa. This is an indication of how significant the Nigerian market is.

Nigeria is not the only market that South African brands have successfully established business in. Countries such as Angola, Tanzania, Botswana, Mozambique and so forth, have also opened their boarders for South African brands that are doing quite well.

If the xenophobic attacks continue, the growth of brands such as Standard Bank, DSTV, Woolworths, Tiger Brands and many others will be impeded. The brands will lose out on the investments already made in other African countries.  South Africa’s GDP will drop and ultimately more people will become unemployed. The consequences are just undesirable.

South Africans need to unite against the few culprits of the xenophobic attacks to prevent South African brands being attacked in other African countries.  I would also like to urge the South African brands to use their influence in their respective industries to educate and help curb the xenophobic attacks.

Kwame Nkrumah was famously quoted as saying “the forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart”. Unemployment, corruption and drugs are all global problems. It is time for Africa to unite, because we are one!

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