Search marketing set to soar

In this feature:
* The big money's going to search
* The local online landscape
* South Africa snoozes
* What is search marketing?
* What marketers should know
* Hiring and managing specialists
* Search marketing trends
* Resource guide

PROFILES

Charl Norman

Rafiq Phillips

The rising Enterpreneur

The Web Addict

If you're a technology marketer you should be online; 4.8 million South Africans are, and the big money's going to search. Top analysts predict a boom in the local advertising market following the recent telecoms revolution and as infrastructure gearing for 2010 gets underway in earnest.

As the advertising recession bites and marketers look for delivery and a strong return on investment, Mandy de Waal, freelance journalist for ITWeb, gives you the A-Z of search marketing. Everything you wanted to know about online advertising and search marketing from the industry's leaders.

A former broadcast journalist, Mandy de Waal spent 20 years in branding marketing before returning to her first love, journalism. Read Artificial Intelligence, her blog on new media, current affairs and business at: http://mdw.typepad.com/. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mandyldewaal 

Search marketing is big money

Because it delivers marketing return on investment (ROI) in a recessionary market.

Eighty-five percent of marketers are using, piloting, or planning to pilot search marketing programs this year. A survey of 275 interactive and business-to-business marketers in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, by research company Forrester, shows marketers in those regions love search, simply because if done well, it delivers to the bottom line.

In the US, while economic uncertainties have put pressure on the ad market, online ad spending continues to buck the trend. JupiterResearch forecasts that online advertising will grow just less than 20% in 2008 to $23.8 billion, saying that as advertisers continue to seek increased accountability and ROI, spending will additionally grow at a 13% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $43.4 billion in 2013.

This in comparison to off-line ad spending that will increase at a mere 4%. When the market snaps back, consumer adoption of the Internet will drive this trend harder. Paid search will get the lion's share of online advertising spend and will grow from $9.1 billion in 2007 to $20.9 billion in 2013.

SOURCE : JupiterResearch

Earlier this month, General Motors' media services unit announced a rationalisation to focus on digital talents and tools, with Ad Age reporting that it would spend $1.5 billion of its $3 billion advertising budget online. General Motors is the biggest auto advertiser in the United States, and the move is telling. It's in line with the US motoring industry trends, reported on by TNS Media Intelligence, which sees car brands spend more on Internet advertising, while decreasing their spend on television, print, and in newspapers. Billboard and radio spend remains the same.

SOURCE : TNS Media Intelligence

Of all online advertising tactics, search is proving to be the crown prince of interactive marketing. That's because the Internet's time has come and new media is dramatically shaping consumer behaviour. How do you buy a car, a house, or a new financial product? You do your research online. What if you're going on holiday? The disintermediation of travel agents clearly shows that people are researching, booking and paying for holidays online. There was a time when you'd phone your local travel agency when you wanted to book an airline ticket, now it appears laughable to even think of doing this.

Another big reason for the increased spend in interactive marketing is generational. Early technology adopters, younger generations are spending more and more time on connected devices.

SOURCE : Forrester

Now let's look at South Africa.

Wonder why the information given here is not SA centric? That's because there's little if any current and relevant information on the local online advertising industry. The last report appears to have been done by WorldWideWorx in April 2006. At the time Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, indicated that the advertising industry had not yet woken up to the potential of online advertising, and that traditional industry had yet to become aware of the efficiency, measurability and reach of online advertising.

Now here's a challenge. Come on. I dare you. Phone up five marketing directors or brand managers and ask them if they know what search marketing is. What paid search is. What organic search is. Why they need to optimise their site if they do a search campaign. Chances are you'll draw a complete blank.

Why?

The local online landscape

Some 10% of South Africa's population is connected to the internet according to leading ICT analyst Lindsey McDonald of Frost & Sullivan. “We're looking at some 4.8 million connected people, which includes business and university,” says McDonald. World Wide Worx estimates that this figure is slightly lower. "At the end of 2007, 3,95-million South Africans had access to the Internet, expected to grow by around 10% in 2008. Of these, around 4% are accessing the Internet only on their mobile phones."

Geographically, the Western Cape has the one of the strongest online digital media sector offerings in South Africa, with a big concentration of talent. Unfortunately, says McDonald, a lot of talent goes offshore once they've tapped into international markets. “The main markets are of course the US and UK, and what we're finding is that South Africa is becoming a main service and talent provider to those markets, rather than to the domestic market.”

In terms of usage, search is by far the leading activity. “After that people use the Internet for research, e-mail, news and banking. In this respect, we're very similar to other countries. However, online shopping here is still small by comparison.”

McDonald says the online advertising market is small, but will flourish as connectivity booms and marketers embrace technology and the demand for accountability, reporting and a return on investments.

Change in advertising spend from 2002 to 2006

*Source : Lindsey McDonald quoting SAARF

Although the volume looks small, revenue on online advertising is climbing. Spend went up from R5 million in 2002, to R20 million in 2006 and will continue to grow. What is hampering spend, however, is the inability to provide audited ratings. “Online media is a new media and has come a long way, but still isn't at the point where it is audited like television and radio,” says McDonald. “Then there is this perception that advertising spend has gone from print to online, which is incorrect. Outdoor has become significant and we've seen good growth there. Then, South Africa is an innovative market so we will see spend in new places. However, expect a boom in online advertising in four to five years when the undersea cables have come and our national connectivity is up to standard.”

What's sure is that while connectivity has been constrained by Telkom's telecoms monopoly, policy reform means ISPs no longer have to use Telkom's networks. The liberalisation of the sector, entry of Neotel and deal talking in this sector is good news for the expansion of infrastructure, pricing and accessibility. The infrastructure gearing for 2010 and the laying of three more undersea cables means Internet access will eventually become cheaper and more ubiquitous.

The Y generation

Another factor to consider is Generation Y, who are using mobile, Internet and gaming devices more than radio or television. This trend will continue, as connectivity becomes more ubiquitous and newer generations move into the market as Web natives.

South Africa has 700 000 Facebook users, placing it in the top 10 countries for Facebook users. The country has had an explosion of usage of typical social media tools in the last 24 months, like blogging and vlogging. Additionally, mobile social media sites have experienced remarkable success (like Mxit, which has attracted 7 million users since 2005).

The bottom line is the brands that have pioneered the market will have massive learning and experience and will benefit significantly from the boom. In short; you snooze, you lose.

Late adopters

Although South African marketers know about online advertising, few understand how to effectively manage or integrate online into existing campaigns or strategies. Fewer appreciate search marketing or understand how powerful it is as a direct sales or acquisition vehicle. Done well, search marketing can drive customer acquisition, contribute towards sales growth and build the bottom line. Despite the success of search internationally, the biggest job agencies have locally to do is to educate the market and weed out the cowboys.

“In the UK, our clients know they need search, and there our job is to convince that we're the best agency for the job. In SA, we still need to convince them to use search,” says Rob Stokes, CEO of Quirk eMarketing. “Local marketers are very cautious adopters of technology. In the UK search is more than half of our business, but here it remains less than a quarter.”

Says Christine da Silva, chief search officer of AlterSage Online Marketing: “The local search environment still has big room for growth, and there are many industries that could use the medium to much better advantage. That's if they are using it at all. The travel, tourism and related markets spend the most on search marketing. If one looks at marketing budgets in general, marketers are still choosing traditional media above search. A curious few are using multi-channel marketing (a combination of traditional and digital media), while the minority are tipping the scales and leveraging more digital than traditional.”

Then, like the good old dot.com days, there are those who are muddying the water. Search is a highly complex and specialised marketing and not everyone who claims to be a search expert is one.

“Search marketing is very new in the marketer's mind,” says Peter Stewart, MD of Clickthinking. “People in the industry use it to find information, but it is very new locally in terms of being a marketing platform. Ignorance is bliss, and there are a number of suppliers who don't provide sound returns. The key for marketers is to respect that search is a big opportunity for their business. Don't skimp when you are assessing providers. Go back to the traditional approach where you look at track records. Do the proper due diligence and understand at the very least how to manage a specialist agency and what they should be giving you.”

“As more and more marketers become interested in the medium, we see an increased number of supposed specialists looking to cash in on the opportunity,” says Di Charton, MD of Acceleration Media. “Best practice approaches together with relevant technology are not employed and marketers are often left feeling frustrated and disappointed. Failure of a campaign is blamed on the medium rather than on the service provider used. Marketers need to understand the deliverables and ensure they get them”

What is search marketing?

Search marketing needs to be understood as a three-step process.

The first step is acquiring, recruiting or harvesting online users. It is all about getting people to go to the site or service or online vehicle. There are two ways of doing this, namely through organic search or through paid search.

Organic or natural search: This is where a search is ranked relative to the terms germane to a business. This is based on the ability to understand how Google builds content (because Google dominates online search). If understood, the business will be able to appear prominently on their site. This is not as easy as it sounds.

Paid search: These are the paid-for advertisements on Google (or the lesser known and used search sites.) Type in “insurance” on Google and the paid searches will be found below and to the right of the result.

The second step is ensuring the site is geared for search. This is called Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO. The way a Web site is built and the technology used relates directly to how it will feature in search engine rankings. SEO is all about Web content and making it easy for search engines to index, find and display content.

The third step is making sure that when there is a stream of traffic directed at the site, they don't drop off. An analogy would be taking a funnel and using it to pour coins into a copy next to a drain. Then shift the funnel so the coins now fall into the drain. To maximise search results, an understanding of how people enter and exit the site is needed, and why they do. Then, how to get people to do what is needed to do on the site (buy, sign up for newsletters, or whatever else the marketing objective is).

The experts agree that the best search campaigns use a hybrid of paid and natural search. They also agree that if a business is going to invest in search marketing, it must optimise its site, even if this means rebuilding it, or else the business is simply not maximising its investment. Or may even be pouring the money invested in search marketing down the drain.

What brand and marketing people should know

“Implement pay per click advertising and organic search campaigns simultaneously. It is key to rank your brand and its products in organic search and also in the paid search listings. Having paid ad presence for brands along with natural search ranking enhances your overall click-through rates and gets the visitors to your pages and not your competitors,” says Stokes.

“Do your homework. When you hire an agency to manage search marketing, go with a specialist supplier who can show organic results in search (high visibility that is quantifiable), as well as paid results. Ensure the supplier has a track in a variety of industries and categories where they have prominently placed clients top with qualified phrases. Understand that when you drive traffic to your site you must take responsibility for converting that traffic. Make sure you are able to convert traffic that comes to your site,” says Peter Stewart of Clickthinking.

“Search marketing is one weapon in your arsenal, it's not the whole battle plan. Your campaign should always start from an objectives point of view. Know what your Web site is trying to do first, and then let those objectives define your search campaign objectives,” says Darren Ravens, editor of MyWeek Online.

“Know how to monitor the tools your search professional uses to optimise and drive traffic to your site so you can pull your own ROI reports,” says Charl Norman, co-founder and operations manager of Blueworld Communities.

“Search is all about deliverables. It is a medium that matches what people are looking for with solutions marketers are able to provide. Understand your online objectives and how these relate to your overall business objectives. Then ensure the appropriate tools are in place to monitor and optimise these, ensuring your search campaign delivers the most valuable traffic to your site for your particular requirements,” says Charton.

“Search engines are the first place people are looking to find information on any brand. Compared to traditional media, it is more cost-effective and results are measurable as well as sustainable. Cost of sale and penetration are easily calculated,” says Da Silva.

“One of the core issues is competition in the Internet marketing space. More competition pushes the cost to get a visitor on your Web site higher. If your Web site can't convert the visitors into leads and customers, you're going to lose money,” says Ferdie Bester, founder and MD of ClickMaven.

Hiring and managing search marketing specialists

How to hire, by Quirk eMarketing:

There are many small agencies and one-man bands touting Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services. Most of them are not very effective and could end up costing clients significant portions of their marketing budget, without generating real results.

Quirk recommends that companies choose their digital marketing partners carefully. Clients should look at factors that suggest the company is not just a recent player, but has deep Web and digital marketing understanding (both theoretically and practically). SEM is inherently tied together with all other online marketing tactics, so an agency that understands and is capable of delivering on the big picture is more likely to be successful.

Good SEM (organic and inorganic) can take months to start generating serious results – so any SEM service provider that promises “instant” results should be viewed with due circumspection.

Your search marketing specialist should:

Demonstrate ongoing experience in the relevant areas, for instance paid search, SEO and social media; have a strong capacity to deliver; have an ongoing and long-term understanding of the Web marketing space; have a realistic understanding of the social media trends, how this is evolving in SA and how it must interface with SEM to allow commercial return on investment; and have good “name brand” clients who are happy and have seen consistent SEM results over an extended period of time.

Don't look on the search engines, as surprisingly many reputable agencies don't have great ratings. If they have time to ensure the highest rankings for themselves they can't be all that busy. Furthermore, blue chip clients are generally landed via word of mouth and the smaller SEM clients come via search engines. Make sure the search specialists are talking about business goals and not rankings. Clients shouldn't care about rankings, but conversion and how the specialist can achieve the brand's business goals. Your goals will influence what specialists rank for. You want an agency that gets the big picture.

How to manage

Shaping consumer behaviour

Of all online advertising tactics, search is proving to be the crown prince of interactive marketing.

Da Silva says companies must have predetermined goals in mind and ask the specialist how they would achieve these goals. Define your target audience and competitors to ensure they are creating a strategy as unique as your Web site.

When it comes to results and campaign reporting, remember that results depend on a few factors. These are content, Web site structure and, of course, the strategy involved.

Some clients might see really great results within three months, others eight months. It takes about 12 to 18 months for a search campaign to mature, so the bottom line is that you should not give up on search before the 18 months are over.

Norman says: “Know how to monitor the tools your search professional uses to optimise and drive traffic to your site so you can pull your own ROI reports. Think beyond Google, and ensure your search specialist does too. Don't only focus on Google, but utilise all the search engines like Ask, Yahoo, Live search, and social media engines like Digg, StumbleUpon and Delicious. There's lots of traffic to go around.”

Charton says: “Ensure you develop a partnership approach with your search professional. Business evolves and objectives change and you need to ensure you have an open relationship that allows your campaign to grow and develop as your business does. Understand the value your campaign delivers and then ensure you test and explore. In this way, you'll ensure you grow with your audience.”

Who to hire

Stewart says traditional agencies have been slow with regard to adopting the Web as a business channel for their clients. They don't understand the Web as a specialist channel. Generally speaking, digital budgets are last on their list, and seen as an extension of the bigger campaign in SA.

Often, traditional agencies hold the strategic relationship with the bigger corporates, but have struggled to understand the digital space, although this has changed marginally in the last two years as they have been forced into some digital roles by clients. Clients now understand that the Web is a sales or acquisition tool. That it is so quantifiable. Stewart says for the best results, speak to specialists with a good track record who can deliver on the complexity demanded by search marketing and the conversion process that follows.

Bester says: “Look for an agency who will spend the time to listen to your business concerns and objectives. The proposed campaign should then be built around these objectives. Check references. Ask the agency how you can manage and measure its performance. If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.”

Outsource or in-source

Ravens says: “Local brands need to take control of their own search space. By that, I mean the search phrases that relate strongly to their brand and their core business. They need to realise the reputation value of search results, above and beyond the lead generation value. They need to realise that people out there are searching – they'll either find you or they'll find someone else.

“There are definite advantages to developing in-house search marketing skills.

It really depends on the specific situation and the nature of the business. If a big part of your business is Web-centric, if you have other Web specialists in-house, then in-house is probably the way to go. As traditional marketing begins to merge with search marketing, it starts making more sense to develop skills in-house. In other situations it might make more sense to outsource – it's pretty much like any other outsourcing decision. It's a decision that needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. A good mix is to outsource initially, but outsource with the view to getting a transfer of skills.”

Search marketing trends

“Everyone is talking about mobile and looking at ways of accessing the high number of people utilising these devices. Search offers a very measurable means of ensuring traffic of a high relevancy and, on a local level, we are seeing a high degree of interest in this segment. The mobile platform offers an opportunity to expand your offering to a new and growing demographic,” Charton, says.

“Globally, most search advertising spend and optimisation is done on Google. So, looking at the Google's hot trends, you will see a long tail keyword trend dominating the top 50 search terms. Also, up to 40% of those search queries are refined to find better results; this proves there is a lot of room for search to improve,” says Norman.

“Google SA opened an office in SA a few months ago, so expect a big push for their PPC product called AdWords. Mobile marketing is also going to be massive, with the middle to lower market becoming reachable. This is where the future consumer growth in SA will come from (LSM 3-6). Google launched mobile search a while ago and it looks very promising,” says Bester.

“In 2007, 40% of visitors to Web sites used to land on the home page. In 2008, this decreased to 25%. What you are finding now is that users go straight to the page with the product information they want. Search from a behavioural perspective is changing the way people find things. When you build your Web site, you need to understand this. You need to ensure that deeper level pages with product or information require someone to act. They must perform as much of a function as your entry pages,” says Stewart.

“The biggest trend is that search marketing is going mainstream. The very fact that you're writing this article proves my point. With increased uptake, of course, comes increased competition. Another trend is the rise of online reputation management. It's not just about search engine results pages and rankings anymore, it's also about the narrative that search results carry,” says Ravens.

“Usage data is a key trend. Google is building usage data into their algorithm, so this means your ranking will be affected by how users interact with your site. Because of this, you will have to ensure your site is engaging. A Web site that attracts, retains and converts visitors organically will fair better. Ensure your site is fresh and offers targeted and perceived value,” adds Stokes.

“Search marketing is a solid foundation to any online marketing campaign. Trends come and go, but all are inevitably linked back to search engines, as it is the first port of call to find anything – even social media interaction. However, no matter how good your search campaign, ultimately your Web presence needs to convert,” says Da Silva.

Face-to-face

Charl Norman, co-founder and operations manager, Blueworld Communities.

Charl Norman has been nominated for the 2008 African ICT Achievers Awards. He is co-founder of Blueworld Communities, which includes some of South Africa's fastest growing and most interesting social network portals – including BlueWorld.co.za and ZoopedUp.com. Blueworld Communities has been in the news recently as they've just been snapped up by Naspers's 24.com. Like Buffet, they invested in the talent rather than the company. A decision that appears to be paying dividends as the site is expected to be second only to Facebook in South African social media usage by October 2008. A contributing factor to the social network's success is Norman's sassy search marketing skills.

Norman is 23-years-old, and is gaining a steady reputation as an engaging public speaker. He has been featured as a guest lecturer on the UCT Graduate School of Business Nomadic Marketing Course, and is also the author of two highly successful blogs, Carblog.co.za and Bandwidthblog.com.

Do South African marketers understand new media as a marketing tool?

Each year online ad spend in South Africa grows as brand managers gain more trust in new media. But we're still behind markets like the US and Europe, and are not yet using new media advertising to its full potential. This will come with time as more brands spend portions of their ad budget online and as mobile advertising matures into a profitable industry. Brands that realise they need to interact with the youth demographic on social networks like Facebook to engage with future buyers will also lead the way.

What challenges have you faced?

There are a few challenging factors facing Web entrepreneurs in SA, such as low broadband penetration, expensive local hosting and a lack of commitment from advertisers. With the small Internet audience in SA and relatively few advertisers to monetise that audience, doing business online is quite challenging. With little venture capital interest in SA, the costs of engineering, talent and infrastructure skyrocket when you start scaling your product.

Who's your guru?

Some of the guys I admire are Vincent Maher, Mark Shuttleworth, Ronnie Apteker, Rob Stokes, and internationally – Michael Arrington, Kevin Rose, Ev Williams, Mark Zuckerberg and Jason Calacanis.

What tools and applications are hot right now and why?

I'm really enjoying some of the Adobe Air platform applications such as the Google Analytics suite and Twhirl. I use Twhirl to write micro blogs and share links on twitter, and the analytics suit to watch my stats and pick up on user trends within our communities.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

What's your dream or vision for the local new media industry?

For advertisers to spend a larger portion of their budget online and engage with online audiences. The advertising spend curve in SA is dominated by the big publishing houses like 24.com, IOL and Avusa. Spreading the ad spend out to smaller publishers will help grow the industry.

Charl Norman thinks, uses, loves...

Google will in time become the biggest company by market cap billions, surpassing the oil giant Exxon Mobil.

Blogging is a great way to generate organic search engine traffic as blogs are mostly text based and by default optimised for search engines.

Online advertising should become the dominant advertising channel for brands to communicate with their target audiences.

The first five browser windows I open in the morning are:

Blueworld.co.za, BandwidthBlog.com, Muti.co.za, GMAIL.com and Google.com/Reader.

My favourite gadget is my Apple 16GB iPhone.

My favourite Web app is Twhirl for Twitter.

FaceBook is the future desktop operating system that will rival Microsoft Windows.

Twitter is a great example of a successful Web 2.0 start-up, with no real business model to date.

Plurk is a great idea, but I'm waiting to see what applications come out of their unofficial API.

I love analysing user trends and activities in our online communities to improve the user's overall experience.

I hope broadband becomes affordable to each home in SA so we have a larger audience to build and innovate for.

I think Cape Town is SA's own mini silicon valley.

Face-to-face

Rafiq Phillips, Web AddiCT

Legend has it that Rafiq Phillips was born online. A self-styled search engine marketing guru, Phillips has been in the Internet industry almost since it existed in SA. Known to his friends as Rafiki, the Web AddiCT cannot survive daily life without muti.co.za, Wikipedia, TED.com and an arsenal of Google products. When asked about his notable work characteristics (both good and bad) he replies: "Slow to finish and quick to start."

Where do you come from?

I've always had an interest in technology (joined the computer club in primary school) and when my peers were playing computer games I'd be wondering how and why the computers and games worked the way they did. When I first got connected to the Internet via dial-up at home when I was at high school, my hobby used to be learning about the inner workings of different Web technologies and what made the Internet work. I ended up building Web sites for friends and family and started connecting with like-minded individuals on Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Sleep and my school grades suffered because I was staying up during Telkom's call-more time and dozing off in class for most of grade 11 and Matric. I ended up studying software development at Cape Tech/CPUT, but didn't finish. In 2005, I wrote a business plan and entered it into the National Innovation Competition instead of writing my final exam. The R50 000 prize money I won with my business partner, Miguel dos Santos, allowed us to further develop www.idrive.co.za, which was what the business plan was about.

What are your dreams, hopes, ambitions?

I dream of developing a sustainable business that not only creates wealth, but instigates positive social change within the community it serves on a local or global scale.

You have a big online profile. How did this happen?

This came about while managing the Internet services for a small computer retail outlet in Cape Town. My employer didn't see any value in the projects I wanted to roll out within the company, so I started blogging about my ideas, and the tools and techniques I constantly learnt about online, at Web AddiCT, and the rest is history.

What have been the most important things you've learned along the way?

Impossible is nothing, with the help of like-minded peers (and Google). Also, do not trust your employer's word. Get it in writing.

What challenges have you overcome?

At the end of my first year of tertiary education I survived a car accident where I lost two close friends, most of my memory of my first year and my short-term memory. I had to learn to walk, write, and remember all over again.

Who's your guru?

In SA, Mark Shuttleworth, for his work in open source (Ubuntu) and community development projects with the Shuttleworth Foundation and Tuxlabs. I volunteered with Tuxlabs on weekends for two years. Then Rob Stokes, CEO of Quirk eMarketing, who is always willing to share insight and give advice. Also, for his ability to attract top talent and allow them to work in an environment second to none. Internationally, Larry Page and Jimmy Wales (both of whom I've met personally) for their work on Google and Wikipedia.

What advice would you have to others who want to get into the game?

This is real life, not a game, so start already. Read, learn, contribute, share your ideas and do not fear rejection. It's never too early. Do not wait until you believe you have gained enough experience, it will be too late by then.

How do you grow, learn, evolve, get better at what you do?

Reading, testing, sharing.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I was in primary school and watching a family friend, who happened to be a computer scientist, build a helicopter in his garage piece by piece. While irritating him with all the questions about every piece he was assembling, he just stopped, looked at me and said: "You have what it takes, soon you'll have access to all the tools you need, just do the right thing." It didn't make any sense then.

Rafiq Phillips thinks, uses, loves...

I couldn't live without my mobile phone.

The first five browsers I open in the morning are Gmail, muti.co.za, www.WebAddiCT.co.za, Google Reader, and Facebook.

Facebook is a closed wall garden for now.

Twitter is having really smart individuals from around the world at your fingertips: sharing their thoughts, activities, ideas and advice in 140 charters or less.

Plurk is nothing spectacular.

Google is my bread and butter. I don't eat butter though.

My favourite gadget is my MacBook Pro.

I love home-cooked meals.

I hate people who live their lives with blinkers on.

The Internet is only a tool.

Resource Guide : Search Marketing in South Africa

Analysts & research:

Lindsey McDonald, ICT analyst, Frost & Sullivan

Forrester

Jupiter Research

South African Advertising Research Foundation

WorldWideWorx

Agencies:

Christine da Silva, Chief Search Officer, of AlterSage Online Marketing

Di Charton, Managing Director of Acceleration Media

Ferdie Bester, Founder and Managing Director of ClickMaven

Peter Stewart, Managing Director of Clickthinking

Rob Stokes, CEO of Quirk eMarketing

Web natives:

Charl Norman, Co-Founder and Operations Manager, Blueworld Communities

Darren Ravens, Editor of MyWeek Online

Organisations:

Online Publishers Association

Members of the OPA

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