Retroviral has appointed Pippa Misplon as managing director, effective from April. Misplon joins Retroviral from Ogilvy South Africa where she was previously the business director for the PR and influence division.

Vodacom has donated R3-million towards relief efforts to help people impacted by the Cape Town fire. Vodacom has additionally contributed towards the rebuilding of the Jagger Library and offered UCT students free data and airtime. The provider is giving all UCT students on the Vodacom network a free 5gig data and 200 voice minutes bundle.

RAPT Creative has announced that it has appointed Khangelani Dziba to establish and lead its new public relations and influencer partnerships division. This follows the agency opening satellite offices in the United Kingdom and Ukraine — to work with the clients it signed in Europe — at the beginning of 2021.

When a crisis strikes in PR, it's important to get everything back on track as soon as possible. This is where turnaround time (TAT) plays a vital role — by keeping your client, team and the public informed throughout. This, in turn, secures your brand's reputation and keeps the public trust intact.

Tastic Rice has announced that it has renewed its partnership with Rise Against Hunger. The duo set out with a target for 2021, which was to provide six million meals and to commit to the cause of thousands of families receiving a meal.

Offlimit Communications (OLC), a through-the-line agency, has announced that it has been named Africa’s Leading Through-The-Line Agency at the 2020 MEA Business Awards, which is hosted by MEA Markets. The agency has well established integrated through-the-line operations in Zambia, Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya and Ghana and the wider African region.

Stratitude, a strategic creative agency, has striven to demonstrate its commitment to empowering women in the workplace. The agency has selected four women from its parent company PLP Group as beneficiaries of the agency's bursary initiative. 

Marvello and Meadowland (under Siqalo Foods) have partnered with RCL FOODS, Your Food Partners and Bidfood to launch the Sekela Hospitality Support Programme. The initiative aims to bring some relief and lift the spirits of business owners within the hospitality industry and professional food service brands. Businesses have until the end of April 2021 to apply to the programme.

Wimpy has renewed its existing partnership as a national associate sponsor to Lifesaving South Africa (LSA). The renewal sees Wimpy continuing its support of Lifesaving South Africa, the Watersmart Education Programme, as well as Lifesaving SA Champs.

Spin PR is likely the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the public relations industry. However, mending a client’s reputation is far more complex than merely twisting a story to fit a certain narrative.