"Like the Pendoring Advertising Awards, which aim to encourage and showcase advertising in all of South Africa’s indigenous languages, Mzanzi Magic’s main focus is on the development of local content and home-grown talent, therefore the channel’s co-sponsorship of the awards is a natural fit," says Nondumiso Mabece, head of publicity and social media at Mzansi Magic.

"The opportunity for Mzansi Magic to support Pendoring has been very exciting because it opens up the space for other languages to participate. It almost forces us to consider more and more advertising in our indigenous languages," Mabece adds.

"While there are realities like budget constraints in terms of producing advertising in different languages, where the opportunity arises, especially in terms of advertising that speaks to our vernacular content, it is such an important opportunity for us to explore. We believe participating in Pendoring will help us to move in that direction," she says.

Mabece says when Mzansi Magic was introduced seven years ago as a start-up, the channel faced stiff competition in establishing itself in the market and getting viewers to understand what the new offering was all about.

Content and languages

From a content perspective, the Mzansi Magic brand continues to grow. "We certainly don’t go out looking for content in specific languages, but we obviously look at the South African languages that are widely spoken and understood by our audiences, and which resonate with them," says Mabece.

She adds, "We do find that we have bigger Nguni audiences, and that’s why our content tends to skew that way, but our other indigenous languages do just as well on Mzansi Magic, all contributing to the colour and flavour of our content. In fact, any initiative honouring the languages we use is most important as it keeps our indigenous languages alive, well, and vibrant."

Brand extensions

Innovation and brand extensions are also on the increase. Mzansi Bioskop, M-Net’s movie channel showcasing locally produced South African movies, continues to lure audience numbers. In the 2016 and 2017 financial year, no fewer than 56 titles were produced by both new and established companies.

"To cater for viewers on other tiers of the DStv bouquet (with entry-level packages), there is Mzansi Wethu, where Mzansi Magic content is windowed within 12 months. Right now, the focus is on building up the channel Vuzu Amp to service more of the available black audience on the premium subscription, and to complement Mzansi Magic with more quality shows, more telenovelas, and more dramas in indigenous South African languages that our audiences so enjoy and that resonate with them," says Mabece.

She adds, "We firmly believe that the growth of Mzansi Magic is only in its infancy. There is so much more for the brand to achieve. There is also an opportunity for us to do more around interacting with our viewers on the ground and building our relationship with viewers in various ways."

Advertising

"It appears that tight budgets are forcing advertisers to limit the number of languages they use for marketing communication. Over and above that, our audiences are so varied and, with 11 official languages, it’s very difficult to try and speak to all South Africans in one language," she says.

Mabece adds, "Because of the content mix on the channel and the diversity of our viewers, we are able to accept advertising in English, as well as advertising in indigenous languages. While our languages are important to us insofar as they’re key in growing and developing our society, certain languages become uniters, allowing audiences of various language groups to come together and enjoy the same content."

Mabece says that on the other hand, vernacular advertising messages speak to the heart of the people and may well prompt consumers to more readily open their minds and wallets to products and services offered in their home-language.

"However, while vernacular advertising would certainly open up greater avenues, it would not be beneficial for the channel to be restrictive precisely because of the diversity of its viewers," she adds.

Highlights and milestones

The most recent milestone for the channel was the introduction of the DStv Mzansi Magic Viewers Choice Awards at the Sandton Convention Centre. “Ultimately, the purpose of the awards was to give recognition to the entertainers, actors, and actresses across the industry and in various categories – from drama to music – who make our content and programming possible and highlight their contribution to the development of the industry," says Mabece.

She adds, "Many of our producers have never worked with us before, or owned their own production companies. They do not have big budgets, yet the work they manage to produce is truly amazing. Working on Mzansi Bioskop, they are able to grow and develop and become producers of other shows that could sit on any platform for that matter."

"Similarly, from participating in Mzansi Bioskop movies, the talented entertainers, actors, and actresses have gone on to become leads in telenovelas and soapies. There’s ample room for growth and development in our industry – to which we believe our brands have contributed," Mabece concludes.

For more information, visit www.pendoring.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.