"The IAB continues to lead the industry in all areas of digital marketing and communications, necessary to evolve with the landscape," says Paula Hulley, IAB South Africa's CEO.

"The IAB South Africa Digital Content Marketing Committee builds an additional bridge to our digital customer and shines the spotlight on content marketing as an independent discipline with a unique skill set within digital marketing. We look forward to better understanding the business impact of this highly relevant and meaningful connection point with customers," adds Hulley.

The newly formed committee will aim to encourage and develop content marketing in South Africa as a unique, independent discipline and an effective tool for brands to communicate with their audiences.

According to the committee, content marketing has lacked distinct representation in the digital marketing landscape of South Africa and it hopes to transform this.

"There's never been a more important time for people to feel connected. Nothing makes humans feel more connected than a story. But, in an era of cynicism, fake news and content clutter consumers are looking for trusted, curated and relevant content that adds value to their lives outside of a brand message or a product push," says Sarah Browning-De Villiers, chief content officer at Machine.

"Brands that get this right, brands that harness the power of content marketing, have the opportunity to grow meaningful communities built on more than just their service or product offering," adds Browning-De Villiers.

The following industry experts have been selected as part of the committee:


As part of their remit, the committee will come together to:
  • shine the spotlight on content marketing as an independent discipline with a unique skill set, within digital advertising and marketing
  • promote content marketing as an effective practice for digital brand communication
  • showcase the channels content marketing is served across
  • inspire creativity, promote excellence and best practice, as well as elevate content in South Africa
  • use the committee's experience and expertise to grow industry knowledge around the category
  • develop and recognise a community of digital content marketing experts in South Africa, and encourage best practice and innovation amongst the practice, and
  • show how digital content marketing can have a direct impact on brands' sales, customer retention, positioning and ability to communicate with consumers to deliver ROI.
For more information, visit www.iabsa.net. You can follow IAB South Africa on Facebook or on Twitter.