Celebrating the successes of our partners

At CN&CO, our business is our clients’ business. Our marketing drives client growth and so when our clients do well, we’re delighted! Achievements are definitely worth celebrating. We looked back over the past couple of months at some of our clients’ accomplishments and realised it’s a pretty long and very diverse list! Obviously we can’t share everything about everyone, but here’s a little taste…

AIE and AIO

Earlier this year CN&CO was appointed as event manager for both the 2019 African Insurance Exchange (previously known as the Insurance Conference)  at Sun City and the 46th annual congress of the African Insurance Organisation, which takes place this year at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg. These two events are the premier insurance gathering places for executives who take seriously their role as insurance professionals. Arrangements for both conferences are well under way with a dedicated team working night and day to ensure delegates are blown away. Bookings are growing each day and delegates are looking forward to two amazing conferences. If you’re keen to attend #AIO2019, click here. And if you haven’t yet booked for #AIE2019, follow this link to reserve your spot. Exhibitor and sponsorship spaces are largely sold out as well as some accommodation options, so hurry!

to reserve your spot. Exhibitor and sponsorship spaces are largely sold out as well as some accommodation options, so hurry!

Automatic Sprinkler Inspection Bureau

The inaugural ASIB Trade Conference will be held in August. It will see professionals from all facets of the fire industry attend a full day’s worth of lectures on the latest developments in the sector. As there has been an increase of significant fires recently, the more cooperation between the different stakeholders in the industry the better the chances of reducing any further fire losses. Traditionally the fire and insurance industries operated at arm’s length from each but it is evident from the changing economic landscape that there is a need for open channels of communication for all those involved in the complex risk of fire. CN&CO has taken up the challenge of closing this gap… watch this space!

Bidvest Insurance

Bidvest Insurance group kick started 2019 with the launch of two new short term commercial products: an SME commercial product and an SME cyber product. The launches were incredibly well-received by brokers across the country. In line with its new SME focus, Bidvest Insurance has also partnered with the National Small Business Chamber and is focusing on developing brand equity among its members.

Blair Atholl

CN&CO recently partnered with the Blair Atholl Golf and Equestrian Estate in Lanseria, Johannesburg. The partnership sees us helping out with general marketing for the prestigious estate — and playing the odd game of golf on the magnificent course.

Bokamoso Education Trust

Bokamoso was founded by a group of mates while they were at varsity to help their helper’s child attend school. The organisation has since changed the course of hundreds of lives of underprivileged youth through education. It invites donors to contribute financially to a particular child’s education, and also has a mentorship programme that helps the kids to develop holistically. Our good friend and business partner Michele Katz is one of the mentors on the programme and says she has grown as much as her mentee has, thanks to their relationship.

The trust recently partnered with a number of organisations who are passionate about the vision to fund the dreams of the children of South Africa. These include:

Some brave guys from the UK involved in the Run777 initiative, who run seven marathons, in seven countries, over seven consecutive days each year to raise funds to support Bokamoso.

Bokamoso recently partnered with SA Wild Dogs Rugby, who will help to raise funds via its members riding the Prudential Ride, marathons, golf days, and through a monthly donation to the trust.

Brolink

When Brolink launched Websure 16 years ago it was one of the first South African insurers to provide a web-based user interface for all of its functionality. The company will be launching its new user interface this month, which includes a host of new features. These improvements will continue to allow Brolink to provide the link for brokers, insurers and their clients to thrive in this digital age, allowing them an improved user experience.

CN&CO is currently assisting Brolink with a new brand identity and we are working together to launch a new website that reflects the many innovations to its services and product offerings.

CareBox

The cat isn’t out the bag on this one (just yet), but we are extremely excited to be working with an awe-inspiring brand that will be launching its incredible initiative over the next few months… watch this space!

CIB

This year CIB celebrates its 25^th anniversary, a milestone for any company. They provide the insurance industry with quality service, working with their brokers to provide clients with the best cover to suit their needs. Over the last couple of months CIB has shared insights into Cyber Insurance and how it should not be approached as “one size fits all”. The team has also provided some insights into the impact of community living in the insurance industry.

Classic1027

Classic has recently rebranded and changed its lineup. We loved creating and implementing the social media campaign for this. We ran ads, we shared videos, we posted photos all in aid of celebrating the new logo and the brand’s refreshed line up. Most recently, with Classic1027’s help and through our friends at the South Coast Hospice and the family of Norman Salt, we were also able to give two young musicians the chance to watch Andrea Bocelli live. It was their first time seeing him live.

Check out these stories from our blog:
#SharingTheLove: watching Andrea Bocelli live for the first time
#ChangeYourTune and listen to the new Classic1027

Club Med

Club Med, as always, offers the BEST all-inclusive holidays. We recently helped the team host three successful media trips to the newly-refurbished Club Med La Pointe aux Canonniers in Mauritius. Our Lethabo-Thabo shared a vlog on the resort.

The newest offering is a French mountain holiday… in summer. This offer is called Summer Mountain and allows you to travel to the French Alps to enjoy graded hikes, epic MTB trails, picnics and more. As the European summer is in our winter, you get to swap winter for summer. If you travel to Club Med’s Grand Massif Samoëns Morillon village in the week of 18 August 2019, your flights are FREE! (Subject to terms and conditions, of course.)

EasyEquities

The first bit of the year has the folks at EasyEquities really excited. The brand hit some all time records for Tax Free Savings Accounts and sent a bunch of users went on virtual dates to get to know a little more about Exchange Traded Funds and how to invest in them, tax free! There was also a lot of fun playing Easter Bunny on Twitter, where investors got to hunt for share baskets.

There are close to 200 000 registered users in total, more than 7 000 of whom pay zero brokerage on popular stocks as part of the Easy loyalty programme, Thrive. They achieved this by increasing their knowledge and building on good investor behaviour.

And there’s apparently a lot more to look forward to in 2019.

Econorisk 

The Econorisk’s Risk Series kicked off in April. It’s an event that is held every quarter and looks at real risks that are present in the South African environment. The inaugural event focused on understanding political risks.The event serves as a networking opportunity and brand building platform, positioning Econorisk and its partners as thought leaders and experts in the field of risk management.

Evalex

Evalex was well represented at the 39th annual Assessment Centre Study Group (ACSG) conference in Somerset West. The team delivered three talks: Pieter Bronkhorst spoke on how Evalex is using Artificial Intelligence to streamline, support and integrate the assessment process; David Bischof spoke on Assessment Standards South Africa: a review of the current South African testing and assessment landscape and the implications of a revised approach to assessment evaluation criteria; while Kevin Distiller presented a paper entitled “Gamification vs Gimification.” The Evalex team will also be presenting at this year’s SIOPSA conference and is currently busy with the continued development and release of cutting edge assessment instruments and methodologies. Evalex  is well respected in the field of talent management and psychometrics. CN&CO handles the company’s digital marketing.

Extreme Fighting Championships

EFC has come a long way as a sport in South Africa. We’re involved through a couple of our partners (EasyEquities and Constantia Insurance) who are sponsors of the sport. The list of fighters is inspiring, and includes men and women from a number of professions, including doctors and lawyers. Be sure to watch The Fighter on Supersport 11 (channel 211) every Friday at 9pm to get a feel for this exciting and extremely popular sport. In just the past 3 months, EFC has had over 5 million viewers on TV in South Africa!

FIA Insight magazine

The second 2019 issue of FIA Insight magazine, the country’s best read intermediary publication, was distributed in April. The issue focuses on the theme of “Collaboration breeds success”, where we hear from a number of thought leaders in the industry on how working together leads to incredible outcomes for everyone involved. If you haven’t read it, contact Allan (allan@cnandco.com) to get a copy or follow the FIA blog to catch the blog releases. The next issue planned for July. If you have something on your mind that you would like to be considered for publication, contact Colin (colin@cnandco.com). The theme for the next issue is “Tools for progress”. Readers can now earn CPD hours for reading the mag.

The Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa

The FIA has been participating in the Public and Private Growth Initiative (PPGI) since October 2018. In April, the FIA presented to the Presidency and Director Generals from various government departments a consolidated overview of impediments to economic growth. Additional information on these impediments can be found here. Lizelle van der Merwe and Sam Williams from the FIA attended the WFII World Council Annual Meeting in Rome from in early April. The WFII represents insurance agents and brokers from over 100 national associations in over 80 countries across the world, speaking for intermediaries with one single voice. There were a number of key themes that perpetuated across the three days, specifically, remuneration, conflict of interest, data, cyber risk and Brexit.

Gemma Donnelly

We are extremely excited to be working with upcoming young talent and phenomenal model Gemma Donnelly, who has just been signed by Boss Model Management Johannesburg as the youngest model in the agency. With big blue eyes, blonde hair and legs that go on for days, Gemma is certainly a name to be remembered. She has already worked with some of the best photographers in the industry including Kevin Mark Pass and Teri Robberts. We can’t wait to see her career grow in leaps and bounds as she takes the industry by storm! Follow Gemma on Instagram.

GT247.com

It’s exciting to be a GT247.com trader, where size doesn’t matter. People come first regardless of net asset value or size of investment. And there are so many instruments to choose from when it comes to trading. You can choose to trade forex, commodities, indices and JSE equity CFDs… all on the same trading account! There are NO hidden cost or terms. GT247.com will always be transparent and fair, be it on pricing, campaigns or execution.

“We are a broker built by the people for the people our easy-to-use platform was built with you in mind,” says brand manager Lesedi Mfolo. “We just want to make online trading EASY and help you make you some MONEY.”

iMadiba Project

At CN&CO we are all about having conversations so it just works that we are involved in this project. iMadiba is a participative art project that creates conversations for change. There are more than 20 sites in existence, including newly built sites at Constitution Hill and Econorisk in Joburg and Jan van Riebeeck School in Cape Town. There are confirmed sites for the Apartheid Museum and more. It’s an exciting project and you should get involved. How? Visit one of the sites, have a conversation in it, take photos, and post the pics on social media (@iMadibaProject)

Innosys

Innosys has been really “out there” recently. The company sponsored the winner announcement ceremony of the Insurance Apprentice 2019 and MD Claire Wood has also given a couple of talks at conferences. DevConf hosted its fourth annual conference in Cape Town and Johannesburg and Claire was among the speakers. Her talk, Pink Hardhats and Other Anomalies, took a closer look at the realities of inequality in software engineering and how everyone can play their role to help the industry move forward. She was also one of the speakers at the 2019 Insurance Technologies Conference, where she spoke about responsible automation – finding the balance between adapting to technology and human job losses.

JaSure

The JaSure brand promises on-demand protection for your favourite things. “Choose what you want to insure, when you want to insure it,” reads the tagline on the JaSure website. We eagerly await the official launch of the brand, which should be any day now – according to Carel, who serves as non executive chair of the Jasure board.

Lombard Partnerships

Lombard Partnerships has been working on a very exciting broker communication platform which is going to amplify its already brilliant offering. The platform is currently in beta testing and will be going to market within the next month or so. If you are interested in testing the platform or would like more information about partnering with Lombard, please contact Tammy Osborne. CN&CO would also like to wish Lombard all the best for its annual Swaziland trip.

The Magical Kenya Travel Expo

The Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) is the tourism event in East Africa. The show is “at the heart of tourism in Africa” as it is in Kenya (often referred to by Kenyans as being in the heart of Africa) and it is a meeting place for those who work in the tourism industry and sell Africa. We have been managing the show’s social media for some time and it continues to grow from strength to strength. Click here to learn more…

Makeup Revolution

Makeup Revolution has taken the South African market by storm, ranking in the top five best-selling makeup brands at Clicks SA stores. The brand can now be found in almost 70 stores nationwide. Makeup Revolution recently celebrated its fifth birthday, a big landmark for the brand started by Adam Minto, who wished to create a makeup brand that aimed to deliver affordable, quality makeup suitable for every individual. The products are 100% cruelty free and are not tested on animals. There’s even a vegan range! For all the latest Makeup Revolution products, visit its Facebook and Instagram pages.

Ndlovu Youth Choir

The Ndlovu Youth Choir has had a phenomenal start to the year, with multiple live performances, travels abroad to audition for America’s Got Talent — and some special experiences that we can’t wait to share with you! Listening to choir perform and even watching the music videos on their YouTube channel, you can feel their energy. It really is infectious. The choir’s entry into the Anthem Project has made it into the final three, selected from over 140 entries. You can watch the video here.

On Show Solutions

This is an exciting new client for us. This team works on great trade shows and events around the world including the Magical Kenya Travel Expo, Africa Showcase, and The Wedding Expo. We have just started managing their social media with great results. We are currently profiling the exhibitors they have for their international roadshow showcasing Africa, called Africa Showcase. Check it out here.

Pablo Clark Racing

There’s always exciting stuff happening at PCR, where Ferraris rule supreme! As Enzo Ferrari himself said, “Everyone dreams of driving a Ferrari; it was my intent from the start.” If you’re a fan, click here to find out how your Ferrari dreams can come true.

Purple Group

Purple Group has had a great six months ending 28 Feb 2019. Revenue for the group increased by 41.9% from R34.3 million to R48.6 million. Purple Group’s basic and headline loss per share improved by 63.5% from 1.89 cents to 0.69 cents, compared to the previous corresponding period ended 28 February 2018. The inclusion of Retirement Investments and Savings for Everyone (Pty) Ltd (RISE) into the business was cause for great excitement. RISE is a 50/50 joint venture between EasyEquities and NBC Fund Administration Services, and has been appointed as the fund administrator and investment manager of five retirement funds with assets under management of around R4.2 billion. On‑boarding commenced on 1 March.

Rand Merchant Bank

RMB took part in the News24 Anthem Project, an initiative to unite the nation in song. The RMB Starlight Classics national anthem included Mi Casa, The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and The Drakensberg Boys Choir, to name a few of the highlights. In other news, the RMB National Squad recently took part in its first international rowing regatta in Italy. The Paolo d’Aloja Memorial Regatta is recognised world wide for attracting the world’s best rowers, including previous Olympians. The team made us proud, coming third overall and bringing home seven medals.

So Yum

So Yum Hyde Park will be collaborating with local actor Armand Aucamp for an evening of delicious banting friendly dishes straight out of his latest cookbook, Armand Kook Kaal. The event takes place on 31 July. Book your spot today! This is certainly going to be an evening you won’t want to miss.

Wangthai

Based at the heart of Nelson Mandela square, Wangthai still proudly stands as one of the best Thai restaurants in Johannesburg. We highly recommend the pad thai, made with soaked dried rice noodles stir-fried with eggs, a protein of your choice and flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper, palm sugar, freshly squeezed lime and peanuts. Go with a group or a special someone. The restaurant is the perfect spot for a romantic dinner among rows of orchids and delicate finishes.

XonRisk

Our partner XonRisk is dedicated to supporting and enabling small businesses and entrepreneurs to build their businesses in a risk resilient way. The MD, Noxolo Dlamini — who many of us know as a winner of the Insurance Apprentice — has been sharing some great content on podcasts, at events, in magazines, and on blogs. Check out these blogs from our site: https://www.cnandco.com/is-your-small-business-risk-resilient/
https://www.cnandco.com/xonrisk-and-the-fia-insight-magazine/

Of course, the best way to keep up to date with these and our other partners is via our award-winning blog. Thanks to all our partners for the opportunity to work with them in growing their businesses as they contribute meaningfully to society.