Work Archives - Rupert Approves

WIN With The Entertainer 2018

December 4, 2017 5 Comments

The first time I ever heard about The Entertainer was a few years back, when a friend had mentioned that it was her new favourite secret Santa gift to give at Christmas time. After doing some research, I could see why. It actually sounded a bit too good to be true – an app that qualified you for offers on the places you already frequented – two for one meals at tons of restaurants, and special offers and discounts at thousands of places from beauty and fitness to hotels and shops.

The first time we personally used it was at the now-closed Smile restaurant – it was a quick and easy process and since then I have been a really big fan of the brand.

2017 has come and pretty much gone and I don’t feel like we’ve used the offers enough – so I was really excited to be invited to the launch of the Entertainer 2018 this week and hear about all the new offerings for next year.

Having a kid and a baby on the way is expensive. There are days when I actually wonder how we can ever resume a normal life – once school fees, medical aid bills, food and clothing is out the way, we are pretty much left with money to cover the bare necessities – so luxuries such as restaurants other than Spur and niceties like going for a wax or having my nails done have gone right out the window. The last time I had my hair done? May. I look like I’m trying to bring the mullet back.

The event was awesome – and so nice to catch up with fellow bloggers. We were all treated to pizza, beer buckets and hilarious comedy at parkers Comedy Club (one of the venues you can find on The Entertainer) as well as an amazing goodie bag to take home. How are these travel mugs? I’m convinced I was their muse for this one.

I’ve spent a bit of a time in the last fe weeks reflecting on the year that was, and trying to decide on what I want to change in 2018. Not to be funny, but I genuinely want to start taking advantage of loyalty and rewards programs more. Everything from my Medical Aids Vitality program to my Banks ‘discount’ points and what the Entertainer can offer me.

So, in a declaration-slash-bucket-list-slash-resolution list I’m going to jot down just some of the ways in which The Entertainer app is going to make my life easier, more fun and help save me some cash dolla in the process:

Firstly, away with the unintentional ombre and 80’s rock hair. My hairdresser is already on the app, first win!

Being 6.5 months pregnant, I cant reach my toes, and therefore anything below my ever expanding belly needs to now be supervised by someone other than my well-meaning but functionally useless manicurist of a husband. A quick search of the app shows that theres a nail bar 4km from my house. Sorted

In exactly 3 months I will be giving birth, which means I will need to shed a sheet ton of ~~pasta~~ baby weight afterwards. I’ve attended several Switch classes and loved them, and now I see the Lonehill branch is also on the app. Sweet. Sweat.

It was our wedding anniversary last month and we didn’t go out because, well, I’m sober, and what’s a dinner without a delicious bottle or two of fermented grape? I told my husband I wanted to save a really nice night out for after baby was here – so he will be given the app and he can choose a lovely spot to wine and dine his wife (on the cheap).

Having an active toddler means I’m always on the lookout for places to take him. He will be three in May which means he will finally be allowed to go to Bounce – and I think I’m more excited than anyone. Boom, thank you The Entertainer. There are actually so many cool spots for kids (and kids at heart) on the app.

With a newborn, comes mess. Apparently I’m not the only one who needs one because dry-cleaners are-a-plenty on the app.

Every year we go on a girls weekend to a really local lekker place. I’ve blogged about these pics trips before. Every several years we go for a week and make it an International destination. We have gone to Zanzibar, Machadadorp, Rosendal, Clarens, Ballito and The Drakesnberg to name a few. So far we have our 2019 Overseas choices down to about 15 venues. Including Morocco, Bali, The Maldives and Mauritius. I am the most excited about the travel benefits on The Entertainer – because 20% discounts means more moola for beachside cocktails…

These are just a few of my prime selections for 2018, using The Entertainer. The good news is that I am giving away one subscription to a lucky Jozi/Pretoria resident. The app is valued at R500 but will save you thousands in the New Year.

To enter, all you need to do is tell me the top 3 things you would use the most on the app – be it travel destinations, restaurants or excursions.

Leave your answer in the comments – the winner will be drawn and announced this Friday. For an extra entry into the draw make sure you follow my blog and share the link to my page and post on your wall.

Good Luck!

Life, Work

Happy Heritage Day South Africa!

September 23, 2015 1 Comment

This morning I dressed Carter in the cutest little Australian onesie – sent as a gift from a friend Michelle who lives Down Under. When my hubby arrived at creche this morning the teacher asked if Carter had an Australian heritage. He only realised why she asked this after looking around the school – it was a Heritage Day dress up and all of the kids were wearing outfits representative of their history and culture. To be fair, my 18 month old niece dressed up as an (admittedly adorable) ladybug, and my nephew as a fireman, so creative licence was running wild.

We’re celebrating at the office a little bit later today – and everyone has been asked to wear an outfit reflecting their heritage. I always get so uncomfortable when this time of year rolls round. What do I put on that speaks to my heritage? I’m a quarter German, named after an Irish pub, have Jewish family and was born in Sandton. Can I just give my son a Yarmulke, eat a bratwurst while downing a Guinness in high heels and call it a day?

The people in my office have made such an incredible effort. The Xhosa girls are draped in multicoloured beads with face art and the Venda ladies are colour blocked from head to toe. A Zulu lady is wearing her traditional outfit and a few of my Indian work mates are in Sari’s. A Portugese lady has gone all out with her dress (except the white socks, that’s apparently where she drew the line) and another girl is proudly sporting her Dutch Cloggs and milkmaid hat.

I mentioned to a colleague how much I adored her outfit and how I wished I was allowed to wear something like it. “You’re South African, Kate of of course you can wear it!” was her reply. And she’s right. The thing we all love about our country is the fact that we are all diverse, and unique. No-one is the same, yet we all belong.

So, whether you are celebrating in traditional garb, with a boerie roll round the braai, or in a Shwe Shwe skirt – make this Heritage Day your own. After all, it’s what us S’Africans to best, right?

And next year, I promise to dress up, paint my face and represent the many cultures of Kate.

Until then, feast your eyes on some of the eclectic people I am lucky enough to work with every single day.

Life, Work

15 Things That Will Always Happen When You Work In An Open Plan Office.

October 27, 2014 6 Comments

1. An item of food in the communal fridge is immediately deemed as a free for all and must be laced with laxatives or brussel sprouts to avoid thievery.

2. Colleague phone conversations are either too loud so you can’t hear yourself think, or too soft that you can’t eavesdrop on what they are saying

3. The aircon temperature can never be agreed on

4. Pens, unless chained to your desk, will grow tiny pen legs and walk. This rule applies to calculators, staplers and any other shiny item of stationery.

5. The rule of cooking: The colleague sitting closest to you will ultimately be the one re-heating fish and broccoli for lunch.

6. Your working hours become skinner fodder for everyone. “Leaving at 4:59 again hey Sue?”.

7. Booking a communal boardroom in advance only means said boardroom will never actually be available come the time you need it

8. The second a client arrives for a meeting the water cooler will be empty, the coffee finished and the receptionist will be on a tea break.

9. Whispered hallway conversations always make you feel as if you’re about to get fired.

10. Shit will always hit the fan at 4:45pm on a Friday afternoon.

11. Guaranteed – no matter how hard you have been working the entire day, the second you open Facebook your boss will walk past.

12. Nothing is private.

13. Dieting? Sorry for you. Birthdays mean cake, and lots of it.

14. You sit within ‘guess the deodorant brand’ range from everyone, if you’re lucky. If not, it’s more like ‘guess when last they wore deodorant”.

15. It is loud. ALL.THE.TIME.

Life, Social Media, Work

Would the real social media influencer please stand up?

October 11, 2012 3 Comments

Here’s an idea: “take this product and send this to some online influencers and get them to tweet about it.” Yes, that is a common brief to an agency, and no, you should not simply go ahead and get that done. Unless you’re the Reserve Bank and your product is money, simply sending stuff to an influencer is unlikely to achieve the campaign success you had hoped for.

This type of brief makes me wonder who thinks of of these promotional items, and how well they researched the recipient? It’s becoming an all too familiar scene on the ‘socials’, scrolling down your Twitter feed and catching a glimpse of a generic ‘thanks brand X for Y gift’ followed by a customary Instagram of said item. People can smell an obligatory punt from a mile away. It’s not uncommon for my timeline to be filled with repetitive brand mentions. I see them, and move on. Nothing about that sort of tweet would get me to stop to consider the product being mentioned, or make me want to go out and purchase/buy/drive/taste it.

It’s rare for a mention like that to connect with anyone but the recipient which defeats the purpose. There have however been many times when I have stopped to read a post, purely because the nature of the mention evoked some emotion in me. Take a recent incident for example: a well-known blogger tweeted about his beloved dog falling ill and a few hours later Vodacom had sent him a care pack for his beloved pooch. Something about that made me go all, “aaw, shame” and so I became engaged in the story. Turns out his dog recovered and most likely the gesture brought a smile to more than a few faces.

You could say it’s because I’m a hardcore dog lover, and that’s why it evoked an emotional response from me, but I believe it’s such a great story because the owner, clearly a dog lover himself, received an appropriate gift that would not only resonate with him, but also make his sick pup feel better.

I’ve experienced a few incidents of brand love myself. One of the most applicable being a few years back; it was a slow Monday morning at the office, the coffee machine was broken and I was nodding off at my desk. I tweeted how my day could really use a caffeine kick and about 30 minutes later a hamper of assorted coffee arrived on my desk. Very clever, very smart and very quick.

It’s the same principle as the Nordstroms ‘urban legends’. If you haven’t heard why this company is known for its killer service – read here. The reason this super store has got such a great reputation around customer service is because each and every one of the stories sound too good to be true. Yet, they aren’t.

Most of us in the media and communication industry have at one time been guilty of the ‘spray and pray’ method, whether it’s sending out a mass press release or generic gift to many in the hopes of catching a few nibbles. I would like to challenge us to change this mass approach. Firstly, cater your gestures to the individual, and secondly, when next targeting a person, take into consideration a bit more than their Twitter followers or Klout score. Look at who they are as an individual; identify their hobbies, likes, dislikes and environment. I can guarantee that an average person who is active on the ‘socials’, yet who is obsessed with food, baking and blogging would be far better suited to receiving a ticket to a food show, than a digital ‘guru’ whose hobbies include music, fast cars and woman.

South African agencies have a tendency to continually target the same people over and over again. Take dried up soapie actors appearing on most TV shows, radio DJs hopping from one station to the other and 20 online influencers receiving every free gift under the sun. Unfortunately it’s a vicious cycle, which only serves to exacerbate the problem – if these people don’t tweet about it, they dot get free stuff, so they do and the gifts keep arriving. Why not invest some time, take a step back and identify a new range of people to target – people who have passions, dreams, desires and a voice. Just because someone doesn’t have thousands of followers on Twitter, doesn’t mean that they have no voice.

Often it’s these stories that spread faster and wider because they’re more genuine than a simple product drop to the usual suspects.

*First published on www.cerebra.co.za

Engage with your influencers as people, not prospects — Too True

Work

Eat That Frog

January 13, 2012 1 Comment

During a recent mentor-ship session at the office, somebody brought up the problem of time management and getting things done. I didn’t think too much of it, as I’m that person – the one who writes endless to-do lists, answers emails as they come in and manages to dot every ‘I’ and cross every ‘T’ before the end of day school bell rings. Then it hit me – I do everything in my power to finish the small things – yet I ignore the large task as if they were the proverbial elephant in the room.

I’m certain I’m not alone with this. Sure, its very easy to get to mails, answer calls, and be very reactive to certain jobs. What I struggle with is being proactive about the big bad scary tasks, especially the tasks which I unsure of, scared of (Excel, anyone?) and which I have the most time to complete. It’s true what they say – the more you have to do, the more you get done.

During the session, we were shown a video titled ‘Eat That Frog’. The frog represents the largest, meanest ugliest item on your list. Trust me, once you eat that frog, everything else seems much easier to swallow. Sounds easy in theory right? It’s challenging in practice – just because you know you have to eat that frog, doesnt mean that you can. I have been using the motto for the past 2 weeks, and even though its a tough task, every day it gets easier and easier. In the meantime, I say, identify the frog, cut the frog into manageable size chunks, and Bon Appetit!