Everyone loves a good rant, but never in history has it been easier to find a platform for one than right now. The world has changed drastically – centuries ago the public had no voice and the elite ruled their lives, but in 2012 if we are angry about something we can simply go on Twitter and say what we want to say (adding a few exclamation marks, symbols, and the odd “WTF”, to really drive our point home.) Not only do technological advancements give us the ability to share our opinions, we are also able to spark debate, not just with our fellow peers but also with governments, brands, CEOs and, of course, Helen Zille. Fabulous, isn’t it? Or maybe you find it disconcerting that it has spawned something of a tendency for people to shout first and think later. In the spirit of all of this, we bring you our February edition: the cynical rant issue. 

Populated with rants of our own and our reflections on the rants of others, this issue lets off a little steam. Former assistant editor, Nikita Gomes Achadinha, says, “Buy online advertising, damn it!” with much frustration, as she considers South Africa’s slow uptake in this area. Samantha Cook chats to Mark Esterhuysen about his infamous rant on radio last year and where that got him. Leigh Andrews has a few words about the biggest (and most annoying mistakes) that PRs make and chats to Kim Schulze about the general public reviewing or ‘pseudo-critting’ movies. New addition to the COUP team, Libby Allen, considers the extent to which having a voice online has spurred us on to be more aggressive than we might be in person, especially on Twitter. Artwell Nwaila lets rip about the ads that really annoy him, but pulls himself back to consider whether this automatically means that the ads in question have failed. Joanne Carew interviews a few columnists known for their ability to ruffle feathers and gets some blunt but entertaining answers from Lili Radloff, Andile Mngxitama and Ivo Vegter. With the world trying to ‘go green’ and so many brands claiming to be doing their bit to save the planet, Katrien Potgieter and Rayhaan Joseph investigate how much is soap-boxing and how much is attached to real results. Lastly, Christine Greyvenstein chatted to Obakeng Ramabodu about his new clothing line – the JuJu brand, which apparently has nothing to do with the politician ... Yes, we were sceptical too!

All that fiery debate needed to be tempered with some level-headedness, so we’ve included a few articles less likely to offend. Darren Gilbert interviews Kenneth van Reenen and Sophia Strydom about their path to winning the Young Creative Awards at the Loeries. Cook speaks to Andrew 

Human about the end of an era as he steps down as the CEO of the Loeries. Finally, in a ‘rant in reverse’, Christine Greyvenstein takes a look at the feel-good factor of radio and how it is not a dying medium but rather a really effective one – there will be, it seems, no killing of the radio star. 

This is really just the tip of the iceberg as there will be more stories heading your way mid-month, such as the Behind the Ad feature and coverage of the Click Africa 2012 conference. Don’t forget to check out the extremely talented artists in our Creative Space and read through our reviews pages for great advice on what to read, watch, and attend this February. That is it from the COUP team, we hope that the cynical rant issue will spark some passion and allow you to express yourself! Even if it is just in a tweet ... 

COUP embraces the digital age as an online magazine which provides an investigative look into all things media, advertising and public relations. We aim to push lateral and innovative thinking in both our design and editorial, as these are fundamental in these industries, aiming to be informative while catering to the creative tastes of our readers. 

Website: www.coup.co.za

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/coupmagazine

Twitter: @COUPMagazine 

Issued by COUP

For editorial queries please contact:

Libby Allen

Assistant Editor

Email: elizabetha@coup.co.za 

Tel: +27 (011) 288-6600

For marketing queries please contact:

Kim Cisak

Strategic Marketing Consultant

Email: kim@coup.co.za 

Tel: +27 (011) 288-6600  

 

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