Industry leaders to determine the forces shaping SA’s digital landscape

Digital is in a constant flux. The breakneck pace of innovation alone is causing such dynamic change in this industry that sifting the core trends from the noise in order to ascertain which forces will shape the digital landscape, is no easy feat.

That’s why Digital Edge Live 2012’s sitting of the National Assembly has called together a working committee to aid in this sifting process.

Top digital innovators from a range of South Africa’s digital marketing elite will deliberate and state their case with the following discussions:

The first panel’s question: “Are digital agencies ‘blinding clients with science’?” will be deliberated by Creative Spark and Memeburn founder Matthew Buckland, Woolworths head of online and DMMA chairperson Nikki Cockcroft, Group Managing Director for TBWA Hunt Lascaris Ivan Moroke, CEO of Fluence New Marketing Arthur Charles Van Wyk, and big industry player Andy Gilder, who will deliver an array of practical solutions.

The second panel meanwhile will seek to determine whether “South African digital work really is world-class” — a question that will be tackled by industry stalwarts including Jupiter Drawing Room founder Graham Warsop, Quirk founder Rob Stokes, Gloo founder Pete Case, and Native head Jason Xenopoulos.

Panel three’s proposed bill: “Building long-term social media communities is more important than creating expensive conceptual campaigns” will be answered by the following representatives — Retroviral founder Mike Sharman, HelloComputer MD Dave Moffat, Ogilvy Cape Town creative director Nic Wittenberg, Society Creative director Dan Pinch and inMobi VP Isis Nyongo.

To close the show, Nathan Martin, who made his name as the founder of DeepLocal — a mobile software design, development, and strategy studio — will be making the final address –The Maker Culture – which promises to be a wonderfully entertaining and highly informative talk; a game-changer for the local marketing industry.

Digital Edge Live takes place on 4 October at the Cape Town City Hall.