Blog Posts
AI vs. PR Professionals: Why the Human Element Still Matters
Artificial Intelligence in PR: Help or Hindrance for South African Communicators? In South Africa’s evolving public relations (PR) landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept — it’s here, it’s fast, and it’s...
Late Payments South Africa: A Hidden Threat to SMEs
Late payments aren't just an administrative burden — they’re a silent killer of SMEs. When South African entrepreneur and Suits & Sneakers founder Mark Sham recently shared a LinkedIn post celebrating payment from a large client after months of delay, it struck a...
Board reporting 101: Understanding Baseline, Cadence, Resources and Personalities
We recently facilitated a writing workshop for executives at one of the country's leading banking groups, aimed at helping them align more effectively when preparing their board packs. Board reporting best practices go beyond simply presenting accurate data — they’re...
The Role of Public Relations in Capital Raising
“Can’t I just pay you a 1 – 3% capital raising fee if you find us investors? Why do I need to invest in a PR strategy to engage potential investors?” This was a question which was recently posed to us by a potential client and we felt it was an important topic to...
African Rainbow Capital delisting and the state of the JSE
Since listing on the JSE on 7 September 2017, few companies have captured the imagination of the South African investment public like African Rainbow Capital Investments (ARC Investments). The announcement that the business will de-list shortly is a poor indictment of...
SA Public Relations (PR) and B2B Marketing trends
As a business supporting clients around their Public Relations (PR), B2B marketing and thought leadership activities, we need to constantly be assessing the media landscape and identifying trends to help clients with their communications strategies. Each month, we...
Love is Blind Season 8: what the golden goblet teaches us about Public Relations
I recently got captivated by a golden goblet on Love is Blind; not because of what was inside it, but because of what it represents. Although this is the first season of Love is Blind that I’ve watched all the way through, I have to tell you that it’s not the...
6 considerations when picking a B2B Public Relations (PR) partner in South Africa
How does my business get PR (Public Relations) coverage in South African business media? This is a question we often get asked in the early stages of our client engagement. When it comes to building a solid reputation and establishing meaningful connections with...
The latest B2B communication trends for South African businesses
As a Public Relations (PR) / Investor Relations (IR) and B2B communications business in South Africa, we have to constantly be analysing markets trends and commentary to provide our clients with insights into what is happening in the market. Each month we analyse a...
South Africa’s most influential financial minds on social media – who’s winning?
I recently contributed to an article for the JSE Magazine which looked at which South African business leaders and financial sector players were utilising social media the best. As somebody who works with businesses to refine their marketing messaging, it is always...
Why LinkedIn should be your platform of choice in 2025
At the start of the year, you would have seen numerous trend pieces, and for us, LinkedIn stood out as a key platform — one that continues to shape professional engagement, thought leadership and brand visibility. In his recent contribution to JSE Magazine's article...
Investor Communications Trends – January 2025
Each month our team analyses industry trends in Public Relations (PR) and investor Communications to assist our clients and industry stakeholders to remain up-to-date with the latest in market developments. The team analyses data from a variety of different sources...
Meet The Management – Altvest eyes China Venture Capital
We have made a commitment to support small and mid-cap businesses listed on the JSE and Cape Town Stock Exchange (CTSE) to connect with stakeholders and share their stories. In our latest "Meet The Management" podcast, our CEO Marc Ashton speaks to Warren and Tatum...
Annual Predictions podcast
What does 2025 hold for investment markets across the globe? Each year our CEO Marc Ashton joins Simon Brown (JustOneLap, Moneyweb) and Keith McLachlan who is now the Chief Investment Officer at Integral Asset Management to host an annual podcast. Now into its 12th...
How much should I be investing in business-to-business communications and marketing?
As we enter 2025, there is a renewed optimism in the air as economic and sentiment indicators suggest that South Africa may be turning a corner and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth could top 2%. While there is still much work to be done to get our economy firing...
Reflect, refresh and reignite: taking stock of your communications before the new year
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As businesses rush to wrap up projects and meet final deadlines, one crucial task often gets overlooked: communication strategies. The end of the year is the perfect opportunity to reflect on your efforts, bringing clarity and...
So, you want to be an industry thought leader?
In today’s content-driven world, industry thought leadership signifies not just expertise but also the power to influence and reshape conversations. True thought leadership isn’t about simply being knowledgeable, but about inspiring change, offering unique...
November Trends in Communications and Public Relations (PR)
What is occupying the minds of those responsible for managing Stakeholder Communications, Public Relations and Marketing in South Africa? This is a subject that we obsess about, and we believe it is critical to use data to help inform our response to this question....
Deal-making, “ESG” and the Springbok rugby private equity transaction
Without a doubt, there are few transactions that have captured the South African public's imagination as much as the potential sale of a 20% stake in a new commercial-rights company overseeing the national Springbok team to private equity firm Ackerley Sports Group...
October trends in South African Investor Communications
Explore the latest trends in South African Investor Relations and Public Relations, including Altvest’s move to the JSE, JSE’s unclaimed dividends project, and cross-border collaboration with Nigerian businesses.
Aligning Your Social and Ethics Committee with a Strategic Communications Approach
In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, companies are increasingly tasked with maintaining strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. This is where the collaboration between a company’s Social and Ethics Committee (SEC) and its communications...
What We Learned from Leaderex 2024: The Power and Pitfalls of Marketing Activations
This week, the Decusatio team had the privilege of being an exhibitor at Leaderex 2024, hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre. The event was a melting pot of innovative business leaders, entrepreneurs, and industry influencers. As a business delivering B2B...
How Burger King’s ‘Whopper Tattoo’ campaign perfectly merges marketing and public relations
When launching a new product, brands have traditionally relied on a set of well-established communication strategies to reach their target audience and generate buzz. While traditional methods like distributing press releases, hosting media events and even handing out...
How Foord Leveraged Their Owned Media Superbly This Week
While Foord Asset Management is not a client of ours, we believe in acknowledging excellent work when we see it. This week, Foord has demonstrated how effectively leveraging owned media can make a significant impact, particularly in the B2B space. In a previous blog...
Harnessing the Power of Impact Reports for Your Business
At Decusatio Investor Communications, we believe that Impact Reports are more than just documents—they are a crucial piece of owned media that businesses should invest in to strengthen stakeholder engagement. In today's landscape, where transparency and accountability...
ESG Funding: Revitalising the South African Media Sector Through ESG Funding
As someone who has spent a significant part of my career as the editor of Finweek and later as the MD of Moneyweb before it was de-listed from the JSE, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative shifts that have taken place within the South African media sector. In...
Owned Media: A Strategic Investment for South African Businesses
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, South African businesses must strategically manage their communication channels to maintain a competitive edge. Investing in owned media assets is an essential part of this strategy, providing long-term benefits and...
PLAYBACK: Invest in India Webinar
India is one of the fastest-growing economic powers in the world today and it playing an increasingly important role in economic and political matters across the globe. South Africa and India have long-enjoyed a tight bond across political, social and economic...
Does intimidation factor into your communications plan?
One of the more challenging aspects of doing business in South Africa is the propensity of people to “mobilise” (Read “weaponise”) special interest or political groups against businesses. This could take various forms but some of the more common include: The...
How to Get Started with Your PR Strategy without an agency
We recently unpacked 4 reasons why you seriously should consider a PR strategy, but we don’t just want to tell you why it is important – we want to tell you how to get started. Before you even think about employing an agency, we would encourage you to do some work...