Global advertising agency TBWA has formed a partnership with social media giant Facebook.
They will create a regional creative agency programme that will see over 1 500 TBWA employees trained to use the Facebook and Instagram platforms, as well as benefit from monthly interactions with the Facebook team.
Called TBWA Facebook Foundry, the programme will take place in Dubai, South Africa, Turkey and other key offices in the MENA region. The first South African session rolled out this week.
It is structured around three pillars: inspiration, learning and creativity.
For the inspiration part, there will be monthly meetings with Facebook and agency staff members. Facebook will share current trends and examples of incredible work on the platform.
The training will take place in the form of a custom-built Facebook Blueprint online learning platform. Blueprint, a free resource to anyone with a Facebook account, was introduced in March 2015 and has since had over a million course enrolments.
The aim is to teach marketers how to use the social network's tools effectively and help SME owners grow their business. The custom-built TWBA Blueprint will only be available to TBWA employees and feature specific modules related to the work they do.
The creativity aspect of the partnership will see both parties collaborate on certain campaigns to leverage each other's skillsets.
Facebook's head of agencies in MENA, Ian Manning, said in a press briefing this week that the company would be open to partnering with other agencies to create a similar programme.
Sean Donovan, group CEO of TBWA\South Africa, said in the same briefing that the agency chose to approach Facebook because of its prominence in the market and it would consider creating a similar partnership with other social media networks.
Community leadership in Africa
In another announcement this week, Facebook unveiled the winners of its community leadership programme, with more than 10 coming from Africa.
The initiative sees more than 100 fellows and youth participants receiving up to $50 000 (over R700 000) each to be used for their community initiative.
Facebook received more than 6 000 applications worldwide and 116 people were selected to join, with 11 from Africa and three from SA specifically.
"Many community leaders worldwide and in Africa turn to Facebook to create connections through Facebook groups, WhatsApp or Messenger," says Nunu Ntshingila, regional director of Facebook Africa.
"This programme is all about empowering them with the tools, support and funding they need to advance their causes and build their communities."
The South African winners were: Gabriel Hoosain Khan, who will use the funding to do human rights work in the LGBTI community; Lusanda Magwape from the Dream Factory Foundation; and Nadine Maselle from Salt River High Tutoring.
There were five winners from Kenya: Felista Wangari, who runs 52-Week Savings Challenge; Pamellah Oduor, who runs Let's Cook Kenyan Meals; Asha Mweru from #WomenWorkKE; Caroline Kihusa from Still A Mum; and Truphosah Monah from the Women and Realities of Disability Society. As well as Anike Lawal, who runs Mamalette in Nigeria; Mamadou Sy, who runs Docteur Nakamou in Senegal; and Savio Lule Mark from the Youth Hub Uganda.
Of the 116 winners, five people were selected as community leaders in residence and were awarded up to $1 000 000 to fund their community initiative. The final amount received will be determined based on a final budget proposal created and submitted by each resident as part of their programme training.
Kenya's Noah Nasiali, who was the selected leader in residence for Africa, has brought together more than 100 000 farmers across Africa through a Facebook group in less than a year.
"Africa Farmers Club was formed to help farmers come together to access credible, reliable and applicable farming information that will help them develop their skills, and most importantly, help them to get a market for their produce and in the end get returns for their hard work," says Nasiali.
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