by Thinus Ferreira
As Amazon Prime Video is working on staffing up its South African TV executive ranks with aspirations to dramatically expand its local South African content slate for Amazon Studios, the company is now also on the prowl to headhunt experienced South African marketing, ad industry and publicity execs for positions like creative director and a head of public relations for Africa.
Amazon will very likely offer extremely enticing salary packages to South African executives who decide to jump to Amazon Studios from MultiChoice or its DStv Media Sales, eMedia and e.tv, the SABC or any number of ad agencies if they can prove they have an in-depth knowledge of the local marketing and publicity landscape.
Amazon wants to headhunt marketing and publicity talent with a vast network of contacts, experience and creative ideas, who come not just with a good media contact list but also with excellent working relationships with the members of the press covering television and ad industry execs.
Amazon doesn't want to learn and slowly scale up as it ramps up efforts to expand the Amazon Prime Video brand and Amazon Studios local content commissioning in South Africa and Nigeria but is looking to poach top-tier execs from existing pay-TV operators and broadcasters like MultiChoice and e.tv, as well as agencies, who can step in and already know not just the people but the local lay of the land.
Amazon already advertised a raft of TV executive positions for Amazon based in Cape Town, as well as for Nigeria.
Amazon is expected to also advertise and hire for a raft of publicity positions, and is now starting with looking to appoint a head of public relations for Africa, for Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
Amazon is looking for an experienced public relations professional to join the Amazon EMEA PR team to manage and lead their PR activity in Africa, with a focus on South Africa and Nigeria.
Based in Cape Town, Amazon's head of PR will develop and execute the PR strategy for the region and lead local PR campaigns for Amazon Originals, exclusive content, the Amazon Prime Video service, Amazon Studios and the brand.
Amazon is also looking for a creative director to develop, propose and execute local creative marketing strategies, and to infuse global Amazon Prime Video strategies "with local nuances to grow brand love in Africa for Prime Video and our most strategic Amazon Originals content".
Amazon says the ideal candidate "will have a genuine passion for movies & TV, deep knowledge of the South African and Nigerian marketplaces, and a track record of delivering successful large-scale and innovative marketing campaigns".
Amazon Prime Video is battling MultiChoice's Showmax, Netflix SA, and Disney which will launch its new Disney+ video streaming service on 18 May in South Africa.
While Netflix's marketing and publicity execs sit in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Netflix is currently making use of Eclipse Communications and DNA Brand Architects for publicity.
While The Walt Disney Company Africa in South Africa has its own permanent marketing and PR execs, the company has outsourced some communications work to external publicists and is also using Atmosphere Communications as the launch agency to do Disney+ publicity.
MultiChoice which has permanent corporate and content publicists but fewer and on a lower scale than in years before, is currently using Duma Collective and JR Communications for DStv, some M-Net channels work, and its streamer Showmax; with Showmax itself also having its own in-house publicity staffers.
