South Africa, April 30 -- This was a finding from the latest masterclass hosted by the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS), which showed a noticeable shift in tone.

Led by IAS CEO Johanna McDowell, the session brought together three marketers at the coalface of local business: Melanie Forbes, CMO at Cell C, Buli Ndlovu, executive head of marketing for personal and private banking at Nedbank; and Lance Coertzen, head of marketing at Twizza - a challenger soft drink brand that, as Coertzen notes, had been acquired by a major competitor just a week earlier.

A rethink on spending: Less spread, more intent

Budgets may have grown in some quarters, but the proliferation of channels has ensured they're harder than ever to manag...