Praxima gets new corporate identity
[Johannesburg, South Africa , October 2006] - One of the most difficult questions to answer is 'how do you define a brand?' Marketing specialists have many definitions but, put simply, a brand is a name, sign or symbol (or all three) used to identify a company or the products and services of a company. The aim: to differentiate a company from its competitors and create an association or emotional connection between a company and its customers.

This is pertinent when considering how Praxima Africa Payroll Systems has grown and evolved since it inception in 1995. The company needed to refresh its brand in order to realign the business with the evolving market place. In addition, the company had taken on a black economic empowerment (BEE) equity partner and this also contributed to the requirement to uplift its existing brand.

Praxima initially specialised in executive remuneration packages yet saw the potential and benefits of moving into the general payroll market. The outsourced service incorporates the same integrity of information, skills and values that were applied to executive remuneration packages, delivering a better, more sophisticated payroll service to the local market.

Brand Advisor to Praxima, Stella Helwick thus embarked on a strategy to encapsulate the essence of Praxima in what we all know as 'the five I's' - inspired, intensive, incomparable, industrious and investment - all reasons why Praxima should be part of your businesses future.

Helwick says: "The emphasis on the 'I's' highlights Praxima's commitment to the integrity of highly sensitive information that has been entrusted to them. It also hones in on the key areas that should be considered when outsourcing the payroll/HR function of a company."

The refreshed brand is less complicated and reflects the principles that are applied to its core product offering, a rules-based payroll service.

US$10m Women's World Cup of Golf comes to South Africa
[Pezula, Knysna, South Africa , September 2003] - Women's professional golf is capturing international TV audiences at a phenomenal rate. Pezula and Acer, by sponsoring and hosting the Acer Women's World Cup of Golf at Pezula, in Knysna, South Africa, have linked themselves to this glamorous and prestigious sport.

Leading information technology company Acer, along with Pezula, the international benchmark in environmentally sensitive property development, will sponsor and host the Acer Women's World Cup of Golf at Pezula for three years from February 2005. Prize money will be US$1 million with an escalation for 2006 and 2007. The event will attract 40 of the world's leading women golfers from 20 countries. Pezula, situated on the cliffs above the eastern head of Knysna's Lagoon is, according to people who have already bought property on the estate, "a place that simply defies description - a stunning blend of coastal cliffs, forest, beaches and lagoons; nature at its very best." It is in this setting, on the Pezula Championship Golf Course, that the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the USA Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) have, for the first time ever, agreed to jointly sanction this event.

David Drummond, Managing Director at Acer, says that Acer and Pezula have secured the three-year contract in a bid to grow women's golfing talent. Pezula has three kilometres of Indian Ocean waterfront and is set in coastal forest and "fynbos" (natural scrub) bordered by the Sinclair Nature Reserve, the sea and the Noetzie River. Its superb golf course and clubhouse have won many awards. Construction of The Pezula Hotel and Spa, scheduled to open in November 2004 and which will consist of a five-star, all suite hotel and luxury health spa, commences in October this year and plans are far advanced for the estate's golf institute, tennis academy and equestrian center.

There is a steadily increasing trend in South Africa for top business people to live away from an office setting, commuting when need be. This leads to a natural link between information technology and destinations like Pezula, as virtual offices allow instant communication globally. Acer, with a turnover of US$13 billion, is one of the world's top ten branded PC vendors, designing and marketing IT solutions. The products include desktop and mobile PCs, servers and storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users. Established in 1976, the pan Acer Group employs 39,000 people supporting dealers and distributors in over 100 countries.

However the synergy between Acer and Pezula was also spurred by both companies' desire to showcase South Africa as the world's greatest golfing destination, and to grow the African economies via this investment.

"A percentage of the events proceeds will go to the Acer Girls Golf Programme, an initiative that is geared to empowering women golfers worldwide," says Drummond. It is not surprising says Stewart that women's professional golf is on the rise and breaking all television audience viewing records.

"In Europe more than two million women are registered golfers. Events are watched in over 250 million households. Together with Acer we will take the pristine beauty of Pezula, where manicured fairways blend into bush and forest, and greens perch on cliffs high above the sea, on a television trip around the world." Women's golf is appealing to television broadcasters. The once staid image has been replaced by high fashion. As with women's tennis, which is also growing, many of the emerging players would be as comfortable on the cat walk as in the heat of competition. One repercussion is that many men are now women's golf fans, as well as non-golfers who merely appreciate the attractive golf locations.

The women's tours in America and Europe visit some of the most beautiful destinations in the world, and Pezula is likely to surpass all of them. "I have been very fortunate to play on many of the world's most scenic courses. I can honestly say that none match Pezula. It's a sentiment shared by all the overseas visitors that play our golf course." Stewart predicts that with the television interest the coastal strip known as the Garden Route, with Knysna as its centre, will soon become the world's most popular golfing holiday destination. "We are only four highway hours from Cape Town, and the Garden Route area has two airports, servicing all the major SA cities," says Stewart. "In addition we have many other fabulous courses besides Pezula. Ernie Els has designed a great one a few kilometres away along the coast. The area is also hosting the President's Cup, scheduled for November this year, with a dozen top Americans, including Tiger Woods, going up against the rest of the world, excluding Europe. To my mind our women's event will ensure intense golf focus on South Africa for another four years, at least."

The recent Solheim Cup in Sweden perfectly demonstrates the popularity and pulling power of women's golf, says Stella Helwick, Acer Marketing Manager, who watched the tournament. "Weeks before the event the 80,000 tickets on offer were sold out. Television audiences in America and Europe still have to be calculated, but another record would not surprise me." Last year two Australian women golf events again demonstrated the massive interest in the sport. The ANZ Ladies Masters out-rated men's golf during the same weekend, and the AAMI Australian Open had more Australian viewers than the Formula One Grand Prix. In fact 23 percent of the nation watched the ladies stride the fairways.

Sponsors are certainly taking notice, says Helwick. Many are now appreciating that women's golf can add huge brand awareness. "Both Acer and Pezula are leaders in our respective industries and believe in the future of South Africa and its people. This event gives us the opportunity to create employment opportunities, while showcasing our products and services to grow our brand awareness in the global golfing community," says Drummond.

Acer opens business world doors to all
[Johannesburg, June 2003] - Small and medium-size businesses in and around Johannesburg will receive a boost this week when Acer, in conjunction with Kaizer Chiefs, opens the Acer Chiefs Cyber Centre in the New South Building at Ghandi Square on Friday evening.

The Cyber Centre is aimed at equipping small businesses and those hoping to set up businesses, with the tools to do business electronically. It houses a cyber café from where business correspondence can be sent and received, as well as a training centre where courses will be run to teach vital computer skills. All the software which will be used in the cyber centre was supplied by Microsoft.

"The aim of this Acer initiative is to empower individuals on a mass scale. We believe that by empowering the individual on a mass scale and growing SMMEs and SMEs we will be able to make a positive contribution to the growth of our country and improve the lives of fellow South Africans. We hope that through this initiative a greater number of people will become computer literate, enjoying the benefits that IT offers, and giving them the administration skills to make a success of even the smallest business," says Stella Helwick, marketing manager at Acer.

The training centre, which will offer basic IT training, will be open to anyone who wants to improve their IT skills. Special promotions and training programs will be available for Chiefs supporters, however, the Acer Chiefs Cyber Centre welcomes everyone to make use of the facilities. The cyber café will offer e-mail and e-banking facilities giving SMEs access to their clients and partners electronically and making them more cost- and time-effective. In addition, business owners will also be able to get practical help using these facilities to run their businesses.

"This is the first Acer Chiefs Cyber Centre based within the operational borders of one of our supporters' branches. Our vision at Chiefs, is to roll-out similar centres for all our supporters nationally. The key to the success of any venture is sustainability, Chiefs and Acer have spent over two years developing this program, evaluating partners and services to ensure that it is the best of breed. We need to harness the power of IT and make it work for us to create profitability," says Kaizer Motaung, chairman of Kaizer Chiefs.

The Executive of the Kaizer Chiefs Supporter's Branch, Johannesburg Central, believes that the Acer Chiefs Cyber Centre will have a positive effect on the people of Johannesburg. The Executive believes that the Cyber Centre will uplift the community and bring new hope to a number of people who have the ability, but not the skills, to open and successfully run their own businesses.

This sentiment is shared by Kaizer Chiefs' Ace Khuse, who says the team has already seen the benefits of IT training with some of their players undergoing and excelling in some of the training which will be on offer at the centre.

"The players won't be able to make a living from soccer indefinitely, and a number of the players have looked at IT as a possible career after retirement from the game. A centre like this will give people a chance to get some IT training and find out if they are suited to a career in this area," adds Khuse.

"The true value of technology lies not in the power of the software and hardware we use, but in the power it unleashes in us all. We believe there are no limits to the potential our educators and learners might reach, because we see no limits to the human imagination," says Gina Wessie, community investment manager at Microsoft South Africa. "As a company we are convinced of the power of technology as the greatest social and economic enabler and believe it is a key part of the solution to the eradication of poverty and the promotion of sustainable growth and development for SA."

Kaizer Chiefs players were trained with the compliments of Torque IT.

International Tour tees off at Royal Johannesburg
[Johannesburg, March 2003] - The 2003 Nedbank Women's Golf Tour (NWGT) tees off next week with the first of four events - the Acer Women's SA Open, 26 - 28 March at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club.

A large field of both professional and amateur players have entered this year's NWGT with entries from 14 countries, including France, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, British Isles, Norway, Japan, with South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Ivory Coast making up the top contenders from Africa.

Tania Fourie, tour director, Nedbank Women's Golf Tour, welcomes Acer as one of the new Tour sponsors. "A county's Open is always a prestigious event, attracting a lot of interest within the golfing world and winning the title is a professional golfer's dream," she says. "We have approximately 40 international guests challenging Mandy Adamson (SA), holder of the 2002 SA Women's Open Title."

Tania goes on to say "Most of the professional players are carded for the Ladies European Tour, emphasising the talented competition for this week's Acer Women's SA Open."

Hats off to the club hosting the Acer Women's SA Open - Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club - as it is the first time ever in South Africa that a professional women's tournament has been offered full closure of a championship course. The Open is being played on the East Course, and will prove a challenging three round event for the players.

Acer will also host the Women's SA Open Pro Am March 25th, boasting a double field with teams consisting of either a local or international professional woman golfer, along with three amateurs. Four balls have been sold to corporate and individuals to raise funds for the Girls Golf Programme, an Acer initiative, which aims to encourage young girls, age 6 - 18, to play golf and hopefully recognise it as a possible career. Both amateur and professional women golfers who would like to participate in the Acer Women's SA Open should contact Tania Fourie on 082-417-1814.

Stella Helwick, Acer Marketing Manager says "Career opportunities are abundant in the golfing world, with administration, coaching, caddying and green keeping having recently been opened to women."

Helwick adds that the empowerment of young girls in the sports arena forms part of Acer's social investment drive. "Coaching girls and creating opportunities for them to succeed in satisfying careers are vital to Acer's social investment philosophy. Women's golf does not receive the same recognition in Africa as it does in Europe; we need to grow women's golf locally, create an environment that is not intimidating and encourage women to take advantage of the opportunities that golf offers, as a sport and in the corporate world."

Top performers take to the stage in the fight against abuse
[Johannesburg, July 2002] - An ensemble of well-known musicians, dancers and actors will form part of this year's Women's Day celebration, hosted by international hardware vendor Acer, in conjunction with business partners Kaizer Chiefs, YFM, Intel and Fig Technology. A gala dinner will serve to raise awareness and funds for the fight against woman and child abuse in SA.

According to Stella Helwick, marketing manager at Acer, the project is enjoying tremendous support. "Companies and individuals from all spheres of South African life have come together to ensure the success of this project." She explains that proceeds from the event will go to the Open Disclosure Foundation for the establishment of a safe house for abuse victims as well as creating a cyber centre that will help empower women by assisting them to acquire IT skills.

The charity dinner to be held on 7 August at Vodaworld in Midrand, and will be directed and choreographed by Esther Nasser. The evening's entertainment will include storytelling and theatre by kwaito singer, Andile Gaelesiwe and acclaimed actress Sandra Prinsloo, while the South African Ballet Theatre will perform the 'Rose Adage' from the ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty'. Also on the agenda are jazz performances, theatre and acrobats.

Says Nasser: "We commissioned Schalk Schoombie to write the script for the evening and Andre Abrahamse and his band will be responsible for the music.

“However, they are not the only musicians on stage that night; Thandi Klaasen will also put in a performance, among others."

Prinsloo talks about her involvement in the project as well as her commitment to the fight against abuse, saying that there is no social barrier when it comes to domestic violence.

"Because abuse and battering are so deeply attached to shame, even speaking about the situation might seem an insurmountable problem to some victims. Whether financially privileged or not, women face the same pain and threat across the board."

Open Disclosure is a foundation formulated specifically to deal with victims of sexual abuse and is spearheaded by Gaelesiwe. Having recently gone public with her own childhood abuse, she is an advocate for open discussion. "I believe that talking is therapy and therapy is talking - therefore disclosing is the first step towards healing, when it comes to abuse."

Local radio station Yfm CEO, Dirk Hartford, comments that they are thrilled at the momentum gained by the campaign against abuse. "I want to thank Andile, a dear member of the Yfm family, for her hard work and also all the event sponsors for allocating resources towards the gruelling fight against abuse in our nation."

Helwick comments that this is to be an evening of celebration, applauding women and the strength they possess. "Apart from raising money to fight abuse, we also want to use this gala dinner to honour the women and children who have come through this sort of ordeal as victors. At Acer we believe that if you empower a woman, you empower a nation, that is why the theme of the evening is: Women of Courage and Strength."

Kaizer Chiefs appoints Acer as technology partner
[Johannesburg, July 2001] - Leading global IT vendor, Acer, has joined forces with top SA soccer club, Kaizer Chiefs to make technology available to communities around the country while simultaneously promoting entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency.

The Amakhosi boasts 13.1 million supporters and 220 active supporter branches throughout Southern Africa. Acer is to provide the latest computer equipment, to establish Chiefs Cyber Centres for supporters branches over the next three years.

"After 25 years of innovation, Acer is committed to more than just technology," said Peter Ibbotson, Executive Chairman for Acer. "Acer is committed to the community - a global brand with a local touch. Our partnership with Kaizer Chiefs allows Acer to demonstrate the contribution that we can make to our communities through innovation and technology.

"We are confident that this project will contribute not only to levelling the playing fields around Southern Africa, but will also provide a green, fertile foundation on which to build a better future for all."

Acer equipment, including workstations, servers, storage and networking solutions will ensure each Cyber Centre is equipped with state of the art equipment. Acer will also provide training to staff of the Cyber Centres so that the equipment can be managed and utilised to its full potential.

"We're not just supplying IT equipment and walking away," says Stella Helwick, marketing and communications manager at Acer. "We have lined up a host of top organisations in the IT and training arenas to provide appropriate software and training for the Cyber Centres."

This project is also expected to provide a base for online micro-e-businesses. "We anticipate a variety of micro businesses springing up around the centre as individuals with basic IT literacy skills sell their services to other members of the community," she explains.

The first learning centre will be established in Johannesburg, with the rest of the clubs to follow. The centres will be equipped with a powerful AcerAltos server, networked to eight Veriton 3200 and two multimedia Veriton 9100s.

Kaizer Chiefs is the first and only sports body in SA to begin the journey across the Digital Divide. This initiative will establish online communications within the Kaizer Chiefs community around the country, with an intranet connecting the local branches.

Kaizer Motaung, owner of the Kaizer Chiefs club, says: "There is a great need for computer literacy in this country, and through the Chiefs branches we have an ideal base from which to access the community. This is our way of giving something back to the supporters that have supported our team so loyally over the years. And we're pleased to be involved with Acer in making this project a reality."