Dave Duarte is a South African marketing geek – an entrepreneur, educator, internet and mobile marketing consultant all-in-one.  He runs his multiple ventures from his Cape Town base and blogs regularly at daveduarte.co.za. I caught up with Dave late last week and he kindly shared some thoughts in response to my questions…

Q>> You’re a self-confessed “Marketing Geek” – what does this entail exactly?

DAVE>> A Marketing Geek is interested in the intersection between marketing and technology. Personally, my interest is less in digital promotion, than how technology can be used to develop valuable relationships between customers and companies.

Q>> Can you tell us a little more about any ventures or projects you’re currently involved in.

DAVE>> Huddlemind, my startup, is what is keeping me busiest right now. We’ve got a little online network for educators going at Huddlemind.net, and we’re running workshops and gatherings to bring these people together to share ideas and inspiration.

I direct two executive education programmes for the University of Cape Town – Mobile Marketing and Nomadic Marketing. These deal with marketing with cellphones, and how to integrate marketing across traditional and new media channels to reach busy customers.
These are run publicly twice a year, and in-house for companies several times throughout the year.

I’ve taken on the role of Public Lead for Creative Commons in South Africa. Creative Commons offers free legal licenses that allow people to share their creative works, while reserving certain rights – such as the right to sell the work commercially. It’s exciting and important work, and I get to meet fascinating people through it all the time. We’re looking for collaborators throughout Africa for this.

The other exciting startup I’m involved with is Muti.co.za. It’s a popular social-bookmarking website – we’ve got over 50 000 monthly visitors, and around 4000 registered users. We’re about to make an interesting leap into another African country with a new Muti site.

Q>> You’re clearly part of a new breed of young South Africans exploring new ways of doing business. Do you feel Africa has what it takes to compete in the global arena?

DAVE>> Yes, African people have the ingeniuty to innovate with limited resources. A significant part of Huddlemind’s business over the last year, and a significant part of what most of the universities do, has been hosting foreign delegations who are simply here to learn about how to do business in emerging economies. Multinational companies see the need for their people to learn to share and collaborate more effectively in fast-changing, hyper-competitive global markets, and much of what Africans do well – from uBuntu to Innovating on a Shoestring – is admired.

Q>> A lot has been said about the exodus of skilled South Africans leaving the country to more lucrative (and safer) overseas destinations. What do you see as a solution to this trend?

DAVE>> I think we need leaders that we can believe in. Inspirational leaders who can restore hope and give us strong values-based direction. I think Barack Obama has stepped into this role in the US. Madiba did it for us when we needed it.

Q>> There’s a lot of talk about Web 2.0 being on its way out.  In your mind, what’s the next big thing and how do you think it will affect Africa?

DAVE>> I don’t think web2.0 is out, its focus is just shifting from geeks to the early majority of users. I think the next big thing will emerge as more people get cellphones that can access the internet, and then start using mobile devices as platforms for richer interaction. I think this will enhance access to knowledge, information, peer-support networks, and important services such as banking.

Q>> Out of pure curiosity – are you related to Fernando Duarte one of the co-founders of Nando’s?

DAVE>> Lol. Not that I know of.

Q>> Your insight and time is greatly appreciated Dave!

DAVE>> Thanks. I appreciate the space to express .

(Photo: Courtesy of Dave Duarte)

I have always had respect for consistently iconic brands.  Brands featuring prominently in my estimations include Apple, The North Face, Papa John’s Pizza, Timberland, and a few more.  A shortlist of my top African brands would have to include Nando’s, the fast-food restaurant chain.

Originating from South Africa with a Portuguese theme, the Nando’s restaurant chain has grown globally since 1987 when the first one opened in Rosettenville (near Johannesburg).  Nando’s franchises continue to mushroom here in the United Kingdom with talk of expansion into the competitive American market.  Like all solid brands, Nando’s thrives on a product that does all the talking and stands out in a crowded marketplace.  There is no substitute for vision – hats off to founders Fernando Duarte and Robert Brozin.

A few years ago, an advert for the Ford Bantam vehicle was aired on South African television networks. It was a humorous take on the socio-cultural dynamics of doing business in South Africa. Opinions may vary with respect to the accuracy of the advert’s racial undertones. Either way, it was the humour that carried the day – check it out.

National Express is one of Britain’s largest public transport operators. Its brand is most popularly associated with its inter-city coach network, but it also operates trains, airport transfers, and local bus services.

Last week, I found myself “parked” in a traffic jam positioned behind a National Express coach (pictured). Upon reading the bold lettering on the back of the coach, I had to smile when I got to the tagline:

“Make all your relationships long-distance”.

With National Express revenues set to rise as the population increasingly turns to public transport (due to soaring crude oil prices); Britain may yet be in for more long-distance liaisons…