Chatroom is proud to announce that they have recently been awarded bronze for their two entries into the PRISM Awards. The 2011 awards that will be added to their list of growing accolades are Bronze awards in the Media Relations and Public Relations categories for Chatroom's successful "SolarWorld Sun-TV Campaign" and "The Cape Cobra Story" campaign respectively.

For the third consecutive year, since entering the prestigious PRISM Awards, Chatroom has received awards for all projects and clients that have been entered. "We are very happy and excited about the awards. It's a testament of the amount of time, effort and skill that we apply to our work. These awards will further cement our status as a leading agency in the communications industry, highlighting our wide range of competencies," says Gordana McNamara, Chatroom Director.

The "SolarWorld Sun-TV Campaign" for SolarWorld Africa entailed Media Relations for the client. In line with SolarWorld's global corporate social investment efforts and to assist sustainable social development in Africa the campaign took advantage of the 2010 World Cup by supplying underprivileged communities with solar powered Sun-TVs to watch the soccer matches. Chatroom pitched story angles to media, secured and coordinated various national and international TV coverage for the campaign.

"The Cape Cobra Story" project came about to launch Cape Cobra, the leather goods manufacturer's own line of handbags and fashion items. The story told of how Cape Cobra has produced some of the finest leather for designers around the world. Chatroom identified story angels and communicated this to media with the result that Cape Cobra received publicity in the leading lifestyle and inflight publications in Africa. One of the challenges that presented itself with this campaign was that Cape Cobra is a local South African Luxury brand that has to compete with global traditional luxury brands such as Hermès or Louis Vuitton that are supported by significantly larger budgets. Chatroom handled this by focusing on creative PR events and establishing individual relationships with fashion journalists that the client could continue to maintain themselves. Chatroom also established partnership opportunities with local fashion design brands, including Gavin Rajah which immediately uplifted the Cape Cobra brand and increased brand awareness.

The awards ceremony took place at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town on Thursday, 24 March and was attended by some of the leading PR agencies in the country. "We are staunch believers in excellence and supporters of initiatives like the PRISM awards. Their contribution towards nurturing healthy competition in the communications industry is vital to its future." added Angela Naumann, Chatroom Director and past Chairperson of the PRISA Western Cape Committee.

About SolarWorld
The SolarWorld AG Group (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering high quality, crystalline solar-power technology. Its strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and modules all the way to turn-key solar systems, including recycling, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry.

About Cape Cobra
South African leathercraft company, Cape Cobra, offers an exotic leather range that includes amongst others, high quality, exquisitely designed, luxurious handbags, belts and accessories. Items are handcrafted from the finest Alligator, Nile Crocodile, Ostrich, Lizard, Whip Snake and Python skins for top international design houses and labels such as Michael Kors, Judith Leiber and Tiffanys. These exclusive bags have also been spotted on the arms of local and international celebrities such as Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lopez and Anne Hathaway.

For media information contact:
Chatroom

Zukiswa Nomnganga, Account Manager

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M: +27 82 557 7877

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• Strengthening Tognum’s market position
• Alliance with two financially strong companies
• Large investments in R&D and property, plant and equipment secured for the long term
• Friedrichshafen remains site of Group headquarters

Friedrichshafen 9, March 2011. Daimler AG and Rolls-Royce Group plc announced their decision to make a joint offer to acquire the entire share capital of Tognum AG. The Management Board will review the offer and in due course issue a statement to Tognum’s shareholders in accordance with Section 27 of the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (WpÜG).

The Board of Management of Tognum AG in principle welcomes this step. “We would create one of the world’s technology leaders in propulsion systems and distributed energy systems,” said Volker Heuer, CEO of Tognum AG: “For us, Daimler and Rolls-Royce would be two financially strong strategic investors, who have made a clear commitment to Tognum’s continued internal and external growth strategy. It would put us in an excellent position to play an active role in shaping the further consolidation of the market.”

An alliance with Daimler and Rolls-Royce would strengthen the company’s market position. For Daimler and Rolls-Royce, Tognum is to become the platform for future growth in the markets for propulsion systems and distributed energy systems.

The product portfolios and market access of the companies would complement each other attractively and, for Tognum and Rolls-Royce in particular, open up new possibilities for working together. Combined, the two companies would cover the entire spectrum of medium and high-speed diesel engines for complete propulsion systems. Moreover, they would benefit from complementary additions to their energy product portfolios. As both companies offer different products in similar markets, this would create significant procurement and sales synergies. The move would also open up additional growth opportunities to Tognum in the BRIC countries.

A partnership would give Tognum AG additional investment security for the future. Under an agreement in principle, Daimler and Rolls-Royce declared their intention to secure Tognum AG’s technology leadership through expenditure on research and development and investments in property, plant and equipment. As a technology leader, the company has already carried out extensive research to arm itself for the increasingly stricter emissions regulations, especially from 2014. It is also envisaged that Rolls-Royce would take over Tognum’s fuel cell business, which the company had already decided to discontinue for commercial reasons.

Under the agreement in principle, Daimler and Rolls-Royce furthermore declared their intention that Friedrichshafen should remain the headquarters of the company as well as the research, development and production site for propulsion systems and energy systems. The new parent company would also be domiciled in Friedrichshafen. “This step would strengthen Friedrichshafen as the headquarters of Tognum AG,” said Joachim Coers, Deputy Chairman of Tognum AG. “It is particularly important to us that no job cuts are planned and that the Südwestmetall framework collective wage agreement would continue to apply,” added Coers.

As yet, no agreement regarding the offer price was achieved.

About Tognum
With its two business units, Engines and Onsite Energy & Components, the Tognum Group is one of the world’s leading suppliers of engines, propulsion systems and distributed energy systems. These products are based on diesel engines with up to 9,100 kilowatts (kW) power output, gas engines up to 2,150 kW and gas turbines up to 45,000 kW.

About MTU South Africa
Within the Tognum Group MTU South Africa is responsible for sales and support service of MTU diesel engines in most of sub Sahara Africa. Engines are sold under the Brand names of MTU, Detroit Diesel and Mercedes Benz industrial engines that deliver quality, reliability, dependability and design adequacy. The engines are used extensively throughout Africa and are renowned for superior performance under the most demanding of conditions. Ends/

For further press information please contact:

CHATROOM

Zukiswa Nomnganga

T: 011 – 463 7078

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In May, SolarWorld Africa (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of global solar power technology leader SolarWorld AG Group, tasked Chatroom to develop a communications campaign around their corporate social responsibility efforts, specifically leveraging the opportunity of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The project involved rolling out television stations powered by the sun. The purpose was to provide a facility for rural and disadvantaged communities to watch the World Cup matches at “mini fan parks”, as well as providing a platform for sustainable education, long after the showcase left our shores, effectively bringing together sport and education, two forces with unimaginable power to change.

To date, SolarWorld has rolled out over 35 such Sun-TV Stations throughout southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland. “The positive impact of public fan parks on the spirit of the World Cup in Germany, 2006, moved us to provide this sort of viewing opportunity at the World Cup in South Africa. Since many people were not able to watch the games live at the stadium, we wanted to promote access to the games with our Sun-TV Stations,” says Gregor Küpper, Managing Director of SolarWorld Africa. “At the same time we could demonstrate the multiple applications of this modern and sustainable solar technology,” adds Küpper.

Chatroom’s co-director, Gordana McNamara, comments; “A campaign of this nature was very relevant in the South African context in addressing education challenges, community building and increasing awareness around environmental issues. Many witnessed a working example of the magic of solar energy for the first time. For a number of the soccer fans this proved to be almost as intriguing as the long-awaited soccer spectacular. It was our job to capture and convey this excitement through an extensive communications plan.”

Chatroom hosted media at official Sun-TV Station handovers in Gansbaai and Phillipi in the Western Cape, Soweto in Gauteng and Lamontville in Kwazulu Natal.

In addition to print, radio and online, footage of the handovers appeared on several television news channels with reports in eTV Prime Time news, eNews Channel and Soweto TV News. eNews Channel coverage included a live in-studio interview with Jeremy Maggs. Local television reach for June and July totalled 78 million.  The campaign also attracted significant international interest, with leading German television channels ZDF and ARD running the story in prime time slots.

“The campaign proved a great success for SolarWorld Africa, benefiting from hard work by all concerned and of course, great timing. With the help of Chatroom, we achieved all we could have hoped for on this project”, adds Küpper.

Building on the success of this campaign, SolarWorld Africa is embarking on further education benefiting endeavours, such as the recent installation of a SolarSystem plant at the German International School in Cape Town.

Even campaigns with marked success, such as this one, open up learnings for communications professionals. From the operational nuts and bolts of media management and client media interaction advising, the concept of ‘timing and momentum’ was strongly reinforced. That is, understanding how momentum builds during a campaign and the various windows of opportunity that present themselves. These moments come in many forms, allowing you to leverage further media interactions for client or further coverage in media that may have been considered ambitious at the start of the campaign. In this particular campaign pitches and ‘gut feel’ calls were made to media at the right time, as the campaign momentum increased, which ultimately made the difference between an ordinary and a great success.

The second big learning was less subtle. Chatroom undertook a social media campaign on our www.chatroom .co.za, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube networks. This was not part of the campaign deliverables, but was undertaken as an added value offering to present results to SolarWorld after the campaign. Whilst the social media successes paled in comparison to the more traditional channels (more than 10 000 unique views, downloads and impressions versus a total traditional campaign reach of 165 million), it was a relatively easy initiative to manage in terms of resources and was very well received as an added extra. And of course, in the world of communications, all clients enjoy measurability.

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Chatroom

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SolarWorld Africa (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of global solar power technology leader SolarWorld AG Group, is embarking on providing sustainable access to education and Soccer World Cup viewing through the installation of independent solar powered TV Stations in communities around Gauteng.

A first of its kind in Africa, the Sun-TV Stations will enable rural and disadvantaged communities in Southern Africa to be part of the first African Soccer World Cup. “The positive impact of public fan parks on the spirit of the World Cup in Germany, 2006, moved us to provide this sort of viewing opportunity at the World Cup in South Africa. Since many people in Gauteng will not be able to watch the games live at the stadium, we want to promote access to the games with our Sun-TV Stations. In places like Soweto, the home of South African soccer, young people can now jointly watch the games whilst improving their education beyond sports,” says Gregor Küpper, Managing Director of SolarWorld Africa. “At the same time we can demonstrate the multiple applications of this modern and sustainable solar technology,” adds Küpper.

Organisations equipped with Sun-TV Stations
SolarWorld Africa, together with its distribution partner Sun Electricity, handed over a Sun-TV Station to Altus Sport Vuma in Kliptown, Soweto, South Africa’s largest township. Founded in 1995, Altus Sport Vuma is an NGO that delivers sustainable educational sport programmes to children in need.  “We are very excited and highly appreciate the change that SolarWorld Africa has made to our home. With the installation of the Sun-TV Station, our children will now have access to the different learning channels and programmes on DSTV where they will be able to expand their horizons and be part of the Soccer World Cup”, says Denis Creighton of Altus Sport Vuma.

“We are delighted to be part of this project in equipping the communities with SolarWorld Sun-TV Stations that provide electricity from sunlight, bringing environmental awareness to South Africans.” says Richard Maleka, Owner of Sun Electricity.

Education and sustainable development powered by the sun
Sustainable development and education is the cornerstone of the Sun-TV Station rollout. “In addition to community viewing designed to promote a common spirit, the media offered will mainly focus on education, social integration and environmental awareness,” adds Küpper. SolarWorld Africa’s objective is to install more than 35 public television stations in Southern Africa that will be operated by solar power before the World Cup.

The Sun-TV Station, sponsored by SolarWorld Africa and installed by Sun Electricity, is equipped with solar modules, batteries and charging devices for power supply, as well as with a DVD player and television set with satellite receiver. In line with Solar World’s global sustainability strategy, the Sun-TV Stations will be maintained and operated by SolarWorld Africa for a period of at least 5 years. The Sun-TV system is designed to be reliable, maintenance free and easy to install.  SolarWorld Africa offers an assortment of solar modules and accessories for solar applications. This includes water pumps and water treatment plants, road lighting and telecommunications solutions.

For further information please contact:

Chatroom

Zukiswa Nomnganga, Account Manager

P: +27 21 422 2806

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The South African Homeless Street Soccer Organisation (SAHSS) and members of the Phillipi community get to watch the much anticipated Brazil versus Portugal match on a Sun-TV, thanks to SolarWorld Africa.

Established in 2006, in the same year that they hosted the Homeless World Cup at Cape Town’s Grand Parade, SAHSS provides the Cape’s homeless adults and children with shelter, food and respite from life on the streets.

[VIDEO]...Follow the change SolarWorld Sun-TV's are making in communities across Southern Africa 

For further information please contact:

Chatroom

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