This year’s APEX winners were announced on Thursday night at a gala dinner in Johannesburg. Attended by advertising professionals, brand barons, captains of industry and key stakeholders from the media and Government, the awards honoured the strategic thinking and creativity that underpins the business of advertising.
The adjudication panel was made up of high-calibre individuals, including the Chairperson Andy Rice who commented “the results show that 2012 was better than last year and what was once again encouraging, was the number of first time entrants that entered the APEX Awards”.
Rice said there was a “visible difference in the entries of those agencies that attended the workshops compared to the agencies that did not” and it was “imperative that agencies and their clients attend the free APEX workshops that take place before compiling their submissions”.
Eight much needed APEX bursaries were awarded to deserving PDI students of the AAA School of Advertising – they are:
AAA SCHOOL OF ADVERTISING CAPE TOWN
1. Chwayita Metele, 3rd year BA in Marketing Communication.
2. Khotso Motaung, 3rd year BA in Creative Brand Communication.
3. Emile Potgieter, 3rd year in BA in Marketing Communication.
4. Tamzyn La Gorce, 3rd year in BA in Creative Brand Communication.
AAA SCHOOL OF ADVERTISING JOHANNESBURG
1. Leigh le Roux, 3rd year in BA in Creative Brand Communication.
2. Mlibo Bashe, 3rd year in BA in Creative Brand Communication.
3. Athini Qwede, 2nd year BA in Marketing Communication.
4. Nonhlanla Malobola, 3rd year Diploma in Marketing Communication.
A highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the keynote address by 28-year-old Waleed Rashed, Nobel Prize nominee and member of the April 6th Youth Movement that toppled Egypt’s long-standing Hosni Mubarak dictatorship.
Rashed spoke about how political protests around the world shook the foundations of governments and overthrew long entrenched regimes. He explained that key to this movement were the youth who used new technologies and social media to organize and out manoeuvre their governments, not to mention change the global political landscape and open up new possibilities for their generation. Rashed’s full keynote address at the APEX Awards will be available on YouTube from Saturday, 26 May 2012 and on the ACA website: www.acasa.co.za from Monday 28 May 2012.
This year, the best of breed of the advertising and communications profession were awarded – the winners of the 2012 APEX awards are:
LAUNCH CATEGORY – for products and/or services that are new or have no significant history of advertising:
Entry: Frank.net
Agency: FoxP2
Advertiser: Frank.net
Award: Gold
CHANGE CATEGORY – for new communications campaigns from previously advertised brands which resulted in significant short-term effects on sales and/or behaviour, i.e. no more than 18 months:
Entry: Drive Dry – They’d love to meet you
Agency: FoxP2
Advertiser: Brandhouse Beverages
Award: Bronze
Entry: Carling Black Label Cup
Agency: Ogilvy Cape Town
Advertiser: SAB Miller
Award: Bronze
Entry: FNB Swith – “Steve” campaign
Agency: DDB South Africa
Advertiser: First National Bank
Award: Bronze
Entry: Man 1 Rest of the World 0
Agency: Ogilvy Johannesburg
Advertiser: KFC
Award: Silver
SUSTAIN CATEGORY – for communications campaigns that benefited a business by maintaining or strengthening a brand over a long period, i.e. 36 months:
Entry: Tropika – Taking a stagnated brand to the next level
Agency: Joe Public
Advertiser: Clover SA
Award: Bronze
Entry: Add Hope
Agency: Ogilvy Johannesburg
Advertiser: KFC
Award: Silver
Entry: Hunter’s Refreshed
Agency: 140 BBDO
Advertiser: Distell
Award: Gold
SPECIAL AWARD – awarded to the entry that demonstrated the most ingenious response to limited budget:
Entry: Drive Dry – They’d love to meet you
Agency: FoxP2
Advertiser: Brandhouse Beverages
Award: Bronze
GRAND PRIX – awarded to the entry that stood a head and shoulders above the gold winners:
Entry: Hunter’s Refreshed
Agency: 140 BBDO
Advertiser: Distell
Award: Gold
The 2012 APEX Awards were hosted by the ACA (Association for Communication and Advertising). The ACA is the recognised industry body of the advertising and communications profession of South Africa. This year, the APEX Awards were sponsored by DSTV Media Sales.
