The New Generation Social and Digital Media Awards held last week saw 67 awards given in 32 categories. Unilever South Africa won 23 awards (more than a third of the awards given), and received the Overall Social and Digital Winner Award. The awards, presented in partnership with Endemol SA and Oude Meester, recognise the agencies as well as corporates and their in-house teams that facilitate the creation of the concepts and campaigns entered. Unilever South Africa campaigns scooped 12 Gold Awards, nine Silver Awards and two Overall Winner Awards.
A 200% increase in entries was received for this year’s awards. The panel of judges made their decisions on various criteria: innovation, based on the originality of the campaigns submitted; creativity, based on the uniqueness in implementation, concept and content; results and efficiency, based on resources used in achieving the results; coverage, regarding the campaign’s reach, engagement, with regards to the rate of interactivity; and sales, considering lead generation resulting in new business.
“These awards are testament to the fact that big, bold, hairy and audacious goals do land results,” said Nazeer Suliman, CCM director – Sub Saharan Africa/ AMET South Region at Unilever SA. “The board aligned, supported and showed its commitment to driving an aggressive vision of being the best digital marketing company in South Africa. With this came bold decisions and commitments to accelerating digital spend investments, executing with depth, prioritising our digital lighthouse brands, building capabilities and driving a mobile first agenda – all in the spirit of pioneering innovative and results driven break through digital firsts. The organisation got behind this, the teams believed and the results speak for themselves.”
