The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media industry.
The Loeries: Entry deadline extended
We know that you are fighting the good fight and sometime a little extra time can make a real difference. We have had several requests for more time to craft entries that truly represent your fight to create something that changes our world. This is why we are extending the entry deadline to the 15th June 2021. We are with you. #FightTheGoodFight.
Winning a Loerie is more than an award. It’s proof that you are doing something. Something you believe in. Something that makes a real difference. Something that deserves to be celebrated. Challenging the world. Changing it – from bitter to better, less trending and more mending. Flipping the likes and fixing the dislikes. It’s about making work that doesn’t count views, it changes them.
Entry forms here.
TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg’s ‘Marital Bliss’ ticks all the boxes at D&AD Awards
Competition is fierce and the accolades among the creative industry’s most coveted: the D&AD winners for 2021 have been announced and TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg has once bagged two Pencil awards for the City Lodge Hotel Group.
It’s the second year in a row that the agency has picked up two Wood Pencils for the City Lodge Hotel Group.
Pete Khoury, Chief Creative Officer for TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris, saidcompetition was fierce this year, during a particularly challenging moment in history. “I was one of the judges in the Experiential category: We had 377 entries and awarded about 11 Wood Pencils, five Graphite and three Yellow. And among those, it was really hard to choose the best,” Khoury said.
The D&AD awards took place virtually once again this year, over two days, on 26-27 May. Shortlisted entries from 52 countries were judged across in 46 categories, spread over eight disciplines.
Its Pencil-winning campaigns, in the Writing for Advertising and Tactical categories for radio, “Marital Bliss” promotes the City Lodge Hotel Group’s weekend special, as “your home away from work from home”.
Prestigious panel of judges announced for the 2021 Santam Women of the Future Awards, in association with FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE
Santam, FAIRLADY and TRUELOVE are looking for the most impactful, resilient and inspiring female entrepreneurs in the country. If you’ve started a business recently, have been running your own enterprise for a while or know of an enterprising woman, we want to hear from you.
Meet the panel of esteemed judges presiding over the awards and find out what they are looking for in a winner.
- Professor Thuli Madonsela: Chair of Social Justice at Stellenbosch University, and founder of the Social Justice M-Plan and the Thuma Foundation
- Doreen Morris: Television producer, presenter, broadcasting veteran and entrepreneur.
- Dawn Nathan-Jones: Social entrepreneur, professional speaker and fourth-time judge.
- Enid Lizamore: Executive head of human resources at Santam.
- Suzy Brokensha: FAIRLADY editor is a veteran in the magazine publishing industry. She believes that women can make a crucial difference to South Africa’s fragile economy.
- Makhosazana ‘Khosi’ Zwane-Siguqa: TRUELOVE editor Makhosazana ‘Khosi’ Zwane-Siguqa is a multi-award-winning journalist and editor. She says that South African women have been carrying the country’s formal and informal economies for a long time.
Head to womenofthefuture.co.za to enter or to nominate an entrepreneur. Entries close on 23 June 2021.
Ithala Soc Ltd nominated for KwaZulu-Natal top brand in KZN Top Business Awards
It’s familiarity with ordinary South Africans, especially in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, has seen Ithala SOC Limited being nominated in the KZN Top Brand category of the 2021 KwaZulu-Natal Top Business Awards.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the awards which celebrate successful KZN businesses, will allow a limited number of people to attend in person and will also be live-streamed, to allow a much larger audience to participate.
Dr Thulani Vilakazi, CEO of Ithala SOC Limited, said: “Ithala plays a fundamental role in the development of societies in which it operates and the vision of improving ordinary South African’s lives reminds us that we are more than a traditional financial institution and that we have a bigger role than the financial products and services we offer.
“We take our community and social responsibility role seriously and we are proud be nominated in the KZN Top Brand category at the 2021 KZN Top Business Awards.”
FNB is South Africa’s most valuable banking brand for a fourth consecutive year
For a fourth consecutive year, FNB has been voted as the most valuable banking brand in the 2021 Brand Finance® South African 50 report, leading with a brand value of R22.1 billion.
Brand Finance is an independent brand valuation consultancy which is well-known for quantifying the financial value of brands. It calculates the values of the brands in its league tables using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. According to Brand Finance, banking is South Africa’s most valuable sector, claiming 23% (R104.4 billion) of the ranking’s overall brand value.
“Being awarded as the most valuable banking brand for the 4th consecutive year is commendable. It highlights our ongoing commitment to our customers which has translated into the business value of help and customer centricity,” said Faye Mfikwe, FNB CMO. “The pandemic has accelerated society’s shift to new ways of doing things. As a result, we have also upped the ante in our efforts to build an integrated financial services platform that leverages our fintech, data and innovation capabilities to help customers with contextual solutions.”
WARC Awards for Media 2021 launched
WARC, the international authority on marketing effectiveness, has launched the WARC Awards for Media 2021, a comprehensive global awards scheme rewarding communications planning which has made a positive impact on business results.
Now in its sixth year, the competition will examine the insight, strategy and analytics that power effective media investment. There are four categories, each with its own international high-calibre judging panel.
The Effective Channel Integration category looks for how sophisticated communications architecture helped boost campaign effectiveness. Leading the jury will be Ron Amram, Senior Director, Global Media, Mars, who is responsible for driving the increased impact and effectiveness of Mars’ media investment globally, as well as owning the digital platforms for the company’s brands.
The Effective Use of Tech category will reward communications that have effectively used or combined emerging platforms or technology in the media mix. Rajoielle Register, Head of Global Brand Experiences, Ford Motor Company, will chair the jury panel. Raj leads the company’s collaboration with key stakeholders to deliver the corporate brand experience and marketing strategy for global and regional auto shows.
The Effective Use of Partnerships & Sponsorships category looks for how collaborations with third parties, including native advertising and sponsorships, have helped brands meet business goals. The category will be chaired by Sarita Rao, President, Integrated & Partner Solutions, AT&T Business, who leads the company’s business development and specialised sales efforts for next-generation technologies as well as delivering AT&T Partner Exchange and Wholesale initiatives.
The Best Use of Data category, recognising the role of data in an effective communications strategy, will be chaired by Siew Ting Foo, Chief Marketing Officer, Greater Asia, HP. At HP, Siew Ting is focused on driving brand relevance and purpose by combining data and emotional connection.
Read here for more information on the WARC Awards for Media 2021.
Ruptly’s reporting of Beirut port blast scoops Shorty Award for Best Live Event Coverage
Ruptly, the international news and media agency, has won the prestigious Shorty Award for Best Live Event Coverage for its outstanding reporting of the Beirut port explosion last August and its aftermath.
The blast devastated large swathes of the city on 4 August 2020, killing over 200 people and injuring at least 6 500 others. Caused by a fire at a storage facility that contained nearly 3 000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, it was one of the most powerful non-nuclear blasts in history.
Ruptly’s local video crews were at the site within minutes. Within just one hour, the agency was the first media to have a live feed up and running from the scene, and continued streaming live throughout the night and the following morning.
Dinara Toktosunova, CEO of Ruptly, commented: “Live news is at the core of what we do so this is a tremendous but fitting honour, and a tribute to our team. Such outstanding reporting is only possible thanks to the dedication of our newsroom and of our field producers, freelancers and camera crews. This award is testament to the real positive value and impact of their tireless work.”
The Shorty Awards, now in their 13th year, were the first awards show to honour social media and digital content. By constantly evolving along with the changing landscape of the medium, the Shortys remains the most prominent award show of its kind.
Sea Monster recognised as one of three companies developing innovative technologies to counter disinformation in Africa
Cape Town based company, Sea Monster, has been selected as one of three winners of the US Africa Tech Challenge, for their innovative approach of using games and animation to combat Covid-19 and vaccine misinformation.
Sponsored by the US State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), the US-Africa Tech Challenge advances the development of promising technologies that offer innovative solutions to help expose, understand, and counter propaganda and disinformation within Africa. Sea Monster was one of eight finalists who presented their solutions to an audience of government, civil society, and private sector stakeholders. As winners, Sea Monster will receive a sub-grant of approximately $100 000 to develop their idea.
Entries now open for Sasol New Signatures 2021
Entries are now officially open for the annual Sasol New Signatures Art Competition 2021. Being the longest-running competition of its kind in South Africa, Sasol New Signatures has become a platform for unknown artists to break into the mainstream art stage. Sasol has sponsored this important art competition for over 30 years and has launched the careers of many household names in art currently working in South Africa and globally.
Chairperson Sasol New Signatures, Pfunzo Sidogi said: “The Sasol New Signatures Art Competition is not just another art competition – it is an enabler for emerging artists to not only expand the possibilities of art but also to inspire innovation and change.”
The winner of the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition will be announced on Wednesday, 10 November 2021.
Nine SA agencies are The One Show 2021 finalists
Nine South African agencies have cracked the nod by The One Club for Creativity as finalists for The One Show 2021.
The agencies are: TBWA\Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg, which has seven finalists. Promise with Thinking Cap Productions and Informed Decisions have three nominations in the game while Grey Advertising WPP Team Liquid and Produce Sound have two finalists. Also in the running are Duke Advertising Cape Town, FCB Joburg Johannesburg, the King James Group, Massif and The Odd Number Johannesburg.
Winners of the 2021 Financial Mail Top Analyst Awards announced
The winners of the 45th annual Financial Mail Top Analyst awards have been revealed. The Financial Mail, in association with Iress and the JSE, recognised South Africa’s top analysts in the institutional stock broking industry.
For the sixth consecutive year, Standard Bank SBG Securities was awarded as the Overall Top Firm, while also reclaiming the number one ranking as Top firm – Execution: Fixed Interest Securities. For the fourth straight year, RMB Morgan Stanley maintained its ranking as the Top firm – Execution: Equities Dealing, while again claiming top spot in the Corporate Access, Administration, and Sales Team categories. Peresec was awarded as the Top firm – Derivatives.
The Young Analyst awards were adjudicated by the CFA, with twelve entries received across nine firms. Keamogetse Konopi from Standard Bank SBG Securities was announced as the Young Analyst of the Year: Equities for research on ‘Transaction Capital — Life’s certainties: debt and taxes’. Reezwana Sumad of Nedgroup Securities won the Young Analyst of the Year: Non-equities category for the research theme ‘Budget Preview: Yield sensitivity to a deteriorating fiscus.’ Noah Capital Markets is the top Small Black Broker for the second year in a row.
Youth entries from 25 countries raise Creative Storytelling to a new high
And the winner is Cate Cole, age 11 from Marblehead, Massachusetts in the United States, who won 1st Prize for her powerful short story, As Flames Rise.
The Book Creator global competition, Write a Story in One Page, targeted youth aged 11-18. Book Creator, in association with Planet Classroom Network, came up with a challenge that would work easily for young people across the world, in any language. Youth were asked to create a 1-page story book (with a cover illustration) which they had to read aloud.
“The results were amazing,” saids C.M. Rubin, o-founder of the Planet Classroom Network. Clearly, great tech along with great teachers as mentors are enabling kids to be more creative and imaginative than ever. Over 480 stories by young people were received during the pandemic from 25 countries including Guatemala, Thailand, Poland, and Egypt.”
Cate Cole’s winning entry, As Flames Rise, is an edge of your seat short story about how a crisis can change our lives in a second. Told from the POV of her story’s main character, a lone wolf, animals surrounded by a ferocious forest fire work together to overcome their fear and survive.
The Drum Awards for Social Media
Are you one of the world’s best social media marketers? If so, we want to help you get the international recognition you deserve at this year’s The Drum Awards for Social Media.
This competition is truly global, open to digital agencies, creative agencies, media owners, in-house teams, or clients who work within the digital field worldwide. The entry deadline is on August 26, but enter by 16 June to get a 20% early bird discount.
