The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media industry.
Level of work exceeds judges’ expectations at 2021 Smarties Awards
Winners of the 2021 SMARTIES Awards, the gold standard of mobile marketing excellence in the industry that is in enabled by Meta, MTN, Standard Bank and The Pendoring Awards, have been announced. Honoured across 25 categories, the 38 judges have remarked that the quality of work submitted this season far exceeded their expectations – especially when marketing budgets across the board were cut due to ongoing Covid-19 challenges.
“The impact of the pandemic was felt on brands’ pockets, and as we all know, among the first things to go is marketing spend. This did not deter the SMARTIES Awards winners who turned lemons into lemonade, producing work that was on-point and relevant to the times that we live in and where every cent counts,” comments Luisa Mazinter, MMA SA Chair Emeritus Smarties Awards.
These sentiments were echoed by the judges who expressed the need for brands to show real return on investment and that mobile marketing technologies can solve business problems by engaging target audiences in an authentic way, resulting in strong calls-to-action.
“Where the SMARTIES is distinct is that it places a weighting of 40% on business outcomes, while strategy, creativity and execution account for 20% each. The reason for these splits is to ensure that the campaigns that are awarded are producing results that impact the business positively and are not only creative executions for the sake of it; there is no room for fluff,” comments Mazinter.
The 2021 SMARTIES also saw the introduction of the Pendoring Multilingual Marketing Efficiency Award in partnership with Hollard. The timing for the Award was opportune as it ties into the UN’s launch of the Decade of Indigenous Languages, which began this year in 2022 and ends in 2030.
Boniswa Pezisa, Executive Director at Mediology and Pendoring Jury President, says of this important Award, “As a multicultural nation brands need to engage and reach their customers in their own languages [] We have seen some of the entries use language in an amazing way and they’ve broken through with their marketing efforts.”
As is traditional of the SMARTIES Awards, all winners – gold, silver and bronze – will be entered into the global Mobile Marketing Associations’ Business Impact Index (BII) Awards. Launched in 2018 it is the first and only global mobile marketing Index that identifies, ranks and awards top agencies, brands and technology enablers that drive significant business impact through mobile-first campaigns.
All the 2021 winners from categories ranging from Mobile Video to Location-Based Targeting can be viewed here.
“We congratulate all the winners from the 2021 Awards, the level of work is among the best we have ever had. This is a real boon especially given the conditions in which the work was being implemented,” concludes Mazinter.
| MARKETING CATEGORY | ||||
| Brand Awareness | GOLD: CAMPAIGN: South Africa Crowdfunds Medal Bonuses for our Olympians BRAND: MatchKit AGENCY: MatchKit and PR Machine | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Born This Way BRAND: Lux, Unilever AGENCY: PHD Media, Edelman and JWT | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Converse Connects with Consumers through captivating Mobile Video Execution with AdColony BRAND: Skye Distribution / Converse AGENCY: AdColony & Intimedia | |
| Lead Generation / Direct Response / Conversions | GOLD CAMPAIGN: Facebook Flavoured Tinkies BRAND: Tinkies AGENCY: Hellosquare | SILVER CAMPAIGN: KFC Vernac Test BRAND: KFC South Africa AGENCY: Yonder Media | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: 1st for Women Insurance – Defender Campaign BRAND: 1st for Women Insurance AGENCY: Telesure Insurance Holdings (TIH) | |
| Product / Services Launch | GOLD CAMPAIGN: Facebook Flavoured Tinkies BRAND: Tinkies AGENCY: Hellosquare | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Are You Bold Enough? BRAND: Galito’s Flame Grilled Chicken AGENCY: Hellosquare | ||
| Promotion NEW | GOLD CAMPAIGN: KFC Virtual Buckets “gold hunt” BRAND: KFC South Africa AGENCY: Yonder Media | |||
Special Edition Pendoring / Multi-lingual Award | GOLD CAMPAIGN: KFC Vernac Test BRAND: KFC South Africa AGENCY: Yonder Media | GOLD CAMPAIGN: Nando’s Voice of The People BRAND: Nando’s AGENCY: VMLY&R | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Aromat Comedy Club Season 2 BRAND: Aromat AGENCY: Oliver Marketing (Ustudio) | |
| MEDIA | ||||
| Mobile Gaming, Gamification & E-Sports | GOLD: CAMPAIGN: KFC Virtual Buckets “gold hunt” BRAND: KFC South Africa AGENCY: Yonder Media | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Checkers Xtra Savings Spin2Win BRAND: Checkers Xtra Savings AGENCY: Shoprite | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Converse Connects with Consumers through captivating Mobile Video Execution with AdColony BRAND: Skye Distribution / Converse AGENCY: AdColony & Intimedia | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Disney’s Luca’s meaningful Mobile Video Execution with AdColony BRAND: Disney AGENCY: AdColony & Zenith |
| Mobile App | GOLD CAMPAIGN: SA Hockey crowdfunds its way to the Olympics BRAND: MatchKit AGENCY: MatchKit and PR Machine | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: #TheHumanRace BRAND: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs AGENCY: Rooftop | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Bio-Oil Internal Brand Communication Platform BRAND: Bio-Oil AGENCY: Bluegrass Digital | |
| Social Media Marketing NEW | GOLD CAMPAIGN: Dala Your Colour BRAND: JIVE AGENCY: Mark1 in partnership with DUKE Advertising and Positive Dialogue | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Be the Light BRAND: Vodacom South Africa AGENCY: Wunderman Thompson South Africa | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Are You Bold Enough? BRAND: Galito’s Flame Grilled Chicken AGENCY: Hellosquare | |
| Social Messaging / Chat Apps / Text Messaging NEW | GOLD CAMPAIGN: A WhatsApp Learning Bot For African Entrepreneurs BRAND: META AGENCY: Digify Africa | SILVER CAMPAIGN: A Fresh Start BRAND: Albany Bakeries AGENCY: Hellosquare | SILVER CAMPAIGN: SmartStart Automated WhatsApp Assistant BRAND: SmartStart (built by Praekelt Consulting AGENCY: Praekelt Consulting | |
| Social Commerce NEW | SILVER CAMPAIGN: KFC “Convince the Colonel” mCommerce launch BRAND: KFC South Africa AGENCY: Yonder Media | |||
| Influencer Marketing NEW | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Shield Move More At Home BRAND: Shield AGENCY: Oliver Marketing (Ustudio) | SILVER CAMPAIGN: 5 Seconds of Funny BRAND: JIVE AGENCY: Mark1 in partnership with DUKE Advertising and Positive Dialogue | ||
| TECH | ||||
| Innovation | GOLD CAMPAIGN: KFC “Convince the Colonel” mCommerce launch BRAND: KFC South Africa AGENCY: Yonder Media | SILVER CAMPAIGN: KFC Virtual Buckets “gold hunt” BRAND: KFC South Africa AGENCY: Yonder Media | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: PlayStation South Africa – The Last of Us Part II BRAND: PlayStation South Africa AGENCY: Wunderman Thompson South Africa | |
| Location Based Targeting | SILVER CAMPAIGN: #YouBelongToCelebrate BRAND: AB InBev AGENCY: Mark1 in partnership with DUKE Advertising and Positive Dialogue | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: #WhereIsMyAd campaign BRAND: Vicinity Media AGENCY: Vicinity Media | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Fruit Forecast BRAND: KOO AGENCY: Hellosquare | |
| mCommerce | SILVER CAMPAIGN: South Africa Crowdfunds Medal Bonuses for our Olympians BRAND: MatchKit AGENCY: MatchKit and PR Machine | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: Supersonic (MTN Fibre-To-The-Home) BRAND: MTN AGENCY: Praekelt Consulting | ||
Mobile Video | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Converse Connects with Consumers through captivating Mobile Video Execution with AdColony BRAND: Skye Distribution / Converse AGENCY: AdColony & Intimedia | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Samsung’s S21 Ultra Mobile Video Execution with AdColony BRAND: Samsung AGENCY: AdColony & Zenith Media | ||
| Data/Insights | GOLD CAMPAIGN: Checkers Xtra Savings Personalised Offers BRAND: Checkers Xtra Savings AGENCY: Shoprite | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Facebook Flavoured Tinkies BRAND: Tinkies AGENCY: Hellosquare | ||
| BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION | ||||
| Social Responsibility | SILVER CAMPAIGN: #TheHumanRace BRAND: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs AGENCY: Rooftop | |||
| Brand Purpose | GOLD CAMPAIGN: PEP Kids – Wishing the World Well BRAND: PEP Stores South Africa AGENCY: Ogilvy | SILVER CAMPAIGN: OMO Play More, Learn More BRAND: OMO AGENCY: Oliver Marketing (Ustudio) | ||
| Customer Experience | GOLD CAMPAIGN: Voucher Relief BRAND: Solidarity Fund in conjunction with Mthunzi Network, SACC, NHTL and various retailers AGENCY: Yonder Media | |||
| Tech Innovation | GOLD CAMPAIGN: Voucher Relief BRAND: Solidarity Fund in conjunction with Mthunzi Network, SACC, NHTL and various retailers AGENCY: Yonder Media | SILVER CAMPAIGN: #WhereIsMyAd campaign BRAND: Vicinity Media AGENCY: Vicinity Media | SILVER CAMPAIGN: South Africa Crowdfunds Medal Bonuses for our Olympians BRAND: MatchKit AGENCY: MatchKit and PR Machine | |
| App | SILVER CAMPAIGN: Voucher Relief BRAND: Solidarity Fund in conjunction with Mthunzi Network, SACC, NHTL and various retailers AGENCY: Yonder Media | |||
| eCommerce (pivoting during the pandemic) NEW | BRONZE CAMPAIGN: SA Hockey crowdfunds its way to the Olympics BRAND: MatchKit AGENCY: MatchKit and PR Machine | |||
Ogilvy & PEP win a slice of Modern Marketing Gold
Ogilvy South Africa and PEP won Gold at the 2021 Smarties Awards this week. Organised by the MMA, the Smarties celebrate the best in Modern Marketing across the African continent.
PEP’s Wishing the World Well campaign, took top position in the Brand Purpose category.
The campaign gave South African children a platform to spread messages of hope, at a time when the COVID-19-induced lockdown had left so much uncertainty across the nation. The campaign successfully harnessed their talent to create beautiful ‘Get Well’ messages which PEP then shared across integrated digital media platforms.
Through social media, PEP kids were encouraged to create their messages and share them on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. As the messages started rolling in, animated film content was dynamically produced and re-amplified, showcasing the kids’ messages.
Messages created by the campaign were viewed over 34 million times on social media and 1,7 million individual engagements were recorded. Thanks to innovative media planning, automated digital production and quick decision making, the team was able to maximize reach and ensure that the PEP brand remained top of mind during lockdown.
“This award aligns with our positive brand platform: Life’s better with PEP,” said PEP head of marketing, Beyers van der Merwe. “It also showcases the power of using modern marketing to reach an audience with impact. We’re so privileged to have been a beacon of hope to the nation, thanks to the heartfelt messages of our youth, which this campaign produced.”
SA Agency recognised as best in Africa at International Property Awards
KwaZulu-Natal-based property and lifestyle marketing agency, Rainmaker Marketing, has won the coveted title of the Best Development Marketing in Africa for 2021/2022 at the International Property Awards event held at the Savoy Hotel in London. This hotly contested and esteemed industry accolade was awarded for the marketing campaign on Devmco Group’s Salta Sibaya development in the catalytic Sibaya Coastal Precinct on KZN’s North Coast.
Following the initial success of achieving over R1 billion in sales on launch weekend, Salta Sibaya has become South Africa’s fastest selling development to date having just hit the R2 billion threshold in sales in less than a year from launch.
“We can’t express how overwhelmed we are that we have achieved such incredible results and have been internationally recognised as a global leader for our marketing. The campaign for Salta Sibaya was a true reflection of the outstanding innovations, strategies and skills we have been working on as a team for over nine years,” said Stefan Botha, director of Rainmaker Marketing.
“We won the award for Best in South Africa at the end of last year, which then gave us the ability to compete against all the country winners from within Africa for the award of Best Development Marketing in Africa. Naturally we are delighted to not only have represented our country but to be recognised on a continent level.”
MOST Awards event planned for September
This year, 2022, will be the thirteenth year that the MOST Awards honours outstanding achievements in the industry, setting benchmarks for all owners, agencies and professionals to strive towards.
The MOST Awards programme remains dedicated to fairness and integrity with the guidance of our auditors, and is focused on being a credible, well-judged transparent programme that recognises exceptional and innovative excellence in South African media.
The MOST Awards celebrate excellence in the media industry – from media owners across print, digital, cinema, broadcast and out of home (OOH) platforms, through to specialist and full-service media agencies – encouraging exceptional service delivery and healthy professional competition.
Sponsoring the MOST Awards shows a commitment to supporting South Africa’s media sector, which provides lifeblood to millions of South Africans across our diverse nation, communicating, informing and entertaining them.
The awards will be hosted both in-person and online this year.
Limited tickets will be available from 1 August 2022.
The link to vote will become available from Brad Aigner (Freshly Ground Insights) on 11 April 2022 – so make sure to watch out for it. All voters go into a draw where one lucky winner will win a R6000 cash prize.
Dates to note:
11 April 2022: Voting opens
3 June 2022: Voting closes
1 August 2022: Tickets go on sale
8 September 2022: Winners Announcement
For enquiries about the MOST Awards 2022, please contact Jade Fleishman at Fleishmanj@arena.africa
For enquiries about sponsorship, please contact Melanie Warricker on melanie@ifeelgood.co.za or 072 480 6123.
Canon partner with the Global Good Awards for a third year running to recognise 2022 young change makers
Canon will be sponsoring the third edition of the Canon Young Champion of the Year category at the Global Good Awards 2022. Entries are open now and will close on 22 April 2022.
For the third year running, Canon EMEA is sponsoring the Canon Young Champion of the Year Award as part of the wider Global Good Awards, a leading award programme for recognising both organisations and individuals who are making the world a more sustainable place. This year, Ally Zlatar, will be an important member of the judging panel for the Canon category. Ally is a Diana Award winner, recognised for raising awareness of eating disorders, body dysmorphia and illness through the power of art.
The Canon Young Champion award launched in 2020. It shines a spotlight on young people’s advocacy around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, celebrating their successes and inspiring others around the world to take action on causes that matter to them. The awards are split into two categories, under 16s and under 21s, both of which are free to enter. Judges consider applications from individuals and from more than one candidate per entry, for example where groups or siblings have worked together to campaign for a good cause.
To date, the award has recognised incredible work across a wide range of issues, including gender equality, access to education, recycling and animal conservation.
“It’s so important for us to have every child in rural areas enrolled in school,” said Samuel. “As we look to the future, we need to ensure that children are protected and have all the tools to reach their full potential. By 2055, Africa will have the largest child population of any continent (https://bit.ly/3sEGL2h), so to me it has been important to continue using visual storytelling to continue to support the young people where I live in the rural area of Ibadan, Nigeria.”
For full details of entry criteria and for more information please visit the Global Good Awards website.
Play Your Part Innovator of the Year Awarded to breakthrough digital retail app, Q-Hop
Consumption Information Real-Time (CIRT) has been announced as the winner of the Innovator of the Year Award in the ongoing Brand South Africa 2021 Play Your Part Awards. The organisation won due to the success of its app, Q-Hop, a contactless payment solution that showcases South Africa’s global competitiveness in the digital economy.
By bringing a digital customer experience into a physical retail environment, Q-Hop has been designed to keep up with the fast-moving global retail environment.
Co-founder of CIRT, Ajay Lalu, spoke on the remarkable story behind Q-Hop. “The Q-Hop solution was developed during a hard lockdown in South Africa entirely virtually and proudly using local technology,” said Lalu.
The fact that such an inventive app was developed under unprecedented restrictions, is testament to South African resilience and innovative excellence.
One of the awards’ judges, Paul Modjadji, justified the decision in a statement saying, “This is a proudly South African tech giant, with humble beginnings and global aspirations. Technological innovation is at the forefront of their work.”
Nominations for the remaining Play Your Part awards have now closed, and the judges are in the process of collating entries for the final three categories: Social cohesion, education and environment.
Standard Bank recognised at 2021 Efma SME Banking Awards
Standard Bank has been honoured at Efma’s 2nd Annual SME Banking Awards, nabbing Gold for the first time in the SME Banker of the Year category, and Silver for the second year in a row in the SME Bank of the Year category. Participating bankers and institutions from 15 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America were selected by a panel of expert judges. Nominees in SME Bank of the Year category were chosen based on their ability to support SME customers through another challenging pandemic year while delivering innovative products and services.
“To be recognised once again at the SME Bank of the Year Awards is a great honour and a testament to Standard Bank’s commitment to our purpose – Africa is our home, we drive her growth,” said Simone Cooper, head, business clients South Africa. “Our success really lies in the relationships we build with our clients, developing a deeper understanding of their challenges and solutioning for them. SMEs continue to face extraordinary hurdles and our clients have counted on Standard Bank to keep another hand on the wheel as they navigate the future.”
Standard Bank was acknowledged for its deep understanding of Africa, its efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic and key initiatives underway that serve the SME market.
