The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
Steinheist producers scoop the coveted Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year
Richard Gregory and Elle Oosthuizen, the producers of the impactful video story Steinheist on Showmax, are the winners of the Sanlam Group Financial Journalist of the Year for 2022, becoming the first TV journalists to win the esteemed prize in nearly a decade. The duo also won the Broadcast: TV and Video category award.
The Best Newcomer award went to Damilola Olufemi of The Punch newspaper in Nigeria. Mr Olufemi demonstrated creativity and insight in his financial reportage, according to the independent judging panel.
Ronald Adamolekun of the Premium Times newspaper in Nigeria won The African Growth Story category, representing the second year in a row that a journalist from the publication won the prize. Yusuf Akinpelu, formerly with the Premium Times and now West Africa journalist with the BBC based in Lagos Nigeria, scooped both the African Growth Story and financial journalist of the year awards in the 2021 edition of the competition.
Open to journalists practising in Africa, the African Growth Story prize recognises stories covering significant trade and investment developments on the continent. Entries should cover the growth of the continent on topics including investments, infrastructure and economic development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed to Dr Thami Mazwai, former editor of Sowetan, founding member of the South African National Editors’ Forum and an advocate for grassroots entrepreneurship.
Established by Sanlam in 1974, the awards recognise exceptional financial journalism on the African continent. This year the judging panel received a total of 155 entries from journalists from across the African continent, compared to 89 received last year.
Accenture Song wins most awards at IAB Bookmarks
A standout performance at the recent IAB Bookmark Awards marking the tech-powered creative group’s inaugural showing as Accenture Song, saw the agency topping the leader board as most awarded in the country with a total of 19 wins by the end of the night.
This included three Gold Awards for Accenture Song’s LI:FE of Confidence campaign for Sanlam across Influencer Marketing, Social Media Innovation and Online Video Series. The campaign also scooped a further six Silver and three Bronze awards in various categories, including: Strategy, Production and Interactive Mixed Media.
“It has been a huge honour to be recognised in such an outstanding way for the creative work we do for our clients,” says Haydn Townsend, Accenture Song lead for Africa.
With wins across a diverse mix of clients and categories, additional awards were also scooped for WESGRO Play before you stay, Santam Guardians, Marmite New & Unimproved and Engen Social Communities.
“Where we may have won the most awards of any agency in the country, what is most satisfying is that they were across the widest spectrum of channels and clients – from financial services, to FMCG, to tourism to energy,” says Matt Ross, chief creative officer at Accenture Song.
“We pride ourselves on delivering world-class quality of work for ALL our clients, not just one or two,” Ross added.
“We’ve been working incredibly hard to build Accenture Song into a new breed of agency. One that has a truly end-to-end offering with best-of-breed specialists in every discipline. Meaning our clients make no sacrifices in quality and we can help them grow at the same pace that the world is changing,” concluded Townsend.
Accenture Song’s full list of awards, included:
Sanlam LI:FE of Confidence
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- Gold in Social Media Innovation
- Gold in Influencer Marketing
- Gold in Online Video Series
- Silver in Social Media Campaigns
- Silver in Digital Integrated Campaign
- Silver in Strategy
- Silver in Platform Innovation
- Silver in Campaign Microsites
- Silver in Interactive Mixed Media
- Bronze in Online Video Production
- Bronze in Digital Campaign Strategy
- Bronze in Digital Mixed Media Campaign
- WESGRO Play before you stay
- Silver in Games
- Bronze in Interactive Design
- Bronze in Software, Coding and Tech Innovation
- Bronze in Platform Innovation
- Engen Social Communities
- Bronze in Social Communities
- Marmite New & Unimproved
- Bronze in Social Media Campaigns
- Santam Guardians
- Bronze in Mobile Campaign
Building authentic connections by tapping into passions
The 2023 PRISM awards ended with outstanding results for Levergy, which walked away with a total of six accolades recognising the agency’s commitment to storytelling through best practice communications.
Levergy was awarded the coveted South African Campaign of the Year for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, alongside gold in the Financial Services category (Nedbank Tasting Notes) and in the Reputation and Brand Management category (ICC Women’s T20 World Cup ‘Turn It Up’).
Looking at Tasting Notes: A Story of Sound and Wine, we wanted to take the conventional wine pairings that were available to consumers a step further by tapping into a collective love of music to create a literal wine-and-music pairing. This allowed us to effectively showcase Nedbank’s investment in the development of the wine industry, while tapping into a new audience that made wine more accessible.
Taking a page out of the handbook on the work done for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, we shifted the narrative from ‘female empowerment’ to ‘pure power’ by making this tournament heard through the #TurnItUp campaign – a clear rallying cry to South Africa to take this tournament to another level.
Through the passion of national pride, we were able to secure the buy-in from the media, players and public around the purpose of #TurnItUp and positively shift the perception of women’s cricket by positioning this tournament as a global sporting showpiece of the highest standard.
FAME Film Shorts Festival Shines a Spotlight on African Filmmakers presented by Realness Institute
The African filmmaking community is abuzz with anticipation as the FAME Film Shorts Festival, a prestigious addition to FAME Week Africa 2023, built by RX Africa, takes centre stage.
This eagerly awaited event is dedicated to celebrating the innovation, creativity, and exceptional talent of the finest independent filmmakers from across the continent. Our aim is to discover, and connect these filmmakers to the international film industry.
The FAME Film Shorts Festival promises an unforgettable experience, both for participants and audiences alike. From the 7-9 September, The Labia, Cape Town’s oldest independent art-repertory movie cinema in South Africa, will showcase brave short films from an exciting selection of African filmmakers. The festival will feature 31 exceptional films from across Africa and her diaspora that reflect the creativity and diversity that is unique to her cinematic artistry.
Known for curating film programmes that take place at art and cultural spaces in various cities across Europe, Lyse Nsengiyumva steps into the role of the FAME Film Shorts Festival Programme Director.
Adding to the festival’s allure, the second-year design students from the Cape Town campus of Red & Yellow Creative School of Business participated in a poster design challenge, with Caylin Allan emerging as the winner. Her stunning artwork perfectly captures the essence of this cinematic celebration and will undoubtedly contribute to the festival’s visual appeal.
Paddington Station steams through the PRISM Awards 2023
Clever. Creative. Brand-centric. Inspired… and inspiring. These are the words used by the judges of the 2023 PRISM Awards to describe what sets Paddington Station and its consumer campaigns apart as the agency scooped 11 awards.
Among the brightest stars of the night was Paddington Station, which received a remarkable haul of 11 awards, closely trailing the two biggest winners, Flow Communications and Tribeca, with 13 awards each.
The stage was set for an extraordinary night of recognition, as Paddington Station won the coveted Gold for Best Small PR Agency and the prestigious Silver for Best PR Professional awarded to Dirk Slabbert. But the triumph did not stop there — the agency went on to win an additional nine awards, showcasing its prowess across diverse categories and reinforcing its position as a leader in strategic storytelling and unrivalled excellence in FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) communication delivery.
Paddington Station managing director Paul Reynell attributes these accolades to the agency’s passion and dedication. “As a consumer-focused agency, we put a lot of time and resources into understanding consumers, and keeping this at the forefront of everything we do is what drives results,” he says. “Our successes with content triggers and engagement flow from this focus.”
The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the agency’s remarkable sweep of the entire Food & Beverage Category, where they claimed Bronze, Silver, and Gold honours for their ground-breaking campaigns in the highly competitive alcoholic beverage sector.
The biggest brand winner of the evening was beverage company DGB with seven awards, represented in its campaigns by Paddington Station.
Tribeca Public Relations raises the bar, secures 13 PRISA PRISM Awards
Tribeca Public Relations (Tribeca) is celebrating its impressive haul of awards at this year’s PRISA PRISM Awards. The agency proudly won 13 sought-after awards, comprising four Gold, eight Silver, and one Bronze award in recognition of excellence in public relations and communications services for its clients.
This marks the 17th consecutive year that Tribeca has won PRISA PRISM Awards, proudly continuing its winning streak from 2006 when the company was started. Tribeca also broke its own record for the total number of PRISA PRISM awards won in a single year.
“Hearing Tribeca’s name called again and again for all those awards was nothing short of moving,” says Nicky James, co-founder and managing director of Tribeca. “It’s a testament not only to the strong, meaningful work we do for our clients, but the commitment and creativity of our talented teams. I couldn’t be prouder of our consultants or grateful to our clients who place full trust in us with their brands and businesses.”
Four Gold PRISA PRISMs for:
- Gogos with Vuma – NGO/NPC campaign
- Gogos with Vuma – Community Relations
- Gogos with Vuma – Technology
- Torsa launches in South Africa – Business-to-Business
Eight Silver PRISA PRISMs awarded to Tribeca for:
- Gogos with Vuma – Corporate Citizenship
- LEGO: Ever-changing Play (Launch of Play Well Study stats) – Consumer PR for an existing product or service
- LEGO: Ever-changing Play (Launch of Play Well Study stats) – Arts and Entertainment
- Profitroom launches in South Africa – Corporate Communications (Business to Business)
- Profitroom launches in South Africa – Technology
- Profitroom launches in South Africa – Business-to-Business
- The Press Room – Internal stakeholder engagement and communication
- The Press Room – Publications
One Bronze PRISA PRISM for:
- Torsa mines opportunity in South Africa – Resources
Graphic design competition has R1 million in prizes
Roland DG South Africa has launched the Wrap2Max Déjà Vu design competition, which will run for 13 months, starting in August 2023. Don’t miss the Wrap2Max ‘Let’s make magic’ party at Sign Africa and Modern Marketing Expo on 13 September 2023. Sign Africa and Modern Marketing are proud media partners of the Wrap2Max design competition.
Why is this Déjà Vu? The design briefs are similar to the original Wrap2Max competition 15 years ago. What is the purpose of this design competition? Approach the problems of our times and start a conversation with your art. Get ready to unleash your creative superpowers and join Roland DG South Africa in their mission to create a profound impact on the world through groundbreaking designs. Roland wholeheartedly encourages every graphic designer who dares to question conventions and break free from traditional norms to blow us away with your art and make us stop and stare at your magic.
Designers can let their imaginations run wild as they embark on a journey with Roland to shape a brighter and more innovative future together. Entrants will need to choose one client brief, and using their artistic brilliance, transform these into something that is ground-breaking. Once the brief is chosen, entrants will need to submit a logo that screams ‘wow!’, a vehicle wrap that turns heads on the road, a T-shirt that inspires everyone who lays eyes on it, and an advertising poster that will make jaws drop.
For full competition information, briefs and templates, entry fees and Wrap2Max ‘Let’s make magic’ party details, visit: www.2themax.co.za.
ABSA #SHEUNTAMED celebrates three wins at the 2023 PRISM Awards
Absa and their sponsorship agency, Playmakers Sponsorship and Marketing, walked away with three awards at the prestigious 2023 Prism Awards.
The dynamic partnership between Absa and Playmakers proved to be an exceptional force, garnering recognition in multiple categories for #SheUntamed, an Absa initiative for women in cycling:
Gold – Best PR Campaign for a Sponsorship
Silver – Best PR Campaign for Sport
Silver – Best Use of Video Communication within a PR Campaign
The Best PR Campaign for Sponsorship saw Absa present #SheUntamed, an initiative by Absa, a purpose-led bank, to improve women’s access to mountain biking, particularly to the Absa Cape Epic.
#SheUntamed was developed in 2020, aiming to inspire more women to bring their possibilities to life by taking up the sport and ultimately completing the Absa Cape Epic. To add to this accolade, Absa #SheUntamed also took home two silver awards, including Best PR Campaign for Sport and Best Use of Video Communication within a PR Campaign.
To inspire women riders, Playmakers collaborated with Future Play, a production company that is part of the Playmakers Group, to produce Absa #SheUntamed No Lanes, a docuseries celebrating the untamed spirit of women who are passionate about mountain biking.
Ogilvy Wins Prestigious Black Pixel and 13 Awards at 2023 Bookmarks
Ogilvy’s digital innovation continued to set the pace for South Africa’s advertising industry, earning special honours at the Bookmarks Awards last week. The agency won a total of 13 Pixels, including the top honour of the night for Purpose-led Marketing. This recognition reaffirms Ogilvy’s position as an industry leader, with digital excellence at the core of its service offering.
Ogilvy excelled across various digitally focused categories, including Digital Content, Digital Strategy, CRM, Data Visualization, Social Media, Design, Purpose, Integrated, and various specialist digital craft categories.
The prestigious Black Pixel award went to Cadbury’s ‘Homegrown Stories,’ an integrated platform with purpose-driven creativity and consumer impact at its core.
Ogilvy secured wins across various brand partnerships, including Cadbury, KFC, Castle Lager, Colgate, and Volkswagen South Africa.
“I am very proud of our teams’ efforts being honoured at this year’s awards show. It’s rewarding to see our work contribute to moving our industry forward with measurable and meaningful impact,” comments Kabelo Moshapalo, chief creative officer of Ogilvy in Johannesburg.
“We believe that when creativity and relevant digital solutions converge, they create impactful connections between audiences and brands, yielding substantial business results,” says Camilla Clerke, Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy Cape Town. “It’s this business advantage that we pursue for our clients’ brands.”
PR Worx raises the bar for crisis communications – again
PR Worx reaffirmed its position as the gold standard in crisis communications at this year’s Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa’s PRISM Awards, where the agency again took home the coveted Crisis Management Gold award for its work with confectionary giant Richester Foods.
Richester faced significant online backlash when several primary school children fell ill during a school market day. Concerned parents and community members pointed fingers at Richester’s Xpop Energy Cola Fizz lollipops, citing similar unfounded accusations against the company a year prior.
However, investigations ultimately exonerated Richester in both instances.
When the news reached Richester and PR Worx was called in to once again protect its reputation, mere hours after the initial social media posts, the misleading information had already gone viral and had been picked up by various media outlets.
Given the time constraints, late on a Friday afternoon, the PR Worx team swiftly deployed every crisis communications tactic at its disposal, drawing upon its decades of collective experience and expertise to disseminate accurate information to the public.
“Unfortunately, there is no way to predict if or when past crises might resurface and wreak havoc on a company’s reputation. The best in crisis communications not only manage the initial crisis effectively but also continue to work tirelessly for months and sometimes years afterwards to fortify their client’s reputation and mitigate the impact of any delayed aftershocks on the brand,” notes Madelain Roscher, founder and CEO of PR Worx.
With a successful track record of over 21 years, PR Worx has established itself as one of Africa’s leading public relations pioneers and strategy trailblazers, making it the go-to 360° marketing-communications agency for many of the country’s major economic and governmental players. When it comes to crisis communications, few PR firms can rival PR Worx’s accomplishments over the past two decades, positioning it as the undisputed frontrunner as the Best Crisis Communications Agency year after year.
