The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
WARC 100 and RECMA invite MMA SMARTIES into global rankings fold
The MMA’s annual industry awards, the SMARTIES, has been selected as one of the few global marketing industry awards to be ranked in the WARC 100 (the World Advertising Research Centre) and the Research Company Evaluating the Media Agency Industry organisations (RECMA).
This is a considerable achievement as both bodies approached the MMA directly to bring them into their global ranking and scoring fold. This means that all SMARTIES Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will now be added to WARC 100’s ranking of the world’s most awarded campaigns and companies for media as well as RECMA’s global scoring of media agencies.
The MMA SA is the first marketing body in South Africa to achieve this status through the recognition of its key initiative, the SMARTIES Awards.
“Being invited by these highly respected global industry benchmarking organisations is a major milestone in our growth as the MMA. While the MMA already collaborates with WARC on the SMARTIES Business Impact Index (BII) methodology, we have now been included in its prestigious global WARC 100 ranking. We were delighted to be approached by RECMA in Q4 of 2023 as well, meaning that all our SMARTIES 2023 winning campaigns will be shared with these two marketing authorities,” says Luisa Mazinter, MMA SA Chair Emeritus and Smarties Jury Chair.
The reason why the MMA was invited into the fold is because the SMARTIES is laser focused on assessing the impact of marketing on tangible business results.
Riky Rick Foundation 3rd in Africa and The Middle East
After just six months of being established, the Riky Rick Foundation was ranked third place on the The Loeries official rankings for brands in 2023. The foundation was preceded by the likes of long-standing brands including Chicken Licken and KFC, putting them at an impressively superior standing within a short period of time.
On the 23 Feb 2022 Riky Rick sadly lost his battle with mental illness. On 14 June 2023, during Youth Month, in honour of his legacy, his family launched The Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism.
The launch was marked by the family’s very first project, ‘Stronger’. A rap song that brought Riky’s voice to life through AI and using the words from his social media posts as rap lyrics. The track was created in collaboration with TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris, Audio Militia, Ganja Beatz, Respeecher and Riky’s family and close friends.
‘Stronger’ was well received by the public and loved by fans of Riky. To date the song has reached over 59 million people, R90 million in free radio airplay and over R12 million in earned PR. The track cleaned up on the awards stages as well. That is, six awards at Creative Circle for the July Ad of the Month, four gold Loeries at the 2023 Loeries Awards, and the privilege of becoming the only South African project to show up as a finalist for the 2023 Little Black Book (LBB) Immortal Awards in London, UK.
Bookmark Award early entries now open
The IAB South Africa Bookmark Awards Early Bird entries have opened.
Early entrants receive a 10% discount on their entry fee while IAB South Africa Members receive a further 25% discount. Entering early will allow entrants to incorporate all the tips and tricks provided in this year’s Bookmarks Masterclass webinar and the new Bookmarks Masterclass Email Series.
Alex Goldberg, Creative Partner at Ogilvy South Africa, who has been behind multiple award-winning entries in the past, dishes out some golden tips on how to perfect your Bookmark Awards entry. We’ve also introduced the Bookmarks Masterclass Email Series that further unpacks each stage of creating and submitting an entry.
Both the webinar and email series provide a detailed overview to complete an entry, including choosing the correct category, creating a case study, compiling results and using the entry portal. Check it out here.
Nominations for the Bookmarks 2024 Jury Panels will close on Friday, 23 February. Successful candidates will assess award-winning work across eight categories and can be nominated for one of nine panels: Marketers; Social, Community & Influencer Marketing; Builders; Performance Marketing; Publishers; Innovative Engineers; Youth Action; Marketing Craft; and Special Honours.
Call for Entries: Standard Bank Sikuvile Awards, brought to you by SANEF, 2024
Entries for the 2024 edition of the Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards, brought to you by the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), are now open and will close on Friday, 29 March 2024.
The Awards will cover stories published or broadcast between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023. There will be no extension and winners will be announced at an event on Saturday, 29 June, at a venue yet to be confirmed in Gauteng.
This is the third year SANEF is organising the awards. They were previously organised by PDMSA, now the Publishers’ Support Services.
The awards are open to all media platforms – print, online/digital, and broadcast (radio and TV) journalists. They are regarded as a highlight on the journalistic calendar rewarding the exceptional work done by the country’s journalists, in categories ranging from investigative journalism to feature writing, and lifestyle as well as photojournalism.
The Awards reflect the importance of groundbreaking, accurate, fact-based, truthful, fair, and verified reporting in a world where misinformation and disinformation continue to be a major concern in the media sector.
The awards are open to all print, online/digital, and broadcast (radio and TV) journalists.
Wavemaker South Africa’s CEO, Merissa Himraj voted Most Admired Professional by Scopen Awards
Wavemaker South Africa is proud to announce that our fearless and esteemed CEO, Merissa Himraj has been voted as the Most Admired Media Agency Professional. This prestigious recognition is a testament to herexceptional leadership, expertise, and contribution to the media space.
The Scopen Award recognises marketing professionals who have remarkably contributed to the improvement, innovation, and development of the companies or projects for which they work, looking for transformation and growth.
Under Himraj’s visionary guidance, Wavemaker South Africa has achieved remarkable success. Her strategic vision, combined with her deep understanding of business, technology, and the media landscape has propelled the company to new heights, delivering cutting-edge solutions and driving innovation.
Call for Effies judges launched
The Effie Awards South Africa, hosted by The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA), invites representatives of the marketing and communications industry to apply for consideration to be selected to participate on the 2024 Effie Awards South Africa judging panel.
The rigorous judging process includes two rounds of evaluation from a jury of senior industry executives focused on identifying the industry’s most effective work. Each round sees a jury of senior industry professionals from a variety of marketing disciplines evaluating entries based on proof that commercial communication was key to the success of the campaign.
The 2024 Jury will furthermore select one case as the most effective of the year and awarded the 2024 ‘Grand Effie’. The Grand Effie winning case not only demonstrates its capability to be effective but also displays a revolutionary breakthrough within the industry
“Effie South Africa requires the collaboration of industry experts whose knowledge and experience are invaluable to the judging process. Effie’s commitment to recognizing effectiveness in marketing campaigns relies heavily on the insights and expertise of professionals from diverse marketing disciplines,” says Gillian Rightford, ACA Interim Executive Director.
Qualification to judge requires seniority within the industry, with round one agency representative judges typically drawn from Senior/Director level, while second round judges are drawn primarily from the C-suite. On the client side, senior management is invited to adjudicate round one, while top-level marketing executives within the company are invited to participate in round two. Following round two, the Grand Effie winner will be adjudicated by a Grand Jury of senior industry-wide professionals, drawn exclusively from the C-suite.
Interested agency and client representatives are invited to apply online via the Judges tab on the Effie South Africa website before 17h00 on 5 May 2024.
MultiChoice honoured with Ubuntu Award for Economic Diplomacy in Africa Category
MultiChoice was recently selected as the recipient of the prestigious Ubuntu Award in the Economic Diplomacy in Africa category – an esteemed recognition, bestowed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, which celebrates individuals and organisations who exemplify South Africa’s positive global image through outstanding contributions in their respective fields.
Dr. Naledi Pandor, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, presented the award to MultiChoice Group CEO, Calvo Mawela.
In attendance was also Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
The Ubuntu Awards, hosted annually, serve as a platform to honour those who uphold the values of unity, integrity, and excellence on an international scale. MultiChoice’s commitment to economic diplomacy and its positive impact on the African continent have earned it this distinguished accolade.
The 2nd Annual FAME Shorts Film Festival is open for submissions
Get ready for an unforgettable cinematic experience as we announce the opening of submissions for the 2nd Annual FAME Shorts Film Festival, set to captivate audiences at the iconic Labia Theatre in Cape Town from 5-7 September 2024.
Dive into the vibrant world of independent African cinema at the FAME Short Film Festival, showcasing the most innovative and creative filmmakers from across the continent. This festival is your ticket to thought-provoking films, celebrating the diverse narratives of Africa and its diaspora.
All the info here.
- Kim Johnson, Global CEO, Ogilvy Health, USA
- Xanthe Wells, VP Global Creative, Pinterest, USA
- Sandra Bold, CCO, VML, Netherlands
- Marjorieth Sanmartin, CCO, Philipp&Keuntje, Germany
- Debbie Ellison, Global Chief Digital Officer, VML (commerce) UK
- Emma De La Fosse, CCO, Edelman, UK
- Karen Ge, Managing Partner, FLAWED / Head of Strategy at FRED & FARID Shanghai) / China
- Marwa Kaabour, Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Communication, Al Masaood, UAE
- Magdalena Kozanowska, Vice President, COO & Partner, 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT, Poland
- Alexis Bronstorph, Chief Creative Officer, No Fixed Address, Canada
- Mayada Boulos, CEO Havas Paris, France
- Dani Ribeiro, CCO, WMCCann, Brazil
Samsung Solve For Tomorrow 2024 competition has officially opened entries
Samsung South Africa is calling all learners in grade 10 and 11 from public schools in underserved communities to unleash that spark of innovation within them. The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition is the perfect platform for learners to display their scientific talents and show how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) can be applied to positively impact their communities’ environmental challenges.
Launched in Africa in 2023, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a unique competition that encourages creative thinking, problem-solving skills and teamwork to nurture social innovative ideas that address local communities’ most pressing problems.
Entries for 2024 competition are open. Enter and stand a chance to win amazing prizes for your school. Teachers are encouraged to submit their schools applications now at for an opportunity to win up to R100 000 in technology and classroom supplies.
