The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
Sport Industry Awards recognise outstanding campaigns and sponsorships over the past year
The premier commercial sports showcase on the African continent, the annual Sport Industry Awards, took place at Vodaworld in Midrand, Johannesburg to showcase excellence within the business of sport over the past year. The 2024 Sport Industry Awards were proudly supported by SAB and TicketPro, two key champions of South African sports.
Representing the passion and creativity behind some of South Africa’s most iconic sporting events, campaigns and sponsorships, these awards celebrate the outstanding, behind-the-scenes accomplishments within the sporting industry.
The event was attended by high profile industry stakeholders, sports bodies and members of the media, along with prominent personalities from South African sport.
- AGENCY OF THE YEAR: T&W
- ACTIVE & WELLBEING AWARD: ABSA Run Your City Series – Playmakers
- AUDIO VISUAL CONTENT OF THE YEAR AWARD: Chasing the Sun 2 – SuperSport, SA Rugby and T&W
- BEST ON SOCIAL: Forever Green Forever Gold FGFG- SA Rugby & Black and White Stripes
- BRAND OR SPONSOR OF THE YEAR: Standard Bank Schools’ Sports Sponsorship – Standard Bank South Africa
- CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR: Chasing the Sun 2 Marketing Campaign – T&W
- COMMUNICATIONS AWARD: History in our own words – FuturePlay
- EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD: The 2024 Castle Lager Rugby Championship and Incoming Series – SA Rugby
- EVENT OR COMPETITION SPONSORSHIP AWARD: Vitality Run Series – Discovery Vitality
- EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING AWARD: Betway Back the Boks – FuturePlay
- FAN ENGAGEMENT AWARD: #bokfriday by Dialogue – SA Rugby – Dialogue Communications
- SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AWARD: Bic x Mpumelelo – Retroviral & Shaun James Film & Integer
- SPORT ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR: Lions Cricket – Central Gauteng Lions
- SPORTS PROMO OR ADVERT OF THE YEAR AWARD: Making Dreams Come True – Treble Group, Stephanus Rabie Productions
- TEAM OR INDIVIDUAL SPONSORSHIP OF THE YEAR: DHL x Lifesaving South Africa – DHL
- TECH INNOVATION AWARD: SuperSport Schools – SuperSport Schools
- THE AFRICAN EXCELLENCE (CROSS-BORDER) AWARD: NBA Triple
Helm wins CX Solutions Provider of the Year at the Technology Innovation Awards
On 9 December 2024, the Technology Innovation Awards, hosted by Innovation in Business in the UK, celebrated the pioneers and visionaries redefining the future through cutting-edge technology. Helm, South Africa’s leading innovator in customer experience, proudly took home the title of CX Solutions Provider of the Year 2024 – MEA.
These awards honour individuals, teams, and organisations that exemplify extraordinary innovation and a relentless drive to inspire progress and ignite change on a global scale.
Stef Adonis, head of marketing at Helm, says the nature of this award makes it a special one. “People first – that’s the guiding principle behind everything we do,” he says. “Everything we build or design or create must make a difference to the person on the other side of the screen, and improve their experience as a customer. Being recognised internationally for our Customer Experience impact – for the second time this year – is testament to our approach, and we couldn’t be prouder.”
In addition to this honour, Helm has scooped four Smarties awards, both with their clients Capitec and DStv, as well as in their own regard.
- Customer Journey Marketing – MoneyUp Chat by Capitec
- Social Messaging / Chat Apps / Text Messaging – Slam the Scam (MoneyUp Chat by Capitec)
- Personalisation – DStv Intelligent Sales Assistant
- Lead Generation – DStv Intelligent Sales Assistant
2024 FM AdFocus Awards winners announced
Halo is the 2024 FM AdFocus Agency of the Year and this year’s Small Agency of the Year. This past year has been a breakout year for the agency as it announced itself as a serious player in the local advertising industry, beating out formidable competition.
The Group of the Year Award went to Ogilvy SA which has been steadily reclaiming its dominant position.
For the second consecutive year, Joe Public won both the Large Agency of the Year Award and the Transformation Award. The judges were impressed with Joe Public returning to their take-away roots as they innovate around the commercial model that has – and continues to – vex the industry.
The Odd Number is this year’s Medium Agency of the Year, a well-deserved win from an agency that has consistently punched above its weight creatively.
In a year in which its work and commercial acumen shone through, Magna Carta won Public Relations Agency of the Year.
For the third consecutive year, Levergy, part of the M&C Saatchi Abel Group, is the Specialised Agency of the Year.
A juggernaut in the media industry, The MediaShop was once again crowned the Media Agency of the Year.
The Partnership of the Year Award, sponsored by IAS and Scopen, was awarded to Ogilvy SA and KFC.
After previously winning this award in 2021, Khensani Nobanda, group executive for marketing and corporate affairs at Nedbank has once again been awarded the Industry Leader of the Year award. The Shapeshifter Award went to Neil Schreuder, chief strategy and innovation officer for the Shoprite Group and MD of ShopriteX, for his work revolutionising retail in SA.
AdFocus’ Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual who has made a profoundly positive impact on the industry. This year’s award was posthumously given to Kevan Aspoas who was chairman and CEO of The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town for 17 years during which time his name became synonymous with excellence, effective leadership and a keen eye for spotting and nurturing talent.
Nicole Thikeson, a final year student studying towards a BA in Visual Communication Design at Cape Town Creative Academy, is the 2024 Student of the Year.
Read more here.
The MediaShop wins Media Agency of the Year at the 2024 AdFocus Awards
The MediaShop has been awarded Media Agency of the Year at the 2024 AdFocus Awards for the second consecutive year.
Dashni Vilakazi, managing director of The MediaShop’s Johannesburg office, shared her excitement and gratitude.
“Winning this award for the second year in a row is a tremendous achievement for our team. It reflects the passion, creativity, and dedication we bring to our work every day. Our focus has always been on building meaningful partnerships with our clients and delivering solutions that drive real results. This recognition motivates us to continue pushing boundaries and setting new standards in the industry,” she said.
Over the past year, The MediaShop has continued to innovate by leveraging data-driven insights and cutting-edge technology to craft personalised media strategies that meet the unique needs of its clients. This approach has enabled the agency to stay ahead of market trends and deliver impactful campaigns that drive measurable outcomes.
Inaugural Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) SMARTIES’ winners announced
Following its entry into the African continent this year, with special focus on the Sub-Saharan (SSA) regions of Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, the MMA SMARTIES Awards has announced this year’s winners from across these territories. With its core 2024 themes of Purpose-Driven Marketing, Marketing Impact, Impact Media, Emerging Tech Media, Creative and AI Marketing, 51 Awards were announced with Penguin taking the Agency of the Year Award and The Foschini Group Brand of the Year.
“Our venture beyond South Africa’s borders has been an inspirational one. The rate of AI and other technology’s adoption in certain African countries is impressive and there are strong examples of how this has been used effectively in marketing campaigns.
“AI immersion is happening as fast as it is in South Africa and the African continent, with its 54 countries, is, in pockets, forging ahead with significant developments in the use of tech and other Gen AI innovations,” says Sarah Utermark, Country Director for the MMA SSA.
For more information and the full winners’ list click here.
IAB SA announces 2025 Bookmark Awards season
The IAB South Africa is pleased to announce Elizabeth Mokwena as the new Jury President for the 2025 Bookmark Awards, the premier digital media and marketing awards in South Africa.
Mokwena is a seasoned pan-African brand builder with more than 14 years of experience in the FMCG industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role. As the Home Care Executive Marketing Director for Unilever Africa, she is responsible for expanding the footprint of the portfolio across the region. She describes her work as “giving global brands an African passport, whilst giving African brands global exposure” and has a passion for nurturing the next generation of African brand builders.
“I believe in the power of creativity to change the world,” says Mokwena. “Digital innovation compounds the possibilities of doing this faster, more cost-effectively and with scale. I think 2025 is a redemptive year for our industry and I am honoured to assist the IAB South Africa and the Bookmarks in identifying and celebrating digital work that has had a measurable impact.
“I am confident we will raise the bar for South Africa’s digital work this year. Excellence is the standard.”
Eligibility for entry into the IAB South Africa Bookmark Awards 2025 is for works produced between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025.
For more information about the IAB South Africa Bookmark Awards, visit thebookmarks.co.za.
Penquin Shines at 2024 MMA SMARTIES Sub-Saharan Africa Awards
Brand and communication agency, Penquin, continues its award-winning streak with a standout performance at the 2024 MMA SMARTIES Sub-Saharan Africa Awards, cementing its position as a leader in the local marketing industry. With their impressive wins this year, Penquin increases their rank on the MMA SMARTIES Index.
This year, Penquin claimed an impressive number of wins, including the coveted title of ‘Agency of the Year’ in the Industry Award category.
- Bronze in Product and/or Service Launch for the Suzuki Jimny Vehicle Launch.
- Bronze in Cross Digital Media Marketing for Suzuki’s ‘Make The Right Choice’ retail campaign.
- Bronze in Omnichannel Marketing for the Suzuki Fronx Vehicle Launch.
- Silver in Product and/or Service Launch for the Suzuki Fronx Vehicle Launch.
- Silver in Short or Long Form Video for ‘Suzuki – Chasing The Fun’.
- Silver in Programmatic for the Xbox Festive Campaign 2023.
- Gold in Cross Digital Media Marketing for the Xbox Festive Campaign 2023.
- Gold in Gaming, Gamification, and E-sports for the Xbox Festive Campaign 2023.
Veronica Moleele, CEO of Penquin, is incredibly proud and grateful for the recognition of the agency’s hard work over the past year.
HOT 102.7FM news team honoured
Johannesburg-based radio station HOT 102.7FM looks set to add to its growing list of awards after five members of its news team were nominated in the prestigious 2025 Woman of Stature Awards.
They are HOT 102.7FM’s Head of News Tara Penny, HOT 1027 Breakfast news anchor and team member Bunny Majaja, new readers Natasha Thorp and Mathapelo Moloi, and Head of Digital Christa Eybers.
All five have been nominated in the Women in Media and Journalism category for the annual awards, which recognises excellence in several professional fields here in South Africa.
“We’re incredibly proud of our News and Digital teams and their approach to telling great stories that resonate with our audience, both on-air and online,” said Lloyd Madurai, Managing Director of HOT 102.7FM. “So, whilst I’m not surprised to see these valuable team members recognised for the great work they do, it’s encouraging that their efforts have made such an impact on a broader scale. So, a huge well done to all five and here’s holding thumbs for a win in this category!”
The winners will be announced at the 10th staging of the “Woman of Stature” Awards at an event in April next year.
