The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
MMA SMARTIES SA gears up for Sub-Saharan Africa expansion
Now in its 11th year, the SMARTIES SA has gone from strength to strength, and, as the only marketing awards where business impact is weighted highest in the judging criteria, it is highly acclaimed locally and internationally.
“As a natural progression, the MMA SA will be expanding the SMARTIES’ global footprint into Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) this year, making an entrance into key markets like Kenya and Nigeria with the inaugural SSA SMARTIES, where strong innovation tech markets and a burgeoning marketing industry lead the way for the regions,” said Sarah Utermark, country director of the MMA SA.
The MMA SA’s awards platform, the SMARTIES has evolved to embrace the latest trends in marketing, shifting its focus from mobile innovation to cutting-edge technologies like AI, CX, and Purpose-driven Marketing. It makes sense then that the SSA expansion will target countries like Kenya and Nigeria first – the technology and innovation hubs of the region – as they, alongside South Africa, lead the AI wave and are at the forefront of digital evolution in this region.
CEO of MMA Global Asia Pacific and Global Head of SMARTIES Worldwide, Rohit Dadwal, said: “Our ultimate goal is to build a strong presence among key Sub-Saharan countries, as we have done in South Africa. The impetus behind this expansion, is to build on the remarkable success of the SMARTIES SA since its inception in 2013, with attendance and entries growing each year.”
The MMA SA SMARTIES has grown over the years to now reflect 32 categories, ranging from data insights, blockchain and NFT, to social impact and UX & Design. Confirmed categories for the SSA SMARTIES include a dedicated AI in marketing category; an Emerging Tech category; and, of course, the industry awards category which includes awards for Advertiser of the Year, Brand of the Year, Publisher of the Year, Enabling Technology Company of the Year and Agency Network of the Year.
The SMARTIES was recently invited into the ranks of the WARC 100 (the World Advertising Research Centre) and the Research Company Evaluating the Media Agency Industry organisation (RECMA) – making it the first awards platform in South Africa to achieve this coveted status.
Agencies from across the Sub-Saharan Africa region are invited to submit their entries for the 1st SMARTIES Sub-Saharan Africa Awards by 2 August 2024. Early Bird entries close on 7 July 2024. The GALA Awards evening takes place on the 14 November 2024.
To submit an entry, visit https://www.mmaglobal.com/smarties/awards/programs/sub-saharan-africa
Levergy honoured with Gold WARC Award (its second international award in a week)
Levergy, the passions agency and member of the M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, has won gold in the Partnerships and Sponsorships category at the WARC Awards for Effectiveness in association with the Cannes Lions – the first gold winner from South Africa since the awards went global in 2021.
This comes off the back of winning the Media, Arts and Entertainment category at the SABRE Awards Africa, making it the second international award for the agency in the space of a week.
The WARC Awards recognise the best marketing campaigns worldwide that deliver strategic brilliance and impactful results. Levergy was awarded for their #StandTall campaign, created for partners Telkom, centring around the 2023 Netball World Cup and designed to inspire young South Africans.
Recognition at the WARC Awards automatically progresses the agency to the shortlist for the coveted Grand Prix.
“To be the only South African agency recognised on such a prestigious global stage is a testament to our ongoing commitment to creating authentic brand connections through people’s passions. To see our work for Telkom named as one of the most effective pieces of marketing in the world in 2023 is huge. We are honoured to receive this award from WARC and are thankful to our partners at Telkom for trusting in us,” said Rob Garden, Managing Partner at Levergy.”
The SABRE Awards recognise public relations campaigns that demonstrate the highest levels of strategic planning, creativity and business results. Levergy was awarded for their work on the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, created in partnership with the International Cricket Council and Cricket South Africa. The campaign, dubbed #TurnItUp, was designed to elevate the tournament and led to record viewership and attendance for women’s cricket.
Melissa Daniels, Levergy Managing Director, added: “These awards reaffirm our belief in the power of passion-led marketing to drive strategic business success. Our team’s hard work, creativity and dedication have been pivotal in achieving these exceptional results alongside our client partners.”
TBWA\Hunt Lascaris finishes ‘stronger’ at D&AD Awards
TBWA\Hunt Lascaris won a clutch of Pencils at the globally renowned D&AD Awards, which are deemed to be the world’s most prestigious benchmark for commercial creativity. It is this year’s most awarded South African agency at the D&AD show.
Karabo Denalane, CEO of TBWA\Hunt Lascaris is proud of their showing at the D&AD Awards, saying: “We strive for excellence in all that we do. We are delighted to partner with amazing clients who share this restlessness for producing not just good work, or even great work, but strive to achieve that which is iconic. I am delighted to see three of our clients recognised for their incredible efforts.”
The D&AD Awards Ceremony took place on Wednesday, 22 May in London, where 652 Pencils were awarded in a contest that attracted 30,000 individual pieces of work and 12,387 total entries from 78 countries.
Hunt Lascaris was recognised for three campaigns, making it South Africa’s top performer at this year’s D&AD Awards, with one Wood Pencil and two Graphite Pencils.
The Wood Pencil was awarded for the powerful ‘Stronger’ campaign for the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism. The campaign was aimed at not only to keeping Riky’s legacy alive, but to bring awareness to mental health issues and give everyone the opportunity to contribute to this effort.
For its long-time client City Lodge, Hunt Lascaris’ ‘Bedtime Stories’ won a Graphite Pencil. The Bedtime Stories for Business People playlist of guided meditations is offered to guests who can access it by scanning a QR code on their phone or tablet.
The second Graphite Pencil was presented for the Nissan radio campaign, ‘What You Mean’, premised on South Africa’s diversity of languages and accents. “
TBWA\Hunt Lascaris Chief Creative Officer, Carl Willoughby, said gaining recognition at the D&AD as the number one South African agency is a massive accomplishment. “We entered a body that we are proud of, and it will carry us into Cannes which is coming up next month. Hunts submitted eight campaigns — we had four wins and four shortlists. That’s a phenomenal achievement.”
Entries open for annual Nat Nakasa Awards for Courageous Journalism
The South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF) is now accepting nominations for the Nat Nakasa Awards for Courageous Journalism, focusing on stories published in print or online or broadcast between June 2023 and June 2024:
- Nat Nakasa Award for Media Integrity
- Nat Nakasa Award for Community Media
Nat Nakasa was a prominent journalist and writer who died in exile. This annual award recognises any media practitioner journalist or editor — who has:
- Showed integrity and reported fearlessly
- Displayed a commitment to serving the people of South Africa despite insurmountable obstacles
- Resisted any censorship
- Showed courage in making information available to the South African public. Any combination of the above.
The Award is open to all journalists serving all media platforms from a community/national newspaper, magazine, or an electronic medium (including online publishers).
Nominations of deserving candidates/journalists can be done by members of the public, editors, fellow journalists, and or their colleagues. Journalists can nominate themselves. Previous winners of this award are, however, not eligible for entry.
Please submit your nomination with a motivation of 300 words and a sample of or the body of work by close of business on Sunday 30 June 2024 for the attention of: Ms Dzudzie Netshisaulu: dzudzien@sanef.org.za or call 0790297656
These awards are sponsored by Sanlam.
The bank has been selected as the winner for investing in, designing and delivering a robust customer obsession programme that helps people across the organisation collaborate, focus on what matters most to customers and make CX improvements systematically.
“We congratulate Nedbank Retail and Business Banking for winning Forrester’s Customer-Obsessed Enterprise Award in EMEA,” said Martin Gill, vice president and research director at Forrester and host of CX Summit EMEA. “Nedbank Retail and Business Banking is a prime example of how, by nurturing a customer-centric culture that puts customers at the centre of leadership, strategy, and operations, businesses can drive growth, profitability, customer retention, and employee engagement.”
Forrester Customer Obsession Award recipients will share their success stories at CX Summit EMEA, a leading event for CX, B2C marketing, and digital leaders to learn best practices and receive actionable advice.
- Register to attend Forrester’s CX Summit EMEA event.
- View the full agenda and speakers for CX Summit EMEA.
- Members of the press interested in attending, please contact press@forrester.com.
