The Lure of the Loeries
Posted on 25. Feb, 2010 by admin in Headlines and Opinions
The Loeries, Eagles, Apex, Pendoring , Khuza kids and young adults advertising awards, Ads of the Month, the Sunday Times Top Brands Awards, Adfocus awards, the Millward Brown Adtrack best-liked tables, the Cannes, the Clios – South African agencies go head to head each year vying for the top honours that make or break careers and companies. For a developing economy such as ours, there seem to be more awards than winning agencies when you consider that 92% of entries for the 2009 Loeries creative advertising awards walked away empty-handed.
A plethora of awards exist for every conceivable facet of marketing: retail, consumer, research, electronic, print, outdoor, online and digital, experiential and events, design and mobile but inevitably the big through-the-line agencies hog the limelight year after year. Smaller agencies with constrained resources often don’t have the means to pursue the awards entry game that need huge amounts of time and effort. Most awards require enormous amounts of information presented for best effect and very often the larger agencies will have a dedicated “award chasing” team compiling what they hope will be “winning entries”.
While many creative directors and agency bosses deny the importance of winning the big local and international industry awards, the truth is whether it’s the party-till-you-pass-out Loeries or the dead serious Apex night, industry awards are big business – literally. More awards often equal more clients, bigger billings and greater profits and so while seemingly frivolous on the surface, awards are serious business for creative agencies.
Awards are by nature subjective – different people, different night and the decisions can change. The local industry has been accused of incestuous back slapping, an orgy of mutual admiration and self satisfaction but is that not true for all industries? Whether it’s the Grammies, or the Clio’s, the winners’ podium becomes a bull’s-eye target for its detractors. But seriously, are creative agencies in SA in the business of winning awards or serving their clientele by getting the mix of form and function right?
Ultimately successful marketing has little to do with creative accolades and more about getting the mix right between product, price, distribution and communication so that consumers pay attention. That is the ultimate test. Media savvy audiences want to be engaged and entertained and thus likeability (read memorability) is key. Charismatic characters, jingles that linger, stories that stick all make for award winning campaigns that decades later are capable of conjuring smiles and fond memories. This month, Millward Brown Adtrack announced the best loved ads in the last 25 years with top spot going to Sasol and Draftfcb for the glug glug ad featuring a little boy and his suddenly turbo-charged car! Going through the list of 25 is a walk down memory lane in the company of old friends…
There is no doubt that the South African advertising sector is highly regarded in international circles annually winning highly contested and coveted awards at the Clio’s and the Cannes Festival. Creative sparks know that some campaigns win awards and some win customers and the litmus test for creative directors is to click on the winning combination.
