40th Loeries Salute the Year's Best Advertising from Africa and the Middle East
On the 40th anniversary of the Loeries, the best of brand communication across Africa and the Middle East was awarded over two nights in Durban.
At the awards ceremonies on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th August, hosted by Donovan Goliath, 287 Loeries were awarded across 14 categories including six Grands Prix, 31 Golds, 69 Silvers, 113 Bronzes, 18 Craft Golds and 50 Craft Certificates.
More than 2,500 entries were received, with 15% of entries from outside South Africa. A total of 700 brands were represented by 265 agencies from 15 countries across Africa and the Middle East. The awards were judged by over 170 regional and international industry leaders in their fields including international jury presidents Fabian Frese, Ian Mackenzie, Nicolas Courant and Sebastian Padilla.
The six Grands Prix were awarded to:
In Communication Design, Fear and Fantasy Festival’s “Fear and Fantasy Festival” by TBWA Reklam Hizmetleri A.S., Turkey
In Digital & Interactive Communication, Sanlam’s “2 Minute Shower Songs” by King James Group, South Africa
In Print Communication, Nando’s “#rightmyname” by M&C Saatchi Abel, South Africa
In Radio, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s “Highway Gallery” by TBWA\RAAD, United Arab Emirates
In Film Communication, Kimberly-Clark’s “The World's First Baby Marathon” by Ogilvy Johannesburg, South Africa
In Integrated Campaign, La Libanaise Des Jeux’s “Lucky Face” by Impact BBDO Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Suhana Gordhan, Creative Director at FCB Africa, ended her period as Loeries Chair, and Tseliso Rangaka, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Cape Town, was announced as the new Chairman of the Loeries for the next two years. “I think Africa and the Middle East are among the most brand conscious places in the world right now and I’m thrilled that I’m going to have a bird’s eye view of the region. I think we have an opportunity to be really brave and take advantage of the fact that we’re not as constrained by tradition as markets like Europe and the US,” said Rangaka.
The Marketing Leadership & Innovation Award was presented to Doug Place, Chief Marketing Officer of Nando’s. “This award is designed to honour an achiever like Doug who brings sustained dedication and performance as a marketing professional,” said Loeries CEO, Andrew Human.
Greg Gray of Romance Films was inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame. “Everyone in the commercials industry knows Greg Gray,” said Loeries CEO Andrew Human. “He has been responsible for an amazing body of beautiful, memorable and award-wining work over many years – a true legend in the industry.”
“Does this mean my career is over?” asked Gray when he heard the news.
Kirstin Uken, designer at Sunshinegun, and David Franciscus, founder and producer/director of Protagonist Films were honoured with the Brand South Africa Young Creatives Award. The award recognises the creative performance of individuals aged 27 or younger and the prize includes a Gold Loerie and US$5,000 for each winner.
In the Student category, 5 Gold Loeries were awarded, with students from AAA School Of Advertising in Cape Town winning 2 Golds, North-West University 1 Gold, University of Johannesburg 1 Gold and The Open Window 1 Craft Gold. In the Student Facebook Challenge where entrants created mobile-first ad campaigns for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, a Silver Loerie went to ‘Helpin’ Hands’ by Vega Johannesburg. Also in the Facebook Challenge, 2 Bronze Loeries were awarded to AAA School of Advertising, Cape Town and 02 Academy, Lagos for ‘The things Gogo says’ and ‘Give a Soap’ respectively.
In its ongoing support of young talent development, the Loeries announced a new partnership with the AAA School of Advertising Johannesburg and TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg who, together, are contributing to the Creative Future Scholarship.
The scholarship launched in 2008 to support talented youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds. Since 2015, when the Loeries moved to Durban, it has benefitted 11 local students to the value of R8 million, in partnership with Vega.
In tough economic times, the contribution to education is vital and this partnership ensures that the scholarship can continue to benefit young talent.
Pete Khoury, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg challenged other agencies to also sponsor the Creative Future Scholarship. "The more sponsorships the Loeries gets, the wider our talent pool becomes," he said.
The awards were brought to a close on the Saturday evening with the announcements of the Agency and Regional Agency Group of the Year. The top three Agencies of the Year are: First – Joe Public United, Second – TBWA Hunt Lascaris Johannesburg, and Third – Impact BBDO Dubai. The top three Regional Agency Groups of the Year are: First – TBWA\, Second – Ogilvy EMEA, and Third – Joe Public United.
Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, CEO of DStv Media Sales, a Major Partner of the Loeries, said that it was important for the company to take a vested interest in the ongoing development of creativity. “Our business is all about an enjoyable viewer experience. Our viewers are used to seeing great content, and good advertising forms a part of this. The Loeries brings education, information and inspiration to the advertising and brand communication industry, which at the end of the day means better ads,” said Cassim-Surtee.
The Loeries will release its full Official Rankings at a later date.
Loeries Creative Week took place from 13 to 19 August in Durban. More information can be found on loeries.com.
