Article originally found in the Sunday Times – Words by Chris Gotz
A newspaper ad that turned into a library; a calendar that became a fire retardant blanket and a tweeting badger – these were just some of the winning ideas on show at the 35th Annual Loerie Awards, staged last weekend.
Over 5000 marketing and advertising people, in various interesting interpretations of black tie and formal dress, converged on the Cape Town International Convention Centre for South Africa’s premier creative awards show.
The Loeries have grown up considerably over the years. The glorified Vegas-style debauchery of yesteryear, while not completely absent, has been replaced by a very slick series of events celebrating a far greater range of disciplines than mainstream advertising and now stretching right across the continent. Beyond the awards ceremonies, the Festival of Creativity has gathered real momentum with seminars, an Expo, student showcases and some other, more spontaneous events, usually inspired by caramel vodka and herbal infusions.
When it came to the two nights of awards, the seismic shifts brought on by the digital revolution and a rapidly changing consumer and media environment were well in evidence, but it remains clear to everyone that, in spite of the contemporary complexity, a single good idea executed well still can transform a sales curve in an instant.
On the first evening, devoted mostly to print and digital, the “Everywhere Library” for MTN by Metropolitan Republic was awarded a Gold Loerie. The full page prints ads were a clever intersection of old and new, as a newspaper ad in Uganda promoted access to books on mobile phones via USSD technology. The big prize of the night, the Grand Prix for Outdoor, came from Draftfcb in Cape Town for Engen with a, literally, life-saving idea: a calendar printed on a fire retardant blanket which shack dwellers, the biggest users of Engen’s paraffin products, could usefully hang up for an emergency.
In the digital category, where South Africa has for some years lumbered along behind the rest of the world, there was some really strong work. A tweeting badger won Loeries for Draftfcb and their client, the Johannesburg Zoo. It was a really smart, fun idea: the animal’s enclosure (we can’t call it a cage anymore) was rigged to fire off tweets as the badger moved around. Volkswagen’s Street Quest work from Ogilvy Cape Town was also a big winner and it picked up the other Grand Prix on the night, in the digital category. This online game encouraged players to find and pin VW’s inside Google Streetview – a digital treasure hunt that rewarded players with a chance to play the game live on the streets of Cape Town for mega prizes. International Judge Debbie Vandeven described it as an “iconic” piece of work.
The Sunday night awards were all about TV and Radio. The evening was hosted by John Vlismas and Dineo Moeketsi, who moved things along at a fair clip. Vlismas in particular read the notoriously tough crowd pretty well and hurled a torrent of mildly abusive banter in their direction. It was well received, apart from an especially below-the-belt Reeva Steenkamp joke which drew one of the biggest collective gasps of the year.
Radio continues to be South Africa’s strongest medium creatively. International Judge Geoffrey Hantson underlined this when he said it was the best radio work he had ever heard, making special mention of our writing and production skills. That’s good news because radio remains one of the most cost-effective ways to reach millions of people in SA. Independent agency FoxP2 collected the Grand Prix for their long-running campaign for life insurer Frank.net – it’s difficult to write fun, sassy ads about death, but they managed it. Mercedes-Benz also collected Gold Loeries for their radio work, once again reminding everyone why their agency, Network BBDO, is considered the best in the world in the medium (which is pretty extraordinary if you think about it.)
Television is still where marketers are placing nearly 60% of their bets. It probably wasn’t a vintage year for South African television advertising, a continuing trend of recent times caused by a combination of dwindling budgets, global brand dictates and lacklustre ideas – but the signs were there, in amongst a series of funny, well-written winners, that we’re finding our groove again.
The Ster Kinekor “Intersection” from FoxP2 (who had a very good night all in all) won gold for taking viewers on a thrilling ride as four out-of-control trucks hurtled towards a crossroads, only to stop before the thrilling climax with a message to watch the finale on the big screen to get the full effect.
The other Gold winners were enfant terrible musicians Die Antwoord for their video “Fatty Boom Boom” which features the mauling of a Lady Gagga lookalike by a rogue urban lion, among other curiosities. It’s quite brilliant, although somewhat disturbing.
The final Grand Prix of the weekend went to Metropolitan Republic for their “Everywhere Library” (mentioned earlier) piece for MTN in Uganda. It picked up on a trend that is rippling through the ad world globally at the moment – investing heavily in ideas that do something for the common good as well as the bottom line. While this outbreak of goodwill might largely be attributed to a smart business strategy, it’s still a good thing for our industry and society in general.
At the end of it all, the winners gulped down their tequila and those that didn’t win, well, they gulped down tequila too, while the industry cool kids bobbed their painstakingly crafted hair frantically to international DJ’s.
The industry big hitters, clients and agency bosses alike, probably concluded that the 2013 Loeries reflected a good year for the South African creative industry. Not a great year, but a good one nonetheless. While that may please some, the oft repeated maxim of many Creative Directors in the business bears repeating: good is the enemy of great. Better luck next year everyone.
Chris Gotz is Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town, Chairperson of the Creative Circle and a member of the Loeries Committee.
