This is evident in the shift in the demographic of attendees at the various Creative Week events and seminars in the lead up to the awards ceremonies this weekend. "About 30% of the delegates are brand owners, largely driven by the need to understand and effectively harness the changes in the media landscape," says Andrew Human, The Loerie Awards CEO.
He illustrates this with a brief timeline of brand communication in the past half century, which has telescoped in recent years as a result of rapidly developing digital media platforms and the greater exposure consumers have to them. Prior to the advent of television in the '70s, the only advertising channels open to brand owners were radio and print.
Even post the arrival of TV in the country the options available were confined to the public broadcaster and later MNet, although the paradox was guaranteed exposure of a brand to a large number of viewers. "All you basically had to do was to pay for a prime time slot for a captive audience of thousands if not millions. Today, with the growth of digital, consumers actually choose to engage with a brand rather than being force-fed information. Hence the need for seeking out new and exciting brand activation ideas," Human explains.
It makes sense, therefore, that brands are becoming involved in the whole Loeries experience through sponsorship opportunities. A duo of South Africa's big household names, Woolworths and Unilever, sponsor two of the event's more recently introduced awards, the Effective Creativity Award and the Ubuntu Award for Sustainable Marketing respectively. Both are aimed at showcasing a brand's ability to engage its customers in a substantive way through creative thinking.
Nazeer Suliman, Unilever's Communication Channel Director for sub-Saharan Africa says: "Not only have we seen a massive proliferation of traditional media because of deregulation and liberalisation of different media sectors in South Africa, but also a huge explosion of new channels and connection opportunities - most of it is exponentially evident in the digital and mobile space. All of this choice has seen a more empowered, smarter and connected consumer who has completely turned the old marketing paradigm of message transmission upside down. As a celebration of great ideas and breakthrough creativity, the Loeries becomes a shared platform for agencies to profile themselves whilst giving marketers a close-up view on what's really out there," he says.
While Kate Fordyce, Head: Agency - Woolworths Marketing says: "I think the Loeries have long been a showcase for agency creativity and innovation. I'm not sure that this is a new dynamic. Woolworths became involved in the Loeries because we fundamentally believe in the direct commercial correlation between creativity and effectiveness, and seek to acknowledge and celebrate that. Active participation in the creative industry and exposure to local and international best practice provides us with the opportunity to overtly underscore Woolworths' commitment to creativity and the commercial value attached to it."
Suliman adds that the Loeries brings together the best industry talent and the finest that it has to offer, which presents a ripe opportunity to learn as well as contribute. "The Loeries fuels real meaningful change and of course business results. This has great congruency for us. As an organisation, we are strong proponents of brands as a force for good, and that brands have a role to fulfil over and above just selling something. This is in our DNA, and why we proudly sponsor the Loeries Ubuntu Award," he explains.
Fordyce points to the increasing role of mobile, the power of shared content as well as the traction of sustainability. In light of Facebook's recent announcement that it was reaching 100 million users a month in Africa, largely as a result of the accessibility provided by mobile, her prediction seems appropriate.
Last year's Woolworths Effective Creativity Award gold Loerie winner - Carling Black Label's "Be the Coach", further supports her view regarding the power of mobile. This interactive campaign was a call to action to fans of the country's most popular soccer teams, Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs, to select their dream teams and also allowing them to make the coaching calls when the two sides duelled it out in the Carling Black Label Cup in 2011. It elicited an amazing 10.5 million votes in just seven weeks.
The Effective Creativity Award is a vehicle for agencies and brands to demonstrate the results of their previously awarded winning work, for up to two years after receiving their Loerie award. All Loerie-winning work from 2012 and 2013 is eligible for the award. The finalists will be announced during Creative Week.
Suliman concludes by saying: "The next big thing is NOW. We live in an ever-evolving, interconnected, rapidly changing and uncertain world. Putting people first is still the key to unlocking magical and pioneering ideas."
Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain, brands and the advertising industry are inexorably linked in the pursuit of meaningful creativity.
