Independent commentator Chris Moerdyk told Bizcommunity.com: "A Grand Prix at Cannes is always outstanding, but to win it for radio is absolutely awesome. Well done to Net#work BBDO and Mercedes Benz for having the passion and belief in radio. Undoubtedly, their Grand Prix, as well as the three Silvers and two Lions, will be a huge boost to the morale of young advertising creatives in this country."

One of the most powerful advertising media

Despite the medium constantly coming under fire from 'prophets of death', Moerdyk described radio as one of the most powerful advertising media around today, in spite of a continuing obsession with TV.

"It is hugely sad that our radio stations are littered with such poor quality commercials. Generally speaking, the production of radio commercials is the result of some sort of creative afterthought because clients simply don't want to invest in decent production values.

"Radio is still as powerful as ever, in spite of online gains. Radio is nowhere near dead and buried, and in my opinion will easily outlast print and TV. Radio is theatre of the mind against TV's bubblegum for the eyes."

The second Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity awards ceremony, held on Tuesday night, 21 June 2011, at the sumptuous Palais des Festivals, confirmed the Johannesburg-based agency's creative supremacy in a competition at which some of the best UK agencies failed to make the cut.

A wonderful performance

Commentator Walter Pike described Net#work BBDO's 'ultimate glory' as a wonderful performance, heartily congratulating the agency. "We do have stunning talent in South Africa; I taught some of them when I was at the AAA [School of Advertising]. But the trick is going be how they reskill for a rapidly changing world," he said.

As for radio, he said he very much doubts that the medium is dead and buried at all. "I don't think that media is a zero-sum game at all," he said, adding that radio will have a role to play for years to come, as will other media.

"But, as all media move to the Internet (as its delivery mechanism), everything is changing and the role the medium will play will change with it. This is true even or maybe especially in the developing world, where digital is already playing a massive role in everyone's lives. Remember mobile phones."

The French victory also had Starcom MediaVest Group MD Gordon Patterson singing the agency's praise, calling the accolade a fantastic achievement and one that everyone should applaud.

'We've never lacked the talent'

He said, "Many creative agencies today seem to have lost the plot in terms of why they're in the profession... and how to grow. Most of these agencies have tried to make advertising a business, rather than a stimulating creative source of ideas and concepts that move product and change minds.

"In terms of local talent, I don't think we've ever lacked the talent to produce world-class radio... But we've certainly lacked the creative commitment in the past. Other media types have always been seen as sexier, so perhaps this award will prompt the industry to see the opportunity.

Added Patterson, "Radio has always proved to be a challenging platform to excel in, so the international recognition is all the more special.

"One swallow does not make a summer and it would be naive to think that any short-term resurgence in creative attention on radio will have a clear or immediate business benefit. That said, radio is far from being dead and buried.

"Challenges... largely internal and self-inflicted"

"It still remains a vibrant and critical medium in reaching the SA population. The challenges within radio media are largely internal and self-inflicted. Loss of leadership, vision, commercial expertise and basic-selling skills are the key contributing factors to the current economic woes of many stations.

"In particular, community radio stations seem to have an unrealistic view of how the advertising profession functions and what would prompt support. Having a licence does not guarantee success or financial reward.

"The role that radio plays in sustaining our cultural diversity has not been fully appreciated and for this reason we should not draw conclusions from trends in Europe."

Asked to comment, Gilda de Araujo, the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) South Africa's new GM, said despite South Africans being critical of the standard of local radio creative, it seems one of the biggest accolades in the world - Cannes Lions - once again begs to differ.

"Certainly come into its own"

"SA radio creative has certainly come into its own over the past few years and we at the RAB are especially proud of Net#work BBDO! This is indeed a watershed moment for the SA radio industry as a whole, particularly as we're still celebrating the news of the 140 BBDO being awarded D&AD honours [in book] for the Snickers radio commercials," de Araujo said.

"The winning commercials make the most of some of radio's unique strengths, intrusiveness, by intimately using personalised 'pictures' to tap into each listener's own experiences - proof that when the medium is understood, and time is spent on crafting and pre-production, it pays off."

According to de Araujo, the ongoing challenge is to maintain this creative focus and effort on writing and producing great radio, ensuring that SA's creative agencies deliver great radio for each and every campaign.

"Radio is a powerful medium and with the focus on writing and producing good ads that drive results, advertisers will see the upturn in the results they get from radio. Great work!"

The RAB is a non-profit organisation, funded entirely by its member radio stations, which champions of the medium of radio. Its primary role is to guide advertisers, marketers, media planners, strategists, buyers and creative experts towards the more effective and creative use of the medium and, in so doing, move radio higher up the advertising agenda.

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