Bookmarks beginning to rival Loeries

They attracted 770 entries, a record which lifted them into second spot in size among South African advertising awards; and they achieved a measurable improvement in standards.

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The Bookmarks are now probably second only to the Loeries in importance among South African awards. Though the entry volume was only about a third of the Loeries' professional entry (which excludes students), it was about twice the size of the next biggest award.

And as for standards, the Bookmark's 'win ratio' was almost equal to that of the Loeries. The win ratio (the percentage of entries that won any award) was 13.7% for the Bookmarks (106 gold, silver or bronze wins from 772 entries) and 9.5% for the Loeries (209 wins from 2,192 entries). The Loeries contributed to the narrowing of the gap by allowing its standards to slip: its win ratio has moved up from around 8% a few years ago.

Among those who might argue against the ranking of the Bookmarks might be the organisers and judges of a rival competition - the Apex Awards. These are presented for effectiveness, as evidenced in case studies for the entrants. This is, surely, the most important role of advertising: to encourage or stimulate sales of product or changes in beliefs and attitudes.

But the trouble with the Apexes and other effectiveness competitions around the world is that they seldom attract large entries, and hence lack the status and influence that such numbers bring.

Dramatic though the Bookmark improvements have been, there remains one serious problem: the lack of interest in the digital medium among creative agencies. Overwhelmingly, the participants were specialists in digital. Those who needed it most weren't there. Itinerant New York-based South African ad-man Matthew Bull was shocked and disgusted by what he saw. "We have got to keep an eye on the future if we are to survive as a business," he said.

MEC Nota Bene's South African chief says that while the volume growth is encouraging, "we need to shift our focus to mobile communications, better integration of platforms and true results-oriented campaigns that drive business value."

Top agency at the Bookmarks was Gloo. Take a look at the tables here to see who else is doing well.