Five on top of Africa's Annual AdFocus agency crop!

Finalists for the 2015 Annual AdFocus Awards were announced on Friday, 9 October, with five agencies up for the title of African agency network of the year.

I got comments from all five...

Marc Spriesterbach, MD of Ogilvy & Mather Africa Jhb; Kevin Tromp, CEO Publicis Africa Group; Robyn de Villiers, Chairman and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Africa;Bevis Hoets, Chief Operations Officer for Sub-Saharan Africa; and Graham Cruikshanks, TBWA\’s Director of Africa Operations

Seventh time lucky for Ogilvy & Mather Africa?

Marc Spriesterbach, MD of Ogilvy & Mather Africa Jhb, says the agency is absolutely thrilled to have been nominated for a seventh consecutive time and hopes to convert that into a seventh consecutive win.

"We have a very strong network of partners across the continent and this nomination demonstrates that we are truly integrated and collaborate across many pan African blue-chip clients. This award is important in recognising not only our geographical strength but also our effectiveness in growing our clients' business."

Confidence and morale boost for Publicis Africa Group

Kevin Tromp, CEO Publicis Africa Group, says that the nomination is reinforcement for the Publicis Africa Group staff and clients that the agency is making positive progress. It endorses that the work being done across the network's 35 countries is of a suitably high standard, and is favourably viewed by an international network of their peers. This builds confidence for the teams involved and provides a real boost to morale across the network.

"We're not normally a group that has focused a great deal on awards shows, preferring rather to focus on our clients and their brands. Clearly, the true measure of the work that we do as a network is the value we drive for our clients' brands, and I'm pleased to say that we are seeing some very favourable business results from across the continent."

Nomination proof of Burson-Marsteller Africa's special year

Robyn de Villiers, Chairman and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Africa, says this is their second consecutive AdFocus African Network of the Year nomination.

"It's apt recognition for what was a truly special year, as we launched our new branded partner model with our longstanding exclusive affiliates across the continent and raised the Burson-Marsteller flag in 29 markets in just one year. For 25+ years, our commitment to growing partnerships has underpinned Burson-Marsteller's activities across Africa. Each one of our partners is individually respected in their own countries and collectively we are recognised as the pre-eminent African communications network."

Sign of long-term business success for Dentsu Aegis Network

Bevis Hoets, Chief Operations Officer for sub-Saharan Africa, says the honour of being nominated for this award further endorses the huge amount of energy their team has put into growing the agency's footprint across sub-Saharan Africa.

"We believe that growth in Africa is going to drive our business' success in the long term, and we are investing in that future today. We are extremely proud of our network brands and agency affiliations across the continent, as well as our local and international client base. We will continue to strive for excellence, and offer our clients world-class, innovative thinking and solutions to their business needs."

That TBWA\ delivery and experience consistency

Graham Cruikshanks, TBWA\'s Director of Africa Operations, agrees that being shortlisted for the AdFocus African Agency Network of the Year award is a thrill of its own, with the nomination serving as recognition of the work they do, reinforcing their status as a credible entity on the continent.

"Over the past 15 years, TBWA\ has built partnerships with 20 strong African agencies, all with consistent track records of delivery for their clients. Underpinning this is the agency network's disruption strategy, a proprietary tool that it harnesses to challenge market convention, establish new platforms for growth for its clients and ensure consistency of experience across the network."

High levels of excitement and all worthy nominees. The awards ceremony will take place on 25 November at RoomFive in Rivonia. Click here for a reminder of what this year's judges are looking for...