AdFocus Awards 2015 winners' insights

The theme of the awards was 'integration', which was clearly evident from the winning agencies.

One of the most refreshing aspects of this year's event was that so many of the agencies were first time AdFocus winners.

I spoke to some of them to discover and better understand the secrets of their success:

Andrew Welch, Y&R Cape Town; Sean Donovan, OpenCo; and Jason Levin, HDI.

Mike Abel: M&C Saatchi Abel - Agency of the Year

After being in business for just five years, Mike believes that a key aspect of the agency's success is based on their structure as a unique partner model, much like that of a law firm. "Senior people are involved in every aspect of the business, together with the junior partners, in solving business problems for our clients".

This model has provided the agency with the scale it has achieved through new business as well as 100% retention of clients. In addition, the agency has won numerous awards both internationally and locally, particularly for its Street Store initiative, which has now become a global movement.

James Barty: King James Group - Large Agency of the Year

"Amongst the many reasons why we have been so successful, the one that stands out is that we have done really fantastic work, particularly on big clients like Sanlam and Santam". By evolving the agency structure in collapsing many of the traditional barriers, it's this "collective of specialist skills operating in tandem," which has resulted in King James becoming fully and truly integrated. This integration has also resulted in many local and global creative awards, also recognising Alistair King as the top creative director in the country.

In addition, the King James Group PR arm, Atmosphere Communications, has won a host of its own awards this year, including mid-size consultancy at the Prism Awards.

Andrew Welch and Graham Lang: Y&R Cape Town - Medium Agency of the Year

This award is the culmination of four years' focus on creativity and the simultaneous development of a great environment to work in. "At its core is the drive to serve and improve the business of our clients through greater creativity in a very difficult economic climate. We created a platform within the agency for people to thrive in and all the kudos must go to them for delivering this award". Y&R Cape Town has also been recognised at international and local award shows for their creativity.

Sean Donovan: OpenCo - Small Agency of the Year

"Since we launched the agency five years ago, we decided to maintain a low profile until such time as we really had something meaningful to talk about. That time has now arrived."

This award is the result of a well-rounded offering with a focus on creativity, transformation and a concerted drive into Africa. The agency has delivered impressive new business wins such as BMW and Standard Bank Direct, together with client retention. OpenCo also excels in the training and development of its staff, which has greatly contributed to its success.

Ben Evans and Pete Case: Gloo@Ogilvy - Digital Agency of the Year

During the first year of the merger between Gloo and Ogilvy, the combined agency has focused on integration of the clients, the work, and new business. "Unlike many agencies that are consumed with the logistical details of a merger, our attention was focused on the clients and the work, which together with the support of Ogilvy, resulted in them becoming fully integrated in such a short space of time and achieving so many accolades".

The agency was the most successful digital agency at the APEX, Loeries, Assegais and Bookmarks Awards this year. "It was these awards that contributed to our 'Twin Peaks' objective of effectiveness and creativity," Evans and Case confirm.

Jason Levin: HDI - Partnership of the Year (with Pick n Pay)

"We've built our business on the strength of our client relationships. For us, it is about delighting our clients in everything we do. While lots of agencies talk about this, it is our agency philosophy."

Since its inception 12 years ago, the Pick n Pay School club has become the largest brand-funded educational resources programme in SA, reaching an impressive 2.2m learners and 105,000 teachers in private, urban and rural schools. It has also developed the Pick n Pay Hero Awards, which recognise acts of heroism in the school environment. It is this relationship, trust and respect that recognised the true partnership of HDI and Pick n Pay.

Robyn de Villiers: Burson-Marsteller - African Agency Network of the Year

"The Public Relations and Communications group operates in 52 countries across Africa and has relationships going back 25 years, making it the largest and most established agency network across Africa".

Its work in these markets not only includes PR, but also media relations, events and activations. "Our investment in Africa is a key priority for the agency, resulting in us having won numerous awards recognising our performances," says De Villiers.

Click here for the full list of winners.