#AMASAAwards2016: Banking on a winner

Roger Garlick Award Winners - OMD

Standard Bank won gold in the Best Contribution by a Media Owner with OMD and Primedia and Best Integrated: Financial with OMD, as well as walking away with the top honours on the evening, the Roger Garlick Grand Prix.

The AMASA Awards are the industry standard ,says OMD South Africa’s MD Marco Santos. “Therefore it is important for us to have a presence there.” This presence paid off for OMD and its client Standard Bank. Santos says the Award was particularly rewarding because of their relationship with the client. “We have had a relationship and partnership with Standard Bank for the past 16 years so winning the Grand Prix is a huge accolade and affirmation of our hard work. I am proud and honoured.”

He adds that the campaign would never have been possible without Primedia. “They played a big role in the success of the campaign.”

The campaign, the Joy of Jazz, comprises a live billboard on the corner of William Nicol and Sandton Drive. “I believe the campaign won for several reasons. Firstly, it was an out of the box, never been done before in South Africa idea. Secondly it drove experiential and experience and thirdly, it did so through a number of channels, including social media (twitter) and radio. This integration was key to its success.

The campaign succeeded in cementing jazz with Standard Bank. Nikki Twomey, executive head of marketing and communications, Standard Bank, who was at the Awards, was also over the moon.

Commenting on the Grand Prix winner, Wayne Bishop, head of the AMASA Awards portfolio says it had the “perfect blend of impact, experience and amplification. With over 170 entries and over 60 shortlisted campaigns, OMD can be very proud of their achievement, out shining the many other entries this year,” he adds.

Nedbank, together with Joe Public won gold in the Best Integrated, Cause Related category for Go Sandile Twitter Track as well as gold in the Best Social for the same campaign.

Also successful on the evening with Nedbank and taking gold in the Best Sponsorship Category for The Wonderland Project was M&C Saatchi Abel.

Business director at M&C Saatchi Abel, Paul Coetzer, says it is always great to receive accolades that are based on more than just excellent creative or flawless execution. “Recognising work where the right idea for the right target market is expressed through the right touchpoint and in the right way, is what AMASA Awards means to us.”

He describes Nedbank's “The Wonderland Project” as one that celebrates Nedbank as the “green and caring” and in line with the agency’s belief that marketing for social good represents great opportunities for corporates and creatives; even more so in a developing country like South Africa. “The Wonderland Project also challenged Design Indaba delegates to address societal concerns through the power of creativity, ideas and innovation.”

M&C Saatchi Connect also won gold in the Best Integrated, Cause Related category for its client Red Cross for the Give Childhood Back campaign. Commenting on their second Gold Award, for Integrated Campaign – Cause Related Red Cross Children’s Hospital, “Give Their Childhood Back”, Coetzer says “It’s always great to receive awards – even better when the work is for a worthy cause. This campaign is testament to the fact that an emotive campaign can yield great results, even on a limited budget.”

Gareth Leck, CEO, Joe Public United expressed his delight at the agency being acknowledged for their creative work and excellence. “Achieving Gold is testament to our fantastic partnership with our client Nedbank and partner agency Native VML. The successful collaboration enabled us to create a campaign that made a meaningful difference to someone like Sandile as well as inspiring the broader country at large. We are grateful for the recognition.”

In total Nedbank was awarded four AMASA awards. “We are pleased with this achievement as it demonstrates our long-standing commitment to creative and disruptive communications approach, designed to evoke an emotional connection with our audiences says Sydney Mbhele: executive head of group marketing at Nedbank. “These accolades are symbolic of a great partnership with our creative agencies who bring our brand essence to life in a tangible manner.”

He adds that the brand is continuously seeking to explore meaningful and authentic ways to engage with their clients and broader consumers to ensure relevance through creative concepts that resonate with them. “This complements Nedbank’s brand essence which draws from different perspectives and experiences to tell our story.”

The Awards, held at Montecasino in Fourways, reward media and advertising excellence and innovation. In what was a record year for the Awards, this year saw the most entries, tickets sold and sponsorship raised.

Wayne Bischoff, AMASA chairman, thanked the industry for their support that has seen this significant growth. “From humble beginnings we invested in the Awards and it has paid off.”

He also paid homage to Gordon Patterson and announced that the AMASA learnership programmes would be named after him. OMD’s sponsorship of the Ignition Award which recognises upcoming talent in the industry, is also in tribute to Patterson. “Gordon played a huge role not only at OMD, but at AMASA and in the industry, as a whole and it is fitting that we pay homage to him in this way,” says Santos.

This is the second year OMD have sponsored the Ignition Award.

View the full list of winners.