Pendoring Awards 2016: A diverse affair

The Prestige Award was won for the second year in a row by King James for their campaign Elke woord ’n meesterstuk for Sanlam’s music festival, while Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg and its client KFC and The Odd Number for their client BBC Brit shared the Umpetha Award. Both of the Umpetha Award winners were radio campaigns, {Slyza Tsotsi 3 and Umsebenzi respectively) in Zulu.

An even two

Graeme McCree, creative director and Dominique Swiegers, copywriter, and part of the Elke woord ’n meesterstuk team who worked on the Prestige winning campaign, says they did not expect to win the prestigious award again. “We were hoping for some recognition for hard work we had put into the campaign and for craft, and while we thought it was a lovely idea and were very happy with the results, we did not expect this,” says Swiegers.

For both of them, the Award is the cherry on top for a campaign that worked well and that the brand was happy with. “Having the judges give such feedback is really rewarding,” says McCree, adding that this is also work that is uniquely South African and interesting and relevant to the South African consumer.”

Number one

Only 16 months old, The Odd Number, might be a young agency in the industry, but it has flexed its muscles and shown that it means business. Co-founders, Xola Nouse (MD) and Sibusiso Sitole (creative director), expressed their delight with the recognition.

“It was a bit of a surprise because we are such a young agency,” says Nouse, while Sitole says they are very happy about the result. “When we started the agency, the motivation is to compete creatively and to establish ourselves as a creative agency from the beginning and this includes entering Awards. We want to be part of the games.”

He explains that the campaign is based on local insights, with humour. “We believed the campaign was a strong piece, that was insightful and funny so we entered it.

It is very important to South African work and local work tends to be richer than other work.

I also believe that advertising in the various languages of the country opens up the industry to be more creative and our context is so much richer for this. There are just so many more ideas you can bring to the table and we are finding our voice in this.”

While great ideas are important, both Sitole and Nouse say that the client plays an important role in the success of any campaign. “A client has to be brave and in this case our client is a global multinational prepared to take up a local idea. Not only were they prepared to take a risk in the market, but also on us, a young local agency,” says Nouse.

Two for one

Sharing the Award with The Odd Number is Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg with its campaign for KFC, Slyza Tsotsi 3. “We are honoured that Pendoring Awards have recognised the work we have done with KFC and DStv – just two of our many wonderful clients that constantly allow us to keep pushing the boundaries when it comes to local creativeness and relevance,” says Mariana O’Kelly, executive creative director, Ogilvy & Mather Johannesburg.

She adds that their learnings from the Pendoring Awards are that it is no longer good enough to have local insights. You have to take those insights, mix them with good ideas and even better crafting to get magic that is proudly South African.”

Both the Prestige Award and the Umpetha Award consist of an overseas study tour worth R100,000. The Pendoring Awards took place in Midrand on Friday evening, at Vodacom World. This is the 21st Pendoring Awards to take place. The Awards celebrate excellence in mother-tongue advertising.

View the Pendoring winners.