The Financial Mail AdFocus Awards 2023 open for entries

Image by Danette Breitenbach. 2022 AdFocus Award over agency of the year winners, TBWA SA

The Awards opened today, 6 July and close 1 September 2023.

This year's AdFocus Awards chairperson is Luca Gallarelli, group CEO of TBWA\SA.

He is joined by returning jury members:

• Firdous Osman, MD, Saatchi & Saatchi, Cape Town
  
• Wandile Collis, founder, Black Swan
  
• Ana Carrapichano, founder and CEO, Mediology
  
• Merissa Himraj, CEO, Wavemaker SA &SSA
  
• Nimay Parekh, director, Accenture Song
  
• Zanele Zwane, MD, Duke

As is tradition with the AdFocus Awards, the new jurors join second-term jury members.

New jury members include:

• Pepe Marais, co-founder and group chief creative officer, Joe Public
  
• Thabang Skwambane, group CEO, Nahana Group
  
• Dean Oelshig, MD and founder, Halo
  
• Vicki Buys, MD, Ogilvy CT
  
• Sadika Fakir, integrated media and digital director, Tiger Brands

“It's my intention to ensure that we continue to elevate the stature of the jury and by virtue of that, the awards itself,” says Gallarelli.

“With this in mind, I've reached out to new jurors who I believe will do just that. Jurors that stand out as some of our industry's most senior and most respected individuals and who I know will add richness and diversity to the conversation. Jurors who represent the industry across agency size, discipline and client eco-system," he adds.

TBWA: proving to be a master of all at the FM AdFocus Awards 2022

Danette Breitenbach  1 Dec 2022

Reflecting the priorities of the industry

Since 1990, the Financial Mail AdFocus Awards have been a landmark on the South African marketing and communications landscape.

But that landscape has changed, and so the Awards have changed to reflect the priorities of the industry.

Today it is unique, recognising agencies and individuals, not just for their creative and marketing skills, but for their all-round business acumen.

Industry peers make up the jury to judge the Awards and the judging process and results are audited by Deloitte.

Theme

This year the Awards celebrate the melding of the human element and science to fortify the advertising industry’s place in the client’s world.

The theme of this year’s Awards is: The alchemy of AI, data and DNA: Ones and zeros, AI, the rise of machines; is the advertising industry really needed and what is its role?

“The advertising and communications industry was once all about the space between observed facts and human intuition; it had a mystery and an allure associated to it.

"Then it became all about science, moving away from the magic. Its current challenge, and greatest opportunity, is how it redefines the role of the human element amidst all this radical change,” explains Gallarelli.

Agencies can register and enter the awards on the AdFocus Awards website.