Loeries CEO silent partner in site that put out awards predictions

Human confirmed last week to Bizcommunity.com that he is a silent partner in ididthatad.com, a website started late last year by Julie Maunder that allows directors, photographers and other specialists to upload their portfolios for free. Human rejected that his role in the website could lead to perceptions of a possible conflict of interest.

Maunder, executive creative director at DDB Cape Town, said that the predictions list for the 2011 Loeries - which will take place in Cape Town, 16-18 September 2011 - was a fun marketing tool for ididthatad.com. In the same vein, the website will also be tweeting from the Loeries, which recognises excellence in the advertising, marketing and communications industries.

"Nothing inappropriate" about involvement

Maunder said she had told Human about her idea for the predictions list but that he had said he could have nothing to do with it.

Human said that there was "nothing inappropriate" about his involvement in ididthatad or the fact that it had brought out a predictions list.

"I have not been involved in the creation of the list," he said. "I have not seen it prior to publishing and I have requested from Julie Maunder that no judges from this year's Loeries or anyone associated with the Loeries (including me) participate in the creation of the predictions list."

Both Human and Maunder said that predictions lists have been done for many years for the Cannes Lions advertising awards.

"Adds some excitement"

"Credit should go to Julie Maunder for taking the initiative and making it happen," Human said. "I think it's simple fun and adds some excitement - obviously I have nothing to gain by being involved in the predictions as that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?"

When it comes to Human's role in the judging of the awards, he said that he oversees the judging process but does not judge the actual work.

"All judges are required to abstain on any work that they are involved in and all judges sign a confidentiality agreement in which they agree not to discuss any of the work viewed," Human said. "All Loeries staff, including myself, are bound by a confidentiality clause in our contracts.

"Finally, the jury chairpersons make all decisions with regard to the medals awarded and all results are audited by an independent firm of auditors. Auditing is carried out after the judging process, as well as after the actual awards ceremony, to verify that the awards handed out indeed match the audited results.

"Final results are above reproach"

"I am 100% confident that the judging processes followed at the Loeries are at the highest international standard," he said, "and are without doubt the highest standard in South Africa. This is very important to us to ensure that all entries are fairly and equally judged and to ensure that the final results are above reproach."

When asked if he had any other business interests besides ididthatad in the media, advertising and marketing industries, Human responded: "Besides the Loeries, I have judged on the AdReview panel, BASA awards, Epica awards, Gecko awards and have been invited to judge the Picas this year.

"Conflicts of interest always arise in judging for many panellists and this is always managed in a simple and professional way - by disclosure of interests and abstaining from the vote. This is no different to how ididthatad and its predictions have been handled."

On a page explaining how ididthatad came up with the predictions list, the website says:

1. "This is just a prediction list and obviously not the final results, we don't know them.
   
2. No 2011 Loerie Award Judges were consulted when compiling this predictions list.
   
3. We didn't take any bribes, no one offered us enough money.
   
4. ididthatad has not involved anyone who currently represents the Loerie Awards.
   
5. We will have missed some great work. Please add it into the comments section under the LOERIES PREDICTIONS LIST."
   

Grown substantially

This is the 33rd Loerie Awards and it has grown substantially from its humble beginnings in 1978, when it was started to help grow television advertising that was relatively new to South Africa at that stage. Today, it covers many areas of branding, communications and public relations and has grown beyond SA to cover Africa and the Middle East.

The Loeries is constituted as a Section 21 association, which its website explains as a "non-profit organisation serving the best interests of the industry; so all funding goes right back into the industry to be put towards promoting the industry and nurturing potential creatives, especially in disadvantaged communities".

Maunder said that ididthatad is not making money at the moment as people upload their portfolios free of charge. After more people have uploaded their work and the search capabilities have been refined and expanded, she would look at possible revenue streams, she said. At the moment, 85 people have joined ididthat.com.

"The prediction list is really just to be relevant in the industry and keep people in the loop," Maunder said. "It's a bit of a marketing campaign."