Top award for Durban agency

The annual Awards recognize excellence in the South African advertising arena. Best agency awards were presented in a number of categories and for the first time awards were made to the best Cape Town and Durban agency. Top agency on a national basis went to Net#work BBDO.

The Durban award was hotly contested by five agencies including the Hardy Boys; Flagship, Ogilvy Mather, Hunt Lascaris TBWA, and FCB. The criteria used were creative performance, the calibre and volume of new business won, developmental and innovative achievements including empowerment.

Dale Tomlinson, founder and Hardy Boys agency head, said that the 95 people-strong agency has consciously stayed out of the industry limelight to ensure focus on the job at hand - developing brands - and in so doing earn a reputation through consistent growth and performance.

Now ten years old with an average growth of 35% per annum, Tomlinson feels its time to give some wider recognition to his team, which brings together some exceptional top creative and strategic skills.

"I think that the awards are a positive thing for Durban agencies on the whole, as the city has lagged others centres in terms of reputation over the years. But this has changed quite dramatically and is part of a greater renaissance of creativity and design in the city."

Tomlinson describes the Hardy Boys as a new generation business that constantly re-invents or re-focuses itself to meet the dynamic challenges that brands face in an ever-changing market place.