Ogilvy Johannesburg was awarded top honours with a Gold APEX for its Kraft Foods Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly campaign. A Gold was also awarded to Joe Public for their Clover Industries Brand Reinvention campaign.
The teamwork of both agencies and their clients of these outstanding campaigns and the runners up were applauded at the ceremony that was attended by 450 captains of industry from the advertising and communications profession, leading advertisers, industry stakeholders from Government, the media, and A-list celebrities.
Apart from being a vital business tool that validates credentials for advertising and communication agencies, their clients and the brands for which they are accountable, winning an APEX is a definitive manifestation of outstanding creative ideas that delivered quantified results. According to the ACA, more often than not, agencies are faced with smaller budgets and incredulous clients, yet many manage to create transformative and hugely effective communications campaigns during arguably the most difficult and unstable economic period of modern history.
The annual APEX awards recognise performance excellence in communications campaigns entered across three key categories:
1. The Launch Category - sponsored by DSTV Media Sales in which products and/or services that are new or have no significant history of advertising;
2. The Change Category - sponsored by Metro FM in which new communications campaigns from previously advertised brands that resulted in significant short-term effects on sales and/or behaviour, i.e. no more than 18 months; and
3. The Sustain Category - sponsored by Anglo American and Millward Brown in which communications campaigns that benefited a business by maintaining or strengthening a brand over a long period, i.e. 36 months.
| Award | Category | Submission | Client | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Launch | Cadbury Dairy Milk - Bubbly | Kraft Foods | Ogilvy Johannesburg |
| Gold | Change | Reinventing Clover's Brand to Gain Market Share | Clover Industries | Joe Public |
| Silver | Sustain | Carling Black Label | South African Breweries | Ogilvy Cape Town |
| Silver | Change | SARS Personal Income Tax 2012 | South African Revenue Service | Draftfcb Johannesburg |
| Bronze & Special Award* | Sustain | Gender Norms | Johns Hopkins Health & Education SA | Joe Public and Mediology |
| Bronze | Sustain | Castle Lager Superfans | South African Breweries | Ogilvy Johannesburg |
| Bronze | Sustain | Toyota Hilux Tough | Toyota South Africa | Draftfcb Johannesburg |
| Bronze | Change | Redefining Short-term Insurance | Santam | King James |
| Bronze | Change | KFC Krushers | Yum! Restaurants International | Ogilvy Johannesburg |
*Special Award: For the most successful submission for non-profit or charity organisation or cause
Odette van der Haar - CEO of the ACA, comments, "The number of entries awarded is a testament of the overall standard of the entries this year. It was most encouraging to see such a wide variety of agencies and a greater number of agencies' participation which demonstrates a shift in focus to delivering results-orientated work as par for the course of day-to-day operations in the business f advertising and communications.
"When reviewing winning case studies it is evident that three primary success factors are prevalent - the symbiotic relationship between strategy and creativity, the courage to venture outside traditional thinking to innovate and thirdly the basic chemistry of a mutually beneficial relationship between the agency and client.
"The ACA congratulates all the 2013 APEX award winners - you have demonstrated an outstanding pedigree in both strategic and creative effectiveness, positioning yourselves as true leaders in the profession."
Beyond the gala ceremony recognising the most effective advertising players in the profession, APEX aims to serve as a valuable growth catalyst for the profession through its annual bursary programme. Proceeds raised for the APEX Bursary Fund provide financial assistance to previously disadvantaged students of the AAA School of Advertising as well as the life-changing opportunity of a tertiary education to kick-start their respective careers.
AAA School of Advertising - Cape Town campus:
• Solam Mbana - 3rd year BA Marketing Communication
• Vanessa Gagu - 3rd year BA Marketing Communication
• Claire Searle - 3rd year BA Creative Brand Communication and specializing in Art Direction
• Courtney Benjamin - 3rd year BA Creative Brand Communication and specializing in Art Direction
• Mbasa Qukula - final year, Diploma in Copywriting
AAA School of Advertising - Johannesburg campus:
• Athini Qwede - 3rd year BA Marketing Communication
• Nicole Smit - 3rd year BA in Marketing Communication
• Eugene Enslin -2nd year Diploma in Marketing Communication
• Tanya Reyneke - 3rd year BA Creative Brand Communication and specialising in Graphic Design
"The ACA remains committed to the journey of transforming the sector as we believe that advertising is a reflection of the heart and soul of our country - it isn't simply about transformation for a few. It reflects the lives, interests and eccentricity of South Africans, shaping our thinking about the world.
"We are privileged and humbled to applaud the finest creative minds in the business - an opportunity made possible as a result of the generous support and partnership of the APEX key sponsors: DStv Media Sales and Metro FM and co-sponsors Millward Brown and Anglo American. And, as a result of our partners, ticket sales and entry fees not to mention contributions from a great many people such as the 2013 APEX jury, we have once again been empowered to change the lives of deserving South African youths aspiring to enter the profession and bring credence to the business of advertising and communications," concludes Odette.
The ACA is the official, representative body for the Communications and Advertising profession in South Africa. Communications has evolved into an exciting hybrid of interactive, brand activation, new content and more, and the ACA represents companies in this profession to government, media and the public. It is a voluntary body formed both by, and for the industry, focused on and committed to self-regulation, and to defend the highest standards of ethical practice.
