So near, yet so far for SA at Caples

Now in its 30th year, the competition awards the individual creative members of direct and interactive marketing teams judged to have created the most innovative solutions to real-time marketing challenges.

Five SA finalists

Of the twelve entries submitted by SA, five made it to the finalists. These included three finalists for proximity#ttp, one for Oscar Tango and one for Wunderman.

“We are a respected player in the industry but where other entrants had an edge over us was in the intergration of technology as a fundamental part of campaigns. We have the exposure but we need to master, harness and explore digital technology more,” says Dyeshana.

Twenty one countries were judged winners in results announced recently: 17 entries received first place Caples, 39 were judged second place winners, and 47 were judged third place winners – a total of 103 winning entries.

“The exposure I got from judging the Caples was amazing and it was great to see that there is an international move to fusing creativity with technology,” said Dyeshana, the second South African in the history of the awards to be invited to judge. The first was proximity#ttp's creative partner Stu Stobbs.

A force to reckon with

Country chair of the John Caples Awards, Nici Stathacopoulos, (managing partner, proximity#ttp) says SA creatives have become a force to reckon with over the last five years she has been chairing. “It's unfortunate there were no SA winners this year but we are encouraged by the standard of creativity in the country,” she added.

The Caples Awards competition is recognised by The Won Report (www.wonreport.com) as one of the three ‘top-tier international awards show' for direct and interactive marketing, alongside only the DMA ECHO Awards and the Cannes Lions Awards.