Bookmarks Best in Show for 24.com, Gloo/Studio 4332

Gloo and Studio 4332 (formerly proximity#ttp) won the Best of Show award for their Cell C createme campaign in the Digital Marketing category, while News24 won the Best of Show for the Digital Publishing category. Both awards were sponsored by RG/A New York.

Rob Stokes from Quirk eMarketing was adjudged to have made the Greatest Individual Contribution to Online Media and Marketing in the past year.

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The Greatest Individual Contribution to Online Media and Marketing, sponsored by The Spacestation, was tightly contested but Rob Stokes from Quirk eMarketing pipped both Andrea Mitchell from Digivox, CT Media Publications and Tim Bishop from Prezence South Africa at the post.

People's Choice

Online Publishers Association (OPA) chairperson Adrian Hewlett said there’s definitely no lack of skills or talent in this country, but there does need to be greater financial commitment from advertisers.

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For the first time, a People's Choice award was awarded in both the Digital Marketing and Digital publishing categories. The former went to Nokia:my97homescreen.com, by Aqua Online, with 107 votes; the latter went to sport24.co.za, by 24.com, with 435 votes. Both of these awards were voted for by members of the public here on Bizcommunity.com.

The Dirty Skirts

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1st Project

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While no Gold Pixels were handed out, Gloo took the most Pixels, winning two Silvers and four Bronzes under digital marketing. It was followed by Quirk eMarketing with two Silvers; Stonewall+ Digital Marketing with one Silver and one Bronze; and Cow, Stonewall Media, and Hello Computer all received one Silver respectively.
The digital publishing sector saw TimesLIVE, from the Avusa Media stable and News24, the digital news brand from 24.com, both walk away with Silvers, while Afrigator and The Shuttleworth Foundation, in collaboration with Fontera and Clockwork Zoo, each received a Bronze.

1st Project

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Chris Colborn, Alex Jay and Adrian Hewlett clearly enjoying themselves.

All the winners

See 2009 winners on The Bookmarks site for links to creative work.

Hello Computer receiving its Silver Pixel from an 'unflinching' Alex Jay.

Strictest standards

According to Online Publishers Association (OPA) chairperson, Adrian Hewlett, the balanced judging panel, made up of both local and international digital experts (Pete Case of Gloo, JP Farinha of 24.com, Rob Stokes of Quirk, Fernanda Romano of Euro RSCG, and Chris Colborn of R/GA New York), maintained the strict standards that the awards set from last year. “This is a truly global discipline and we have to be benchmarked internationally,” he said.

Stonewall+ Media receiving its award.

“[The] key take out of this year's Bookmarks Awards is that there is definitely not a lack of skills or talent in this country. There is, however, a very real need for greater financial commitment from advertisers, which in turn will allow our agencies to invest more time, and thought, in rolling out greater work. Next year I hope we see the first million dollar project!” he added.

Headline sponsors were FNB and BBC.com.

The OPA's Nikki Cockcroft addressing the audience.

Guests were entertained from the moment they stepped onto the red carpet at Movida in Sunninghill. MC Alex Jay brought down a packed house with his quips and irreverent award to Telkom, adding to the professionalism of the evening. With customised Bookmarks cocktails, a physical theatre performance from 1st Project and the uber-cool Cape Town-based band, The Dirty Skirts, the night was all about celebration and digitally-themed entertainment.

For more:

• The Bookmarks Awards site: www.thebookmarks.co.za
  
• The Bookmarks Awards: special section on Bizcommunity
  
• Twitter: @thebookmarks
  
• Official Twitter hashtag: #thebookmarks
  
• Twitter search results: #thebookmarks OR #bookmarkawards

Updated Tuesday, 24 November 2009