The annual Bookmark Awards highlight winning work in the local digital space, and the Awards' dedication to all things digital is well known.

That's why Beale, wearing his Bookmarks judging hat, says this year has seen a record number of entries, as well as increased budgets and renewed focus by clients on digital at the core.

The good, the bad and the saving grace

MD of the Cape Town branch of MEC Nota Bene and Bookmark Awards 2015 judge

Beale notes that female talent in digital is growing, brands that focused on popular South African culture did well, and the use of video content is noteworthy, with video content in SA on mobile has seen over 400% surge in the last year, and Youtube is now serving nearly 80% of its content to mobile.

On the other hand, we spend a disproportionate amount of money on developing and creating, and not enough on telling people about these platforms and stories, results for 'branded content' and 'native content' were not great when it came to eyeballs, and there's a definite lack of relevant local influencers - click here for Walter Pike's explanation of this, and we're still missing the boat on integration in SA, especially in terms of mobile.

Beale says the saving grace was the agencies that realised the importance of a results-based entry, even though many are still based on vanity metrics and non-business related stats.

Intrigued by this overview, I got Beale to unravel the Bookmarks basics for us...

First, tell us more about the importance of the Bookmark awards for the industry.

Beale: The Bookmark Awards, the most prestigious digital awards in South Africa, aims to honour and reward individuals, agencies and brands that have achieved excellence in digital creative work and execution. The awards are important because they recognise and celebrate the creation and power of digital, and, more importantly they encourage all those in the digital space to continually up their game.

With the Bookmarks having focused on digital from the start, what are some of the key changes in this space that have developed over the years?

Beale: One of the largest changes, ironically, has been the shift from purely digital to digital's role as an integrator and a nucleus to campaigns and brand performance. This, coupled with the increased focus on tangible brand performance, has always set the Bookmarks apart from other fluffy marketing awards.

As MD of the Cape Town branch of MEC Nota Bene, you're privy to international work, as well as work focused on SA. How does our SA work compare?

Beale: To be frank, a lot of our SA work lacks scale. It lacks reach and the amplification of that reach. We seem to be afraid to talk about our great ideas, or more worryingly, we come up with great ideas that we execute to 500 people, instead of millions. We aren't lacking in creativity, but we're definitely lacking on expanding the creativity to the wider audience. South African creatives need to understand that scale can also provide impact.

Let's talk about some of your own Bookmark Award wins - what have these meant for you?

Beale: From a purely selfish perspective it's great for the ego, and it's wonderful to be recognised by the best in the industry, in front of the best in the industry. More so, it's given me confidence in knowing what I'm doing is being recognised, and noticed.

Then you're suitably qualified to tell us what everyone wants to know: What does it take to do well at the Bookmarks?

Beale: I don't think that many people realise how stringent the Bookmarks' entry criteria in round one are. They really do keep to an international standard. If the Bookmarks are going to be respected world-wide, we need to adhere to this type of discipline. It takes a focused entry, one that is easy to digest, that follows closely to objectives and tactics without being too fluffy. It takes strategic thinking and creativity. It takes something more than fan growth or the number of entries. It takes time - something that more and more people are learning as they enter year after year.

Let's take a broader view - what are some of the biggest digital trends of the moment?

Beale: How much time do you have? There are too many, but a few I've recently highlighted include growth in video content consumption in South Africa - most notably on mobile and Facebook. With that comes the exponential growth of smartphone penetration and activities on mobile in South Africa. This also grows the scope of WHAT people are willing to do on their phones in South Africa. For example, gaming is coming back strongly for Android, Nokia and Sony handset users. Content as a platform, and the distribution of that content through channels in a way that isn't intrusive but rather complementary to consumers, is something that South Africa has been behind on, but is quickly catching up. Lastly, mobile redemption still has a long way to go in South Africa, but I think that combined with geo-location targeting and channel strategists understanding how to use it, it will be a powerful tool for many brands.

Tell us more about the 'mobile' angle, as you've said before that no campaign should be without a mobile aspect...

Beale: I cannot stress enough how important it is to centre any digital work on mobile platforms as opposed to desktop platforms in South Africa. For some ridiculous reason, we still build desktop-rich, heavy experiences and don't focus our content, or our channels, to the experience on mobile. For the first time ever in 2014, it was made evident that South Africans are spending more time on their mobile phones than watching TV or listening to radio, and we still aren't spending proportionally within the mobile space. We are far beyond the 'dipping toe' stage; we need to be jumping in head first. The results will surprise you. Our brand in Cape Town has driven 20% digital media spend to ATL spend ratio with our clients, and the results have been extraordinary.

There you have it. Click here for more on how the IAB is reimagining the future of digital, and click here to visit our dedicated 'IAB Digital Summit & Bookmarks 2015' section.