The agency received five Silver Bookmarks, 12 Bronze, a Black Pixel and a Pixel for Purpose award.

The event took place on Thursday night, 29 July 2021, in a virtual ceremony, where the most innovative digital marketing campaigns of the past year were announced.

Ogilvy had a total of 54 finalists at this year’s awards.

Among Ogilvy’s winning campaigns were KFC’s ‘Buckarapa’ and ‘Instagame’, and VW’s ‘The Drive to Defy’, and ‘The Sabbatical’. Ogilvy was awarded a Pixel for Purpose for AB InBev’s #NoExcuse ‘The Bravest Thing’ campaign, and a special honours award was given to Ogilvy’s Luzuko Tena for Best Contribution to Transformation in the Digital Industry.

Ogilvy’s long-standing client, AB InBev, was also awarded the prestigious Digital Brand of the Year award.

Work for KFC and Volkswagen South Africa, including ‘KFC Instagame’ and VW’s ‘The Drive to Defy’ were top contenders in their categories, with finalists in the Branded Content, Online Video Series, Online Video Production and Excellence in Strategy categories.

Volkswagen and Ogilvy 'Drive to Defy' in every way

Ogilvy South Africa  3 Nov 2020

Rape Page, which recently won a Silver Lion at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity last month, received two silver awards in the campaign category the first for ‘Breakthrough campaign on a budget’ and the second for ‘Innovative use of media’.

Cannes Lions 2021 awards a Silver Lion to 'The Rape Page' by Ogilvy Cape Town and Rape Crisis

Ogilvy South Africa  24 Jun 2021

For the Rape Page campaign Ogilvy partnered with Rape Crisis to identify areas in Cape Town with the highest rape statistics. Ogilvy then designed a double page print ad and placed it in the centrefold of the Athlone News raising awareness where it’s needed the most.

The multi-layered advert functioned as an advert, as awareness-raising, as information, as a resource and tool for survivors and as an innovative way to start the conversation about a difficult topic. The campaign reached an estimated 7.1 million people on the day it was launched.

Group CEO at Ogilvy South Africa: “The work and the brands that have been acknowledged at the Bookmark Awards this year celebrate creative excellence and impact produced working under the difficult circumstances that agencies, clients and consumers have had to face. Our awards tally and performance at Bookmarks this year make us incredibly proud of our creative teams. They are a tribute to our leadership and the great client partnerships that enable such impactful and noteworthy work.”

The theme at this year’s Bookmark Awards was 13 years of Moving the Industry Forward, with the focus being the recognition of powerful, memorable, and impactful marketing strategies through campaigns that inspire, educate, and build their respective brands.

The full list of Ogilvy wins

Campaign Category/Breakthrough on a budget
Silver | Rape Crisis Trust – ‘The Rape Page’

Campaign Category/Branded Content
Bronze | Volkswagen South Africa ‘The Drive to Defy’
Bronze | Volkswagen South Africa ‘Sabbatical’

Channel Category/Online Video Series
Bronze | KFC South Africa ‘Whenever, wherever’
Bronze | AB InBev ‘Champion Challenge‘
Silver | Volkswagen South Africa ‚The Drive to Defy’

Channel Category/Innovative Use of Media
Silver | Rape Crisis Trust ‘The Rape Page’

Channel Category/Digital Installations and Activations
Bronze | KFC South Africa ‘KFC Buckarapa’

Community Category/Social Media Campaigns
Silver | KFC South Africa ‘KFC Instagame’

Community Category/Social Media Innovation
Bronze | KFC South Africa ‘KFC Instagame’

Craft Category/Excellence in Strategy
Craft Bronze | AB InBev #NoExcuse ‘The Bravest Thing’
Craft Bronze | Volkswagen South Africa ‘The Sabbatical’

Craft Category/Excellence in Online Video Production
Craft Bronze | Volkswagen South Africa ‘The Drive to Defy – Mandisa’
Craft Bronze | Volkswagen South Africa ‘The Drive to Defy – Kitty’

Platforms Category/Games
Bronze | KFC South Africa ‘KFC Instagame’

Platforms Category/Platform Innovation
Bronze | KFC South Africa ‘KFC Buckarapa’
Silver | KFC South Africa ‘KFC Instagame’

Special Honours Category/Best Contribution to Transformation in the Digital Industry
Black Pixel | Luzuko Tena

Special Honours Category/Pixel for Purpose
Black Pixel | AB InBev #NoExcuse ‘The Bravest Thing’