#Pendoring2017: Lucky number two!
In stark contrast, while no Prestige Award was given as the judges felt the work in Afrikaans fell short, Y&R and 7Films were given a Special Public Service Award. (Public service ads are not allowed to be awarded the Prestige Award.)
Taking place on Friday evening, the Pendoring Awards saw 11 golds and 24 silvers awarded. Out of 123 finalists, only seven took home gold and 15 silver. The Odd Number was the most successful agency, taking home four golds, two silvers, and two ‘vernuf” certificates - a total of six awards from eight entries.
A coming of age
For The Odd Number founder, Sibusiso Sitole, repeating their 2016 performance this year and walking away with the top accolade of the evening as well as number of gold and silver awards, the evening represents a coming of age. “We are a young agency really, so I am extremely proud and pleasantly surprised. We entered the same work at Loeries, so going into Pendorings we thought we might have a good chance, but one never knows, especially with such a high standard.”
He hopes winning the Awards will make people take the agency more seriously. “We pride ourselves on doing truly South African work that is based on insightful ideas. When we started our business, we knew we would have to prove ourselves though our work and we are hoping clients are seeing that now. Hopefully we will find ourselves in a few pitches soon as well.”
For copywriters, he says, the wins mean that languages are being appreciated. “Stuff is not just being translated and that means that we are making advertisements for people in their mother tongue so the advertisement resonates with them. To quote Nelson Mandela: Talk to me in another language and I hear you; talk to me in my own language and I feel you.”The DStv campaign they won for is, he says, a perfect example of this. “Cooking shows are perceived to be for the elite. The campaign seeks to eradicate that perception, and show that cooking shows are for everyone.
Disruptive and a rug pull
The other big winner of the night was Y&R/7Films’ campaign for the Western Cape Government road safety commercial, “Everybody Knows.” The commercial comes off the back of the first in the series, “First Kiss,” which also had a big impact. “The ‘First Kiss’ commercial led the Western Cape government to see the benefit of broad-based, big idea film and the commissioning of a further three commercials on road safety. The others are hard-hitting and dark, so we decided that this one would be disruptive and be more of a rug pull,” explains Graham Lang, Y&R’s chief creative officer.
Lang says this script stood out. “The idea was to do more dialogue without the normal road safety car accidents and not too dramatic. The script made me laugh, and everyone in the agency as well. It also stuck out. We had an inkling it would be good, but once it was in Afrikaans, and 7Films got the community involved, we realised it would be very special.” The commercial was shot in Hanover Park in the Cape, and the cast are all real gangsters. The idea to get the community involved came from Lourens and Nina van Rensburg of 7Films. “The Special Award was a complete surprise, and while we did not expect it, we are grateful for it,” says Nina van Rensburg, executive producer.
The Awards are a bonus for them. “I think for us we have a responsibility to the industry at large and to give back. What is awesome for us is that this ad has the potential to change lives and hopefully with more people seeing it, it will have greater reach. "
Great clients allow you to do great work
Another relatively young agency that won one gold and two silvers – taking home three awards from its four entries, is Abnormal Group. “We are very happy to have won gold, as we are still a young agency, having only started at the beginning of 2016. The award tells us we are doing quality work and is a nod that we are going in the right direction,” says Wynand Botha, creative director at the agency.
He adds that great work is not possible without great clients. “Great clients allow you to do great work on their brands and this client is one of these. Having a great relationship with a client is also important in this regard, and we have a great relationship with this client.” Going forward, he hopes this recognition will translate into new business.
About Danette Breitenbach
Danette Breitenbach is a marketing & media editor at Bizcommunity.com. Previously she freelanced in the marketing and media sector, including for Bizcommunity. She was editor and publisher of AdVantage, the publication that served the marketing, media and advertising industry in southern Africa. She has worked extensively in print media, mainly B2B. She has a Masters in Financial Journalism from Wits.
