Celebrating the new generation of marketing

"We have succeeded in doing so", confirms New Generation Awards MD Stephen Paxton.

After much research, they found that not enough was being done to congratulate the in-house corporate marketing teams. Sad, as these are the teams that usually initialise the media campaigns before agency involvement and before the agencies make them viral. In honouring both teams, a level playing field was created, which also adds to the personal reward requirement for recognition we all strive towards. Each of us wants to be acknowledged for our contribution towards company success.

Connect brands with the right consumers and vice versa

In the past three years, these awards have attracted some of South Africa's biggest and best-loved brands, and elicited support from some of the country's leading media agencies.

Some of the celebrations

Social and digital media continues to be a part of the overall marketing mix, with more innovative ways of connecting with target markets. Without an integrated marketing plan in place, it is still very hard for companies to connect their brands with the right consumers and the right consumers with their brands.

One way to do so is to be prominent, direct and have impactful content across a variety of media platforms, says Paxton.

But how do you measure the impact?

As more corporates choose to incorporate events as part of their marketing strategy, the ROI can be best monitored from direct crowd engagement, which is crucial to meeting corporate budgets and maximising profits. Given the tough times companies face today, lead generation and conversion to new business is key. "This is why we chose to include this new category at the 2015 awards", explains Paxton.

At this year's awards, attendees are encouraged to network with the who's who of the local media industry, experience the latest in Microsoft technology and laugh along with the entertainment.

As we move forward with the times, this year's awards are about celebration, good times and acknowledging achievements.

For the third year running, the Award partner is Endemol Shine Africa, sponsor of the Excellence in Content Marketing award, the New Generation Overall Agency Award, the Best Integrated Marketing Campaign and the Best Social Media Reach from an event.

Sivan Pillay, CEO of Endemol Shine Africa, says "The partnership is further commitment that Endemol Shine Africa recognises content migration to digital, locally and globally. It is vital at this watershed period to acknowledge excellence in companies, agencies and individuals in taking their brands to new heights through innovative use of social and digital media'.

The Awards are also welcoming on-board WhySatisfy and Conversocial as sponsors of the Social Customer Care Award. WhySatisfy provides brands across Africa with the technology, training and support to take control of their digital customer interactions with Conversocial a leading provider of cloud-based social customer service solutions, helping companies serve their social customers.

Judging the new generation marketing genius

This year's judging panel comprises Gillian Findlay, CEO of Cambial Communications and former Chairman of the Public Relations Consultancy Chapter (PRCC); Astrid Ascar, media personality and digital marketing consultant who heads up the IAB & Education and Transformation Council; Prakash Patel, Chief Digital Officer at FoggCT and Past CEO at Prezence/CDO DraftFCB; Kenneth Garvie, Head of Digital at DDB SA; and Desiree Gullan, Co-founder and Creative Director of G&G Digital. The judges will consider innovation based on originality of campaigns submitted; as well as creativity in terms of the uniqueness in implementation, concept and content; results and efficiency, based on the resources used in achieving the results; as well as coverage in terms of reach, engagement, rate of interactivity, sales and generation, resulting in new business.

This year also sees the launch of a research partnership with Unmetric, the only social media intelligence platform focused on brands. With their help, the judging metrics will be put in place, providing hard data for corporates and agencies to monitor where they veered against their peers at the end of the judging process.

With just a few days left to enter your winning campaigns for this year's awards, it's time to take the initiative and set your teams a challenge. The worst thing that can happen is, you might win!

Any corporate or agency wishing to enter can do so by visiting www.newgenawards.co.za for the entry form.

With tickets priced at R850 per person and discounts offered on bookings of 10 or more, Paxton suggests making this event part of your annual year-end. To purchase tickets and find out more, contact az.oc.sdrawanegwen@nehpets or call 011 462 9963.

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