JWT drives off with OHMSA trophy

Conn Bertish and Annelie van Niekerk of J Walter Thomson drove away with top honours at the inaugural OHMSA Awards 2007 last week, winning the OHMSA trophy and a brand new Ford Fiesta each. The awards honour the best in creative excellence in the out of home media industry, which industry players believe the Loeries do not recognise sufficiently.

The team was selected as overall winner and winner of the internally illuminated billboard category for their client Brandhouse's J&B Rare Scotch Whisky brand. The OHMSA Awards were held on Thursday, 30 August 2007, at a gala awards ceremony at Montecasino, Johannesburg.

Said Les Holley of OHMSA, "The OHMSA Awards have been put in place to reward the best there is in the out of home environment. It's also about stimulating creativity and creating an opportunity for the world of outdoor advertising to be noticed by everyone else. Congratulations to our overall winner, the creative team at J. WalterThompson, and to all of the outstanding finalists, for their achievements!"

Seven categories

There are seven categories in the OHMSA Awards, including Overall Winner, which recognises the best out of home advertising done over the past year. The other categories are:

Billboards: Including grand format, scrollers, campaign media, wall murals, building wraps, rank/ station branding, brandmarks and all other forms of billboards
Internally illuminated billboards
Electronic billboards: All forms of digital, electronic and plasma screens
Airport advertising: External signs, internal signs and promotional
Retail/street furniture: Adlites, bus or taxi shelters, bins, benches and street pole advertising
Mobile media: Includes buses, taxis, trailers, trains and trucks
- Ambient media: Shopping centre displays, airborne banner advertising, bikes, bike racks, parking garages, stadium advertising, washroom advertising, indoor posters, kiosks

The judges were Matthew Brink (King James Johannesburg); Dave East (E-pro Trading); John Farquhar (AdVantage); Mike Schalit (Net#work BBDO)Sandra Gordon (The Media) – chairperson of the judging panels; and Les Holley (OHMSA).

Holley concludes, "To those who didn't make it into the finals, the second annual OHMSA will be here before we know it, so get working on your creative campaigns for 2008's awards!"

Out of Home Media SA (OHMSA) is the officially recognised trade association for the Out of Home Media Industry in South Africa. Its members provide media channels across the entire spectrum of Out of Home Media from ambient or alternative media through airport advertising to the giant billboards and wall wraps.

For more information on OHMSA, go to www.ohmsa.co.za.