Ogilvy wins its 10th Bookmarks Agency of the Year title

Ogilvy earned 23 accolades on the evening, comprising four Gold Awards, 11 Silver Awards, five Bronze Awards and three Black Pixel honours. CEO and Creative Chairman Pete Case was named Best Creative, while Volkswagen's Forever Golf campaign received the coveted Black Pixel for Localisation and Cultural Relevance.

The results reflect an important shift in modern marketing. The work celebrated at this year's Bookmarks demonstrated that digital excellence is no longer measured by reach alone, but by a brand's ability to create genuine value, earn participation, build trust and contribute meaningfully to culture.

Leading the agency's performance was Vaseline's #VaselineVerified, which received gold honours for both Social Media Campaigns and Digital Campaign Strategy. The campaign demonstrated how trust is increasingly built through participation and shared experience, showing how brands can create relevance by becoming active contributors to conversations consumers are already having.

Volkswagen's Forever Golf campaign continued its remarkable success story by earning a Black Pixel for Localisation and Cultural Relevance. Drawing on decades of affection for one of South Africa's most iconic automotive brands, the campaign transformed nostalgia into participation, celebrating the enduring role the Golf has played across generations of South Africans.

Audi's TikTok Test Drive showcased the power of platform-native creativity. Rather than adapting traditional advertising ideas for social media, the campaign was designed around the behaviours, language and culture of TikTok itself, creating an innovative and interactive digital experience, that seamlessly connected content, entertainment and product engagement.

Recognition for Google reflected one of the most significant shifts in consumer behaviour today: the rise of visual-first discovery among Gen Z audiences, where exploration increasingly begins with images, culture and curiosity rather than keywords alone. The work demonstrated how technology and human insight can work together to create more intuitive, immersive and meaningful ways for people to discover the world around them.

Meanwhile, work for KFC and AB InBev highlighted the importance of consistency and cultural fluency in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape, demonstrating how brands can remain relevant by showing up authentically in communities, conversations and moments that matter.

A recognition shared with clients and partners

Commenting on the recognition, Pete Case, CEO and creative chairman of Ogilvy South Africa, said; "Reaching a tenth Digital Agency of the Year title is a milestone we're enormously proud of, but it’s ultimately a reflection of the partnerships behind the work. We are fortunate to have clients who are ambitious enough to embrace new ways of thinking and brave enough to create work rooted in real human behaviour. Sharing this honour with Accenture Song is a reminder of the exceptional calibre of creativity across our industry.

A large thank you to Bookmarks for recognizing me personally this year in my capacity as a creative leader. Creativity has always been my north star, and this recognition is also a reminder of its enduring power to solve problems, shape culture and create value for brands. While this award carries my name, in reality it reflects the talent, passion and partnership of the many people and clients that I have the privilege to work alongside.”

Reflecting on the success of Forever Golf, Bridget Harpur, head of marketing: Volkswagen Group Africa, said: "Forever Golf was built on one simple truth: South Africans don't just drive Golfs, they have centuries of stories about them. #ForeverGolf allowed us to celebrate a legacy that spans generations while also creating something relevant for today. We're honoured by the recognition from the IAB and grateful to our partners at Ogilvy for helping us tell a story that belongs as much to South Africans as it does to the brand itself.”

Tamryn Taylor, head of demand creation: beauty wellbeing and personal care at Unilever added on the success of #VaselineVerified: "The recognition of #VaselineVerified demonstrates that effectiveness and cultural relevance are increasingly inseparable. The campaign was grounded in an authentic community insight and showed how brands can build trust by adding value to conversations people are already having. We're delighted to see the work recognised and proud of what was achieved in partnership with the Ogilvy team.”

Case concludes, “The work recognised at this year's Bookmarks points to an increasingly clear future for marketing. As technology continues to evolve and channels become more fragmented, the brands that succeed will be those that go beyond simply capturing attention. They will be the brands that earn participation, create genuine usefulness and build relevance through culture, community and shared experience.”