Reflections on the Loeries Awards: A Creative Journey in Cape Town.

Hello, everyone! I'm finally back in Pretoria from the Loeries Awards in Cape Town. It's been a busy week for me since my return, but as promised, I wanted to reflect on my first-time experience at the Loeries awards.

To recap, this month is Cybersecurity Month, and I wrote an article to raise awareness about digital security for companies, including plans to protect digital assets. If you'd like to read more about that, click here.

Now, let's dive into my reflections. I flew to Cape Town on the 3rd of October, and on my first day, I didn't attend any events. It was on the second day that I started my attendance with the Mayor's brunch, held at Bungalow in front of Clifton Beach. This brunch was where the City of Cape Town welcomed creatives and delegates.

The event also provided an opportunity to network. The Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, took the podium and emphasized the importance of the creative industry's collaboration with the city and its positive impact on tourism stemming from the presence of international creatives. He also stressed the need for more creative agencies to open offices in Cape Town and highlighted the diverse number of leading agencies already present in the city.

Since I was traveling alone, I met some of the leading young creatives in the industry, including two Tshepos from Joe Public. We didn't know each other, highlighting the sentiment that the industry needs more agencies to join the Loeries to deepen competition and showcase creative work across the country.

Moving on to Thursday, I had booked some business meetings in Cape Town, so I only attended the late event hosted by TikTok. They discussed influencer marketing and interviewed influencers about how they create content and choose their target audience. It was an enlightening discussion, revealing the behind-the-scenes work of influencer marketers and the effort they invest when collaborating with brands.

In the evening of the same day, I attended the first awards night. I was seated in seat 23, specifically chosen due to my date of birth. The event began, and one of my most pleasant surprises was the quality of work produced by creative students from universities across South Africa. I was particularly impressed with the work of students from North-West University and the University of Pretoria.

Regarding agencies, the night was dominated by the VW Blindspot advert by Ogilvy. This ad utilized creative camera angles and Black 3.0 painting to highlight Volkswagen's Blind Spot Monitoring system and raise awareness about traffic safety. I can't adequately describe the ad in words; you need to see it for yourself, here. It deservedly won the night due to its fusion of creativity and awareness, effectively telling a compelling story.

I won't go through all the winners, but on the first day of the awards, all the winners were deserving, and I learned a lot about crafting award-winning work.

Friday was the second day of the awards. I arrived a bit late because of work commitments, but it started well. Two campaigns stood out for me. One was Chicken Licken's "Jose Mazibuko Undefeated Since Forever." The use of real coaches like Jomo Sono and Gavin Hunt made the ad feel authentic, and it resonated with the current state of Amakhosi in the PSL. The ad struck all the right chords by connecting with the nation through soccer and cleverly integrating Chicken Licken into the mix by selecting the undefeated coach's formation.

The last one that caught my attention was the fake food inspector campaign delivered by Ogilvy for KFC. It's fun and creative. The ad revolves around a guy pretending to be a KFC food inspector and going on a tasting spree across the country until the real inspectors arrive. The ad is hilarious, and it tempts you to consider faking it just to get some KFC. I believe this ad is one of the reasons Ogilvy was awarded the agency of the year. It's an outstanding creative piece of work, with music and acting on point.

After the Friday awards, we headed to Cabo Beach for the after-party, and Uncle Waffles was on the deck. We congratulated the winners, and from my perspective, I learned a lot about how to position my agency to work closely with our clients in producing award-winning work. The Loeries gave me a different perspective on how the industry functions, and I returned to the office rejuvenated, eager to work on quality campaigns that can compete.

I'd recommend that any agency, even if only attending to learn like me, participate in the Loeries. It can make a significant difference. SHALOM. On to the next one.