Presenting The Smarties Sub-Saharan Africa 2025 Winners

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KFC Block Booked

Sub-Saharan Africa Best In Show

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC Block Booked

Credits

Grant Macpherson, Chief Marketing Officer, KFC South Africa

Mukundi Munzhelele, Marketing Director, KFC Africa

Kim Bryden, Marketing Manager, KFC South Africa

Mercia Lampen, Marketing Manager Media, KFC South Africa

Vongai Mumbula, Social Media Manager, KFC South Africa

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Purpose Driven Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Brand Purpose / Activism

The Brand Purpose/Activism category recognises campaigns that harness the power of brand platforms to champion social causes or address significant societal issues. This category emphasizes the role of brands in contributing to the greater good, covering a wide range of initiatives from environmental sustainability to social, political, and economic activism. It underscores the importance of leveraging brand influence and reach to make a meaningful impact on society.

Gold Winner

Pep Dry and Detect Towels

Pep and Ogilvy South Africa / Pep South Africa for

Pep Dry and Detect Towels

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Silver Winner

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

Procter & Gamble and WPP Media for

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

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Silver Winner

Vodacom - When You See It

Vodacom and Ogilvy for

Vodacom - When You See It

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Bronze Winner

"Nou Fer Li A " Let’s Do This

Seychelles Breweries Limited and Tibule Advertising / Seychelles Breweries Limited for

"Nou Fer Li A " Let’s Do This

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Purpose Driven Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Social Impact Marketing

The Social Impact Marketing category honors campaigns that leverage marketing to drive significant social change, focusing on initiatives that contribute to public service, social responsibility, and positive shifts in societal attitudes or behaviours. It recognizes efforts that go beyond conventional marketing to make a meaningful difference in the world.

Gold Winner

Pep Dry and Detect Towels

Pep and Ogilvy South Africa / Pep South Africa for

Pep Dry and Detect Towels

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Gold Winner

SASKO Siyasizana_Care in Action

PepsiCo and MullenLowe South Africa for

SASKO Siyasizana_Care in Action

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Silver Winner

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

Procter & Gamble and WPP Media for

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

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Bronze Winner

TBI Doom and Peaceful Sleep: Protect Your Home

Tiger Brands and Freshive for

TBI Doom and Peaceful Sleep: Protect Your Home

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Purpose Driven Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Diversity and Inclusive Excellence

The Diversity and Inclusive Excellence category recognizes campaigns focused on promoting understanding, reducing inequalities, and elevating underrepresented voices, showcasing the power of marketing in fostering a more equitable society.

Gold Winner

DStv Multilingual Bot

Multichoice Group and Multichoice Group for

DStv Multilingual Bot

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Marketing Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Brand Experience

The Brand Experience category honors campaigns that create immersive, memorable brand interactions, leveraging innovative strategies and technologies to foster deep consumer connections and brand loyalty. Campaigns that redefine the interaction between brands and consumers, setting new standards for how brands engage, inspire and connect with their audiences creating a 360-customer experience.

Gold Winner

Ultimate Taste Test #MakeItKFC

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

Ultimate Taste Test #MakeItKFC

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Gold Winner

Martell Tower

Pernod Ricard Nigeria and PHD Nigeria Limited / Pernod Ricard Nigeria for

Martell Tower

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Gold Winner

Jameson Spread The Cheers

Pernod Ricard South Africa and Ogilvy Social.Lab / Pernod Ricard South Africa for

Jameson Spread The Cheers

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Silver Winner

Takealot House of Beauty - Johannesburg

Takealot and Takealot (Brand) / Takealot for

Takealot House of Beauty - Johannesburg

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Silver Winner

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

Bank Windhoek and Bank Windhoek Marketing / Bank Windhoek for

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

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Bronze Winner

Jameson Distillery on Tour

Pernod Ricard Nigeria and BrandEye Media for

Jameson Distillery on Tour

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Bronze Winner

Benylin Cough Stories

Kenvue and Triple Eight for

Benylin Cough Stories

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Bronze Winner

The Better Strategy

PepsiCo and MullenLowe South Africa / SASKO for

The Better Strategy

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Marketing Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Instant Impact / Promotion

The Instant Impact/Promotion category aims to recognize campaigns that not only creatively engage consumers but also drive immediate business results, showcasing the power of promotions in today’s competitive market. Campaigns that deliver business impact/results through creative and effective promotional tactics, driving consumer engagement and sales.

Gold Winner

KFC Block Booked

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC Block Booked

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Silver Winner

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

Procter & Gamble and WPP Media for

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

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Silver Winner

Win Your Share of R1.1 Million Sixty60 App Credit

Beiersdorf and Rainmaker Media for

Win Your Share of R1.1 Million Sixty60 App Credit

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Bronze Winner

KFC Bottomless Bucket South Africa

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC Bottomless Bucket South Africa

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Bronze Winner

Need a Spare?

Ackermans and 99c for

Need a Spare?

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Marketing Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Customer Journey Marketing - Lead Generation / CRM

The Customer Journey Marketing - Lead Generation/CRM category is tailored for campaigns that have significantly enhanced the business by strategically leveraging marketing technologies like programmatic, and/or using AI & automation for personalization and predictive analysis to nurture customer relationships and generate leads. Campaigns that have seamlessly integrated technology to map out and improve the customer journey, driving sales, loyalty and retention.

Gold Winner

KFC Block Booked

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC Block Booked

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Silver Winner

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

TFG - The Foschini Retail Group and TFG for

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

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Silver Winner

Purchase Intent Audience

Shoprite and Rainmaker Media for

Purchase Intent Audience

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Bronze Winner

STADIO: A 132% Surge in Quality Applicants

STADIO Higher Education and 365 Digital Media / 365 Digital Media Pty Ltd for

STADIO: A 132% Surge in Quality Applicants

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Marketing Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Product and / or Service Launch

The Product and/or Service Launch category celebrates marketing campaigns that have successfully introduced, or reintroduced, products or services to the market. This category recognizes the crucial role of strategic marketing in making a launch effective, highlights campaigns that have managed to capture consumer interest, generate buzz, and ultimately drive sales and market share growth from the outset.

Gold Winner

Checkers x Discovery Vitality partnership

Checkers Discovery Vitality and 99c / ShopriteX for

Checkers x Discovery Vitality partnership

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Gold Winner

Forever Golf

Volkswagen Group and PHD Media Johannesburg for

Forever Golf

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Silver Winner

Reboost Watermelon Splash

BevCo and Hellosquare for

Reboost Watermelon Splash

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Silver Winner

Need a Spare?

Ackermans and 99c for

Need a Spare?

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Bronze Winner

Art of Shape

Ackermans and 99c for

Art of Shape

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Bronze Winner

BP Rewards: Fueling SA's Loyalty Revolution

British Petroleum and WPP Media for

BP Rewards: Fueling SA's Loyalty Revolution

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Bronze Winner

Standard Bank Private "Live Wealthier" Campaign

Standard Bank and The Up&Up Group (formerly M&C Saatchi Group South Africa) / Standard Bank Private for

Standard Bank Private "Live Wealthier" Campaign

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Marketing Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Real Time Marketing

The Real Time Marketing category celebrates campaigns that excel in leveraging current data and trends for timely and relevant marketing executions using programmatic platforms, demonstrating agility and strategic innovation. Campaigns are designed to leverage up-to-the-minute data and trends to deliver content via various platforms that include programmatic which resonates with the current moment. It recognizes the agility and creativity of brands in using real-time information to craft marketing messages that are highly relevant, engaging, and effective in achieving business objectives.

Gold Winner

KFC Block Booked

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC Block Booked

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Silver Winner

Ackerlympics

Ackermans and 99c for

Ackerlympics

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Bronze Winner

George & Mason - Takealot's Winning Formula

Takealot and Brand / Takealot for

George & Mason - Takealot's Winning Formula

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Marketing Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Small Budget, Big Impact

The Small Budget, Big Impact category recognizes campaigns that achieve significant marketing success with limited financial resources, with a budget from $5k to $25k, highlighting the power of creativity and strategic efficiency.

Gold Winner

Your Ma Se KFC

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

Your Ma Se KFC

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Silver Winner

Ackerlympics

Ackermans and 99c ADVERTISING for

Ackerlympics

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Silver Winner

Purchase Intent Audience

Shoprite and Rainmaker Media for

Purchase Intent Audience

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Silver Winner

Vaseline Cera Glow Live Shopping Experience

Unilever and Oliver South Africa for

Vaseline Cera Glow Live Shopping Experience

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Bronze Winner

George & Mason - Takealot's Winning Formula

Takealot and Brand / Takealot for

George & Mason - Takealot's Winning Formula

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Bronze Winner

Shield Conquers The Ultimate Human Race

Unilever and Simunye Media for

Shield Conquers The Ultimate Human Race

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Bronze Winner

KFC Africa Project Build Unlock

KFC Africa and KA Muses for

KFC Africa Project Build Unlock

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Impact Media

Sub-Saharan Africa – Omnichannel Marketing

The Omnichannel Marketing category honors campaigns that achieve a seamless customer experience across multiple channels, showcasing strategic coherence and integration. It celebrates the strategic and tactical prowess of using various media touchpoints like TV, print, radio, outdoor - D/OOH, PR, direct marketing, and digital platforms to craft a coherent brand story that engages consumers at multiple touchpoints on their journey.

Gold Winner

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

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Gold Winner

#GreenGursha : small change, big difference

Unilever and MullenLowe SA / MullenLowe South Africa for

#GreenGursha : small change, big difference

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Silver Winner

Martell Tower

Pernod Ricard Nigeria and PHD Nigeria Limited / Pernod Ricard Nigeria for

Martell Tower

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Silver Winner

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

Bank Windhoek and Bank Windhoek Marketing / Bank Windhoek for

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

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Bronze Winner

Benylin Cough Stories

Kenvue and Triple Eight for

Benylin Cough Stories

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Bronze Winner

Jolly Jus Taste 100% Joy

Tiger Brands and Freshive Digital Agency / Freshive Digital for

Jolly Jus Taste 100% Joy

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Bronze Winner

It's Festive Fo'Sho with TFG Rewards

TFG - The Foschini Retail Group and TFG Customer & Loyalty / TFG for

It's Festive Fo'Sho with TFG Rewards

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Impact Media

Sub-Saharan Africa – Cross Digital Media Marketing

The Cross Digital Media Marketing category celebrates campaigns that integrates the diversity of digital platforms to create an engaging, and impactful brand experience, showcasing the power of a comprehensive digital strategy. The category recognizes the importance of a unified digital strategy that spans various applications and devices (minimum of 3), including desktop, mobile, wearables, digital installations etc. Campaigns should emphasize the ability of brands to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape to develop meaningful consumer engagements that drive business impact.

Gold Winner

COMFORT LASTING IMPRESSIONS

Unilever and Oliver South Africa for

COMFORT LASTING IMPRESSIONS

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Gold Winner

KFC Sauce Code

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC Sauce Code

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Silver Winner

Vaseline Cera Glow Live Shopping Experience

Unilever and Oliver South Africa for

Vaseline Cera Glow Live Shopping Experience

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Bronze Winner

Standard Bank Private "Live Wealthier" Campaign

Standard Bank and The Up&Up Group (formerly M&C Saatchi Group South Africa) / Standard Bank Private for

Standard Bank Private "Live Wealthier" Campaign

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Bronze Winner

Jameson Distillery on Tour

Pernod Ricard Nigeria and BrandEye Media for

Jameson Distillery on Tour

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Impact Media

Sub-Saharan Africa – Social Media Marketing

The Social Media Marketing category is dedicated to recognizing outstanding campaigns that utilize social media platforms to achieve marketing objectives. This category celebrates the strategic use of social networks, messaging apps, and text messaging services to engage audiences, drive sales, enhance brand visibility, and foster meaningful connections with communities or consumers emphasizing strategic engagement and innovative content to drive business results.

Gold Winner

Durex “Come Together” campaign

Pulse Marketing and Pulse Nigeria for

Durex “Come Together” campaign

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Silver Winner

Benny: You've Got the Flava

Tiger Brands and Freshive Digital Agency for

Benny: You've Got the Flava

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Silver Winner

TBI Ingram's: Let Your Skin Glow

Tiger Brands and Freshive for

TBI Ingram's: Let Your Skin Glow

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Bronze Winner

Bokkies - get your little champs game ready

Ackermans and 99c / 99cs for

Bokkies - get your little champs game ready

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Bronze Winner

Pep Dry and Detect Towels

Pep and Ogilvy South Africa / Pep South Africa for

Pep Dry and Detect Towels

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Impact Media

Sub-Saharan Africa – Creator / Influencer / Celebrity Marketing

The Creator/Influencer/Celebrity Marketing category celebrates campaigns that effectively leverage personalities to enhance brand engagement and achieve marketing objectives through authentic and persuasive collaborations. Campaigns that utilize creators, influencers, or celebrities in a strategic manner to reach and engage target audiences. Showcase creative integration of personalities into the brand narrative, resulting in enhanced consumer interaction and engagement.

Gold Winner

Checkers x Discovery Vitality partnership

Checkers Discovery Vitality and 99c / ShopriteX for

Checkers x Discovery Vitality partnership

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Gold Winner

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

Procter & Gamble and WPP Media for

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

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Gold Winner

Tinkies Holiday Spice

Tiger Brands and Hellosquare for

Tinkies Holiday Spice

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Silver Winner

#GreenGursha : small change, big difference

Unilever and MullenLowe SA / MullenLowe South Africa for

#GreenGursha : small change, big difference

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Bronze Winner

2025 Absa x EPL Ticket Giveaway Competition

Absa Rewards and OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management for

2025 Absa x EPL Ticket Giveaway Competition

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Bronze Winner

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

Bank Windhoek and Bank Windhoek Marketing / Bank Windhoek for

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

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Impact Media

Sub-Saharan Africa – Gaming, Gamification & E-Sports

The Gaming, Gamification & E-Sports category recognizes campaigns that creatively integrate gaming and e-sports to engage audiences and achieve marketing objectives, leveraging interactive and immersive experiences. Campaigns that leverage mainstream gaming applications, gamification in campaigns, or e-sports activities as a significant component of the marketing strategy & how the brand is integrated into the gaming environment is used to engage consumers.

Bronze Winner

Budget Insurance: Bill Blaster

Budget Insurance and / Penquin for

Budget Insurance: Bill Blaster

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Bronze Winner

It's Festive Fo'Sho with TFG Rewards

TFG - The Foschini Retail Group and TFG Customer & Loyalty / TFG for

It's Festive Fo'Sho with TFG Rewards

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Emerging Tech Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Data Insights / Contextual Marketing

The Data Insights/Contextual Marketing category celebrates campaigns that effectively utilize data analytics and technology to deliver personalized marketing experiences. It recognizes the strategic use of customer data, insights, and contextual information to tailor marketing messages delivered through the usage of technology platforms like programmatic, showcasing offers that resonate with the individual preferences and behaviors of the target audience. This category underscores the importance of data-driven decision-making in crafting marketing strategies that are not only relevant but also highly engaging and effective in meeting business objectives.

Gold Winner

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

TFG - The Foschini Retail Group and TFG for

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

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Gold Winner

KFC Block Booked

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC Block Booked

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Gold Winner

Purchase Intent Audience

Shoprite and Rainmaker Media for

Purchase Intent Audience

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Silver Winner

Data Clean Room

Standard Bank and Rainmaker Media for

Data Clean Room

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Emerging Tech Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Programmatic

The Programmatic category is dedicated to improving targeting, efficiency, and effectiveness in digital advertising. This category acknowledges campaigns that leverage programmatic advertising technology for targeted, efficient ad placements, optimizing digital advertising effectiveness and ROI.

Gold Winner

Suzuki - Rocket ROI

Suzuki and Penquin for

Suzuki - Rocket ROI

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Gold Winner

STADIO: A 132% Surge in Quality Applicants

STADIO Higher Education and 365 Digital Media / 365 Digital Media Pty Ltd for

STADIO: A 132% Surge in Quality Applicants

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Emerging Tech Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Future Forward Technology Marketing

Future Forward Technology Marketing category focuses on all things built with a futuristic view in the areas of Audio/Voice/Sonic/Spatial/AR/VR/NFT recognizing campaigns that innovatively use emerging future technologies to craft immersive and interactive brand experiences, pushing the boundaries of consumer engagement. This category highlights campaigns that not only capture the imagination of consumers but also deepen their engagement with the brand through cutting-edge technological interactions.

Silver Winner

Benylin Cough Stories

Kenvue and Triple Eight for

Benylin Cough Stories

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E-commerce marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Integrated E-commerce Innovation & Live Streaming

The Integrated E-commerce Innovation and Live Streaming category recognizes campaigns that excel in leveraging integrated 360 degree digital strategies including live video content into e-commerce platforms to enhance the e-commerce experiences, masterfully combine various digital tools and strategies to revolutionize the e-commerce experience, driving substantial business growth and enhancing customer engagement.

Gold Winner

Vaseline Cera Glow Live Shopping Experience

Unilever and Oliver South Africa for

Vaseline Cera Glow Live Shopping Experience

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Bronze Winner

Coca- Cola: Share a Coke

The Coca-Cola Company and WPP Media South Africa / WPP Media for

Coca- Cola: Share a Coke

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E-commerce marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – O2O / New Retail / Innovative & New Tech Sales Channels

The O2O (Online to Offline)/New Retail/Innovative & New Tech Sales Channels category celebrates campaigns that effectively bridge the gap between online and offline worlds, creating seamless consumer experiences that enhance engagement and sales through innovative retail strategies and technologies. This category recognizes the forward-thinking integration of digital and physical retail elements, utilizing new technologies and platforms to revolutionize the shopping experience, driving both online engagement and offline foot traffic.

Gold Winner

Purchase Intent Audience

Shoprite and Rainmaker Media for

Purchase Intent Audience

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Creative & Innovation Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Personalization

The Personalization category recognizes campaigns that achieve excellence in delivering highly customized content to consumers, leveraging data and technology to enhance engagement and drive business results.

Gold Winner

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

TFG - The Foschini Retail Group and TFG for

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

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Bronze Winner

DStv Multilingual Bot

Multichoice Group and Multichoice Group for

DStv Multilingual Bot

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Bronze Winner

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

Procter & Gamble and WPP Media for

Gillette Venus: My Skin, My Way

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Creative & Innovation Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa – Short or Long Form Video

The Short or Long Form Video category acknowledges campaigns that leverage video content to captivate audiences, utilizing creative storytelling and high production quality to achieve significant engagement and business outcomes. Highlight campaigns that leverage the power of video to convey compelling messages, drive consumer engagement, and enhance brand identity across digital and traditional platforms.

Gold Winner

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

Bank Windhoek and Bank Windhoek Marketing / Bank Windhoek for

Love A Bank - Bank Windhoek Brand Campaign

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Gold Winner

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

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Silver Winner

Bokkies - get your little champs game ready

Ackermans and 99c / 99cs for

Bokkies - get your little champs game ready

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Silver Winner

Reboost Watermelon Splash

BevCo and Hellosquare for

Reboost Watermelon Splash

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Bronze Winner

Standard Bank Private "Live Wealthier" Campaign

Standard Bank and The Up&Up Group (formerly M&C Saatchi Group South Africa) / Standard Bank Private for

Standard Bank Private "Live Wealthier" Campaign

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Bronze Winner

COMFORT "LASTING IMPRESSIONS"

Unilever and Oliver South Africa for

COMFORT "LASTING IMPRESSIONS"

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Bronze Winner

Ackerlympics

Ackermans and 99c for

Ackerlympics

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AI Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – AI-Powered Audience Engagement

The AI-Powered Audience Engagement category celebrates marketing campaigns that utilize artificial intelligence to significantly enhance audience engagement. This award recognizes efforts that employ AI technologies to analyze behaviors, predict preferences, automate interactions, and personalize communications at scale. It showcases how AI can be a critical tool in understanding and connecting with audiences more deeply and effectively, leading to increased engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Gold Winner

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

TFG - The Foschini Retail Group and TFG for

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

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Gold Winner

Lexus, Driven by Context!

Mobiclicks/ M&C Saatchi Connect and M&C Saatchi Connect / Mobiclicks for

Lexus, Driven by Context!

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Silver Winner

DStv Multilingual Bot

Multichoice Group and Multichoice Group for

DStv Multilingual Bot

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Bronze Winner

Elf Yourself!

Hollard and Flow Communications for

Elf Yourself!

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AI Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – Innovative Use of AI in Advertising

The category Innovative Use of AI in Advertising, recognizes campaigns that innovatively integrate artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize advertising strategies, enhancing targeting, personalization, and overall campaign effectiveness using Predictive and/or Generative AI. The campaigns showcasing how AI has been used to transform traditional practices. like New product or Customer offering development like customer servcies to enhance targeting accuracy and personalize experiences in creative ways integrating advertising content and strategies, enhancing the overall consumer experience.

Gold Winner

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

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AI Marketing

Sub-Saharan Africa – AI-Driven Creative Excellence

The AI-Driven Creative Excellence category recognizes campaigns that outstandingly integrate artificial intelligence with creative strategies, enhancing advertising effectiveness and delivering innovative marketing solutions. This category celebrates outstanding achievements in the creative use of AI tools—including image and video generation, voice synthesis, multilingual translation, and real-time streaming—to enhance the adaptability and impact of marketing campaigns. Recognizing entries that not only optimize costs but also tailor content dynamically for diverse audiences, this award spotlights pioneers who seamlessly integrate AI to drive engagement and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Gold Winner

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

Yum! and Ogilvy South Africa for

KFC A.I.nything for the Taste

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Silver Winner

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

TFG - The Foschini Retail Group and TFG for

TFG Precision Marketing - The New Growth Engine

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Bronze Winner

Elf Yourself!

Hollard and Flow Communications for

Elf Yourself!

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2025 Smarties Sub-Saharan Africa Industry Award Winners

Agency of the Year

Ogilvy South Africa

Brand of the Year

YUM!