The final round of judging is complete and the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa’s annual Assegai Integrated Marketing Awards presented by the South African Post Office is now preparing for the gala awards evening. This year saw a record number of entries as well as exceptional standards from all the entries.
“The industry response has been phenomenal and rewarding despite an incredibly challenging year on both the business and legislative fronts. This year saw 356 campaigns registered and worked on for submission. These were whittled down to 259 campaigns which made it through to the judging, which was sponsored by and held at the Focus Rooms in Sunninghill. Each year the Assegai Awards has grown in terms of entry numbers. The number of registered entries has increased phenomenally each year, with this year’s final entry numbers increasing by a whopping 37% on 2011,” says Michelle Perrow, chairperson of the DMA SA.
The DMA SA attributes this growth to the fact that interactive & direct marketing uptake is increasing rapidly and the marketing industry as a whole is constantly evolving. The quality of the work is also improving and many of the campaigns demonstrated phenomenal ROI coupled with outstanding creativity.
Head International judge and direct marketing luminary, Joost van Nispen who travelled to South Africa from Spain for the judging, comments, “The standard of direct marketing in South Africa is very high and is comparable to the rest of world, often better. It was so refreshing to see the level of creativity and dare I say that South Africans are a lot more adventurous in their marketing. The South African environment really lends itself to innovative work and it is great to see agencies and brands pushing the envelope. I was also really intrigued to see the excellent standard of SA’s social media campaigns which were world class.”
Assegai entry numbers are growing, the quality of work is improving each year and clients are getting to see the real bottom line benefits that sit behind the art and science of direct and interactive marketing. Each year an analysis of the entries reveals a telling story – more and more businesses, from small entrepreneurial outfits right through to the largest blue chips, are investing in interactive & direct marketing that brings demonstrable ROI through the intelligent use of data.
Michelle Perrow, Chairperson of the DMA SA and board member responsible for the Assegai Awards adds: “The biggest shift that I have seen is the dissolving of ‘the line. Integration is the name of the game and we are seeing a big upsurge in Direct techniques and measurable strategies being used in multiple marketing areas. Of course, each area of the mix has a role to play but the manifestation of that role has changed. In short, it’s about utilising every brand contact and intervention to build data, be this through drive to web or mobisite, through data forms completed at activations, through driving response and participation off social media platforms to the more traditional direct channels. Direct Mail has not, for many years, yielded the excellent response and conversion rate that we see currently. Bring multiple channels together to create Surround Direct and you have a powerful formula for Sales and Relationship success.
“Based on an analysis of the entries in each category, it is particularly exciting to see the growth in channel integration and use of multiple channels to reach consumers. Traditional direct channels such as mail remain very strong and active. There has been distinctive growth in the digital categories and particularly social media has been phenomenal. It is not just good creative but the strategy and tactics behind the creative makes the difference. In addition, another noteworthy aspect is the number of entries in the multiple channel category – by far our largest entry numbers out of 30 categories,” concludes Perrow.
A huge vote of thanks goes to the 2012 judging panel who took a full week out of their schedule to judge the 259 campaigns:
| Joost van Nispen | International Judge |
| Chandrika Bhima | ABSA |
| Craig Page-Lee | Posterscope |
| Craig Mooi | SAPO |
| Debi Loftie Eaton | Mortimer Harvey |
| Diana Springer | M&C Saatchi Abel |
| Hilton Veldsman | Native |
| Jacques du Preez | Aqua Online |
| Joanne Cowie | African Bank |
| Kendal Smith | Freelance |
| Khardine Craven | Nedbank |
| Lechelle de Vries | SABest |
| Michelle Perrow | DMA SA Acting Chair |
| Paul Coetzer | Oscar Tango |
| Peter Oleksak | Lesoba Difference |
| Sandy Naransammy | ABSA |
| Shay van der Poll | Computer Facilities |
| Shelley Waterhouse | Ogilvy JHB |
| Tracey Clark | Standard Bank |
| Warren Moss | Demographica |
Scores are currently in for independent auditing and finalists will be advised in the coming days. The awards evening will be held on November 15 at Sax Arena, Centurion. The theme for the event is “A Red Carpet Experience”. To book for the gala evening, contact Nadine or Anne on 011 894 2767 or [email protected].
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