Judging the entries, Hanlie Kriel, Saatchi & Saatchi senior copywriter, says she felt that the new system made it slightly more difficult to win something, but ensured that only the very best work is awarded: “Only the international judge has seen the final results and he assured me that the judges were unanimous in the voting, and that the work that deserved to win went through.”
The international judge this year was a “regte egte Afrikaanse outjie” according to Kriel. “He not only understood the language perfectly, he also understood the nuances of the work and South Africa. Xander Smith has been working at TBWA/Paris for the past few years. Tres, tres inspiring!”
Kriel says that of the work entered there were a few pieces that really stood out above everything else: “Really fresh thoughts that were expertly taken into several different media.
“In recent years the work in the student category has been great, but this year it was a little disappointing. I got the feeling that often the essence of a great idea was there; it just wasn't pushed far enough. The student web category did provide a glimmer of hope.”
Adds Saatchi & Saatchi creative director (Cape) Anton Crone: “It is incredibly important to support local awards and initiatives in advertising. Through them we enhance the identity that so often becomes lost in the drive to compete in the international awards arena.
“It is heartening to see more South Africans winning locally, not for their grasp of the British or American style of advertising but for their masterful use of the colloquial language and rich visual identity that surrounds us.”
The awards evening takes place on Friday, 7 September 2007, at Vodaworld in Midrand.
