FM AdFocus Awards 2025: The power of partnership in a changing industry
The FM AdFocus Awards for 2025 take place next week. The Awards recognise agencies that don’t just create, but perform. One of the sought-after Aawards is the AdFocus Partnership of the Year Award, sponsored by the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS).
Ogilvy and SAB Carling Black Label 2023 winners of the IAS-sponsored FM AdFocus Partnership Award (Image: Source © AdFocus Awards AdFocus Awards)
Now in their 45th year, the FM AdFocus Awards stand apart as South Africa’s only business-focused accolades for the marketing and advertising industry.
While most awards celebrate creative output, AdFocus looks deeper into how agencies are built and led.
This year’s theme, Creative Capital: Building Agency Value in a Complex World, underscores that evolution.
“Agencies aren’t just creative shops anymore—they’re strategic businesses building long-term value through impact creativity,” says Vicki Buys, MD of Ogilvy South Africa and this year’s awards chairperson.
With entries nearly double those of 2024, the 2025 competition has attracted a record level of engagement, signalling a confident industry where creativity and business performance go hand in hand.
Spotlight on partnership
Within this broader celebration of agency excellence, the AdFocus Partnership of the Year Award shines a light on what truly fuels great work: trust, collaboration and results.
The IAS has sponsored this award for over 15 years, briefing judges and helping define criteria that go beyond campaign success. Their sponsorship reflects a deep understanding of what makes agency relationships work—expertise gained from years of connecting brands with the right partners.
Notably, the award recognises the marketer’s role in shaping and sustaining that success. Strong partnerships don’t just depend on agency excellence—they rely on committed, strategically-minded marketing teams who champion bold ideas and drive ongoing performance.
To qualify for entry, partnerships must span at least three years and show sustained performance — “not just a spike in success, but proof of consistent collaboration that drives growth,” as the award criteria state.
From legacy to leadership
This year’s finalists clearly demonstrate that endurance.
Last year’s winners, Ogilvy South Africa and the KFC marketing team, proved the long game still wins.
After 20 years together, the partnership didn’t rely on legacy—it evolved. KFC’s marketers championed a refreshed taste narrative and backed brave creative decisions, resulting in a 36% sales surge and a renewed cultural edge driven by bold, youth-focused storytelling.
This year’s shortlist tells another powerful story—99c and Checkers, The MediaShop and Shoprite Checkers, and Ogilvy South Africa and Volkswagen—each pairing reflecting a partnership that transcends contract cycles, showing how collaboration can build both brands and businesses over time.
The heart of the industry
Johanna McDowell, CEO of IAS and partner in Scopen South Africa, explains, “This award recognises the human chemistry behind commercial creativity. Exceptional work is only possible when the client-agency relationship is built on integrity, shared ambition and respect.”
In a climate where client-agency relationships risk becoming transactional, the Partnership Award is a reminder of what great marketing is built on—connection and creativity that deliver measurable results.
Both marketers and agencies receive the award—an acknowledgement that high-performing work is always co-authored.
The AdFocus Awards may honour agencies, but the IAS Partnership of the Year honours the connective tissue that keeps them thriving: the partnerships that last and continue to drive the industry forward.
Winners will be announced at the AdFocus Awards ceremony on 26 November.