New leader

Johannesburg - TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Net#work BBDO, and Ogilvy's Johannesburg and Cape Town offices have surged past Grey Advertising as creative award-winners after the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival.

Grey was the early front-runner in the 2009 creativity stakes.

The Creative League Table is now headed by Hunt Lascaris, in one of the great come-backs of South African advertising. Once unbeatable creatively, the agency last headed the table in 2005, but declined to 11th last year.

The full table for the year so far, shows all the agencies that have won any creative points at four major international awards shows - Clio, The One Show, D&AD and Cannes. The table is updated as each awards event takes place. Still to come are the local awards: the Loeries, the Eagles and the Ad of the Year.

Welcome though Hunt Lascaris' return to form is, it is almost entirely based on a single campaign idea, the "trillion dollar billboard" using Zimbabwean currency to plaster a billboard with the message, "Thanks to Mugabe this money is wallpaper." The money is literally not worth the paper it is printed on.

The advertiser is The Zimbabwean, an exile newspaper.

The campaign accounted for 80% of South African awards at Cannes this year, excluding finalists.

Another come-back artist was Net#work BBDO, now in second spot, after having fallen from first in 2007 to 10th last year.

Though Hunt Lascaris has an overwhelming lead, there is still a chance for Net#work or Ogilvy Johannesburg to overtake it with a good showing at the Loeries. Last year, Ogilvy Johannesburg won 4 900 points at the Loeries.

Our point scale is designed to make comparisons possible between awards won at events of varying stature. Thus a Loerie Grand Prix, worth 600 points, is rated equal to a Cannes Gold Lion.

- Fin24.com