Johannesburg - Between May and September, when the advertising award season reaches its peak, South African ad agencies fork out some R30m on entering and attending award ceremonies.
With awards for creativity, effectiveness, direct marketing, public relations and everything in between, this is clearly an ego-driven business.
The Loeries, on September 24-27, is the last big grabfest of the season, with only three relatively small events to follow: Pendoring, Eagle Awards and Ad of the Year.
Based on back-of-a-matchbox calculations, ad agencies spend a conservatively estimated R10m on entries, R5m on attendance fees and R15m on travel, accommodation, food and drink for five major festivals: Cannes (France), Loeries, The One Show, Clios (both US) and D&AD (Britain).
Most of the money goes into the Loeries, where attendance is large and costs relatively low, and Cannes, where attendee numbers are smaller but costs can be outrageous.
Entries to Cannes average about €385 a pop, or R4 250. We had 732 entries, making our presence the 11th biggest, and setting the SA ad industry back R3.1m. Being there is even more costly: the fee for a single delegate is R28 000, including VAT.
A Loerie entry varies between R1 200 and R1 800, and there were 3 138 entries this year - a total, let's say, of more than R4m.
Is it worth it? Though portrayed - or dismissed - as empty ego-feeding, awards entries should more properly be viewed as marketing expenses. Agencies win or lose business on their perceived ability to produce creative work, and individuals in the industry enhance their employability through good performance.
As an example of how important awards are, look at the industry's reaction to TBWA Hunt Lascaris' massive wins at Cannes for its campaign for the exile newspaper, The Zimbabwean. "They're back!" was the cry as a fading giant recaptured some of its old magic.
Says Hunt Lascaris executive creative director Damon Stapleton: "The main thing it does for the agency is to build confidence and self-belief. You feel you can still compete, that you are on the right track.
"Our success was fantastic for the agency, but also for South Africa. It would be nice if our industry celebrated more as a country and less as big individual networks."
Awards galore for every category
Winning awards may not be necessary for advertising effectiveness, but it is a way of attracting and retaining quality staff, and it sends a signal about the agency's abilities. Some people compare it with a top Paris fashion designer's spring collection, designed more for fun and spectacle than to be worn while shopping for groceries.
Though the five awards festivals mentioned are the biggies, there are, at last count, 26 separate awards events of varying calibre on the marketing calendar, and another six media and journalism awards - in total, more than 30.
Major international marketing/advertising events: Cannes, D&AD, Clio, The One Show, Effies, John Caples.
Local industry marketing/advertising events: Loeries, Eagles, Ad of the Year, Apex, Roger Garlick, Bookmarks, Pendoring, Assegai, Ad of the Month, OHMSA, Prism, Marketing Excellence, Khuza Awards.
Media owner events: Vodacom Women in the Media, SA Blog Awards, AdReview Awards, AdFocus Awards, AdMag Awards, AdReview Commercials Director of the Year, Sunday Times Top Brands, The Annual awards, Most Awards.
Journalism and publishing awards: Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards, Pica Awards, Sanlam Financial Journalist, Vodacom Journalist of the Year.
Even for an ego-driven industry like this, it seems a lot. The mining industry, about 40 times as big, seems to have only one award - and that's for safety.
- Fin24.com