AdFocus entries are now open

The FM is delighted to announce that agencies can now enter for the 2023 FM AdFocus Awards. The closing date is midnight on September 1.

This year, some changes have been made to the awards. Significantly, the Digital Agency Award category has been dropped.

AdFocus Awards chair Luca Gallarelli, group CEO of TBWA\SA, gives the  reason for this: “The digital agency category has become redundant, as in our industry, digital is no longer a vertical but is horizontally integrated across all agencies and all disciplines.”

He explains further that if an agency is, for example, a digital specialist in the space of UX/UI design, the Specialist Agency category provides a perfect home.

“If the agency is geared towards full service in its execution while orientating itself heavily toward digital communications and channels, it should enter one of the three main categories: small; medium or large agency. We understand that there is a wide space between those two scenarios, but we believe this to be the best outcome after years of vacillating between positions.”

In the Large Agency of the Year and Medium Agency of the Year categories, the percentage of the overall score allocated to creative has been increased to 30%.

“Our industry is, at a fundamental level, about harnessing the power of creativity to drive effect. We believe that this increase better reflects it,” says Gallarelli.

An important new requirement is that an affidavit from the chief financial officer or financial director of an agency needs to be submitted to confirm that all financial information shared in  the entry is correct.

In general, all the AdFocus questionnaires have been brought up to date to ensure they remain relevant to the industry. All requirements in terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act are adhered to and can be found on the site.

The main categories of the 2023 AdFocus Awards are:

•  Large Advertising Agency of the Year;
•  Medium Advertising Agency of the Year;
•  Small Advertising Agency of the Year;
•  Media Agency of the Year;
•  Independent Media Agency of the Year;
•  Specialist Agency of the Year;
•  Public Relations Agency of the Year;
•  Student of the Year; and 
• Overall Agency of the Year, which is drawn from the top performers across the individual categories.

Agency Awards for 2023 are:

• Agency Group Award;
• Transformation Award;
• Partnership of the Year Award, sponsored by the Independent Agency Search and Selection (IAS) company;
• Agency Adaptability Award; and 
• African Impact Award.

Nominated categories:

• Lifetime Achievement Award;
• Industry Leader of the Year Award; and
• Shapeshifter Award.

The process, step by step:

Complete an online questionnaire and submit supporting documents on the AdFocus Awards website (www.adfocus.co.za).

Points to bear in mind:

1. If you entered the AdFocus Awards in 2022, your login details will no longer be valid. Please register a new account on the FM AdFocus Awards website to enter this year’s awards Click here to register an account on the AdFocus Awards website.

2. You’ll be sent a confirmation e-mail.

3. Log in to the AdFocus Awards website.

4. Fill in the questionnaire for the award category you’d like to enter:

• Select “Agency Awards” for agency award questionnaires.
• Select “Nominations” for individual award questionnaires.
• For advertising awards, first select “Agency Details” and ensure that the type of agency reflected in the drop-down menu (Large, Medium, Specialist and so on) corresponds with the award category you'd like to enter, then click “Save”. Next, select “Entry Details” for the questionnaire.

5. Once you’ve completed the relevant questionnaire, click the “Submit” button.

6. You'll note that each questionnaire requires supporting documents (such as a case study or BEE certificate). To upload these documents, simply click on the Upload Files button at the bottom of the page. Once uploaded, the filename will appear in a list below the button, which will serve as confirmation of your upload.

7. If one agency is entering multiple categories, a new, different login will be required for each entry.

Further information on award categories, entry criteria and closing dates can be found at www.adfocus.co.za. For queries regarding AdFocus Awards entries, contact Danette Capper at adfocus100@gmail.com or 082 494 4174.

For advertising and sponsorship opportunities in the 2023 FM AdFocus publication, contact Kay Naidoo (NaidooKA@arena.africa) or Debbie Montanari (montanarid@arena.africa).

The big take-out: Entries for the 2023 AdFocus Awards close at midnight on September 1 2023.