Ogilvy wins the grand prize at 2023 Effie Awards

Ogilvy South Africa was awarded a Grand Effie with a campaign for KFC titled “How KFC reclaimed its fame by turning its taste from sales killer into a business driver”. The Effie Awards are South Africa’s pre-eminent marketing effectiveness awards.

The judges say the Ogilvy campaign, which won a gold award as well, was the epitome of marketing effectiveness, setting new standards for the entire industry and showcasing the power of strategic, results-driven marketing.

Ogilvy South Africa also won a gold award for another KFC campaign, as well as VW SA’s VW Polo Game On campaign. The only other gold went to Grey Advertising Africa for a campaign for Savanna Premium Cider titled “How some ‘spice’ served Savanna unprecedented growth”.

Allison Knapp Womack, COO of Effie Worldwide, says the winning campaigns demonstrate the vibrancy and health of the marketing sector in South Africa, solidifying the country’s presence in the global context of marketing effectiveness.

Mathe Okaba, ACA CEO for Effie Awards South Africa, said the entries and winners in this year’s programme more than reinforced the concept that South Africa exhibits world-class levels of creative effectiveness. “More importantly, the work entered is underpinned by a clear and strategic understanding of the importance of effectiveness in relation to marketing and business objectives,” Okaba says.

Co-jury chair Mpume Ngobese says: “Winning an Effie is next-level tough. The magic continues to lie in balancing the narrative when talking about the effectiveness story: the context, the brand challenge, the campaign objectives, the [growth] insight, the work and the results.”

The full list of the 2023 Effie Awards South Africa winners is as follows:

The full list of the 2023 Effie Awards South Africa finalists is also available here

THE BIG TAKE-OUT: “Winning an Effie is next-level tough.” - Co-jury chair Mpume Ngobese