The 33rd Annual Loeries campaign called “Don’t hate. Create’ was launched in March with completely reworked categories to better reflect the current state of the industry.
According to Loeries CEO Andrew Human they started with a clean slate rather than simply tweaking the former categories. “I think the categories are now more understandable and they better represent the way the industry works,’ says Human. “Every touch point between a brand and its audience is brand communication and our categories are now grouped primarily by media type.’
The Loeries are the premier brand communication awards in South Africa, Africa and the Middle East. Human explains that there is no longer a distinction between marketing and advertising. “The interior design of a company is as much part of brand communication as a TV commercial,’ says Human.
Among the benefits of grouping categories by media type is, for example, all TV, film and video entries will now be judged by one panel. According to Human this means that specialised judges can be chosen because of their expertise and not because of a generic label like marketing.
Some of the new categories include a category for sponsorship done in an “innovative and strategic’ way. A category has also been created for PR communications. Human says that they had PR entries in the past but couldn’t satisfactorily fit them into any of the existing categories.
Another new category has been added recognising performance craft for the television, radio and live events categories. This means that for the first time, performers and voiceover artists will be recognised for the role they play in creating a successful production.
Animation and special visual effects have also been separated and will be judged in two different categories.
According to Human some of the old categories have fallen away as the purpose of the new categories is not to attract more entries, but to better represent the industry.
The “Don’t hate. Create’ campaign was created by Draftfcb and is supported by a mobisite and specially developed augmented reality applications, linking digital technology to printed media.
The “Trans-Hater’ iPhone application, developed by Injozi, uses augmented reality to reveal hidden messages in the campaign posters and print ads when a cellphone is held up to the image. A special application has also been designed by Pollen and Mail Gloo for use on Mac and PC.
The deadline for entries is 13 May 2011 and the eligibility period for work submitted is 1 June 2010 to 31 May 2011. Entries must be produced in Africa, the Middle East or African island states like Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles.
The Loeries Festival Weekend will take place from 16 to 18 September in Cape Town.
For more information visit www.theloerieawards.co.za.
