Everyone knows their favourite ad – but people seldom think about what new ways there are to promote a brand. That’s the idea behind the Loeries Media Innovation category – to award innovative use of any media platform, or even to come up with something that’s never been done before.
Barron, Africa’s largest supplier of promotional products, is partnering the Loeries to promote media innovation, and Barron will spearhead a creative competition to find the best design for this year’s official Loeries T-shirt and delegate bags. “It’s our belief in the power of branding that drives this partnership with the Loeries,” says Barron commercial director Michael Salomon.
The Loeries launched its “Tell Better Stories” campaign in February with the aim to inspire brands and creatives to create communications that break out from the clutter. “It’s too easy to follow the stereotype. A new narrative that is locally relevant and culturally nuanced opens up a whole new world for innovation. This is all encapsulated in the Loeries’ vision to tell real stories, inclusive stories, locally and culturally relevant stories – but better stories,” says Loeries CEO Andrew Human.
A good example of media innovation is the Nando’s ‘#rightmyname’ campaign which won a Gold Loerie in 2018. Every day, South Africans with non-English names are told by spellcheck that their African names are a mistake. Nando’s took spellcheck’s red line, something that usually appears only on computer screens, and transplanted it to the Sunday Times newspaper. When people picked up the newspaper their initial thought was that the Sunday Times editorial team had made a serious mistake. Just as they were about to voice their frustration they were met with a full-page ad that explained the #rightmyname campaign to correct this. The traditional newspaper was used to highlight a human problem that people usually only experienced in a digital environment – a unique way to use print and which drew massive attention.
The Loeries, a non-profit company, is Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry. As the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region, the Loeries promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking. Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in Africa and the Middle East, Loeries Creative Week Durban brings together the best innovative minds from our industry for a festival of networking, inspiring minds and recognising great work. Our region’s creative economy is world-class and has great potential to grow and to offer employment both to our talented youth. The growth occurring throughout Africa and the Middle East is very exciting, and a major focus of the Loeries is to increase the standard of brand communication in the region.