Innovation category launches at Eurobest
Loeries Creativity Seminar speakers present must-see
talks for marketers
MEC Scoops two Lamb Awards at Most Awards
T
he European Festival of Creativity, Eurobest, has opened
for entries announcing that a new Innovation categorywill
launch at the 2014 awards, which this year take place in
Helsinki, Finland.
The Innovation category will honour breakthrough technol-
ogyand innovationswhichcould leadtoacreative ideabrought
to life as well as stand-alone innovative consumer products.
Figures show that at the recent 2014 Cannes Lions, the highest
proportionofregionalentries intothe Innovationcategorycame
from Europe, who submitted 38 percent of the 206 received,
and Russia took the much sought after Grand Prix, proving Eu-
rope’s large influence in this fast-moving industry. A dedicated
jury, led by Ami Dror, Managing Partner of Zaitoun Ventures,
will select the most pioneering forms of technology including,
butnot limitedto,apps,tools,programmes,hardware,products
and other radical software which have been developed to help
put into practice the creative excellence in communications.
Ami has been the driving force behind many key industry
innovations. In 2005 he co-founded XPAND 3D, which he has
since grown into one of the biggest 3D companies in theworld,
seeing 15000 3D cinema installations worldwide and millions
of3Dconsumerproductssoldeveryyear.Expandingthemarket,
Ami led the formation of FHD3DTV, a licensing company, jointly
owned by Sony, Samsung, XPAND and Panasonic. He has
also led the development of a medical device company within
XPAND which resulted in the introduction of Amblyz - a totally
new approach in the treatment of children with amblyopia.
Commenting on his role, Ami said, ‘To me Eurobest seems to
be about taking an exciting journey of discovery. As president,
I can’t wait to discover Europe’s latest innovations, start-ups,
rising stars and ground-breaking technologies.’
Adding to this, Philip Thomas, CEO of Lions Festivals, com-
mented, ‘Helsinki is a city famed for its start-up culture and
tech-focused initiatives. As this year’s host city of Eurobest,
we’re excited that we can use such a fitting culture and envi-
ronment to launch the Innovation category. With his achieve-
mentsandknowledge,Amiwillbeafantasticpresidentandwe
can’t wait to see what he and his jury discover, as they work to
benchmark creativity and innovation across Europe.’
Eurobest is accepting entries in 16 categories: Branded
Content & Entertainment, Design, Direct, Film, Film Craft, In-
novation, Integrated, Interactive, Mobile, Media, Outdoor, PR,
Print, Print & Poster Craft, Promo &Activation and Radio.
Details of how to enter and category rules can be found
online at
Entries made before 26 Sep-
tember will save €30 per entry. Eurobest will take place from
1-3 December at the Finlandia Hall, Helsinki and will see jury
members judge and award the greatest creative communica-
tions in Europe, whilst a programme of content will work to
inform and inspire delegates throughout the three-day Festival.
I
f you’re amarketer, which burning questions are keeping
you awake at night? Making the most of opportunities
in the rest of the African continent? Finding innovative
ways to differentiate your brand in tough economic con-
ditions? Getting a better return on investment on your
Facebook spend?
The Loeries DStv Seminar of Creativity on Friday Sep-
tember 19 answered all of these and more.
Headlining the day was Rob Newlan, Facebook Crea-
tive Shop’s Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa. Two
of the hottest trends in marketing communication today
are data and storytelling, and Rob is an expert in bring-
ing together both. He runs a team of creative directors,
strategists, entrepreneurs, and technologists dedicated
to building creative ideas through a combination of art
and science, which delight people, and deliver business
results.
No company knows more about turning opportunities
in Africa into business success than Unilever, and nomar-
keter is better placed to offer insight into how to do that
thanUnilever NigeriaMDYawNsokrah. After starting his
career 20 years ago as a shift leader in the factory in Uni-
lever Ghana, Yaw has worked in diverse markets across
Europe, Asia, South Africa and East Africa. He spoke at
the Seminar of Creativity about Afrocentric approaches to
marketing.
Other speakers on the bill included some of the
most outstanding creative leaders in the world today.
They include McCann Australia’s executive creative di-
rector, Patrick Baron; Arno Lindemann, the chief creative
officer of Lukas Lindemann Rosinski; PJ Pereira, CEO and
co-founder Pereira and O’Dell, San Francisco; Stephen
Doyle, creative drector, Doyle Partners, NewYork City and
Egypt’s Ali Ali, Cannes gold-winning commercials direc-
tor and former executive creative director and founder of
Elephant.
All of this year’s speakers offered compelling insights
into the link between creativity and the impact on busi-
ness results. An opportunity like this comes along once
a year and and was a must-see for all serious marketers.
For the first time, all registered delegates received a
complimentary one-year access to the Loeries Archive.
The Loeries Archive is a great resource for anyone want-
ing to review the winning campaigns as well as previous
winners dating back to the inaugural awards in 1978.
For more information contact:
Natasha Jones (Positive Dialogue Communications)
021 486
M
EC Group Johannesburg won the Media Lamb
of the year award at this year’s MOST Awards
event held in Johannesburg on 4 September.
MECGroup Cape Town placed third in the same category.
‘We are absolutely thrilled to win an award of this
stature and even more so since both our Johannesburg
and Cape Town offices ranked in the top three for the
same category,’ said Erica Gunning MD of South Africa
MEC Group.
The MOST Awards is an independent web-based
survey commissioned by Wag the Dog Publishers and
conducted by FGI to helpmedia agencies andmedia own-
ers assess and improve their service delivery to their cli-
ents, and to their media owner or media agency partners,
which aims to lead to a better industry for everyone.
‘MEC is a full-service media agency that provides
integrated marketing services across all media channels
and communications disciplines. We deliver value by cre-
ating, implementing and measuring communication solu-
tions that actively engage people with brands,’ explained
Gunning.
‘As a representation, this award symbolises the dedi-
cated service both our groups offer to our clients in the
media industry and is testament to the highly talented
individuals we currently have in our employ,’ added John
BealeMD of MEC Cape Town.
The most important performance criterion for the
various awards handed out at the event was ‘knowledge
of client brands and the market landscape’, followed by
‘knowledge of the media landscape’. ‘Communication’,
‘professionalism’, ‘involvement’, and ‘empowerment’,
follow in order of importance, as the remaining four per-
formance criteria.
Beale concluded, ‘As an established agency, it’s even
more important for us to be recognised as a growing part
of the industry, fromour partners inmedia. These types of
awards are a huge motivator to all those in the agency,
and who doesn’t like a little lamb, we’re South African
after all!’
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