Twelve of advertising’s biggest names will head the judging of this year’s awards. The competition continues to be the litmus test for business excellence in the industry, but for 2023, AdFocus is also putting increased emphasis on its raison d’être — magic creative work. New jury chair, Luca Gallarelli, group CEO of TBWA\SA, spoke to the FM about this development, and more.
Why does AdFocus matter?
AdFocus has always mattered. As a young professional starting out, it was my single most important point of reference about what was happening in the industry and about the people shaping it. It is up to us as an industry to prioritise platforms like AdFocus once again, in an effort to reclaim our place as a meaningful and credible driver of growth and the economy.
What is the industry’s biggest challenge?
Another year, another question mark over our sustainability and relevance. The rise of artificial intelligence presents the most obvious challenge to our industry and to society at large. How we harness this new force in an effort to accelerate our evolution, while retaining everything that has made our industry such an important driver of growth for organisations and brands, is the single biggest unanswered question.
The collision of human and artificial intelligence presents us with a huge opportunity
Why the theme “Alchemy”?
The collision of human and artificial intelligence presents us with a huge opportunity to address the above. I am excited at the prospect of what will result from this splicing of abilities. On the one hand, huge risks lie in wait, on the other — if one engages optimistically — the prizing of the role of human ingenuity and creativity. The prospects are more exciting today than at any other point in our industry’s history.
What should the industry be most proud of?
It has the ability to harness the power of human ingenuity and creativity. Our industry has always provided a home for the eternally restless, the prodigiously talented — the oddballs and brain boxes who create too much disruption and unsettlement in more structured environments. This is a blending of logic and magic, so to speak.
Are there any changes to this year’s competition?
Yes. One big change: last year the creative weighting increased from 5% to 15%. This year it rises to 30%. We are, at a most fundamental level, a creative industry. This should be weighted to be reflected appropriately. It is important to say that awards alone will not be the metric, but also the quality of each agency’s product, the measurable effect this has delivered against objectives set, the primary orientation of the entry and its evaluation.
Why should every agency enter?
For one thing, the process of entering gives any agency leader a unique insight into the agency. The exercise of writing out the entry, and reflecting on successes and areas of weakness, is hugely insightful. Shortlistings should be celebrated as small victories. A shortlist alone means that some of the industry’s most senior executives have deemed the agency to have a quality that stands out in the category entered. This award is the only opportunity agencies have to measure themselves against the best and place themselves among them.
The standard will be incredibly high this year and I encourage all agency leaders to put meaningful time into the exercise.
What makes this year’s jury unique?
The returning jurors bring experience from last year and the new ones bring additional heft, seniority and experience to the room. They also bring different perspectives that should encourage interesting debate. This year we will have the full breadth of our industry represented. They include group CEOs and MDs of small and large agencies, and both founders and clients. For the first time, to my knowledge, we welcome a chief creative officer. The jury has been designed to bring diversity of thought, talent, seniority and perspective to the table. Hopefully, this alone creates a special kind of alchemy.
Entries for the 2023 FM AdFocus Awards open in July.
The 2023 jury
The new jury members are: Thabang Skwambane, group CEO, Nahana; Dean Oelschig, MD and founder, Halo; Vicki Buys, MD, Ogilvy Cape Town; Sadika Fakir, head of media and digital, Tiger Brands; and Pepe Marais, co-founder and group chief creative officer, Joe Public.
The second-term jury members are: Luca Gallarelli, group CEO TBWA\South Africa; Firdous Osman, MD, Saatchi & Saatchi Cape Town; Wandile Collins, founder, Black Swan; Ana Carrapichano, founder and CEO, Mediology; Merissa Himraj, CEO, Wavemaker South Africa; Nimay Parekh, head of digital, Accenture; and Zanele Zwane, MD, Duke.
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