#Bookmarks2018 Best Digital Agency goes to @OgilvySA! Huge congratulations to the Ogilvy team!!! ���� pic.twitter.com/grrIihYQAv

— The Bookmarks 2018 (@TheBookmarks) March 1, 2018

The Awards reward excellence in digital and recognise the impact interactive has on the overall marketing mix. They set the benchmark for tech, digital and leading-edge innovation and award work that demonstrates brand building through creative and high-impact digital executions that deliver measurable results.

Josephine Buys, CEO of the IAB South Africa, opened the ceremony, thanking their sponsors who make the Awards possible, the core team who works hard behind the scenes to make it happen and of course the judges who spend much time deliberating (and consuming a collective 2,200 cups of coffee) to select those most deserving of recognition. “I think this is going to be one of our biggest and best ever,” she said.

Ogilvy South Africa was awarded two golds in both the branded content and internet of things categories for Huggies’ 'Baby Marathon', and another for innovative use of media in its KFC 'Suppertime Stories' campaign, as well as a craft gold for excellence in marketing copywriting.

Pete Case, CCO at Ogilvy SA, comments: "Winning a pixel at the Bookmarks is always a wonderful achievement but winning Agency of the Year for the second year in a row is truly humbling, especially when one considers the great work entered by all the agencies last night. We're proud of our teams and also thankful to our brave clients that gave us the opportunity to partner on their great brands. Congratulations to everyone who made it on stage last night from our industry! And well done to the IAB for organising an outstanding event."

KFC Suppertime Stories from Bladeworks on Vimeo.

Runner-up Native VML, with a total of 18 awards, was awarded two golds in both the display advertising and social media publications categories for its 'Stop the Cycle' campaign for Huffington Post South Africa. Followed by King James Group, which received a total of 13 awards, including two golds in the content strategy and bots, messaging and dark social categories for its Uk’shona Kwelanga case study for Sanlam’s MyChoice Funeral Plan.

Ben Wagner, head of VML Cape Town, comments: "I’m so stoked that we’ve somehow managed to continuously improve year after year! 2018 is our best year yet with 18 awards, four more than 2017. This is testament to a couple of things, one our work is now being awarded across multiple categories and we’re reaching greater creative density with our clients, which is particularly gratifying given the commitment we’ve made to them to achieve the highest of standards, and most importantly doing work with integral purpose, that adds value across the connected consumer experience. We tip our hats to our clients for their trust and commitment, and most importantly our teams who put in the time and who overcome tremendous obstacles in getting the work to the right levels."

Ryan McManus, CCO at VML SA, adds: "I am so proud of yet another successful year at Bookmarks. It's fantastic to see that our continued effort to raise the bar for ourselves and our clients is paying off. It's awesome to see our work winning across a diverse selection of categories, but also across multiple brands, clients and teams, resulting in a total of 18 Bookmark Awards, including 3 co-credited wins with Joe Public, 2 Gold and 8 Silver for this year."

Stop The Cycle from VML South Africa on Vimeo.

Other agencies that did particularly well include: 24.com, a division of Media24 (10), including a black pixel for Best Publisher; Net#work BBDO (9); M&C Saatchi Abel (7); and Primedia Broadcasting (7).

Media24 chief executive Esmaré Weideman says their Bookmarks success is a strong endorsement of Media24’s growth in the digital arena. “We are now Africa’s leading digital publishing house, having successfully made the transition from a predominantly print-focused entity. Receiving the Best Publisher award for the second year running confirms that we’re doing things right, engaging online audiences with the right content and offering advertising clients solutions that work.

“It is also gratifying to see that our #GuptaLeaks partnership with AmaBhungane and Daily Maverick – which produced such powerful results – has been recognised.”

Andreij Horn, head of 24.com, adds: “In total our publishing brands, our in-house agency The SpaceStation and 24.com received 21 awards either in their own right or in partnership with others, like VML, AmaBhungane and Daily Maverick. These awards reflect the team’s commitment to serving society at large with quality content that can be trusted. And our commercial partners are successfully providing brands with an effective environment through which they engaged audience effectively.”

Vega graduates Saraah Saint (Visual Communication) and Jessica Hay (Creative Brand Communication) were awarded a black pixel in the ‘Best Digital Student’ sub-category for their campaign, 'Who Wore it Best?', also marking the second consecutive year that students from Vega have walked away with this accolade.

“The Bookmark Awards is such a prestigious platform in South Africa and around the world, and to be recognised for our work – for a second year in a row – is an amazing and truly rewarding feeling,” says the duo. “Once again, we have to give a great big thank you to our wonderful and committed navigators for all their guidance and support, as well as Vega for creating an environment that allows us to flourish and express ourselves every day.”

Video interviews coming soon, but for now, in case you missed it, click through for the full list of winners: