Ogilvy shines as Most Awarded South African Agency at Cannes 2023

On the first day of the festival, Ogilvy’s campaign for Castle Lager SA ‘Bread of the Nation’, earned not only a shortlist for titanium but converted to a prestigious gold award. This groundbreaking initiative, utilised spent grain to create a nutritious bread, which is being distributed to areas in need across South Africa. The campaign exemplified the true potential of brand-agency collaboration in making a tangible impact on society.

Vaughan Croeser, vice president marketing at the South African Breweries commented that these awards vindicate the value inherent in the initiative. “We are delighted that we won this prestigious international accolade. ‘The Bread of the Nation’ platform eloquently gives expression to our environmental, social and governance (ESG) programme, which governs how we are working to fulfil our vision of creating a future with more cheers by integrating sustainability, responsibility and purpose into our business strategy and actions.

"Our commitment to improve the communities we are a part of remains unwavering. We are proud to lead the way to that future and to be a next-generation business today. This accolade assures us that we are on the right path and emboldens us to work even harder and with a renewed determination.”

“This project has shown what true brand/agency partnership is capable of. Working together tirelessly to solve real brand problems is the only way to make real, tangible impact, both for the brand and in society. It took a village, and to all of you involved on this complex and long journey together, cheers!” says Ogilvy South Africa’s executive creative director Camilla Clerke. “Castle Lager has committed to help feed our nation for an initial period of three years, and we are busy looking at many ways we can enlarge the impact of this initiative even further beyond that.”

Globally, consumers are increasingly looking to brands to see how they behave as organisations, beyond just their product and price point. They are selecting brands and their products on this basis and this can be seen by the positive brand equity and sales statistics ‘Bread of the Nation’ has already generated since launch. The campaign targets an array of local challenges, by driving community upliftment via the feeding scheme, contributing to the circular economy, and supporting zero waste, and sustainability initiatives. Whilst also delivering a brand intrinsic message to Castle Lager consumers nationwide, showcasing the high quality of the beers locally grown ingredients.

Additionally, 'The Blind Spot' campaign, created for Volkswagen South Africa, earned a silver and bronze in the Outdoor and Ambient categories. This remarkable campaign, aimed to promote safe driving and reduce road fatalities nationally, showcases Volkswagen's IQ.DRIVE, a range of electronic safety features designed to make drivers aware of objects hidden in the blind spot for Volkswagen vehicles.

“We’re very proud of this work and I think it’s a great example of innovation that pushes the boundaries in marketing,” says Ogilvy SA CEO and creative chairman Pete Case. “Our teams managed to deliver high levels of impact in Volkswagen showrooms with the help of deep craft and clever thinking. An activation that delivered a truly surprising experience to consumers as they visited Volkswagen showrooms, whilst educating them about new product features of the latest vehicles.”

The week culminated with KFC's 'Anything for the Taste' campaign winning a bronze for Film. Inspired by a heartwarming urban legend, the captivating story not only caught the nation's attention, but also solidified KFC's place in popular culture and reigniting a love for the brand.

“Making a great film is not an easy feat. I am immensely proud and applaud this achievement by our talented team behind this remarkable idea and story. It took the strength of our client partnership with KFC and the unwavering spirit of collaboration, together with the production companies. Together, we have crafted something truly special,” says the chief creative officer of Ogilvy, Kabelo Moshapalo.

“It was a proud moment to raise the South African flag high on stage this year at Cannes. Huge congratulations to all of our teams and clients, who continue to believe in the power of creativity to create impact for brands and the society we live in. It is simply wonderful to have our work recognized on this global stage, and this truly reinforces our mission to keep creating real work for real clients,” concludes Case.