Assegais announces VW as Marketer of Year and Ogilvy as the Most Effective Agency

Bridget Harpur, head of marketing for Volkswagen South Africa, received the highest individual recognition of the night, as the 2023 Marketer of the Year. Whilst Ogilvy was awarded the overall Best Performing Agency, with a staggering 42 wins, including 14 golds, 12 silvers, 9 bronzes and 7 specialist awards.

"I am truly honoured to receive this award. This achievement is a testament to the power of collaboration and the incredible team at Ogilvy who worked tirelessly to bring our ideas to life, achieving impactful results,” says Bridget Harpur. “In a rapidly changing world, our commitment to pushing boundaries and embracing technology is what truly inspires us to connect with our audiences. This award celebrates our collective vision and hard work."

Volkswagen SA were awarded for various campaigns on the night which leveraged data, innovation, and cultural insights to create impactful campaigns with both business and societal significance.

“What an amazing night for Ogilvy and our clients. It was wonderful to see Bridget and Volkswagen SA announced as Marketer of the Year, after all the great work that she has partnered us on over the years,” says Pete Case, Ogilvy CEO and creative chairman. “We are also hugely proud for Ogilvy to be recognised as the overall best performing agency at the event too.”

“Assegais is an important event for us to evaluate the effectiveness of our marketing work in specialist disciplines, against the industry, so it’s incredibly rewarding to have such a broad range of client work recognised and to be the overall winner at the event. Congratulations to all of our clients who shone through, including Volkswagen, Castle Lager, Carling Black Label, Castle Lite, Cadbury, KFC, PEP, Food Forward SA, Colgate and DSTV. Thank you too to all the people we partnered with to make this body of work. Success in marketing today relies on a collaborative mindset and I think these results really demonstrate Ogilvy’s strength in combining different specialists minds for the singular goal, of creating maximum business impact for our clients,” adds Case.

"Following our two years of back to back success at The Effies Awards, we are very proud of our teams and clients to be recognised at this year’s Assegai Awards,” says Neo Makhele, Ogilvy’s chief of strategy. “These achievement truly reflect our commitment to creating 'work that works'. To see such a large number of different clients and projects recognised underlines our commitment to enhance effectiveness in the industry, shaping and influencing culture, as well as driving both social and economic impact for brands.”

These awards follow a string of successes this year for Ogilvy, including Agency of Year at Cannes, Loeries, Effies and now the 2023 Assegai Awards.