Launch of OHMSA Awards

Les Holley of OHMSA comments, “The out of home media sector is currently netting over R1 billion per annum and its upward trajectory is set to continue. OHMSA estimates that it will comprise 8% to 10% of total adspend by 2010.”

As such, industry players are no longer satisfied with what they consider the lack of exposure granted out of home media by the Loeries. After all, asks Bazil Lauryssen OHMSA chairperson and Clear Channel Outdoor MD, “If the print industry has the Eagle Awards, why not have a special accolade just for the various forms of out of home media?”

Encourage creativity

Both Holley and Lauryssen believe that the introduction of the awards will do much to encourage creativity within the medium. They feel that the Leories do not recognise outdoor sufficiently and, since there is a greater incentive to produce excellent work in print or television, that's where creatives channel their efforts. What's more, since the Loeries are not medium-specific, they tend to overlook the nuances and elements that make a great outdoor ad.

The lack of recognition in turn makes it that much more challenging for outdoor agencies to promote their craft, Lauryssen points out. “The OHMSA Awards will help create some hype around the medium – and inspire great work,” he says.

Holley agrees: “The OHMSA Awards will become an annual showcase outlining the innovation that is achievable in this area. It will serve to recognise creatives and media planners for thinking beyond the traditional media of radio, television and print, and will show advertisers the impact and effectiveness of going out of home.”

More than this, he continues, the awards will assist in repositioning out of home as a leading medium which should be considered by every creative, media planner and marketer.

Opportunity to network

For Lauryssen, there's an added spin-off: the awards will give industry players the opportunity to network with other likeminded, high level individuals – a major plus.

The awards furthermore return some glamour to the industry, with winners standing to take home one of two cars.

The OHMSA Creative Awards will be hosted at Montecasino, Fourways, Johannesbrug, on 30 August 2007. The judging panel is still being finalised, but includes a number of industry leaders.

“The awards are precisely the vehicle we need to enhance the professionalism of the industry and show that we are a big, credible medium,” Lauryssen concludes.

For more information, go to www.ohmsaawards.com.