APEX deadline extended

The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) has extended the deadline for entries to the 2008 Advertising Performance Excellence (APEX) awards, to 6 December 2007, while announcing that – for the first time – the competition is open to entries from continental Africa.

Making the announcement from Johannesburg, newly appointed ACA CEO Odette Roper confirmed that entrants can also submit their entries electronically, saving them time and money.

In terms of the awards programme, Roper says that the advertising, marketing and communications disciplines have moved closer together and business leaders have come to fully appreciate the importance of co-ordinated campaigns and their direct impact on the bottom line.

It is for this very reason that the bi-annual APEX awards was launched in 1995. APEX measures the campaigns' effectiveness in terms of return on investment and direct impacts on profit margins. There are three categories for entry: launch, sustain, and change. Entry into the awards programme is not for the feint-hearted - it is focused on recognising strategic and creative effectiveness.

"A great deal of work is required from the entrants - ultimately to the benefit of the client/agency relationship, because the competition process is so collaborative. All the parties need to work together to complete the entry forms," says Roper.

Entries for APEX 2008 close on 6 December 2007 and entry forms can be downloaded from the ACA website at www.acasa.co.za. The specifications and details for entry are also available on the site.

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