VMLY&R South Africa took home seven trophies, including Best In Show and Agency of the Year at this year’s Awards
It was a night to remember for VMLY&R South Africa at this year’s MMA South Africa SMARTIES Awards, as the agency took home seven trophies for The Bright Sides, a campaign created for Nando’s. The campaign was awarded gold in four categories, as well as a silver award. The cherry on top was ending the night with Best In Show – an award presented to the best work on the night – as well as Agency of the Year.
The SMARTIES recognise innovation, creativity and success in mobile marketing, rewarding work that demonstrates mastery of the mobile medium and drives results.
“The MMA Smarties are an important part of the awards calendar in recognising marketing for digital and emerging technology platforms,” says Joint CEO Jarred Cinman. “We are particularly impressed with the rigour of judging and forward-thinking categories they provide. It is of course an honour to receive recognition as an agency but most of the thanks must go to our brave, inspiring and ambitious clients, in this instance Nando’s. Without them there is no work and so for us winning is a celebration not only for the amazingly talented people on our team but also of these clients who make it all possible.”
About The Work
A response to South Africa’s load-shedding woes, the Nando’s Bright Sides campaign allowed South Africans to order free sides with any full chicken order, with the number of sides corresponding to the level of load shedding the country was on at the time. For example, if the country was on level 2, customers could order two free sides with their meal. The offer was available exclusively through the Nando’s app or ecommerce website, which VMLY&R developed.
Simple in theory, but with Eskom’s fluctuating load-shedding calendar, it required built-in agility so that the deals could update in real time. Developers, tech teams and two creative agencies had to coordinate with precision in order to bring it to life. The campaign was supported by PR efforts and strategically placed ads across multiple channels, including ESP – the go-to app for dejected load-shedding victims.
The result was a digital execution that embodied VMLY&R’s brand promise of creating work that lives in people’s lives. It increased sales, drove more customers to the Nando’s app and website and generated positive PR value. More importantly, it gave South Africans a reason to smile, by bringing and element of lightness to something that was getting the country down – a hallmark of the Nando’s brand. All this made The Bright Sides a worthy winner at the SMARTIES Awards.
In total, VMLY&R’s wins on the night include:
Gold – Real time marketing
Gold – Cross Platform Digital Only
Gold – Brand Experience
Gold – Integrated Commerce Innovation
Silver – Instant Impact
Gold – Agency of the Year and
Gold – Best in Show
For a complete list of winners, visit MMAGlobal.com.
