The Media MOST Awards

Independent Industry Intelligence

www.themediaonline.co.za

ISSUE 199 SEPTEMBER 2021

AWARDS 2021

Celebrating

our media owners and media agencies > The MediaShop

Media Agency of the Year

> AdColony

Media Owner of the Year

> Wayne Bischoff Media Owner Legend

> Merissa Himraj Media Agency Legend

> Jamie Norgarb

Media Agency Rising Star

> Skhumbuzo Mokoena Media Owner Rising Star

> Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee Shepherd Award

> Beatrice Kubheka Bell Award

Plus ALL THE OTHER WINNERS INSIDE

Meet our

fantastic sponsors Carat Media Owner Rising Star Award Carat, a dentsu company, works with innovative global brands and is consistently ranked the number-one media agency in the world, with more than 10 000 experts operating in 135+ countries. Carat has the unparalleled capability to unlock real human understanding, connecting people and brands by designing powerful and engaging media experiences. In South Africa, we have offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The MediaShop Media Owner Legend Award Living our philosophy of ‘Great minds think different’, The MediaShop is South Africa’s most awarded and transformed media agency. A team of discoverers, enthusiasts and pacesetters, we are powered by a passion for our clients’ business success. Our progressive, data-driven thinking supports our culture of digital innovation and excellence. Our cutting-edge tools, thought leadership and strategies translate into outstanding, meaningful and measurable results for our clients.

Jacaranda FM Media Agency of the Year Award Jacaranda FM, the 2021 winner of Commercial Station of the Year at the South African Radio Awards, is one of the biggest independent radio stations in South Africa.

A bilingual broadcaster with a footprint in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West Province, it has a combined audience of over four million. It’s the home of top talent, award-winning content and more music you love!

Mediology Media Owner of the Year Award Mediology, founded in 2006, is South Africa’s largest independent media agency with a Level 2 BBBEE score.

We are an award-winning, creative, data-driven media and digital marketing agency. We lead by revolutionising approaches and breaking down silos, integrating traditional and digital solutions that translate into real business value. Our mantra is #WhereLogicMeetsMagic.

SPONSORS

AWARDS 2021

ViacomCBS Networks Africa Bell Award ViacomCBS Networks Africa is a multimedia entertainment powerhouse offering the most comprehensive international broadcast portfolio in Africa, reaching more than 100 million viewers across the continent. ViacomCBS Networks Africa currently comprises 10 separate TV channels and five consumer websites, as well as multiple mobile and social-media sites.

Ebony+Ivory Media Sales Consultant Award Brands beyond brief. Agile and independent intelligence, design and media agency Ebony+Ivory goes beyond building brands to building the people who build those brands while building industry, country and continent.

We hold ourselves accountable to serve ROI from Pantone 19-4104 TPX (Ebony) to Pantone 11-0907 TCX (Ivory).

Torque Media Trade Marketing Award Torque Media is a niche radio and media specialist that assists clients across the full spectrum of commercial, community and campus radio stations, as well as other media in South Africa and Africa. We strive to be the gold standard in planning, buying and selling media, and are committed to providing excellent service delivered by a friendly and professional team.

Thirst Mixology Sponsor

Mercurial Media Media Owner Digital Award Mercurial Media is an independent, innovative communications agency that puts digital and data at the heart of everything we do. As a business, Mercurial Media is driven by innovation; being the first to do something in the market is ingrained in our culture. As a results-driven, full-service media agency, Mercurial Media provides strategic, planning and implementation expertise across all media channels.

Thirst believes in creating meaningful and memorable experiences, whether we present an event, a festival, a course or an activation. Whatever we do, we leave a lasting impression. We ensure your vision becomes reality through an unwavering focus on attention to detail and a strong commitment to professionalism. We are creative, innovative and meticulous, and the heart and soul of our business is bringing your events to life.

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THE MEDIA i 3

Malfy Gin Mixology Sponsor Nowhere encapsulates the spirit of Italy quite like the Amalfi Coast. In this stylish, sun-soaked enclave, life moves at a different pace. Inspired by the Amalfi lifestyle, Malfy Gin embodies the essence of ‘La Dolce Vita’ and we invite you to sit back and enjoy every sip. #CiaoMalfy!

DStv Media Sales Media Agency Lamb Award

Mediamark Media Agency Legend Award Mediamark is a multichannel sales house representing world-class audio and digital media brands offering deep and engaged connections with their audiences.

Mediamark connects advertisers with these audiences through relationships that matter and solution-driven results that count.

DStv Media Sales is an award-winning and globally recognised company with more than 20 years of experience. Our platforms and products allow advertisers to buy audiences across any device or publisher. We pride ourselves on creating trusted partnerships with business leaders wanting to take their brands to the next level.

Blackmedia Outdoor Media Agency Rising Star Award Blackmedia Outdoor is a 100% black-owned and partner-run out of home media owner. We advocate for responsible, measurable and strategic solutions rooted in an understanding of our clients’ business objectives, consumer behaviour and the areas in which we operate.

2020 allowed us to regroup and reinvent ourselves with a renewed focus on adding value to clients in this tough economic climate.

4 i THE MEDIA

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SPONSORS

AWARDS 2021

Primedia Broadcasting Full Service Media Agency Award Home to trusted content brands and big personalities, Primedia Broadcasting creates connections between audiences and brands to deliver results. Including market-leading radio stations 947, 702, Kfm 94.5 and CapeTalk, as well as award-winning independent news provider Eyewitness News, our powerful portfolio of audio and digital assets shares your brand story with a combined weekly audience of more than seven million people.

YFM Media Agency Specialist Award

IMAGEs: Ideaology, istock.com

YFM speaks to the young adult audience in South Africa. It’s known as the capital of youth culture and addresses the issues that young people in our country face. YFM is a 75% music, 25% talk station, supporting not only established artists but also new up-and-coming acts. With a multichannel approach, the station has an audience of 2.5 million across radio and digital platforms.

Arena Holdings Shepherd Award Arena Holdings is one of Africa’s largest Englishlanguage publishers (Sunday Times, Business Day, Financial Mail, The Herald, Sowetan and Daily Dispatch) and online (TimesLIVE, SowetanLIVE, BusinessLIVE, DispatchLIVE, HeraldLIVE and Vrye Weekblad). Its broadcast interests include DStv (Business Day TV, Ignition, The Home Channel) and radio (Vuma FM and Rise FM). It also owns a number of B2B and B2C magazines as well as an events division.

Nalesa Media Virtually Perfect Service Award Ours is a story of breaking boundaries, creative flair and hitting the mark. Since 2015, Nalesa Media has been counted among the biggest innovators of out of home in the township market of South Africa. We have the right sites at the right place to hit your target.

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AWARDS 2021

Contents 07 Ed’s Note: On the record

27 MEDIA AGENCY LEGEND

08 Note from the organisers 10 UNCOVERED: ALL THE WINNERS

Just under 500 media professionals responded to the 2021 MOST survey in 2021, one of the best ever. Here are the winners in brief.

12 WHAT THE MOST SURVEY RESULTS REVEAL

MOST Awards researcher BRAD AIGNER analyses the results, which have been audited by BDO, giving his insights into the historical trends that lie behind the numbers.

26 MEDIA OWNER LEGEND

Mediamark CEO Wayne Bischoff is the 2021 winner.

Wavemaker South Africa managing director, Merissa Himraj, takes the title.

28 MEDIA AGENCY RISING STAR

PHD’s Cape Town managing director, Jamie Norgarb, wins in 2021.

29 MEDIA OWNER RISING STAR

Senior account manager at DStv Media Sales, Skhumbuzo Mokoena, leads the pack.

30 SHEPHERD AWARD

DStv Media Sales CEO, Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, is honoured in 2021.

31 BELL AWARD

The legendary Beatrice Kubheka is recognised for her contribution to market research.

27 30

26 6 i THE MEDIA

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ED’S NOTE INDEPENDENT INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE

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PUBLISHED BY Arena Holdings Hill on Empire, 16 Empire Road (cnr Hillside Road) Parktown Johannesburg 2193 Postal Address: PO Box 1746 Saxonwold Johannesburg 2193 Telephone: 011 280 3000 EDITORIAL Editor: Glenda Nevill glenda.nevill@cybersmart.co.za Content Manager: Raina Julies rainaj@picasso.co.za Sub-Editor: Anthony Sharpe Content Co-ordinator: Vanessa Payne Contributors: Brad Aigner, Gordon Muller DESIGN Head of Design: Jayne Macé-Ferguson Advert Designer: Bulelwa Sotashe Cover image: Ideaology, istock.com SALES Sales Manager: Tarin-Lee Watts twatts@themediaonline.co.za 079 504 7729 Sales Administrator: Neesha Klaaste PRODUCTION Production Editor: Shamiela Brenner

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

MANAGEMENT General Manager, Magazines: Jocelyne Bayer Copyright: The Media.

No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent of the publisher.

The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited material. The Media is published by Arena Holdings.

The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Arena Holdings. All advertisements/advertorials have been paid for and therefore do not carry any endorsement by the publisher.

AWARDS 2021

On the record... year without the MOST Awards was one that certainly gave all of us involved time to reflect on the event and how the media space has changed since that first survey back in 2009. A decade of the MOST Awards culminated in a huge event at Imperial Wanderers Stadium in 2019, when more than 600 representatives from media owners and agencies gathered to celebrate the successes of the media sector, and the strong and vital relationships that are our lifeblood.

Cut to 2020 … well, we all know how that played out. Yet here we are a year later, holding the awards (even with a hybrid live component) and celebrating our resilience in the face of the toughest and scariest time most of us have ever had to face.

How we operated during the first phase of the pandemic was the subject of much discussion when the judges met (virtually) to discuss nominations for individual awards as well as the categories. It was also why we introduced the special Virtually Perfect award to highlight a company that went beyond the call of duty.

As Celia Collins, general manager for Africa at Omnicom Media Group (and a Media Agency Legend herself), told me later, her focus was on nominees who inspired their teams and clients, took a holistic view of their offerings and communicated clearly with agencies.

Did they give back to the industry? Did they drive unique insights into what consumers were faced with and how to approach them differently? Did they encourage education and upliftment, work with industry bodies, or scale learnings into new research methodology or approaches? Did they write articles of benefit to the industry? Do they have a future-facing view of where we go from here?

For Gordon Muller (a winner of the Shepherd Award), an important discussion was around nominations and inclusivity. One of the challenges the judges face in terms of categories relating to long service is that the longer the service, the more the service record looks like the ‘old South Africa’. But, as he says, once the shortlist was settled, there was little debate about the quality of the candidates because they were all worthy of recognition.

I’m not going to paraphrase him, as his words say it all: “Each and every one of the candidates has had an impact on the industry that goes well beyond the executive positions they have occupied. Each one of these candidates and winners have in their own way put at least as much back into the industry as they have taken out, if not more.”

That said, congratulations to all our winners – agencies, owners and individuals.

The Media. Got to love it.

Glenda

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THE MEDIA i 7

NOTE FROM THE ORGANISERS

AWARDS 2021

Acknowledging

excellence in the media R30-billion a year is spent on advertising in SA … it relies on strong business relationships between media agencies and owners, write the MOST Awards organisers.

Now we speak about how amazing it is to have clients and agencies in our team. The results of shared empathy, shared goals and closer collaboration have been phenomenal.

According to Statista, more than R30-billion is spent on advertising annually in South Africa. That is a huge amount of revenue that gets pumped into the economy. It keeps businesses buoyant, people in jobs, families fed and children in school. Preserving and growing that spend requires hard work at the best of times.

In 2021 we have seen the industry become stronger and more resilient, and that is what the MOST Awards must cheer. This year, an incredible 492

people involved in the media buying and selling space submitted completed votes.

The research and planning that take place behind the scenes are executed with such professionalism that one hardly sees the commotion in the background. For that we must thank our MOST Awards partners, particularly Brad Aigner and his team at FGI, which conducted the industry-wide MOST survey, and BDO South Africa, which reviewed the results.

We also offer huge thanks to all the award sponsors and our partners: Jacaranda FM, Primedia Broadcasting, Carat, DStv Media Sales, Mercurial Media, Mediamark, The MediaShop, ViacomCBS Africa, Blackmedia Outdoor, YFM, Nalesa Media, Torque Media, Arena Holdings, Ebony+Ivory, Mediology, 702, 947, CapeTalk, Kfm 94.5, Malfy Gin and Thirst.

And finally, thank you media sales professionals. You are the MOST Awards!

The MOST Awards acknowledge those who have been working against the odds, and continue to provide exceptional professional service to brands and marketers 8 i THE MEDIA

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IMAGEs: Ideaology, istock.com

G

osh, it’s been a challenging 18 months, especially if you’re involved in the media.

In March last year there were few (if any?) of us who could have predicted what would lie ahead. That makes it even more remarkable that we find ourselves in a place of celebration now.

Yes, the MOST Awards mark an important moment when we really need to acknowledge those who have been working against the odds, and continue to provide exceptional professional service to brands and marketers.

2020 was initially cast as the year of twenty-plenty, and we all know how that turned out. But for all its faults, there are so many silver linings to appreciate.

Firstly, there is no denying this period has been a real accelerator of change. Necessity has forced us all to adapt quickly – working from home, adopting technology, reinventing business offerings and how we nurture relationships, rewriting strategies, and becoming best friends with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

Secondly, we have learnt the power of innovation, tech and just getting things done.

And finally, over the past year-and-a-half we’ve seen how effective teamwork can be – but even the nature of the team has changed.

TAKING STORYTELLING BEYOND THE PAGE Media24 Lifestyle is more than just magazines. We now offer an in-house video unit, and our events agency brings experiences to life. We’ve also recently launched a gaming website and added a new digital puzzles platform to our paid for content offerings, which already include photography courses and curated wellness programmes.

M AG A Z I N E S | P O P | L I V E | D I G I TA L

Modern

Innovation through

he MOST Awards celebrate excellence in the media industry – from media owners across print, digital, cinema, broadcast and out of home (OOH) platforms, through to specialist and full-service media agencies – encouraging exceptional service delivery and healthy professional competition.

Category winners were determined by their peers, with 2021 being marked by record industry voting. Market research specialist consultant Brad Aigner of Freshly Ground Insights (FGI) conducted the industry-wide MOST survey, with results reviewed by BDO.

Individual and special award winners 2021

Nominations for the individual awards were made via an online survey, where respondents put forward their favourites. An adjudication panel of 13 industry professionals judged the nominations against specific criteria for the prestigious individual Bell, Shepherd, Legend and Rising Star awards.

The Bell Award honours an individual who, though not working for a media owner or agency, has made an exceptional contribution to the betterment of the media sector.

This year, the recipient of the Bell Award (sponsored by ViacomCBS Africa) is respected researcher Beatrice Kubheka.

The Shepherd Award is awarded to someone who not only has a 10 i T H E M E D I A

The winners of the 2021 MOST Awards were announced in an eagerly anticipated ceremony that saw AdColony announced the Media Owner of the Year while the Media Agency of the Year was won by The MediaShop, writes the Most Awards organising team.

significant presence in the media industry, but also selflessly gives back to it. The recipient of this year’s Shepherd Award (sponsored by Arena Holdings) is Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, CEO of DStv Media Sales.

CEO of Mediamark and AMASA Board Director, Wayne Bischoff, received the Media Owner Legend Award (sponsored by The MediaShop). The Media Agency Legend Award (sponsored by Mediamark) went to Merissa Himraj, MD of Wavemaker South Africa. themediaonline.co.za

The Media Owner Rising Star Award (sponsored by Carat) was awarded to Skhumbuzo Mokoena of DStv Media Sales, while Jamie Norgarb of PHD received the Media Agency Rising Star award (sponsored by Blackmedia Outdoor).

Aigner, managing director of FGI, says: “The quality of nominations for the Legend and Rising Star awards was phenomenal. It was very encouraging to see so many new names of up-and-coming young people in our industry being put forward.”

The Marketing Services Award, which recognises trade marketing excellence from media owners, also received record industry support in 2021. The winner of this year’s award (sponsored by Torque Media) is DStv Media Sales.

DStv Media Sales also received the special Virtually Perfect Service Award (sponsored by Nalesa Media) in recognition of the changing media sales environment as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown.

The award looks to recognise a sales team that took a firm grip on ‘business unusual’ by making clients feel like it was ‘business as usual’ through the innovative and effective use of virtual practices.

IMAGEs: Ideaology, istock.com

T

‘business unusual’

MOST WINNERS OVERVIEW

Category award winners 2021 MEDIA OWNERS

Media Owner of the Year Award (sponsored by Mediology) Winner: AdColony. Second and third places went to Primedia Outdoor and Relativ Media respectively.

Broadcast Award

winner: Primedia Broadcasting

AUDIOVISUAL Award winner: e.tv

Out Of Home Award

winner: Primedia Outdoor

Digital Award (sponsored by Mercurial Media)

winner: Arena Holdings

Multimedia Award winner: Primedia

Media Sales Consultants Award (sponsored by Ebony+Ivory) winner: Ultimate Media

Media Owner Lamb Award winner: Media24 Lifestyle

Specialist Media Agency Award (sponsored by YFM) winner: Ogilvy Go Media

Full-Service Media Agency Award (sponsored by Primedia Broadcasting)

winner: The MediaShop (Johannesburg)

Media Agency Lamb Award (sponsored by DStv Media Sales) winner: The MediaShop (Cape Town)

Media Agencies

Media Agency of the Year Award (sponsored by JACARANDA FM) winner: The MediaShop (Johannesburg). Second and third places went to Carat (Johannesburg) and Vizeum (Johannesburg) respectively.

Sponsors of the 2021 MOST Awards are Jacaranda FM, Primedia Broadcasting, Carat, DStv Media Sales, Mercurial Media, Mediamark, The MediaShop, ViacomCBS Africa, Blackmedia Outdoor, YFM, Nalesa Media, Torque Media, Arena Holdings, Ebony+Ivory, Mediology, 702, 947, Cape Talk, Kfm, Malfy Gin and Thirst.

IMAGE: unsplash

winner: AdColony

Print Award

AWARDS 2021

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T H E M E D I A i 11

And the

I

winners are...

n a world experiencing unprecedented change, it was inevitable that this would reverberate across things closer to home. Thus, the MOST Awards Survey took a break in 2020 while we all tried to get to grips with the turmoil around us. While it seems that we are not yet in the clear with the pandemic, it has been fantastic to be able to run the survey again in 2021, keeping our much-loved and unique MOST Awards brand alive.

Without the wonderful support of our media industry, this would not have been possible.

Notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, one thing is certain as far as our industry goes: change is constant and dynamic. This year was no exception, with some significant industry developments requiring amendments to the MOST Awards methodology. Specifically, the Newspapers and Magazines categories were combined into a single Print category, while Television and Cinema similarly were merged into an Audiovisual category. In addition, some new innovations and categories were introduced this year, keeping the MOST Awards fresh and current.

Just short of 500 people employed in the buying and selling of media advertising space in South Africa participated in the MOST Awards Survey this year.

12 i T H E M E D I A

FGI Research Africa’s BRAD AIGNER analyses the 2021 MOST Awards results, delivering the trends and insights that come with having conducted research over a period of 11 years.

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Given the challenges faced by all, this was a fantastic response rate – in fact one of the best ever since the inception of the awards in 2009.

As usual, the profile of respondents was skewed to more experienced media practitioners (61% > 10 years in media), but it was pleasing to see the significant increase of respondents with fewer than five years of media experience in this year’s sample. While there is still a long way to go with transformation, it was encouraging to see the high calibre of young people who have joined our industry in recent years.

This was noticeably evident from the candidates nominated for the special Rising Star awards for media owners and media agencies.

In total, 87 companies involved in the planning and buying of media advertising space and 66 companies involved in the selling thereof participated in the survey. No media company has ever been precluded from participating in the MOST Awards survey.

It is this inclusivity that has always been so important in delivering samples that are fairly and reliably representative of the media buying and selling universe. This year was no exception.

The final hurdle that needed to be cleared was the audit of the MOST Awards survey methodology and final rankings by accounting firm BDO, which gave it the thumbs up. Phew!

MOST AWARDS RESULTS 2021

MOST Awards for Media Owners 2021

There were 100 owners and sellers of media advertising space listed in seven categories this year: 1. Radio 2. Audiovisual Out of home 3.

4. Digital 5. Print 6. Multimedia Media consultants 7.

As with every year, people directly involved with the planning and buying of media space rated their media owner partners and sales consultants against specific performance criteria. It was emphasised in the survey that a person must consider themselves to have had sufficient contact with the sales team of a media company during the past six months to be able to rate the team fairly. Given that most planners and buyers of media space usually see multiple media sales teams on a regular basis, this year each respondent selected and rated on average 11 media sales teams in the survey.

Before asking respondents to select and rate the performance of media sales teams in each category, the MOST Awards survey asked them to rank in order of importance the six performance criteria. The result of this ranking informed the calculation of criteria weighting factors, which were applied to the rating scores for every media sales team. In this year’s survey, the ranking of performance criteria in order of importance was:

Performance criteria

In this year’s survey the Television and Cinema categories were combined to form an Audiovisual category. This decision was not taken lightly by the aforementioned senior media practitioners who participated in the annual MOST Awards review, and was debated at length. Ultimately, it was agreed that it would be preferable to have a combined audiovisual category rather than one comprising just two media owners listed (Cinema).

The winner of this year’s MOST Awards in the Audiovisual category was e.tv, followed by DStv Media Sales and Ster-Kinekor Sales respectively!

Weighting factor

Weighting factor

1

e.tv

99

8.15

2

DStv Media Sales

112

7.96

3

Ster-Kinekor Sales

38

7.84

1.48

2

Sales service delivery

1.10

3

Understanding of client brands

0.99

4

Innovative solutions

0.96

6

Audiovisual Category 2021

Votes

Knowledge of own brands

Collaboration and strategic partnerships Administration service delivery

In this year’s survey the historical ‘Involvement’ performance criteria was replaced by the criteria ‘Collaboration and strategic partnerships’. This came about after the annual review of the MOST Awards survey methodology by senior media stakeholders who agreed that the new criteria would be a stronger differentiator of sales performance between the teams. The descriptors used in the survey to contextualise the meaning of ‘Collaboration and strategic partnerships’ to respondents included: • Committed to building strong business relationships • Genuinely committed to ‘adding real value’ • Open and genuinely committed to new ideas • Genuinely committed to finding fair solutions to problems and disputes

Rank Audiovisual 2021 1

5

AWARDS 2021

0.91 0.79

Senior media stakeholders agreed the new criteria would be a stronger differentiator of sales performance between the teams

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T H E M E D I A i 13

All three companies in the rankings have been perennial top performers in their categories over the years, with e.tv winning its category on three previous occasions while DStv Media Sales and Ster-Kinekor Sales have each done the same on five previous occasions respectively. Considering the catastrophic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cinemas over the past 18 months, a big shout-out must go to the Ster-Kinekor team, which has evidently managed to maintain communication and positive engagement with its clients over this time.

The e.tv team received 37 ‘Best in category’ votes from respondents who were clearly impressed with their performance. One explained: “They have a product offering that shows understanding of the evolving South African audience. They demonstrate great willingness to partner with agencies and clients through difficult times. Their innovative solutions are carried through well into implementation and post campaign. They consistently deliver great service in person and always deliver in full. Their viewership is increasing, which is another great reason to continue investing in the platform.”

Another commented: “eMedia Sales has remained on top of their game even with all the challenges that this year has brought … they have made an effort to keep in contact, host virtual meetings and take a genuine interest in us.”

Another described the teams as “business savvy, service focused and excellent at building relationships. They are forward thinking and have managed their channel offerings extremely well; they are extending quietly but consistently and let their numbers speak for themselves. Their back end also delivers, so there is absolute follow-through from talking the talk to walking the walk”.

Pipped at the post again in the category ranking this year, the DStv Media Sales team must be wondering what more it needs to do to secure the top position. From the comments by respondents who rated DStv Media Sales as the best in the category, there is little doubt that the team is a class act.

One voter explained: “They are by far the most innovative.

They have the best offering in terms of cost-effective spots and packages that deliver high ratings and reach. Their sales team is the most knowledgeable and always delivers outstanding proposals and offers.”

Considering the catastrophic impact of Covid-19 on cinemas over the past 18 months, a big shout-out must go to the Ster-Kinekor team 14 i T H E M E D I A

Another said: “DStv Media Sales always goes above and beyond for our clients. They have introduced some innovative new products/offerings. They are always putting together proactive proposals for our clients with content that is appropriate for the brand. And all-round great service from sales reps to those making the bookings.”

And a third commented: “They always remain ahead of the curve in terms of innovation and new technology. They keep clients up to date with new offerings, while also nurturing the media industry. They see themselves as a media partner to brands and agencies. They are excellent at coming up with collaborative solutions.”

Radio Category 2021

The Radio Category has continued to be fiercely contested by very strong teams that have pushed each other to take sales delivery to new heights. This year the Primedia Broadcasting team repeated its 2018 and 2019 feats by taking top honours, leaving archrival Mediamark in second spot. Given the historically strong and consistent performance

by Mediamark in the MOST Awards, the team at Primedia Broadcasting should be justifiably proud of its hat trick. A welcome newcomer to the podium this year was the team at YFM. The best that YFM could do in the MOST Awards previously was a fifth-place ranking, so the team has evidently found a winning recipe and should be watched in future.

Rank Radio 2021

Votes

Weighting factor

1

Primedia Broadcasting

111

8.04

2

Mediamark

105

7.86

3

YFM

41

7.68

The Primedia Broadcasting team received 44 ‘Best in category’ votes this year, a strong indication of its top pedigree. The team was described as “a passionate, engaging and proactive sales team. They always bring relevant proposals that reflect a good understanding of client and agency objectives. They have a thorough understanding and genuine love of their own brands, and work well together as a team to provide innovative solutions”.

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MOST AWARDS RESULTS 2021

Another echoed this sentiment: “Primedia Broadcasting has been outstanding with collaboration and customising solutions that are a good fit to the client’s strategic needs without compromising on their own brand values.” A third commented: “They are the best at executing campaigns and bespoke partnerships. They have the most innovative and creative proposals. They have the best understanding of our clients and brands, and understand how radio integrates with the overall media strategy.”

Not to be overshadowed by any means, the Mediamark team was held in very high regard by respondents in this year’s survey. One summarised this neatly as: “The sales team has remained in touch with the agency, doing regular catch-ups and trade presentations. They also trialled a new sales model, which showed their innovation and eagerness to overcome market challenges brought on by the pandemic in 2020.”

Another said: “They have been the most innovative and the best in trying to ensure that our clients are their number-one priority. They have put together various packages that have assisted greatly during the Covid-19 period, which has put Mediamark as a top-of-mind radio media owner when it comes to getting our clients value for money.”

Primedia Broadcasting and Mediamark have collectively dominated the Radio category over the years, with either one winning the category every year since 2009.

Notwithstanding this, both are yet to win the coveted overall best media owner MOST Award, so there is still something huge to play for.

Mercurial_Digital Ad_80x210mm.pdf

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2021/06/07

AWARDS 2021

Out of Home Category 2021

Another media category that has no doubt experienced trying times in recent months is the out of home category.

But the MOST Awards history has shown that the teams in this category are resilient and determined, so are unlikely to have allowed their standards of service to decline. Evidence of this is the impressive result by Primedia Outdoor, improving on its second place in 2019 by winning the category, which it last won in 2016. Second spot this year went to 2019’s category winner, Relativ Media, and third to Mamela Media.

Another media category that has no doubt experienced trying times in recent months is out of home Rank Out of Home 2021

Votes

MOST Score

1

Primedia Outdoor

64

8.38

2

Relativ Media

51

8.22

3

Mamela Media

32

8.16

12:05

themediaonline.co.za

The out of home category had no fewer than 27 companies listed this year, making it the largest category in the survey and not unlike the out of home category in the market, competitors vying for a share of the pie. So, the achievements by the relatively small teams at Relativ Media and Mamela Media have been commendable.

Notwithstanding this, it is by no means an easy task maintaining the highest levels of quality service by a larger team since it takes just one or two people to drop the ball, plummeting the team down the MOST Awards rankings. So, kudos to Primedia Outdoor for its excellent result.

The Primedia Outdoor team achieved a particularly high score for the ‘Innovation’ criteria in this year’s survey. One respondent explained: “Primedia has a diversity of offerings managed by a skilled team of experienced people who consistently deliver a professional service.” The team also delivered an impressive score for ‘Sales service delivery’, which was supported by the following comment: “Primedia always comes to the party! During 2020, one of the toughest years for OOH, they were the best media owner that we worked with. Whatever we asked for, they delivered.”

Relativ Media, the 2019 category winner, has evidently maintained its very high level of service to media agency partners and advertising clients. One respondent commented: “They are nimble, proactive and hungry for success. They are chasing the bigger groups by applying their own brand of partnership building through collaboration and innovation.”

Another said: “Not reactionary and don’t just try to sell the next billboard. Well thought out solutions and data backing up their recommendations. An impressive team of professionals.”

The Mamela Media team delivered excellent scores for the criteria ‘Sales service delivery’ and ‘Administration service delivery’. The team was described as “a pleasure to deal with. Always try to find an affordable solution for clients. Turnaround time is amazing. Will always find a way to give clients real value for their budgets”.

Digital Category 2021

The Digital media category has arguably shown the most dynamic growth in recent years. With Digital the current ‘darling’ of the media industry, the category has experienced an influx of new entrants and innovations.

So, it has no doubt been challenging for media sales teams in the category to claim a fair share 16 i T H E M E D I A

of media decision-maker minds. A digital media owner that has not only achieved this but also maintained its leadership in service excellence is the team at AdColony, which, for the third year running, is the MOST Awards winner in the category. Interestingly, two sales teams in the category made the MOST Awards top-three podium for the first time, Ad:Dynamo and Vicinity Media respectively. We expect these newcomers not to relinquish their positions easily in years to come, so watch this space!

Rank Digital 2019

Votes

MOST Score

1

AdColony

52

8.46

2

Ad:Dynamo

41

8.11

3

Vicinity Media

33

8.06

A commendable mention this year goes to the team at The SpaceStation in fourth spot on the category ranking, albeit a little off the pace with an overall score of 7.35. Previously branded as ‘24.com’, the team was one of the very first digital media owners to make a significant impact in our industry way back in 2009. The Cape Town-based team has pioneered the category, setting new standards of service excellence and winning the MOST Award in its category on six occasions.

From its 21 ‘Best in category’, high scores across every performance criteria and positive comments from voters, there is no doubt that the AdColony team is a class act. It is one thing being able to win the MOST Award in a highly dynamic and competitive category. But it is another thing altogether to achieve this feat three times running.

One voter explained: “AdColony is always proactive with proposals for our clients. They are very knowledgeable in their specific field of in-app advertising and are very willing to assist us with a variety of ways to get our clients, especially those new to digital, into the digital space. The team at AdColony are very approachable and future thinkers for our brands.” The AdColony team has no doubt made a significant impact with its client relationship building in recent years.

A respondent commented: “I think it comes down to the relationship on this one. They are a group of dynamic professionals who are continually checking in with us and servicing our business.” Another described the team as follows: “Service, Innovation, Results, Trust.”

Ad:Dynamo, the advertising sales team for brands

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MOST AWARDS RESULTS 2021

including Twitter and Snapchat, made a strong positive impression in this year’s survey, achieving a particularly high score for the criteria ‘Collaboration and strategic partnerships’. A voter commented: “Ad Dynamo are always communicating and ensuring that we always have the best opportunities for all campaigns. They are involved in every process of campaign setup and strategy meetings. Overall, they always provide great support.”

Another said: “They are an enthusiastic team, from junior personnel to senior personnel; they drive excitement and interest in their brands. They all have a real can-do attitude and are always more than willing to go the extra mile. They also continuously educate the industry about their product offerings.”

Vicinity Media, the location data and technology outfit, also impressed: “They are very solutions driven, and collaboration is paramount to their offering. As a technology business, they also have the ability to develop solutions for clients’ needs.”

Print Category 2021

It has possibly never been as challenging to sell print media advertising space as it is now, so it is admirable that the leaders in this category have stuck doggedly to their tasks at hand and elevated their service to even higher levels. With the Magazines category severely depleted following the closure of Caxton Magazines and Associated Magazines, the decision was made to combine the traditional Magazines and Newspapers categories into a Print category this year.

The winner of the MOST Award in the Print category this year was Arena Holdings, followed

by Spark Media and Ads24 respectively. While Arena Holdings is no newcomer to the highest of MOST Award honours, having won the overall best media owner MOST Award on no less than three previous occasions, given its multiple name changes in recent years, the team should feel justifiably proud of its achievement.

Rank Print 2021

Votes

AWARDS 2021

MOST Score

1

Arena Holdings

47

8.14

2

Spark Media

35

7.97

3

Ads24

40

7.77

Given that Ads24 and Spark Media have won their MOST Awards category on three and two previous occasions respectively, it is unlikely that they are going to take this year’s result lying down. The Arena Holdings team that sells media space for its suite of magazines and newspaper brands achieved particularly high scores for the performance criteria ‘Knowledge of own brands’ and ‘Sales service delivery’, showing that the ‘good old basics’ of sales are still so very relevant.

One respondent supported this notion by explaining: “Their service delivery and engagement are high. They are honest and open and have been flexible during Covid-19 step changes.” Another said: “They are very solid and professional. They have good strong people, building good strong relationships.”

Consistently in the top MOST Awards rankings and overall best media owner winner in 2010 (as NAB Caxton), the Spark Media team was described as such: “They are just one step ahead of the rest in terms of engaging with us to always supply us with current useful information.

They are super speedy and efficient in all their reverts and correspondence. Our rep is always sending us useful industry info or just touching base enough to keep us informed without any irritation value. Their internal processes are slick. They are an amazing media partner on pretty much every level.”

Multimedia Category 2021

The new MOST Awards Multimedia category recognises and celebrates the accelerating convergence of media brands, which is the inevitable future of our industry. To qualify to be listed in this category, a media owner must have been selling advertising space across three

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T H E M E D I A i 17

or more media categories. While five media owners were listed in this inaugural category, only one qualified with the minimum 30 votes, Primedia. Given that a Primedia company was the overall winner in this year’s Radio and Out of Home categories, this is befitting recognition of a job well done.

Rank Multimedia 2021

Votes

MOST Score

1

Primedia Group

34

8.05

2

No qualifier

3

No qualifier

Media sales consultants are sellers of advertising space in media brands that they do not own themselves or for which they do not have exclusive media sales rights. This has become a well-contested category in recent years with 16 companies listed in this year’s survey. The winner of the category this year is the team from Ultimate Media, which also makes a first ever entrance into the top placings. Another newcomer to the podium is Whisper Media, which was ranked second in the category.

18 i T H E M E D I A

Votes

MOST Score

1

Ultimate Media

31

8.98

2

Whisper Media

39

8.71

3

No qualifier

Media sales consultants has become a well-contested category in recent years

With a very impressive score for the criteria ‘Innovative solutions’ it seems that the Primedia Group has been coming to grips with the strong forces of convergence in our industry, standing it in good stead for the future. One voter summed this up about Primedia: “Not only offering one channel but a multichannel approach to reach different/ additional audiences on different platforms.” And another said: “Research and information across their platforms are the most comprehensive across the categories. They really understand the importance of integration and their abilities to deliver on it.”

While Primedia should be justifiably proud of its achievements this year, from a multimedia perspective, it should heed the significant threat of its perennial media owner competitors Media24 and Mediamark, both of which did not qualify for the MOST Award because of insufficient votes. We doubt that they will allow this to happen again.

Media Sales Consultants

Sales Rank Media Consultants 2021

The Ultimate Media team, specialists in radio and digital audio advertising, achieved impressive scores for the criteria ‘Knowledge of own brands’ and ‘Sales service delivery’ showing that they are at the top of their game. One respondent described the team: “They have done incredible work for my clients, which is why they keep coming back.

Their creative concepts are solid and the execution thereof smooth.”

The team at Whisper Media, which plays in the audiovisual broadcasting space, delivered strong scores across all six performance criteria and was described as follows: “The team are real professionals with an excellent work ethic.

Their service is top class. Their product is ‘innovation made easy’ – a dream for a media agency to work with.”

Lamb Award for Media Owners 2021

The Lamb Award for Media Owners is awarded to a media owner from any media category that receives between 25-29 votes, just missing the required 30 votes minimum to qualify for a MOST Award. This year’s winner of the Lamb Award is Media24 Lifestyle from the Print media category. The minor placings in the category this year went to Turn Left Media and Cinevation Popcorn respectively.

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MOST AWARDS RESULTS 2021

Rank Media Owner Lamb Award 2021 Votes MOST Score

Media Owners 2021 – Rank Overall Rankings (Top 20)

Category

AWARDS 2021

Votes

MOST Score

1

Media24 Lifestyle (Print)

25

8.91

2

Turn Left Media (Digital)

27

7.60

1

AdColony

Digital

52

8.46

3

Cinevation Popcorn (Audiovisual)

26

7.35

2

Primedia Outdoor

Out of home

64

8.38

3

Relativ Media

Out of home

51

8.22

4

Mamela Media

Out of home

32

8.16

5

e.tv

Audiovisual

99

8.15

6

Arena Holdings

Print

47

8.14

7

JCDecaux

Out of home

61

8.12

8

Ad:Dynamo

Digital

41

8.11

9

Vicinity Media

Digital

33

8.06

10

Primedia

Multimedia

34

8.05

11

Primedia Broadcasting Radio

111

8.04

12

Tractor Outdoor

Out of home

45

8.03

13

Spark Media

Print

35

7.97

14

DStv Media Sales

Audiovisual

112

7.96

15

Mediamark

Radio

105

7.86

16

Ster-Kinekor Sales

Audiovisual

38

7.84

17

Ads24

Print

40

7.77

18

YFM

Radio

41

7.68

19

ViacomCBS Networks Africa

Audiovisual

70

7.64

20

United Stations

Radio

63

7.54

Notably, the Media24 Lifestyle team achieved the highest overall MOST Awards score in the Print category. A respondent contextualised the Media24 team as: “Although many publications were lost in 2020, Media24 has been the media owner always looking for different ways for our clients to be in either print, digital, or activation, linked to their publications. This has allowed our brands to get the best possible exposure to their target audiences.”

Another said: “They have innovated in a very uncertain time and have managed to stay relevant. They have been an excellent ‘think’ partner and delivered well on all commitments.”

While the team’s achievement as the winner of the Lamb Award is not surprising given that it has won the magazines category on five previous occasions, its inability to secure at least 30 votes is likely to be of concern to this very proud and competitive team.

Overall Best Media Owner 2021

Winning the coveted MOST Award for the best overall Media Owner Sales Team in 2021 was the team from AdColony, making it a first ever hat-trick achievement. In second place this year was 2019’s sixth-placed media owner, Primedia Outdoor, while 2019’s overall fifth-placed media owner, Relativ Media, made it into the top three in this year’s survey.

From its spectacular achievement this year and in the previous two MOST Awards surveys, there is no doubt that the AdColony team has found the winning formula for delivering media sales service excellence.

MOST Award for Marketing Services 2021

The competition in the Marketing Services category has increased spectacularly since its introduction in 2018, with no fewer than 54 companies nominated this year. There is little doubt that given the challenges faced by all in recent times, the vital role marketing services teams play in supporting their sales colleagues has elevated to new levels.

Marketing services have clearly advanced well beyond ‘a few advertisements in trade media’ each year to a function that delivers significant value.

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T H E M E D I A i 19

As with the methodology for media owners, the marketing services category required respondents to rank in order of importance four performance criteria relating to the craft.

This year, the criteria were ranked and weighted as follows:

Performance criteria

Weighting factor

1

Market intelligence

1.23

2

Relationship building

1.12

3

Trade marketing

0.90

4

Reputation management

0.85

The winner of this year’s MOST Awards for Marketing Services was DStv Media Sales, with e.tv and Mediamark making up the minor placings respectively.

Here is what people had to say about the impressive marketing services team at DStv Media Sales: • “They were constantly setting up virtual meetings bringing info to the industry as well as regular email updates. They stood out head and shoulders above any of the others.”

• “Their trade marketing evolved in 2020. Their reports, updates and email newsletters were strategic and more importantly valuable to the team. They certainly stood out in the right way in 2020.”

• “Their virtual presentations to keep the industry up to date on their offerings, as well as delivery of goody bags relevant to the presentations to our homes during the past year, have certainly allowed us to feel part of the team.”

Rank Marketing Services 2021

Category

Votes MOST Score

1

DStv Media Sales

Audiovisual

42

8.59

2

e.tv

Audiovisual

22

8.56

3

Mediamark

Radio

28

8.03

*20 votes minimum was set as the qualification criteria for this category.

20 i T H E M E D I A

The ‘Virtually Perfect’ Services Award 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how business is conducted. Possibly no less dramatic has been the extent to which customer-facing teams have needed to adapt to the realities of lockdowns and social distancing protocols to continue delivering excellent service to their clients. In this context, it was felt befitting to award a once-off Virtually Perfect Services Award that recognises a media owner sales team that has taken a firm grip on business unusual through its innovative and effective use of virtual practices, such as: • Effectively moving from face-to-face to online communication platforms • Helping its clients forecast/plan for the long term in an unpredictable environment • Using virtual practices to share information and to keep its clients in the loop • Using virtual platforms to replace client visits and face-to-face meetings • Continuing to provide excellent service in the business unusual world The unanimous winner of the Virtually Perfect Services Award was the team at DStv Media Sales.

One survey participant explained: “They were the strongest during Covid-19, keeping agencies well informed on their brands and their audience share. They responded well to market issues such as zero rating and we had access to their top management at all times.”

Another said: “They have been very professional, innovative and consistently pushed the envelope. The work they have done during Covid-19 has been nothing short of exceptional in terms of keeping in touch with our agency.

They are world class.”

And a third summed up the DStv team performance appropriately with, “If I think of all the media owners who stepped up to the challenge of Covid-19 and were agile enough to still do their best to service our agency, DStv Media Sales stands out. They almost treated Covid-19 as an opportunity more than a challenge and to this, I have to say they were the best of the best in 2020. Amazing webinars, regular check-ins, newsletter updates, amazing service delivery ... the list goes on. Hats off to that team!”

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MOST AWARDS RESULTS 2021

MOST Awards for Media Agencies 2021

As with the Media Owners component of the survey this year, the previous ‘Involvement’ performance criteria for Media Agencies was replaced by the criteria ‘Collaboration and strategic partnerships’. The descriptors used in the survey to contextualise the meaning of ‘Collaboration and strategic partnerships’ to respondents included: • Genuinely committed business relationships with media partners • Treats media partners with respect • Genuinely considers media proposals • Attends media presentations and reads media partner collateral • Open to facilitating meetings with its clients • Open and genuinely committed to new ideas • Creates a welcoming atmosphere for media partners • Committed to frequent collaboration and engagement with media partners • Senior management is easily contactable and accessible • Senior management takes an active interest in media partners Given the significant importance and value that strong business relationships have traditionally delivered and continue to deliver to media owners and media agencies, we expect these performance criteria to move up the importance ranking in future years.

As with previous years, the media agencies in this year’s MOST Awards for Media Agencies Survey were listed in two categories, namely Full-Service Media Agencies and Specialist Media Agencies, respectively. The usual ranking in order of importance of the criteria against which media agencies were scored by respondents was also retained, yielding the following weighting factors:

Performance criteria

Weighting factor

1

Knowledge of media

2

Knowledge of client brands

1.25

3

Communication

1.13

4

Collaboration and strategic partnerships

1.09

5

Professionalism

0.90

6

Administration and buying

0.65

1.31

23817 Most Awards Vertical & Horizontal Ad(Horizontal)_V1_FA_01.pdf

AWARDS 2021

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2021/08/31

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Specialist Media Agencies 2021

A total of 13 companies involved in the planning and buying of media space were listed in this year’s Specialist Media Agencies category of the MOST Awards survey.

A relative newcomer to the MOST Awards, Ogilvy Go Media, was this year’s winner of the category, relegating the 2017-2019 winner, Alphabet Soup, to second place. A notable achievement by the media department for the Ogilvy Group. Third spot in the Specialist Media category went to TMI Media, which was ranked in the same position in the 2019 MOST Awards survey.

Media Rank Specialist Agencies 2021

Votes

MOST Score

1

Ogilvy Go Media

30

8.25

2

Alphabet Soup

38

8.10

3

TMI Media

36

7.67

The Ogilvy Go team achieved high scores across all six performance criteria, with their scores for ‘Knowledge of media’ and ‘Knowledge of client brands’ especially impressive. They also collected 11 ‘Best in category’ votes.

A respondent described the Ogilvy Go team as: “The agency knows their clients extremely well as they have long-term relationships. Their clients trust them implicitly, people on the ground are open and honest to what their clients like and don’t like, even how to open them up to strategic collaborations with the correct timing.”

Another said: “A tough category but these guys have really tried to do different things under tough economic conditions and interrogated many proposals on how they would work best for their clients. On declines, feedback was always forthcoming which helps tune-in future proposals.”

Alphabet Soup has been the Specialist Media Agency category winner in the MOST Awards on no fewer than three previous occasions, achieving a hat trick in the 2019 survey.

So, this year’s second placed result, albeit commendable, is not likely to be considered a success by the proud and very competitive Alphabet Soup team who no doubt will fight to regain the top spot in future years.

22 i T H E M E D I A

Notwithstanding this, the team’s consistent high standards were recognised by numerous respondents.

One said: “This dream team is a small force not to be trifled with. They are always willing to listen, learn, adapt, and innovate as the media landscape shifts daily. Their willingness to communicate immediately, always supplying feedback as to why something may not have aligned and their feedback from the client never leaves a media owner wondering and questioning.”

Another added: “The team at Alphabet Soup always takes the time to meet the media owner and learn about new developments and opportunities. They are an experienced team who are all passionate about what they do. The Alphabet Soup team has a strong work ethic and it is always such a pleasure working with them.”

TMI Media will be another determined to improve on its third-placed rankings in 2019 and 2021. Judging by its 15 ‘Best in category’ votes and comments from respondents this year, it is not unlikely that this will happen. One respondent described the TMI Media team as: “Their client knowledge, willingness to share/communicate. Open to suggestions, willing to try new approaches. They have won some big accounts, which is a testament to the quality of work that they are putting out”.

Another said: “Strategic thinkers, they really understand how to come up with and implement new methods of using media to strengthen brands.”

Full-Service Media Agencies 2021

Twenty-nine companies were listed in the Full-Service Media Agencies category of this year’s MOST Awards survey, making it the largest category of both the media owners’ section and the media agencies’ section. Possibly of no surprise to many, it was The MediaShop Johannesburg that once again took top honours, the eighth time out of eleven years that the Agency has won its category.

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MOST AWARDS RESULTS 2021

A truly remarkable achievement. However, not very far behind The MediaShop team this year were Carat (Johannesburg) and Vizeum (Johannesburg), which were ranked second and third in the category respectively. Had a couple of voters been more generous, this year’s result could easily have been different, but hats off to The MediaShop team that has managed year-in and year-out to deliver the goods.

Media Rank Full-Service Agencies 2021

Votes

MOST Score

1

The MediaShop (Johannesburg)

68

8.41

2

Carat (Johannesburg)

41

8.34

3

Vizeum (Johannesburg)

39

8.31

Winning the coveted Full-Service Media Agencies category is laudable but doing so for three MOST Awards surveys in a row on two previous occasions (2011-2013 and 2018-2021) is outstanding. And in addition to collecting 27 ‘Best in category’ votes, The MediaShop (Johannesburg) team achieved the highest scores for the criteria ‘Knowledge of media’, ‘Knowledge of client brands’ and ‘Communication’.

A media owner respondent had the following to say about The MediaShop Johannesburg team: “They are always accommodating. Have a great group of senior managers who run their teams well. Are keen to listen to any sort of offering brought to them, be it good or bad. Very professional when dealing with both client and media owners.” Another said: “The team is experienced, collaborative and open to suggestions. They are humble, down to earth, responsive and give a sh1t.” Enough said.

While it might seem impossible to topple The MediaShop Johannesburg from its lofty perch in the MOST Awards, the Carat and Vizeum teams in Johannesburg should take heart because both came agonisingly close to achieving that this year. The Carat (Johannesburg) team achieved the highest score for the criteria ‘Collaboration and strategic partnerships’.

This is what someone had to say: “The team is clear about client and agency objectives and how to use media owner platforms to meet their KPAs. Always upholding the highest level of professionalism at all times with an open-door policy where clarity is required. This agency is always looking for next best thing that media owners can offer for their clients.”

Had a couple of voters been more generous, this year’s result could easily have been different, but hats off to The MediaShop team that has managed year-in and year-out to deliver the goods

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Another said: “Their team dynamic is something that I have never seen in the other agencies. All the team work together and ensure all media executions flow through the line. They are committed to their clients and always strive to be innovative.”

Vizeum (Johannesburg) is also likely to give The MediaShop (Johannesburg) a good run for its money in the MOST Awards in future it if performs as it has done this year. The team achieved an excellent score for ‘Communication’ and very high scores for the other five performance criteria. One respondent explained: “Creating hybrid digital strategists and building an internal digital team has assisted the team in delivering a more effective media solution.”

Lamb Award for Media Agencies 2021

Had either of the two top-ranked media agencies for this year’s Lamb Award collected just one more vote, they would have won their respective categories. This year’s winner of the Lamb Award for Media Agencies went to The MediaShop (Cape Town) making it another very successful MOST Awards for The MediaShop Group. Second and third spots went to IntiMedia and Posterscope respectively.

Agency Lamb Rank Media Award 2021

Category

Votes MOST Score

1

The MediaShop (Cape Town)

Full-service

29

8.86

2

IntiMedia

Specialist

29

8.80

3

Posterscope

Specialist

29

8.38

While The MediaShop (Cape Town) did not match its second-ranked media agency overall in the 2019 MOST Awards survey, it should be well pleased with its score this year, achieving higher marks than its big brother/sister in Johannesburg across every criteria. One voter shared: “The MediaShop in Cape Town continues to be the most consistent team even throughout the pandemic. The team has continued to innovate through lockdown, communicating

24 i T H E M E D I A

The MediaShop (Cape Town) should be well pleased with its score this year, achieving higher marks than its big brother/sister in Johannesburg across every criteria

consistently and celebrating partnerships in a time when many have stepped back.”

Another said: “Their staff always take the time to meet, listen and discuss opportunities available to their clients. They were very accommodating and attentive, and they took the lead in maintaining contact and business relations during lockdown. They had their own challenges, as we have all had, but their staff individually and collectively still reached out when it was mutually essential for the benefit of the client and our industry.”

The IntiMedia result in this year’s MOST Awards was impressive, especially considering it was a relative newcomer to the survey. One respondent described the team as “specialists in ATL and the digital landscape. They have outstanding relationships with their key partners and without fail implement the best-suited media channels for their clients. Their strategies are in depth and media briefs comprehensive”. Another commented: “They are exceptional strategic partners who have not only a great understanding of their clients’ needs and expectations, but also an incredible media knowledge and overall understanding across traditional and digital media offerings.”

The Posterscope team maintained its high standard from 2019, where it was ranked second in the Specialist Media Agencies category, placing third in this year’s Lamb Award category. The out of home specialist achieved particularly high scores for ‘Knowledge of media’ and for ‘Collaboration and strategic partnerships’. A respondent had the following to say about the team: “Most effective in communication and continually work with media owners to push the boundaries and provide dynamic solutions. Always open with feedback.”

themediaonline.co.za

MOST AWARDS RESULTS 2021

AWARDS 2021

Overall Best Media Agency 2021

The winner of the MOST Award for the best overall media agency in 2021 went to The MediaShop (Johannesburg).

The minor placings in the top three went to Carat (Johannesburg) and Vizeum (Johannesburg) respectively.

There is not much that one may say to The MediaShop (Johannesburg) team, except perhaps “Take a bow” because this team has delivered a level of excellence and consistency that no other media agency has come close to matching. There are so many good things that have been said about The MediaShop (Johannesburg) in the MOST Awards over the years which no doubt will continue to be said in future.

But perhaps the following comment by a media owner sums up the collective sentiment of the team appropriately: “Most collaborative.

Most fair. Most transformed. Most innovative.”

Congratulations on another fantastic achievement!

IMAGEs: Ideaology, istock.com

Agencies 2021 Rank Media Overall Rankings (Top 15)

Category

Votes MOST Score

1

The MediaShop (Johannesburg)

Full-service

68

8.41

2

Carat (Johannesburg)

Full-service

41

8.34

3

Vizeum (Johannesburg)

Full-service

39

8.31

4

Ogilvy Go Media

Specialist

30

8.25

5

PHD

Full-service

76

8.24

6

Alphabet Soup

Specialist

38

8.10

7

Wavemaker

Full-service

61

8.05

8

Meta Media (Johannesburg)

Full-service

30

8.01

9

Zenith

Full-service

30

7.89

10

MediaCom

Full-service

44

7.86

11

OMD

Full-service

64

7.84

12

Mediology

Full-service

45

7.73

13

TMI Media

Specialist

36

7.67

14

Starcom

Full-service

32

7.44

15

Mindshare

Full-service

56

7.31

T H E M E D I A i 25

AWARDS 2021

MEDIA OWNER LEGEND

The‘silver fox’

is foxier than the fox Winner

Media Owner Legend 2021:

Mediamark CEO

Wayne Bischoff

Above and beyond

Celia Collins, a former Media Agency Legend, was one of the judges of the MOST Awards this year. “The characteristics I focused on included the ability to inspire during a Covid-19 year, to go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver a holistic view of their offering, as well as how they communicated this to the agencies,” she says. “A secondary factor was how media owners changed their proposals to fit into a Covid-19 year without just giving the same old elements.”

Bischoff’s staff bear out Collins’ thoughts. “Wayne’s leadership style has always been empowering and non-hierarchical, but Covid-19 brought out the Superman in him,” they say.

“He has rallied at every single level of the business to engage and connect, facing the ongoing challenges headon with solutions-based thinking and bucket loads of empathy. He maintains 26 i T H E M E D I A

He has a large capacity for risk and accepts that failures along the way are learnings for the future

Bischoff is no pushover, though.

“He demands professionalism and excellence,” say his staff. “Wayne has a massive capacity to read and stay informed, and shares his knowledge freely. He is outspoken about human rights of all kinds, and is not afraid to speak his mind on topics and get involved. Last but certainly not least, Wayne is a true gentleman with a sense of family and integrity at his core.”

Capacity for risk daily contact with all staff, and his regular ‘town hall’ meetings empower and energise.”

His can-do attitude and deep involvement with the media sector are things his staff admire. “He is passionate about the success of our industry and stays involved at all levels. He has been serving on industry bodies such as the Advertising Media Association of South Africa throughout his career to date.

“However, it’s his interpersonal and networking skills that really make him stand out. He has perfected the art of client service and building relationships that matter. Wayne keeps engaging, whether face-to-face, online or in the social-media sphere, where he connects and engages tirelessly.” themediaonline.co.za

Being a modern media-owner leader require different skills and attitudes than in the past. What do his staff think makes Bischoff a modern media leader?

“Wayne’s ability to encourage employee progression and empower his staff at all levels. He embraces the changing needs of business, for example working from home and the challenges and opportunities it has brought. He has a large capacity for risk and accepts that failures along the way are learnings for the future. He values his staff and his staff feel valued. We’ve said it before, but his capacity for empathy is a trait that every modern business needs in a leader.”

Bischoff’s peers refer to him as the Silver Fox, his staff reveal: “The age-old adage goes, ‘In a society where every man is fox-minded, you need to be foxier than the fox!’ Well, Wayne Bischoff is our Silver Fox.”

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

W

ayne Bischoff had worked for Mediamark prior to becoming CEO of the sales house in 2019. First time around, he was on the executive committee. But second time around, the buck stops with him.

Not that the responsibility fazed him; he was excited to work for a company that had evolved into an integrated and multichannel sales house. Moreover, he couldn’t wait to get to grips with the “rapidly changing media landscape, and how data, tech and creative are integrating in the media space”, as he told The Media at the time.

MEDIA AGENCY LEGEND

AWARDS 2021

Making waves

“I

in the media industry

t was exhilarating to see that there were many recommendations across categories this year, with the younger generation coming into the fold,” says one of the MOST judges, Omnicom Media Group’s Celia Collins. “I focused on their ability to service and get their perspective across to their audience, and how they inspired the rest of the industry.”

Winner

Media Agency Legend:

Wavemaker MD

Merissa Himraj

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

AN EMPATHETIC LEADER

Himraj joined Wavemaker South Africa seven years ago as a business unit manager. In that time, she moved rapidly up the ladder to become its chief strategy officer before ultimately managing the South African arm of the global agency.

Wavemaker South Africa CEO Lwandile Qokweni says Himraj is “invested in our people, clients, campaigns and their success. The proof is in the time she spends with business unit heads and strategists, monitoring and guiding them, and even helping them personally. All of that when she has five kids of her own at home.

“I would say she is an empathetic leader,” adds Qokweni, “but in business she is strong – you have to be in our industry, dealing with challenging clients, the business climate during Covid-19, understanding the realities of operating in such times and articulating this to her teams and clients. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. Yet I think she sees her ultimate reward as the success of clients,

and it has given her the ability to be a consultative partner to clients, who regard her as a go-to advisor. It also makes her an example of excellence for the rest of the agency to follow.”

Business unit head and hybrid strategist Cheryl Dube says, “Empathy is something a lot of leaders lack and, being female, Merissa is so relatable and understands the struggles of what it is to be a woman in this industry, and a woman of colour on top of that.”

INCREDIBLE KNOWLEDGE

She is one of the most competent and knowledgeable media people in the industry campaigns and staff, and seeing it all come together.”

Himraj is certainly an inspirational leader with an acute business sense.

Wavemaker head of digital Shaun Frazao says of her: “Merissa has the rare ability to understand and unpack a challenge through big-picture business strategy, while being able to tie that back to actionable and innovative media plans. This skill is something we don’t see often in the media industry, themediaonline.co.za

Dube adds that Himraj’s willingness always to help and make time for staff even when she has her own workload is exceptional. “She gives amazing insight and context, which is always refreshing and frames things in a different way.”

Human resources manager Wanita Berry is in awe of Himraj’s “incredible knowledge of media as a whole. What makes her stand out is her ability to calm down any situation, and her utter passion for mentoring and upskilling – regardless of what level the person is, and regardless of whether they are a Wavemaker employee or not.”

Frazao agrees. “Professionally, she is one of the most competent and knowledgeable media people in the industry. This, combined with her professional integrity, is something clients and peers love about her. From a personal point of view, she has enthusiasm and go-getter energy; she will try and participate in anything as a way of learning from new experiences, but also just having fun.”

T H E M E D I A i 27

Winner

MEDIA AGENCY RISING STAR

A PhD in modern

media agency leadership

A

skilled marketing professional, Jamie Norgarb isn’t just dedicated to ensuring clients challenge the norm and grow their businesses; she’s also determined to foster and mentor staff. She believes it is critical to focus on how senior agency people can “help the next generation of marketers find passion and drive, to ensure the future of our industry”.

PLUGGED IN AND FLEXIBLE

Speaking about the qualities judges looked for in this year’s individual award nominations, Celia Collins, general manager Africa of the Omnicom Media Group, says that while discussions were deep, “we were all well aligned on who the candidates and the top three were. They stood out especially during a Covid-19 year.

There were strong candidates who, prior to Covid-19, would have been in the mix, but for me they went quiet during a stressful time for the industry.”

For Norgarb’s boss, PHD South Africa CEO Anne Dearnaley, a pair of firm hands on the wheel, coupled with curiosity, commitment and a strong work ethic, is vital in a modern media agency leader. “She is plugged in and flexible, a key characteristic that makes her agile to adapt to the fast-changing media landscape. She is curious, 28 i T H E M E D I A

open to learning and inquisitive by nature, always willing to delve into uncharted territories, which leads to interesting conversations.

“Jamie is a committed employee, solution driven and consistently strives to be her best,” adds Dearnaley. “She is hungry to learn and grow, and is exceptionally ambitious. Her strategy is of the highest calibre, and she consistently delivers on all aspects of media and the business. She is an asset to PHD as well as to the clients with whom she works.”

She is plugged in and flexible, a key characteristic that makes her agile to adapt to the fast-changing landscape Norgarb’s commitment to mentoring and uplifting staff hasn’t gone unnoticed. “She is a supportive and encouraging leader, and has quickly gained the trust of our Cape Town staff,” says Dearnaley.

“Jamie listens and actively empowers staff to do the best work they can, finding solutions for obstacles and always ensuring themediaonline.co.za

Media Agency Rising Star: PHD Media MD

Jamie Norgarb

the loop is closed in terms of solving problems.”

Confident and strategic, Norgarb is trusted by clients, who value her input into their businesses, says Dearnaley.

“She is kind, friendly and understanding.

She’s a real people person – easy to get along and work with. On a personal level, Jamie knows how to have fun; she has a funny and light-hearted disposition, which can make for some good times when the stress of the day is done.”

One of Norgarb’s clients, Neo Media World client director Matt Wilke, writes of her: “I had the great fortune of working with Jamie while at PHD Media, and found her to be very thorough and focused person to work with. Her fantastic sense of humour goes a long way in ensuring those tense ‘media agency moments’ melt away, allowing the teams around her to get on with the task at hand and do what needs to be done to get the best results for the client.”

Dearnaley believes Norgarb is a deserving winner of the Rising Star award. “She would be very deserving of any award for which she is potentially in line. She has dedicated years of service both to PHD and the industry, she has shown passion and commitment at every step, and I think the industry and PHD are very lucky to have someone of her calibre pioneering new thinking and new ways of working.”

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

AWARDS 2021

MEDIA OWNER RISING STAR

AWARDS 2021

This rising star

is raising sales Winner

Media Owner Rising Star:

DStv Media Sales senior account manager

Skhumbuzo Mokoena

S

khumbuzo Mokoena is a graduate of the IMM Graduate School, with a BA degree in Business Administration as well as marketing management. He kicked off his career in media sales back in 2006 on glossy men’s print title Men’s Health, an “amazing brand” in his opinion.

The job was the start of his gaining experience across print, digital, out of home and broadcast media.

As his boss, DStv Media Sales CEO Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, says, “Skhumbuzo has taken his personal learning journey to the next level. He is constantly learning about all the new platforms and products within the business to make him more effective in the marketplace.”

TRUE GENTLEMAN

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

On a personal level, Cassim-Surtee says Mokoena is a “true gentleman with impeccable manners who is always professional in his approach”.

Mokoena has spent more than 10 years embedded in the broadcast media environment. Mokoena has been with DStv Media Sales since 2011, starting out as an account

He is professional and always seeks to understand before responding to clients manager, where he learned the business for six years before being promoted to senior account manager in late 2017. Prior to that, he spent time at SABC Sport and JCDecaux (then Continental Outdoor), giving him a well-rounded perspective of the media sales sector.

A COOL HEAD

Much of his success, says Cassim-Surtee, is down to his being “attentive, a good listener and genuinely caring about his clients”.

She adds, “He is professional and always seeks to understand before responding to clients.”

Mokoena’s LinkedIn profile shows how clients respect his abilities: recommendations for his digital marketing, advertising and marketing communications skills abound.

As Cassim-Surtee concludes, “Skhu has a wonderful nature. He always keeps a cool head, even in tough situations, and he genuinely cares about DStv Media Sales clients.”

Mokoena is constantly learning about all the new platforms and products within the business to make him more effective in the marketplace

themediaonline.co.za

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SHEPHERD AWARD

Winner

Shepherd Award:

DStv media sales CEO

Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee

A true leader &

mentor to many “Fahmeeda is an active participant in the media industry, and with her blue-sky thinking, wealth of experience, solid relationships and ability to influence, she is able to move and evolve the industry into the future, as well as put measures in place to meet immediate critical needs. DStv Media Sales and the industry are better off with Fahmeeda in it. She is a rare gem and true industry stalwart.”

F

ahmeeda Cassim-Surtee is a legend in media circles. In fact, she’s a previous winner of the MOST Awards Media Owner Legend title. This year, however, she’s being honoured for her contribution to the standing of the media sector.

Who better to talk about her guidance, mentorship, time and dedication than members of her own senior staff at DStv? “Fahmeeda is an incredible CEO,” says Lucasta Stephen. “She is approachable, relatable and very involved. A true leader and mentor to many, she makes you want to do and be better! I love that she is inspired by a happy culture and that she does everything she can to create a productive and healthy working environment.

COURAGEOUS AND FEARLESS

Nadia Cooper says Cassim-Surtee is a courageous and fearless leader who is not afraid to challenge the status quo. “She is business driven but also truly an empathetic leader who keeps people at the front and centre of her decision-making. It’s a privilege being part of her team.”

“Fahmeeda, your accolade comes as no surprise!” says Rene Koumaras.

“You are a fearless and tenacious leader who constantly strives for improvement personally and professionally. Your capabilities are so inspiring to all who know you and I’m so proud to be a part of your team.”

Patrick van Schoor believes Cassim-Surtee is a ‘modern leader’, adding that she’s a big-picture thinker who is visionary in her approach and able to bring out the best in her team.

“Her gut is seldom wrong and her ability to make quick decisions is a

It’s her smile, her enthusiasm, and her authenticity – not characteristics you learn at management school but qualities that come so easily and naturally to her 30 i T H E M E D I A

themediaonline.co.za

real asset in an ever-changing, fast-paced industry. All of these traits make her a formidable CEO, but what separates her from most is her ability to connect with people.

From her most valuable customers to her most junior staff, Fahmeeda makes you feel special and valued.

It’s her smile, her enthusiasm, her authenticity – not characteristics you learn at management school but qualities that come so easily and naturally to her.”

BREAKOUT OPPORTUNITIES

Rani Bisal says Cassim-Surtee is a leader by action whose empathy strengthens relationships. “She is a mentor, coach, guide, leader and a living legend, but most importantly, she is the kindest person I have met on this planet.”

Nosipho Mabuza describes Cassim-Surtee as a visionary leader, but more so as being “unapologetically dedicated to the upliftment of women in the media industry. She has given many women, me included, their breakout opportunities, and continued to support, guide and counsel them on their corporate journeys. Within the MultiChoice Group, she was also instrumental in the establishment of the MultiChoice Women’s Forum and remains part of the steering committee.

Here’s to you, Fahms!”

Rilien Nienaber agrees, saying that “ensuring her staff are recognised and upskilled based on the current market trends is central to her management style”.

IMAGE: SUPPLIED

AWARDS 2021

Bell Award

A leading

research light

T

he Bell Award honours an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the betterment of the media sector, whose oeuvre of work has informed and enriched the industry narrative. This year’s recipient of the Bell Award has made an invaluable and significant contribution to the South African research and media landscape over many decades – not only as someone you can rely on in times of conflict and indecision to supply and reason with the facts, but as a pioneer for black women in research in South Africa.

Jos Kuper, doyenne of research in South Africa and the inaugural winner of the Bell Award, has this to say about Kubheka: “Bea made herself an intrinsic and essential part of the industry, without which many unnecessary and perhaps insensitive marketing and advertising initiatives and messages would have seen the light of day. And she did so without antagonising anyone; in fact quite the opposite. It came from deep within her big heart.”

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

From humble beginnings working in a laundromat, Kubheka started to come to the fore as a research executive at Bates Wells in the early ’80s. Her groundbreaking sociological research and quietly reasoned insights on black

Winner Bell Award:

Beatrice ‘Bea’ Kubheka

By Gordon Muller

consumers began to make marketers sit up and take note.

For me, Kubheka made a lasting impression on many young people in the industry who were trying to find a reasoned approach to extricating marketing and advertising from the racial quagmire into which it was steadily sinking. She changed the way people thought about advertising and media in South Africa.

Kubheka liked to be seen as someone who was located deep within her own culture, a person who enjoyed using research to tell the untold story.

More often than not the only female in the executive frame, she boldly challenged the mindset of an industry overwhelmingly dominated by white males, but always with a gentle and provocatively humorous touch. You could say she practically invented quiet diplomacy in the South African advertising industry.

You could say she practically invented quiet diplomacy in the South African advertising industry themediaonline.co.za

AWARDS 2021

After leaving the advertising agency world, Bea spent a number of years at MMR Research doing pioneering work in the newspaper publishing industry. After succeeding Kuper as head of MMR, in 2003 Kubheka moved on to become the first managing director of one the country’s earliest black economic empowerment market research companies, African Response.

LEADING LIGHT

Andrea Rademeyer, founder and CEO of research group Ask Afrika, says of Beatrice: “Building companies is one thing, building an industry quite another. Bea has done both. Bea has always spoken about the research industry’s potential to tell the backstory of our societies, about the imperative of authoring a local view on products and brands. She has been an inspiring leading light to many youngsters hesitant about entering this intellectual industry. Her kindness was a magnet to many.”

In 2011, Kubheka relinquished her role as MMR managing director, becoming the chair of Synovate’s African Response until her retirement.

Jon Salters, CEO of Synovate Africa at the time, says of Beatrice: “She has become one of the most recognised, respected and well-liked figures in the South African market research industry.”

We wholeheartedly agree.

In an advertising career spanning over 40 years, Gordon Muller has held senior management positions at a number of major international advertising agencies. He is a past chairperson of the Advertising Media Forum and the Advertising Media Association of South Africa and was awarded the Financial Mail Adfocus Lifetime Achievement Award 2011, The Media magazine Legend Award 2012 and was voted by his peers the MOST Awards Media Shepherd 2017. As an independent media consultant, he offers a depth of communication services.

T H E M E D I A i 31

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