A LITTLE SHORT OF halfway through the race, the agency battle for South African creative leadership in 2010 is all but over. Thanks to its all-conquering Trillion Dollar Campaign, TBWA Hunt Lascaris is so far ahead of the chasing pack it would take a miracle for any other agency to overtake it. Its points score is already higher than the score that gave it first place over the whole of last year. And with last week’s triumph at the D&AD in London, the Trillion Dollar is now the most-awarded campaign in world advertising history.
For Net#work Jhb (currently third) to catch the leader it would have to earn twice as many points as it did last year from the remaining events – Cannes, Loeries, Eagles and Ad of the Year – if Hunts won nothing more.
The Creative Circle recognises four international awards shows and four South African ones as being of sufficient standard. Clio, The One Show and D&AD are behind us, and the world’s top event – the Cannes Lions – starts on 20 June.
Due to the timing of the Trillion Dollar Campaign launch – it was first entered at Cannes 2009 – its year of validity for competitions is now over. But in that period it won just about everything going: 67 awards in total, including Grands Prix at Cannes, Clio and The Art Director’s Club of New York. It won a D&AD Black Pencil (considered the world’s top design award) and Yellow Pencils in the integrated and outdoor advertising categories.
Design & Art Direction is a British educational charity.
The core element of the Trillion Dollar ­Campaign is a billboard plastered with Zim­babwean currency notes, overprinted with ­slogans such as: “It’s cheaper to print this on money than paper.” The client is The Zimbabwean, an exile newspaper.
Without that wellspring of awards, SA’s ­prospects at Cannes don’t look too bright. But there’s an interesting new name on the leader board: Young & Rubicam, where Mick Blore is rebuilding the creative department.
* We value awards by our AdReview points system and not the Creative Circle system, which makes no distinction between one event and another: for example, treating all Golds as equal. Our D&AD points are: Black Pencil 110; Yellow pencil 65; nomination 25; entry to annual 12.