AT THE END of the first decade of the third millennium we’re looking for the agency that best sums up the ethos of the changing times. The “Agency of the Decade” will be named in Tony Koenderman’s AdReview, the pre-eminent annual overview of South African marketing and advertising (to be published with Finweek in April) and presented at a gala banquet. It will be a one-off award but part of our normal AdReview Awards.
The winner will have performed well by the normal criteria – creative awards, business development and growth – but will also have demonstrated its adaptation to the structural changes taking place in the marketing world as the digital revolution threatens to sweep all before it.
But that’s not all. We’ll mark the 10-year cycle with a book of tens such as: 10 top agencies of the decade, Ten ideas of the decade; Ten people who’ve made a difference, Ten best advertisements or campaigns.
AdReview 2010 will be a must-read. We’ll be examining social media – the hottest issue in marketing – as part of a bigger takeout on the way technological change has influenced marketing and the ability of the ad industry to respond to the needs of society. A key question will be: Can traditional media survive the digital challenge?
As always, our purpose is to help marketers make those vital decisions. When they’re choosing a new agency or design shop, or want to know who’s hot (and who’s not), or what the latest media and  marketing trends are, we aim to provide the best available information.
We’ll carry our usual sections on public relations, sponsorship, the regions, media and media agencies and our agency ratings, in which every agency is rated separately for its creativity and business performance.
Corporate features remain part of the mix. If you’re interested in sponsoring a feature about your company please contact Tian Liebenberg at tianl@finweek.co.za. Questionnaires and guidelines will be emailed to agencies over the next two weeks and will also be available online. Details will be announced shortly.