At the centre of the great success of the Ster-Kinekor #OpenEyes campaign, which garnered the coveted Loerie Grand Prix in the Integrated Category, is a shy and happy young man who regained his sight after 10 years.
Philani Twala, from Kathehong on the East Rand, received a double corneal transplant, and an emotionally charged campaign was built around his experience and public reaction on social media. The big question was: Which movie should be the first one he watched on the big screen?
The advertising agency FoxP2 and its clients converted 25 shortlists to land a total of eight Loeries, and two craft certificates. The big win came for the Ster-Kinekor #OpenEyes campaign, as it picked up what is arguably the most coveted award of the weekend – Grand Prix in the Integrated Category.
The 38th Annual Loerie Awards took place on 20 and 21 August 2016 at the Durban ICC, announcing the winners from 3,112 entries that were received from 22 countries across the Africa Middle East region.
Watch the campaign video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq2r-xIDpFs&feature=youtu.be
Justin Gomes, FoxP2 ECD says, “It’s the big one, something every agency aims for so we are feeling so very appreciative of the recognition right now. Congratulations to our courageous clients who embraced the idea two years ago and invested in it at scale. And then to our immensely committed FoxP2 team who would stop at nothing to make this work as great as it could be, you make me proud we started this agency ten years go. And finally, a massive shout out to #OpenEyes director Dave Meinert and They Productions”.
FoxP2 CEO Charl Thom continues, “The ultimate goal is always to generate results – creativity for creativity’s sake is pointless. So it’s very satisfying to see a 60%+ increase in donations along with the brand campaign results, which is all going to contribute to making a difference to more people like Philani. It shows the power of great ideas to change lives. My personal favourite moment early on in the campaign was when the US Ambassador to South Africa Patrick Gaspard got involved on Twitter, suggesting a movie for Philani to see with his new eyes.”
See Philani’s reaction to the campaign here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z45_Qwkq7rE&feature=youtu.be
Other wins for FoxP2 and Ster-Kinekor #Open Eyes included three gold Loeries in PR, Branded Content and the Integrated Category (which went on to win the Grand Prix).
Silver Loeries were landed for long term client SAMPRO, and their “Just Enough Energy for Teens” television campaign, that promotes the benefits of dairy, and a silver Creative Effectiveness Loerie for last year’s successful winner, Garagista Craft Beer.
Last but not least, Bronze Loeries were awarded to FoxP2 and Ster-Kinekor in the radio category, for the “Reign of IT Guy” campaign, and one of the agency’s oldest clients National Geographic Kids, for the “Stickers” campaign in the print category. Known for the meticulous craft that goes into its work, FoxP2 also won two craft certificates for writing in the Ster-Kinekor “Reign of IT Guy” campaign, and for photography in Cinema Nouveau’s “Cult Film Festival” poster campaign.
Fellow FoxP2 ECD Andrew Whitehouse concludes, “It’s satisfying to see the agency winning across such a broad array of categories: print, radio, TV, online, and for the Ster-Kinekor work to all come together in such an outstanding integrated campaign. Creativity lies at the heart of our DNA, and our work keeps demonstrating that great ideas remain the only way to truly deliver a disproportionate return on marketing Rands.”
