South Africa’s Poor Showing at International Awards Reflects a Notable Drop in Standards

Authored by: Luca Gallarelli and Carl Willoughby

A Sobering Reality for South African Creativity

South Africa’s performance at the 2024 Cannes Festival of Creativity serves as a wake-up call for the creative industry. Ranking 26th globally, a far cry from historic highs of sixth in 2000, fourth in 2006, and 33 medals in 2013, the decline is stark. Industry experts Luca Gallarelli and Carl Willoughby, representing the ACA's Creativity and Effectiveness tribe, highlight this as a pivotal moment for change.

This dip in global recognition reflects deeper issues in the creative sector, exacerbated by challenges such as the brain drain, reduced budgets, juniorisation, and a smaller market size. While local campaigns may resonate within South Africa, they are not meeting the global benchmarks once synonymous with South African creativity.

The Business Case for Excellence

The power of creativity lies in its ability to drive brand sustainability and business results. Iconic campaigns like Apple’s "Get a Mac," Old Spice’s "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like," and Nike’s "Just Do It" showcase how exceptional creativity delivers measurable impact on sales, brand metrics, and customer loyalty.

South Africa's creative sector, once driven by a challenger mindset, must realign with the values of ambition and excellence that historically placed it among the world’s best.

Examples of Creativity Driving Results

1. Apple’s "Get a Mac" Campaign: Boosted sales by 39% within its first year and cemented Apple's cultural relevance.
2. Old Spice’s "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like": Achieved a 107% sales increase and unprecedented social media engagement.
3. Always’ "Like a Girl" Campaign: Improved brand sentiment by 200%, reaching 90 million YouTube views.
4. Nike’s "Just Do It" Campaign: Elevated Nike from a niche brand to a global powerhouse, growing sales from $800M to $9.2B.
5. Joburg Ballet’s "Breaking Ballet" Campaign: A data-driven, real-time approach that generated 24 million media impressions and a 560% ROI in earned media.

What Can Be Done?

Recognising the problem is the first step. Industry stakeholders must engage in candid discussions, align creativity with effectiveness, and collaboratively develop actionable strategies to uplift standards.

This includes:

• Prioritising global-quality execution.
• Creating alignment between agencies and clients to pursue ambitious goals.
• Addressing systemic issues like undervaluing creativity and talent retention.

Without collective action, the industry risks a continued decline, negatively impacting talent acquisition, financial sustainability, and global respect.

About the Authors

• Luca Gallarelli: Vice Chairman of the Association for Communication and Advertising.
• Carl Willoughby: Chairperson of the Creative Circle.

Total Words: 380

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Social Media Post

Time to Get Creative About Raising Standards

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