Josephine Buys, the CEO of IAB SA says, “The Bookmark Awards have always set the benchmark for tech, digital and leading edge innovation. As the IAB, we are mindful of how technology is converging and the powerful impact that interactive technology has on the marketing mix.”
“The Bookmarks play an important role in shaping trends within the industry. Now in its ninth year, we have seen how award-winning work inspires and educates the industry about the power to build brands through creative and high impact digital executions that deliver measurable results,” she adds.
New categories span Gaming, Virtual Reality, Digital Installations and Activations, Internet of Things, Customer Experience Design and Dedicated Internet Streaming Services.
Entries close on 11 November 2016, which leaves less than two months to compile and submit your best work. The finalists will be announced after judging in the new year, and the awards ceremony will take place on 2 March 2017 at the brand new space in Sandton, Kramerville – The Galleria.
Visit thebookmarks.co.za to submit your entries! Read the full descriptions of the new entry categories below:
| Games | Original digital games designed for phone, web or console. Includes games developed for informational or commercial purposes. Think FarmVille, Call of Duty or Pokémon Go. |
| Email, direct & inbound marketing | Use of email, SMS, direct digital marketing and other inbound techniques to achieve campaign success. Winners will show exceptional return on investment. Think Obama 2008. |
| Digital Installations and Activations | Use of digital technology to engage audiences typically in an out-of-home or events setting. Think BA's #lookup billboard. |
| Customer Experience Design | Excellence in the digital customer experience, including point of sale or online service channels. Think Amazon.com's service offering. |
| VR | Use of Virtual Reality (VR) to promote a product or brand. |
| Chat, messaging and Dark Social | Use of chat, chat bots and messaging platforms (dark social) to achieve a marketing or communication result. Think Facebook Messenger. |
| Internet of Things | Use of atypical internet devices (i.e. not phone or computer) to achieve a marketing or communication goal. Think Apple Watch or Apple TV. |
| Online Photography | Use of online video by a publisher for news or editorial purposes. Think Daily Mail. |
| Streaming Services | Dedicated internet streaming service (video or audio). Think Netflix or CliffCentral. |
| Craft: Excellence In Software, Coding & Tech. Innovation | Individual or team award for demonstrable excellence and innovation in coding or use of technology in an online campaign or platform. The engineering will be judged by a team of software experts. The work and not the individuals will be judged but the winner will be an individual or team of up to 3 people. |
| Best Digital Student | Best student studying a digital course at an institution, including marketing and related disciplines such as UX. Think top students at AAA or UJ. |
| Best Digital Youngster | Best person under 28 who has made a significant contribution to digital this year through their work - can be agency, publisher or other. |
| Brand of the Year | Company most supportive or innovative in the digital marketing space. |
| Best Marketer | Individual in a brand who most supports, encourages and succeeds using digital channels. |
| Best CTO | Individual in a brand who most supports, encourages and succeeds using digital channels. |
| Best Contribution to Transformation in the Digital Industry | Organisation who has made the most convincing contribution to growing diversity in the digital industry in line with overall goals for an integrated South Africa. This could be through any meaningful mechanism ranging from ownership to participation. |
| Pixel for Purpose | Awarded to a piece of work (site, app, publication or any other digital piece) that made a significant positive social impact. The winner will have conclusively proven that the idea worked. |
View all the categories in more detail here.
About the IAB South Africa:
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa, formerly the DMMA, is an independent, voluntary, non-profit association focused on growing and sustaining a vibrant and profitable digital industry in South Africa. The IAB South Africa represents the digital industry across all sectors including the media, the marketing community, government, and the public, and also acts as the channel through which international bodies can enter the South African digital market. The IAB South Africa currently represents over 200 members including online publishers, creative, media and digital agencies, brands, and educators, between them accounting for more that 43 million local unique browsers, and 1 267 802 page views. The IAB South Africa strives to provide members with a platform through which they can engage, interact, and address digital issues of common interest, thereby stimulating learning and commerce within the South African digital space. To find out more about the IAB South Africa, visit its website, like its Facebook page and follow @iab_sa on Twitter.
