Octagon SA (Pty) Ltd, South Africa’s biggest player in the sports and entertainment marketing business made a clean sweep of the three Grand Raptors at a function in Johannesburg.
The Raptor Awards are run under the auspices of the Association of Marketers. The awards recognise the growing standards of creative and strategic thinking in sponsorship and the increasing role sponsorship plays as a marketing tool.
The Grand Raptors were awarded to Octagon for MTN Gladiators in the category best super budget sponsorship (over R10-million a year), MTN Chirp Parties for best small budget sponsorship (below R500 000 a year), and the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon for the best large budget sponsorship (R3.5-R10-million a year).
Octagon was also awarded seven Raptor Award Certificates out of a total of 15 and the National Association of Broadcasters Award for MTN Gladiators.
‘Octagon’s outstanding performance should give our clients added confidence that the recent merger between Octagon Marketing and ESPM Legends will further strengthen the competitive advantage they enjoy with Octagon as one of their marketing partners,’ says Neill Duffy, Octagon’s joint CEO.
‘We have combined the best thinking in the sponsorship industry and with Octagon’s AIMED model and ESPM’s tried and tested philosophy, we can now boast a model which can be applied as a strategic management tool in order to deliver the multiple benefits that sponsorship has to offer.’
The AIMED approach analyses a sponsorship’s criteria for success under the headings of awareness, activation, innovation, measurement, meaningful, experiential and driven, giving an effective tool with which a sponsor can maximise the return generated on their sponsorship spend.
Says Franco Barocas, Octogon’s joint CEO: ‘On the strength of these awards, it is apparent that we are giving our clients the winning edge in what is an increasingly competitive environment.
‘However, all awards should be viewed in a broader perspective, one which recognises the critical role that the client plays.
‘Very often it is the client’s vision and ability to brief and manage the consultancy around their objectives that results in excellent creative work.
‘The awards have shown that creativity in sponsorship is as important as creativity in traditional advertising.
‘We are delighted that at last, through ASOM’s Raptor Awards, that sponsorship is being awarded the recognition it deserves as a serious marketing tool.’
On the Old Mutual award, Stephen Bowey, Group Marketing Manager, Old Mutual said: ‘The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon has become the flagship event in our road-running portfolio, because of its effectiveness in achieving our brand-building objectives. In fact it played an important role in building awareness of our green advertising campaign.’
The new Octagon SA group offers a range of sports marketing skills comprising Event Management, Consulting, Licensing and Merchandising, Multimedia Integration, Property Representation and Rights Ownership, Athlete Representation, TV production and distribution, and Management Services which supports the entire company including research, strategy, legal and financial services.
Octagon SA forms part of Octagon Marketing, a division of Octagon Worldwide, the sports marketing and entertainment arm of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG). Octagon SA has over 100 staff in offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
For more details contact Neill Duffy (021) 4817702 at Octagon SA (Pty) Ltd.