In a matter of weeks, Graeme McCree, the 2016 Pendoring Prestige Award winner and King James creative director, will be winging his way to the Cannes Advertising Festival, while later this year, Melusi Mhlungu, Ogilvy copywriter and the 2016 Pendoring Umpetha joint-winner, will be jetting to Miami to embark on a whole new advertising adventure at David the Agency. Likewise, Bonginkosi Luvuno, senior copywriter at The Odd Number and joint Umpetha winner in 2016, is setting his sights on a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience abroad.

Two-time Pendoring Prestige winner Dominique Swiegers, King James copywriter, who attended Cannes last year, also attended SXSW in Austin, Texas this year.

Big guns netted for 2017 Pendoring Advertising Campaign

This year, the creative team at OpenCo knocked on the doors of international creative leaders and secured the participation of three of them. Joao Coutinho (executive creative director, Y&R North America), Tom Paine (creative director – Y&R, New Zealand) and Erik Vervroegen (global head of art – TBWA Chiat Day, New York) will be a part of the 2017 Pendoring Advertising Campaign.

While these three top creatives may be revered in the industry around the world for their advertising insights and creative clout, they admit they are baffled when it comes to Pendoring.

Built on the premise “that only locals will get it”, the 2017 Pendoring Advertising Campaign illustrates the point that by exclusively exploring and showcasing the richness and versatility of our mother tongues, Pendoring is uniquely and proudly South African.

This, because the indigenous and truly South African insights and the rich vernacular diversity displayed in Pendoring entries are simply too local for them to grasp, and all is lost in translation, explains OpenCo ECD, Carl Willoughby.

“Having had the opportunity to work on the 2017 Pendoring campaign was quite a privilege and allowed us to show our creative muscle. Of late, Pendoring has become more profiled, especially because the awards are now open to all vernacular languages and this clearly separates it from any other awards shows insofar as the awards are uniquely South African,” says Willoughby

He adds, “This also allowed us to tap into local insights that only work from a South African point of view and we are delighted that some really great guns in the international advertising world were willing to play ball to prove this point. In fact, once we explained the raison d’être and mission of Pendoring and its positioning as truly, uniquely South African advertising awards, they immediately bought in.”

The campaign will consist largely of social media, digital and direct components, with a revised website and look and feel for 2017.

What prizes are at stake?

Only Gold winners will be eligible for the two main awards – the Prestige Award and the Umpetha Award. Each Gold winner in every category receives R6 000 and Silver winners receive R2 500 each. In addition, the brand behind the overall Prestige winning entry will receive free airtime to the value of R550 000 on kykNET, Pendoring’s platinum sponsor.

Both overall winners in the Student category – of the best Afrikaans work and the best work in one of the other indigenous languages – will receive R10 000.

Important dates to remember

The eligibility period for entries is from 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2017. Submit entries not later than Tuesday, 1 August 2017 at www.pendoring.co.za

Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, 19 September and the gala event will take place at Vodacom World in Midrand on Friday, 27 October.

For more information, visit pendoring.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.