"I'm enormously proud of our teams for this result," says Jarred Cinman, joint CEO of VMLY&R South Africa.

"It demonstrates our teams' creativity and ingenuity in conceptualising and executing industry-leading digital work. Being awarded Agency of the Year shows that we are making a tangible difference to our clients' businesses," adds Cinman. 

"Nando's is a long-standing client partner of our agency, and we've been thrilled to be part of the growth their digital business has achieved during that time. Vodacom is our biggest client, and it's fantastic to see the team consistently deliver a high standard of work that helps them meet their business objectives," Cinman says.

According to the agency, the awarded work — which included work for Nando's and Vodacom — has something in common: the quintessential South African ability to find the positive even when times are tough.

In the wake of the very serious work that we saw during the pandemic, it's a good reminder that positivity can be equally impactful, the agency concludes.

The Vodacom 'Hearing Challenge', which won Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards, turned a hearing test into a fun TikTok challenge that got South African youth testing their hearing in a familiar, gamified format — and educating them on where to find help if the challenge didn't go so well.

Vodacom 'Unlock Your Summer' encouraged South Africans to celebrate the summer season and make their lives better with the chance to unlock prizes and benefits.

VMLY&R's New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards wins are the following:

Gold
  • Med-Large Agency of the Year for VMLY&R South Africa
  • Overall Social & Digital Corporate of the Year for Nando's South Africa
  • Digital Brand of the Year for Nando's South Africa
  • Most Innovative Social & Digital Campaign by a Med-Large Agency for Nando's 'Bright Sides'
  • Best Revenue-Generating Marketing Campaign / Event for Nando's 'Bright Sides', and
  • Mobile Marketing Excellence for Vodacom Hearing Challenge.

Silver
  • Best Use of Technical Innovation for Nando's 'Bright Sides'
  • Mobile Marketing Excellence for Nando's 'Bright Sides'
  • Most Innovative Use of Social & Digital Media for Nando's 'Bright Sides'
  • Excellence in Content Marketing for Nando's 'Bright Sides', and
  • Best Community Engagement Award for Vodacom 'Hearing Challenge'.

Bronze
  • Most Viral Campaign for Nando's 'Voice of the People'
  • Best Revenue-Generating Marketing Campaign / Event for Vodacom 'Unlock Your Summer', and
  • Most Innovative Use of Social & Digital Media for Vodacom 'Hearing Challenge'.

For more information, visit www.vmlyr.com. You can also follow VMLY&R on Facebook, X or on Instagram.