Grid Worldwide won the prestigious Medium Agency of the Year award for the second year running at the Financial Mail AdFocus Awards.
Every decade or so, the advertising and communications industry goes through a period of radical change and innovation. The most recent revolution? The rise of machines, astounding advancements and generative AI (GenAI) that can spit out life-like marketing collateral (ad copy, website images, engaging videos, etc.) in a matter of minutes without any human involvement. Scary stuff.
With ease of accessibility and endless utility, it’s no surprise that 73% of marketing professionals surveyed across 16 sectors already use GenAI tools to produce content – according to a recent study conducted by Botco.ai.
‘Over time, our industry has moved away from the magic and mystery of observed facts and human intuition to being driven more by science and technology. And with this massive shift, our role as marketers is being questioned and redefined,’ said Luca Gallarelli, Group CEO of TBWA\SA and AdFocus Awards Chairperson.
This challenge and opportunity to reshape the role of the human touch in advertising is something that the Financial Mail AdFocus Awards are shining a spotlight on, with the 2023 theme of ‘The alchemy of AI, data and DNA: Ones and zeros, AI, the rise of machines; is the advertising industry really needed and what is its role?’.
‘For this year’s AdFocus Awards, we really wanted to celebrate the merging of the human element and science to solidify our place in the client’s world,’ explained Gallarelli.
As the leading platform for recognising agencies and individuals across the South African marketing and communication landscape, the AdFocus Awards have been around since 1990 and are unique in rewarding merit for both creativity and business acumen. And with a jury of some of the industry’s most admired and respected individuals, an incredibly rigorous judging and auditing process reveals the best of the best.
‘Our finalists this year genuinely represent the cream of the crop in our industry. What sets them apart is their determination and tenacity to meet the demands of the future – (they are) not simply content with advertising for the sake of advertising,’ commented Gallarelli.
Grid Worldwide has previously received top honours in the Specialist Agency and Design Agency categories, with 10 AdFocus Awards to date.
Nathan Reddy, Chairman and Founder of Grid Worldwide, said, ‘We built Grid around meaning – creating meaning for brands, ourselves and the world. But this meaning has to evolve to retain its significance, and, in turn, we have to constantly change based on the people we serve and the dynamic, chaotic world we operate in. It’s the careful blending of these elements: our relentless pursuit of meaning, adaptability, versatility and our Investment Creative™ methodology that make up our brand of magic, our alchemy.’
‘Our growth comes from being true to who we are: an organisation that solves business challenges in creative ways and builds valuable brand equity. We won’t limit the potential of our clients by trying to put limits on ourselves.’
‘We have had one of our best years ever from an awards perspective and have grown our relationships with existing clients while welcoming new ones. We consider it no small feat that our biggest accounts also happen to be our longest lasting,’ added David Cohen, Joint CEO and Partner at Grid.
‘Everything we do at Grid comes down to our culture – it’s as much a part of our success as our business model and growth structures. Creating a space where people feel inspired and empowered to push the boundaries of their own minds is what we do best, and because we play in culture as a business, we encourage our clients and brands to do the same,’ explained Adam Byars, Joint CEO and Partner at Grid.
GRID WORLDWIDE
http://www.gridworldwide.com
