Are Brands Adapting Quickly Enough To SA’s Township Consumers?

September 30, 2026

Rogerwilco’s 2026 Township Customer Experience (CX) Report, produced in partnership with Field & Insights Africa, explores the practical and emotional toll of keeping a household running amid unreliable infrastructure, tightening budgets and financial uncertainty, through the lens of ‘the cost of coping’.

For South Africa’s township consumers, the customer journey no longer starts at the till. It starts at home, with whether there’s electricity to keep food from spoiling, water to cook with or enough left in the budget to justify another trip to the shops. Those everyday realities, more than any single price tag, are now shaping how millions of South Africans shop, save and engage with brands.

‘For years we’ve measured customer experience from the moment someone enters a store, opens an app or interacts with a brand,’ said Mongezi Mtati, Senior Brand Strategist at Rogerwilco and lead author of the Township CX Report. ‘This year’s report shows that the biggest influences on consumer behaviour often happen long before that. Too often we ask why people switch brands or change the way they shop, when the better question is what happened before they even left home. Once you understand those pressures, their decisions stop looking irrational and start making perfect sense.’

Now in its sixth year, the annual study surveyed 1,600 township residents nationally. Many households have started treating perishability itself as a risk to manage, as 79% of respondents say they face monthly power outages while 55% face monthly water interruptions. Almost 40% now buy fewer fresh or refrigerated foods specifically because power cannot be relied on. That caution is reshaping the basket at a category level too. More than half of respondents are buying less red meat, while 60% are buying more chicken, a shift the report reads not as consumers abandoning protein, but choosing options that are more affordable, flexible and easier to stretch across the month.

That same instinct to protect the basket is changing how and where the township residents we surveyed shop. Affordability is now the single biggest factor in brand choice, cited by 54% of respondents, narrowly ahead of quality at 53%. Store loyalty itself has become conditional with 41% switching retailers for better promotions elsewhere and a further 41% switching to a store closer to home or work.

For brands, another significant finding is that visibility alone is no longer enough. Township consumers increasingly judge brands by whether they make daily life easier. While more than nine in ten respondents believe companies should play some role when public services fail, almost half say brands currently make little difference to their everyday lives. Only one in five believe brands genuinely help them cope with daily challenges.

The research suggests consumers are looking for practical forms of support, including more affordable everyday products, dependable availability, smaller pack sizes, support for local businesses and digital services that reduce costs and make life easier. Consumers want brands to do more than show up. They want practical support that helps them navigate everyday challenges. In other words, usefulness, not visibility, earns their trust.

The report also explores how households are adapting financially under sustained economic pressure. Stokvels remain a trusted, disciplined saving mechanism, with 34% of respondents currently belonging to one, most commonly to cover large annual expenses. Gambling, overwhelmingly mobile-led, sits alongside stokvels as a very different kind of financial coping mechanism, with half of respondents having gambled or placed bets during the past 12 months, reflecting the growing financial pressure facing many households.

Digital connectivity, meanwhile, is high but conditional. Two-thirds of respondents (66%) are online throughout the day, yet more than a third say data cost still limits how often they engage with brands online. This is why low-data formats carry outsized influence. WhatsApp promotions make online engagement easier for 49% of respondents, and simple, low-data messages help a further 44%. AI is also beginning to influence consumer discovery with 28% having used tools like ChatGPT to find new brands or products in the past year.

‘Township residents have already adapted to a world of constant uncertainty, disruptions and unreliable basic services,’ concludes Mtati. ‘The real question is whether brands are adapting just as quickly. The organisations that will earn lasting relevance won’t necessarily be those with the biggest budgets or the loudest campaigns. They’ll be the ones that understand the hidden pressures shaping everyday decisions and find practical ways to reduce the cost of coping.’

The full 2026 Township CX Report is available here. The site also hosts every Township CX Report since 2021, the Township Marketing Podcast and additional thought leadership exploring the trends shaping South Africa’s township economy.

ROGERWILCO
https://www.rogerwilco.co.za/

Dis-Chem Releases Celebratory Anthem For Heritage Day

Modern Marketing

September 30, 2026

Dis-Chem Releases Celebratory Anthem For Heritage Day

In celebration of Heritage Day, Dis-Chem released ‘Freedom’, an anthem celebrating the joy of movement, to inspire all South Africans to move more and reach for Better Health.

‘Dis-Chem started 2026 with a strong core belief that we wanted to get South Africans to move more, because we know that just as little as five minutes a day of moving your body will bring tremendous health benefits,’ said Dis-Chem Chief Marketing Officer Megan Kim de Vroeg. ‘So we put the question to our social media followers: ‘What does Better Health mean to you?’

The acclaimed South African conductor, composer and producer Ralf Schmitt, the conductor and co-founder of the Ndlovu Youth Choir, used those responses as inspiration to compose a song that was first performed by the newly formed Dis-Chem Freedom Choir at Dis-Chem’s Leadership Summit in April. The choir comprises 32 Dis-Chem staff members from Gauteng, three from the Western Cape, and five from KZN, who were selected from more than 100 entries at national auditions.

‘It was a very exciting process to write a song about what Dis-Chem staff and South Africans felt Better Health means for them, and my interpretation of that was, it’s freedom,’ said Schmitt. ‘You know, age is going to catch up with all of us, something is going to happen to us along the way, and if you’ve got good heath, you’ve got freedom.’

‘And they said, you’re going to record it with the Dis-Chem staff, and I was, like, what? Do the staff sing at Dis-Chem? I never knew that,’ he laughed. ‘And boy, do they sing at Dis-Chem.’

‘This song describes us as individuals, what we stand for and what we are,’ said Glen Sefularo, a Dis-Chem merchandiser at the Tambotie Mall branch in Randfontein. ‘So, it’s not only about the person who wrote it, but it’s South Africans who are asked to reply to it, and they responded wholeheartedly.’

Since being performed internally at different Dis-Chem internal events, ‘Freedom’ was re-recorded in August as a full commercial release, featuring J’Something, the Amapiano vocalist Thatohatsi, and hip-hop MC Early B, alongside the Gauteng-based choir.

‘Dis-Chem’s passion for improving lives can either be seen as marketing jargon, or it can be understood as the genuine purpose behind the business. While I don’t know everyone at Dis-Chem or the roots from which the brand grew, knowing that this is its purpose, its ‘why’, is what made it a brand I was drawn to for a campaign like this,’ said J’Something.

‘So that I hope that on Heritage Day, this song can revive the acknowledgement and awareness of our freedom, whether it’s freedom to move or freedom to express. It’s a beautiful day and it’s a beautiful time to be alive to be able to do such things.’

‘This track has been in the making for months and we were excited to release the song on Heritage Day as it addresses freedom of movement and our commitment to Better Health for all South Africans. Against the backdrop of the national sentiment surrounding freedom for women, we debated about delaying its release as we recognise that true freedom and better health depend on people being able to live their lives safely, with dignity and without fear of violence.

‘We are acutely aware of the need to provide safe spaces where all South Africans, men, women and children, can achieve their health goals as an essential part of building a healthier society. In the end we decided to share the song with South Africans on Heritage Day as it speaks to the kind of freedom we should all be entitled to, no matter where we are and no matter what we are doing,’ said de Vroeg.

‘Freedom’ is available on Spotify, Apple Music and other major music streaming platforms, and an accompanying music video, choreographed by the Cape Town-based jazz funk and hip hop choreographer, Rudi Smit, can be viewed on the Dis-Chem YouTube channel.

DIS-CHEM
www.dis-chem.co.za

There Is No Single African Consumer: Why Context Must Come Before Scale

Modern Marketing

September 29, 2026

There Is No Single African Consumer- Why Context Must Come Before Scale

Following her presentation, ‘The African Consumer Decoded’, at the Modern Marketing Power Hour (held during September at Gallagher Convention Centre), Anisa Fielding, Head of Marketing at the IMM Graduate School, examines what marketers need to understand before attempting to scale across African markets.

One of marketing’s most convenient shortcuts is geography. Draw a boundary around a market, find a few demographic averages and start describing ‘the consumer’. At a continental scale, that shortcut becomes dangerous. There is no single African consumer.

There are African consumers shaped by different markets, cultures, income rhythms, languages, devices, household structures, retail systems, ambitions and levels of trust. That distinction is not semantic. It changes the strategy. The fastest way to get Africa wrong is to make it simple.

Scale Is Real. Homogeneity Is Not.

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, more than 70% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is under 30. Meanwhile, the GSMA reports that mobile technologies and services contributed an estimated US$240 billion to Africa’s economy in 2025, equivalent to 7.8% of GDP. Yet it also estimates that 63% of Africans live within mobile-broadband coverage but do not use mobile internet.

– ‘Young’ does not tell us whether someone is a learner, entrepreneur, salaried professional or parent.
– ‘Mobile-first’ does not mean universal smartphone access, affordable data or a fully digital purchasing journey.
– ‘Growth’ does not mean frictionless access.

Averages are useful for understanding scale. They are much less useful for explaining why an individual consumer chooses one product, channel or brand over another. The better question is not: What is the African consumer like? It is: What context is shaping this consumer’s choice?

Seven Lenses for Decoding Context

Before designing a campaign for an African market, marketers can use seven lenses to interrogate the assumption behind the brief:

– Context: What makes this particular market structurally different?
– Capacity: How and when can people afford to buy?
– Culture: What meaning surrounds the category?
– Connectivity: How is the digital world accessed?
– Community: Who transfers trust?
– Channels: Where does discovery become purchase?
– Cohort: How do age and life stages reshape behaviour?

These lenses overlap.

– Connectivity can be shaped by income.
– Channel choice can depend on trust.
– Culture can change the meaning of a product.

Two people of the same age, living in the same city, may have completely different wallets, responsibilities and routes to purchase. That is precisely why ‘African youth’ is not a strategy.

Context Travels Less Easily Than Campaigns

The mobile money service M-Pesa remains one of the clearest examples. Its success in Kenya was supported by a particular ecosystem: strong demand for domestic money transfers, Safaricom’s established market position, a rapidly expanding agent network and a regulatory environment that allowed the service to develop.

South Africa provides a useful contrast. Vodacom discontinued M-Pesa in South Africa in 2016 after concluding that the service was unlikely to achieve the critical mass required to make it sustainable. The company specifically cited South Africa’s high levels of financial inclusion.

The product idea could travel. The conditions that made it useful at scale did not automatically travel with it. This illustrates the difference between an exploratory strategy and a reproduction strategy. A reproduction strategy starts with a successful model and asks how it can be rolled out elsewhere. An exploratory strategy starts with local evidence: the consumer problem, trust, access, distribution and regulatory conditions. Before reproducing what is visible, identify the ecosystem that made it work. Export the learning, not the assumption. Consistency can protect the brand. Sameness can destroy relevance.

Affordability Is About More Than Price

Another easy assumption is that financially constrained consumers primarily want the cheapest possible product. Sometimes they do, but often the picture is more complicated. Income may arrive daily, weekly, monthly or irregularly. A product can be affordable in total but inaccessible at the moment someone needs to buy it. Consumers respond through smaller packs, prepaid models, informal credit, shared purchases, lay-by and month-end stocking.

These behaviours should not automatically be read as low sophistication or low aspiration. A consumer with limited disposable income may still care deeply about quality, reliability, identity and status.

Value does not mean cheap. A smaller pack does not mean a smaller ambition. The useful strategic question is therefore not simply how to reduce price. It is how to redesign access without destroying the meaning that makes the product desirable in the first place.

Culture Must Shape the Idea, Not Decorate It

Culture is another area where localisation often happens too late. A global strategy is developed first. Local language, casting, music or visual references are then added to make it ‘African’. That is adaptation. It is not necessarily insight.

Guinness’s celebrated Sapeurs work connected its ‘Made of More’ platform to pride, identity, self-expression and community.

Nike’s 2020 Naija collection did not simply place Nigerian symbols onto generic football merchandise. Nike’s own account of the design describes Nigerian craft and visual traditions as direct influences: the home jersey drew on traditional agbada robes, details on the away kit referenced the Nigerian artistic movement Onaism, while Ankara fabrics informed elements of the wider apparel collection. Nigerian culture therefore influenced the design system itself rather than being added as surface decoration.

The lesson is not to imitate either campaign, but to understand why they worked. Local culture influenced the underlying proposition rather than being painted onto the execution afterwards. Translation changes words. Localisation changes meaning. Participation changes who has agency.

Mobile-First Does Not Mean Digital-Only

The same discipline applies to technology. Calling Africa ‘mobile-firs’ can be useful shorthand. It becomes dangerous when shorthand turns into strategy. Network coverage does not automatically mean participation. Device cost, data affordability, storage, electricity, digital confidence, language, fraud concerns and content relevance can all affect whether someone uses a digital service.

At the same time, consumers across African markets are not passive recipients of global digital culture. Amapiano demonstrates the reverse. The genre moved through DJs, nightlife, file-sharing, phones, creators, dance culture and playlists before accelerating globally. According to Spotify, global Amapiano streams grew by 114,377% between 2018 and 2024. Consumers were not simply consuming the culture; they were part of its distribution infrastructure. That should change how marketers think about influence too.
The most important influencer in a purchase may be a family member, trader, WhatsApp group, colleague or community voice rather than the person with the largest public following.

Localisation Is Also a Governance Question

Getting cultural relevance wrong is not always a creative problem. Sometimes it is an organisational one. The 2020 Clicks and TRESemmé controversy in South Africa demonstrated what happens when poor assumptions survive the entire approval process. Images of Black women’s hair were described as ‘dry and damaged’ and ‘frizzy and dull’, while white women’s hair was described as ‘fine and flat’ and ‘normal’.

The strategic question is therefore not only whether a campaign contains diverse representation.

– Who shaped the insight?
– Who had authority during development?
– Whose lived experience was present when decisions were made?
– Who was empowered to stop the work?

A diverse casting list cannot repair a decision-making system that lacks diversity.

Decode Before You Deploy

Better marketing across Africa does not require 54 isolated strategies. It requires greater discipline in deciding what should remain consistent and what must respond to local evidence.

– Segment by reality rather than geography.
– Localise the strategy before copy and casting.
– Design the entire ecosystem around offer, access, trust and channel.
– Give local consumers and specialists authority, not simply visibility.
– Test in individual markets, learn from the evidence and only then decide what can scale.

One successful market is evidence, but it is not pan-African proof. For the IMM Graduate School, staying connected to industry means ensuring that marketing education reflects current consumer behaviour, cultural change, technology and commercial reality.
There is ultimately no ‘African consumer’ waiting to be decoded.

There are African consumers to understand, and the brands that succeed will not be those that simplify the continent most efficiently. They will be the ones that recognise its complexity, find the right local truth and turn that truth into meaningful value.

Sources

https://www.uneca.org/stories/in-abidjan%2C-eca-and-unfpa-take-a-major-step-towards-better-monitoring-of-the-demographic

https://vodacom.com/news-article.php?articleID=3268&

https://www.vodacom-reports.co.za/integrated-reports/ir2016/ourgrowth.php

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/africacan/how-kenya-became-a-world-leader-for-mobile-money

https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/638851468048259219/pdf/543380WP0M1PES1BOX0349405B01PUBLIC1.pdf

https://www.nike.com/soccer/naija-behind-the-design

https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-08-01/spotifys-mother-of-music-campaign-celebrates-the-citys-unmistakable-sound-and-culture/

https://sahrc.org.za/index.php/sahrc-media/news/item/2461-sahrc-intervenes-in-clicks-hair-row/

THE IMM GRADUATE SCHOOL
www.imm.ac.za

2026 WesBank New Generation Awards Winners Revealed

Modern Marketing

September 29, 2026

2026 WesBank New Generation Awards Winners Revealed

The WesBank New Generation Awards winners were announced at a banquet ceremony in Sandton on 23 September. Modern Marketing is the proud media partner of the awards. The New Generation Awards stand as South Africa’s premier independent recognition platform for social-first marketing, digital innovation, AI, and creative technology.

Lebogang Gaoaketse, head of marketing and communication, WesBank.

Stephen Paxton, WesBank New Generation Awards founder.

For 14 years, New Gen has benchmarked industry excellence, processing over 6,500 entries across corporate, agency, and emerging talent spaces, and awarding more than 1,700 trophies to the campaigns defining our digital future.

Stephen Paxton, founder of the awards said, ‘We raised the benchmarks significantly this year, and our industry delivered beyond expectation. The sheer volume, quality, and creative bravery of the work submitted surpassed our highest expectations, with many Silver and Bronze winners reaching the gold benchmark of 82% and above. It has been profoundly inspiring.’

A deeper look at this year’s entries revealed a surge in high-performing, revenue-generating campaigns, alongside rich content marketing built on genuine community resonance and cultural relevance. Across categories, clear defining themes emerged: Trust over noise. Meaning over volume. Advocacy over impressions. Human connection over optimisation. Authenticity over trend-chasing.

In a digital landscape flooded with content, the rarest commodity is something that feels authentically human. This year’s work proved that brands understand people better than ever, favouring lasting community connections over quick campaign cycles.

Paxton conveyed heartfelt appreciation to the 30 esteemed jury members for their dedication and invaluable insights throughout the judging process, ‘Special gratitude was directed to our Headline Naming Sponsor, WesBank; our Bronze Sponsor, Unilever South Africa; our Brand Sponsors, Mettlestate and Naritive Global; and our Category Partner, OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management. Being an independent awards programme means our sponsors aren’t just partners, they are the fuel behind this magic. Thank you for helping us create an unforgettable night. We can’t wait to keep building this momentum and sharing many more inspiring gatherings with you all. Thank you.’

The Coveted Black Onyx Main Award Winners included:

– Small Agency of the Year joint winners: Lucky Hustle, retaining their title for the second consecutive year, and EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot as first-time winners.
– Medium Agency of the Year honours went to Penquin Advertising
– Large Agency of the Year Award went to OGILVY.
– Golf: Volkswagen Group Africa was named Digital Brand of the Year, with agency partner OGILVY, and Volkswagen Group Africa took top honours as the Overall Social & Digital Corporate of the Year.
– Telkom was awarded Best Customer Experience (CX) Campaign of the Year for the Possibility in Play Campaign, by Mscsports.
– Online Strategy of the Year joint winners included: Dis-Chem with agency partners Black&White and M&C Saatchi Abel, alongside Volkswagen Group Africa for the Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf Campaign by OGILVY.

Biggest Corporate Winners

Dominating the corporate categories this year, the evening’s biggest winners included industry powerhouses AB InBev, Volkswagen Group Africa, Mondelēz South Africa, Suzuki South Africa and Unilever South Africa.

In order of ranking, the four highest-scoring campaigns of the night:

1. Best Influencer Marketing Campaign Award: Lucky Hustle for Xiaomi South Africa, Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough Campaign – Scoring 93%
2. Excellence in Content Marketing Award: Volkswagen Group Africa for Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf Campaign by OGILVY – Scoring 92%
3. Excellence in Content Marketing Award: Mondelēz South Africa for Chappies Heritage Campaign – ‘We’ve been there since’ by LePub Johannesburg – Scoring 91%
4. Best Influencer Marketing Campaign Award: Clockwork for NIVEA, Nivea Micellar – The Bare Minimum Campaign – Scoring 90%

Headline Partner WesBank commented, ‘WesBank has spent over 50 years moving with our customers, and backing these Awards for a second year reflects that same belief: progress is built by understanding real needs and staying relevant as they shift. That’s the thread running through this year’s strongest entries too: work built on trust, not just reach.

‘As Platinum Headline Sponsor, we’re proud to stand alongside the marketers, creators and digital thinkers redefining how South Africans connect with brands, ours included. To every nominee and winner, you’re shaping the future of marketing and digital media in this country, and that’s worth backing.’

Here are your winners:

CORPORATE CATEGORIES:
Best Revenue-Generating Marketing Campaign / Event by a Corporate
GOLD WINNER 2026	Payflex	Anomaly	Payflex – The Inside Man
SILVER WINNER 2026	Crocs South Africa	Clockwork	Croctober 2025
SILVER WINNER 2026	Sasol	Bluecloud AI	Danki Mzansi – Sasol’s 75th Anniversary Growth Platform
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Ackermans	99c	Ackermans Packs Summer’25
BRONZE WINNER 2026	FNB South Africa	Vivid Theory	FNB Festive Campaign: Get in the Game
Best Social Media Reach from an Event / Activation by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	Draftline	Flying Fish Surprisingly Good Sets
SILVER WINNER 2026	Volvo South Africa	Have Your Say	Volvo EX30 Cross Country Launch
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Ford Motor Company SA	VML South Africa	Ranger Super Duty: The Battle for Bothaville
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Sasol	Bluecloud AI	75HRS, Sisonke and the grand openings – forecourt events the whole country watched
Best Online Competition by a Corporate
GOLD WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
SILVER WINNER 2026	Craft Homes		The Red Wall Campaign
BRONZE WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot	Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour
Most Innovative App Developed by a Corporate
SILVER WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot	Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour
BRONZE WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot & iProspect-dentsu	Castle Lager 130
Best Use of Technical Innovation by a Corporate
GOLD WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot	Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour
SILVER WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Amarok 4XForce of Nature
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Bonitas Medical Fund	Adclick Africa	Dr B AI Influencer Campaign
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Windhoek	Dentsu Redstar & Honest Marketing	Windhoek x Food Commerce
Best Low Budget Campaign
GOLD WINNER 2026	Absa	Lumico (Pty) Ltd	Absa Agritrends Autumn Edition
GOLD WINNER 2026	Unilever South Africa	VML South Africa	Vaseline – Mntana Ka Gogo
SILVER WINNER 2026	Payflex	Anomaly	Payflex – The Inside Man
BRONZE WINNER 2026	The Pool Team	Fenix Marketing Solutions	Just Keep Swimming
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Woodrock Animal Shelter	Lucky Hustle	Kennel to the Crib
Mobile Marketing Excellence by a Corporate
GOLD WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot	Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour
GOLD WINNER 2026	Mondelēz South Africa	OGILVY	Cadbury Dairy Milk – Snacking Made Right
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Xiaomi South Africa	Lucky Hustle	Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough
Blogging Excellence by a Corporate
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Suzuki Auto South Africa	Spitfire Inbound and Penquin	Beyond the Blog: From Search to Suzuki
Most Innovative Use of Social and Digital Media by a Corporate
GOLD WINNER 2026	Xiaomi South Africa	Lucky Hustle	Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough
SILVER WINNER 2026	PepsiCo South Africa	Accenture Song South Africa	NaksLevel -The AI Mentor on WhatsApp
SILVER WINNER 2026	The Beverage Company	Hellosquare	Reboost Big Kasi Energy
BRONZE WINNER 2026	The Magnum Ice Cream Company	Simunye Media	Nothing Cracks Like Magnum
Most Innovative Gamification Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by Naritive Global
GOLD WINNER 2026	Aware.org	WONDER x Seamonster	Gaming for Good
BRONZE WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot & iProspect-dentsu	Castle Lager 130
BRONZE WINNER 2026	AB InBev South Africa	iProspect – dentsu EGG Studios – Powered by Blue Robot	Castle Milk Stout – Songs to Savour
Best Community Engagement Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
SILVER WINNER 2026	SuperSport	EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot	SuperSport Dream Team
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Mondelēz South Africa	OGILVY	Cadbury Dairy Milk – Generous First
Excellence In Content Marketing by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	Mondelēz South Africa	LePub Johannesburg	Chappies Heritage Campaign – “We’ve been there since”
GOLD WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
SILVER WINNER 2026	Mondelēz South Africa	LePub Johannesburg	Ask OREO – Let The Cookies Decide
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Mondelēz South Africa	VML South Africa	The Cadbury LunchBar 60th Anniversary Campaign – The Monolith Mystery
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Procter & Gamble	WPP Media	Head & Shoulders – #DramaFreeMzansi
Best Online PR Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	PepsiCo South Africa	DNA Brand Architects	Cheetos Can’t Hide The Fun
SILVER WINNER 2026	Mondelēz South Africa	VML South Africa	The Cadbury LunchBar 60th Anniversary Campaign – The Monolith Mystery
SILVER WINNER 2026	Coca-Cola South Africa	Offlimit Communications	FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola
SILVER WINNER 2026	Ichikowitz Family Foundation	Flow Communications	The Trials of Winnie Mandela
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Sizekhaya	Flow Communications	Launching the new home of the National Lottery
Best Integrated Marketing Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	Aware.org	WONDER	Shiy’imoto
GOLD WINNER 2026	Heineken Beverages SA	TBWA\HUNT\LASCARIS (Johannesburg) a division of TBWA South Africa	Savanna – We Outside
GOLD WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
SILVER WINNER 2026	Dis-Chem	Black&White	Your Till Slip Never Looked Better
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Amarok 4XForce of Nature
Most Viral Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	Unilever South Africa	VML South Africa	Vaseline – Mntana Ka Gogo
SILVER WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
BRONZE WINNER 2026	SuperSport	EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot	SuperSport Dream Team
Best Use of Social Media to Research and Evaluate – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
Best Influencer Marketing Campaign by a Corporate
SILVER WINNER 2026	Ackermans and Spur	99c	Ackermans x Spur Design-A-Tee Competition
SILVER WINNER 2026	Crocs South Africa	Clockwork	Croctober 2025
BRONZE WINNER 2026	NIVEA	Clockwork	Nivea Micellar – The Bare Minimum
Best Use of AI in Marketing Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by Naritive Global
SILVER WINNER 2026	PepsiCo South Africa	Accenture Song South Africa	NaksLevel -The AI Mentor on WhatsApp
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Vodacom	Carbon1	Extra Your Summer
Best Email Marketing Campaign by a Corporate
SILVER WINNER 2026	Dis-Chem	Black&White	Your Till Slip Never Looked Better
Best CRM Strategy Campaign by a Corporate – Sponsored by WesBank
SILVER WINNER 2026	Henley Business School Africa	Spitfire Inbound	Connected Journeys: Henley Africa’s CRM-Led Growth Engine
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Suzuki Auto South Africa	Spitfire Inbound and Penquin	Driving Customer Intelligence: Suzuki’s AI-Ready Transformation

AGENCY CATEGORIES:
Best Augmented Reality Marketing Campaign by an Agency
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Hyphen Creatives	Captain Morgan	Spice it Your Way
Best Use of Technical Innovation by an Agency – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot & iProspect-dentsu	AB InBev South Africa	Castle Lager 130
SILVER WINNER 2026	4What Digital	EL-I Tech	Proving it works
SILVER WINNER 2026	Rainmaker Media	Nestlé – KitKat	KitKat Novelty Model
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Carbon1	Vodacom	Extra Your Summer
Most Viral Campaign by an Agency
GOLD WINNER 2026	VML South Africa	Unilever South Africa	Vaseline – Mntana Ka Gogo
SILVER WINNER 2026	DNA Brand Architects	PepsiCo South Africa	Cheetos Can’t Hide The Fun
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Sherbet Agency	Pizza Hut	Chicken Pops Pizza. Pop Culture.
BRONZE WINNER 2026	VML South Africa	Mondelēz South Africa	The Cadbury LunchBar 60th Anniversary Campaign – The Monolith Mystery
Most Innovative Social and Digital Media Campaign by a Small Agency
SILVER WINNER 2026	Distrikt 9	Showmax	The truth about banking
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Anomaly	Payflex	Payflex – The Inside Man
Most Innovative Social and Digital Media Campaign by a Medium Agency
SILVER WINNER 2026	Lucid Performance and Humanz	L’Oréal South Africa	Level Up with CeraVe
BRONZE WINNER 2026	PlusNarrative and Grid Worldwide	Canva Africa	Canva Africa Launch
Most Innovative Social and Digital Media Campaign by a Large Agency – Sponsored by OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management
GOLD WINNER 2026	OGILVY	Vodacom South Africa	Vodacom – When You See It
SILVER WINNER 2026	OLIVER MARKETING	Unilever South Africa	DOVE X STARBUCKS: SPRAY. SIP. SLAY.
BRONZE WINNER 2026	OGILVY	Volkswagen Group Africa	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
Best Influencer Marketing Campaign by an Agency
GOLD WINNER 2026	Clockwork	NIVEA	Nivea Micellar – The Bare Minimum
GOLD WINNER 2026	Lucky Hustle	Xiaomi South Africa	Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough
SILVER WINNER 2026	Clockwork	Crocs South Africa	Croctober 2025
SILVER WINNER 2026	OGILVY	Unilever South Africa	How Dove Opened the Creator Industry to New Voices
SILVER WINNER 2026	OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management	Spur Corp	RocoMamas Fire Wings Challenge: Turning a Cult Favourite into South Africa’s Hottest Food Challenge
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Lucid Performance and Humanz	L’Oréal South Africa	CeraVe World
BRONZE WINNER 2026	OnPoint PR & Lifestyle Management	Absa	Absa Rewards Travel – Go Beyond
Best Integrated Marketing Campaign by an Agency
GOLD WINNER 2026	Clockwork	Crocs South Africa	Croctober 2025
SILVER WINNER 2026	Offlimit Communications	Coca-Cola South Africa	FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola
SILVER WINNER 2026	OGILVY	Volkswagen Group Africa	Amarok 4XForce of Nature
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Lucid Performance	Nedbank	Get Money Fit
BRONZE WINNER 2026	OGILVY	Unilever South Africa	Vaseline Cera Glow – Glow that Never Declines
Blogging Excellence by an Agency
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Spitfire Inbound and Penquin	Suzuki Auto South Africa	Beyond the Blog: From Search to Suzuki
Best Use of AI in Marketing Campaign by an Agency – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	Mscsports	Telkom	Possibility in Play
GOLD WINNER 2026	Net#work BBDO	Mercedes-Benz South Africa	New Vito SELECT Product Launch Campaign
SILVER WINNER 2026	Flow Communications	Hollard Insure	Customer & Broker Promise Campaign
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Adclick Africa	Bonitas Medical Fund	Dr B AI Influencer Campaign
Best Email Marketing Campaign by an Agency
SILVER WINNER 2026	Black&White	Dis-Chem	Your Till Slip Never Looked Better
Best CRM Strategy Campaign by an Agency
GOLD WINNER 2026	Spitfire Inbound	Henley Business School Africa	Connected Journeys: Henley Africa’s CRM-Led Growth Engine
SILVER WINNER 2026	Spitfire Inbound & Penquin	Suzuki Auto South Africa	Driving Customer Intelligence: Suzuki’s AI-Ready CRM Transformation
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Adclick Africa	Bonitas Medical Fund	Always-On Lead Gen

ONLINE MEDIA & TOOLS CATEGORIES:
Best Corporate Website
BRONZE WINNER 2026	Tourvest Destination Management	Flow Communications	Your Africa website development
Best Marketing Automation Campaign – Sponsored by WesBank
GOLD WINNER 2026	Spitfire Inbound and Penquin	Suzuki Auto South Africa	Always-On Intelligence: Automating Suzuki Auto South Africa’s Customer Journey from Interest to Action
Best Online Newsletter
BRONZE WINNER 2026	CHAS EVERITT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY GROUP	Stratitude	THE PROPERTY SIGNPOST
Best Use of Podcast/Vlog to Promote a Brand or Event – Sponsored by Unilever
GOLD WINNER 2026	Xiaomi South Africa	Lucky Hustle	Xiaomi RN15 – Titan Tough
SILVER WINNER 2026	Woolworths Foods South Africa / W.Creative	Pop24, a division of Media24	What’s the Difference? A Woolworths Foods Branded Vodcast
BRONZE WINNER 2026	East Coast Radio		SA Rescue: Out Alive
BRONZE WINNER 2026	TIM.Africa		The Incredible Machines Podcast
Best Online Magazine / Newspaper
GOLD WINNER 2026	SME South Africa
Best eCommerce Website
GOLD WINNER 2026	Berlitz Method	‘AI & Soul’ & Stratitude	Berlitz Shopify

STUDENT CATEGORIES:
The New Generation Student Group of the Year – Sponsored by Mettlestate
GOLD WINNER 2026	AAA School of Advertising – Bryanston		NOTARRA
GOLD WINNER 2026	Vega School at Emeris	Fifth Season	Orphan Clothing Company – Tagged by OCC
The New Generation Student of the Year – Sponsored by Mettlestate
GOLD WINNER 2026	Francois van Loggerenberg	AAA School of Advertising – Bryanston	One Colour. Every Market

BLACK ONYX AWARD WINNERS:
The Black Onyx Community Engagement Manager of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa
	Ndimi Matomane	Bluecloud AI
The Black Onyx Top Graphic Designer of the Year
	Kyle Anthony	Lucky Hustle	Unlucky Lemonade
The Black Onyx UX/UI Designer of the Year
	Alex Cannon	Stoneway
The Black Onyx Social Wiz of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa
	Siyabonga Mzolo	DNA Brand Architects
The Black Onyx Best Customer Experience (CX) of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank
	Telkom	Mscsports	Possibility in Play
The Black Onyx Digital Brand of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank
	Golf – Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY
The Black Onyx Online Strategy of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank
	Dis-Chem	Black&White and M&C Saatchi Abel
	Volkswagen Group Africa	OGILVY	Forever Golf: #NameThisGolf
The Black Onyx Small Agency of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa
	Lucky Hustle
	EGG Studios. Powered by Blue Robot
The Black Onyx Medium Agency of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa
	Penquin Advertising
The Black Onyx Large Agency of the Year – Sponsored by Unilever South Africa
	OGILVY
The Black Onyx Social & Digital Corporate of the Year – Sponsored by WesBank
	Volkswagen Group Africa

WESBANK NEW GENERATION AWARDS
www.newgenawards.co.za

Impumelelo Promotions Showcased Banner Walls And Flags At Modern Marketing Expo

Modern Marketing

September 22, 2026

Impumelelo Promotions, a specialist in sewing and finishing solutions, exhibited at the Modern Marketing Expo. The event was held at Gallagher Convention Centre from 8-10 September.

The company showcased its banner walls and telescopic flags. The company also specialise in the finishing and stitching of banners, flags and gazebos, as well as the manufacturing of school bags, gazebo bags, banner wheelie bags, roll up bags, telescopic/sharkfin bags, wheelie bags, patio awnings and carport shades.

IMPUMELELO PROMOTIONS
+27 72 570 0931
patrick@impumelelopromo.co.za
Facebook page

Sino Hitech Showcased Branding Innovations And More At Modern Marketing Expo

Modern Marketing

September 22, 2026

Sino Hitech Trading exhibited at the Modern Marketing Expo. The event was held from 8-10 September at the Gallagher Convention Centre. Visitors could learn more about the company’s business divisions, which include Power Africa and King Caps.

Power Africa specialises in LED backpacks, which are customisable through an app, are water and dust resistant, and feature an optimised airflow design, luxurious back padding, spacious interior and a padded laptop sleeve (up to 40cm).

With Power Africa’s 3D hologram fans, users can send content such as images, GIFs or videos to the fan from their devices. LED displays were also showcased.

King Caps’ dedication to producing high-quality headwear has made it a preferred choice for many customers, and its years of experience have allowed it to hone its craft and offer top-notch products.

Visitors could learn more about the Trolley King division, a one-stop shop for high-quality camping and adventure trolleys.

SINO HITECH
+27 11 608 0242
enricopowerafrica@gmail.com
www.powerafrica.net

Why Human Judgement Still Matters

Modern Marketing

September 22, 2026

Why Human Judgement Still Matters — Joe Hamman, Novus Group.

According to Joe Hamman, Director at Novus Group, AI is changing how media monitoring companies track, process, and analyse coverage. I do not believe the choice is between technology and people. AI can take on more of the work involved in collecting and processing media, but there are still points where human judgement determines whether what reaches the client is accurate and useful.

Used well, AI can help monitoring teams work through more coverage without taking away the judgement clients still rely on to understand what they are seeing. Broadcast monitoring makes that particularly clear. In South Africa, the challenge is heightened by the range of languages and accents heard across radio and television, along with names and local expressions that automated systems do not always interpret correctly.

A recent 2026 AfriVox benchmark tested speech models across 20 African languages and more than 100 African English accents. Performance varied substantially, including among languages the models were intended to support, while unscripted speech proved particularly difficult in some tests.

Why Broadcast Creates A Harder Problem

Broadcast does not arrive in neat blocks of searchable text. A presenter may introduce an interview before an ad break, return to the guest several minutes later, and continue for an unpredictable length of time.

An automated system may identify the correct brand or spokesperson but still get the start and end points of the clip wrong. If it begins too late, an important part of the exchange may be missing. If it runs too long, unrelated discussion can be attached and change the context.

That is when a technical monitoring error becomes a business problem. A communications team may brief an executive from an incomplete record or misunderstand how an interview landed. Finding the mention is not enough if the information being used to make a decision is inaccurate.

Why Human Judgement Still Matters

Someone listening to the coverage can often recognise when part of an interview is missing or when the surrounding discussion changes what was said. That is much harder to judge from an automated transcription alone.

A broadcast clip may help a communications team decide whether an issue needs attention or shape how an executive is briefed on a developing story. If the clip is incomplete or misleading, the team is working from the wrong picture.

This is why I am cautious about treating maximum automation as the goal. I am strongly in favour of using AI wherever it improves the work, and I expect its role in media monitoring to keep growing. But the level of automation means very little if the end result becomes less reliable.

Where Experience Still Matters

Our broadcast team has a combined 116 years of experience. That knowledge has been built in a South African media environment where understanding language, pronunciation, and context can make the difference between identifying a mention and understanding what was actually broadcast.

That experience now sits alongside AI in the monitoring workflow. The technology can help teams work through large volumes of media more efficiently, while specialists remain involved where a clip needs to be checked or interpreted before it reaches the client.

Clients will ultimately judge a monitoring service by the quality of what they receive.

NOVUS GROUP
https://novusgroup.co.za

What Comic Con Teaches Us About Today’s Marketing

Modern Marketing

September 22, 2026

What Comic Con Teaches Us About Today's Marketing — Ridhwaan Patel, AAA School of Advertising.

According to Ridhwaan Patel, Marketing Lecturer at AAA School of Advertising, Comic Con brings together exactly what marketers spend enormous amounts of time trying to curate: attention, passion, participation and community.

What events like this get right globally is harnessing the power of participatory communities that create an environment for fan communities to step into a world they care about, express who they are and connect with others who share their interests. These communities do more than just consume the media around them; they are active participants and in turn they become co-creators of content. For marketers, that should be the part worth paying attention to.

Consumers are constantly being asked to watch, click, buy and engage. Simply capturing their attention is no longer enough. The harder task is giving them a reason to stay involved and, more importantly, to feel that they are part of something.

Research supports this shift. A recent Eventbrite study revealed that 95% of the 18-to-35-year-olds surveyed are interested in exploring their online interests through in-person events, and 84% of attendees at interest-based events have formed close friendships through them.

This is particularly relevant in South Africa and across Africa, where global culture is constantly being interpreted through local humour, language, fashion, music and identity. Audiences do not simply consume culture as it is presented to them. They adapt it, remix it and make it their own.

For brands, this changes the starting point for community building. Rather than asking, ‘How do we get people to engage with our brand?’, the more useful question is, ‘How can we give people a reason to engage with each other?’

Comic Con answers this through participation. Cosplay, gaming, panels, competitions, creator interactions and fan content all enable attendees to co-create the experience. The event provides the platform, but the audience brings the energy.

This principle can be applied well beyond pop culture. A sports brand can create spaces for amateur athletes to share progress and advice. A financial services brand can build communities around financial education. A technology brand can give users the opportunity to test-drive the tech in real-life situations.

In each case, the brand becomes a facilitator of something people already care about.
This also explains why authenticity is so important. Marketers cannot manufacture belonging simply by adopting the language or visual codes of a culture. They need to understand the people within it, the behaviours that define it and the value they derive from participating.

The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer found that 78% of respondents said a brand which authentically reflects today’s culture is more effective at increasing their trust than one that focuses solely on its products.

For marketers, authenticity therefore has a practical implication. Cultural relevance needs to inform the experience itself, rather than becoming another layer of campaign messaging. A partnership with a community should give its members something enjoyable or meaningful. If the only obvious beneficiary is the brand, the relationship is unlikely to feel genuine.

There is also a lesson in what happens after Comic Con. The event generates photographs, videos, conversations, recommendations and anticipation. The physical experience feeds digital engagement, which in turn helps build momentum for what comes next.

Community is not an activation that can be switched on for a weekend and then abandoned. It requires ongoing reasons to participate.

This also requires marketers to relinquish some control. The strongest communities develop their own language, rituals, creators and conversations. Brands can influence these spaces, but they cannot completely script them. Trying to do so can make an experience feel manufactured, while giving people room to contribute can make it feel alive.

For those entering the advertising and marketing industry, this demands a different kind of creative thinking. It is no longer enough to understand how to develop a campaign or communicate a brand message. Emerging practitioners need to understand culture, communities and human behaviour, and be equipped to design experiences that invite participation rather than simply broadcast to an audience. This is increasingly important in how we prepare the next generation of creative and brand communicators at institutions such as the AAA School of Advertising.

The opportunity is to move beyond designing campaigns that consumers merely see and start designing experiences that they can enter, shape and share. When brands create these opportunities around something consumers genuinely value, attention can become participation, and participation can become belonging. This is a far more meaningful role for marketing than simply competing for attention.

BYDESIGN
www.bdcomms.co.za

Lobengula Advertising Appoints Executive Creative Director

Modern Marketing

September 22, 2026

Lobengula Advertising Appoints Executive Creative Director — Terry McKenna, Lobengula Advertising.

With almost three decades of experience behind him, and a career spanning Grey Worldwide, TBWA\Hunt Lascaris, Joe Public, Ogilvy Johannesburg and The Odd Number, Terry McKenna joins Lobengula at a moment when the agency is building serious momentum.

It is a move that brings together two very different forms of creative capital: the institutional experience of one of South Africa’s most seasoned advertising creatives, and the energy of an agency determined to build its own creative legacy.

McKenna has worked across some of the country’s biggest brands, including KFC, Cadbury, Castle Lager, DStv, SuperSport, Standard Bank, Steers, Nike, Mercedes-Benz and Samsung.

His work has earned recognition at Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, Loeries, Pendorings, Creative Circle, Assegais, Apex and the Bookmarks. Among his highlights are a Cannes Silver Lion, D&AD Graphite and Wood Pencils, and Loeries Grand Prix wins for Budget Insurance and BBC Earth.

He brings this winning streak to Lobengula, having built strong creative teams and pushed for work that earns attention

This isn’t simply a case of an established creative joining a growing agency, it is the coming together of Terry McKenna and Brenda Khumalo, two creative leaders with a shared appetite for building something that can compete on the strength of its ideas.

‘Lobengula has a very clear sense of who they are and where they want to go,’ said McKenna. ‘What attracted me was the talent, the ambition and the opportunity to build great work with people who aren’t interested in waiting for permission.’

Khumalo says the appointment is equally deliberate. ‘We weren’t looking for a name,’ she said. ‘We were looking for someone who could help us sharpen our creative ambition, develop our people and build work that demands attention. Terry has done that throughout his career.’

McKenna’s arrival further strengthens Lobengula’s creative leadership, bringing decades of experience to a multidisciplinary team with its sights firmly set on bigger, bolder work.

For an industry that often talks about the next big agency, Lobengula appears less interested in talking about the next big thing than in making it.

McKenna puts it more simply, ‘I’ve spent my career chasing good ideas. I don’t see any reason to stop now.’

LOBENGULA
https://lobengula.co.za

Mpho Popps To Host This Year’s Content Creator Awards

Modern Marketing

September 22, 2026

Mpho Popps To Host This Year's Content Creator Awards — Mpho Popps

Known for his work across comedy, television, podcasting and live entertainment, Mpho ‘Popps’ Modikoane will bring his trademark humour to The Content Creator Awards, taking place on Saturday 17 October 2026 at The Galleria in Sandton.

With a career spanning multiple facets of the entertainment industry, Popps is no stranger to commanding a live audience, making him a natural fit to host an awards ceremony bringing together some of the country’s leading creators, brands, agencies and industry personalities.

‘I’m excited to be hosting the Content Creator Awards this year,’ Mpho Popps said. ‘Content creators are literally driving culture right now. They keep us laughing, informed, and inspired every single day on our phones. To be on stage celebrating the brilliant minds behind South Africa’s best digital content, with Samsung backing the vision, is going to be electric.’

He added, ‘There is so much incredible talent coming out of South Africa, and it’s great to see creators getting the recognition they deserve for the work they’re doing. I’m looking forward to celebrating the nominees, having some fun with the night and making sure we give these creators the celebration they deserve.’

For Manuela Dias de Deus, Founder of the Content Creator Awards and Founder of One-eyed Jack, Mpho is the perfect choice to bring the evening to life, ‘We wanted a host who could bring real energy and personality to the awards,’ said Dias de Deus.

‘Mpho has always been someone who can take a room and completely own it, but more importantly, he knows how to connect with an audience. He brings a great sense of humour and spontaneity to the stage, and is an absolute professional. This is a night about celebrating talent, and we know he’ll bring exactly the right energy to what is one of the biggest nights on the creator calendar.’

The 2026 Content Creator Awards mark another significant chapter for the programme, which has evolved considerably since its launch in 2022. Now in its fourth year, the awards recognise South Africa’s leading digital creators alongside the brands, agencies and platforms helping to shape the country’s rapidly growing creator economy.

This year’s programme features 20 categories, with entry and judging criteria refined to reflect the evolving creator landscape. The judging criteria have also been developed in collaboration with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa, supporting greater consistency, credibility and industry alignment.

CONTENT CREATOR AWARDS
https://contentcreatorawards.co.za

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