Champagne corks popped at Flow this morning in celebration of our PR team winning a gold award at last night’s 39th annual Loerie Awards, held at the ICC in Durban.
The win – shared jointly with M&C Saatchi Abel and Native VML – was for a Nando’s campaign titled “Reconciliation Table”, which ran on social feeds under the #NoBeef hashtag. M&C Saatchi Abel, as the lead agency, entered the campaign in the Loeries PR & Media Communication: PR Campaign category.
The campaign centred on the idea that nothing brings people together more successfully than while sharing a good meal. South African adversaries, including President Jacob Zuma and then-Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, and celebrities Bonang Matheba and Somizi Mhlongo, among others, were invited to come together to enjoy a Nando’s meal despite their differences. The spin was to “get rid of the beef by choosing chicken instead”.
“Flow’s policy on entering awards is dictated by the company’s values, so we never produce work for clients with awards in mind. We always try to find the best solutions for our clients, and producing award-winning work comes as a pleasant by-product,” says Flow’s head of PR, Caroline Smith.
“That said, I am extremely proud of the team for all their hard work and for winning this amazing award. Go Nicky, Qiniso and Apaphia – you rock!”
The Loeries Creative Week, which ran from 14 to 21 August 2017, is an annual high point in the media industry that rewards the best that the brand communications industry has produced in Africa and the Middle East over the preceding year.
The award is the second Loerie gold won by Flow. The first was in 2013 for the My Cape Town Holiday Facebook campaign, which also garnered gold at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity – one of only two African Gold Awards that year.
Find all this year’s Loerie winners here.