Hunting for consistent excellence

The agency is a member of the Creative Circle which recently released the list. The rankings are compiled each year according to performance at both local and international creative award shows, and Khoury says, “While we knew we would be up there, it was great to find out that we topped the list once again.”

Khoury

It’s proof of the agency’s dedication to excellence and exceptional creativity with another robust year of competition, with Khoury quick to also congratulate the agencies that placed second and third. He explains that the rankings are a holistic representation of an individual agency’s performance as all categories and media are considered at each show, with points awarded for a shortlist, bronze, silver, gold and grand prix. The total number of awards is then tallied and the agency that has the most points is ranked first for that particular show. So to achieve best individual agency, you have to excel consistently at every award throughout the year.

Explaining how a local award win differs from bringing home an international title, Khoury says it’s always an honour to represent South Africa on the global stage as: “We’re a small country and punch way beyond our weight every year, even at the current exchange rate, as entering in euros and US dollars means you have to be selective and confident that your work is world class.”

In addition he says South Africa’s ideas have always been bigger than our budgets and that we generally take more than our fair share of the awards on offer every year, with radio the country’s sweet spot; accounting for 25% of the shortlist at Cannes Lions last year.

But winning locally is of equal importance as it shows that our creative work is locally relevant and breakthrough. “South Africa’s biggest impediment to national unity is the language barrier and I am proud to say that this year, the Loerie Awards have extended vernacular across many different categories. This kind of work doesn’t win much in global award shows, but it wins the hearts and minds of South African people every day because it speaks to us in our own language, with our own nuance and insight,” clarifies Khoury.

That radio sweet spot

Khoury adds that while the agency was consistently great across award shows and categories, picking up points in the social media, print, outdoor, television, and radio categories, their biggest winner was radio and, according to Cannes Lions, they’re currently ranked the best radio agency in the world. Little wonder as some of the best radio writers in the world work in the agency, specifically Jenny Glover, who’s been selected to sit on the Cannes Lions 2016 Radio Jury panel.
That’s why Khoury says TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris has an unfair share of South Africa’s A-grade talent. They consistently create iconic work at the speed of culture, which makes it that much easier to seek the iconic in everything they do.

“We don’t only want to be the best creative company in the country or continent, but the world. We will only get there by living, breathing and producing iconic every day.”

Watch out, world! Click here for a reminder of the Creative Circle’s full agency ranking lists and here for more on the agency’s excellence.