Strict judging at 2002's Raptor Awards

The Raptor Awards recognise excellence in the sponsorship industry in South Africa, and at the weekend, an independent panel of judges drawn from the full spectrum of disciplines that make up the delivery of sponsorships such as advertising, eventing, public relations, marketing, and sales, precided over the awarding of Raptors.

The exact details of who has won will only be revealed at the Awards function scheduled for 17 October.

"Generally, the judges felt the entries were of a good quality. There was also a broader spread of entries this year than was the case last year. In other words, there were several more entries in categories other than sport, such as the arts, environment as well as broadcast sponsorships. This made for some exciting judging," said Yusuf Ganief, general manager of ASOM.

"Another interesting observation about this year's judging was that it was very strict, and yet fair about the decisions taken. One of the stances judges made, was that they felt strongly excellent sponsorships are not be about splashing logos over everything, and ensuring the rights packages purchased are delivered. It's about much more than that.

"I can confidently say that we really had a superb panel who took their jobs seriously. They looked for integration of sponsorships for instance beyond branding into advertising, promotions, media relations, employee relations, the net, other areas of the marketing mix and beyond.

"They looked for innovation. There is a lot of clutter especially in sport sponsorship. The judges especially rated the unique, clever and unusual executions which elevated otherwise ordinary sponsorships to the next level. Nine out of ten times, this is why they were so successful.

"At the same time, traditional elements such as Return on Investment were still factors considered.

"The result should be a just and fair representation of what the industry would like to view as exemplary sponsorships.

"Interestingly, the message is also that big budgets don't always make for excellent sponsorships. Sometimes the best projects bring about the most innovative leveraging and executions. The conclusion we can draw from Raptors this year and hopefully in future, is that Raptors recognises sponsorship excellence, not just the existence of the industry, and the point of the awards is to get all participants in the business of sponsorship to make these investments really work for them," said Ganief.

He said that ASOM is pleased that the changes to the Awards initiated this year, with major input from the industry at large, are bearing fruit. "The SABC, who has made this year's awards possible, will see merit in their continued support of the awards, not to mention the sponsorship industry.

"Raptors are awards about sponsorships for sponsors, to provide a beacon which must guide us all when we next make decisions about investing in sponsorships. We can all learn from one another, and keep pushing the limits. The Raptors process is about growing the skills base, the market, and about making it a place where companies want to fly home to over and over again," said Ganief.

"I urge anyone who is passionate about sponsorship to come along to the awards event whether they entered or not, because as an industry, it's up to us to determine the future of the industry. We need to play our part in ensuring that the investment in sponsorships is provided in a way in which we believe will create a better environment for all," said Danie Malan, chairperson of the Raptors Organising Committee.

Details about the Raptor Awards function during which the winners of the 2002 initiative will be announced are available on the website: www.raptorawards.co.za or call Fiona or Heather on 011 706-1633.