Jedd Cokayne (The MediaShop) and Gustav Goosen (The SpaceStation)
Gustav Goosen, CEO of The SpaceStation was at the awards and accepted on behalf of the team. "Winning our category and taking third place overall (out of 110 media owner teams) is no small feat. I am incredibly proud of the hard work our team puts into consistently offering the best service and I want to thank each team member for their contribution. The acknowledgement from our clients that we're the best digital sales outfit they deal with and the fact that we've been voted top three in the market says a lot for an industry that is constantly adapting and growing. Dependability and reliability are key, as well as an astute understanding of digital and how our brands work," says Goosen.
Said Media24 CEO, Esmaré Weideman: "The SpaceStation is at the forefront of digital sales in South Africa and it is gratifying that their professionalism and expertise is recognised by the industry. They give Media24 a unique advantage in a competitive landscape."
The MOST Awards have six criteria that the entrants are rated on. This year's voting showed that 'knowledge of client brands and the market landscape', and 'knowledge of the media landscape' were the two most important factors followed consecutively by 'communication', 'professionalism', 'involvement', and 'empowerment'. Interestingly 'knowledge of client brands and the market landscape' has been rated at the most important criterion every year since its inclusion in the survey.
The SpaceStation Joburg Team
The SpaceStation received 25 Best in Category votes (compared to the second and third place winners who received seven each), which gave them a MOST score of 78.8. But what was even more impressive was that they once again came out tops across all media owners in all categories for the criteria 'knowledge of own brands' and 'innovation'.
The Media Online reported that Brad Aigner, managing director of Freshly Ground Insights (who conducted the survey on behalf of Wag the Dog publishers), said that a recurring theme over the years has been the critical importance of having knowledgeable employees who are committed to delivering 'good old fashioned' service. "From discussions with category and overall winners in previous years, it is evident that these companies have not simply paid lip-service to the need for formalised and committed training programmes for their staff," he added.
"We are incredibly proud of the achievements of our partners at The SpaceStation, said Geoff Cohen, CEO of 24.com. "They have consistently proved through their knowledge and execution that they are the best in their field and have delivered massive return on investment for our media and publishing businesses."
Says Chris Hitchings, CEO of DStv Media Sales, "Congratulations to all at The SpaceStation for another excellent performance at this year's MOST Awards.DStv Media Sales are very proud to be a partner in this professional operation."
The MOST Awards are an annual research-based award that encourages excellence in service delivery and innovation from media owners and agencies.
For more information on The SpaceStation, visit www.thespacestation.co.za, follow us on Twitter @SpaceStationZA and
LinkedIn.
