Latest News

Rocomamas #ElectionBurger Campaign Wins Coveted Campaign of the Year at the 20th PRISM Awards

“An all-round winning campaign with exceptional results!”  This is how the judging panel described the Rocomamas #ElectionBurger Campaign by Tribeca Public Relations and Retroviral, which scooped top honours, taking the South African Campaign of the Year overall Gold Award at the 2017 PRISM Awards.  Celebrating 20 years of excellence in communication and public relations, the Awards ceremony took place on 6 May at The Park – House of Events on 7, in Hyde Park, Sandton.

“The Rocomamas #ElectionBurger Campaign had all the elements of a winning campaign”, said Chief Judge Marilyn Watson. “Our panel of judges said that the results were measurable against the objectives – delivering superb Return on Investment for Rocomamas”. Watson went on to add that the campaign was well-supported by research.

RocoMamas #ElectionBurger: Proof that the Politics of Great Food is No Joke
The six-week RovoMamas #ElectionBurger campaign was not only the most successful marketing campaign in the restaurant’s three-year history, but also exceeded RocoMama’s business objectives.  Sales increased a significant 20% year-on-year: with over 35 000 burgers sold.  The campaign, which ran from 1 October to mid-November 2016, was driven through digital and social media, supported by PR and positive word of mouth.

African Network of the Year
Global agency Burson-Marsteller won the Gold Award for African Network of the Year. Last year the consultancy strengthened its African footprint even further – launching in Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles, Madagascar and the Comores, It also extended its partnership with Icon Burson-Marsteller, Cameroon, into Congo-Brazzaville and Gabon, making 36 Burson-Marsteller branded consultancies across Africa.

Lifetime Achievement Award
The 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Sejamothopo Motau, MP.  ‘Sej’ is the DA Shadow Minister in the Presidency, Planning Monitoring and Evaluation.
A former journalist, Motau worked for the Pretoria News where his beats were education, labour and politics in that order, the hot topics of the day. He then joined the Africa Edition of The Star where he covered southern African politics. A former chairman and director of various companies, Sej has held several senior management positions in some of the biggest corporations in South Africa.
Sej is ambassador-at-large and former president of PRISA, the Institute for Public Relations and Communication Management in Southern Africa and former chairman of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.
He holds a recognition award for his contribution to the public relations profession from FAPRA, the Federation of African Public Relations Associations.

Gold Award Winners
The full list of Gold winners is as follows:

73 Awards were presented – 18 Gold Awards, 30 Silver Awards and 25 Bronze Awards. Over 220 entries were received.

An ever-evolving Industry
Commenting on the entries received for this year’s Awards, PRISM Awards Convenor Bridget von Holdt said:  Judging the PRISM Awards in its 20th birthday celebration is special:  Our industry is certainly filled with very talented and passionate people!  What is also very noticeable is how dynamic the Awards are and how the various categories have changed to be a reflection of an ever-evolving Public Relations and Communication industry”.
The PRISM Awards sponsors include Afroflame, BVSA, CIMA, GroundUp Media, Hyde Park Hotel, Innovative glass design, Integrated Marketing Solution, Katlego Maboe  and Katleho Sinivasan (Programme Directors), Keystone Productions, LiveWired, Living Photography, Lounge Around, Madea Couture, MTN, Newsclip,  The Park – House of Events on 7, Vicky Crease Catering & Events and Vuyani Dance Company.

Media Supporters include Bizcommunity, Business Report, Cliff Central, Meetings, Newsclip, Niche Radio, Redzone, Start Me Up You Tube Channel, UJ and The Event.

www.prism-awards.co.za #prisms2017

The PRISM Awards is calling for nominations for its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. This honour will be bestowed on a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the public relations profession, at the awards ceremony taking place on Saturday 6 May 2017. The deadline for nominations is 17 March 2017.

“The Lifetime Achievement Award is about exactly that:  recognising a person’s lifetime achievement in our profession – rather than a single contribution,” explains Bridget von Holdt, Convenor of the PRISM Awards.

“The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented for achievement in, leadership, volunteerism, practice/consulting, mentoring, teaching, research and service,” continues Bridget. “Evidence of this can be demonstrated in three key ways: 1. Performance of the nominee on the job; 2. Service beyond the requirements of the job; and, 3. Service to a professional body. This is an excellent opportunity for our industry to recognise and celebrate our heroes,” concludes Bridget.

If you know someone in the public relations and communication space who has demonstrated great leadership/mentorship, goes beyond his/her call and has added substantial value to the industry – why not nominate them for their efforts that have perhaps gone unnoticed despite their immense contribution?

For more information on how to nominate a candidate visit: http://www.prism-awards.co.za/ or e-mail Margaret Moscardi on margi@moscardi.co.za

Sponsors of the 2017 PRISM Awards include The Park – House of Events on 7,  Afroflame, GroundUp Media, Integrated Marketing Solutions, Katlego Maboe, Lounge Around, Mango and Zoom Photography.

Bridget von Holdt – PRISM Awards Convenor

In an exciting ‘first’ for the 20-year old PRISM Awards, aspiring, young PRISM judge wannabes will have the opportunity to be part of this year’s judging. The PRISM Young Judges initiative will see youngsters shadowing experienced PRISM judges as they assess the continent’s top public relations campaigns. Entries for the PRISM Awards close on 21 March, culminating in the awards ceremony on Saturday 6 May.

“While it is the 20^th year, it is time to include the youngsters in the planning and behind the scenes activities, and this includes the judging process.   The young professionals will learn from the highly skilled and professional judging panel that comprises industry leaders from across the communication spectrum,” says Bridget von Holdt, Convenor of the PRISM Awards. “We are preparing a future generation of judges for the PRISM Awards, as well as for the broader public relations industry.  The Young Judges are going to add an exciting dynamic to the judging process – and no doubt some new energy and new insights!!”

The PRISM Awards team’s young judges should be:

• Between the ages of 18 and 25
• Living in Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town
• Working in Public Relations or Communication
• Studying a qualification in Public Relations or Communication.

The initiative has the keen and active support of PRISA’s new Jumpstart  initiative, a chapter of PRISA – created to offer the youth of the PR Industry in South Africa a voice.

“What particularly stands out for me is how all of the young people we speak to have an enthusiastic approach to transforming the world of PR through innovative communication tactics,” says Thabiso Makhubela, JumpStart chairperson.  “This will set the foundation of the future of PR and communication in the hands of the next generation. This fresh approach, coupled with the fundamentals that the more senior professionals can transfer through this initiative, is a recipe for a healthy, sustainable industry. As JumpStart, we are incredibly thrilled to be able to support the PRISMs with their young judges initiative,” says Thabiso.

If you would like to be considered to join this bright team of PRISM Young judges, send us a convincing motivational piece on why you believe you are the prodigy of public relations. Remember to get permission from any company or brand and include it in your presentation. Send your submissions either as a 2 minute video OR a 400 word paragraph to palesamadumo@gmail.com

The closing date is Friday 3 March.

For more information, contact Palesa Madumo Tel: 072 973 2996 Email: palesamadumo@gmail.com