The prestigious Bookmark Awards have been presented annually for the past eight years honouring the industry’s best digital work.
According to Kevin Welman, managing director of FleishmanHillard South Africa, the Bookmark Awards play a significant role in the communications industry.
“The Bookmark Awards, like other awards programmes, serve as a mechanism to test the creative ability in the digital landscape and affords agencies the opportunity to benchmark themselves against international and local standards.”
Welman adds: “Awards like The Bookmarks drive agencies and clients to want to enter to gain the necessary recognition for great work. Submitting six entries into this year’s Bookmark Awards as a ‘traditional’ public relations agency, speaks volumes for where we’re at as an agency.”
Welman believes that media agencies are embracing the speed and direction of change in the industry as they learn to integrate digital into the traditional fold. Agencies have begun to position content, and are producing authentic stories using rich media. The platform and channel used to distribute those stories are considered second and third.
“The communications space is quickly transforming, in actual fact, I think it is doing very well. I was surprised by the number of media agencies with shortlisted Bookmark entries. I am looking forward to being exposed to the work and trends presented at the awards dinner. The digital landscape is not far ahead of where we, as communicators, are anymore. The competition is greater than ever,” concludes Welman.
He reasons that no matter what industry you lead, one of the crucial elements needed to win a Bookmark Award is innovation and creativity, along with client-driven solutions. Media agencies will only improve and better integrate digital and traditional planning, and create even more first-class work.
FleishmanHillard is the best large-sized public relations consultancy 2014 and 2015 (PRISM Awards – PRISA) and the current Pan-African Communications Agency of the Year 2016 (African Excellence Awards).
Written By: Kelli Knutsen
