Like the global ‘Of the Year’ awards, these are based on a point system and will be awarded to companies that score high enough. The regions recognised will be Africa/Middle East, Australia/New Zealand, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, which will be an incentive for top companies in South Africa. These winners will receive a LIA statue.
Over the past few years, LIA has had many requests to add regional award competitions. After much discussion, it decided it would not be prudent to add new competitions that compete with already established local and regional shows. Hence it was decided to break out the global winners and honour them by region. In speaking with industry professionals around the world, it was determined that winning a ‘Regional of the Year’ award from a global festival would be a higher honour than winning a local/regional show.
Icaro Doria, CCO of DDB New York, says, “This is an amazing initiative from LIA to honour talent. No company should be punished for not being global and LIA found a very fair way to put a spotlight on the ones that are doing the best work in the industry.”
Guido Heffels from Heimat Berlin, adds, “When I first heard about the announcement of regional LIA accolades, I immediately thought of this famous and immortal tagline for Fox Sports Regional and dared to revise it, ‘An award for the only region you care about - yours.’ It is so damn true, especially when you are an independent regional agency that has better things to do than to compete against global networks. In a globalised world of too many award shows, this newly introduced regional award puts the spotlight on the right agencies and people - those of the upcoming future.”
Barbara Levy, president, LIA, concludes, “Companies enter awards to promote themselves to brands, the more awards you win, the more clients you attract. Winning a coveted ‘Of the Year’ winged statue in your own region will give you the recognition you deserve in the eyes of not just your peers, but also current and potential clients.”
The regional awards will mirror the same company types as the global awards. ‘Of the Year’ Awards are calculated based on what is populated in the company credit fields. The city must be included when relevant. LIA uses all company credit fields when calculating points, regardless of entering company, media or category. Like the global ‘Of the Year’, awards are discretionary, based on the number of points attained; there is no guarantee that it will award all ‘Of the Year’ types in all regions.
All companies and/or individuals involved in the creative process are eligible to enter work that was broadcast, published or released in a commercial environment, with client approval, between 1 July 2016 and 31 August 2017.
The entry deadline is the end of July and the system is open for entries. Click here for the LIA Entry Kit.
