Ogilvy strikes multiple gold at Sabre Awards for social-first and culture-led creativity

The agency received one gold award with Unilever for #VaselineVerified in Social Media & Community Management and Co-creation with Influencers. It also won gold with Audi for its TikTok innovation, alongside gold with Volkswagen for its Forever golf campaign in Content Marketing. Certificates of excellence were also awarded to Vaseline Cera Glow for Partnership & Collaboration, plus KFC Sauce Code for Gamification & User Generated Content.

Pete Case, CEO and creative chairman at Ogilvy South Africa, says: “We’re proud to have been recognised at these regional Sabre Awards. What makes these wins especially meaningful is seeing ideas that we’ve built together with our client partners genuinely connect with audiences. It’s work that people have engaged with, shared, and made their own. More and more, we’re seeing the power and growth that comes from brands that listen and participate in culture, not just broadcast to it. These wins reflect that fundamental shift towards ideas shaped by audiences, built for the platforms they live on, and grounded in culture from the beginning.”

In addition, #VaselineVerified for Unilever was also recognised on the world stage, winning three Grand Clios, 4 Best of Discipline honours at The One Show, and a remarkable five Yellow Pencils and four Graphite Pencils at D&AD, a testament to the power of collaboration within our global network, borderless creativity, and shared ambition.

Tamryn Taylor, head of marketing and demand generation, Unilever Beauty, Wellness, and Personal Care, comments: “For decades, people have used Vaseline in ways that never appeared on the pack. Skin hacks. Beauty rituals. Cultural remedies. #VaselineVerified resonated because it invited people to engage, contribute, and see themselves reflected in a conversation that was already happening. This is a big achievement for us, and it was incredibly rewarding to see how widely the campaign was embraced!”

Bridget Harpur, head of marketing at Volkswagen Group Africa, added: “Audiences respond to brands that participate in culture through ways that feel relevant and genuine. The success of the #ForeverGolf campaign was due to it being actively built with communities in mind from the start, rather than simply adapted for social.”

Tashta Bhana, brand communications manager, Audi South Africa, said: “This campaign demonstrated the value of meeting audiences on their terms through innovative use of video that's relevant to the platform. It allowed us to tell the Audi story in a way that felt modern, relevant, and built for today’s media landscape.”

These awards, spanning multiple brands, categories, and disciplines, highlight the strength of collaborative partnerships and a shared ambition to push beyond conventional campaign thinking. From influencer co-creation and platform-native storytelling to interactive audience participation, the work demonstrates how brands can engage communities in ways that feel relevant, authentic, and culturally resonant.

Case concludes: “For Ogilvy South Africa, this recognition reinforces a clear belief: social-first, culture-led creativity is not simply a trend, it is a proven driver of brand relevance, engagement, and long-term value. Congratulations to our teams, clients and all the winners.”