Nando's and Chicken Licken steal the show at advertising awards

Chicken was an unlikely hero at this year's Loerie awards‚ which recognise creative excellence in the advertising and communications industry.

Joe Public United‚ which was responsible for the popular Chicken Licken Sbu 2.0 ad‚ was among the favourites lauded on Saturday‚ along with the Nando's #rightmyname campaign‚ the product of M&C Saatchi Abel.

The annual Loeries‚ regarded as the Oscars of advertising‚ were held in Durban last week. It culminated in the awards ceremony on Saturday night.

The award is in its 40th year and acknowledges advertising and marketing campaigns in digital‚ print and broadcasting platforms across Africa and the Middle East.

"An amazing team of people who come from diverse South African backgrounds‚ who believe in the best of what South Africa can be‚ and want to express it in the most amazing brands that South Africa has to offer‚ that's what it takes to be the best‚" said Xolisa Dyeshana‚ chief creative officer at Joe Public United.

"For the first time we saw South Africans engage with a campaign more than we have ever seen in the past. We are so grateful that we could give a South African voice to the global conversation on artificial intelligence‚" said Dyeshana‚ whose team won the local integrated brand and communication group award.

The Nando's #rightmyname campaign received two gold Loeries in the media innovation and PR and media categories as well as a grand prix award in print communication. The aim of the campaign was to create a database of local names that are usually regarded as mistakes by online writing applications.

The top award for regional agency of the year was awarded to TBWA/RAAD‚ a top-ten ranked global advertising agency.

Fouad Abdel Malak‚ executive creative director of TBWA/RAAD‚ said: "A lot of people have talked about diversity and we really practise it in our company. There are no two people alike. We have Americans‚ Frenchmen‚ South Africans‚ and that really enriches the type of work we do. When you mix it all together‚ it's amazing what we can get." Other major winners at the Loeries were:

In the communication design category‚ a grand prix was awarded to Fear and Fantasy Festival‚ produced by TBWA/ Reklam Hizmetleri A.S.

A grand prix was awarded to Sanlam's two-minute shower songs‚ produced by the King James Group in the digital and interactive communication category.

Gold Loeries were awarded in the outdoor and out-of-home category to Garagista's Like the beer? Buy the brewery‚ and GreatStock's The Anthology of Great (Stock) Poetry.

Gold Loeries were awarded to Kenya-based M-Agriculture Digi Farm's Connecting Smallholder Farmers‚ and Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan in the shared value category.

The University of Johannesburg and North West University walked away with gold Loeries in the student campaign category. The AAA School of Advertising in Cape Town won two gold Loeries in the category.

A gold Loerie was awarded to AB InBev's Soccer Song for Change in the live events‚ activation and sponsorships category.

Renowned film director Greg Grey was inducted into the Loeries Hall of Fame‚ joining the likes of Nunu Ntshingila‚ the regional director of Facebook Africa‚ and Nathan Reddy‚ founder and CEO of Grid WorldWide.