In a testament to consistency and sustained performance at the highest level, the Creative Circle Best of the Year Awards saw Joe Public named Agency of the Year, which also secured their Overall Agency of the Year ranking.
The Creative Circle Best of the Year Awards took place on Thursday, 5 March and saw Joe Public named Agency of the Year (Image @Creative Circle)
Creative Circle introduced the inaugural Brand of the Year award, recognising the best-performing brand at the 2025 Best of the Year event, which was awarded to City Lodge Hotels after securing two first-place awards in the Digital and Integrated categories.
The Awards took place on Thursday, 5 March in Sandton, with more than 750 guests, underscoring the industry’s appetite to connect and celebrate together.
The Kagiso Connect Cannes Cash Prize
At last year’s Full Circle event, Nick Grubb, CEO of Kagiso Connect, announced a Cannes promotion, a R250,000 cash prize toward a trip to Cannes for the winning team.
Joe Public secured the prize with their Radio campaign for SAB AB InBev’s Hansa, You Deserve a Beer
The campaign also won first place in the radio category.
Highlights and observations
Several clear patterns emerged from this year’s body of work.
While the Radio category, sponsored by Kagiso Connect, received the highest number of entries, the jury noted a need for renewed innovation.
Writing style, production, voice over delivery are all feeling the same. The category remains strong, but the standard must continue to evolve.
While print was still celebrated, there was no first-place winner this year.
Film remains resilient despite tightening budgets. The Integrated category continues to perform strongly. Sanlam’s The F-Show was the only deserving winner in the Live Communication category. This is a step up from 2024, when no winners were awarded.
Grid Worldwide reinforced its design credentials with first and second place in Design for their work for the Marble Group: Dictionarium and The Marble Group Cape Town Identity Programme.
Broader discussions also centred on the increasing role of AI, the automation of craft, and the need for continuous innovation. Ultimately, the work itself remains the final measure.
All the winners
Design
1st place: Grid WorldWide, The Marble Group, Marble Cape Town
2nd place: Grid WorldWide, The Marble Group, The Dictionarium
3rd Place: LePub Johannesburg, Heineken Beverages, The Max Speed Logo
Digital Communication
1st: TBWA \ Hunt Lascaris,City Lodge hotels, SOS Save Our Stay
2nd: Bananas, KFC Thailand, Chizalulu Chizalala
3rd: VML South Africa, Vaseline, Mntana ka Gogo Heritage Day
PR & Media communication
1st: Boundless, NSPCA, Rein In The Pain
2nd: Clockwork, Byron Thomas Properties, Homes Need Pets
3rd: The Odd Number, Previdar, Show Ghana Love
Live Communication
1st place: Accenture Song, Sanlam, The F-Show
Mza’Taal
1st: Avatar, Corruption Watch, Corruption Doesn’t Just Steal Money
Out Of Home
1st: Promise, Afrisam, Unwanted Sites
2nd: LePub Johannesburg, Heineken Beverages, The Max Speed Logo
3rd: Boundless, NSPCA, Rein In The Pain
Print Communication
2nd: Joe Public, SAB (ABInBev), Castle Milk Stout – The Revealing Pour
3rd: Bananas, KFC Thailand, Long Live The Taste
Radio & Audio
1st: Joe Public, SAB (ABInBev), Hansa Pilsener - You Deserve A Beer
2nd: Avatar, Corruption Watch, Corruption Doesn’t Just Steal Money
3rd: Joe Public , Chicken Licken, You Like Things
Film
1st: Bananas, KFC Thailand, Let There Be Cake
2nd: Joe Public, Nedbank, Hard Working Professionals
3rd: Bananas, KFC Thailand, Missing Piece
Integrated
1st: TBWA\ Hunt Lascaris, City Lodge Hotels, SOS Save Our Stay
2nd: Ogilvy South Africa, Volkswagen South Africa, Forever Golf
3rd: Joe Public, Chicken Licken, Boneless Bites of Soul
Milestone
The Awards mark a pivotal milestone in the advertising and marketing calendar, contributing to the Overall Best of the year rankings that reflect the top-performing agencies across all Creative Circle accredited award shows, including The One Show, D&AD, Cannes Lions, the Loerie Awards, and of course, the Creative Circle’s own Best of the Year.
Handing over
Carl Willoughby, outgoing Creative Circle chairperson and chief creative officer of TBWA\Hunt Lascaris, formally announced the appointment of Kabelo Moshapalo, CCO of Ogilvy Johannesburg, as the new Chairperson, alongside deputy chair Peter Little, CCO of Publicis Groupe Africa.
Reflecting on his tenure, Willoughby says, “The past two years came with their fair share of challenges, but the experience and responsibility have helped shape who I am.
“I’m grateful for all the lessons and confident that the organisation is in a better place than when I found it. That is every chairperson’s goal: to build on the predecessors’ hard work. Now, Kabelo and Pete get to take things to the next level.”
The evening also saw the unveiling of a new, more user-friendly Creative Circle website. The platform is designed to enhance the user experience and clearly showcase monthly, as well as annual Best of the Year winners, providing ongoing inspiration to the industry.
