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ADVERTISING A new dawn for African advertising? Advertising spending is on the rise in Africa. But is the standard and competitiveness of the continent’s advertising also improving? Cara Bouwer investigates. HILE ADVERTISING fully embrace the rest of the continent’s based Regional Creative Director at SPEND in the Middle East advertising communities is a strong Ogilvy and Mather Africa, and Chairman W and Africa remains the validation of the view that the industry is of the Africa category jury at this year’s lowest in the world, it also represents on the up. Loerie awards. one of the fastest-growing markets Until this year, the Loeries had only Speaking to Strategic Marketing Africa, globally as advertisers, keen to tap into considered entries from other African Edgar said he had seen his own agency Africa’s increasing population and rising markets in a designated category within rise to the challenge of delivering home- consumption levels, up their game when the coveted creative communication grown ads that are on par with work it comes to the quality of the creative awards. But rising standards, increased being produced in more sophisticated content and strategies involved. demands from clients and greater ad markets. These include recent campaigns The decision by the well-established spend mean that the creative work for hand-sanitizer Carex, security Loerie advertising awards in South Africa coming out of many African countries company Radar, telecommunications to push north of the country’s border and is on par, says Alan Edgar, the Kenyan- services giant Airtel, and Coca-Cola. 10 strategicmarketingafrica Third quarter 2014 10-13 Advertising v3.indd 31 2014/06/26 11:54 AM