Smarties Awards 2025

VML South Africa Named Agency of the Year at 2025 Smarties Awards

VML South Africa was named Agency of the Year at the 2025 Smarties Awards, securing 17 wins, including 6 Golds. The awards recognise innovative and effective marketing campaigns driving real business results. The 2025 Smarties emphasised creative AI and data use. Chief Creative Officer Fran Luckin highlighted the agency's focus on simple, clear ideas brought to life with exceptional craft and strong client partnerships. Winning campaigns included work for Standard Bank, Unilever Dove, Nando's, and Mondelēz Lunch Bar, showcasing excellence in areas like purpose-driven marketing, AI innovation, and social media engagement.

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We’re incredibly proud of our teams – not just for the wins, but for the kind of work they’re creating

Fran Luckin

Chief Creative Officer at VML South Africa

Standard Bank

Fraud is no Fairytale

SOUTH AFRICA

Bronze - Impact Media/Cross Digital Media Marketing
Bronze - Purpose Driven Marketing/ Brand Purpose
Bronze - Ecommerce/CX, UX & Design

Instant Money Mondays

SUB – SAHARAN AFRICA

Silver - Impact Media/ Gaming, Gamification, & E-Sports
Bronze - Impact Media/ Small Budget, Big Impact

Flip The Switch

SUB – SAHARAN AFRICA

Silver - Impact Media/ Omnichannel Marketing
Gold - Impact Media/ Real Time Marketing

Beat The Scam

SUB – SAHARAN AFRICA

Silver - Purpose Driven Marketing/Social Impact Marketing
Bronze - Impact Media / Social Media Marketing

Savings Month

SUB – SAHARAN AFRICA

Bronze - Impact Media/ Social Media Marketing

Nando’s

Silver - Push Notification CRM Strategy

Let's be real - South Africans love Nando's, but sometimes they ghost us (rude, right?). Whether it's app dormancy, forgotten cravings, or the dreaded app deletion, we had to cook up a way to bring them back to the fold - while keeping things as fiery as our PERI-PERI.

Mondelēz - Lunch Bar

Gold - Brand Experience

Gold - Social Media Marketing

Gold - Creator/Influencer Marketing

Lunch Bar needed to reclaim its whacky brand identity. We created a conspiracy theory, led by Bra Lucas, linking the chocolate bar to UFO sightings, sparking a cultural movement where audiences became active investigators in a brand story.

Watch Video Here

Unilever - Dove

Gold - Purpose Driven Marketing/ Brand Purpose

Gold - Diversity & Inclusion

Silver - Innovative Use of AI in Advertising

Two decades ago, Dove made a stand in challenging false beauty
standards. Today, as we transition into an era where 90% of content is
predicted to be AI-generated by 2025, our message still stands: keep
beauty real.

Watch Video Here