South Africa
Winners of the 2025 FM AdFocus Awards Announced in Johannesburg: The winners of the 2025 Financial Mail (FM) AdFocus Awards were revealed on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, during a gala evening at Arena Holdings. Now in its 35th year, the AdFocus Awards continue to remain a landmark in South Africa’s marketing and communications sector. Since its inception in 1990, the awards have evolved, recognizing agencies not only for creative excellence but also for strategic thinking and strong business performance.
This year’s theme, “Creative Capital: Building Agency Value in a Complex World,” underscored the industry’s shift from purely creative output toward building long-term business value. After intense discussions by a jury led by Ogilvy MD Vicki Buys, outstanding agencies and individuals were selected for their impactful contributions.
Ogilvy South Africa Takes Center Stage
Ogilvy South Africa dominated the night, securing the coveted Agency of the Year title, alongside several other wins including Group of the Year, PR Agency of the Year, and Specialised Agency of the Year (Ogilvy One). In addition, its collaboration with Volkswagen earned the Partnership of the Year award.
Category-Wise Winners: A Snapshot
AdFocus Small Agency of the Year
Winner: Retroviral
Finalists: Boundless, Halo
AdFocus Medium Agency of the Year
Winner: The Odd Number
Finalists: Clockwork, McCann Jhb
AdFocus Large Agency of the Year
Winner: Joe Public
Finalists: M&C Saatchi Abel, Ogilvy
AdFocus PR Agency of the Year
Winner: Ogilvy PR
Finalists: Magna Carta, Razor PR
AdFocus Specialised Agency of the Year
Winner: Ogilvy One
Finalists: Design Bridge and Partners, Mscsports
AdFocus Media Agency of the Year
Winner: Carat
Finalists: Connect, Juno
AdFocus Partnership of the Year (sponsored by IAS)
Winner: Ogilvy SA and Volkswagen
Finalists: The MediaShop and Shoprite Checkers; 99c and Checkers
AdFocus African Impact Award
Winner: Dentsu
Finalists: M&C Saatchi — Up&Up Group, TBWA
AdFocus Transformation Award
Winner: Park Advertising
Finalists: Lobengula, Ogilvy
AdFocus Group of the Year
Winner: Ogilvy
Finalists: Dentsu, M&C Saatchi — Up&Up Group
AdFocus Student of the Year
Winner: Abigael Cassell — Cape Town Creative Academy
Finalists: Alice Bosch — Cape Town Creative Academy; Danica Viljoen — IIE Vega Cape Town
AdFocus Agency of the Year
Winner: Ogilvy
Individual Honours Highlight Industry Leadership
Notably, the awards also spotlighted exceptional leadership:
- Lifetime Achiever: Mike Abel, Executive Chairman and founder, The Up&Up Group
- Industry Leader of the Year: Dawn Rowlands, CEO, Dentsu Sub-Saharan Africa
- Shapeshifter Award: Melusi Mhlungu, Founder and CCO, We Are Bizarre
Campaign Excellence Recognised
The FM Creative Challenge was awarded to Joe Public for Chicken Licken’s campaign, “Tell us you’re South African without telling us you’re South African,” which resonated powerfully with audiences.
 AdFocus Awards were revealed on..){kind=link}