The ACA is streamlining the entry process by making the submission process easier. Entrants will be able to submit their entries online, via the ACA website which will be launched in September 2008. In addition, the closing date has been extended to January 2009, giving entrants additional time to compile their entries. Agencies are also encouraged to submit entries from their respective African networks.

Andy Rice, chair of the APEX judging panel and chairman of Yellowwood Future Architects, says that an APEX award points to the best in the business of effectiveness - whether the success of a campaign relates to return on investment, meeting a client's objectives or changing perceptions. So ad agencies, he said, should be leveraging an APEX award in credentials presentations to prospective clients, because an APEX award has the persuasive power to sway decisions.

Despite the entry process being made easier, the standards for APEX will remain high. Since its inception in 1995, the APEX awards recognise and celebrate the highest standards and achievements of communications campaigns in an industry that is constantly refining and redefining creativity. Entrants will still have to prove that their submissions have achieved performance excellence by contributing a measurable return on investment and, submissions must demonstrate both strategic and creative effectiveness.

APEX entries will be judged in one of the following three categories:

1. Launch - for brands or services that are less than 12 months old with no significant history of advertising.
   
2. Change - for new campaigns from previously advertised brands, which resulted in significant short-term effects on sales and/or behaviour - short-term being within a period of no more than 18 months.
   
3. Sustain - for campaigns that benefited a business by maintaining or strengthening a brand over a long period, ie. 36 months.

Odette Roper, CEO of the ACA says: "We have entered an era where accountability and return on investment are of key importance, where a holistic approach to buying and selling in this complex and rapidly evolving era is required. The objectives of the APEX Awards are, very simply, to demonstrate that the purpose of communications campaigns is to contribute to business success. APEX encourages best practice in creating and executing effective communications campaigns - these are campaigns that embrace all forms of communication, including advertising, working together instead of in isolation. APEX recognises and rewards effective communications campaigns that ensure that an advertising message is communicated to the consumer in a consistent yet relevant way, and in doing so ultimately generate a return on investment."

[19 Aug 2008 11:33]

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