Smarties mobile awards to be held in SA for first time

It wasn’t all that long ago that mobile marketing was restricted to a series of really annoying SMSes from companies you’d never heard of. Now though, the global industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, after seeing a nearly 80% increase last year.

That increase isn’t just down to hype either. Mobile ads definitely work and not just for retail. A recent Gallup poll found that mobile actually increases the likelihood of people entering a retail store.

In that kind of environment, it makes sense to reward people who are doing really good work in mobile marketing. One of the most well-known awards showcases doing so is the Smarties Awards, organised by the Mobile Marketing Association.

The awards, which label themselves as the only global awards program created specifically to recognise best in class mobile work from around the world, will be held in South Africa for the first time in 2014. The organisers also claim that entries are judged equally on creativity, strategy, execution and results, and that the awards provide a benchmark for the industry.

The South African iteration of the awards is part of the MMA’s efforts to expand the awards beyond the global edition by launching regional programs and local opportunities to win the award.

That means that there are now three ways to enter the awards, with early bird entries closing on 16 May and final entries closing on 30 June. Any campaigns deployed from June 2013 to June 2014 are eligible for the awards.

On the regional front, awards will be held for the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America (LATAM), North American and Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions.