The 'Ag Shame ;) Ads of the Year' aims to be a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek campaign that reminds its audience to remember to laugh at themselves every once in a while, and to not take things too seriously.

"This campaign is not about pointing fingers, but rather about learning and embracing our mistakes and moving onwards and upwards. There cannot be a single creative or client alive that has not messed up at some point, but who has then learned from the experience and become stronger," says Taryn van Heerden, head of marketing at Red & Yellow.

"As an education provider, it is important for us to embrace this as a learning experience. That's why the campaign is not about the ads, it's about the stories behind them," van Heerden adds.

The education provider says that the nomination categories have been selected by industry professionals and those who are "all too familiar" with these common mistakes, having done many of them themselves.

The categories include:
  • Perfect ad for a bathroom break 
  • Most skippable YouTube ad
  • What’s that billboard for again?
  • Best use of a random hashtag
  • Most obvious use of a paid influencer
  • Make people dance for no reason
"The one thing I learned very early on in my career in advertising was to become accustomed to criticism because bad ads happen to the best of us. This campaign is as brave and fun as the industry itself should be," says Ahmed Tilly, creative consultant and judge of multiple industry awards including the Loeries, Cannes and New York Festival. 

"It's time for people to share their thoughts on who nailed it in 2020 ... or in this case, who didn't. If the youth think they can do it better, they now know where to go to start their careers in advertising. Red & Yellow needs fresh talent and so does the industry that we all love so dearly," adds Tilly.

According to Red & Yellow, the goal of this project is to inspire a new generation of thinkers, planners and business leaders to follow a career path within the creative industry.

Individuals are encouraged to visit the school's website to apply or to join Red & Yellow Creative School of Business.

Red & Yellow offers a variety of degrees, advanced diplomas and higher certificates, as well as popular online short courses and national certificates. Additionally, the institution has indicated that it is also offering one of its online short courses to the value of R16 500 to one creative thinker. Applicants are encouraged to visit the website for additional details regarding the opportunity. 

The 'Ag Shame ;) Ads of the Year' campaign runs from Wednesday, 20 January to Saturday, 20 February.

For more information, visit www.redandyellow.co.za or contact nikki.smal@redandyellow.co.za. You can also follow Red & Yellow on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.