In backing the Bookmarks, Bmedia is aligning itself with the awards the industry regards as the premier platform for digital marketing in South Africa and signalling early how central it sees this arena to the work ahead, says the awards.

It speaks to the standing the IAB SA has built since 2008 as the home of digital excellence in South Africa. As the Bookmarks turn 18, an endorsement like this reflects what a sound investment the awards are for any brand.

"The Bookmarks are where the best digital thinking in the country is tested and celebrated, and that is exactly why Bmedia is aligning ourselves with the Bookmarks," says Adrian Naidoo, Head of Bmedia. "The digital ecosystem and data driven insights play a crucial role in the integrated retail media journey for every brand and every consumer. It matters that we recognise excellence in this arena, because innovation here will ultimately move the conversation in retail media from being purely in store to a truly integrated 360 omnichannel media ecosystem."

For Naidoo, the opportunity is bigger than visibility. "Now more than ever, marketing and advertising can tangibly show the role they play in customer acquisition and sales," he says. "That is one of our priorities as Bmedia: to show that when brands invest in campaigns, they see the uplift at the till."

And Bmedia has a proposition few can claim: measurable footfall and digital reach into SEM one to six shoppers. Boxer serves millions of shoppers every month across this segment, with a real focus on serving the communities it operates in, adds the awards.

That, for Naidoo, is the conversation the sponsorship should open up: how brands design campaigns for the spending power this customer holds, what role retail media plays in them, and, more importantly, how real sales measurement can be built into the campaign journey right from the start.

Paul Coetzee, Boxer's Group Executive for Commercial, Marketing and Retail Media, "Retail media is one of the fastest growing areas of advertising, here and abroad, and our award ecosystem is recognising its impact and importance," he says. "We bring deterministic shopper data and a real connection to communities that other media just cannot reach."

For the IAB SA, the deal shows the awards remain relevant as the industry evolves. "For a brand of Bmedia's ambition to commit to us speaks volumes about the trust this brand has built over 18 years," says Chris Borain, Executive Director of IAB South Africa. "Retail media is changing the way brands connect with people, and Bmedia is helping us make sure that story is told on the Bookmarks stage."

This year's Bookmark Awards ceremony, themed It All Starts With a Pixel, takes place on Wednesday, 13 August at The Forum, The Forum in Bryanston, Johannesburg, bringing together the agencies, publishers and brands behind the year's most inventive digital work, concludes the awards.

For more information, visit www.thebookmarks.co.za. You can also follow the IAB South Africa Bookmark Awards on Facebook, X, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor