Renowned as the largest independent, performance-based accolades in social-first marketing, digital media, AI, creativity, and online technology, the WesBank New Generation Awards once again set the benchmark for industry excellence. The 2025 winners were announced at a sold-out gala banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton on 23 September, where leading corporates, agencies, and rising stars in the digital space gathered to celebrate innovation.
The awards, now in their 13th year, attracted more than 500 submissions across corporate, agency, and student categories, with entries judged by a panel of 30 experts on criteria including strategy, innovation, creativity, results, engagement, and usability.
This year’s event was headlined by WesBank, with additional support from Unilever South Africa, Algorithm Agency, Forge by Brave, and Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa. Media partnership was provided by Modern Marketing.
Stephen Paxton, founder of the awards, praised the record engagement:
“The remarkable quality of this year’s submissions truly surpassed our expectations. Many silver and bronze winners achieved the gold benchmark of 80% and above, while campaigns that tied on scoring standards were jointly awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals,” he said.
Paxton highlighted key trends: Influencer Marketing, Technical Innovation, and strategic Content Marketingemerged strongly, with virality playing a central role even in lower-budget campaigns. The influence of artificial intelligence was also notable, with more brands integrating AI-driven tools into strategy and execution.
Notable Winners
Among the standout campaigns:
- Mercedes-Benz South Africa and Net#work BBDO clinched gold for Keep Them Guessing in the Best Revenue-Generating Campaign category.
- Volkswagen South Africa and Ogilvy took home gold in Best Online Competition with #ShouldaGotAVivo, and also earned top honours in Most Viral Campaign.
- PepsiCo South Africa won multiple awards, including Best Online Competition with Accenture Song for NikNaks #OwnYourNak & Cheesy Kota.
- Vodacom secured gold for Vodacom V-Up Summer in Mobile Marketing Excellence.
- Unilever South Africa, alongside VML, won gold in Best Use of Technical Innovation with Dove Real Beauty Generation.
- Standard Bank and VML were honoured in Best Influencer Marketing Campaign for their Budget Speech Blow by Blow strategy.
The Black Onyx Awards spotlighted individuals:
Small Agency of the Year went to Lucky Hustle, while Dentsu Media South Africa secured Large Agency of the Year.
Digital Marketer of the Year went to Nicole Glover of Penquin Advertising and Thato Soato of Vodacom.
Digital Brand of the Year was awarded to Vodacom.Student Success
The student categories, introduced in 2018 in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, once again shone a light on future industry leaders. The AAA School of Advertising Bryanston and IIE-Vega produced this year’s top student group winners, with graduates now moving into prominent agency roles across the country.
Industry Impact
Lebo Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank, underscored the importance of these awards:
“The groundbreaking work we saw this year is rapidly advancing the digital marketing space. This spirit of innovation perfectly reflects WesBank’s promise of moving forward with our customers, in lockstep with the creative industry,” she said.
As South Africa’s largest independent digital awards platform, the WesBank New Generation Awards continue to highlight the ingenuity of brands, agencies, and individuals shaping the future of marketing. For many in the industry, the event remains the highlight of the annual awards calendar—a space where recognition translates into opportunity, and where the future of digital marketing is redefined each year.
