Inaugural Unite South Africa Awards Recognises Inclusive Creativity

WPP, the international communications, advertising and public relations company, last month celebrated the power of inclusive creativity at the inaugural Unite South Africa Awards, recognising the best LGBTQIA+ affirming work from WPP agencies in South Africa over the past three years.

Presented in partnership with MambaOnline and The Other Foundation, the awards were spearheaded by WPP Unite, the company’s global LGBTQIA+ community, championing inclusion and belonging across the network and beyond.

The awards recognised outstanding work across various categories, including the winning campaigns and initiatives:

• Unity in Craft: Mindshare for Avon: Hydramatic Matte Lipstick
• Unity in Digital: VML for Vuse x Drag Queens: Be Every You
• Unity in Film: VML for BMW #GenerationJoy
• Unity in Campaign: Grey for Savanna: Legend of Chakalaka Norris
• Unity in Culture: VML for Vodacom #SafeSpaces
• Spaces for Unity: VML for Vodacom #SafeSpaces
• Unity through Impact: Kantar for Diva Mag: The Diva Report
• Unity for South Africa: Kantar for Diva Mag: The Diva Report

Beyond celebrating creative excellence, the awards provided valuable insights into the current landscape of LGBTQIA+ representation in advertising and communications in South Africa.

Unveiling opportunities for deeper LGBTQIA+ inclusion

With entries judged on relevance, authenticity, empowerment and effectiveness in breaking stereotypes, a key takeaway was the need for greater volume and depth of inclusion.

“The limited number of LGBTQIA+ focused campaigns submitted underscores the need for agencies and clients to do more,” said Dono White, Strategy Director at VML South Africa and WPP Unite member. “We must challenge ourselves to embed authentic representation into our creative work consistently, not just during dedicated periods.”

The judging panel, comprising industry leaders and LGBTQIA+ advocates, identified key areas for improvement, including greater diversity at the client level and shifting perspectives to ensure LGBTQIA+ narratives are told from within the community.

Reinforcing the importance of community voice, over 5,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community participated in judging through Mamba Online, providing direct feedback on the campaigns.

Highlighting the business case for authentic inclusion, Tebogo Skwambane, Country Manager of WPP in South Africa, said: “WPP’s own research shows that diverse and inclusive marketing resonates more powerfully with audiences. The Unite South Africa Awards demonstrate WPP’s commitment to not only reflecting the diversity found within the country but also driving business results for our clients. We believe that authentic LGBTQIA+ representation is not just a social imperative, but also a strategic commercial advantage in today’s marketplace for brands that want to cut through and reach traditionally under-served audiences.”

Driving meaningful change

To guide future efforts, WPP Unite SA unveiled the “Do More” strategy at the award ceremony, a 10-point guide for creating impactful LGBTQIA+ affirming work. The strategy emphasises authentic representation, deeper storytelling, community involvement and bold, disruptive content.

Dono White, Strategy Director at VML South Africa and WPP Unite member, concluded: “The ‘Do More’ strategy is a call to action for our industry. By embracing these principles, we can move beyond tokenistic gestures and create meaningful change, building a more inclusive and representative creative landscape in South Africa.”