MSN.co.za is calling all South African advertising and marketing specialists to display their creative talent by submitting an online campaign that could allow them the opportunity to visit the highly regarded Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in the south of France this June.
To celebrate the high level of creativity in interactive marketing, MSN South Africa is currently on the look-out for the best interactive campaign that is flighted on MSN between now and 1 June 2002.
"We know that the South African marketing and advertising industry is bursting with creative talent. We are creating a possibility for local ad agencies to show this talent by developing a campaign for a medium that we truly believe does great merit to a brand`s overall image," says Ashika Kalyan, country manager at MSN South Africa.
"Offering the opportunity to visit this prestigious industry event, which sees the largest gathering of marketing and advertising specialists worldwide, with over 9 000 attendees from around the globe, confirms our commitment to online advertising and more specifically, the belief we have in our local creative talent."
MSN will be focused on creativity, but even more importantly, campaign measurability. The digital campaign`s ability to be measured in terms of whether it adds value to the brand is essential. Click-through percentage and conversion from click-through to sales is the vital factor when analysing the online campaign`s success.
Globally, MSN reaches nearly three-fourths of the total Web consuming population. Thorough research has shown that online advertising is effective at swaying buyer perception and the intent to purchase. It has also shown that the Web is a great branding medium and that online advertising builds brand awareness.
MSN`s commitment to this medium of advertising has led to its sponsorship of offers such as the trip to the Cannes Festival from a South African perspective and the sponsorship of this year`s Cannes Award for the best Integrated Media Campaign and the prestigious Cannes Cyber Lions Grand Prix Award on a broader global scale.
Locally this opportunity will allow creative South Africans to push the boundaries with a medium which is often disregarded for other more traditional advertising media. The winner of this award, one creative and one client, will be flown and hosted on the French Rivieria, courtesy of MSN South Africa.
For more details, please contact:
Varsha Maharaj on (011) 257 0477/ v-varmah@microsoft.com
Michael Garzouzie on (011) 257 0543/ i-micgar@microsoft.com
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