The 2025 EMEA Sabre Awards saw South Africa’s public relations and communications agencies, Retroviral and Razor PR, fly the flag high. Retroviral was recognised in two categories and Razor PR in one.
Announced on Wednesday, 2 April, in London, England, the Awards recognise superior achievement in branding reputation and engagement and honour the Agencies of the Year and Best Agencies to Work For.
Not the biggest but the best
Retroviral was recognised for its Showmax Premier League Launch — Showmax with Retroviral and Grid Worldwide, in the geographic category as well in the Marketing Communications: Guerilla Marketing category for Beatbox Baristas with Wimpy and Actorvate & Shaun James Films.
Our mantra is to never be the biggest but the Best, says Mike Sharman, chief creative officer of Retroviral.
"I think this is the third year in a row we’re the most decorated South African and even African agency at Sabre EMEA Awards.
"From six finalists for six different clients to converting two winners, I’m just insanely proud that we’ve been on such an incredible run of global, best-of-breed creatively impactful, viral work."
Shining a light on critical issues
Razor PR with M&C Saatchi Abel - The Up&Up Group was recognised in the Marketing Communications: Engaging Society: Public Education category for Bullet Proof Park with Gun Free South Africa.
Razor PR CEO, Dustin Chick says it is always so humbling when local work is recognised on a global stage.
"It doesn’t just speak to the real quality of South African and African communications, but also that the levels of creativity and strategic smarts that truly is standing up with some of the best work across the region.
He says that when campaigns like Bullet Proof Park win, we all win.
"Because we are shining a light on issues critical to the real values at the heart of our society and should keep all of us up at night. Thank you to clients who let us push the creative envelope and who let us raise these topics in a way that they win."
Platinum and Diamond winners
Platinum Sabre Award for Best in Show
Winner - Piece Of Me — KPN with Dentsu Creative, Mindshare Netherlands, Wefilm Creative Agency, Amp.Amsterdam // The Sonic Branding Company, Emma Branderhorst, A Bigger Circle & team5pm, HPB | Het PR Bureau
Finalists:
#2: No One Escapes Justice: How Miller Stopped a Rigged Mobilization and Protected a Child’s Rights in Wartime Ukraine — Underage Sexual Assault Victim with Miller Law Firm
#3: The Story of Britain’s Last Coal-Fired Power Station — Uniper with Burson UK
#4: Stitch and Spice — Puma with MSL UK
#5: The Tiniest Room — Save the Children with Golin Romania
Diamond Sabre Awards
Company of The Year - Uncovering Europe’s Experience Economy — Mastercard with Ketchum
CEO of the Year - Wayne Griffiths, Empowering the Voice of Change — CUPRA with Apple Tree, Citizen Relations, Edelman
The Sabre Award for Superior Achievement in Brand-Building - Piece Of Me — KPN with Dentsu Creative, Mindshare Netherlands, Wefilm Creative Agency, Amp.Amsterdam // The Sonic Branding Company, Emma Branderhorst, A Bigger Circle & team5pm, HPB | Het PR Bureau
The Sabre Award for Superior Achievement in Reputation Management - From the Boiler Room to the Private Equity Floor — Techem Energy Services GmbH
The Sabre Award for Superior Achievement in Research and Planning - VeloBank Improves Valentine's Day — VeloBank with Zoom bsc
The Sabre Award for Superior Achievement in Measurement and Evaluation - Tuned in - delivering the right content to the right stakeholder — AramcO
Geographic
Africa - Showmax Premier League Launch — Showmax with Retroviral, T+W, grid
The Balkans - World's Favourite Toilet — MedLife with Golin Romania
The Baltic - Saving Free Media in Poland — TVN Warner Bros. Discovery with SEC Newgate CEE
Benelux - Revolutionising the Belgian retail landscape — Delhaize with Whyte Corporate Affairs
DACH - One for One: Mobile phone recycling in Ghana protects environment & creates jobs — Vodafone with MSL Germany
Central Eastern Europe - Tesco - Period poverty in Slovakia — Tesco Stores SR with Istropolitana Ogilvy, Like
France -The Other Side of the Medal — Allianz France with Ogilvy Paris
Iberia - The Wild Algorithm — Ampara Instituto Animal with Edelman Spain
Ireland - Step Up Together: How AIB launched their new strategy to get Ireland to “Step Up Together’ for Goal in 2024. — AIB with Wilson Hartnell
Mediterranean - Her Name in the Game — AC Milan with Serviceplan Italia
The Middle East -Shelves — Puck with Current Global MENAT
Nordics - The Walking Ads — Volkswagen Norway with TRY
Sweden - Supercube — Knorr with Weber Shandwick Cologne
Turkey - Symphony of Corals (1 Breath to the Sea) — Anadolu Efes with Weber Shandwick MENAT
Ukraine and Other Independent States- No One Escapes Justice: How Miller Stopped a Rigged Mobilization and Protected a Child’s Rights in Wartime Ukraine — Underage Sexual Assault Victim with Miller Law Firm
United Kingdom - Small Budget - Killed Here — Killed Women with Earnies
United Kingdom - Medium Budget - The Story of Britain’s Last Coal-Fired Power Station — Uniper with Burson UK
United Kingdom - Large Budget - The Move to -15 — DP World with Edelman
Multi-Country Programme - DOOM Mowers — Husqvarna with Prime Weber Shandwick
Global Programme - Weather Kids — UNDP with Activation Partners
Practice areas winners
Marketing Communications
Business-To-Business Marketing - The DNA Problem — DrDoctor with Fight or Flight
Consumer Marketing (Existing Product) - Music to my brain — Regina Maria - The Private Healthcare Network with Publicis Relations, Publicis Romania, Digitas
Consumer Marketing (New Product) - Made of Metal — OnePlus with The Romans
Inclusive Marketing - Code My Crown — Unilever/Dove with Edelman
Integrated Marketing -The CPR Bra — St John Ambulance with Revolt and Fight or Flight
Corporate Reputation
Institutional Image - If You're Into It, It's In The V&A — The V&A with Hope&Glory
Employee Communications - Revolutionising the Belgian retail landscape — Delhaize with Whyte Corporate Affairs
Employer Branding - Doing great things deserves great recognition. — Swiss Federal Railways) with Farner | Team Farner
Executive Communications - Sustainability Not Sacrifice — Schneider Electric with Team Lewis
Capital Markets Communications - LPP vs. HDR: The Tale of Vanishing Billions and Restored Trust — LPP with Lighthouse
Engaging Society
Purpose-Driven Branding - The DrunkenBait — Carlsberg Sweden with Burson
Community Relations - The Inescapable Room — Dr.Max Romania with Ogilvy Romania & Never Alone - Friends of the Elderly Association
Corporate Philanthropy and Fund-Raising - Building Bonds in a War Zone — The Bridge of Trust with Avidly
ESG Campaign - Flowers for hops — Plzeňský Prazdroj with Svengali Communications
Public Education - Bullet Proof Park — Gun Free South Africa with Razor PR with M&C Saatchi Abel - The Up&Up Group
Advocacy
Crisis Management - Three years in the Eye of a Solar Industry Storm — Senec with Ketchum Germany
Issues Management - “Mehr Zuhaus’ in Österreich!“ – how to initiate an economic stimulus package worth billions against housing shortage and for the construction industry! — hagebau Österreich with Skills | Team Farner and Campaigning Bureau
Public Affairs - Maaate — Mayor of London with Ogilvy PR
Media Relations
Corporate Media Relations - The Next CEO — Russell Reynolds Associates with Burson UK
Product Media Relations (Consumer Media) - #MyFavourite — Mars - Celebrations with Ketchum UK
Product Media Relations (Trade Media) - Carbon Action Portfolio – the industry first carbon-optimized packaging label portfolio — UPM Raflatac with SEK, Finland
Digital and Social Media
Digital Campaign - Zero drug deaths -campaign — Irti Huumeista ry and Indivior with Ahjo Communications Oy
Social Media/Social Networking Campaign - Red vs. Blue — Origin by Ocean with Avidly
Influencer Marketing - Desk Break — Asics with Golin
Branded Journalism - Only Gastronomy Can Do That — GastroSuisse with Farner | Team Farner
Word of Mouth - Empowering Change Through Hygiene: Tackling the Hidden Crisis of Hygiene Poverty — Dixan (Henkel) with Apco
Experiential
Guerrilla Marketing - Beatbox Baristas — Wimpy with Retroviral, Actorvate & Shaun James Film
Publicity Stunt - Missed Birthdays — Campaign Against Living Miserably with Hope&Glory
Special Event - Wurst Price Scenario — Tibber with Gullers Grupp
Sponsorship - "Thank You Jürgen" — Carlsberg with Hope&Glory
Trade Show WAO at fruit attraction: Stealing the show — The World Avocado Organisation with Marco
Specialist Audience
Marketing to Men - Be a Friend. To Yourself Too — The All-Ukrainian mental health programme "How are you?", Coordination Center for Mental Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine with plusone social impact
Marketing to Women - Home Safely with Taxifix — Oslo Taxi with JCP PRAD
Marketing to Youth - America's Cup e-Series — Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup with Burson Spain / Experientia / Teammate
Marketing to Seniors - Michael Bommer becomes immortal — Eternos.Life with MSL Germany
Multicultural Marketing - Liming with Gran — Genomics England and University of Cambridge with Ketchum UK
Industry sectors
Consumer Goods
Automotive - Changing Spaces — Lime with Words + Pixels
Fashion & Beauty - Stitch and Spice — Puma with MSL UK
Food & Beverage - The Social Swap — Heineken with Edelman and LePub
Home & Furniture - Reversing the narrative on anniversaries - How Ikea Germany’s 50th Anniversary Beat the European Football Championship ’24 — Ikea Holding Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Consumer Products - #freethefeed: The "Boob Tube" — Elvie with Hope&Glory
Consumer Services
Entertainment - Sam-ford Bridge — Chelsea FC Women with Hope&Glory
Financial Services - Bleak Friday — Simply Business with Golin
Food Service - The Banquet Menu — Max Burgers with JMWGolin
Retailers - "We Deliver Democracy" – Inspiring Activation Ahead of the European Elections — About You SE & Co. KG with nwtn GmbH / Jung von Matt Hamburg
Travel & Tourism - Draw me the sea — SeaWorld Yas Island Abu Dhabi with Weber Shandwick MENAT, Initiative, Momentum
Business-to-Business
Energy and Natural Resources - Fight for Light — DTEK
Chemicals & Industrials - Soil Poetry — Yara International with Geelmuyden Kiese
Professional Service Firms - Big Hero Snitch — Medius with Fight or Flight
Real Estate & Construction - 30 under 30 — Saint-Gobain Norway, Glava, Gyproc, Weber with Trigger Oslo, Norway
Transportation & Logistics - Being a Postal Worker Is Not a Combat Sport — Hungarian Post with Lounge Group
Technology
Consumer Electronics - Axicom's ‘Magic’ Touch: Disrupting the Foldable Category with Honor — Honor with Axicom
Technology: Hardware - Alzheimer's Intelligence — Lenovo with Zeno London
Technology: Software & Services - Going for Gold: Delivering an AI-Powered Olympics — Intel with WE Communications
Telecommunications - Tools for Modern Times — Croatian Telecom / Hrvatski Telekom (in house)
E-Commerce: #RoddickReturns — Betway with The Romans
Healthcare
Consumer Health - Free Period Care Products in Schools – A Basic Right — Libresse & Tork (Essity) with Spotlight Communications
Healthcare Providers - No Pulse – The World’s most important workout. — Sats Norway with Try
Medical Technology - 24/7 Diabetes-Create Awareness for Diabetes and Its Impact — Dexcom with Bijl PR
Pharmaceutical: RX - Beating the Men-Killer: How we used politics to change men’s fate — Slovak Urological Society, Johnson & Johnson with Seesame
Non-Corporate
Associations - Making Rural Britain unignorable — Country Land and Business Association (CLA) with Woodrow
Educational and Cultural Institutions - Adjust to Taste — Norwegian Hospitality Association and partners (NHO Reiseliv) with Trigger Oslo
Government Agencies - I Care by Burson and The Royal Commission for AlUla — The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) with Burson
Not-For-Profit Organisations - The Tiniest Room — Save the Children with Golin Romania
