The awards celebrate the region’s most innovative, high-performing campaigns on TikTok, recognising work that moves beyond traditional advertising to create social-first, culturally relevant moments, that drive meaningful consumer participation and deliver real business results.

Forever Golf received gold and silver awards in the “Big Branding Energy” and “It’s the Creative for Me” categories. The “Big Branding Energy” award recognises standout creative storytelling that boosts brand visibility, while “It’s the Creative for Me” celebrates bold, TikTok-first ideas that push creative boundaries and deliver measurable impact for both brands and agencies.

A campaign for the people, by the people, celebrating culture and featuring motoring enthusiasts from across the country. An 8-part online docuseries followed Golf fans as they took the new model for a spin and honoured a 47-year tradition of nicknaming the vehicles. Uncovering the nicknames that communities felt best represented this iconic car.

Bridget Harpur, head of marketing at Volkswagen Group Africa, comments: “We are so excited that this campaign was recognised as one of the standout campaigns among such incredible creative work from across the region on TikTok. Our partnership with Ogilvy is about understanding the evolving connected media landscape and its impact on culture-driven consumer decisions. When the agency presented this idea, we immediately knew it was the one. The Golf has been at the heart of South African culture for generations and this campaign provided a unique opportunity to engage the community in a truly social-first way.”

Audi also received Gold in the “Bougie on a Budget” category, which celebrates campaigns that achieved big impact on a small budget. Understanding that 94% of people who test drive an Audi go on to purchase, but that physical footfall has been reducing in dealership over time, Ogilvy reimagined the conventional test drive by bringing it directly to people via TikTok. Launching the new Audi RS3, with a world first approach, turning everyday scrolling into an immersive, gamified experience. Using TikTok’s native “rotate-your-phone” mechanic, users could virtually steer the RS3 within their feeds, turning mobile devices into interactive test-drive tools. This clever, low-budget approach converted millions of virtual interactions into real-world test drives, showing how platform-native creativity can drive measurable impact while remaining culturally and socially relevant.

Tashta Bhana, brand communications manager at Audi comments: “By having an in-depth understanding of the platform and user-behaviour, we were able to create a piece that stood out and connected to audiences like never before.”

Pete Case, CEO of Ogilvy, concludes: “Winning at the TikTok METAP Awards is a huge testament to our teams’ creativity and understanding of how to create powerful connections with today’s digital first consumer. These campaigns reimagined how brands connect with audiences authentically, tapping into culture and embracing social-first thinking in a rapidly changing media landscape. Congratulations to our teams and partners for delivering ideas that are not only bold and innovative but deliver measurable impactful for our clients.”