Woolworths South Africa has been recognised on the global stage at the International Content Marketing Awards (ICMA) in London, receiving the Grand Prix Gold for Best In-house Agency.

The award recognises Woolworths’ distinctive approach to brand-owned storytelling, underpinned by an integrated in-house content model and a strong long-standing partnership with Media24 Advertising & Content Marketing (ACM).

In addition to being named Best In-house Agency, Woolworths received further accolades for its purpose-led campaign This Apple Can Save the World:

• Gold: Best Purpose-Led Content
• Silver: Best Use of Innovative Technology

 “Our content marketing team exists to tell the stories that make Woolworths the most-loved brand in South Africa” says Cathy Lund, Executive Content Director at Woolworths. “As an in-house team, we unite business strategy, brand, creative and content expertise around a single mission: delivering audience-first storytelling that is strategically grounded, creatively ambitious and commercially effective,” she explains. “Being recognised as Best In-house Agency at the ICMA validates the model we’ve built – one that blends deep business integration with creative leadership and partners who help us bring that vision to life with excellence and scale,” she adds.

Embedded within the Woolworths business, the content marketing team leads a broad content ecosystem spanning owned platforms as well as partner-produced properties such as Woolworths TASTE and the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, developed in collaboration with Media24 ACM. This in-house model enables close alignment with product, trading and seasonal priorities, while ensuring a consistent brand experience for customers.

The strength of Woolworths’ content ecosystem was further highlighted by multiple awards for Woolworths TASTE, produced by Media24 ACM, which received six accolades across key categories:

• Silver: Best Use of Social Media for Woolworths TASTE's social channels
• Silver: Best Use of Imagery for Woolworths TASTE – Our Best Ever Christmas
• Bronze: Best Use of SEO for Woolworths TASTE – Making Culture Visible
• Bronze: Best Use of Monetised Content for Woolworths TASTE – Ottolenghi campaign
• Silver: Content Person of the Year for Katharine Pope (Media24)
• Bronze: Best Inter-Company Engagement for Woolworths Shop Talk (Internal Comms)

Nerisa Coetzee, Chief Revenue Officer at Media24, says “These awards highlight the power of collaboration between Media24 Advertising & Content Marketing and Woolworths, combining insight-driven strategy with creative excellence to deliver high-performing content. Woolworths is a client that truly values audience relevance, craft and effectiveness, and this shared ambition enables us to create work that resonates with both consumers and employees. A special congratulations to Katharine Pope on her Silver for Content Person of the Year – a well-deserved recognition of her leadership and vision. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved.”

Elizka Ferreira, Head of Food Marketing at Woolworths adds, “Media24 Advertising & Content Marketing’s ability to deeply understand our brand, our customers and the cultural moments that matter most has been instrumental in creating content that truly resonates. From TASTE’s visual storytelling to the Ottolenghi and Making Culture Visible campaigns, this partnership continues to deliver exceptional creativity and tangible business results.”

With multiple ICMA wins in 2024 and further global recognition in 2025, Woolworths continues to set the benchmark for in-house content teams, combining strategic leadership, creative excellence and trusted partnerships to deliver content that matters.

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