Mscsports and Telkom Earn Gold at MMA Smarties for AI-Driven Audience Experience

Mscsports and Telkom Earn Gold at MMA Smarties for AI-Driven Audience Experience. South African agency Mscsports has secured a gold award at the MMA Smarties Awards for its AI-powered “Possibility in Play” campaign developed in partnership with Telkom.

The campaign won in the Media & Growth category for Audience Engagement Excellence Using AI, with the awards recognising innovation, creativity and effectiveness in modern marketing and brand engagement.

According to Mscsports, the achievement marks an important milestone for the agency as it continues expanding its role within sponsorship marketing, digital engagement and audience-focused brand experiences.

The agency, long associated with sports and entertainment marketing in South Africa, said it has recently broadened its operating model to integrate strategy, communications, creative production, public relations, digital platforms and cultural storytelling into a more connected approach.

The award-winning campaign was created for Telkom’s Classics on Turf property and centred on the idea of using technology to strengthen audience participation rather than reduce human interaction.

During the experience, audience members were invited to take part in a live AI-powered activation where their engagement, emotions and interactions contributed to the creation of an original orchestral performance presented in real time.

The campaign combined elements of entertainment, technology, live performance and data-driven interaction to create what the agency described as a more immersive sponsorship experience.

Mscsports said the project aligned with Telkom’s broader brand messaging around possibility, innovation and connection.

Rob Garden, creative lead at Mscsports, said the award reflects the agency’s evolving direction and broader ambitions within the sponsorship and experiential marketing sector.

Garden said the future of sponsorship marketing lies in combining creativity, culture, technology and communications to create experiences where audiences feel actively involved rather than simply exposed to advertising.

He added that the campaign was designed around the idea of using technology to create genuine human connection through shared experiences.

According to the agency, the success of the campaign was also made possible through collaboration with Telkom and a willingness to experiment with new forms of audience engagement.

The MMA Smarties Awards are regarded internationally as one of the marketing industry’s major benchmarks for campaigns that combine measurable impact with innovation and creative execution.

Mscsports said the recognition reinforces its focus on developing sponsorship campaigns that move beyond traditional visibility and instead encourage participation, emotional engagement and cultural relevance.