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WWF and Land Rover put radio to good—and novel—use

If you believe the NZ on Air media consumption study, music is moving online faster than other content. But you can still reach 83 percent of the country over a week with radio and approximately one in ten New Zealanders each day across just four stations, RNZ National, The Edge, ZM and Newstalk ZB. As a result, the ad spend figures for radio are holding firm. And two brands have used the medium in interesting ways recently, with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) putting an ad inside a song for its Last 55 campaign and Land Rover going long to celebrate its heritage. 

Ogilvy & Mather launched the Last 55 campaign for WWF a few months back with a stunt that drew attention to the plight of Maui’s dolphins​by wiping out your Facebook friends. And its powerful print ads have also found favour. So far over 82,000 have signed the petition (the target was 55,000 before the election) and Ogilvy & Mather says its “arguably the most successful online petition ever in New Zealand”. But it’s continuing to push the issue and, in what it believes is world first, it has placed an advertising message inside a music track.

At 55 seconds into ‘I See Red’, Tim Finn interrupts the song urging people to go online and sign petition. After the message, the song continues. TRN have placed the song in regular programming on Hauraki, The Hits and Coast.

“’I See Red’ seemed a very appropriate song to launch this phase of the campaign,” says Angus Hennah, Ogilvy & Mather executive creative director. “If we don’t act now we will see the extinction of the Maui’s dolphins in our lifetime.” 

In addition to this, New Zealanders from the worlds of sport, music, art and business are also lending their support to the campaign, featuring in a new series of balck and white portraits aimed at spreading the messagePhotographer Louise Hatton and illustrator Lisa Nicole Moes have produced the series, which features of rugby players Brad Shields, Reggie Goodes and Mike Kainga, musicians Iva Lamkum, Sam Flynn Scott (Phoenix Foundation), Bella Kalolo, Myele Manzanza, actors Cori Gonzalez-Macuer and Jonny Brugh and Miranda Harcourt, and sustainable business entrepreneur Laurie Foon

As for Landrover, it has just launched four two minute radio ads, which it also believes is a first (for New Zealand, at least). The ads explore the history of Land Rover, which began its life on the Anglesey farm of Maurice Wilkes in 1947, and also let potential customers know they can win a trip to the UK if they buy a new beast. 

 

The campaign, a creation of Big, Total Media and Campbell + Co (Y&R NZ took over the Landrover and Jaguar business back in May), will play over the next six weeks, first on Newstalk ZB and then on Radio Sport and Coast. 

“From initial insight to final execution, bringing this campaign to life has been a journey in itself,” says Land Rover marketing manager James McKee. “The original concept for the two-minute ads saw Total Media provide in-depth strategic insights about Land Rover’s customers, which set the direction of the radio campaign. From there, Total and Big have worked together to create executions that challenge the norm and took big calls, both from a Land Rover point of view and from our media partners, to give the final OK. I don’t think two minutes on radio has been done before in New Zealand, and NewstalkZB took some convincing. But we’re away and live with the campaign, which is exciting.”

Land Rover says it’s achieving record sales across its range this year. 

Credits: 

Title: I See 55

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather New Zealand

Client: WWF

Executive Creative Director: Angus Hennah

Creatives:  Henry Wall, Mitchel Sutton, Paul Kim, Angus Hennah

Media Director: Susan Browne

Media Planner: Marie-Claire Manson

Planning: Adi Staite

Group Account Director: Sandra Daniel

Senior Account Manager: Eduardo Hernandez

Account Manager: Neil Walker

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