Saatchi & Saatchi has been steadily regaining its confidence under Nicky Bell, Antonio Navas and Murray Streets. And while Brian Blessed was quietly put out to pasture and its Telecom business continues to be chipped away, it did catch plenty of eyeballs with Tui’s Beer plumber stunt and took out our TVC of the Year for Toyota’s ‘Feels Good Inside’. Plus, as Colenso BBDO’s Axis love letter shows, taxi drivers still think the agency is synonymous with advertising. Creative directors Guy Roberts and Corey Chalmers spill their beans all over 2013.
1) Favourite campaign that isn’t yours
CC: NZTA’s Blazed.
GR: Steinlager’s Be the artist not the canvas.
2) Favourite campaign that is yours
CC: Tui Beer Plumber.
GR: Predictably, Tui Beer Plumber
3) Least favourite campaign
CC: BNZ Emotion Scan.
GR: Tasti’s Kiwiana stuff.
4) Your own biggest success
CC: Moving Tui on without losing the essence of an awesome brand.
GR: Dropping the Tui girls without anyone asking, why’d you drop the Tui girls?
5) Most impressive performance
CC: Antonio in our Saatchi Axis film for Colenso BBDO.
GR: Assembly for The NZI ‘Devils Chair’ work.
6) Biggest move
CC: VW from DDB to Colenso. What does an agency have to do these days?
GR: 2degrees to Special. Will Rhys survive the move?
7) Best innovation
CC: I love the Beck’s Edison Bottle. Even the player they built for it is beautiful.
GR: If it’s not a kitchen tap that pours the perfect crispy pint, it’s the Tuatara reptilian bottle.
8) Best brands
CC: I go out of my way to fill up at Z. Its comms are pants but the service and spirit keep me driving in.
GR: Tuatara gets my vote on its packaging alone.
9) Best stoush
CC: The behind-the-scenes handbags flying with the Axis Awards ‘Share the Love’ campaign.
GR: Probably in the WhybinTBWA finance dept when Devo put his final expense claim in.
10) Heroes
CC: Anyone who made big ideas with ever-shrinking budgets.
GR: Saatchi & Saatchi TVP. Rockstars!
11) Villains
CC: Mr Brown, in the Ngati Whatua room.
GR: Paul Henry at the NZ Music awards. Egg!
12) Most memorable marketing moment
CC: L&P/Whittakers. Good on the mayor for joining in!
GR: “No more beersies for you.”
13. A few predictions for 2014
CC: Budgets shrink to the point that agencies pay the client to make their work for them. Or are we doing that already?
GR: Antonio turns down a huge offer from Bollywood, and I chip in to help Corey pay for hair plugs so we no longer look like twins.
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