The 2015 Newspaper Advertising Awards last night saw DDB head home $10,000 richer for nabbing the top award for its BMW ‘reverse April Fool’s’ ad, with Ogilvy & Mather’s ad for Rebel Sport’s ‘Big Kahuna’ coming in as the runner up.
Now in its 10th year, the Newspaper Advertising Awards, run by News Works, are designed to encourage a new generation of creative to think differently about newspaper advertising.
DDB’s winning ad saw it tackling an anti-April Fool’s prank. It ran an ad in the Herald as an “April Fool’s special” stating BMW would supply the first person to trade in their car and bring the April Fool’s ad coupon along to a BMW dealership with a brand new BMW.
It was Tianna Marsh who was lucky (or gullible) enough to get there first in her 15-year-old Nissan Avenir and was rewarded with a $50,000 BMW Series 1 in exchange for the old station wagon.
April Fools’ bluff ends in $50,000 BMW http://t.co/cQcS4BUsvq pic.twitter.com/z2Q3MO3goO
— nzherald (@nzherald) April 1, 2015
The BMW ad was highly praised by the international judge, Colin Jeffery of David&Goliath who said: “Congratulations, this was by far my favourite idea of the bunch. Sure we’ve seen lots of April Fools’ Day ads over the years, but this is the first “reverse” April Fools’ idea I’ve ever seen. There’s a level of complexity associated with it that I really like. Original, highly effective and a great use of the medium. Well done.”
DDB CEO Justin Mowday says winning the Newspaper Ad of the Year for the third year in a row is just awesome. “It’s a real credit to our creative teams who are not only producing bold and award-winning campaigns with new digital media, but also showing just how powerful print can be with a great idea.”
It also won the ‘Best Topical’ category award.
Ogilvy & Mather was runner up for its ‘Big Kahuna’ ad for which it won Newspaper Ad of the Month in February this year.
DDB also came third place for its Speight’s ‘Father’s day’ ad encouraging Speight’s drinkers to have a beer with their old man.
Last year DDB’s win illustrated the greatest ideas don’t always have to be complicated, the judges awarded the gong to DDB for its simple VW print ad that drew attention to a Beetle sale.
The year before, in 2013, it won for its ‘Demand equal pay’ advertisement for the YWCA promoting equal pay for women.
The category winners include FCB for ‘Best Craft – Art & Best Craft – Copy’ for The Devil’s Chair created for NZI as well as ‘Best Digital & Media Thinking’ for its Sideline Challenge for Sony.
Special Group won ‘Best News Brand Campaign’ for ‘Play the Bridge‘ executed for 2degrees.
A Highly Commended award for ‘Best Craft – Copy’ went to Colenso BBDO for ‘How M&M’s saved countless lives’ for M&M’s.
A Highly Commended award for ‘Best Topical’ went to Y&R for its ‘Love from Land Rover’ campaign for Land Rover.
A Highly Commended award for ‘Best Digital’ went to Special Group for its online mobile plan calculator for 2degrees.
‘Best Media Thinking’ runner up went to Spark PHD and NZME for ANZ’s Dream Big campaign.
Highly Commended in the same category went to Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand for the Auckland Lantern Festival for ASB.
‘Best News Brand Campaign’ runner up went to OMD for its work for Tourism Australia.
Highly Commended in the same category went to Special Group for its Smirnoff #PurePotential campaign.
All qualifying advertisements had appeared in a New Zealand newspaper between July 1 2014 and June 1 2015 and were automatically entered into the competition for winning Newspaper Ad of the Month.
Credits and category winners:
2015 Ad of the Year
Client: BMW – Reverse April Fools
Agency: DDB
Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton
Creative Director: Shane Bradnick
Art Director: James Conner
Copywriter: Christie Cooper
Account Director: Paula Brown
Managing Partner: Elizabeth Beatty
DDB Group – General Manager: Kathy Gieck Mang
Mango/DDB Group – Account Director: Katie Walton
Head of Media Relations: Kate Carter Mango/DDB Group
Two heads – Director: James Anderson
Print Producer: Andy Robilliard
2015 Ad of the Year runner-up
Client: Rebel Sport – Big Kahuna
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Creative Director: Rupert Hancock
Creative Group Head: Darran Wong-Kam
Designer: Jamie Wright
2015 Ad of the Year Third
Client: Speight’s – Father’s Day
Agency: DDB
Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton
ECD: Shane Bradnick
Creatives: Rory McKechnie/Adam Thompson
Designers: Gordon Moir/Amanda Summersby
Best Craft: Art & Best Craft – Copy
Client: NZI – The Devil’s Chair
Agency: FCB New Zealand
Regional Executive Creative Director: James Mok
Executive Creative Director: Tony Clewett
Senior art director: Kelly Lovelock
Senior copywriter: Hywel James
Head of Craft: Nick Smith
Retoucher: Jo Bayliss
Mac Operator: Anton Mason
Group Account Director: Toby Sellers
Account Director: Michelle Koome
Head of Content: Pip Mayne
Producer: Amanda Langkilde
Producer: Michelle Richards (IDC)
Photography: Troy Goodall (IDC)
Planner: David Thomason
Best Topical
Client: BMW – Reverse April Fools’
Agency: DDB
Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton
Creative Director: Shane Bradnick
Art Director: James Conner
Copywriter: Christie Cooper
Account Director: Paula Brown
Managing Partner: Elizabeth Beatty
Mango/DDB Group – General Manager: Kathy Gieck
Account Director: Katie Walton Mango/DDB Group
Head of Media Relations: Kate Carter Mango/DDB Group
Director: James Anderson (Two heads)
Print Producer: Andy Robilliard
Best Digital & Best Media Thinking
Client: Sony – Sideline Challenge
Agency: FCB New Zealand
Regional Executive Creative Director: James Mok
Executive Creative Director: Tony Clewett
Creatives: Kevin Walker & Melina Fiolitakis
Group Account Director: Toby Sellers
Account Director: Michelle Koome
Head of Craft: Nick Smith
Designer: Michael Braid
Retoucher: Anton Mason
Mac Operator: Bex Wells
Media Planner/Buyers: Sarah Bymolt, Duncan Timlin
Senior Digital Producer: Haydn Thomsen, James McMullan
Digital Designer: Liz Low
Digital Campaign Manager: Lucy Leckie
Digital Director: Kate Grigg
Best News Brand Campaign
Client: 2degrees – Play the Bridge
Agency: Special Group
Creative Partner: Tony Bradbourne
Creative Partner: Rob Jack
Managing Partner: Michael Redwood
Senior Planner: Claire Beatson
Senior Account Director: Samantha Parsons
Account Director: Stu Mallarkey
Project Manager: Jessica McColl
Head of Production: Nigel Sutton
Producer: Rebecca Casey
Designer: Andre Caraco
Studio Manager: Gavin Le Claire
Special Mentions
Best Craft – Copy (Highly Commended)
Client: M&M’s ‘How M&M’s saved countless lives’
Agency: Colenso BBDO
Best Topical (Highly Commended)
Client: Land Rover, Agency: Y&R
Best Digital (Highly Commended)
Client: 2degrees – Calculator, Agency: Special Group
Best Media Thinking (Runner Up)
Client: ANZ Dream Big
Agency: SparkPHD & NZME.
Best Media Thinking (Highly Commended)
Client: ASB – Auckland Lantern Festival
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
Best News Brand Campaign (runner up)
Client: Tourism Australia
Agency: OMD
Best News Brand Campaign (Highly Commended)
Client: Smirnoff #PurePotential
Agency: Special Group