The 30th anniversary of the AXIS awards next year is sure to be a nostalgic shindig. But it will also be referencing the future.
“More than ever, we need to re-invent to remain relevant, which is why AXIS 2010 has expanded its digital and interactive categories,” CAANZ says. “Viral is more defined. ‘Social’ just had to be included. And the whole kit and caboodle is justifiably recognized with a big, new, shiny, Interactive Axis Award.”
Design now also has a home at the awards and, due to the ‘lightspeed’ nature of modern conversation and communication, there’s also a PR/Experiential/Word of Mouth/Word of Mouse category.
In line with Cannes adevrtising festival, the ‘Axis of Innovation’ award has been tweaked to be a ‘Titanium Axis’, with the winning entry reserved for the kind of work that re-invents the business.
For a full list of AXIS entry criteria, categories and to download entry forms go to www.caanz.co.nz
For all those planning on entering, CAANZ has provided some guidance. Entry deadline is 4pm 1st February 2010.
DESIGN: “In the past, when design work has been entered, there’s always been huge debate as to where it fits in the show. And there’s so much great design around, from stamps, to bags, to shops, to t-shirts that we thought that we’d give it a home. This is an open category, which covers any facet of design, in any medium, 2D or 3D that is not specifically advertising related. Great advertising design belongs in Craft, not here.”
DIGITAL & INTERACTIVE CATEGORIES: “The categories of digital change every year because the category itself changes every year. Maybe that’s why it’s such an exciting space. If you have something you love and want to enter but are unsure what to enter it under, please contact CAANZ and ask. We don’t want you not to enter it for that reason alone.”
WEBSITES: “Whether it’s a big grunty web build or a campaign microsite, we’re looking for the best web design in NZ. Judges will be looking at the site’s navigation and functionality and, of course, look and feel. But unlike the Digital Craft category, we’re also looking for a good idea. Single entries only.”
ONLINE ADVERTISING: “We want more than banners. Unless they’re really good banners. Any advertising idea that’s appeared online qualifies here. Includes multiple ads on the same page working together.”
BRANDED CONTENT: “Any branded content created for the web. It will be delivered in a digital video format, whether on a brand’s website or hosted on a 3rd party site (e.g. publisher’s site, YouTube, Flickr, Google Video or specialist viral content sites such as Kontraband), it could be emailed as a file attachment or link to another site. And we don’t want telly ads uploaded to YouTube. Single entries only.”
VIRAL: “Any viral which requires or calls for user interaction. This is all about propagation: has it genuinely spread virally? The key questions are: ‘How much has this been passed on? or ‘How much was it commented on?, or sometimes, ‘How much was it re invented?’ It could be as simple as an email or as complex as a gaming experience. The judges will be looking for the scale of the user ‘infection’ thereby recognising the power of people- the individual and the mass-in their increasing role of broadcasters in their own right.”
SOCIAL: “Best use of social media marketing or social network program that creates buzz and participation. Newsworthy events, videos, tweets or even blog entries, from places like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Posterous and any possible unexpected combination thereof. Content can also be useful, conversational or facilitational. Ideas that use social, are not always controlled by the organization that allows user participation and dialogue.”
DIGITAL NONE OF THE ABOVE: “No part of our business is changing faster than digital. By the time we’ve written these categories, they’re probably out of date. So any cool piece of digital/interactive work that you can’t fit into the above categories, enter it here. It could be a game, an email communication, a widget, an application, or something even cooler.”
DIGITAL/INTERACTIVE CAMPAIGN: “The best campaigns comprising of 3-6 separate pieces of work from one or more of the above interactive categories.”
MOBILE: “Any advertising content/campaign that has, at its heart, distribution and viewing via mobile/wireless devices and on mobile networks. 2G or 3G, formats such as SMS or MMS messages, mobisites, iPhone apps. Single entries only.”
PR/EXPERIENTIAL/WORD OF MOUTH: “Clever manipulation of media, and event based launches or experiences that should rightly be classed as PR in order to generate notoriety, headlines, word of mouth and word of mouse. They might not feel at home in earlier categories, but this is our first year, so we’ll wait to be amazed and entertained.”
INTERACTIVE AXIS: “This category recognizes the outstanding idea that lives and breathes in the digital space and combines technology and content within an interactive environment to create a unique and compelling experience. We’re looking for ideas that use the digital space in an innovative, insightful and even experimental way that redefines the boundaries of how this exciting medium can be used. It’s work that creates a sum greater than the individual parts and would be considered a ground breaking and audacious leap forward. In short, we’ll know it when we see it.
Each entry must be submitted according to the material requirements checklist relevant to each specified medium, together with a written description of the idea or execution of no more than 300 words.”
TITANIUM AXIS: “We’ve changed the name to match Cannes because we want big Titanium ideas like Cannes, except of course, they need to be from NZ. This category aims to recognize work that is so innovative, unusual or inventive that it is hard to fit into any of the traditional advertising categories. What kind of work are we looking for? We’re looking for creative business solutions that we have never seen before. Ideas that are so innovative that the clients’ fortunes can be affected by it. It’s work that redefines advertising. Unlike last year, you can enter work here and elsewhere. Each entry must be accompanied by the entry form with no more than a 300 word description of the idea or execution.”
