The Comms Council is celebrating a “remarkable collection of campaigns” as the finalists for the 2024 Beacon Awards.
The Awards, run in association with oOh!media, honour outstanding achievements in the media and advertising industry – and this year’s finalists have tackled the rapidly evolving media landscape head on, captivating audiences and delivering meaningful results.
This year’s pool of entries showcased a diverse range of creative strategies, ingenious concepts, and effective executions. The judges faced the difficult task of evaluating each campaign based on its originality, effectiveness, and ability to make a lasting impact on consumers.
The finalists’ campaigns span across various industries, including retail, hospitality, and finance, showcasing the breadth of talent within the advertising community. Each finalist has demonstrated their ability to connect with audiences in a meaningful way, leaving a lasting impression and achieving tangible results for their clients.
The full list of finalists is below:
Social marketing/public service
- MBM Computer Emergency Response Team EXPOSED: An exhibition through the lens of a hacker
- MBM Fire and Emergency NZ Warning Labels
- OMD Christchurch City Council Trash Talking
- OMD Ministry of Social Development Own the Feels
- Together Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement
- Commission The Māori Money Movement
Retail/etail
- Dentsu Woolworths When you can shop without thinking
- OMD McDonald’s Gaming to Make Friends – A How-To Guide from Grimace
- PHD Foodstuffs Proximity isn’t everything, but it’s close
- PHD Foodstuffs The Adternship
- PHD Restaurant Brands KFC: How we Cashed in with the Colonel
Fast moving consumer goods
- MBM Eta Profound Conversation Generator
- OMD Asahi Beverages The Fairweather Fandom Curve
Consumer durables
- Dentsu Nissan Influencing Electric Vehicle Sales
- MBM Mazda TikTok Test Drive
- Spark Foundry Samsung Electronics Flip Your Perspective
- Together COLORSTEEL Roof ID
Consumer services
- Dentsu ASB Bagels – Created by Benee, backed by science
- EssenceMediacom Uber Delivering Five-Star Favourability
- FCB
- AMP Investars
- Hearts & Science Contact Energy Bringing Home the Goods with Good Nights
- OMD AA Life Insurance Death Week
- OMD Kiwibank Business Banking for Better
- OMD New Zealand Cricket The Instigators
- OMD 2degrees Good Tings
- PHD Spark #SparkOpenAudition
Charity
YoungShand Blind Low Vision Hi Vis for Blind Low Vision
Best small budget (up to $100k per annum)
- OMD AA Life Insurance Death Week
- OMD McDonald’s When loyalty becomes a liability
- PHD ANZ Banking on Art: How ANZ Shifted focus to celebrate Matariki
- Together COLORSTEEL Roof ID
- VML Yeastie Boys The Blokequet
Best use of event/experiential
- PHD Restaurant Brands KFC Six and Shout – hitting it out of the park
- VML Stats NZ Even Harry Styles
- best use of search engine marketing
- Hearts & Science Contact Energy Bringing Home the Goods with Good Nights
- MBM Fire and Emergency NZ Wildfires – Reinventing The Half Grapefruit
- PHD Genesis Energy Powering the multibrand effect in Search
Best use of content
- Dentsu ASB Bagels – Created by Benee, backed by science
- Dentsu Woolworths The Christmas Stress Sensor
- EssenceMediacom Uber Delivering Five-Star Favourability
- MBM Mazda TikTok Test Drive
- OMD AA Life Insurance Death Week
- OMD Ministry of Social Development Own the Feels
- PHD ANZ ANZ Presents: The Comedy Treatment
- PHD Foodstuffs The Adternship
- PHD Spark #SparkOpenAudition
- Together Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement
- Commission The Māori Money Movement
Best use of technology
- Dentsu Green Acres Franchise Group From Clicks to Clippings
- Dentsu Woolworths When you can shop without thinking
- FCB
- AMP Investars
- Hearts & Science The Warehouse Group On All 24 Days of Christmas, The Warehouse Gave To Me…
- MBM Eta Profound Conversation Generator
- MBM Fire and Emergency NZ Wildfires – Reinventing The Half Grapefruit
- OMD Christchurch City Council Trash Talking
- OMD New Zealand Cricket The Instigators
- Together Ballance Agri-Nutrients Farm Genie
- Together COLORSTEEL Roof ID
Best communications strategy
- FCB
- AMP Investars
- MBM Computer Emergency Response Team EXPOSED: An exhibition through the lens of a hacker
- OMD Ministry of Social Development Own the Feels
- OMD 2degrees Good Tings
- Spark Foundry Samsung Electronics Flip Your Perspective
Best use of data
- Dentsu Nissan Influencing Electric Vehicle Sales
- Hearts & Science Contact Energy Bringing Home the Goods with Good Nights
- MBM Fire and Emergency NZ Wildfires – Reinventing The Half Grapefruit
- OMD Christchurch City Council Trash Talking
- Together Ballance Agri-Nutrients Farm Genie
- Together Brightr Turning Bad Data into Good Data
- Together COLORSTEEL Roof ID
- Together Tourism Industry Aotearoa Stemming the tide of Tourism negativity
- VML EQC Toka Tū Ake Earthquake Triggered
Creative media idea
- Dentsu ASB Bagels – Created by Benee, backed by science
- Dentsu FreshChoice Aid Aisle
- Dentsu Woolworths The Christmas Stress Sensor
- FCB
- AMP Investars
- MBM Eta Profound Conversation Generator
- MBM Fire and Emergency NZ Warning Labels
- OMD 2degrees Good Tings
- PHD ANZ ANZ Presents: The Comedy Treatment
- PHD Foodstuffs The Adternship
Best use of insight
- Dentsu FreshChoice Aid Aisle
- EssenceMediacom Lion Liberating Repressed Ratbags
- MBM Mazda TikTok Test Drive
- MBM Fire and Emergency NZ Warning Labels
- OMD Kiwibank Business Banking for Better
- OMD New Zealand Cricket The Instigators
- Spark Foundry Samsung Electronics Flip Your Perspective
- Together Tourism Industry Aotearoa Stemming the tide of Tourism negativity
Most effective
- MBM Fire and Emergency NZ Warning Labels
- MBM Mazda TikTok Test Drive
- OMD Kiwibank Business Banking for Better
- OMD New Zealand Cricket The Instigators
- PHD Genesis Energy Genesis Business: Simplifying for Success
- Spark Foundry Samsung Electronics Flip Your Perspective
- Together Brightr Turning Bad Data into Good Data
Best collaboration
- EssenceMediacom Uber Delivering Five-Star Favourability
- Hearts & Science Contact Energy Helping Kiwi Dads to Feel Good at Home
- OMD McDonald’s When loyalty becomes a liability
- PHD ANZ ANZ Presents: The Comedy Treatment
- PHD Foodstuffs The Adternship
- PHD Spark #SparkOpenAudition
- Together Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement
- Commission The Māori Money Movement
- TVNZ TVNZ, Arnotts, Burger King, Flight
- Centre, Liquorland, and Summerset TVNZ Royally Presents: Like A King
- VML Greater Wellington Commute Forecast
Sustained success
- Hearts & Science Contact Energy Energising a new way of doing business
- PHD Restaurant Brands KFC Six and Shout – four seasons of hitting it out of the park
Sales team of the year
- Are Media
- Go Media
- NZME
- oOh!media
Media business of the year
- Are Media
- Go Media
- NZME
- Shout Media
- TVNZ
Media agency of the year
- Hearts & Science
- PHD
- Spark Foundry
- Together
Inspiring individual
- Alice Franklin | EssenceMediacom
- Annabelle Wilkinson | MBM
- Charlotte Lobo | MBM
- Deborah Brown | MBM
- Duncan Collins | Mindshare
- Karen Booth | EssenceMediacom
- Manjit Singh | GroupM
- Susan Newman | GroupM