It’s been a difficult 18 or so months for AMI, which required government assistance to stay afloat after the quakes and was eventually bought by IAG. But it isn’t taking the negativity surrounding it lying down and it has launched a new campaign from DDB and Flying Fish that focuses on the fact that its staff are still committed to the cause.
Six teams teams of young media and creative agency whippersnappers were named as place getter in last night’s inaugural Fairfax Media Young Spikes Media and Integrated Competitions, but it was the Whybin \ TBWA and OMD teams that took out the winning spots, and each will now represent New Zealand at the Young Spikes competition held in Singapore in September.
It’s all about staying up late, comical advice, scare mongering and warmth spreading this week.
Leo Burnett Sydney has won the McCafé and Family portfolios for McDonald’s across Australia and New Zealand, taking the business off DDB, which has held the account for more than 30 years.
We wrote about Steinlager Pure, DDB and Taika Waititi’s new campaign on Friday, but had to wait until Sunday to see the ad, sandwiched as it was between Tom Scott and Plaza director Paul Middleditch’s very good Separation City on Sunday Theatre. Now, for your viewing pleasure, here it is, in all its zany, self-reflexive, patriotic cliche-busting and Waititi-esque glory. And we likey. Suggestions for the next local Steinlager Pure frontman welcomed.
Since Steinlager Pure was launched in 2007, Lion has used big name American actors to endorse the brand, with the likes of Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe and Vincent Gallo gracing our screens and stroking our egos in the past campaigns made by Publicis Mojo. But after a hiatus from Kiwi TV screens as its big brother’s white cans took over during the RWC—and with DDB now as its lead agency—it’s ready to launch its next campaign on Sunday. And for the first time the new mascot is a Kiwi: successful director, actor and all-round funny man Taika Waititi.
The creative gang have had their fun at AXIS and Cannes, so the focus now shifts to effectiveness awards. And, in addition to the local call for entries for the 2012 Effies going live, Effie Worldwide have announced the results of its second ever effectiveness index, with Colenso BBDO, DraftFCB and DDB ranked in the top 20 most effective agencies in the world.
The first awards show has taken place at the Cannes Festival of Creativity, with the Direct, Promo & Activation and PR category winners announced. And Colenso BBDO is off to a good start, winning a gold for Pedigree ‘Donation glasses’ Adoption Drive and a gold, silver and bronze for Monteith’s ‘Sorry about the twigs, folks’ in the Promo & Activation category and a bronze Direct Lion for its ‘The Wine That Sold Beer’ campaign for DB Breweries. DDB scored bronze for Steinlager’s ‘We Believe’ in Promo & Activation. There were no New Zealand entries awarded in the PR Lions.
As we delve further into the depths of winter and you busy yourself with avoiding the rain and eliminating unsightly goosebumps and chapped skin, we warn you the following story includes references to lucky bastards lapping up the Summer sun in the South of France. The 59th Cannes International Festival of Creativity kicked off Sunday evening (local time) and the first two shortlists (which are actually very long ) have been released, revealing seven New Zealand finalists, a number of which have also received finalist nods in multiple sub-categories.
DDB may have a bit less work on with Wattie’s, but it’s getting geared up for the arrival of Westpac in about three months, and it’s announced a few of the anticipated hires, with three experienced campaigners joining the team: art director Toby Morris, planning director Rupert Price and group account director Cath Bosson.
After a competitive pitch, Running With Scissors has won some project work with Heinz Wattie’s, beating out JWT for the spoils and leading to a few questions about the role of DDB.
After NZ Lotteries’ big rehash of Instant Kiwi, DDB launched the much-loved, much-awarded and completely OTT ‘It Can All Change in an Instant’ musical number in 2010. And while the humour is still there in the follow-up ‘It Pays to Push your Luck’, they have taken a slightly more complicated approach this time round.
Penis graffiti is immature—and almost always funny. This effort in Hamilton was able to be seen from space, this effort on the Liteiny Bridge in St Petersberg had some serious scale to it, this one came to life to stop STDs, and then there was the recent effort in Australia where a long-time magazine designer went out with a bang by sneakily putting some cockinballs on the cover of Beat. Now our neck of the woods is abuzz with cartoon genital-related scandal after some unseemly goings on at DDB.
We called it in late April, and now the official word is out: Westpac New Zealand has appointed DDB Group as its sole creative advertising agency.
Who’s it for: Sony by Frontage, Flying Fish and Blockhead
Why we like it: ‘Tis a beautiful piece of film, with New Zealand in a starring role. David Attenborough himself would probably rather stay inside to watch nature than venture into the real world after seeing this …
Who’s it for: New World by Colenso BBDO/.99 and Finch
Why we like it: A long overdue brand refresh for New World, which has been battered by the big-spending Countdown in recent years. All three ads from the new campaign are bang on in terms of …
When we interviewed Andy Fackrell, DDB’s new executive creative director, in the latest edition of NZ Marketing, he said we could probably expect fewer gags and more visual storytelling to come out of the agency in the next few months. And its impressive campaign to promote the Olympic coverage on Sky, a brand that’s well-renowned for taking a humorous approach to its marketing efforts, ticks both of those boxes.
After a pitch involving a rumoured list of TBWA\ and the incumbent McCann, it’s thought DDB has managed to get a foot in the door with Coca-Cola after winning the Lift Plus account.
Pitched as the lighter and more indulgent counterpart to the original Moro, Cadbury’s Moro Gold tackled the dilemma of launching an international product into the marketplace without cannibalising the brand’s existing business. And the hugely successful campaign earned Cadbury the 2007 TVNZ-NZ Marketing Award in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods category.
Droga5 appoints bcg2’s Chris Long, production house 8com opens up in New Zealand, three agencies fly Kiwi flag at Asian Marketing Effectiveness awards, APN announces its new motoring editor, The Sweet Shop welcomes award-winning UK director to the family, Yahoo! adds two to its sales stable and Aegis Media appoints a shopper marketing specialist.
It’s been a fairly exciting ride on the banking merry-go-round in recent times. ASB is now with Saatchi & Saatchi, BNZ is now with Colenso BBDO and we have it on good authority that DDB has won the Westpac account.
Bathed in the green hue of ’70s inspired laser body scanners and violated by the sight of Leigh Hart’s velour one piece, 750-ish adfolk ventured down to the Viaduct Events Centre last night to watch Colenso BBDO’s Doggelganger campaign for Pedigree repeat Yellow Chocolate’s performance last year by taking the Grand, Titanium and Interactive AXIS. But, as is usually the case, the awards weren’t without some controversy.
Who’s it for: HRV by Y&R Auckland and Curious Film
Why we like it: Comparing the quality of New Zealand with the poor quality of New Zealand’s housing stock is smart idea and offers a nice combination of pride and shame. Beautifully shot, a great song and …
Not too long ago, Volkswagen was seen by Kiwis as a brand that was too expensive, too Germanic and too standoffish. So the European car maker set about changing that and, with the help of DDB NZ, it’s been making some serious inroads into the Kiwi market, with the 2011 results achieving records for both its passenger and commercial vehicles. Now the pair are hoping to continue the upward trajectory with a new series of ‘the same, but different’ TVCs running in the pre-weather spot on ONE News.
Skittles has been successfully playing the weird card in its ads for a few years now, Old Spice found huge success with the comical masculinity of Isiah Mustafa, and the viral power of Powerthirst has spawned more than a few homages in adland. Now there’s Moro’s new ‘Fistful of Awesome’ campaign by DDB, starring a man who can only be described as a blonde, bemulleted, moustachioed, deep voiced Asian Chuck Norris-a-like showing off his physical prowess in an extremely over-the-top fashion.
There are a few tried and true methods of catching the attention of fans of erotic content and they usually involve body parts and vaseline (on the lens). But Sky and DDB have taken a slightly more tasteful, self-deprecating and some might even say intelligent approach to promote its Adult Channel.
They’re renowned as tough awards to win. And that was apparent at the AWARD awards ceremony in Sydney late last week, with Colenso BBDO the only Kiwi agency to pick up a gold for its viral film for Levi’s Rear View Girls, which was one of just 16 golds handed out on the night.
While the vast majority of Sky TV’s content comes from overseas, a lot of the content on its sport channels is produced “in New Zealand, for New Zealand”. And, in an effort to localise the brand a bit more and reflect the pride felt by the crews that make it, DDB and Flying Fish have created a series of sports-related vignettes to run at the end of the local productions.
Success is fairly subjective in adland. Depending on who you’re talking to, it can be about the cash earned, growth rates achieved, accounts gained or creative plaudits won. And while DDB Group hasn’t quite had the run of things when it comes to awards of late, its “exceptional” business performance over the past year was enough to win it the 2012 Fairfax AdMedia Supreme Agency of the Year last night at the Imperial Lane Bar & Restaurant, adding to the agency of the year titles it has recently been awarded by the NBR, Campaign Brief and Campaign Asia Pacific. DraftFCB was a close runner-up, justONE won specialist agency of the year and OMD took the media title.
