Kiwi animal behaviourist Mark Vette, the man behind Sony and FCB’s ‘Octographer’ campaign has risen to new heights. Having already taught dogs how to drive, he figured it was high time he graced them with a captain’s hat and taught them how to fly.
As director and filmmaker Tony Kaye said to the gathered marcomms folk yesterday afternoon during his mad but wise speech, “you’ve just got to keep making shit”. And of all the shit that was made in the past year and a bit in this country, DraftFCB’s Driving Dogs for Mini and SPCA was chosen as the best.
DraftFCB and Mini are on a bit of a roll at the moment, with SPCA’s Driving Dogs winning pretty much everything in sight (it has been shortlisted four times at the prestigious Festival of Media, second only behind ASOS’ best night ever with five). And the pair are victorious once more, with the ‘Ducks’ ad taking out News Works’ newspaper ad of the month for March and the Mini newspaper NIM campaign getting a special mention.
DraftFCB has already won a fair swag of awards for its Driving Dogs campaign, and the accolades keep flowing, with the most recent addition being the Q4 Yahoo Digital Strategy Award.
DraftFCB is top of the dog show, with its Driving Dogs campaign for Mini and the SPCA taking home the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Online Creative Award for February.
Off the cuff comment by Top Gear presenter fuels speculation that the show is coming to New Zealand to film our talented dogs, however the agency behind the campaign says it’s pure speculation.
When it comes to Kiwi viral sensations, we may have a new champion, because DraftFCB, Mini and the SPCA’s campaign that put homeless mutts behind the wheel of a modified Mini has been picked up by most of the world’s major media outlets, been the most shared video on BBC three days running, with 225,000 shares to Facebook and 7,900 to Twitter, and ranks as the biggest news event on Campbell Live in its seven-and-a-half year history.
The last TVC of the Week accolade for 2012 and it’s the global phenomenon that is driving dogs, mobile innuendo and kids mixed with science that taste victory.
We’ve seen some pretty creative ideas used to increase pet adoptions and gather donations in New Zealand in recent years, with Colenso’s Doggelganger and Donation Glasses standing out in that regard. And now DraftFCB and Mini have joined the furry fray with a so crazy it just might work campaign for the SPCA that will see Porter, a 10 month old Beardie Cross from SPCA Auckland, attempt to drive a car live on TV.
Start spreadin’ the news… NZ’s own Dave King, M&C Saatchi NZ’s executive creative director, has won the prestigious Irving Wunderman award at the 34th John Caples International Awards Gala, held recently in New York. In fact, the entire Kiwi contingent will be ‘waking up in the city that doesn’t sleep’ to find they’re ‘king of the hill, top of the heap’–between them they managed to bring home 50 awards from a record 51 finalist places (that’s one more than Australia, thank you very much), including seven Golds, 12 Silvers, six Bronzes and 25 Finalists. That’ll melt those little town blues.
Earth Hour 2011 may have only recently wrapped up, but Clemenger BBDO’s ‘Ads In The Dark’ campaign has reaped the rewards for its efforts to draw awareness to last year’s Earth Hour, picking up a silver award in the charity category. The campaign featured popular commercials from Fatso, Instant Kiwi and McDonald’s, previously bathed in full light, being lit by only candlelight. Picking up the only other award in the category, also a silver, was DraftFCB for its ‘Make a friend in real life, not just online’ Facebook app for the SPCA.