There was intellectual dissection, there were furrowed brows, there were plates of calamari (hopefully the kind from the sea), there were big jugs of beer, there were raised voices, there were occasional bouts of physical violence and, eventually, there was quorum as a panel of esteemed judges chose New World and Colenso BBDO’s rather fruity Fruit and Vege Pro as the victor in the StopPress/MediaWorks TVC of the Year, with Vodafone’s Piggy Sue and Sky’s Murmuration second and third. PLUS: other category winners for craft, degree of difficulty and clever use of TV.
Browsing: TVC of the Year
From the moment Vodafone’s Piggy Sue stepped in to replace James Rolleston for Vodafone, there was a sense that the ad would be popular. It did, after all, feature an adorable piglet that was remarkably puppy-like in its behaviour. And so it has proven, with the ad racking up over 300,000 views online and also getting the most votes in the People’s Choice division in this year’s MediaWorks/StopPress TVC of the Year competition. PLUS: see how many votes each of the finalists received.
As has been the case in previous years, we have whittled down the numerous weekly winners since our last survey to 52 contenders, from which an overall winner and the People’s Champion will be selected.
Last week, StopPress met with an estimable judging panel in an effort to determine which finalist in the StopPress/MediaWorks TVC of the Year competition was most deserving of this year’s title. Copious head scratching, contemplative groans and a fair bit of imbibing ensued as the judges weighed up the pros and cons of the campaigns over a lunch at Auckland’s Neighbourhood brew bar. And by the end of this highly scientific estimation of the effectiveness of the each campaign, the judges came to a final shortlist of three candidates: ‘Mistakes’ for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) by Clemenger BBDO, ‘Devil’s Chair’ for NZI by FCB and ‘The People’s Film’ for VW by Colenso BBDO. PLUS: ‘Blazed As’ for the NZTA by Clemenger BBDO and ‘Born to Defy’ for Steinlager by DDB took out the top spots in the craft category.
We live in a world where targeting individuals is becoming increasingly attainable, where streaming and ondemand services (and, in many cases, illegal downloads) give viewers much more control over what they watch, and where online video has become a major sucker of people’s time. As such, the sceptics tend to believe traditional, primarily ad-funded TV is an anachronism. But, according to NZ on Air and Colmar Brunton’s recent media consumption study, Kiwis are still watching plenty of linear TV; according to ASA ad spend figures, brands are still spending up large on TV advertising; and according to pretty much everyone, good video content still has the biggest emotional impact when it comes to branding. So, once again, we’re aiming to celebrate the efforts brands, agencies and production companies put into changing perceptions and/or selling more stuff over the past year and a bit with our annual StopPress/MediaWorks TVC of the Year.
After almost 1,000 votes, the entertaining fish out of water tale that aims to show that Westpac has ways of helping customers into their own house has taken out the StopPress/MediaWorks People’s Choice Award. Micheal Healy, Westpac’s portfolio director — brand and marketing, takes us through the thinking behind it.
Toyota is renowned for creating brave, entertaining and memorable advertising that resonates with New Zealanders. And it continued that trend last year when it introduced the nation to a car-loving cat called Alloroc, the furry star of the ad that took out the 2013 StopPress/MediaWorks TVC of the Year Award.
Audio visual content is still arguably the best way to convey emotion, tell stories and flog things. And, as evidenced by its position atop the ASA ad spend charts—and despite all the rhetoric and predictions of death—the telly is still a bloody popular advertising medium in this country. The advertising that appears on it is not always good, of course, but in an effort to celebrate what we feel are some of the best efforts of the past year and a bit, we’re asking our audience to choose their favourites as part of the StopPress/MediaWorks TVC of the Year competition.