A sell-out crowd of 800 guests celebrated the most outstanding creative work in the Asia Pacific region tonight (November 27th) at the striking Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney.
A record number of 10 Gold winners were awarded, with the overall number of winners tallying 206, 13 less than 2007 even though there were 620 more entries across the region. Multiple Gold winners were; Lowe and Rivet Sydney for MTV 'Welcome Snoop', Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd for Tan Hong Ming and Exit Films for Schweppes 'Burst' via GPY&R, Melbourne.
AWARD Network of the Year went to BBDO, AWARD Agency of The Year went to Lowe and Rivet Sydney and MTV Networks Australia was proclaimed AWARD Client of The Year.
The winner of the Encouragement Award, recognising those who have demonstrated an outstanding ability to answer briefs with a freshness of thought and creativity, went to Brett Colliver from DDB New Zealand.
The show opened with an amusing piece that poked fun at the industry, produced by Revolver and The Editors before MC Peter Berner took the stage to present this year’s awards.
Winner numbers went up by 19 for Australia (2008: 104 winners, 2007: 85 winners), New Zealand received 19 less than last year (2008: 45 winners, 2007: 64 winners) and Asia went down by 13 (2008: 57 winners, 2007: 70 winners).

Download the full list of winners:
AWARD Awards Winners 2008.pdf


The Gold winners:
•    Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd - Tan Hong Ming - Television & Cinema - Community service & charity, individual - any length
•    Exit Films – Schweppes Burst - Craft in Television & Cinema - Direction Design
•    Exit Films – Schweppes Burst - Craft in Television & Cinema - Cinematography
•    Leo Burnett Advertising Sdn Bhd - Tan Hong Ming - Craft in Television & Cinema - Casting
•    TBWA\China - Adidas Olympic - Print - Consumer Magazines, campaign - black and white or colour
•    Publicis Mojo Auckland - Speight's Great Beer Delivery - Integrated campaign
•    Lowe and Rivet Sydney - Welcome Snoop - Integrated campaign
•    TBWA\China - Adidas Olympic, Hu Jia - Print Craft - Art direction
•    Lowe and Rivet Sydney - Welcome Snoop - Direct Marketing - Direct Response Advertising, campaign
•    Leo Burnett India - Luxor Pop up Interactive - Banner ad (including expanders, sequential, synchronised)
 
The Top 10 agencies:
1    Lowe and Rivet Sydney
2    Colenso BBDO Auckland
3    Ogilvy New Zealand
4    George Patterson Y&R Melbourne
5    Leo Burnett India
6    Clemenger BBDO Wellington
7    TBWA\China
8    M&C Saatchi Sydney
9    Clemenger BBDO Sydney
10  Grey Melbourne

Top 5 Agency Networks:
1    BBDO
2    TBWA\
3    Leo Burnett
4    Lowe and Rivet
5    Ogilvy

Guests partied away at Ocean Room and Wildfire Restaurants, followed by an after party at Soho Bar until the early hours.
 

AWARD and Campaign Brief co-hosted a truly legendary lunch today for around 160 AWARD Members, held at the fabulous Wharf restaurant near the CB office in Hickson Road, Walsh Bay, which was generously sponsored by Paul Prince at The Sweet Shop.

A radio spot for Tax Today called “Spider” has won the overall and single categories for round three of the 2009 Siren Awards.
Written by Jason Ross, Richard Apps and Ben O’Brien from agency, JWT, Sydney, the ad uses humour to encourage you to file your tax.
Judge and previous round winner, Neil Mallet from Marmalade in Melbourne said: “In a traditionally boring category (and I defy anyone to say they think a tax brief is one they really want) this little spot delivered a simple, candid message with humour, charm and a twist you didn’t see coming. It didn’t try too hard and it wasn’t self indulged”.  
Writer Jason Ross said the most important thing when creating an effective radio commercial is to make ads entertaining, otherwise people will switch off.
Another ad for Tax Today, called “Chainsaw” and written by the same JWT team was the only highly commended in the single category.
Winner of the campaign category was an ad for Animals Australia called Animals Australia. The ad was written by Josh Moore and Nigel Clark from agency RazorJunior, in Sydney.
There were two highly commended entries in the campaign category including the Tax Today campaign written by Jason Ross and Ben O’Brien from agency, JWT, Sydney. The other was a campaign called “Luck Factory” for client Intralot, and written by Simon Bagnasco from agency, GPY&R in Melbourne.
Winner of the craft category was “Creepers” for the Motor Accident Commission in South Australia, with sound engineer, Pete Best from production studio, Best FX in Adelaide.
Judge and previous round winner, Ross Batten from production studio, The Cutting Edge said the ad was constructed nicely, had a good choice of instrumentation, sounded good and fulfilled the brief.
There were three highly commended in the craft category. They were for “Street Art Wheels” with sound engineer, Jerimiah Busniak from HotFM/RadioWest, Macquarie Southern Cross Media; “Roller Coaster” for  My Fun with sound engineer, Cameron Heit from Radio Network, Austereo, Brisbane and “Voice Journey” for Murdoch University with sound engineer, Brad Habib from agency, Soundbite in Perth.
The national Siren Awards are run by Commercial Radio Australia and are designed to recognise the best radio advertising in the country.  
The awards promote the importance of creativity as a way to make radio advertising more effective. Entries for Round 4 for 2009 are now open and close on January 9 next year. For more information visit the dedicated website www.sirenawards.com.au.

303 Sydney has created a national binge drinking campaign called “Don’t turn a night out into a nightmare.”
The campaign has hit national TV screens and will be highly visible in press, outdoor, youth magazines and on line. The campaign, designed to shock young drinkers, highlights the potential dangers of binge drinking and the serious long term consequences that can result.
The campaign highlights the fact that four people aged under 25 die after alcohol-related incidents in an average week, while 70 are hospitalised. The campaign launches as schoolies week celebrations got underway in party spots on the Gold Coast, at Lorne in Victoria and Byron Bay.
The campaign is part of the $53 million initiative outlined by Kevin Rudd in March this year. Creative team was Bryan Dennis, Derrick Kim and Julian Watt with direction from Steve Rogers at Revolver.
303 have also recently launched the national Better Health campaign that is designed to combat obesity. The  “How do you measure up?” campaign is spear headed by a national TV campaign which features an aging and increasingly heavy man walking along a tape measure. The campaign prompts people to review their own behaviour and provides positive steps that can be taken to better health.

Just like the invitation suggests, the Queensland Young Bloods Christmas Party should be a night of heavy drinking, inappropriate behaviour and possible career suicide or promotion.
Friday 5, December 2008 at 7pm-12am, Dragon 'Red Room' The Met in Brisbane.
Online sales are $25 until December 3. Purchase tickets through www.afa.org.au   
RSVP by Wednesday December 3, to brittany.wickes@gpyr.com.au
 

Earlier in the year, Tourism Australia invited the whole industry to get on-board the launch of Baz Luhrman’s Australia and develop activities to support and complement Tourism Australia’s own marketing efforts around the movie.
Titled “Bigger than Australia”, the campaign for Tourism Tasmania came from the thought that if Australia could have a movie, why not Tasmania?
“Bigger than Australia” is launching in the same fashion as a movie premiere, in newspapers, on television, in theatres and on the web: www.tasmaniathemovie.com. As audiences line up in theatres to see Australia, they are being greeted by posters for ‘Tasmania The Movie’ and then once in their seats by a spoof trailer.
The microsite has all the features of a typical film launch, including director’s commentary, trailers, galleries and how to visit Tasmania. Since going live on Monday the campaign has already picked up lots of mainstream media coverage on the Today Show, SMH, The Australian, the LA Times, in various publications in the UK and many more around the world.

Agency: Leo Burnett Sydney
Client: Tourism Tasmania
Executive Creative Directors: Jay Benjamin and Andy DiLallo
Creative Team: Rupert Taylor, Dave Ladd, Corey Young, Andres Fabian
Online Team: Jonathon Mo, Kieran Ots, Tip Gloria
Account Management: Peter Fitzhardinge, Jodi McLeod, Annabelle Morris
Strategy: Kirsty Angus
Production: Patrick Fileti, Rita Gagliardi, Dominic Locher

George Patterson Y&R Sydney has developed the first Australian IGN.com creative campaign, which will initially run online before a roll-out of print executions nationally.
As Narayan Pattison, Editor in Chief, IGN.com, Australia explains, “The team at George Patterson Y&R are passionate and long time users of IGN.com. They live and breathe gaming and have an intimate knowledge of what’s important to our audience. The creative developed by the team is not only clever and engaging, but it quickly and clearly illustrates the point - an ideal quality for the online environment.”
Says a spokesperson from George Patterson Y&R: “The great thing about the game reviews and previews on IGN.com is that they stop you shelling out $100 on a game and then realising that it’s not what you really wanted. We decided to communicate this in a way gamers will understand – showing characters from the main gaming genres of RPG, Shooter and Sport, wishing they were somewhere else. A simple thought that let us have some fun with a category close to our hearts.”
IGN is the world’s strongest and most trusted brand in the world of video games, movie and TV entertainment – with more than 34.6 million users worldwide, and around 508,000  Australians visiting IGN.com every month.  79.5% of IGN readers are male and 159,000 of IGN’s audience are in the 18 – 34 years age bracket. According to the latest Roy Morgan Research from June 2008, the IGN audience in Australia, compared to other gaming sites, is more likely to be younger males under 35, working in professional/manager roles and more actively social with friends (seeing movies, attending concerts). They are also far more likely than other gaming sites to be very active online by accessing the web.

View the print campaign:
IGN_FINAL.pdf
Creative Director – Dave Rollins
Copywriter – Bart Pawlak
Art Director – Robbie Kantor
Photographer – Gary Sheppard

 
 

•    Big demand for digital and account management specialists
•    Agencies looking more to their own networks to fill positions
•    Staff turnover steady but high
•    Agency population is static
•    More agencies are turning to freelancers
•    A decline in the number of women in top management
•    But for the first time more Group Account Directors are women

The 2008 salary survey of Australian advertising agencies has confirmed the recent fierce competition for skilled staff and the turnover of staff in the industry.
This year’s AFA survey includes salary data from 94 marketing communications agencies across the country, including Full Service, specialist Healthcare and specialist Digital agencies.  The data covers a total of 3477 employees across 94 positions and the period from July 2007 through June 2008.
“The advertising industry has always been a highly competitive one with attractive salaries being paid to retain the best talent, irrespective of the cycle of the economy. We expect that trend to continue, despite the recent tightening of the economic environment," said AFA National Board Member, and Regional CFO of Saatchi & Saatchi Mike Satterthwaite.
“The AFA Salary Survey is an invaluable tool for agency management to benchmark their business against industry trends, and is similarly useful in setting appropriate remuneration levels for staff,” he said.
Those positions that require specialist skills in disciplines such as digital production, creative and account management were the roles attracting the biggest salary increases - over 15%.  But 30% of agency positions had salary increases that were below 2007 increases. However, more staff received bonuses.
While the overall agency population has remained static, movement within that population continues, with both the numbers of resignations and redundancies at the peak levels experienced since 2006.
That staff turnover is sitting on 30% of head count – unchanged from its high water mark of 2006 and well up on 2004 (19%) levels.

The data tells us:
•    In 79% of the positions surveyed, the number of years in that role is short - two years or less. Most movement is in Account Management and Digital.
•    In 55% of the positions surveyed, the average number of years with the agency is two years or less before they move on – again predominately in mid level Account Management and most Digital roles.
•    Only 4 of the 94 positions surveyed have served five years or more – mostly in senior management and finance.

The number of companies hiring freelance staff has again increased – up from 40% in 2007 to 54% in 2008.  These are predominately for digital production and creative roles, although there are increasing numbers of freelance account management and planning roles.
As the skills shortage continued, more agencies preferred to recruit within their own networks. Intra-agency group transfers grew again in 2008 - up 47% on 2007.
The 12-year upward trend of women in top management has been reversed - back down to 16% after peaking at 28% in 2006, from only 7% in 1994. But for the first time, the traditionally male dominated role of Group Account Director is now occupied by slightly more women - 52%.
Full results of the salary survey are confidential and are only available as a service to AFA members who participated in the survey. The on-line survey was conducted by Research International and was reviewed by accounting firm, HLB Mann Judd

The Campaign Palace Sydney has signed award winning planner Hristos Varouhas as its new National Planning Director.
The strategic brain behind the acclaimed Telstra 'Rabbits' campaign, Varouhas joins after a four-year stint at BWM Sydney where he was responsible for repositioning and re-branding the agency and integrating the planning creative and digital teams. His work across GIO, Virgin Money, Alfa Romeo and Sanitarium’s So Good and Energize, has contributed to a stellar award haul that has included the APG Grand Prix and the Gold Asia Pacific EFFIE.
Prior to joining BWM, Varouhas worked as an independent planning consultant for DDB in Sydney and London, BBDO Wellington and McCann Worldgroup.
Meanwhile, BWM has hired DDB Los Angeles senior planner Tamer Kattan - ex TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, Y&R Brands in the US and Leo Burnett Dubai - to replace Varouhas.
Varouhas said it didn't require any explanation or hard sell to convince him to join the Palace, an “iconic agency brand I’ve always wanted to work for: “The Palace has a reputation for strong creative work founded on sound strategic thinking, so when the opportunity to team up with Jacques and Paul arose, it was too good to refuse.
“Working with Rob, Paul and Jamie has been a wonderful experience but this move provides a whole new challenge.”
Campaign Palace CEO Jacques Burger said the signing of Varouhas reinforced the agency’s longstanding commitment to strategic thinking: “The Palace was one of the first agencies in Australia to recognize the value of planning and its contribution to outstanding creative work. Over the years we’ve had some of the best strategic thinkers in the industry as part of our team. Hristos is a significant hire and will be a great asset to our clients and our business."
Varouhas will come on board in January. He replaces Mark Sareff, who after seven years has decided to revive his planning consultancy, Prophecy.
Says Burger: “Mark has been a loyal and respected member of the Palace team and has added great value to our clients and the planning department here.  We wish him all the best.”

To raise awareness of the Outdoor Media Association's new award show – The Outdoor Awards - a giant billboard truck is being driven on a potential record-breaking 10,000kms around Australia.
Here are some recent notes from the TRUCK BLOG:

The Outdoor Awards truck is now in it's fourth week of travel. After a stop in Katherine, the truck headed - very slowly - along the Victoria highway into W.A.

The truck spent a day in Kununurra - the now famous town that Baz Luhrmann has been shooting his epic around - then down into the Kimberly region and Boab tree country to Halls Creek or “Hells Crack” as it’s colourfully known by the locals.

This area has some of the longest stretches of remote highway in the world as well as some of the most beautiful scenery and extreme temperatures.

The truck then headed across to Fitzroy's Crossing and then into Derby - site of the Curtin Airbase and the first glimpse of coastline for over 3000km.

After Derby the truck headed into Broome aka “Paradise” as the driving team dubbed it for a 2 day stop over at Cable beach - where the truck braved the sand and 4x4’d it onto the beach for a photo much to the delight of the locals.

The truck is now headed south to Perth along the West Coast.

See photos of the trip so far or enter your best outdoor ads at The Outdoor Awards website outdoorawards.com.au.
Entries are open already to the awards but the ultimate deadline will be the end of March 2009 to allow creative teams the chance to have their latest work appear and become eligible.
In addition to a new first prize of a Golden Pigeon statue there is a financial incentive worth $10k for the winning creative team.
Helen Willoughby of the OMA says: “Our massive billboard truck continues to be met with surprise and good humour. And all being well, we're very hopeful of earning a spot in the Guinness Book of Records.”
For more information about the Outdoor Awards or the Round Australia Truck Journey, please contact Helen Willoughby of the OMA on (02) 8356 9000 or email: Helen.Willoughby@oma.org.au

The International ANDY Awards, entering its 45th year as one of the industry’s preeminent creative advertising awards shows, is reinforcing its position as the first important show of the season in its new advertising campaign. With a proven track record as the predictor of the top winners in the creative shows that follow, the ANDYs are claiming its influential role by stating “Win the GRANDY, Win Them All.”
“Given the consistently on-target evaluation of the ANDY juries, we decided it was time to proudly ‘claim’ this prescient role and remind creatives they lead the way when they become an ANDY, and especially, GRANDY winner,” says Mark Waites, Chairman of the ANDY Awards and Creative Director/Co-founder of Mother London.
Conceived by Mother under Waites, the campaign message is supported by the charting of past GRANDY winners (ANDYs Best of Show) that went on to win at Cannes, The Clios, The Art Director’s Show and The One Show. Each show is visually represented by its award, be it the ANDY head, Cannes Lion, Clio scepter, One Show and Art Director’s pencils (for print work, go to www.andyawards.com).
The Call-for-Entry online campaign satirizes the emails of websites like Friendster and LinkedIn that invite you to be part of one’s social network. The interactive piece creates a jack-in-the-box surprise by opening as a traditional “friend network” notification from one of the famous ANDY judges such as Jeff Goodby or Bob Scarpelli (http://www.creativesconnect.net).
The unexpected comes when the face of that judge appears laughing; the viewer is then reminded of their ranking in the creative food chain, mocking the idea this stellar executive would never be their friend unless they won the GRANDY. The edgy joke can be forwarded to other industry friends and colleagues as part of the campaign’s viral roll-out.
“We wanted to have fun with the popularity of online social networking and the conditional nature of ‘acceptance’ by our creative heroes,” says Waites. “We feel this Call-for-Entry will make people take notice and encourage them to spread the word about the ANDYs through sharing a relatable, comical bit of industry insecurity.”
The print campaign rolled out the last week of October and continues through December in Boards, Campaign Brief, Campaign UK, Contagious, Creativity, ihaveanidea.org and TaxiDesign. The Call-for-Entry digital piece was blasted out in early November.  

This is relevant to Australia as Graham Watson, the co-creator of the Lego spot now resides here....

by Ed Kemp, Marketing

LONDON - Lego is celebrating its 50th birthday by bringing back its 1981 'Kipper' advert.
The TV ad, created by TBWA, was voted one of the 100 greatest adverts ever by viewers of Channel 4.
The ads, which were taken off air in 1982, will be aired from Friday across UK cinemas nationwide for a month. The first showing coincides with the launch of the latest James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace'.
The animated ad and its Tommy Cooper voice-alike. Show what you can make out of LEGO bricks by way of a battle between a mouse which, when threatened by a cat, turns into a dog. The cat turns into a dragon and so on to a submarine and a submarine-eating kipper. The submarine eventually morphs into an elephant, the mouse rebuilds and the elephant faints.

Leo Burnett, Sydney is the only Australian agency to make the Top 50 Awarded Agencies in the World tally in this year's Gunn Report, ranked an impressive =24.
Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand make the cut, ranked =37 and DDB New Zealand are place =43.
The most awarded agency in the world this year was BBDO New York, followed by Fallon London, DDB London, Saatchi & Saatchi New York and McCann Worldgroup/Tag, San Francisco.

New graduates and leading industry figures gathered at ACMI in Melbourne's Federation Square on Friday 7th November for the Opening of RMIT University's Advertising-Creative Graduate Exhibition.

Graduating students Timothy Alford (left) and Alex Pavone (right) with Peter Sorenson, International Projects Coordinator at RMIT's School of Applied Communication and Leah Boulton, Ginger Productions.

Bachelor of Communication (Advertising) Program Coordinator Jill Powell and Christy Peacock, President of the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (who opened the exhibition)

OBM Advertising's Ben Crockett (Art Director), Claire De La Roche (Designer/Finished Artist),  Chrissie Feagins (Creative Director) and Alex Goddard (Traffic Manager).

The Exhibition Organizing Committee: Graduates (clockwise) Jacqui Daniel, Cat Angel, Amelia Birrell, Myra Hood.

Student award judges (left to right): Kim Chatwin-Smith (Blue Mushroom), Leah Boulton (Ginger Productions), Dara Donnelly (Futurebrand), Chrissie Feagins (OBM), Tait Ischa (The Surgery).

All photos by Hannah Schlesinger.

Booking deadline for the AWARD Awards Presentation Evening is TODAY, Monday 17th November!
The AWARD Awards Presentation Evening is being held on the 27th November at The Overseas Passenger Terminal Sydney. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to attend one of the biggest industry events of the year. Current AWARD Members receive a discounted rate on their ticket to the night so get in quick as tickets are selling fast.
Download the AWARD Awards Presentation Evening booking form.
AWARD NIGHT 08 BOOKING FORM.pdfFor more information contact Alette at AWARD on +61 2 9699 2999 or email alette@awardonline.com

Over 200 healthcare marketers gathered in Sydney on Friday night in a world first for the healthcare industry, to hear the announcement of this years’ Global Healthcare awards.
The night, initiated by healthcare creative directors to celebrate healthcare ideas in Australasia and to motivate agencies and clients alike to keep raising the bar, was voted a huge success by virtually all that attended. 
A total of 4 Global trophies were awarded to local agencies; DDB Remedy, for Impotence Australia, DDB Remedy for The Colorectal Foundation (pictured top left), Ward6 for Testogel (pictured bottom left) and Currawong Productions for Christian Medical College Vellore.
The event was hosted by Michael Demetriades, Executive Director of New York Festivals who commented: “We consistently see outstanding work from the Australasian agencies, they are ranked third in the world for Global awards. Ideally, this industry initiative will encourage more entries and continue to raise the bar of healthcare creative on an international level. Healthcare communications play a vital role in the prevention and awareness of disease; the 2008 Global winners have really achieved creative impact in delivering these messages.”
A small committee comprising June Laffey, DDB and rep for the New York Festivals, Phil Brown from CJB, Gerrard Malcolm from Insight, Chrissy Waller from CJB, Mary Thompson from Grey Healthcare, David Chriswick from DDB  and Genevieve Murphy from the AFA under the name Bravo!, secured this special award presentation to celebrate Australasia’s best healthcare creative.  The presentation will now become an annual event on the industry calendar to coincide with the New York Festivals program.
The Global Award program sets the standard for creative and marketing excellence in healthcare creative around the world. Since 1995 Australasian healthcare agencies and their clients have been entering their work in the Globals – the world’s most prestigious awards for healthcare communications. A tally of Australia’s performance shows a consistently high standard with 8 Grand Globals (best in the world), 12 Globals Awards and 28 finalists. 
The celebration also included the presentation of the inaugural ‘Brave Young Suit’ prize, awarded to Gabriella Antoun, Grey Healthcare (pictured left) for her passion for delivering great creative work. Entrants were judged by a panel of Creative Directors including Phil Brown, CJB, John Cronan, Sudler & Hennessey, Dan Davis, Insight NZ, Tim Brierley, Grey Healthcare and chaired by Brad Downing of Saatchi Healthcare.
The event was organised in association with the AFA and sponsored by Medical Observer (Gold), The Global Awards (Gold), Julie Dang & Associates (Silver) and smcpeople (Silver). 
The AFA Healthcare Communications Council (HCC) aims to encourage the highest professional standards among member agencies while helping clients to better understand the value of agency services.
For more information on the Global Awards or AFA HCC, please contact the AFA on 02 8297 3800.
www.theglobalawards.com  
 
 

Luscious International director Michael Joy picked up three of the major awards at the Inside Film Awards on Friday night for his first feature film Men’s Group. The film won; Best Feature Film, Best Actor and Best Script.
Men’s Group deals with the question of what it is to be a man: a husband, a father, a son, and a lover. Seven men from different backgrounds meet each week to laugh, cry, have it out and come to terms with the issues in their lives.  
For more information contact Alex Hay at Luscious International on talk2us@luscious.com.au or call (+61) 2 9326 3400. For more information about the film, go to www.mensgroupthemovie.com

Looking for the best and brightest graduates for your advertising agency? Why not upgrade your “software” to the RMIT 08 Advertising - Creative Suite (Graduate Edition).
The RMIT 08 Advertising - Creative Suite is an inventive promotion designed to showcase the work of graduating students from RMIT University’s Bachelor of Applied Communication (Advertising - Creative) program.
Student Xi Qi Ng, part of the team who created the suite, said the digital promotion was being sent to agencies around Australia and the region.
“We realised that other than holding an end-of-year exhibition, there was nothing else that would help give new RMIT graduates real exposure to the advertising industry,” Ms Ng said.
“We came up with the idea of offering agencies a ‘software upgrade’. Upgrades are usually linked with increased capabilities and greater productivity, just like hiring RMIT graduates. Linking the benefits of software upgrades to the latest crop of creative and imaginative graduates from RMIT’s advertising programs was a perfect match.”
With tongue firmly in cheek, the suite includes a host of features such as Intuitive Voice Command Interface (“simply lean over and holler what needs to be done, then sit back and enjoy a cuppa while the work is completed”) and a Brand New Idea Generator Tool (“capable of taking in briefs through either the Holler Heuristics interface or the Visual Scan function”).
The team of international students, which also included Maris Janepanich, Christopher Koo and RenKai Gwee, produced the promotion as part of a final-year project with sponsorship from Complete Colour Printing, AA Duplication and Green Clover.
The digital compilation includes examples of work and contact information for all students graduating in 2008 from the Bachelor of Communication (Advertising - Creative) program, which prepares students for a stimulating career on the creative, planning and management side of the global advertising industry.
For more information: RMIT  

Fudge today launches a cinema commercial, created by Freeform, Sydney as part of a global strategy to revitalise the brand across 45 different countries.
The quirky cinema campaign shows a mysterious British man describing his daily grooming routine. At the end of the commercial, he unveils one of the worst, most outdated haircuts you’ve ever seen alongside the tagline, ‘It’s never too late to change hair history’.
This tagline was first introduced to Australian consumers in late October when Freeform launched six print campaigns, a series of virals and an outdoor poster campaign.
Today’s cinema campaign builds on the premise that everyone has a collection of old photographs of themselves sporting very bad haircuts. Rather than showcase models with long, lustrous and perfectly styled hair, Fudge opted to stand out from the clutter with a more surprising approach to haircare advertising.
Collectively, the campaign represents a major strategic shift for an iconic Australian brand that first made its way into consumer’s hearts in the early 1990s. Since then, Fudge has gone on to launch in 23 countries and is one of Australia’s most irreverent brand success stories.
With a core target market of 15-29 year olds, the campaign also introduces a fresh redesign for the range, part of the brand’s commitment to doing things differently and to constantly evolve.
"The relaunch of Fudge required a new, innovative approach… a big idea. While initially hard to convince the broader internal team at Fudge to embrace such a new direction it was critical to do things differently," says Robyn Pitt, Group Marketing Director at Fudge.

A hard hitting campaign for the RSPCA, via The Campaign Palace, was awarded the best in show Grand Prix at the 2008 APG Creative Planning Awards, held in Sydney last night. 
Strategic Planner, David Hartmann of The Campaign Palace was awarded for his investigations into the harsh
reality of what lies behind the work of the RSPCA. His work in uncovering the challenges faced by the organisation and the startling truth that the RSPCA is as integral to human welfare as it is to animal welfare, won Hartmann this coveted Planning award.
Todd Alchin, Chairman of Judges, described the case study: “David’s unique understanding of the issues led to some key insights and clearly contributed to powerful creative work. The link between planning and creative is vital in delivering effective communications. This was an interesting and brave solution for RSPCA, congratulations to David and the team at The Campaign Palace.” 
Gold category prizes were awarded to Christina Aventi, BMF for the Austar Sports campaign, David Chriswick, DDB for his work on Erectile Dysfunction Awareness and Mark Pollard, Leo Burnett for the McDonald’s Australia ‘NameIt Burger’.
Only 2 candidates walked away with Silver; Russ Mitchinson, DDB for McDonald’s Australia ‘Moments’ and Aisea Laungaue, Saatchi & Saatchi for a YouTube generated campaign for Sony Net Share.
7 Special Prizes demonstrating key elements of the planning discipline were also awarded. Saatchi & Saatchi were rewarded for their work on the highly successful and innovative SONY Netshare Cam Campaign. The awards are the first won by the strategic intelligence group within the Agency, Saatchi Industry. The team kicked goals in the following categories; Best Contribution for Media Thinking, Best use of research and Most Innovative Qualitative Research design. DDB Sydney won two - for Best Strategic Thinking (for Erectile Dysfunction) and Best Creative Brief & Briefing (for Continental). Bellamy Hayden also won two, both for Nicabate - for Best Use of Non Traditional Media and Best Consumer Insight.
A panel of Planning Directors judged candidates’ written submissions and presentations, to find those that best demonstrated the process of strategic thinking; the link between planning and creative; and the relevance of the  thinking and originality of the communications solution. Candidates were judged by Sean Adams, The Seed,  Jeremy Nicholas, BMF, Chrissy Blackburn, Red Spider, Al Crawford, Clemenger BBDO, Hristos Varouhas, BWM, and Todd Sampson, Leo Burnett.
The Award night was opened with a guest presentation from Stuart Smith, Strategic Planning Director of Google  Creative Lab, New York. Stuart spoke about his decision to leave the high profile Head of Planning role at Wieden  & Kennedy London to move across to Google, and shared his views on how strategic thinking contributes to brand communications. The APG are holding a seminar with Stuart followed by a members only workshop on brand utility vs brand message, on Tuesday 18 November in Sydney. Tickets can be purchased through the AFA –
www.afa.org.au 
The APG Creative Planning Awards program was established in 2004 and celebrates the contribution that great planning makes in inspiring and guiding the development of creative ideas. 17 case studies were shortlisted for the 2008 awards.
For more details on the Awards, visit www.accountplanninggroup.com.au

Check out the Ad Song, the song made up from ads, both local and international. 

Lion Nathan today revealed details of a new marketing campaign to support the Natural Beer Promise initiative. A series of TVCs, developed in partnership with Publicis Mojo Sydney, will launch on free to air TV this Sunday night, raising awareness of the recently launched platform and encouraging drinkers to seek a natural choice in beer.
The Natural Beer Promise, a brewer-led initiative which launched in late September, offers drinkers a range of mainstream beers* naturally brewed using only five natural ingredients (water, malted barley, yeast, cane sugar and hops) and free from artificial additives and preservatives. 
The executions focus on Natural Man, a larger than life character who is ‘at one’ with nature, yet displays very little self awareness.  We meet Natural Man in a series of comedic and ironic scenarios, where the consumer learns that while the character has very little clue about many things, there are some things in nature he respects and just won't compromise on. 
According to Margaret Zabel, National Marketing Director, Lion Nathan, the Natural Man character was created in order to bring the idea of a ‘natural’ choice in beer to life, while gaining and maintaining the attention of traditional beer drinkers used to seeing quite innovative and irreverent branded campaigns. 
“We’ve seen a global trend where consumers are becoming more conscious of what they put into their bodies and are looking for ‘natural’ choices across a range of product categories. Beer is no exception,” said Margaret. 
“Our research indicated that while mainstream Aussie drinkers would opt for naturally brewed beer, it was very important that the quality, taste and brand personality of their favourite brands didn’t change. As a result, tone and humour were integral to communicating the message effectively.”
Says Micah Walker, Creative Director Publicis Mojo Sydney: “So many ‘natural’ messages take themselves so seriously and remove the fun from things. We really wanted to be able to make the Natural Beer Promise work differently; something that blokes could appreciate, without making them feel like all of a sudden the manly stuff about beer was left behind.”
The TVCs direct consumers to the Natural Beer Promise website developed by Holler Sydney www.naturalbeer.com.au, which contains information about the ingredients in beer, the brewing process and the brewing criteria used in Lion Nathan’s Natural Beer Promise beers. 
Three executions will be used in the free to air TVC campaign, with a range of exclusive online-only spots to be released virally over the coming days.  The campaign will also be supported by pay TV, word of mouth, PR, events and outdoor media throughout summer.   
Early next year, Lion Nathan will begin specific branded communications to further support the Natural Beer Promise. 
 
* Beers brewed in compliance with the Natural Beer Promise include: XXXX GOLD - the largest mid-strength brand and second largest beer brand in Australia; Tooheys NEW - the third largest brand nationally; West End Draught - South Australia’s number 1 brew; XXXX BITTER; Tooheys OLD; Swan Draught.
 
Agency: Publicis Mojo, Sydney
Creative Director: Micah Walker 
Planning Director: Nicole Milward
Writer: Grant McAloon
Art Director: Michael Spirkovski 
Production Company: Goodoil Films
Director: Hamish Rothwell
TV Producer: Jasmin Ferguson 
Group Account Director: Jenny Lipson
Account Director: Kate Mackinnon
Website Development:
Agency: Holler Sydney

Thanks to their agency, Whybin\TBWA\TEQUILA, Sydney, PEDIGREE®’s puppy.com.au has won $100,000 worth of media and production from JCDecaux. The winning entry, created by Kara Grey at TEQUILA\, was judged to be the most innovative and engaging concept amongst more than 100 entries. The outdoor campaign includes interactive 47 inch LCD panels in Sydney and Melbourne, which allow passers-by to play with and teach a ‘virtual puppy’. The campaign went live today, Tuesday 11th November.
Says Tim Knight, National Managing Director, TEQUILA\: “These are exciting times for outdoor media. The sky's the limit for where digital content and interactivity in the 'real' world will take us. We look forward to analysing both the interaction and the WOM generated to gain a full understanding of the impact and results."
Says Ed Harrison, General Manager, JCDecaux Australia: “This is a wonderful example of how a digital concept can be carried from the web and onto the streets. This creative idea has an innate appeal to a broad audience and this makes the outdoor environment particularly relevant.”
 The campaign is displaying at selected JCDecaux Citylight panels located in Pitt St Mall, Sydney and Flinders St Station, Melbourne.  At these panels, the public are able to interact with the puppy and teach it new tricks such as throwing a PEDIGREE® DENTABONE® and playing ball.  The campaign then prompts people to visit puppy.com.au to obtain information including puppy training and advice.
JCDecaux’s Creative Concepts Competition was open to all creative, media and communication agencies, and received over 120 entries. The judging panel included representatives from JCDecaux, the Outdoor Media Association and the creative community. The Creative Concepts Competition aims to promote innovation in Out-of-home media.
 

AWARD and Campaign Brief to co-host a truly legendary lunch for AWARD Members,  generously sponsored by The Sweet Shop.

AWARD Members and VIP guests will be treated to a special lunch on Wednesday 26th November, the day before the AWARD Awards. Those attending from interstate and overseas are encouraged to come to Sydney a day earlier to celebrate in a two day AWARD mini-festival.  
The lunch will be held at the beautiful Wharf Restaurant at Pier 4, Hickson Road.
Limited FREE tickets will be distributed to AWARD Members on a first reservation basis. All members must complete the booking form to ensure their place.
The AWARD Awards Presentation Evening & Cocktail Party will be held on Thursday, November 27th at The Overseas Passenger Terminal Sydney. 
Bookings for both events can be reserved and purchased by contacting AWARD:
Telephone  +61 2 9699 2999
Or download the booking form:
AWARD Members Lunch Booking form.pdf

Curious Film in Sydney has signed one of New Zealand's most hotly anticipated young directors, Summer Agnew.
Aged 28, Summer has been highly awarded for his talents as a documentary and long-format director, despite only graduating from the Elam School of Fine Art five years ago.
"More and more agencies are looking for directors who can apply their long-format experience in a commercial context. Summer is not only a prodigious director and scriptwriter, he is experimental and extremely bright – he understands where things are moving," says Peter Grasse, of Curious Film in Sydney.
In 2007, Summer snared one of the industry's most prestigious accolades by winning the Screen Production & Development Association (SPADA) New Filmmaker of the Year Award.
His documentary, Minginui – co-directed by fellow Elam graduate Adam Luxton – has screened at film festivals globally and was hailed by critics as triggering a new era in New Zealand filmmaking: "A deathly barrage of audio and visual decay … It's a partial, if not gradual step forward towards a more progressive, less conservative national cinema," wrote film and arts journal Lumiere.
Minginui offers a glimpse into New Zealand's remote Te Urewera rainforest, where the closure of a local forestry sparked a deterioration in local living standards. The documentary reveals New Zealand's landscape in a far more unforgiving light than cinema audiences typically see.
More recently, Summer's short film Patu Ihu screened at Homegrown 08 at the New Zealand International Film Festival. Featuring a core cast of children, the film has been described as "a touching exploration of memory and the lifelong influences that a particular event can have upon us" (Lumiere).
With a background in fine arts, Summer's long-format work is atmospheric and imaginative, honest and uncomfortable; while his commercial work reveals his innate understanding of the flaws and quirks that make us human.
With a name like 'Summer Agnew', it's perhaps not surprising that Summer (pictured) grew up on a commune in Auckland's stunning Waitakere ranges. He concedes that these unconventional beginnings may have contributed to a lateral approach to his work: "Where I grew up people were always telling stories, and I learnt there are always different ways they can be told," says Summer, whose portfolio of work demonstrates a breadth of creative abilities.
He co-founded music video production company The Pyramid Scheme in 2003 and has directed video clips for New Zealand bands including Dimmer, The Checks and Sola Rosa.
Summer won a Qantas New Zealand Television Award in 2006 for the TVNZ series Lets get Inventin and in 2008 developed and co-directed the arts documentary series New Artland for the digital network TVNZ6. Summer has just finished directing a 40-minute documentary for Kapiti Fine Foods and Colenso BBDO.
View Summer’s showreel  and for more information, contact Peter Grasse at Curious Film Sydney: peterg@curiousfilm.com or visit www.curiousfilm.com

In a worldwide industry first, the NY Festivals Global Awards for healthcare communications will be announced in Sydney ahead of the official presentation in New York later this month.
A collection of industry creative directors, under the committee name Bravo!, have secured this special award presentation to celebrate Australasia’s best healthcare creative.
At an event this Friday 14 November at Simmer on the Bay, Walsh Bay, a showcase of past award winning work will be featured in addition to the announcement of the 2008 local winners. Michael Demetriades, Executive Director of New York Festivals will be in town to host the celebration and present the coveted healthcare awards. Michael is responsible for overseeing the New York Festivals advertising competitions for TV, Radio, Print, Posters, Integrated Media, Collateral and Design as well as The Global Awards for Healthcare Communications. Through his many years in the industry he is reputed to have screened more commercials, looked at more print ads, and listened to more radio ads than any other person in the world.
The Global Award program sets the standard for creative and marketing excellence in healthcare creative around the world. Since 1995 Australasian healthcare agencies and their clients have been entering their work in the Globals – the world’s most prestigious awards for healthcare communications. A tally of Australia’s performance shows a consistently high standard with 8 Grand Globals (best in the world), 12 Globals Awards and 28 finalists.
The celebration will also include the presentation of the inaugural ‘Brave Young Suit’ prize, awarded to a young Account Management team member who has shown exceptional talent in working with creative and client teams. Entrants were judged by a panel of Creative Directors which included Phil Brown, CJB, John Cronan, Sudler & Hennessey, Dan Davis, Insight NZ, Tim Brierley, Grey Healthcare and chaired by Brad Downing of Saatchi Healthcare.
VIEW THE AUSTRALIAN AGENCY FINALISTS:
Australian-Finalists.docThe event is organised in conjunction with the AFA and sponsored by Medical Observer (Gold),  The Global Awards (Gold) Julie Dang & Associates (Silver) and smcpeople (Silver).
The AFA Healthcare Communications Council (HCC) aims to encourage the highest professional standards among member agencies while helping clients to better understand the value of agency services.
For more information on the Global Awards or AFA HCC, please contact the AFA on 02 8297 3800.

To raise awareness of the Outdoor Media Association's new award show – The Outdoor Awards - a giant billboard truck is being driven 10,000kms around Australia. Here are some recent notes from the TRUCK BLOG:

The Outdoor Media Awards truck has been on the road promoting the fact that the Outdoor Awards are coming for over a week now. The first week involved a long drive across Outback NSW and South Australia. Through towns like Mildura, Gawler and Coober Pedy. Along the way the truck has dodged rogue camels, made it’s way across some of the driest and flattest roads in the world, been hit by powerful crosswinds and even more powerful headwinds causing the trip to be quite slow going.
 
“The truck just isn’t designed for this kind of thing,” says driver Mick Buckingham,  “The big canvas sides are like a huge sail, it’s more like a catamaran than a truck. The road train drivers are having a great old time trying to blow us over.”

The truck has now entered the Northern Territory and had a short stop at Uluru where they found out they can’t actually take photo’s in front of  the rock. So they took some photos in the carpark instead.

The truck then headed to Alice Springs where it was welcomed by locals and taken to Lasseters Casino for a night out. The truck is now headed up the Stuart Highway to Katherine stopping at a few sights and roadhouses along the way to spread the word that The Outdoor Awards are coming.  

See photo’s of the trip so far or enter your best outdoor ads at The Outdoor Awards website: outdoorawards.com.au.
Entries are open already to the awards but the ultimate deadline will be the end of March 2009 to allow creative teams the chance to have their latest work appear and become eligible.
In addition to a new first prize of a Golden Pigeon statue, which will be given to the best outdoor concept, there will be a financial incentive worth $10k for the winning creative team.
Helen Willoughby of the OMA says: “To launch the Outdoor Awards without creating an exciting and original outdoor campaign of our own would be a missed opportunity. This is the first time such a feat has been attempted. And the reaction to the billboard truck so far has been tremendous. Word is out in the bush that we're doing this - and more than a few fellow truck drivers are lending their support and enthusiasm.”
For more information about the Outdoor Awards or the Round Australia Truck Journey, please contact Helen Willoughby of the OMA on (02) 8356 9000 or email: Helen.Willoughby@oma.org.au 

AWARD’s long-standing tribute to unparalleled junior creative stars, the Encouragement Award, launches again this week, with the winner presented on stage at the AWARD Awards Presentation Evening November 27th 2008.
The Encouragement Award has honored young creatives since 1992, recognising those who have demonstrated an outstanding ability to answer briefs with a freshness of thought and creativity.
Previous winners include Ted Royer, Dejan Rasic, Leo Premutico and Guy Rooke.
Entries will be judged by AWARD’s Chairman Richard Maddocks, ECD of Clemenger BBDO Sydney and AWARD’s Chairman of Judges David Nobay, Creative Chairman, Droga5 Australia.

Eligibility Criteria
Maximum three years in an agency creative department
Teams and individuals can enter
Nominations taken by Creative Directors or Agency Management only
Australian and New Zealand Applicants only
Submissions – as jpeg, mpeg and word.doc/pdfs - max 4MB per file, on CD only – no email submissions accepted
Four examples of the entrant’s work; aired or published within the last 18 months
One Written reference from Creative Director or Agency Management - .doc or pdf
Entrant’s biography - .doc or pdf
 
Post or Courier CDs to:
Hannah Morden
AWARD,
Suite 43, Level 4,
61 Marlborough Street
SURRY HILLS  NSW  2010

Deadline Midday, Friday 21st November 2008 – No Extensions.
Any entries received after the deadline will not go through for judging.
 
Contact hannah@awardonline.com or telephone 02 9699 2999 for more information on the Call for Entry process.

Creative maverick and this year’s Caxton Talent Quest Host Grant Booker recently teamed up with former Palace Melbourne CD Christine Isaac to produce a new campaign for Jalna Yoghourts.
The national press campaign sets out to show the natural credentials of Jalna Yoghourt and is based on the insight that although there are some things you can’t control, there are other things you can. A tongue-in-cheek approach was taken to build a desirable brand image and elicit a strong emotional response.
The campaign positions Jalna as a modern brand for today’s women, not just for health nuts.

Client: Jalna.
Agency: In-house.
Creative: Grant Booker, Christine Isaac.
Photography: Jamie MacFadyen.
Typography: Mark Langstone.

View the campaign of 3:
Jalna_38x7[10].pdf

Cyclops Films is excited to welcome director/DOP Tony Davison to the fold. He joins with a fantastic level of experience having directed campaigns for clients as diverse as Sunbeam, Proctor & Gamble, Nestle, McDonalds and Kia motors. Davison’s talent lies in his ability to convey strong emotions by using powerful imagery to complement subtle performances.  
Earlier this year Davison’s visual talent was showcased in a commercial for Subaru motors through Asatsu Japan as
well as a campaign for Bertolli (Unilever) that saw him shooting in Italy.
Davison comes to Cylcops teamed with his producer Mark Risso‐Gill. For a reel contact mark@cyclopsfilms.com or call +61 2 9318 1077. 

Australia won four Gold Statues at the 2008 London International Awards held tonight at the Hippodrome in Leicester Square. Now in its 23rd year, the London International Awards continues to honour excellence in advertising, design and digital media. 
JWT Sydney won a Gold Statue for Thrifty “Birthday Girl” in Humour, Television/Cinema plus two Silver Statues: for Low Budget, Television/Cinema and Retail Services, Television/Cinema. The agency also won a Silver Statue for the Purell 'Hands' ad in the Cosmetics, Print category.
M&C Saatchi Sydney won a Gold Statue for Herringbone “Henri Hands” in Apparel, Television/Cinema.
And Exit Films Melbourne won a Gold Statue with “Burst” for Schweppes in Cinematography, Television/Cinema; and one Silver Statue for Direction Visual, Television/Cinema.
In addition. Justin Lee Williams won a Gold Statue for Illustration, for a Skins Radiator Wetsuits print campaign via The Furnace, Sydney.
Across the board, Australian agencies and production houses in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide won 4 Gold and 13 Silver Statues in total. 
Colenso BBDO, Auckland took out the Radio Grand Prix for their 'Offensive' spot for the NZ International Comedy Festival.
“It’s obvious that Television/Cinema winners dominated in Australia this year,” said Barbara Levy, President of London International Awards. “Although there were some Print and Radio Silver Winners, the majority of the Silver Statues were also for Television/Cinema.”
Of the 17,969 total submissions from 81 countries, only five percent (5%) reached Finalist status. From that elite group, 1.4% attained Silver status and only 0.7% were awarded Gold Statues. The vast number of submissions reflects the prestige and explosive growth of the London International Awards since its inception in 1986 when 2,600 submissions were considered. 
A complete list of finalists and winners can be viewed at: www.liaawards.com 

Saatchi & Saatchi worldwide creative director Bob Isherwood has confirmed he has quit the network after 22 years, the last 12 as worldwide CD. Isherwood says he leaves the agency without an immediate successor in place.
However, there is no confirmation about Isherwood's departure from Saatchi & Saatchi. Following a tipoff on Thursday that Isherwood had left, calls and emails to the office of Saatchi worldwide chief Kevin Roberts went unanswered late last week, although one Saatchi New York staffer denied Isherwood had left when asked by CB on Friday.
“For the past 12 years I’ve been focused on the re-invention of Saatchi & Saatchi, now I’ve reached a point where I feel a need to re-invent myself," Isherwood told CB from his home in Miami.
"My partnership with Worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts has been one of the most dynamic and long lasting in advertising history. Kevin was my client before he joined the company and we’ve shared some incredible experiences together. At this time though I feel compelled to explore some new ideas I have.
"It’s been an incredibly difficult decision for me as you can imagine. Saatchi & Saatchi has been my home and family for so many years. It’s a house I’ve helped build and fill with people I admire, respect and love. Ultimately though I’m not going to be of much help to them if I stop growing. I want to have more than one life in my lifetime."
Isherwood, who is in his early 60s, told CB that at this point he did not see himself returning to Australia to pursue the next stage of his career. I have an idea for something for President Elect Obama, plus there are lots of opportunities I can see in the US on the client side of our business where creativity can play a key role, particularly in our current economic climate."
Isherwood says that whatever he does next he hoped it would be the most dynamic part of his advertising career so far: "I have a lot of ideas as I’d hope you’d expect, and now I’m putting a sign on my door, ‘Open for business’.”
Isherwood has been Worldwide Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi for the past 12 years with ultimate responsibility for the output of the company’s 150 offices in 84 countries.
He and Worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts are jointly credited with redefining Saatchi & Saatchi as an ideas company rather than ad agency, blazing a trail others have followed.
In the process of implementing the strategy Isherwood has become one of advertising’s most influential creative thinkers.
Isherwood is widely known in the industry for his presentations of the legendary Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase the most widely attended seminar at the Cannes International Ad Festival.
He is also the driving force behind the World Changing Ideas Award which attracts an illustrious panel of judges from Buzz Aldrin to Lou Reed, and has co- authored a book on the subject.
Isherwood is the creative credited with introducing P&G’s top management to  the Cannes Festival, a move that resulted in many other major marketers following, probably increasing the creative opportunity on big brands all over the world.
He was President of the Cannes Advertising Festival for TV, print and outdoor in 2001,elected into the Clio Hall of Fame, and received the Clio lifetime achievement award in 2007.
In 2006 he joined Bob Geldof and Malcolm McClaren on a speaking tour in Sydney and Auckland called ‘The Influentials’.
He is a member of RMIT University’s Acclaimed Alumni and received the first ever Honorary Doctorate in Communications from RMIT in 2007.
Earlier this year Isherwood participated in the ‘2020’ initiative of Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.
Prior to his career at Saatchi & Saatchi he was with Collett Dickenson Pearce in the UK for 10 years, an agency widely regarded at the time as the most creative in the world.
Returning to his native Australia in 1982 he became a founding partner of The Campaign Palace in Sydney.
He joined Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney as deputy CD in 1986, rising to creative director in 1989. He has been Worldwide Creative Director and member of the Executive Board since 1996.

Crown Lager has launched its first TV commercial in three years entitled ‘Tink’. 
Created by Badjar Ogilvy Melbourne and directed by Garth Davis from Exit Films, the new TV commercial tops off a six-month integrated communications campaign for Australia’s leading domestic premium beer, which has seen a combination of print ads, product innovation, in-store promotions and strategic sponsorships.
Collectively the campaign is set to remind Australian beer drinkers about how Crown Lager helps make moments ‘something special’ and continue to engage premium drinkers in an ever-changing market.
The TV commercial sees a man tap the side of his Crown Lager bottle with his ring. The crowd in the pub hears the ‘tink’ and assumes he has something to say. The ‘tink’ spreads in a chain reaction until the accidental hero has complete silence. From the front of the bar to a fine restaurant, from a theatre auditorium to a remote tennis court, people stop to listen. Everything stands still and the tension builds as the expectant audience awaits his words.
Ben Summons, Foster’s Group Marketing Manager Premium Beer says “the TV commercial is an important part of the Crown Lager story and highlights what the beer is all about and why it remains a favourite among drinkers. Crown Lager has been an iconic beer among Australians since its release to the public in 1954. Our focus was to ensure it remains relevant to today’s drinkers.”

Agency: Badjar Ogilvy, Melbourne
Creative Director: Michael Knox
Creative Team: Michael Knox, Rebecca Griffiths and Joe Hill
Agency Producer: Tim Marxsen
Director: Garth Davis
Producer: Karen Sproul
Production Company: Exit Films

Sam Bryant is a young, fresh, innovative director and is the latest addition to the Luscious International director roster. His effervescent visual style and intuitive approach to directing has lead to some labeling him as a 'wunderkind'.
Bryant started his career working in 2D, which has given him his knowledge of cutting edge visual effects. He made his commercial debut by writing and directing branded content, digital short films. One of his content films was selected for the prestigious Shots 2007 New Director's showcase. He then quickly rose to the attention of Saatchi & Saatchi and Droga5. He recently helped Droga5 establish and develop viral content for the Young Gun Awards “Quit In Style” campaign. He has also shot and directed spots for the ABC program The Gruen Transfer.
In addition to his commercial work, Bryant has directed original music videos for bands including Sparkadia and Josh Pyke. Bryant’s most recent music video has been nominated for Best Australian Music Video for the 2008 J Awards.
For more information or to request a copy of his reel contact Alex Hay at Luscious International on talk2us@luscious.com.au or call (+61) 2 9326 3400, and speak to a Lushette.

Lion Nathan today revealed new creative for Tasmanian low carb beer, Boag’s Classic Blonde. The campaign, entitled ‘Far, far from ordinary’, was developed in partnership with Publicis Mojo Sydney.
The ‘Far, far, from ordinary’ campaign consists of large format outdoor and press, with a range of executions designed to communicate the idea of Tasmania as a mystical place with a physically challenging landscape that offers the promise of extraordinary beers.
“We’ve all seen picture-perfect images of Tasmania, with misty mountains and clear babbling rivers,” said Arno Lenior, Premium Category Director, Lion Nathan, “This campaign portrays another side of Tasmania: tough and unpredictable, with wild weather and extreme conditions. 
“The exaggerated imagery used shows how resilient Boag’s must be to operate there, and of course establishes Boag’s Classic Blonde as a tough brand that has been tried and tested by nature, and as a result is anything but ordinary.
Says Publicis Mojo Sydney creative director, Micah Walker: “Overly beautiful heritage imagery would have been such a predictable way to go, so we’ve turned that on its head to tell a more interesting story about the beer. As the campaign grows there are a lot of really exciting places we can go with the idea.”
A consumer website, www.classicblonde.com.au, is currently being developed by Holler Sydney. 
 
Micah Walker - Creative Director
Simon Cox - Art Director
Justine Armour - Copywriter
Jenny Lipson - Business Director
Simon Ludowyke - Account Director
Tara Seymour - Account Manager
Nicole Milward - Head of Strategy
Lisa Vermaak - Creative Services Director
Alison Dunlop - Art Buyer
Oscar Birken - Senior Producer
Lou Doyle - Producer
 

In a surprise move, Sydney's newest agency Banjo has lured Jon Burden and Georgia Arnott from The Campaign Palace, Sydney, to be its founding creative directors - effective February, 2009.
Arnott and Burden have experience stretching from Fallons to Wieden + Kennedy. They teamed up at The Campaign Palace as Creative Directors responsible for brands such as Bonds, Sheridan, Domino's, 3 and Marie Claire.
Arnott has worked on clients such as United Airlines, Miller Light, P&G, Time Magazine, Speedos, Guinness, Sony, Lee, Levis, Citi Bank and Lexus. She has been awarded at AWARD, The One Show, Cannes and D&AD, including golds, silvers and bronzes. She has been awarded 'Best of Show' at Caxtons and exhibited in 'World Best Print' sponsored by News Limited.
Burden has worked on Nike, Vodafone, EA Sports and Coca-Cola. At W+K he created Nike's 06 World Cup campaign which featured Cantona, Rooney, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. 'Joga Bonito' is now the world's largest on-line football communityand grows by the day. He also created the global campaign starring David Beckham, Michael Schumacher and Jon's sister Sophie to launch Vodafone 3G to the world.
The hiring could immediately dispel the perception that Banjo is being set up to be a retail or jingle-based agency, given it is co-owned by ex SO&M boss Andrew Varasdi and backed by John Singleton and Allan (Jo) Johnston.
"We're very excited to be part of Banjo. It's an incredible opportunity to create our own thing with Andrew and Ben," says Arnott. "And we're honoured to have the legacy of John Singleton and Allan Johnston backing us," adds Burden. "We will find great brand stories and tell them amazingly well. That's why we go under the name of Australia's greatest story teller; Banjo Patterson."
“Finding the right Creative Partners was not something we wanted to rush into. We spent a lot of time meeting and working with some fantastic people, however, from the moment we met Georgia and Jon it was pretty clear that we all shared the same passion and enthusiasm for the position we want Banjo to own, Story Selling”, says Banjo managing partner, Andrew Varasdi.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have two people of their creative caliber and with their track record in the business.  And this view is shared by two of the agencies investors, John Singleton and Allan 'Jo' Johnston, who have without question successfully built more brands by engaging Australian consumers with great stories."
Says Ben Lyttle, Banjo's Planning Partner: "It’s time to re-establish the art of Story Selling. Where are our great brand stories today?  Those told consistently, creatively and effectively? It seems increasingly common for brands to jump from one campaign to the next, each quite disconnected.  And the result?  We end up with a new story, one so divorced from where the brand has been it leaves the ‘punter’ confused and CEO’s disillusioned,” said Lyttle.
“Our message to CEOs and CMOs is simple.  Don’t bugger with your brand’s story.  Don’t change it for the sake of change.  By all means adjust the way it is sold.  Refresh it.  Add a new chapter to it.  But always remain true to its core.  Great stories endure as should your brand.  With Georgia and Jon on board, we’re looking forward to re-establishing and creating Australia’s most loved brand stories.” said Lyttle.

Mojo Sydney and Toyota will launched the new Corolla campaign this Sunday. It’s headlined by a 60 second SPOT for cinema along with a 45 for television, and a 15 to be launched in January, as well as outdoor and a completely re-created corolla site.
Based on the idea ‘Packed with a lil’ action’ the campaign tells the story of a kitten headed hero who battles a gang of feral baddies, and escapes in his Corolla. A departure from previous campaigns for Corolla, “Kittens” was created to connect to a younger audience and showcase a new edge for the brand.
Shot on location in an abandoned shopping mall on the outskirts of Melbourne by Garth Davis from Exit Films, the ambitious production was a combination of very well rehearsed fighting sequences, and real, cuddly kitten heads.
Says Davis: "This idea, this film, unapologetically celebrates that rich and wonderful world of the imagination… It’s not everyday you make a little film about kitten headed people. I love the innocence of kittens, in a playfully seedy world, and how we explored a new fighting style; a hybrid of kung fu and kitten. For me, this film ultimately reflects the easy going fun and adrenalin of Corolla… I love it, and am very excited about tickling people’s minds."
“We just really wanted to make something a younger audience could be intrigued by, and sell a different side of Corolla, other than how practical it is,” says Micah Walker, Creative Director, Mojo Sydney.
“I think Garth has really managed to create a cinematic world around the story and make a spot we’re all really proud of. Big thanks to him, and everyone at Animal for their hard work, especially Colin, who looked battered by the end of it.”
The story continues online with ‘The Getaway’, an animated graphic novel. Here our hero kitten Max and his sidekick Misty make their way through an adventure in three parts; 9 Lives and Counting; Landing on all Fours; and, The Sound and the Furry. Car and specifications are also featured, integrated seamlessly into the story. Like a site for a film we’ve created a growing collection of downloadable media for people to enjoy.
Says Mojo digital CD Joel Thomson: “This idea felt perfect for an illustrated strip, we were confident the ad would drive lots of people online and we wanted to give them something just as cool there to get into and share. It certainly feels like a fresh move for a car site and perfect for Corolla."
The campaign goes live this Sunday.
VIEW THE SPOT

Campaign title: Ninja Kittens
Toyota Motor Corporation Australia: Peter Webster, Scott Thompson, Carlie Hardey, Andrew Wearing, Tim Mottau
Agency: Mojo, Sydney
Creative Director: Micah Walker
Art Director: Michael Spirkovski
Copy Writer: Grant McAloon    
Account service Team: Amanda Wheeler, Sara McConkey, Damien Pashby
Planner: Ian Cassidy
Agency Producer: Jasmin Ferguson
Production Company: Exit films
Director: Garth Davis
Producer: Karen Sproul
Digital Creative Director: Joel Thomson
Lead Creative: Clint Nielsen
Lead developer: Hugh Campbell
Digital Producer: Julia Prior
Post Prodcution: Animal Logic- Colin Renshaw
Music: Level Two Music - Karl Richter
Sound Mix: Nylon

VIC AFA Youngbloods are wrapping up 2008 with 'Category Heavyweights', an educational event featuring some of Melbourne’s most awarded and heavy hitting creatives, to be held on Thursday, 13 November, at BLVD Bar (6 Queensbridge Square, Southbank), from 6.30pm.
Supported by JWT, Category Heavyweights will bring together Richard Muntz (Executive Creative Director, JWT), Adrian Pritchard (Creative Director, TEQUILA\) and Ben Couzens (Senior Art Director, GPY&R), to share their experiences on how they tackle the big-spender categories FMCG, automotive and technology.
Considered champions in their respective divisions, this is the very first time these three creative heavyweights will go toe to toe. 
“We’re really excited to be bringing this event to our members. Many of us work within these categories on a daily basis, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for both account service and creative to gain valuable insights and pick the brains of those in the know, within a social context,” said Jana Wilkes, Chairperson of VIC AFA Youngbloods.
Backed by the AFA, Youngbloods is a program that develops networking and educational events for young people in the marketing communications community. VIC AFA Youngbloods is dedicated to providing a voice for young people to have a say on industry issues and future directions. 
Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members, and are available online or on the door (subject to availability). Numbers are strictly limited so to avoid disappointment get yours now HERE.
Category Heavyweights will be held on Thursday, 13 November, at BLVD Bar (6 Queensbridge Square, Southbank), from 6.30pm. 
To become a VIC AFA Youngbloods member, email young.bloods@whybintbwa.com.au

As part of a global alignment of its agencies in 45 countries, the Rapp Collins Worldwide network has changed its name to Rapp.
Effective immediately, the Australian and New Zealand agences, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington, will lose the “Collins” and become simply Rapp.
Along with the name change will be a new corporate identity that reflects the Rapp network’s “Customer Obsession” philosophy.
Globally, Rapp is the world’s #1 direct marketing and CRM agency network (Ad Age 2007), delivering over 40 years experience in customer acquisition, retention and optimization to its clients.  Rapp is part of the Omnicom Group Inc.
Rapp’s new global website www.rapp.com went live earlier this month and all offices in the network will be incorporating the new brand over the next few months. 

Don't miss the RMIT Advertising-creative Graduate Exhibition this coming Friday 7th November, 6.30 to 9.30pm at ACMI, Federation Square in Melbourne. Visit www.awardsahead.com.au or email rmitadgrads08@awardsahead.com.au for more info.

Named one of the world’s best photographers by Archive Magazine, Alister Clarke was one of Australia’s leading and most awarded photographers. With his confident technical precision, sensitive eye and unique sense of humour, Alister carved out a successful career spanning twenty years and across five continents.
Attributing his fine art training to his ability to translate and execute, Alister refined a style that was recogniseably his own and achieved many accolades such as a Gold Lion from Cannes as well as Award and Folio awards. Alister worked hard (and fast) and as well as being a fabulous photographer he had a great capacity for making things fun.
Date: Friday 21st November - Friday 5th December 2008.
Time: 6pm–9pm
Venue: Saatchi & Saatchi Gallery,
70 George Street, The Rocks.
RSVP is essential so please reply to Ali Handley on handleya@saatchi.com.au or call 8264 1504.

In the final weeks of the US presidential election, Sydney based Hackett Films completed a commercial for Avaaz.org (the international version of GetUp) urging Americans to vote for change. To date almost 100,000 people have signed the international petition and viewed the commercial online at www.avaaz.org/en/.
The creative on this ad was designed as a reaction to the deceptive messages the Republicans had been spreading via text message about Barak Obama in the final weeks leading up to the ballot. The aim was to present to Americans the wishes of the international community - a vote for change.
Cast and shot in Australia, the turnaround was 3 weeks from briefing to delivery. A post election commerical is still in production, the final changes awaiting the results of tomorrow’s ballot. Stay tuned!

Modernista! has named two of Asia Pacific's top talents, Andrew McKechnie and Stuart Harricks, as Associate Creative Directors, it was announced today by Gary Koepke and Lance Jensen, Executive Creative Directors and Co-Founders of Modernista!
“For an agency its size, Modernista has a large pool of international talent in all departments,” said Lance Jensen.  “These guys bring a fresh perspective.  We think their work is fantastic,”  added Gary Koepke:  “Andrew and Stuart reflect our creative recruiting philosophy -- we don’t hire specialists. We like to hire the best all around creative athletes.”
During his time in Asia, New Zealand native McKechnie worked with Singapore's top creative agencies.  Most recently he was Creative Group Head at J. Walter Thompson Singapore, where he worked on the HSBC, Shell, Nokia and Nestle accounts.  Prior to that he was at BBDO Singapore, where he created the highly awarded Wrangler 'Basic Cut' print campaign.
"Modernista! is more of a think tank than a traditional agency,” said McKechnie.  “The idea, as it should be, takes precedence over everything else. Hopefully the experience we've gained in Asia will add another dimension to the agency."
McKechnie has won numerous regional and international awards, including one of the inaugural Gold Design Lions at Cannes, multiple D&AD in-books, seven Golds and the Outdoor Grand Prix at AdFest, as well as One Show and Clio accolades. McKechnie was also named the Young Professional Of The Year by the Institute Of Advertising Singapore and one of the Top 12 Young Creatives in the World by Clio.
Stuart Harricks has had extensive experience working throughout Asia as well as his native Australia.  Harricks worked at Leo Burnett, Sydney, before moving to Asia and gaining experience in agencies such as Lowe, Dentsu and most recently, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, where he was a key creative on the Sony Ericsson, ESPN, Guinness, Singapore Zoo, Singapore  Navy, Lexus and Toyota accounts.
With a rank of #12 in the 2008 Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings, he was part of the team that took Saatchi Singapore to the #1 creative agency in Asia.  Harricks has won numerous international awards including merits at D&AD, Silver and Bronze at Cannes, Gold and Silvers at One Show, Silvers at Clio, multiple appearances in Communication Arts and a Gold in Adfest.
"It's refreshing to be joining an independent agency that doesn't have to behave as part of a network - they're responsible for their own identity,” said Harricks.  “We're both just really excited to be able to take on a new set of challenges in a different market and add to M!'s unique blend of talent.”
Modernista! was founded in Boston, MA, USA in January 2000 by creatives Gary Koepke and Lance Jensen.  With additional offices in Amsterdam and Detroit, today the agency has nearly 200 employees from more than 15 countries.  M!'s client roster includes Cadillac, (RED), HUMMER, Animal Planet, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BusinessWeek, TIAA-CREF, Hearts On Fire and Stop Handgun Violence.  Modernista! is fiercely independent.

Senior writer Piet Human has been snapped up by GPY&R Brisbane, after working for Leo Burnett Asia for the past six years, most recently in Singapore where he was head of copy working on P&G, Tiger Beer, Chevrolet, Magnolia, Sony and others.
His work on P&G has won gold at the Effies and at the global P&G Awards. He also has an established track record at Cannes, Clio, Adfest and the Loeries.
Prior to his stint in Asia he worked at McCann Worldgroup in Johannesburg on Coca-Cola and South African Tourism.
"Piet has a prolific output and rare ability to unearth fresh insights on any brand and on any brief. He brings a contagious, positive energy to the creative department and our clients. He is a real find for us", says GPY&R Brisbane creative director Tim Green. 

The Gruen Transfer is looking for new panellists. A second series has been commissioned for 2009, and the program’s producers are hoping to find a couple of new faces to join the on-air team.
“I’m sure there are people in the advertising industry who watched the show during the first series and thought, ‘I could do better than that’,” says Gruen co-creator Jon Casimir.
“We auditioned a lot of talented people, but we couldn’t check out every corner of the business first time around, so this time, we’re hoping the show will be our calling card, and panellists will come and find us.
“We’re adding rather than subtracting. We’ve loved working with all the first series panellists and we’re hoping to see them again when the studio fires up in 2009.”
What are the requirements? Casimir says a Gruen panellist needs to have a mix of creative skill and strategic analysis, as well as a very broad grasp of the industry.
“The best people are always going to be the ones who see the prospect of telly as a bit of an adventure. We’re looking for smart, insightful panellists who take their work seriously, but not always themselves.
“In such a male-dominated industry, we’re very excited about the prospect of finding another woman or two for our panel, but that’s not to say we’re closing the door on blokes.”
If you think you fit the bill, call producer Jon Casimir 02 9217 2224 ASAP or introduce yourself via email at contactTGT@zapruder.com.au

New York Festivals 2009 International Advertising Awards' Call for Entries is now open. Now in its 51st year, the NYF International Advertising Award competition recognizes work in all media from 71 countries around the world:  television, cinema, print, outdoor, interactive, design, mixed media, collateral, radio and student advertising. This creative competition celebrated unprecedented growth in 2008, with a 23% increase in entries submitted over the previous year.
The winning entries of the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards continue to gain recognition long after the awards gala ends. Michael O’Rourke, NYF’s President, recognizes the universal appreciation for innovative work and how important it is to create alternative opportunities for showcasing all NYF winners. O’Rourke has developed a variety of strategic content partners around the world in an effort to provide those winners with international exposure.  With partnerships ranging from China’s iPTV to Qantas Airways, winners are showcased in front of millions of people every day. NYF’s award winning work is also screened at ad clubs, industry events and universities around the world.  "Our comprehensive NYF Annual of Advertising acts a permanent record for creativity throughout the year. Our role as an awards company is to not only award great work, but to ensure our winners are truly recognized on an international level.  Whether it’s a screening in Sao Paulo or a seminar in Seoul, people will get a chance to view and appreciate our winners’ creative efforts,” says O’Rourke.

Australia's Michael Simons is the new chief creative officer of Draft FCB, New York, promoted from his role as executive creative director of the agency's Asia-Pacific region, the position he has held since mid last year. Simons had previously been executive CD of the Draft FCB Sydney since 1998.
Before that, he was a creative director on Nike at Wieden + Kennedy in Portland and a senior creative at George Patterson Bates, Sydney.
Simons told CB from New York that the ECD role at Draft FCB Sydney has been taken by the agency's senior writer Simon Edwards.

The Outdoor Media Association of Australia is set to launch a new award – The Outdoor Awards.
There has been a recent resurgence in the creative use of outdoor as an advertising medium – for example, the HBO Voyeur campaign in the US, the McDonald’s Sundial from Canada and the Exploding Billboard in New Zealand - and the Outdoor Awards aim to recognise and reward outstanding creativity across Australia.
“Both here and internationally, creative teams are realising that outdoor media can be turned into something that creates both impact and engagement. Outdoor advertising at its best is truly an event which draws an audience,” said OMA Chief Executive Helen Willoughby.
The OMA has created a new website outdoorawards.com.au to celebrate the very best outdoor work from around the globe – as well as provide entry information to the new awards.
Entries are open already but the ultimate deadline will be the end of April 2009 to allow creative teams the chance to have their latest work appear and become eligible.  Creative that has appeared on an outdoor format in Australia between 1 January 2008 and 30 April 2009 will be eligible for entry.
In addition to a new first prize of a Golden Pigeon statue, which will be given to the best outdoor concept, there will be a financial incentive worth $10,000 for the winning creative team.
To launch the event, a national awareness campaign has begun – in itself a highly unusual outdoor idea.
An outdoor billboard truck is being driven over 10,000 km around Australia – carrying the simple billboard message: “THE OUTDOOR AWARDS ARE COMING”. Currently the truck is six days into its journey heading towards Coober Pedy.
The truck will be on the road for 40 days and will take in Alice Springs, The Red Centre, Broome, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne before its return to Sydney at the end of November.
The truck’s progress can be followed online via daily photographs of the journey at outdoorawards.com.au – and imagery of the truck at various pit stops throughout the trip will be used as trade advertising.
“To launch the Outdoor Awards without creating an exciting and original outdoor campaign of our own would be a missed opportunity. This is the first time such a feat has been attempted. We are hoping to reach an audience far beyond the trade to indicate the power of outdoor,” Ms Willoughby said.
For more information about the Outdoor Awards or the Round Australia Truck Journey, please contact Helen Willoughby of the OMA on (02) 8356 9000 or email: Helen.Willoughby@oma.org.au

The new TEAM DRY campaign for Carlton Dry via Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne and directed by Curious Film's Miki Magasiva, rewards glory where there's none to be found.
The campaign is based on the insight that the inane, brainless things guys do in their early 20s are probably the most fun things they'll ever do. As a result, Carlton Dry is offering drinkers the chance to win a year-long pro sponsorship to do dumb stuff full-time, delaying the inevitable disappointment of a 'real' job.
Created by Cameron Harris and Seymour Pope, TEAM DRY offers two lucky bastards a $50,000 sponsorship deal to enable them to live the dream for another year.
The campaign centres on a team of professional misfits including Jimmy, who's paid to bounce ping-pong balls into cups; and Angus, who's paid to make his biceps dance. The Team Dry members were cast from auditions of real people with genuinely crappy talents.
TEAM DRY launches with TVCs and a 10-min team film, ‘Tokyo Blitz’, featuring profiles and a team trip to Tokyo. The film shows prospective entrants the mixture of stupidity and brilliance required in their video entry.
The film will be used as online content at TeamDry.com - a virtual team headquarters where auditions to make the team can also be uploaded and viewed. Over 100,000 TEAM DRY ‘Tokyo Blitz’ DVDs (with special features) will also be given away with cartons of Carlton Dry.
During the shoot, the crew had to dodge the Yakuza and suffer the stench of hundreds of salary-men, drunk, horny and crammed into tiny capsule motels.
"I don't know what everyone was complaining about. I kind of liked that smell. I found it familiar and comforting. Like something you want to snuggle up to," says Pete Grasse, producer at Curious Film in Sydney.
Visit www.teamdry.com to see Tokyo Blitz.
Visit www.curiousfilm.com to see Miki Magasiva's showreel.
 
Client: Foster’s Group Australia: Carlton Dry
Agency: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
ECD: James McGrath
Creative Director: Ant Keogh
Creative Team: Cameron Harris and Seymour Pope
Agency Producer: Sevda Cemo
Typography: Musonda Katonga and Ryan Fitzgerald
Interactive CD: Damian Royce
Interactive Art Director: James Reiley
Multimedia Designer: Calvin Teoh
Interactive Producer: Sam Hodgson
Strategic Planner: Mike Derepas
Account Directors: Paul McMillan and Phil Baker
Director: Miki Magasiva, Curious Films
DOP/Cinematographer: Adam Clarke
Producers: Sarah Cook and Matt Noonan
Animators: Syd Garron and Johannes Gamble
Editor: Peter Sciberras, The Butchery
Sound Engineer Paul LeCouteur, Flagstaff Studios
Sound House: Flagstaff Studios
Music: Level Two Music
Post Production: Mike Reed Partners Post Production (MRPPP)

Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney has put to air a new spot for the Toyota Hilux. Entitled 'Coconuts', which features a group of tropical island natives who have just discovered a Toyota Hilux washed up onshore. After their initial confusion and caution over the sight of this unfamiliar object, they quickly learn to put the HiLux to a number of innovative uses.
The spot, which takes its inspiration from the cult film ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’, contrasts the differences between Utopian life and modern day life as we have come to know it and encourages the viewer to feel a sense of nostalgia for the simplicity of human instinct.
The spot was produced by Prodigy, and directed by top US commercials director Hank Perlman from Hungry Man, who says it was important that the commercial was authentic: “I liked the idea of injecting as much reality and humanity into the scenes as possible."

Client: Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
Product: Toyota HiLux: Unbreakable HiLux Campaign
Title: Coconuts
Duration: 1 x 60, 1 x 45, 1 x 30
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Australia
Executive Creative Director & Creative Director: Steve Back
Copywriter: Stephen May
Art Director: Eron Broughton
Head of Broadcast: Ali Grant
Director: Hank Perlman
Executive Producer: Jonathan Samway
Production Company: Prodigy

Hell Pizza in New Zealand celebrated HELLoween by partying with some legends - Sir Edmund Hillary, Heath Ledger and the Queen Mother - who have passed on to the other side. They've missed them so much, agency Colenso BBDO, Auckland thought it would be cool to see them again.

UPDATE: The video has since been removed.

Cyclops Film’s director Peter Andrikidis has scored two AFI nominations for Best Direction in Television dominating the category by scoring half of the four nominations.  The nominations place Andrikidis’s directing achievements for SBS’s 'East West 101' against his critically acclaimed direction of 'Underbelly'.  The nominations are yet another testimony to his directing talent. Last month Andrikidis (pictured, with Sam Neill) won the prestigious 2008  Australian Directors Guild Award for Best Direction of a Mini Series for 'East West 101'.  His work dominated the AFI nominations this year with 'Underbelly' the most nominated television series, up for eight awards, and 'East West 101' following with six nominations. Andrikidis has previously won three AFI’s Best Direction in Television and four AFI’s for Best Drama and has been nominated thirteen times in total.
Says Cyclops Films Producer Lucy Verity: “This is an incredible achievement and a testimony to Peter’s creativity and direction.  We are really happy for Peter and excited to be offering such a talent to the advertising industry.”
For further information contact Lucy Verity on (+61) 409 993 994 or lucy@cyclopsfilms.com