The world has voted.
On Saturday March 28th at 8.30pm local time over 4000 cities and towns 'officially' took part in Earth Hour making it the world's first global vote and the strongest call to action against climate change. The total number of people taking part around the world is thought to be 1 billion, although it will be a while before WWF will announce an official number.  Lights went out over many of the world's most famous icons including the Sydney Opera House, Greece's Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, the Las Vegas strip, New York's Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, London's Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro and San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced tonight the winners for the International Digital Emmy® Awards at a ceremony organized in partnership with Reed MIDEM, during the MIPTV Opening festivities in Cannes, France.
Australia made history by winning its first International Digital Emmy® in the Fiction category with Scorched, a futuristic interactive online drama set in a 2012 world, ravaged by climate change.

More than 760 people were at the Oasis Ball in Perth last Friday night to see The Brand Agency win its fourth Campaign Brief Western Australian Agency of the Year title since the award was first presented in 1987.
Always a strong contender on business criteria, The Brand lifted its game creatively in 2008 with great results at AWARD and the PADC plus Best of Year for Television at these Campaign Brief Awards. An excellent all-round performance saw it just edge out 303, Gatecrasher, Marketforce, Rare Creative Thinking and Meerkats in the closest ever contest for Agency of the Year. Seven time winners, Marketforce had won the award for the past two years.

day&age, Melbourne projected a reworked version of the Earth Hour logo (carbon offset, of course) for client Gstore on to a Melbourne CBD building during Earth Hour to highlight the fact that people should care for the earth not just for one hour, but every hour.



Client: Gstore
Art Director: Jason Kilgour.
Copywriter: Jason Rose.
Creative Director: Paul Taylor.
Production: Media Tree / Enlightening.
Photographer: Isamu Sawa

Adelaide creative director, David Campbell, has returned to the agency he helped launch five  years ago.
He left the digital agency in July 2008 and had been planning a move overseas.  
FNUKY's general manager, Jeremy Ervine, said that South Australia needs to hold onto its senior talent, particularly in digital: "David is probably South Australia's most senior digital creative and when we heard that he was planning to move overseas we just couldn't let him join the brain-drain.  Keeping him here is good for South Australia, and even better for FNUKY."

Colenso BBDO, Auckland executive creative director Nick Worthington is in Hawaii judging The One Show, one of only a handful of non Americans on the prestigious jury (another is Mark Harricks, creative director of DDB Sydney). Worthington offered to write a daily diary for the blog:

DAY ONE
It's 8pm NZ time  here in Hawaii and 6pm Aus time and everyone's gone to bed.
I can't help thinking that this has to be one of the last junkets.
Just seems weird in the economic climate, when we're all working out if we can still afford to enter awards, to hop on a plane to a holiday destination to look at ads.

Kodak and AWARD have announced the 2009 Call for Entry, with new categories to expand the discovery of the very best new talent across the region.
Designed to recognise and promote exceptional new commercial directors in the Asia Pacific Region, the KODAK AWARD New Director Of The Year honors outstanding commercial directors whose fresh thinking and creativity sets them apart from the rest.
The Call For Entry launches 29th June and will now offer two categories:

Out-of-Home media operator, EYE, worked collaboratively with Leo Burnett, Sydney and GSP Print to support Earth Hour 2009.
The provision of EYE's Large Format Billboards along major traffic corridors and in Sydney Airport's T2 Domestic Terminal, combined with creative executions from Leo Burnett and production techniques from GSP Print, has provided commuters with another prompt to participate in Earth Hour 2009.

Jungleboys' response to the Global Financial Crisis.
This from Jason Burrows, executive producer of Jungleboys, Sydney: "We made the video because all the negativity in the industry is getting so boring. We should all appreciate we're in a great, fun business and those who don't should move over as our team in Saigon is able and willing to take up the slack."

Perth's centre of style for fashion shopping, Forrest Chase, held a unique series of dramatic interactive visual performances to support the launch of their new season fashion campaign.

Many Australian agencies, at the invitation of Leo Burnett Sydney, have contributed to this year's Earth Hour. Here are two more:

To show their support for Earth Hour, SBS via US Sydney have scattered Sydney parks with life-sized tree-huggers. Using 100% recycled cardboard (of course), the life-like figures encourage people to Vote Earth this Saturday and show Mother Nature a little love.

VIEW THE TREE HUGGERS 1 AD
VIEW THE TREE HUGGERS 2 AD
VIEW THE TREE HUGGERS 3 AD

Ursa Communications, Sydney has created a "Stay safe this Earth Hour" online campaign for Vision Australia, in support of Earth Hour 2009. The three short clips dramatise the ability of Vision Australia (the nation's leading blindness agency) to help people manage through the dark. The clips are best viewed with the volume turned up.

VIEW THE HAMMER SPOT
VIEW THE KNIFE SPOT
VIEW THE SEWING SPOT

This year's Siren Awards, honouring the best radio commercials in Australia, will be announced in Sydney on May 8, at a breakfast function at Waters Edge, Walsh Bay, hosted by Jonathan 'Jono' Coleman and Ian 'Dano' Rogerson, from the drivetime show, 'The Jono & Dano Show', on-air on WS-FM (Sydney), GOLD 104 (Melbourne) and 4KQ (Brisbane), as well as many regional  stations across Australia.
The breakfast will feature the best radio ads of the past twelve months. The 2009 winner, chosen by a panel of industry experts, will be automatically entered into the Cannes Radio Lions - to be held in June and its writer will also win two tickets to attend the festival.

UPDATE: Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney and Cadbury's have come in for some heavy flak from the YouTubers and elsewhere for releasing the multi award-winning 'Gorilla' spot, created by Fallon London, using John Farnham's 'You're the Voice' instead of Phil Collins' 'In the air tonight'.
However, according to those close to the situation, it was the client's idea, which was also approved by Fallon, London.

 

The City of Perth shows their support for Earth Hour 2009 in this print campaign that encourages people to turn off their lights and take part in this worldwide event. The campaign was created by Marketforce, Perth.

Creative Team: Julia Elton-Bott, Guy Hamilton Howlett.
Creative Director: Andrew Tinning
Photographer: Simon Westlake
Digital Imaging: Madeleine de Pierres
Account Director: Brendon Lewis
Senior Account Manager: Phil De Dubios
Account Co-ordinator: Evan Murie
Marketing Manager (City of Perth): Susan Parker
Assistant Marketing Manager (City of Perth): Melissa Arbon

Leo Burnett Sydney and Plaza Films have collaborated to produce the latest Earth Hour film, which goes global today.
The commercial, written by Leo Burnett creative Gary Dawson and directed by Plaza's Nick Robertson, brings to life the essence of Earth Hour, an event everyone can participate in, by showing people of all ages coming together to cover their apartment block in white sheets. As we see people stitch, borrow, steal and donate sheets to place over their balconies we reveal that they're quite literally turning their home into the world's largest candle and a communal symbol of hope, and bringing to life the message that 'None of us are as powerful as all of us'. 
Says Dawson: "From start to finish, this ad was created in the spirit of Earth Hour and it was inspiring to see so many people come together for the good of the cause. I'd like to thank everyone at Plaza, Fuel, Tait Gallery, Deluxe, Bean Colour, and all involved with Elliot at Turning Studios for helping produce a film oozing with positivity."
Says Plaza director, Nick Robertson: "It was great collaborating with Gary, Andy and Jay, and to be offered the opportunity to work on something as magnificent as Earth Hour was an absolute privilege, to shoot the spot with close family and friends was brilliant. I am thrilled with the film."
Says Leo Burnett, Sydney joint ECDs, Andy DiLallo and Jay Benjamin: "It's easy for people to be overwhelmed by the subject of climate change. The aim of this script is to turn that on its head. It gives people comfort that they aren't in it alone. And let's face it, we're after 1 Billion people this year, so no one's really in it alone. It's a beautiful film that will be a tremendous addition to WWF's case at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen." 

Agency: Leo Burnett Sydney
Client:  WWF
Product:  Earth Hour
Executive Creative Directors: Andy DiLallo and Jay Benjamin
Creatives: Gary Dawson and Chris Round
Agency Producer: Adrian Shapiro
Production company: Plaza
Director: Nick Robertson
Producer: Kim Kirby
DOP:  Earle Dresner
Editor:  Danny Tait @ the Tait Gallery
Visual Effects & Post Production:  Fuel
Colourist:  Ben Eagleton - Bean
Music:  Elliot at Turning Studio

Sydney production company äht(, which has been a substantial player in the TVC industry for many years, has been forced to close its doors.
At the same time as trying to produce ads in a market challenged by a downturn in TVC production generally (as well as a Global Financial Crisis) - in the last year äht( has had to pay an extraordinary payroll tax penalty in the wake of the recent OSR audits.
Says äht( principal, Adrian Hayward (pictured): "Production Houses have been in the State Revenue gunsights recently with audits into a number of top Sydney Production Companies - a situation fought by äht alongside the Screen Producers Association and numerous other production companies, including the Sydney Film Company which closed last year. Everyone at aht is saddened by this news and wish to send our regrets and our thanks to all the agencies, crews and other suppliers who have worked with us over the years."

Earth Hour is almost here and the momentum behind the campaign by Leo Burnett, Sydney and WWF is building. There are now over 2200 cities worldwide signed up to participate in the election. A mainstream and grassroots media blitz across nearly 90 countries is now underway, making the target of 1 Billion people a real possibility.
The iconic imagery created by Shepard Fairey with the help of Curious Films kicked off the integrated campaign a few weeks back and has now rolled out globally. The campaign has been translated around the world and is running across all media including online, television, newspapers, outdoor and mobile but most importantly is now being spread by the people. In the spirit of the Earth Hour open source model, all election campaign materials have been made available on the Vote Earth website where the world population is being urged to help spread the word. Materials include a 30’ animated film clip with music by Coldplay, voiceover by Cate Blanchett and animation by Syd Garron as well as banners, online badges, wallpapers, downloadable stickers, posters, signage and a series of new films.
One of the latest additions, directed by Tim Denton of Robot I pictures, is a film that uses children to highlight the fact that this is the world’s first global election, where anyone can vote. It aims to broaden the target to include the children of the world and of course adoring parents. The spot will air on television and on the Vote Earth website.
Because Vote Earth is aimed at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, it will carry on well past Earth Hour. There is now a quickly growing social network supported by Google on the Vote Earth website. Members of the network are being urged to speak their minds on various topics related to global warming in a quest to reach 1 Billion words on the subject. To assist the world’s population, Google Translate has been added to the page so it can be translated into any language. Later in the year the voice of the global population will be presented to world leaders in Copenhagen along with the results of Earth Hour.
And finally, this wouldn’t be an election if Obama Girl didn’t get involved. Here is a viral clip of the web icon doing her thing for the planet.
 

Two of Brisbane’s independent communication agencies – Gallery and De Pasquale - are merging.
The new, integrated communications agency, Gallery De Pasquale (GDP), will boast a 50-strong team, including specialist digital/interactive, PR and social marketing divisions.
Gallery Group Chairman, Jay McAlister, will become Chairman of Gallery De Pasquale, with De Pasquale Founder/Co-owner, Gino De Pasquale, taking the role of Non-Executive Director. De Pasquale’s current CEO, Cos Luccitti, will become Director, enabling him to continue to focus on forging client relationships and assisting with their business challenges. The proven partnership of Gallery’s MD, Remy Brassac, and Creative Director, Phil Nobay will continue in the new entity.
Jay McAlister and Gino De Pasquale have forged close personal and professional ties over the past decade.  Recent discussions led them to decide that joining forces was a natural progression of their shared business and client focused philosophies.
“In tough economic times, we saw the opportunity to move forward with confidence and focus, while others are busy licking their wounds. As well as making sound operational sense, combining forces means we can offer clients outstanding resource, insight and support to meet their formidable challenges,” McAlister said.
“De Pasquale is arguably Brisbane’s most established, respected and awarded agency. The De Pasquale name enjoys enormous equity built up over the past 21 years and in them, we have found a partner that is strong strategically and creatively.”
Gino De Pasquale added that Gallery had been on his radar for some time. “I’ve watched Gallery’s strong and steady growth over the past nine years and been hugely impressed with its integrated philosophy and the team’s most recent creative achievements and client wins,” De Pasquale said.
“The two agencies share a similar culture, in that they are driven, results-oriented, intelligent and prepared to go beyond the call of duty for their clients to get the job done,” he added.
“Brisbane is primed for another serious independent agency structure which offers powerful business skills, along with outstanding strategic creative, and Gallery De Pasquale is most certainly the agency to deliver this.”
The physical merger will take place on 20th April 2009, when staff from De Pasquale join their new team mates at Gallery’s newly acquired, purpose built offices at 100 Brunswick Street in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.  All key De Pasquale and Gallery personnel will remain part of the new merged entity.
 

Optus has a long association with nature so M&C Saatchi, Sydney set about exploring communication between humans and animals, specifically Humpback whales.
“Whale song is a form of communication,” says Ben Welsh, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi Sydney.  “It’s a form of communication that the scientists at The University of Queensland have been able to decipher and learn. I was intrigued by this fact and so we asked ourselves whether it would be possible to emulate a male humpback: to write our own love song and then play it, using the instruments of an orchestra? Could we serenade a humpback ourselves? Then imagine what could happened if the whales were to hear our song. We thought that would prove that when it comes to communication, anything is possible.”

View the commercial

Creative Director: Ben Welsh
Copywriters: Ben Welsh and Andy Flemming
Art Director: Paul Carpenter
Agency Producers: Jenny Lee-Archer, Rod James and Loren August
Director: David Denneen
Editor: Sue Schweikert
Music & Sound Design : Bruce Heald - Noise

Fairfax Media AWARD CopySchool opens for bookings in Sydney
A five-day intensive tutorial for young writers and creatives. April 27 – May 1.

This one-week course offers young writers the rare opportunity to learn from some of the biggest, most successful senior creatives in the business.
The Fairfax Media AWARD CopySchool is structured for young writers who are already working within the industry in the area of copy, or would like to enter the field.
The course is limited to fifteen. This way they can all be better involved and come away with insights and knowledge they can use to become better writers.
Tutors this year include: Rob Belgiovane, John Bevins, Ralph Van Dijk, Dennis Koutoulogenis, Shaun Branagan, Rebecca Carassco, Matt Eastwood, Ted Horton and a leading Fairfax Journalist.
“We concentrate on writing more effective copy. Copy that combines strategic substance with style. Each young writer should come away at the end of the week with the understanding he or she is writing for their client’s customers, not their peers in advertising. Awards, rewards and acclaim will come as a consequence, not an objective” says Ray Black, Course convener.
The School runs from April 27 to May 1, 9am – 12:30pm each day. The final day, Friday, a lunch is held with all students, speakers and sponsors. Fairfax Media AWARD CopySchool costs $1250 + GST which includes morning catering and lunch on Friday May 1.
Go to www.awardonline.com to download the booking form, or contact Alette Winfield at AWARD on 02 9699 2999 or alette@awardonline.com for more information. 
 

At the 31st John Caples Awards for Direct Marketing Excellence held in New York on the weekend, AIM Proximity Auckland won the Sackheim Best In Show award for their interactive ‘Get in on the secret’ Valentine’s Day campaign for client The Warehouse. The campaign also won Gold and Silver. The judges also awarded the AIM Proximity 'iPhone Jonny' campaign for Yellow Pages Group the coveted Courageous Client award, for “innovative advertising an insecure client would never authorise”, as well as a Silver. This is the first time in the Caples’ 31 year history that the one agency has won Caples’ two most prestigious awards.
AIM Proximity, together with their sister agency Colenso BBDO also won a Gold award for Vodafone.
Gold went to BMF Sydney for their Wonder Performance Bread 'Not for Ducks' campaign, Gold and Silver for their 'TED 696 Project' , Silver for their BMF 'We've looking for people with heart' self promo, Silver for their Commonwealth Bank 'Free Bee' campaign, Bronze for their Ella Bache 'Ella' campaign and Bronze for their Lion Nathan 'HarvesTED The Trials'. Gold and Silver went to Clemenger BBDO Sydney/Clemenger Proximity Sydney for their Sega 'Offset the Evil' campaign, Clemenger Proximity Melbourne won Gold and Bronze for Mars 'Tongue' plus Silver for Black Dog Institute 'Paint by Numbers', M&C Saatchi, Melbourne won Gold and Silver for their Save the Children 'Lessons in Leadership' campaign and Bronze for their ANZ Bank 'Dress Pattern', Rapp New Zealand won two Gold and one Silver for their Telecom New Zealand 'No one will know you are gone' campaign, Silver went to DraftFCB, Auckland for their 'BMW X6' campaign, Silver went to Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand for their Toyota Hilux 'Motion Sensor' Screensaver, Silver went to Lowe & Rivet NZ for their Genesis Energy 'Tree People' campaign . Bronze went to AIM Proximity Auckland for their 'Xmas Elves' self promo and Academic Excellence 'Dead End Job', Bronze went to Euro RSCG Sydney for their Tangible Financial 'Invisible Brand' campaign as well as their Integral Energy 'Calculator' campaign and Sony 'The crowd's story' campaign, Bronze went to M&C Saatchi/Mark, Sydney for their Chalk Urban Art Festival 'Disappearing Art' campaign and their Sydney Cats & Dogs Home 'Take me home' campaign.

About the Caples Awards
The John Caples International Awards, honoring the best in direct and interactive marketing around the world, was founded in 1978 by Andi Emerson, a direct marketing pioneer, in order to honor well-recognised copywriter John Caples. With international chairs in 53 countries, it is funded by industry agencies, clients and suppliers; is run by industry volunteers and is judged by more than 100 active, senior-level, international creative professionals. Between 200-300 creatives and marketers from around the world attend the annual dinner and presentation.
For more information visit www.caples.org
 

Whilst Adfest was a low key affair this year due to the economic crisis, it was a highly enjoyable event for all the Aussies who attended. Lynchy spend most of the time Twittering but for those following the blog here are a variety of pics taken with the iphone.

The Adidas 'This is not a jersey' campaign for Adidas All Blacks, created by TBWA\Whybin, Auckland has won one of only three Innova Lotus awards at Adfest, presented last night.
Other winners from Australasia included Leo Burnett, Melbourne, which took out the Radio Lotus Best of Show for their hilarious 'Non Stop Talking' campaign for Connex. The campaign also won won a Gold and two Silvers. Also in Radio, Grey Melbourne won a Silver Lotus for their TAC 'Pictures of You' campaign.
The Schweppes 'Burst' spot via GPYR Melbourne won a Gold Film Lotus.
DDB Sydney won a Gold Outdoor Lotus for McDonalds bustop.
Euro Sydney won a Silver Cyber Lotus for their Sony 'Quantum of Solace' mobile campaign.
Last but not least, Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne took out Adfest 2009 Direct Agency of the Year.
Download the full list of awards from last night:
ADFEST-WINNER-LIST.pdf
Follow Lynchy at Adfest on Twitter for pics and news.

Mark Tutssel, worldwide creative director of Leo Burnett and Jessica Greenwood from Contagious magazine showcase what's new and interesting in the world of communications, on stage at Adfest held at Pattaya Beach, Thailand, March 21, 2009. View the presentation.

The winners of the Press, Poster, Film Craft, Design, Print Craft and New Director Lotus were announced at the end of the second day at the 12th Asia Pacific Advertising Festival (ADFEST), held at PEACH, the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in Pattaya Thailand.
PRESS LOTUS
This year, out of 621 entries for Press Lotus, 29 Awards were presented including 1 Gold, 13 Silvers and 15 Bronzes.
Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia won the only Gold Lotus in this category for its ‘Page Numbers Campaign’. The agency also picked up 3 Silvers, plus 1 Bronze.
Leo Burnett Mumbai picked up 3 Silvers and a bronze for its ‘Bajaj Exhaust Fans’ campaign, while Euro Singapore won 3 Silvers for its Nikon campaign.
The Furnace, Sydney won two Silvers for their Skins 'Uneven Playing Fields' ad.
Overall, Malaysia walked away with 1 Gold, 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze; Bangkok picked up 2 Silvers and 6 Bronze; followed by Singapore with 3 Silvers and 2 Bronze; Mumbai with 3 Silvers and 2 Bronze; Hong Kong with 4 Bronze; and Shanghai and Sydney with 1 Silver each.
POSTER LOTUS
Out of 662 direct entries, 33 Lotus Awards were presented including 2 Golds, 18 Silvers, 12 Bronzes and 1 Best of Poster.
BBDO/Proximity Malaysia won Best of Show for its Jeep ‘Two Worlds’ poster, and also walked away with 1 Gold and 1 Silver for two other entries from its Jeep campaign.
JWT Shanghai won Gold for its ‘Shan Shui’ public service poster series, and the agency also won 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze.
Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia won 4 Silvers in total plus 1 Bronze, while Euro RSCG Singapore won 3 Silvers for its Nikon campaign and Leo Burnett India in Mumbai walked away with 3 Silvers and 1 Bronze.
DDB Sydney won Bronze for their McDonald's 24 Hour Store 'Night Reflection' bus stops.
DESIGN LOTUS
BMF Sydney won Silver for their Tooheys Extra Dry 'TED 696 Project' campaign (Best of Graphic Design), as did Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne for their Four'N Twenty Pies 'Magic Salad Plate' (Product Design).
PRINT CRAFT LOTUS
DDB Sydney won Bronze in Typography for their Ant Rid 'Do them a favour'.
FILM CRAFT LOTUS
From 131 entries, there were 4 Gold, 5 Silvers and 10 Bronze Lotus Awards presented in the Film Craft category.
The four Gold Film Craft Lotuses were awarded to: IF WORKS Inc Tokyo, JWT Shanghai, George Patterson Y&R Melbourne (for VB 'Symphony' - Best Use of Music), and Goodboy’Z House Bangkok, which also walked away with 1 Silver.
Overall, production companies from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia and Auckland in New Zealand picked up the most awards, with 1 Gold, 2 Silvers and 5 Bronzes between them.
Goodoil Films Sydney won Silver for Hutchison 3 'Have No Fear' and Bronze for Ford 'Fingers', Song Zu, Sydney won Silver for Coca-Cola 'Birds Nest' (Best Original Music) and Bronze for Sony Ericsson 'Talking Music', Taxi Film Brisbane/Sydney won Bronze for RAC Insurance 'Contents', Pete Jones Music, Brisbane won Bronze for RAC Insurance 'Contents' and Curious Films, Auckland won Bronze for All Bran 'Tall Jan'.
NEW DIRECTOR LOTUS
This year, there were only 11 entries for the New Director category.
As a result, only one Bronze was awarded in this category to Cherub Pictures in Sydney for its ‘Soccer Can’ spot for Ballantine’s & Cola.
Two other production companies were also shortlisted as Finalists: The Sweet Shop, Auckland; and HAT Inc in Tokyo.
SPEAKER SESSIONS
Speakers sessions for Day Two of ADFEST on 20 March 2009 kicked off with a presentation by one of ADFEST’s major sponsors, Sino-ADI, which hosted a panel discussion called ‘How to Innovate Ourselves Out of this Downturn’. The panel included Joe McDonagh, Worldwide Global ECD at Cheil Worldwide; Sheung Yan Lo, ECD at JWT North East Asia and Chairman JWT China; Akira Kagami, Executive Officer and Global ECD of Dentsu Inc Tokyo and Jay Benjamin, ECD at Leo Burnett Australia.
DDB’s John Zeigler also gave an illuminating presentation called ‘The Gossip Principle: Reversing through an Age of Acceleration’.
In the afternoon, Contagious magazine returned for the third year running with a trend briefing entitled, ‘Mass+Niche: The Art of Two-Track Branding’, presented by Deputy Editor, Jessica Greenwood.
The day concluded with Prasoon Pandey’s presentation of the Fabulous Four films, as voted by this year’s Film Craft and New Director Jury Panel. The Jury singled out a film by Japanese director Yuji Shiota of HAT Inc Tokyo for his short film called, ‘Sarah and Sandy’. The other Fabulous Four directors selected were: Sam Bryant, Luscious International Sydney; Brian Lucknasuwan, Big Blue Production Co Bangkok; and Nitiz Wongthed, director at The Bandits Co Bangkok.
This year, 53 scripts from 22 cities were submitted to Fabulous Four – up from just 14 script submissions in 2008. The four directors selected to take part in this year’s screening submitted the most compelling scripts based on the theme, ‘Made in Asia’.
SINO-ADI VIP PARTY
After the conclusion of the second Awards Presentation on 20 March, Day Two concluded with a fabulous ‘Night of SINO-ADI Party’, hosted by Dragon Sponsor, Sino-ADI, representing the Shanghai Jiading Government. The Jiading Industrial Zone in Shanghai is home to the Sino-ADI Development Base of Advertising & Creative Industry.
ADFEST 2009 is proud to announce Sino-ADI as a Dragon Sponsor for this year’s Festival, given Jiading’s status as a worldclass creative centre and economic hub that is leading the economic development of China.
“We are delighted to have Sino-ADI come on board to sponsor ADFEST 2009 and promote the region’s emergence as one of the world’s leading creative and technology hubs,” says Jimmy Lam, President of ADFEST.

This weekend GPY&R Melbourne will launch two major integrated campaigns. The first titled 'Junk Ballet' introduces Spring Valley Smart Energy, possibly the first energy drink not to claim it is for extreme dudes. The second, titled 'Big League' launches the AFL's 2009 season and suggests that Australian Football cuts it on the world’s biggest stages.
Says GPY&R Melbourne ECD Ben Coulson: "We have had our heads down lately and haven't put up much blog fodder, but we kinda like these two. Hopefully anonymous will agree."

View the Junk Ballet commercial
View the Making of Junk Ballet
View the AFL commercial.
And makesgoodenergy.com.au for the new site and other Smart Energy bits and pieces.

AFL 'Big League'
Agency: George Patterson Y&R Melbourne
Executive Creative Director: Ben Coulson
Copywriter: Katie Britton
Art Director: Frank Muller
Agency Producers: Romanca Jasinski and Mandy Celms
Group Account Director: Michael Napolitano
Account Director: Sally Cox
Account Exec: Courtney Robertson
Production Company: Revolver
Director: Steve Rogers
Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie
Producer: Georgina Wilson
Post-Production: Fin Design
Editor: Alexandre De Franceschi
Sound/Music: Simon Lister/Cornel Wilczek
Nylon Studios/Level Two Music

Smart Energy 'Junk Ballet'
Creative agency: George Patterson Y&R Melbourne
Executive Creative Director: Ben Coulson
Copywriter: Simon Bagnasco
Art Director: Chris Northam
Producer: Luisa Peters
Group Account Director: Mathew Cummings
Account Director: David Shekleton
Account Exec: Damien Miller
Production Company: Revolver
Director: Kris Moyes
Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie
Producer: Pip Smart
Post-Production: Fin Design
Editor: Stuart Reeves at Guillotine
Sound/Music: Simon/Michael
Nylon Studios

Australian production company, Cream has announced that award winning filmmakers, director Abe Forsythe and producer Matt Reeder have joined the team.
Forsythe won Best Comedy at this year’s Tropfest with his crime/comedy short 'Being Carl Williams'.
Says Forsythe: “Having grown up on film sets I know performance inside out.  My transition into directing has grown from my love of working with actors. I can now use that experience to understand and better direct quality actors, many of whom I have had the good fortune to work with over the years.”
Says Cream Executive Producer Adam Wells: “Abe’s films show a razor sharp wit and great comic timing; he presents a situation then deftly subverts it in a hilarious way…Not only that, his win at Trop with Being Carl Williams shows that he has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening now. “
Forsythe's inclusion as a Cream director reinforces the boutique production company’s positioning into media-neutral work,” says Reeder. "We're more interested in funny, clever, cool. Ideas will always win out.”
Forsythe and Reeder will be out to meet agencies in the coming weeks.
For more information contact: Matt Reeder
Email: matt@creamfilm.tv
Mob: 0416 028 673
Cream: 02 9967 0000

Australia and New Zealand shops dominated the Direct Lotus Awards at Adfest, presented last night in Pattaya Beach, Thailand.
After going through extremely tough judging, only one Gold, three Silver and six Bronze Lotus were awarded - and there was no Best of Show.
Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne won Silver for their Four'N Twenty Meat Pies 'Magic Salad Plate' campaign and Bronze for Starburst 'Leftover Sugar', BMF Sydney won Silver for their Wonder Performance Bread 'Not for Ducks' campaign, and M&C Saatchi/Mark, Sydney won Bronze for Animal Rescue Shelter 'Throw us a bone'.
AIM Proximity, Auckland won Silver for Yellow Pages 'iPhone Jonny' campaign and Bronze for The Warehouse 'The Love Conspiracy'.
During the ceremony, the top 6 Young Lotus teams were announced, which included the Australian team Iggy Rodriguez and Justin Carew from Saatchi & Saatchi Australia (seen here with Young Lotus Australian sponsor Patsy Peacock from FBI Recruitment). Later in the evening, they were eventually pipped for the top prize by the team from Sri Lanka.

The 2009 International ANDY Awards, one of the most renowned awards in the advertising industry and trendsetter as the first show of the awards season, announced the year’s winners for most outstanding global creative work at Terminal 5 in New York City last night.
The GRANDY, the ANDY’s top honor as Best in Show, went to BBH New York for its groundbreaking integrated campaign “Dig Out Your Soul In The Streets” that launched Oasis’ latest album.
George Patterson Y&R, Melbourne won a Silver for Schweppes 'Burst' while Colman Rasic Carrasco, Sydney won a Bronze for the MTV 'All I need' campaign.
The winner of the GRANDY Award receives $50,000 in cash award, the GRANDY “championship” ring, and acknowledgement as Best in Show. BBH NY’s campaign for Oasis’ seventh studio album was a fresh, guerilla marketing approach to “reinvent an album launch” not through traditional means but on the streets of New York.
The group taught NYC street bands their songs, who then publicly performed the music weeks prior to the album release in conjunction with an extensive viral/PR-driven campaign including news on Oasis fan sites, the NYC website, in consumer media and a documentary that was globally distributed through MySpace (and viewed more than a quarter of a million times). At the Show & Party, two of the groups, Dagmar (a rock duo) and Next Tribe (a psychedelic rock band with beat boxer) made an appearance and played the songs that launched the album.
Droga5, New York took home two major awards at the ANDYs: The Richard T. O’Reilly Award (for Public Service Announcement) and The Innovation Award (ANDY’s newest category), both for the agency’s Million campaign. Droga5 also won two Gold Awards for the Jewish Council for Education & Research 'The Great Schlep'. This is the second year that Droga5 won the O’Reilly Award, acknowledging the agency’s talent for creating compelling, memorable work that impacts social issues. Last year, Droga received the award for its Tap Project campaign for UNICEF. The Innovation Award, celebrating innovative fresh thinking, was established as a platform for inspired, imaginative work in any medium generating extraordinary buzz and setting the tone for how the industry is moving forward.
The Million campaign, created for the NY Department of Education, was designed to inspire students by engaging their interest in cell phone technology and interactivity. The campaign “re-branded” scholastic achievement for New York City’s public school students by reinforcing the connection between academic performance and future success. In place of a traditional advertising campaign, the program recognized and rewarded students’ personal achievements with something they actually wanted. Partnering with Verizon and Samsung, the Million, a free cell phone with free talk time and text messaging, rewarded students for excellent attendance, behavior, classroom participation, homework and grades.
Elements of the campaign included collateral materials (posters, flyers), a dedicated website and PR. (Creative Director: Duncan Marshall; Art Directors: Matty Burton and Cam Blackley - now both at Droga5, Sydney).
Leo Premutico, another expat Aussie now at his own agency Johannes Leonardo, New York, won Silver for Nomis Sports 'Damn Boots'.
Mark Waites, Creative Director and Founding Partner, Mother London and Chairman of the International ANDY Awards said about this year’s judging and final results, “it’s become very clear that new thinking in new media has replaced traditional ‘advertising’ executions. Clients and their agencies are becoming adept at embracing unusual approaches, concepts and mediums to transport their creative vision into work that makes viewers take notice and respond. Reaching consumers any place and any time has become a given but the most creatively open minds are setting their advertising apart, formulating unexpected ideas that are accessible to the audience.
“I’m extremely proud of the work we honor with an ANDY. It’s always inspirational, thought-provoking and an indicator of where our business is evolving. It’s been an enormous privilege to serve as the show’s Honorary Chairman for the past two years and I feel great excitement and optimism for how the challenges we face in today’s business climate will result in opportunity and innovation.”
The Awards Show and Party took place at Terminal 5 in New York City and was sponsored by Rackspace. The International ANDY Awards, now in its 45th year, is one of the world’s preeminent advertising industry awards shows. Famous for its outstanding senior caliber jury, the ANDYs (www.andyawards.com) celebrate creative excellence in broadcast, print, interactive, outdoor and integrated advertising. It is facilitated by The ADVERTISING Club of NY.

Marketforce Perth has developed a new series of ads highlighting the dramatic impact that The Salvation Army has on the lives of young people suffering from neglect and abuse.
Through their Crossroads West program, The Salvation Army provides valuable support for young people whose home lives are severely disrupted by their parents or guardians' alcohol and drug addiction, physical abuse or abandonment. The Salvos have set up residential houses to provide a safe and stable environment to help them make the transition to independent living.
The initial brief was for a single ad for a special edition of Campaign Brief WA but was expanded into a campaign based on the strength of the concept.
The Salvation Army's Warren Palmer said "These ads depict strong visual images of the reality that troubled youth face in WA every day and we hope to use the campaign across other areas".
CREDITS: Agency: Marketforce. Writer: Ryan Albuino. Art Director: Andrew Chu. Creative Director: Andrew Tinning. Photographer: Allan Myles. Retoucher: Madeleine de Pierres. Producer: Kate Downie.

 

Lowe Sydney is behind a viral campaign to promote the upcoming Fifa World Cup qualifying series in Australia.
In less than a week, a clip promoting the Uzbekistan game on April 1 has caught worldwide attention online. It has become the fifth most-viewed sports clip in the world on YouTube and has already accumulated 350,000 hits in total to date.
Due to a widespread belief in Australia that the Socceroos are sure to qualify, Lowe and FFA have adopted an unorthodox strategy: to promote the opposition as fierce adversaries capable of knocking Australia out.
The campaign kicked off with a highly authentic looking Uzbeki training film seeded online last week. This featured the team being subjected to extreme and uncompromising training methods in a bid to up the ante against Australia.
Lowe Sydney executive creative director, Dave Johnson said: "The footage is loaded with contradictory cues that make the skills, on the one hand, feel highly credible, and on the other,  feel quite incredible. The result is very engaging: it’s prompted huge amounts of commentary and given the films real viral traction."
The training footage has now been commandeered for a national TV push to directly promote sales to the game on the premise: Qualification Just Got Harder. The campaign will evolve, with follow up activity around the later qualifying clashes with Bahrain and Japan.
 
Client: FFA
Client Contact: Pete Jarmain
Agency: Lowe Sydney
Creative Team: Dave Gibson, Nathan Lennon
Executive Creative Director: Dave Johnson
Group Account Director: Nathan Quailey
Senior Account Manager: Guy Lovell
Head of Production: Lisa Brown
Digital Creative Director: Tom Markham
Digital Producer: Karim Hadid
Production Company: Photoplay Films
Director: Scott Otto Anderson
Producer/DOP: Oliver Lawrence
3D Animation: Fuel VFX
Editor: Simon Njoo (Guillotine)
Sound: Simon Lister (Nylon)

Visa, via agency Whybin\TBWA Sydney, has launched a major new marketing campaign in Australia with the tagline, “More people go with Visa Debit”, aimed at promoting the benefits of Visa Debit cards for online, telephone and international transactions. 
Chris Clark, Visa’s General Manager for Australia and New Zealand, said the campaign reflected the increasing popularity of Visa Debit cards in the challenging economic climate, as consumers focused on better ways to manage their money.

View the commercial

Executive Creative Director: Garry Horner
Copywriter: Tammy Keegan
Art Director: Miles Jeffreys
Head of TV: Sean Ascroft
Group Account Director: Nitsa Zafis
Account Director: Ryan Bernal
Director: Michael Spiccia
Producer: Sam Long
Production Company: Goodoil Films

The Gruen Transfer returns to ABC1 this Wednesday at 9pm with Wil Anderson, Todd Sampson and Russel Howcroft, plus guests Dan Gregory and Jane Caro. The panel looks at Australian Tourism and Recession advertising, Michael Phelps is the subject for Endorse Me and on The Pitch, McCann Erickson (Melbourne) goes head-to-head with Marketforce (Perth) to sell Nuclear Reactors.

MORE GRUEN ONLINE
Exclusive and waiting for you right now
Is half an hour of Gruen just not enough? Well, thanks to the newfangled Interweb, we can now bring you the larger, economy-sized program. The second season of ABC-TV’s The Gruen Transfer features a brand new weekly segment, exclusive to the online audience at the show’s hit website.
The new segment, ‘GOD, I HATE THIS AD!, lets host Wil Anderson sound off about an ad that has been annoying him. Having had his spray, he then dares the industry panel to defend it.
The segment will be responsive to audience suggestions. If you’ve got an ad that’s really making you twitchy, you can tell us at the website and if Wil can build up a head of steam about it, it could become a target.
‘GOD I HATE THIS AD!’ will be available straight after the show goes to air. Take a look at a sneak preview of this week’s segment, which looks at Chrysler’s 'Yes We Can' spot.
The Gruen Transfer website, which has been nominated for a prestigious international Webby Award, has been a huge hit with online audiences and is one of ABC-TV’s most popular sites.
Last year, an astonishing 10,000 mashup clips were created for Gruen Beer, Bank and Beauty by viewers using the tools on the Consumer Revenge segment of the site. This year, viewers get the chance to pit their skills against Baz Luhrmann and come up with a tourism campaign to sell Australia to the world.

News Limited AWARD School Sydney welcomed the next creative generation at the opening lecture and welcome drinks last night with an inspirational line-up of speakers
AWARD School Sponsor News Limited, AWARD Committee members, students, tutors, lecturers, and AWARD School founder Ray Black, all came together last night to celebrate the opening of the 26th year of the ideas-based training program for aspiring creatives.
Speakers included Matt Keon, AWARD School graduate and Creative Director at Fallon, London, Richard Maddocks – Executive Creative Director of Clemenger BBDO Sydney and AWARD Chairman, Garth Agius, Group Director of Marketing: Advertising & Integration - News Limited and AWARD School co-heads Rebecca Carrasco – Creative Director, CRC Sydney (AWARD School graduate) and Paul Bruce, Creative at BMF Sydney.
The crowd continued on at The Barrio, where eager students met their tutors and lecturers who’ll be guiding and teaching them over the next three months.
18 of the best agencies in Sydney are involved in tutoring this year on the Thursday evenings, and on Monday evenings students will hear lectures from the industries top creative leaders and innovators. So far the all-star lineup includes; Micah Walker – Publicis Mojo; Dennis Koutoulogenis – BMF; Justin Drape – Three Drunk Monkeys; Jonathan Kneebone – Glue Society; Nick Worthington – Colenso BBDO; James Procter – George Patterson Y&R; Andrew Ostrom – Adpartners; Ashley Ringrose – SOAP; Dave Bowman – Saatchi & Saatchi and Michael Kean – FBI Recruitment.
AWARD wishes to thank the following for their involvement in tutoring in NSW:  Adpartners, BMF, BWM, Clemenger BBDO, DDB Sydney, DRAFTFCB, Euro RSCG, JWT, Leo Burnett, Lowe Sydney, M&C Saatchi, MARK, Publicis Mojo, Saatchi & Saatchi, The Brand Shop, The Furnace, The Works and Whybin/TBWA,.
 
For further information on News Limited AWARD School, including registration for 2010 contact Hannah Morden at AWARD on 02 9699 2999 or email hannah@awardonline.com

Top row: .Dave Bowman, CD, Saatchi & Saatchi; Hannah Morden, AWARD and Rebecca Carrasco,CD, CRC Sydney and AWARD School co-head.
Tim Cairns, DDB Sydney and Iggy Rodriguez, Saatchi & Saatchi
Second row: Matt Keon, CD, Fallon London and Sam Hibbard – Art Director, The Glue Society
Matt Mortimer, Adpartners and Micah Walker, CD, Publicis Mojo.
Third row: Speaker Garth Agius, Group Director of Marketing: Advertising & Integration - News Limited.
Speaker Paul Bruce, Creative, BMF Sydney and AWARD School co-head.
Bottom row: Speaker Rebecca Carrasco, CD, CRC Sydney and AWARD School co-head.
Speaker Richard Maddocks, ECD, Clemenger Sydney and AWARD Chairman.

Ivan Robinson's wake is on tonight at The Clock Hotel at 6pm.
It should be a good night, lots of old advertising fossils will be attending, complete with their Zimmer Frames,
Colostomy bags, hearing aids, etc.
Guy Winston is flying in from London to MC the occasion, Ron Mather has chartered his own jet to make sure he doesn't miss the event.
A Gzillion tributes have flowed in from Aussies abroad and old chums from London and New York.

Cheers,
Greg Desmond

News Limited has extended the deadline for entries into the Australian Young Lions Competition for Print and Cyber.  Those wishing to submit an entry into the competition now have until 5pm Wednesday 18 March, 2009 to enter.
The International Advertising Festival extended their entry into Cannes at the same time as the Young Lions deadline, creating confusion in the creative community.
Given this News Limited have decided to keep Young Lions creative entries open for one additional week, now closing Wednesday March 18th.
The print brief is to create a newspaper ad for MOSHTIX, using a creative shape from News Limiteds’ 'Think Outside the Rectangle' book.  Entrant teams must include an Art Director and Copywriter.
The Cyber brief has been developed for an online communication ad or campaign for Vogue and teams must comprise of a Web Designer and Copywriter.
The Australian Young Lions Competition 2009 prize is the chance to represent Australia against up to 39 other countries in the Young Lions Competition at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.  Judges will select 3 teams of two; a pair from each of the categories - Media, Print and Cyber.
Visit www.ozcannes09.com.au to download either the Cyber or Print brief, how to enter, guidelines and to learn more about the prize.
 
Entries should be submitted in hard copy format to:
Catherine Labbate
Two De Force 
Australian Young Lions Competition Co-ordinator 
Studio 1, 53 Great Buckingham St  Redfern NSW 2016
 

Entries submitted into Final Call will be considered for the main gongs in the 2009 Siren Awards. .
Get your entry in for your last chance to win automatic entry into the Radio Lions and a trip for two to Cannes!
Radio commercials must have aired anytime between 31 March 2008 and 13 March 2009.
Entry is free and open now - click here to enter.

More trouble for Australian TVC production companies on the horizon? As the US economy continues to tumble, Omnicom, the world's biggest ad agency holding company - housing networks BBDO, DDB and TBWA - is acting to limit its exposure to debt by enforcing sequential liability language in production contracts that may prove overwhelming for most production companies. Their payment stance, which may be introduced in other markets outside the US (Omnicom backed down in the UK), will hobble production companies, say industry players, in this report from Creativity

Sir John Hegarty, chairman and worldwide creative director, BBH, London, warns that scam advertising is a very serious problem, and if it continues, will undermine completely the value of awards and end up destroying them.
Hegarty, who received a knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2007, is heading to Asia as the film jury president at AdFest 2009, taking place next week (March 19-21) in Thailand.
In an exclusive interview with Campaign Brief Asia, Hegarty likens scams to drugs at the Olympics as well as gives his views on the value of creativity in these hard economic times. Read the whole story on the CB Asia website.

A book to launch a new generation of copywriter.
The secret to seductive copy will be revealed at the Copywriting In Action book launch on Friday, 20 March at Storey Hall, RMIT Melbourne.

Author Nicolas Di Tempora takes the reader on a journey to discover the process of creating a compelling piece of communication, from the development of a single-minded concept to the completion of the final draft.
From get go, the reader takes front seat in a master class taught with an energetic, challenging and stimulating dialogue between Teacher and Student. “I loved it.” Says Jane Caro, copywriter and panellist on the Gruen Transfer. "I used to think there were no really good textbooks about copywriting, but I've changed my mind.”
The act of copywriting for print, screen, radio and the web are demonstrated in five compelling, page-turning chapters, making this the bible for the new generation of students and practitioners of marketing, advertising, professional writing and graphic design.
“By the time you get to the end of this book, you will be equipped with all the skills, disciplines and knowledge that are necessary if you want to become a successful copywriter,” says creative legend Ron Mather.
World renowned copywriter John Bevins agrees: “If I’d had this book when I first started, and read it attentively, I could have discovered the Holy Grail in 15 minutes. It’s there in six words, but I’ll not give It away.”
Copywriter and teacher, Nicolas Di Tempora, has been working for 28 years as a copywriter and art director in the advertising business for agencies such as JWT International, Saatchi & Saatchi and DDB, collecting awards along the way.
Copies of Copywriting In Action will be available at the launch and from www.ditempora.com.au

Copywriting In Action book Launch
When: Friday, 20 March
Time: 6-9pm
Place: Storey Hall RMIT, 342 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Guest speakers from advertising, RMIT University and graduates of Copywriting in Action will inaugurate the book launch.
Email: info@ditempora.com.au

The TVC production industry is bracing for a tough year ahead as the global economic crisis and media fragmentation impacts advertising budgets. Lower profit margins have seen companies reducing their overheads, while still trying to maintain the same level of service, sparking fears this will force some companies to close.
Already, Cutting Edge has announced it will return to its core business, tightening director salaries and leasing out some of its office space in Brisbane to reduce costs.  And Independent Films has drastically scaled back its operations (it will continue to line produce for existing international clients and select local productions, as well as representing directors Peter Cherry, Tim Kirkby and Tony Krawitz).
One top TVC production company executive producer told CB that in the past month they’ve been asked by two agencies to fund the cost of the production with the client paying them once the job has finished: “This in effect would turn us into a bank, a bank that doesn’t charge interest. I don’t know of any business that could survive like this. The only solution was for us to charge interest on the money and to ask for a letter of credit from the client’s bank stating the amount and date the money would go into our account,” she says.
Also, more directors are pitching for each job, with up to five directors asked to provide full treatments, even on low budget jobs. “Weeks are spent on pitching for jobs, doing research usually the world over, and the chances of getting it are reduced because everyone is undercutting each other to just keep their business turning over. The treatments can cost anywhere between $3,000 to $6,000. Clients now are becoming used to the reduced budgets and this is considered normal."
Executive producer of Revolver, Michael Ritchie (pictured), says the categories of beer and sport are holding up, along with the occasional car commercial. However, with production companies working off budgets set before the downturn, there’s apprehension about what will happen after June 30 when the new budgets are drawn up.
Already, the odd job has disappeared at approval stage.
“Getting someone to sign on the dotted line actually made them think, ‘will we do this or not?’ and they’ve chosen not to, but for the most part we’ve been enjoying a pretty steady stream of work,” he says. “Maybe the word TVC is becoming a little redundant, maybe that term is too narrow a description. Most stuff that is any good has a life way beyond free-to-air.”
Ritchie says the landscape has changed, but there are opportunities, for example, fragmentation puts the focus back on creating entertaining content that people will seek out and the drop in the dollar makes Australia a more attractive place to shoot for US agencies.
While companies like Doritos, Samboy and Subway have turned to the public to generate their ads in widely-publicized competitions, he says they are ‘nice ideas’ rather than a sustainable threat.
“If they do that, then someone else won’t do that, they will do something different,” he says.
At a recent SPAA sponsored forum on TVC production, many attendees called for a closer dialogue between agencies and production companies.
Most agree this is the way forward. Said one attendee: “It would be great if we can all work together to ensure that everyone survives and there’s fairness in what’s happening. At the moment the scales are tipped against production companies.”
 

Cerebos Australia Ltd. has released a campaign for Riva instant coffee with the launch of a new mini drama series.  Developed by colman rasic carrasco and produced by Curious Films, RIVA STAKEOUT premieres at www.rivastakeout.com
The story revolves around the life of two main characters, who have more reason than most to stay alert around the clock. Starring Teo Gebert (star of Underbelly) and Markus Hamilton as crime-fighting private investigators Mike DeFonza and Larry Twiggs, STAKEOUT also features guest appearances from Big Brother starlet Krystal Forscutt and rapper/comedian Daivin Verduci (aka Ken Hell).
The tongue-in-cheek mini-series will be supported by a significant online campaign (including social media) as well as radio, print, outdoor, transit, point-of-sale and a major consumer promotion.
Says George Crocker, CEO of Cerebos ANZ: “our tuned-in coffee drinking audience have embraced web-based entertainment and social media and we are excited to put Riva right into the heart of their world with the STAKEOUT mini-series”.
Agency Executive Creative Directors, Rebecca Carrasco and Dejan Rasic both agree: “We’re excited about creating a long-form idea based on a truth around instant coffee consumption. We’ve all had a lot of fun with this one.”
Shot in and around Sydney, STAKEOUT is directed by Nicholas Reynolds whose past credits include the award-winning Lynxjet campaign.

Client: Cerebos Australia
Client Contact: Kim Littleton, Jai Sanderson, Stephen Commerford, Helena Ivec
Agency: colman rasic carrasco
Creative Team: Alex Romans & Nadia Ahmad
Executive Creative Directors: Dejan Rasic & Rebecca Carrasco
Account Director: James Kennedy
Agency Producer: Rene Shalala
Digital Producer: Nick Lee
Production Company: Curious Films
Director: Nick Reynolds
Executive Producer: Peter Grasse
Producer: John Rogers
DoP: Earle Dresner
Editor: Drew Thompson
Audio Production: Song Zu
Composer: Lindsay Jehan
Sound Designer: Simon Kane
Voice Artist: Lee Perry
Photographer: Stephen Stewart
Retouching: Electric Art

The deadline to enter the Australian Young Lions Competition 2009 is this Wednesday March 11th. But if you're interstate and need until Thursday to get it to Sydney, ring Catherine Labbate at Two De Force on (02) 8115-8101 to let her know.

The Australian Young Lions Competition 2009, which is open to advertising professionals under the age of 28, identifies young talent within the domestic media, advertising and marketing communications industry.
The winners of the competition, who will be chosen by a panel of industry leaders, will represent Australia in the worldwide Young Lions Competition at this year’s Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, where they will compete against 40 other national representatives.
There are three categories in the Australian Young Lions Competition 2009 – Media, Print and Cyber.
This year, the Media Young Lions category brief will be judged in two stages. Two winner’s will be selected from each state who will compete in a national final to be held in Sydney. The Media Young Lion brief will be based on a number of News Limited media assets. The Print Young Lions Competition brief is for Moshtix and the Cyber Young Lions Competition brief is for Vogue Australia 50th Anniversary.
News Limited will send the six winning Australian Young Lions to the Festival, covering flights, accommodation and Festival registration.
The deadline for submissions for the Australian Young Lions Competition is 5pm on Wednesday, 11th March 2009. The winning entries will be announced at the end of April.
Full details about the competition, the briefs and how to enter can be found at www.ozcannes09.com.au
“We are once again pleased to support the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Our key activity leading up to the festival is the Australian Young Lions Competition, which provides a unique experience for young people in the advertising industry and is the perfect vehicle for News Limited to foster creativity and innovation amongst future industry leaders,” said News Limited’s group director of marketing: advertising and integration, Garth Agius.
Kate Lippett, communications manager of Ikon and last year's Australian Young Lions Media representative said, “This initiative by News Limited provides a great opportunity for the younger advertising and media stars to be exposed to the world’s best practice in our field. I know first hand how inspiring and motivating this event is - the whole experience is mind-blowing every step of the way, and has certainly given me the confidence to be innovative. I would absolutely encourage anyone to enter.”
 
NEW CANNES WEBSITE
Check out News Limited's official Australian Cannes Lions website www.ozcannes09.com.au which contains detailed information about the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
This comprehensive website includes:
o  latest Festival news and announcements
o  details, entry information, list of judges for the Australian Young Lions Competition
o  how to enter Cannes Lions
o  Attending the Festival
o  Cannes History
o  local contact details for any questions relating to the Festival

Australian Michael Jansen and Bas Korsten, highly awarded ex-DDB Executive Creative Directors and co-founders of Selmore, Amsterdam have officially started Nothing this week.
Nothing is an independent entrepreneurial agency that delivers innovation and commercial creativity for local and international clients out of a cardboard box. Literally. The Nothing office, built entirely of cardboard, was designed by internationally recognized designers Alrik Koudenburg and Joost van Bleiswijk.
Says Jansen: “Nothing is about the power of ideas, about how a single idea can transform nothing into something. Using a cheap throw-away material to build a unique and memorable work space, seemed a good way to materialize this thought.”
Nothing’s goal is simple: turn consumers into brand advocates by any means to hand. This approach sees Jansen and Korsten creating meaningful brand experiences ranging from product innovation and store design, to employee training programmes and, yes, even TV campaigns.
Bas Korsten says: “Technological innovation is developing at an amazing pace and so is the role of social persuasion, due to the wildfire growth of online social networks and blogs. At the same time traditional mass communication is being met with increased cynicism. This means that brand advocates are quickly becoming a brand’s most valuable asset”.
Alongside Nothing is ‘Nothing Ventured’, the company’s in-house business concepts development arm. Nothing Ventured sees the likes of architects, industrial- and 3D- designers and online specialists come together to make their ideas happen. Current projects include an experiential measurement product, a web-based travel platform, an international webshop for young fashion designers and even a new sport, with all the accompanying commercial opportunities. These initiatives can be brought to market both as stand-alone ventures or to directly benefit clients.
Australian-born Jansen (50) and Korsten (37) are one of the most successful creative teams in Europe, winning amongst others, the Eurobest Grand Prix and 11 Cannes Lions. They met in 1997 and became Executive Creative Directors (Board members) at DDB Amsterdam. They helped take the agency to ‘Agency of The Year’ status in 1999, 2001 and 2003 with pan-European clients including Volkswagen. In 2005 they co-founded Selmore with three partners and quickly gained a formidable list of clients including Unilever, Skoda Automobiles, Bavaria Brewery and Coca-Cola.

A new national short film competition is calling upon aspiring movie makers - and anyone with a camera - to put the spotlight on the dangers of binge drinking and be in with a chance to win a cool $10,000 cash, plus their film on MTV.
Four Australians aged under 25 years old die due to alcohol related injuries in an average week, and one in two 15 to 17 year olds who get drunk will do something they regret.
The Government’s current ‘in your face’ anti-binge drinking campaign shows how a night out can take an unexpected turn for the worse after one too many drinks.
mcm media, producer of The Hot Hits and Take 40, has launched The Drinking Nightmare Short Film Competition, giving film-making hopefuls the opportunity to tap into their creativity and join the effort in tackling the binge drinking epidemic among young Australians.
The new competition asks aspiring film makers, “How would you warn young Aussies about the dangers of binge drinking?”
For the chance to win, entrants must simply produce a 90-second short film that warns of the dangers of excessive drinking and features the tagline “don’t turn a night out into a nightmare.”
After the competition closes on 27 April, all submissions will be judged by a panel of industry experts and six finalists short-listed.  
The finalist films will be made available to view and vote for at www.drinkingnighmarefilms.com.au, leaving the public to decide on who will walk away with the $10k cash prize, and have their film broadcast nationally online and on MTV.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing the ideas and talent come through in addressing this social issue,” said Greg Tremain from mcm media.
 
To enter, films must be uploaded to www.drinkingnightmarefilms.com.au or sent to mcm media (address: Short Film Competition, mcm entertainment, Level 1, Building 210, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, NSW 2021) before 12:00pm (AEST) Monday 27 April 2009.

Simon McQuoid, who is currently ranked number 3 director in the world, according to the latest Gunn Report, has joined Revolver.
A native Australian, McQuoid (pictured in short sleeves on the Halo 3 shoot) began his career in Perth where he worked as an art director for various agencies. In 1995, he made the move to the US, where he worked his way to a Group Creative Director position for TBWA/Chiat/Day in New York. In 2003, he transitioned into directing, and since this time, he has won pretty much every award there is.  
In 2006, among a slew of awards, his spot for Drug Free America, ‘The Talk’, was selected to be a part of the permanent collection in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Most recently McQuoid’s X-Box Halo 3 launch films, picked up the coveted Film Grand Prix at Cannes, together with the Film Grand Clio, a D&AD Gold Pencil, and several Gold One Show pencils.
Says McQuoid: “The thing that appealed to me about Revolver first and foremost was the body of work across many directors, which was intelligent and well crafted, it had a sense of style as well as substance. There was a high regard for the quality of the idea in the scripts and that is something that is very important to me. There was an uncomplicated direct approach to the way they seem to go about their business, plus everyone I met there I just seemed to connect with, it just felt right”.
Executive Producer of Revolver, Michael Ritchie says: “Simon's Grand Prix win at Cannes was such impressive work.  I remember thinking that he nailed that stuff so well. Perfection.  We were introduced through a mutual friend in London, and it felt right straight away (to work together that is).  We are really incredibly excited to have him with us”. 
McQuoid is represented in Australia, New Zealand and Asia by Revolver and in the US by Imperial Woodpecker.

Revolver
Phone +61 2 9363 2122
revolverfilm.com

Cutting Edge, the Brisbane based film and television services company, with facilities in Sydney and Darwin, has responded to the global financial crisis by returning to its core business, tightening director salaries and reallocating valuable space at their headquarters on the Brisbane river. By acting promptly Cutting Edge has been able to keep staff redundancies in Brisbane and Sydney to a minimum.
“Our goal is to secure the company’s future without compromising the high standards our clients expect from us”, explains CEO Ray Smith.
The actions, announced on Friday, include making the top level of the Cutting Edge building in Brisbane’s West End available to new tenants.
Smith went on to explain: “We considered a lot of options, and in the end the financial reality package we’ve implemented will deliver the best results for the company, our staff and importantly for our clients.”  

Cannes has extended the deadline for all entries in all categories to March 27th.
For details go to the entry website.

Aussie expat Peter Bidenko, former creative director of Tequila Sydney, will be on the Cannes Lions Direct jury this year, representing the United Arab Emirates.
Bidenko told CB: “It’s great to be included and I’m looking forward to catching up with Gav MacLeod and the rest of the Australians.”
Bidenko has been working in Dubai since mid last year occupying a dual role as ECD of Impact Proximity, as well as CD of Impact BBDO. “It’s been a real eye opener over here. It’s really interesting working with a whole load of people from a range of cultures and with different levels of English. Understanding how a 16 year old Saudi kid ticks, for instance, has got me on a steep learning curve.
"Things are as pressured as everywhere else. Like all economies at the moment, Dubai has slowed down, especially in terms of property advertising which used to account for more than half of the ad spend. Things are still moving though and we’re starting to see some good ads being produced around the Middle East. The Dubai Lynx festival is helping to promote better standards right across all disciplines."
Bidenko is also head judge for the Asia Pacific region on the John Caples International Awards in New York. If anyone wants to say hello, his email is pobidenko@gmail.com

Melbourne’s Sputnik Agency has appointed leading UK digital creative Ed Carveth as creative director. Carveth previously held Creative Director roles at leading London digital agencies including Critical Mass, Craik Jones, Digitas and Modem Media.
Carveth’s portfolio of integrated work includes global campaigns for clients such as British Airways, Guinness, Gucci, Proctor & Gamble, Ericsson and Lloyds TSB banking, as well as European campaigns for SEGA Europe.
Managing Director Stephen O’Farrell says that the appointment bolsters Sputnik’s position as one of Asia Pacific’s most highly skilled digital agencies: "Ed is one of the world's most talented creative directors across both traditional and digital media. With more than 15 years experience in the online marketing arena, he has the depth of knowledge required to optimise the relationship between brand, creative and technology.”
Says Carveth: “Agencies are under more pressure than ever to deliver outstanding creative solutions for their clients. I am very much looking forward to continuing the Sputnik Agency tradition of delivering industry leading creative solutions for one of the best client lists in the Asia Pacific region.”  
In his role Carveth will also be responsible for delivering creative work for Sputnik’s parent company, KIT digital throughout APAC. 

That’s AFA Graduate Trainee from Class of 1998, Leo Premutico. Leo, former ECD of Saatchi & Saatchi, New York and acclaimed as one of the most awarded creatives in the world. He turned 30 last year and struck out with his creative partner to form Johannes Leonardo, New York.
At a (now) SOLD OUT event this coming Monday Leo will talk about creating the US publics’s favourite Superbowl commercial, running a $350m piece of business, directing ads, starting up his own company in a recession, why he doesn’t keep any of those statues, and why he feels like he still has a lot to learn.

Figures released by Roy Morgan Research yesterday confirm that Australians spend more time with television than any other media.
Analysis of the Roy Morgan Research single source survey (January to December 2008), shows that people spend 43 per cent of their media time with television, watching on average 21.5 hours of television a week. This compares to 14.2 hours per week for radio, 10.7 hours per week for the internet, 3.3 hours per week for newspapers and 1.7 hours per week for magazines. 
The figures echo OzTAM and Regional TAM official ratings data that show in 2008 Australians on average spent 3 hours and 8 minutes a day watching television in metro markets, and 3 hours and 21 minutes a day in regional markets. The vast majority of this time is spent viewing Free TV.
Free TV Marketing Director, Ms Rhonda Brown, says the figures reaffirm that watching television is still Australia’s favourite pastime. “Despite the plethora of new entertainment options, our appetite for television isn’t waning.
“Television remains an integral part of Australian culture and very much a part of our everyday lives,” says Brown.


 

Spiral Media continues to celebrate a series of new project wins, most recently adding Unilever’s Golden Gaytime, one of their iconic ice cream products, to their client base.
After laying low for the past few years, the Golden Gaytime is back, showcasing its  retro TV spots from the early 80s. 
Spiral Media will launch the TVCs on the No.1 Facebook application SuperWall, with the aim of utilising social media networks to drive peer to peer distribution and endorsement.  This application is advantageous for advertisers as a play is only counted when the trailer is viewed for more than 10 seconds.  Plus advertisers do not pay for ‘viral forwards’, so this value-add viral component is highly desirable.

After 17 years of providing production services for television commercials, INDEPENDENT FILMS founders Angela and Peter Bray have decided to wind back the company’s operations. 
They will continue to provide line producing services for their loyal international clients, as well as representing Directors Peter Cherry, Tim Kirkby & Tony Krawitz. They will also line produce for select local productions as the opportunity arises.
Having spent close to 30 years in the commercial production industry in Australia, the Brays are looking forward to taking some well-deserved time to enjoy their mutual love of travel.
Says Independent founder, Angela Bray: “Over the years the industry has given us some amazing experiences, however we feel it’s now time to take a little bit of a back seat and let the next generation of film makers take over. We thank past and present directors as well as our incredible staff who over the years all contributed to making Independent Films such a great place to work. We wish everyone in the current Independent Team the best of luck in their next steps and hope for great things for each & everyone.” 
After three successful and enjoyable years at Independent, Director Fiona McGee will be moving to GOOD OIL FILMS, with Claire Richards as her producer. 
Director Scott Otto Anderson, Oliver Lawrance & Florence Tourbier will be embarking on a new adventure with the opening of their own production company, PHOTOPLAY FILMS. They can be contacted on 0412 265 078 or oliver@photoplayfilms.com.au or at: www.photoplayfilms.com.au
Jonathan Teplitzky and Kare Godsell will be “metaphorically sleeping on friends’ couches until (they) find a more permanent home.” They can be contacted on 0417 281 676 or kare@thingos.com.au
Rene Hernandez and Kristina Ceyton will also be looking for a new production company. In the meantime they can be contacted on 0400 535 025 or kceyton@optusnet.com.au
SAys Angela Bray: "A huge thank you goes out to all the people who have been part of the INDEPENDENT FAMILY over the years. Thank you all!"

To contact INDEPENDENT FILMS:
Mob: 0416 162 014    
Email: angela@independentfilms.com.au
www.independentfilms.com.au 

Micah Walker, ECD at Publicis Mojo Sydney, James Procter, ECD at George Patterson Y&R Sydney and Luca Ionescu from Like Minded Studio were all voted on to the 2009 AWARD committee at last night's AGM held in Sydney.
Portfolios for new committee members will be allocated at the full committee meeting today, Wednesday 4th March. Says Richard Maddocks, AWARD Chairman: “AWARD needs the best people in the industry if we are to move forward and we were delighted with the extremely high standard of nominees this year. Our members have chosen three exceptional industry talents to help us build on the momentum of last year and continue to champion, educate and foster creative excellence. I look forward to an exciting year working with the new committee.”

Pictured at the AGM (clockwise from top left):
Paul Nagy, Mark Harricks and Richard Maddocks (AWARD Chairman)
Simon Bagnasco, Chris Northam and Jim Ingram
Michael Lynch, Paul Nagy, Richard Maddocks and Steve Back
Jimmy Clough and Murray Laird
 
The 2009 AWARD committee:
NSW
Richard Maddocks – Clemenger BBDO
Michael Ritchie – Revolver
Darryn Devlin – Kastner and Partners
Steve Back – Saatchi & Saatchi Australia
Mark Harricks – DDB
Martin O’Halloran – DDB
Rebecca Carrasco – CRC
Paul Bruce – BMF
Micah Walker - Publicis Mojo
James Procter - George Patterson Y&R
Luca Ionescu - Like Minded Studio
Victoria
Jim Ingram – George Patterson Y&R
South Australia
Jim Robinson – Jamshop
Western Australia
Murray Laird – Marketforce
Brett Wheeler – RARE Creative Thinking
Queensland
Grant Johnston –Clemenger Harvie Edge
Tasmania
Jimmy Clough – Red Jelly
New Zealand
Paul Nagy – Clemenger BBDO Wellington
Mike O’Sullivan – Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand
Singapore
Juggi Ramakrishnan – BBDO Singapore

PATTAYA: Some of the region’s top production companies are setting up booths at the ADFEST 2009 Production Corner to showcase their services and directors.
These include Cirkus, New Zealand; Telemaz Commercials, Germany; Remix Studio, Bangkok and Benetone, Bangkok.
As a Platinum Sponsor, the NSW Department of State and Regional Development will showcase 20 production companies and post production companies from Australia.
These include Curious Film, Cherub Pictures, Postmodern Sydney, Engine, Cyclops Films, Flying Gherkin, Cream TV, ProMotion Studios, Film Construction, Arithmetic and more.
ADFEST’s Production Corner takes place at the Pattaya Exhibition & Conference Hall (PEACH) during ADFEST 2009 on 19-21 March 2009.
The production corner is a relaxed, friendly environment for meeting some of the region’s most inspirational producers, directors and production executives and is certain to be one of the most popular networking places at this year’s ADFEST.
For further information, visit www.adfest.com

Former Loud, Sydney creative director Andy Firth (left), who left the agency back in November, has gone into business with his old art director Gary Cunliffe from their Saatchi & Saatchi, O&M, Leo’s days to form Mammal.
Firth told CB: "Cunliffe has been a director with Plump Films for the last six years (and still is). So, by becoming a creative team again we are able to write, shoot and produce commercials all in-house, start to finish (we’ll do the same with print etc as well).
"The logic is, in these tough times, we can work more efficiently without a cumbersome bigger agency structure, cut out agency mark ups and ensure clients see more of their budget on screen or on in print. We picked up our first sizeable client on Friday.
"We’re called Mammal, because that’s what outlived the dinosaurs."
Mammal can be contacted on: 02 9009 4555 or 0404 883 706
Email Andy Firth

Attention all AWARD GOLD Members: The AWARD AGM for 2009 is TONIGHT, Tuesday 3rd March, 2009 at The White Horse Hotel, 381-385 Crown Street Surry Hills, commencing at 5pm (free drinks and nibblies) with the AGM starting at around 6pm. A great opportunity to catch up with your peers and to hear what AWARD has in store for 2009.

www.awardonline.com
Telephone +61 2 9699 2999
Fax +61 2 9699 2928

Joe Van Trump has been promoted to creative director of Loud, Sydney, filling the void left by the departure of Andy Firth a few months back to start his own shop.
Van Trump brings over 17 years of experience to the position, and the Texan raised (and proud new Australian) joined LOUD four years ago as a senior copywriter, responsible for Pharmacare, Western Union, BridgeClimb and ING. He has worked on several groundbreaking creative campaigns including his recent award-winning work for Animals Australia, and utilised his international experience to build brands and relationships with key clients across the organisation. Prior to LOUD he was at DDB Sydney as a creative group head on McDonald’s. In the U.S. he worked with JWT and DDB in Chicago.
“Working at LOUD over the last few years has been a terrific experience," says Van Trump. :The fact that we’re a mid sized and independently owned agency not only allows me the flexibility to work on more accounts, but also gives me the power to influence change more quickly and easily."
Says Lorraine Jokovic, COO of Loud: “LOUD’s an agency experiencing strong growth in a broad range of disciplines, and Joe was the outstanding candidate for the position. He is an excellent leader, team worker, problem solver and mentor. We have no doubt he will excel in this role."

AKA 'Advertising at the Speed of Culture', (Stolen from Colleen DeCourcy, Chief Digital Officer, TBWA Worldwide.):
"On March 1st a young man called Paul Smith departed England for thirty days. His sole stated aim is to travel as much as the globe as possible with the help of the people on Twitter. Thus ‘Twitchhiker’ was born.
 'Twitchhiker' is on the cusp of becoming an on-line phenomena. He has got over 5ooo followers and is growing.
He doesn’t want his trip paid for-that would completely nullify the idea. But some help would be fine and Dandy.
To coincide with the global launch of the new Visa campaign, we give him a pre loaded Visa card with US$1000 on it, and he liked that idea. Enough to know he can eat on a daily basis. (He would put half towards the charity benefiting from the trip. "Charity: Water")
So he set sail on Sunday from Newcastle to Amsterdam, the Brussels, then Paris, then wherever...
Adds TBWA\Whybin, Auckland ECD, Andy Blood: "And I just found out he wore our agency T shirt for the first two legs, and in the photostream on Flickr you'll see he also packed the Visa cards."
His progress can be followed on Twitter, google maps, Flickr, etc

Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney’s Iggy Rodriguez and Justin Carew have been selected to represent Australia in ADFEST’s Young Lotus Competition, sponsored by FBI Recruitment.
Portfolios from creative teams under 30 were received from across Australia and judges looked for the best creative thinking across a variety of mediums. As winners Rodriguez and Carew will receive return airfares to Pattaya, Thailand to be official guests of ADFEST. This includes meals and accommodation for the duration of their stay as well as a 2-day workshop session just prior to the event.  As the first ever team from Australia, they will be competing against teams flying in from 16 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The ADFEST Young Lotus program has been running for 6 years.
This year's Film Jury president is the legendary Sir John Hegarty, chairman and worldwide creative director of BBH. The Press + Poster Jury president is Mark Tutssel, worldwide creative director of Leo Burnett.

KesselsKramer Exports: 12 Years of Posters and Other Communications to arrive in Australia in June 2009

Melbourne-based creative agency The Surgery is collaborating with Dutch communications agency KesselsKramer to import the exhibition KesselsKramer Exports: 12 Years of Posters and Other Communications.
Featuring a retrospective of KesselsKramer’s famed commercial and cultural posters, KesselsKramer Exports: 12 Years of Posters and Other Communications is a striking large-format collection that celebrates the purity and timelessness of the age-old medium.
Facilitating the exhibition is The Surgery’s Managing Director Simon Hakim, after being inspired by a world tour in 2006 to some of the world’s most-lauded creative agencies in New York, Amsterdam, London and Hong Kong. “It was an amazing opportunity to spend time at agencies we really admired such as StrawberryFrog, Mother, 180 and of course KesselsKramer.  This gave us an invaluable insight into how they operate, and made me realise we could be doing more to promote creativity in our industry. So we decided to invite KesselsKramer to Australia,” said Simon Hakim.
KesselsKramer is a communications agency based in Amsterdam and London. They are internationally recognised for their innovative and cutting edge approach to contemporary marketing, with a highly creative and cross-disciplinary approach to marketing, branding, advertising and campaign organisation. Since 1996, KesselsKramer has produced communication for the likes of Absolut Vodka, Diesel, 55DSL, the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel, Vitra, J&B whisky and Oxfam International. KesselsKramer also has its own publishing arm, curates exhibitions and events, has initiated and developed new brands, services and products, and has produced TV programmes and documentaries.
KesselsKramer Exports: 12 Years of Posters and Other Communications exhibition will be open to all from 4 June to 14 June 2009 at Guildford Lane Gallery, 20-24 Guildford Lane, Melbourne, and from 18 June to 28 June 2009 at Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Everleigh. In addition, KesselsKramer Creative Director and Partner Dave Bell will also be facilitating workshops and seminars in both Melbourne and Sydney. Availability is strictly limited.
For further information on KesselsKramer Exports: 12 Years of Posters and Other Communications exhibition, workshops or seminars, please email Simon Hakim at simon@thesurgery.com.au

AWARD and the MADC, PADC, AADC and BAD Club have announced a joint membership offer for existing and new members in 2009. 
The move adds greater benefits to members across the country and will form stronger ties amongst the clubs. The structure offers a considerable saving for those already paying the two memberships, and will offer a great incentive for new members to sign up and be supporters of their local and national industry body.
Says AWARD Chairman Richard Maddocks (pictured): “It’s vitally important AWARD’s membership is truly national. This a great initiative for AWARD and the local bodies to work closer together and subsequently for members outside of NSW to play a greater role in AWARD.”
 
What benefits will a Joint AWARD Membership offer? 
All the current benefits already attached to each state club membership, plus:
• Gold Members of AWARD can nominate and vote for AWARD Committee Members 
• Gold Members of AWARD can nominate for the AWARD Juries 
• Have the right to stand for the AWARD Committee  
• At least a $50 discount entry into the AWARD Awards Night
• Receive the latest AWARD Annual for free
• Have your name in the AWARD Annual and AWARD website 
• Free ticket into the AWARD School Graduation party nights across the
country 
• Free ticket entry into the VIP KODAK AWARD New Director of the Year &
AWARD Judges event in Sydney

The new joint membership will cost $285, and $263 for existing MADC Members. MADC existing members will save $147, new members $125, PADC members will save $150, BAD members $88 and AADC members $66.
 
“The goal of this years MADC committee is to make membership to our club a more worthwhile experience. I see this first initiative for ‘09 as a crucial step in this journey. It’s our belief that forming stronger ties with AWARD will enable us to add greater benefits to our membership” said Christy Peacock, president of the MADC.
Adds Charles Schaefer and Jim Strachan, BAD co-presidents: “We’re sure that many BAD Members will choose the great value of the BAD/AWARD joint membership. We’re also really excited about AWARD taking the lead in increased co-operation between the nation’s advertising clubs which can only mean bigger and better things for all of us. And there's that sweet AWARD Annual as part of the deal!”. 
Says PADC president Jeff Champaloup, CD at Braincells, Perth: “AWARD offers a creative forum our members see as critical in the development of their careers both nationally and further a field. So providing our them with the opportunity to be part of this national network is an important value add for us. We see this initiative as a positive step which can only have positive outcomes for our members.”
Adds AADC co-president Greg Knagge, CD of Clemenger BBDO Adelaide: "This is a terrific initiative that will not only bring added value to our members here in South Australia but it will also help show a more unified national creative face of our industry." 
For further information on joining please contact your relevant state administrators.
All current joint members of AWARD and state clubs will be contacted in regards to their cheaper renewal.
 
 
 
 

The Australian advertising industry will be saddened by the news of the sudden death of Ivan Robinson at his home in Cairns last week.
Ivan's son in law Dan Higson told CB: "As agency producer and production company principal Ivan was much loved and respected by all those who worked with him for his integrity, and especially for his appalling sense of humour. A wake will be arranged for his family and many friends in the near future. Ivan will be sorely missed by his two daughters Julia and Kate, 6 grandchildren and many, many friends."
Says artist and former agency art director Bob Marchant:  “You would have to walk a long way to find a kinder more gentle man and good friend than Ivan. I first met him in 1960 at the advertising agency Benton and Bowles where he was in the production department.
We would get together at lunch time for a pint, a laugh, a sausage and a game of darts.”
Adds Greg Desmond, who worked with Robinson at Desmond & Robinson in the late 80s: “All of a sudden there is a huge empty space in my life, my best mate Ivan, friend for 25 years, has gone. I will miss The Old Bean. That continual banter..... "I'm fucking Starving"... "present position"... "Yes, well, yes"... "Mustn't grumble" .........
“We first met in 1984 when Ivan was a freelance TV producer and I was a photographer. Later that year Ivan persuaded me to join him, and Desmond & Robinson became a production company. We had a fantastic time together, working on jobs for Australia, Europe and US Markets with shoots in Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, and New Zealand, until Ivan decided he needed to spend more time at home with his family.
“He had a break for a while, and then returned to freelance producing, later to join The Campaign Palace Sydney. Ivan loved working at The Palace and did so for many years until his good mate Lionel Hunt convinced him to work as agency producer for Lowe Hunt. He later did a stint at Mojo, and then Clemenger Sydney.
“Ivan retired to Bowen in QLD to open a very successful nursery, something he'd wanted to do forever. 
“Throughout the 25 years we have been best friends, had lots of laughs, and lots of lunches, I will miss him dearly. Good bye old friend.....”

Smaller pic: Ivan (right) with director Mike Hayes at a recent get together in Sydney.

The results for YGAward - January YoungGun of the Month are in, as judged by Galen Graham from DDB Chicago.
Professional YoungGuns of the Month are Lisa Fedyszyn and Jonathan McMahon from Colenso BBDO New Zealand for Alzheimer's 'Blank Photos'.
To raise awareness amongst New Zealanders of Alzheimer’s early warning signs they used blank photographs to communicate the importance of detecting Alzheimer’s early symptoms, like memory loss. After collecting photos from film processing stores, customers soon discovered that their first ten photos were totally blank. These were inserted in the front of each film, followed by a print that read: ‘The first thing you lose are your memories. For more information & support visit alzheimers.org.nz’
The Student YoungGuns of the Month are Hallvard Fjeldbraaten and Morten Halvorsen from Westerdal's School of Communication, Norway for their Discovery Channel idea - Fake Box.
CLICK HERE to see their work showcased. Graham has also picked a professional and student runner up, and provided a commentary on all the selected work. This can all been seen on the YoungGun of the Month Showcase.

Commercial Radio Australia has announced an extra two week call for entries, starting today, for any radio ad made at any time in the 2009 Siren Awards yearly cycle, to be considered for the main gongs in the 2009 Siren Awards. The Siren Final Call will allow agencies and radio stations to submit work previously not entered, or re-enter work that had not been recognised in the quarterly rounds.
Ads will be judged by a panel of experts and those chosen to be finalists will join winners and highly commended from each of the five rounds of Sirens already completed. All of these finalists will then be judged by the Siren Creative Council, a group of Australia’s leading creative directors and producers, with a winner from the three categories: campaign, single and craft then announced along with an overall winner: the Gold Siren. The winner will be announced in Sydney in early May.
The overall Gold Siren winner for 2009 will be automatically entered into this year’s Cannes Advertising Festival with the winning writers receiving a free trip to Cannes. This year’s Australian radio judge at Cannes Radio Lions, is Paul Reardon (pictured) from Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne and twice a former winner of a Gold Siren Award.
Chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, Joan Warner said the additional entry time for Sirens 2009 was to ensure advertising agencies, stations and studios throughout Australia had sufficient opportunity to participate in the national awards: “This is the final opportunity for people to be part of this year’s Siren Awards and entry is free – so it is well worth the effort,” Ms Warner said.
“Also given the global economic crisis and tough times, it is  a great opportunity to get to Cannes given the winner gets to go free,” Ms Warner said.
The national Siren Awards, now in their sixth year, 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.
Winners of the 2009 Siren Awards will be announced in Sydney early in May and the awards ceremony will coincide with a Masterclass, including some great information and speakers talking about making world-class radio ads.
For more information visit the dedicated website www.sirenawards.com.au.