DDB's Steinlager 'Believe' scores at 2012 CAANZ Effie Awards - Most Effective Agency of Year + 3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze and Grand Effie Award

Barnes, Catmur & Friends took home their own crafted six pack of Effie Awards. A Gold in each of the New Product or Service category and Most Effective Integrated Campaign and a Silver for their Boundary Road Brewery campaign and a Gold in the Retail/Etail category and two Bronze Awards for the Hell Pizza's Pizza Roulette campaign capped off a very successful night for the agency.

The Executive Judging panel awarded 2degrees Mobile the Most Effective Client of the Year for its collaboration with agency Whybin\TBWA helping a million Kiwis have a natter.  2degrees Mobile successfully broke the duopoly of the mobile communications market and achieved consistently stunning results over the past three years directly attributable to their advertising campaign. TBWA Digital Arts Network took home the Gold Effie in the Sustained Success category for their 'Zero to 1 million in just three years' campaign for 2degrees Mobile.

Completing the line-up of Executive Judge Awards was Clemenger BBDO's Gold Effie Award in the Hardest Challenge category for the much loved 'ghost chips' Legend campaign for New Zealand Transport Agency. There are few tougher communication tasks than encouraging young men to drive safely. Clemenger BBDO broke the mould of behaviour change campaigns bringing a fresh approach based on powerful insights.

In total, judges awarded 14 Gold, 11 Silver and 14 Bronze Effie Awards. 90 finalist entries had been whittled down from 170 entries by 174 judges from the advertising, marketing and research professions over the three judging stages.  In total, 39 entries received Effie Award metal.

Says Lew Bentley, convener of judges: "There were some tremendously strong entries that rose to the top with tight, well-crafted stories of business success driven by campaigns that were well thought through and perfectly executed. The winning campaigns all managed to show how they overcame difficult situations with a mix of clever strategy and compelling creative."

International guest judge Charlie Robertson, founder of the Red Spider Global network flew into Auckland for the final Executive Judging round.

Says Paul Head, CAANZ CEO: "Charlie brought an international perspective and a high degree of rigour to the final round of judging. His view was that the gold winners were genuinely world class."

Robertson, a veteran of several international Effie Award judging panels was impressed during his short stay.

Says Robertson: "What surprised me was the level of scrutiny and the challenge to actually get through to the final was a lot harder in New Zealand than in some other countries.

"The great thing about New Zealand is this is where the creativity is happening.There were some great insights, some fantastic ideas and some of the more intellectually challenging issues facing a small country with small budgets and how to tap into the New Zealand psyche was an education for me."

MAJOR EFFIE AWARD WINNERS:

Category: Grand Effie
Agency: DDB
Advertiser: Lion 
Campaign: Steinlager - Believe

Category: Most Effective Client of the Year
Winner: 2degrees Mobile
 
Category: Most Effective Agency of the Year
Winner: DDB
 
Category: Hardest Challenge
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Advertiser: New Zealand Transport Agency
Campaign: Legend
 
GOLD EFFIE AWARD WINNERS

Category: Sustained Success
Agency: TBWA Digital Arts Network
Advertiser: 2degrees Mobile
Campaign: Zero to 1 million in just three years
 
Category: Best Strategic Thinking
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Advertiser: New Zealand Transport Agency
Campaign: Legend
 
Category: Best Strategic Thinking
Agency: DDB
Advertiser: Lion
Campaign: Steinlager - Believe
 
Category: Most Effective Integrated Campaign
Agency: Barnes, Catmur & Friends
Advertiser: Boundary Road Brewery
Campaign: Boundary Road Brewery
 
Category: Most Effective Integrated Campaign
Agency: DDB
Advertiser: Lion
Campaign: Steinlager - Believe
 
Category: Most Effective PR/Experiential Campaign
Agency: ColensoBBDO
Advertiser: Frucor Beverages Ltd
Campaign: Mountain Dew Pinball Skatepark
 
Category: Social Marketing/Public Service
Agency: Clemenger BBDO
Advertiser: New Zealand Transport Agency
Campaign: Legend
 
Category: Retail/Etail
Agency: Barnes, Catmur & Friends
Advertiser: Hell Pizza
Campaign: Pizza Roulette
 
Category: Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
Agency: DDB
Advertiser: Lion 
Campaign: Steinlager - Believe
 
Category: New Product or Service
Agency: Barnes, Catmur & Friends
Advertiser: Boundary Road Brewery
Campaign: Boundary Road Brewery