M&C Saatchi, Sydney’s ‘Game of Balls’ takes out IAB Creative Showcase Best of the Best Award
An international panel of expert judges has named M&C Saatchi, Sydney’s ‘Game of Balls’ campaign for the Blue Balls Foundation as the winner of IAB’s Creative Showcase Best of the Best Award.
As the best campaign of Creative Showcase Round 10, the campaign is automatically entered into this year’s prestigious IAB MIXX Awards which will be held in New York on 26 and 27 September.
The judges also made special mention of Deepend’s ‘Ed and the Curious Crew’ campaign for The Royal Children’s Hospital, ‘Qantas Instameet’ by Razorfish Australia and VLM’s ‘Loaded’ campaign for McDonald’s Australia.
“The tenth year of Creative Showcase has delivered some amazing work, with an emphasis on video and integrated campaigns,” said Mike Zeederberg, Managing Director of Zuni and Creative Showcase’s Chair of Judges. “The judges had a tough time choosing a winner from the year’s entrants, which shows the incredible creativity and technical depth prevalent in the industry today.”
‘Game of Balls’ sought to raise awareness of testicular cancer with a unique and cheeky campaign. In an industry first, M&C Saatchi partnered with Digital Playground, one of the world’s biggest adult film studios, to be part of their biggest pornographic release of the year, a tribute to “Game of Thrones”. In the middle of the action, the star stops, turns to the viewer and shows how to check himself for testicular cancer. Viewers were then directed to the Blue Ball Foundation, an Australian awareness charity. The campaign achieved staggering results: the message spread organically across the net, with 1.5-plus million views in its first four weeks and as of January 2016, over 15 million views. (You can view the case study here.)
“This collaboration between The Blue Ball Foundation and Digital Playground seriously raised awareness and ensured they reached their target with their pants down,” said judge Elke Klinkhammer, Chief Creative Officer at McCann Worldgroup in Germany.
Judge Federico Garcia, Creative Director at Translation, USA said the Game of Balls campaign was the winner thanks to its unique take on a big issue, done in a fun and light-hearted way. “Great insight, perfect media placement,” he said.
M&C Saatchi’s campaign joins a distinguished list of Australian creative campaigns which have been award winning at the IAB MIXX Awards in previous years. At the 2015 awards Soap Creative and JWT Australia won gold in the “Public Service” category for their “I Touch Myself” campaign for the Cancer Council of NSW, while M&C Saatchi secured gold in the “Special Innovation – Can’t be Contained – People’s Choice” category for its “Clever Buoy” campaign for Optus. VLM Australia, Clemenger BBDO and Isobar Australia also received Silver and Bronze awards in 2015.
The panel of international judges who reviewed the campaigns of IAB Australia’s Creative Showcase Round 10 to choose the Best of the Best were:
Scott Ex Rodgers, Senior Creative Director, SVP at BBDO New York, USA
Daniel Granatta, Freelance Creative Director, USA
Duncan Gray, Chief Creative Officer Europe at Fenton, UK
Federico Garcia, Creative Director – Translation LLC, USA
Elke Klinkhammer, Chief Creative Officer at McCann Worldgroup, Germany
Jonny Watson, Digital Creative Director at VCCP Blue, UK
11 Comments
Childish blokey humour / fantasy. Not surprising when you see that many men on the judging panel. Don’t women work in the creative industry anymore?
What a dumb arse comment.
This is a message for men t check their testicles.
On this occasion it doesn’t matter what women think.
Seriously you gotta wonder?!??
Simon, for someone with such a shit online book you sure are opinionated. Maybe try get some good work out first.
” this occasion it doesn’t matter what women think.”
Are you kidding with that comment??!!!!!
Highlighting the need for a medical check while using women as a sexualised object? – there is no connection there.
How long have either of you worked in Healthcare, I have for years and at top agencies and none have needed to be this backward in their creative…
The sexism and chauvinism in this country has set it back 15 years behind Europe – where the good work actually is.
“On this occasion it doesn’t matter what women think?”
Then why on earth is a woman cradling his balls? Why is there a woman in this ad at all? It’s about testicular cancer, it has nothing to do with women.
(((Plus, there’s no such thing as blue balls.
@FlimsyButFun …. You can get rid of your blue balls at stone wall on oxford st fella… first beer is on the guy in the chaps – enjoy! Im not sure how lovingly he will cradle your junk tho.
Men in female breast cancer advertisements… women in male breast cancer advertisements. Who cares? The content cuts through and gets men to think about their nuts and if the creative saves a few lives then its done its job. Get over it.
No Us women wont get it over it Jackson – you get over the fact you need porn to elucidate a cognitive response to a serious issue…being told the facts should be enough.
Using a woman in a breast awareness campaign is a literal connection…
Porn and blue balls for testicular cancer isn’t… Its a disgusting portrayal of women and you are too self absorbed and lacking the emotional intelligence to comprehend that this is not a conceptual idea bringing awareness, its normalising porn imagery to relate to an audience.
Its a sad state of affairs that men like yourself feel this is normal and also a sad state of affairs for mainstream advertising normalising porn for serious healthcare issues.
I pray none of you have daughters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFk7vIF1R_Y
So Sexist.
We need to stop doing racy, controversial ads, content and media.
Everything needs to be run by, and approved by the feminists. That will make everything better and definitely more interesting.
Let’s get rid of porn while were at it. Porn is surely responsible for everything bad in the world, as well as M&C Saatchi.
Redo this ad…take out the woman, replace with an 80 year old man in a lab coat. This version would surely be better, much more educational and definitely more interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBIkAx43cMQ