Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i AdNews

The AdNews Agency of the Year (sponsored by Samsung Ads) for 2023 is independent agency Howatson+Company. The agency, which scooped up seven trophies at the AdNews Agency of the Year awards, has been making waves in the less than three years since it was founded. The judges were impressed with Howatson+Company’s brave approach and sticking to a cap of 200 employees, ensuring that the agency doesn’t grow too quickly. “Howatson+Company has set a cracking pace in the increasingly competitive independent agency landscape this year, scaling operations, acquiring new clients and executing exceptional campaigns,” the judges noted. “This is a young agency started in 2021 whose quality of work continues. “And it has a commitment to remain small, not to over expand, to be what it terms ‘intimate’ at 200 staff.…

This Is Flow has been named Media Agency of the Year for the second year in a row. “The agency's exceptional growth, staff retention and commitment to people stood out alongside the development of strong client solutions and strategies,” said the judges. Over the last 18 months, Flow has grown 500% to 40 staff from eight, and hasn’t lost a single person. But how to keep growing? “We start with a program called IMPACT PLUS - which includes Flow miles - a unique loyalty program designed to encourage holidays, Flow Family Feasts and the Flow Academy - a series of tailor made courses driving professional, personal and emotional growth (resulting in Flow staff completing 25% more training hours than the industry average),” says Flow. “But the real standout in people…

The AdNews Effectiveness Award (sponsored by Google) has been won by Howatson+Company. A shout out to all marketers for great work. The judges were challenged by the high quality of submissions, saying this was one of the hardest categories to choose an overall winner. “The winner, Modibodi - I’m Dying Inside via Howatson+Company, showed considerable bravery and boldness,” the judges said. “A single purpose message to a specific audience, Gen Z, and a single channel, TikTok. Described as a modern period drama, I’m Dying Inside features four housemates all on their periods at the same time. The campaign drove positive brand sentiment and strong sales uplift.” Research told Howatson+ Company that everything about Modibodi – values, superior product offering, mission to break taboos and create reusable products -- was aligned…

The PR Agency of the year is Thinkerbell. “Thinkerbell presented an incredibly strong body of client work alongside people and culture programs such as a Pot Of Gold grant for employees,” the judges said. Thinkerbell describes itself as an independent that practices Measured Magic, a combination of marketing science and hardcore creativity. “It underpins everything we do, from the types of people we employ, to our weekly meetings, even how we choose restaurants for lunch with clients,” says Thinkerbell. “Our ‘measured magic’ drives everything we do, and done well will lead to our bravest thinking. The world needs more colour, movement and bravery. It’s a challenge to ourselves to take calculated risks in how we work, and break norms and expectations. We find this incredibly liberating (and brave).” In the…

I'm Dying Inside is the AdNews Social Media Campaign of the Year from Howatson+Company for Modibodi. “This campaign nailed being culturally relevant to their audience while achieving great results,” the judges said. “The judges were impressed that the campaign successfully leverages long-term content on TikTok and that the idea had long-term endurance.” Howatson+Company says the shame and stigma of leaking on your period still holds young people back from experiencing the lives & social freedom they want to lead. “Gen Z are already dealing with so much in their life - leaving school, moving out of home, or into the workforce, dating, mental health, exploring your sexuality, financial uncertainty and more – the last thing you need to be worried about is your period. “We wanted to show Modibodi as…

Performance, not looks. Innocean, with client Hyundai, in a partnership with Surfing Australia, via a campaign called She’s Electric, has won the AdNews Brand Partnership Award. “This partnership recognised a fundamental problem in a male-dominated sport and took meaningful, tangible steps to address it through community building and impressive technology in execution," the judges said. Australia is far from giving women a “fair go” when it comes to competitive surfing. One in three surfers are women but only 10% of junior competitors are female. “The full potential of female surfers is being capped at grassroots levels because there is no clear pathway to the top,” Innocean says. “As partners with Surfing Australia and major sponsors of the nation’s largest grassroots surfing events, Australian Boardriders Battle (ABB), it was time for…

The AdNews Game Changer Award (sponsored by Amazon Ads) has been won by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song. “The Digital Nation campaign, on behalf of Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific nation at risk of becoming the first country to be submerged by rising sea levels due to climate change, was built wholly on an idea, with global action at its core, on a zero budget that reached 2.1 billion people across 160 countries,” the judges said. “The reach was amazing and is still having an impact, with other countries recognising digital nationhood. A Loss and Damage Fund for nations like Tuvalu was established soon after the campaign at COP27.” The initiative, to highlight that Tuvalu is at risk of becoming the first country to be submerged by rising sea levels…

The Media Store is the winner of the AdNews Employer of the Year (headcount under 75) sponsored by Samsung Ads. “This agency demonstrated a deep understanding that people are at the core of their business, even through an agency rebuild,” the judges said. “The judges were impressed with the agency’s investment in diversity and inclusion, particularly into pay parity.” The agency’s culture is founded on the 5 Ways of Wellbeing: Be Active; Give Back; Keep Learning; Take Notice; Connect. “Whether that be entering an UnLtd sporting team, donating blood together, nominating a colleague for a monthly award for demonstrating a business value, axe throwing for our mid-year party or volunteering for Clean Up Australia Day, we walk the talk in nurturing a mentally healthy workplace. “As soon as we had…

“And over my 20 years of leadership, I worked with the most amazing village of Burnetters.” Melinda Geertz, with an almost four decade career with the one agency, Leo Burnett, was inducted in the Advertising Hall of Fame at the AdNews Agency of the Year Awards Long Lunch at the SCG, Sydney. “This is recognition that I would never, in my wildest dreams, have imagined,” she told the 450 industry representatives on February 22, 2024. She started her career in 1983 at Leo Burnett in Chicago, entering a management training program after graduating from Northwestern University. She stepped down as CEO of Leo Burnett Australia in 2021. The Advertising Hall of Fame recognises those who have influenced the direction of the industry in Australia, who have helped raise the standing…

Howatson+Company has been named Independent Agency of the Year for the second year in a row. “This is a young agency started in 2021 whose quality of work continues,” say the judges. “And it has a commitment to remain small, not to over expand, to be what it terms ‘intimate’ at 200 staff. “They have created some very cut-through ideas with a small budget. They bring discipline to everything: commercial; clients and effectiveness; people on culture. A vision and solidarity, all about their clients. “The agency also declines to pitch sometimes even when it is repeat business. Employees come first with 4.5% of revenue going into training. They pay parents returning to work a full time salary for a half time role.” Howatson+Company started with a simple mission: Positively influence…

Sparro & Jack Nimble has won AdNews Digital Agency of the Year. This is the second time for Jack Nimble, before it became part of Sparro. “In a tightly contested category, Sparro & Jack Nimble was the all-round winner with strong commercials and an excellent people and culture strategy,” the judges said. The agency’s vision is to be Australia’s most impactful agency. “Being independent means we can focus on driving impact where it matters most: growing our clients and developing future industry leaders,” says Sparro & Jack Nimble. The group had more than 100 active clients, including 40 new partnerships in the 2023 financial year. Notable new clients include Petbarn, The NRMA, The DOM, Spotify, LinkedIn, The World’s Greatest Shave, The Benevolent Society, Sydney Airport, Bond University and SIXT Australia.…

The Media Campaign of the Year is Flipvertising by CHEP Network. “The campaign doubled down on digital to create a compelling contextual media buy that engaged consumers and 'flipped' the advertising rulebook,” the judges said. This campaign broke taboos, targeting an audience which hates ads, Gen Z, with the fully foldable Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. “They’re savvy enough to spot sponsored posts,” says CHEP Network. “Our research showed us that with product launches, Aussies are better influenced by real people creating their own content and reviews, so we wanted to drive our ad-wary audience to all the great content that was already out there without feeling like they were clumsily being served paid-for content. “As the internet was flooded with positive reviews about the device, we needed a clever way…

The AdNews Best Use of Data in Campaign Planning (Sponsored by OMA) went to Mindshare’s Winning the Game for Kayo Sport for client Streamotion. “This campaign hit the criteria on the head,” the judges said. “The judges were impressed by the strong performance of the campaign even with a reduction of investment.” Fans didn’t care about watching every game, but they were just as passionate about watching their team as Fanatics, according to audience research. It was therefore critical to show fans that all the teams that mattered to them most were included. This would require a wide-scale hyper-localised approach. Enter Project Marauder, inspired by the magical and revealing map from Harry Potter. This fused enriched customer data with publicly available ABS data at a mesh block level. “Based on…

The AdNews Social Responsibility/Pro Bono Award has been won by HERO with the campaign Through Their Eyes, Maybelline. “This campaign’s strategy punched above its weight against what it set out to achieve, delivering admirable reach and creating tangible behaviour amongst the audience,” the judges said. The campaign that set out to change the game for good. Maybelline New York wanted to engage with Gen Z, in particular the burgeoning gaming demographic, now with a total audience of 17 million in Australia. The brief was to connect with young female gamers in a meaningful and authentic way and enrich their gaming experiences. “We knew of anecdotal evidence that female identifying gamers were facing constant abuse online resulting in many playing in silence, or not at all. It seemed the online gaming…

The new award, Best Use of AI, has been won by Howatson+Company with EXHIBIT A-i. “The campaign not only demonstrated the capabilities of AI through an advertising lens, but as a powerful vehicle for purpose, CSR and public policy,” the judges said. Howatson+Company says AI has for the first time allowed us to visualise what’s previously only been available through written word. “This incredible technology allows new opportunities for awareness demonstrating the power of creativity to spark the start of change for the better,” Howatson+Company says. “Refugees have long been Australia’s political footballs, with their humanity excluded from public debate. Australian politicians have a long history of using dehumanising language to influence public opinion against people seeking asylum.” Exhibit A-i is a campaign revealing the stories of refugees detained by…

Howatson+Company, a young agency started in 2021, with a defining value of “care fiercely”, has been named Creative Agency of the Year. The agency’s work I’m Dying Inside: A modern period drama for Modibodi, set the benchmark for how brands should show up on TikTok, according to Denny Handlin, Head of Global Business Marketing, TikTok AU/NZ. The judges were impressed with the agency’s brave approach to meaningful P&C initiatives and sticking to a cap of 200 employees, ensuring that the agency doesn’t grow too quickly. “The Modibodi campaign was a highlight case study in the category, showing that the agency clearly understands how to address client problems for key audiences,” say the judges Howatson+Company says life’s a lot for young people: “Heartbreak. Anxiety. Moving out. Coming out. Sex. #hustleculture. The…

The digital agency describes itself as pushing industry boundaries to define what better looks like and how it can be measured in a digital environment. The judges were impressed by the agency’s use of data and analytics to drive growth and deliver a great ROI in the sustainable business category. “Plus, growth was balanced extremely well with large investments into P&C initiatives, rounding out the agency as a leader,” said the judges. All the work done at Next&Co is defined by Measurably Better experiences. This is determined by tracing the key commercial objectives such as sales, leads, enquiries. “Through our proprietary technology Prometheus, our team can see, line by line, how much of our clients media is being wasted and on which activities. Since its launch in 2020, Prometheus has…

Flipvertising for Samsung Australia by CHEP Network has won the AdNews Ad Campaign of the Year. “This campaign flipped traditional advertising on its head with a deep understanding of how to engage digital communications for a demographic that's notoriously difficult to reach," said the judges. Can you imagine Gen Z, the most ad-sceptical generation, trying to get targeted by Samsung ads? That’s the story of Flipvertising, about flipping the traditional use of targeted advertising. “As we noticed more conversation on Reddit and other platforms about algorithms and how to avoid them – we used this insight to power an entirely new style of campaign which broke the rules of direct advertising,” says CHEP Network. “By ‘flipping’ the traditional targeted advertising model on its head, we created a competitive ‘internet sport’…

Voice of the Sea by Innocean for the Australian Marine Conservation Society is the winner of the Small Budget Media Campaign of the Year (Less than $500,000) - Sponsored by Audience360. “This campaign’s media approach brought to life a creative idea that holds longevity to create good past the initial brief,” the judges said. “The judges were impressed by the tangible results the campaign delivered with a small budget.” The aim of the campaign was to get people to start paying attention to ocean conservation again. “Despite being deeply part of Australia’s national psyche, our oceans are threatened by climate change, pollution, overfishing and coral bleaching (to name a few). “Enter Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS). Campaigning tirelessly for 55 years as Australia’s only charity dedicated solely to oceans. “To…

The Adnews Best Use of Content (Sponsored by SEVEN) award has been awarded to The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, for the campaign, The First Digital Nation, The Government of Tuvalu. “The content delivered on strategy, execution and proven results through an innovative, focused and highly differentiated approach in a cluttered market,” the judges said. A zero budget campaign, reaching 2.1 billion people with a high impact message. Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific nation, is facing an impossible challenge. At the current rate of global sea level rise, the entire country will be submerged by 2050. As the ocean closes in, Tuvalu must ask: what happens to a country without land? Tuvaluan Minister Simon Kofe was scheduled to speak at COP27, the UN Climate Change Conference. Though it was expected to…

The AdNews Diversity Award has been won by Innocean for Show Up For IWD. “Every phase of the campaign was designed to be shared, creating impressive reach and engagement metrics to deliver an important message,” said the judges. One in two men think we’ve done enough to fix gender equality. International Women’s Day is largely seen by men as a “women’s event”. “We targeted the ‘moveable middle’ to become better allies. Men who are not actively doing wrong, but perhaps aren’t sure what to do right,” said Innocean. “To draw these men in, we couldn’t use shaming tactics that only caused them to shy away. “We needed to lean into their interests and behaviours while being provocative enough to get men talking. “Introducing ‘Show up for IWD’- a campaign inviting…

Employer of the Year (headcount over 75) sponsored by Samsung Ads has been won by Howatson+Company. “This agency’s retention rate, high NPS score and thoughtful investments into L&D impressed the judges as they truly felt every employee at the agency feels valued,” the judges said. “The agency also proved its deliverance of clever creative solutions to client problems with commercial outcomes always top of mind.” Howatson+Company, now with 120 staff, was founded two years ago, with a vision to make a positive impact on people, culture and the world. “Independence comes with lower overheads and more money to invest in what’s most important to us; our people,” said Howatson+Company. “With some of the best talent, our focus is on keeping them engaged. So we’ve completed performance diagnostics on all our…