EFFIE Call for Entries
Issue 21 | December 2011
Agency
DRAFTFCB Auckland
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director: James Mok ; Creative Directors: Chris Schofield, Matt Simpkins ; Creatives: Kelly Lovelock, Steve McCabe ; Designer: Will Pickering
Production Team
Kelly Gillard, Lucy Cole, Anastasia Potter
Date
21 June - 3rd August 2011
Background
The New Zealand Effie Awards honour the country's most effective advertising. But with entry numbers flat-lining and both agencies and clients viewing these awards with either dread or suspicion, something needed to be done to restore both credibility and participation.
Idea
The idea was to make heroes of the real judges of advertising – the consumer.
But instead of featuring Mr. or Mrs. Average, the agency secretly tracked down and photographed the partners, parents, siblings or kids of leading advertising people and clients. The sort of industry figures usually found on awards juries. They knew nothing about the involvement of their nearest and dearest until the mailing arrived on their desks. As you can imagine, the surprise was audible throughout ad agency offices around the country. It was the most personally targeted campaign imaginable.
Results
There were 100 more entries to the 2011 Effies than in 2010 and tickets for the awards show have been selling fast.
Our Thoughts
The campaign for Australia’s own local DM awards (produced by Ogilvy Melbourne) used a strikingly similar concept this year, posing average consumers as the real judges of effective creativity. And while I liked that campaign, I love this one that little bit more for making it personal, targeted and somewhat theatrical. I would have loved (and been slightly creeped out) to receive a poster featuring one of my own family members. But perhaps not the deranged half-brother we keep under the stairs. No-one wants to see him.