Starcom NZ Wins CAANZ Media Awards Again

EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:45PM FRIDAY, 1 MAY 2009

Starcom NZ Wins CAANZ Media Awards for Second Consecutive Year

For the second consecutive year, Starcom NZ has walked away with the Best in Show Award at the CAANZ Media Awards. This year, it was for excellent use of traditional and non-traditional media to raise the profile of Sony Computer Entertainment NZ’s game, God of War: Chains of Olympus, moving to a portable format.

Winner of the supreme award, Starcom NZ’s campaign revolved around forming a partnership with Burger Fuel to deliver a unique brand experience, which clearly delivered the message that the popular Playstation game could now be played anywhere, anytime. Also securing two other gold awards in the Media, Entertainment, Travel & Leisure and Best Smart Media Idea categories, judges said Starcom NZ’s campaign displayed a very good understanding of the target audiences, and used media in innovative ways to engage with gamers when they were taking a break, to deliver an extremely successful campaign.

Held tonight at Auckland’s SKYCITY Convention Centre, the CAANZ Media Awards acknowledge and reward the best strategic insights in the media industry.

Media Agency of the Year was awarded to DraftFCB Media in recognition of it overcoming some major challenges in the past year, while still delivering strong results for the business and its clients. With a strong record of growth for the three previous years, DraftFCB Media’s initial plans were to continue along similar lines for 2008. However, the economic downturn and the challenges posed by a client realignment saw the agency rethink its approach mid-year. The winds of change provided the agency with the opportunity to review its business model, and focus on ways of improving business performance. With a strong focus on meeting the needs of clients and further developing its internal culture DraftFCB Media is ready for next year and beyond.

The Media Brand of the Year award went to TVNZ for its deep commitment to future-proofing the organisation by moving from a television network to a multi platform digital media company

The Media Excellence Award was awarded to Joan Withers, CEO of Fairfax Media for her longstanding career and achievements within the media industry over the past 25 years. She started out as a cadet reporter in the media industry and has ended up leading Fairfax Media. Under her stewardship, Fairfax Media has grown and diversified to meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing media environment. She was also Chief Executive of The Radio Network.

This year’s CAANZ Media Awards drew 197 entries,- a 55% increase on 2008. Judges commented that the standard of entries was high, which resulted in a gold or silver award been given out in each category.

The final round of judging resulted in 16 gold and 17 silvers being awarded. The full list of winners is as follows.

Gold Awards:

• Best in Show Starcom NZ, Sony Computer Entertainment NZ, God of War: Chains of Olympus
• Media Agency of the Year DraftFCB Media
• Media Brand of the Year TVNZ
• Excellence Award Joan Withers, CEO, Fairfax Media

Category Agency Advertiser Title
Clothing, Retail, Fast Food DraftFCB Media Noel Leeming
A Thirty Minute Advertisement
Media, Entertainment, Travel & Leisure Starcom NZ Sony Computer Entertainment NZ God of War: Chains of Olympus
Best Use of Television DraftFCB Media Noel Leeming A Thirty Minute Advertisement
Best Use of Digital DraftFCB Media Ministry of Health The Lowdown
Best Integrated Media Campaign DraftFCB Media Cerebos Gregg’s Robert Harris – Every Break Should be Inspirational
OMD Frucor New Zealand Snapped for Cash
Best Response, ROI OMD Bridgestone New Zealand Ltd Firestone – The Driving Force Behind Breast Cancer Awareness
Starcom NZ Westpac Westpac Olympics Sponsorship
Best Smart Media Idea Spark PHD Unilever Lynx Jackpot
Starcom NZ Sony Computer Entertainment NZ God of War: Chains of Olympus
Best Small Budget OMD Heinz Wattie’s Ltd Seriously Good Mayonnaise Launch
Best Sales Proposal of the Year APN Online Telecom New Zealand Telecom Small Business

Silver Awards

Category Agency Advertiser Title
Financial, Government, Corporate, Services DraftFCB Media Ministry of Health The Lowdown
Food, Grocery, Beverages (FMCG) OMD Heinz Wattie’s Ltd Seriously Good Mayonnaise Launch
Telecommunications, Consumer Durables & Automotive Starcom NZ Telecom New Zealand Telecom Broadband at Dial-up Prices
Media, Entertainment, Travel & Leisure Starcom NZ & Big Communications TVNZ Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Best Use of Television Starcom NZ Westpac Westpac Mitre 10 Dream Home Autumn Home Loans
Best Use of Print Spark PHD Vodafone NZ Vodafone Family
Best Use of Out of Home OMD Air New Zealand ondemand entertainment
Starcom NZ Sony Computer Entertainment NZ God of War: Chains of Olympus
Best Use of Digital OMD Visa Worldwide PTE Ltd Visa – Olympics Promotion April ‘08
Best Use of Radio Starcom NZ Telecom NZ Flava Fresh Zone
Best Integrated Media OMD Air New Zealand ondemand entertainment
OMD Heinz Wattie’s Ltd Seriously Good Mayonnaise Launch
Best Long Term Strategic Campaign OMD New Zealand Transport Agency Road Safety Campaign 2003 - 2008
Best Smart Media Idea Starcom NZ & Big Communications TVNZ Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Best Research and Insight Spark PHD Unilever Persil Top Ten Before You’re Ten
Best Small Budget OMD Darroch Valuations Darroch Valuations – Brand & Customer Acquisition Campaign
Starcom NZ Sony Computer Entertainment NZ God of War: Chains of Olympus

CAANZ Media Awards proudly sponsored by:
TVNZ, Fairfax Media, New Zealand Post Mail Marketing Service,
Admedia, Adshel, jobmedia, Nielsen Media Research, Canvas & NZ Women’s Weekly, APN Outdoor, SKY Network Television, The Internet Bureau, The Radio Bureau, The NZ Herald, The Radio Network, TV3, nz.herald.co.nz, NBR, The Hyperfactory and MTV

For case studies of winning gold campaigns visit www.caanz.co.nz

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