Colenso BBDO leads agency pack at finalist stage of the 2021 Effie Awards in association with TVNZ

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Colenso BBDO leads agency pack at finalist stage of the 2021 Effie Awards in association with TVNZ

The advertising and marketing industry’s pre-eminent award ceremony is drawing closer, as the first round of judging for the 2021 Effie Awards in association with TVNZ is completed and finalists are announced. Colenso BBDO leads the Kiwi agency pack with 24 finalists, followed by Clemenger BBDO Wellington with 20 finalists and DDB Aotearoa and Special Group with 15 finalists.

 

TBWA\NZ and Saatchi & Saatchi have both scored 10 finalists, whilst FCB NZ and dentsu has scored six with two of dentsu’s finalists shared with M&C Saatchi NZ. EightyOne and Pitchblack Partners have picked up four finalists apiece, Motion Sickness has three finalists, whilst VMLY&R and Shine have got two. Agencies with one finalist include HeyYou, Ogilvy, Contagion and VCCP Sydney.

This year’s theme for the Effie Awards celebrates the impact that winning an Effie has on client/agency relationships, and how effective advertising draws the client and agency closer together.

Says Rupert Price, chief strategy officer DDB Aotearoa, and member of Effie’s Aotearoa Steering Committee: “Nothing better proves a client and agency are on the same page better than winning an Effie. It shows both partners are pushing in the same direction; using the power of creativity to drive exceptional business or behavioural outcomes for the brand.”

A panel of over 120 industry peers judged the preliminary round online during L4 lock-down. The quality of entry’s this year impressed the judges, making the selection of just over 115 finalists across 20 Effie categories that much harder. The category judging follows in early October, and eight panels of judges will determine the Bronze, Silver and Gold Effie contenders, and identify which campaign is up for the title of ‘The Hardest Challenge’.

This year’s highly qualified Executive Judges who will be leading the final judging rounds are:

Jonathan Waecker – Chief Customer Officer at The Warehouse Group
Sarah Williams – Head of Brand, Communications, and Experience at Spark
Luke Rive – Director or Marketing at McDonald’s
Jonathan Symons – Director at TVNZ
Helen Fitzsimons – Head of Brand Marketing at Sky New Zealand
David Thomason – Brand Planner and Advertising Strategist
Lisa Divett – Executive Strategy Director at Clemenger BBDO
Lauren Cooke – Senior Manager at NZTA.

All Gold Effie category winners will be eligible for the Grand Effie sponsored by TVNZ, which is awarded to the campaign that achieved the most extraordinary commercial results for its client.

Winners and finalists will be celebrated and awarded at an awards dinner in Auckland October/November Date TBA.

VIEW THE FULL LIST OF FINALISTS