DDB NZ wins 2014 Newspaper Ad of the Year for VW ‘Beetle Sale’ ad; drives away with $10,000

An advertisement for VW promoting its Beetle Sale via DDB New Zealand, has won the 2014 Newspaper Ad of the Year announced in Auckland last night.

The ad wins the agency $10,000 cash and the kudos of being the year’s best ad. This follows last year’s win by DDB for their YWCA ‘From now until the end of the year, women will work for free’ ad.

The VW ad was highly praised by the international judges, Adrian Rossi and Alex Grieve of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.

Says Rossie and Grieve: “VW has one of the richest advertising heritages of any brand. This is both a blessing and a curse. You have to raise your standards to what has come before. This ad does. It grabs our attention. It conveys its message. Top stuff.”

AUT graduates Kevin Bachtiar (left) and Sasha Arandelovic (right) were the creatives behind the VW ad.

Bachtiar and Arandelovic, now at Special Group, created the ad while they were at DDB New Zealand.

Their cheque was handed to DDB’s CCO Damon Stapleton, ECD Shane Bradnick, CD Justin Mowday and Snr Writer Rory McKechnie.

Whybin\TBWA’s advertisement Minds for Minds was runner up after taking out the Best Craft – Copy award.

Other winners on the New Zealand newspaper industry’s big night were Auckland agencies Ogilvy & Mather, OMD, and Assignment Wellington.

The OMD advertisement for Tourism Australia was headlined ‘What’s your passion’ and took out the awards for both Best Media Thinking and Best News Brand Campaign.

In the Student Newspaper Ad Challenge students had to prepare a newspaper campaign for Nescafe Azera, the new generation in instant coffee, which offers the full bodied taste and intense aroma of real, roasted coffee beans.

Media Design School’s Julie Koch (left) and Tania Menzies (right) took home $500 cash in addition to the award from News Works. The top award brought readers a summary of the top stories from the day – for an ‘Instant read’. Koch and Menzies also took out a highly commended in for their campaign called Misprints.

In another double-up of wins, Kent Briggs and Nick Houghton not only took out a highly commended for their topical ad ‘Lucky Bugger for SKY TV’, they also got a second trot up to the stage to collect the overall student topical winner.

Briggs’ and Houghton’s advertisement for SKY TV was based around the news that John Banks was facing home detention. A picture of a Sky decoder and remote was accompanied by the caption “Lucky bugger”. The judges said: “This is a SKY ad… one they would actually run with – a really clever, good use of humour.”

AUT’s Lennie Galloway (below left) and Thomas Gledhill (below, right), currently interning at FCB New Zealand and due to graduate in December this year, picked up two second prizes awards – for their Azera campaign ‘For a combination that actually makes sense’ and for their Topical newspaper ad for Greenpeace.

Media Design School’s Tom Houghton and Sian Henderson was second equal with Letters to the Editor. Houghton and Briggs also received a highly commended for their Fujitsu – Cosy campaign

The full list of winners at the 2014 Newspaper Advertising Awards is:

2014 AD OF THE YEAR

Client: VW – Beetle Sale

Agency: DDB

Executive Creative Director: Andy Fackrell

Creative Directors: Gavin Siakimotu, Natalie Knight

Art Director:  Kevin Bachtiar

Copywriter:  Sasha Arandelovic

Judges’ comments: VW has one of the richest advertising heritages of any brand. This is both a blessing and a curse.  You have to raise your standards to what has come before. This ad does.  It grabs your attention. It conveys its message. Top stuff.

2014 Ad of the Year Runner Up & Best Craft – Copy

Client: Minds for Minds – Routine

Agency: Whybin\TBWA

CCO:  Toby Talbot

Creative Director: Lisa Fedyszyn & Jonathan McMahon

Creatives: Smeta Chhotu-Patel, Tom Johnson & Tom Knighton

Head of Art:  Phil Kelly

Group Head:  Jodi Willocks

Account Director:  Mark Wilson

Production:  Ali Vernon

Print Production:  LightFarm Studios

Logo Design:  Lorenz Perry

Judges’ comments: Great to see long copy making a return.  It is cleverly put together and certainly makes one stop and think.

Best Craft – Art

Client: Absolutely Positively Wellington

Agency: Assignment Wellington

Creative Team: Chris Bleackley, John Plimmer & Chrissie Lahood

Retouching: Geoff Francis

GAD: Felicity Drader

Judges’ Comments: The ads were pure craft

Best Topical

Client:  Rebel Sport

Agency:  Ogilvy & Mather

Executive Creative Director:  Angus Hennah

Creative:  Rupert Hancock

Illustrator:  Mike Mirfin

Group Account Director:  Sandra Daniel

Account Director:  Darryl Rogers

Group Marketing Manager:  Tanya Laurence

Buyer Hardgoods:  Hamish MacKenzie

Judge’s Comments: Hugely topical, with a simple idea

Best Digital

NB. No winner was awarded for Best Digital

Best Media Thinking

Client: Tourism Australia

Agency: OMD

Client Services Director: Chrissy Payne

Account Director: Colleen Porath

Managing Partner: Andrew Reinholds

Digital Strategy Director: Judit Maireder

Digital Planner / Buyer: Christina So

Campaign Executive:  Azriel Chan

Account Executive:  Hanri Els

Creatives:  Avon Willis, Aaron Taylor & Paul Cracknell

Judges’ Comments: Huge content and variety. It was visually strong and appealing with great use of ad and editorial

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

Best Craft – Art

Runner-Up: Client: VW, Agency: DDB

Highly Commended: Client: Minds for Minds, Agency: Whybin\TBWA

Best Craft – Copy

Runner-Up: Client: Talk Rugby like a Pro, Agency: Whybin\TBWA

Best Topical

Runner-Up: Client:  Prime TV, Agency: FCB Media

Highly Commended: Client: Lorde’s letter, Agency: Ella Yelich O’Connor / Saika Management

Best Digital

Highly Commended: Client: Talk Rugby like a Pro, Agency: Whybin\TBWA

Best Media Thinking

Highly Commended: Client: Public Trust, Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Wellington

Best News Brand Campaign

Runner Up:  Client:  Brand USA, Agency:  JWT Action USA / APN

Highly Commended:  Client: Pak n Save – Australia campaign, Agency:  FCB Media

Highly Commended:  Client: Talk Rugby like a Pro, Agency: Whybin\TBWA

2014 STUDENT NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING COMPETITION

Nescafe Azera Challenge

Winner

Making instant a little more special – Media Design School – Julie Koch and Tania Menzies

Judges’ Comments: This was a really good way of bringing to life that Azera is instant, and that you can get the best of what you need in an    instant.

Second Equal

For a combination that actually makes sense – AUT – Lennie Galloway and Thomas Gledhill

Letters to the editor – Media Design School – Tom Houghton and Sian Henderson

Highly Commended

Misprints – Media Design School – Julie Koch and Tania Menzies

Topical Brief

Winner

Lucky Bugger – Media Design School – Kent Briggs and Nick Houghton

Second

Greenpeace – AUT – Lennie Galloway and Thomas Gledhill

Highly Commended

Fujitsu – Media Design School – Kent Briggs and Nick Houghton