Marketforce’s ad “iiNet NBN Buffering Cat Shark” for client iiNet has won the single category and round two overall of the 2016 Siren Awards.
The radio ad, demonstrating how your favourite YouTube clips ‘suffer from the buffer’, was the work of multiple Siren award winning creatives Pat Lennox, Ben Green and Guy Howlett.
“There’s nothing quite like that feeling of anticipation when you hit play to check out a cool clip. And there’s nothing quite so frustrating when you can’t watch that clip….because the buffering wheel is telling you to cool your jets,” said Pat Lennox, Creative Director of Marketforce.
The round two winner of the campaign category was BMF Advertising with its “Freedom” campaign for client Sportsbet.
Creatives Cam Blackley, Jim Curtis and Ryan Fitzgerald developed the concept promoting Cash Out, a feature which allows people to back out of a bet even after a match or event has started. The first ad ‘Walkout’ always plays at the start of an ad-break, and then the following ads within the campaign are played throughout the ad-break posing as spots for other products.
Rumble Studios and sound engineer Tone Aston won the craft category for “Security Doors,” from the same “Freedom” campaign for Sportsbet.
“These ads highlight how well radio works to engage the audience and to communicate a message. They really exemplify the potential of good radio advertising” said Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia.
In the single category, Marketforce was also highly commended for two entries: “Tyrion Lannister”, another ad in the iiNet NBN Buffering Campaign by Pat Lennox, Ben Green and Guy Howlett, and “Paracetamol”, by Guy Howlett for client Curtin.
Scott Huebscher and Nils Eberhardt from Leo Burnett Sydney were highly commended in the campaign category for “Keep Looking When Cooking” for NSW Fire and Rescue, while Pat Lennox, Ben Green and Guy Howlett were also highly commended for the “iiNet NBN Buffering” campaign.
In the craft category, sound engineer Tone Aston and Rumble Studios were highly commended for their work for two additional ads, “Couples Scientist” and “Big Cats”, within the Sportsbet “Freedom” campaign. While sound engineer Aaron Waide and Chocolate Studios were highly commended for their ad “Safe Mistakes: Wand” for the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and MFB Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB).
The Siren Awards, run by Commercial Radio Australia, celebrate the best in radio advertising and are judged over five rounds throughout the year by a panel of industry experts, made up of creative directors from leading ad agencies, known as the Siren Creative Council.
The 2016 Gold Siren winner will be announced in May 2016 and will win a trip to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The client of the winning 2016 Gold Siren Award also wins a ticket to Cannes.
Silver Sirens are awarded in each of the three categories: single, campaign and craft. The Sirens Client Award is a separate $5000 cash prize for the best ad as voted by a panel of clients.
Round 3 of the 2016 Siren Awards is now open. Entries close 11 September 2015.
Listen to Round 2 2016 winning ads here.