It's not easy to pick just 10 ads to be crowned the most impressive of the bunch, but excellent offerings from Tooheys, Johnnie Walker and the Sydney Opera House lead the way in AdNews' best TV ads of 2011.
Tooheys Extra Dry
'Nocturnal Migration'
BMF
Urban mating habits of stag and deer coupled with a kick-arse Prodigy track cements “Nocturnal Migration” firmly as the best Australian television ad of 2011. A night on the town for the four-legged critters mirrors memorable evenings of our own, except the animals look like they’re having much more fun. Prowling the streets, hitting the dance floor and the dirty 3am burger are all tenets of a good time for humans and, apparently, our antlered friends. The brand strength of the Tooheys stag is so well leveraged in the ad, the product itself, or any beer, doesn’t even show up until the end frame.
Johnnie Walker
'Serious and Important'
Leo Burnett Sydney
It’s hard to get away with saying “leverage, portfolio, fiduciary” in an ad without the audience lapsing into a coma but “Serious and Important” does so, and with aplomb. The campaign spoofs the sombreness traditionally used to market scotch by treating it with humour and irreverence. A cameo from Don Johnson doesn’t hurt either.
Sydney Opera House
'Ship Song Project'
The Monkeys
A beautifully filmed and produced campaign for the Sydney Opera House, composer Elliott Wheeler’s impressive arrangement of Nick Cave’s “Ship Song” is accompanied by stunning images of the iconic building. Neil Finn, The Temper Trap, Paul Kelly and Daniel Johns are just some the artists to lend their considerable talents to the visceral campaign.
National Australia Bank
'Unpopular'
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
As part of one of the most seamlessly integrated campaigns of the year, “Unpopular” captures NAB’s marketing strategy of breaking up with the its Big Four pals. An ambitious tracking shot through a stodgy restaurant lined with bankers filled with loathing and shooting dagger-eyes at you always make for laugh-out-loud fun.
Earth Hour
'Moths'
Leo Burnett Sydney
One of the great pests of the Australian environment, bogong moths, are used to great effect to illustrate the perils of not joining in on Earth Hour. A Hitchcockian descent by the locust-like swarm would have anyone pondering about not switching off think twice.
Melbourne International Film Festival
'Potato Peelers'
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
Amazing cinematography and a droll sense of humour makes this the perfect promo for the film festival crowd. Scoring thespian Geoffrey Rush for a cameo was a great coup and lends the spot gravitas. Who knew Polish potato peelers could be so darkly hilarious?
Strongbow
'Summer Blossoms'
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
It was the most searched-for Australian ad campaign on Google in 2011 and features infectious indie rock number “Young Blood” by The Naked and Famous. But the real reason “Summer Blossoms” makes our list is for throwing an onscreen shindig which looks like the funnest pool party ever.
Hahn Super Dry
'Super Machine'
Publicis Mojo Sydney
A souped-up Willy Wonka-esque tour through the Hahn beer factory confirms what we’ve suspected all along - it’s the happiest place on Earth. The Knight Rider theme accompanies your journey through an unlikely industrial process which includes, naturally, mallet-wielding musclemen.
WA Office of Road Safety
'Enjoy the Ride'
303 Perth
Eschewing the traditional shock tactics of blood and broken lives so favoured by road safety campaigns, “Enjoy the Ride” takes the opposite tack (or should that be track?).. The campaign launched with an epic three-minute TV commercial, asking motorists to slow down and enjoy the drive and not be so frantic in their lives.
Coles
'Down Down'
Big Red
It’s never going to win a beauty parade, but you can’t argue with the effectiveness of the ad, which provides price-conscious consumers with a reassuring message about value for money. The soundtrack is a catchy spin on Petula Clark’s “Downtown”. Cheesy? Undoubtedly. Effective? Very much so.
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